digital tools and references
Capability: Both TurboCAD and TurboCAD Professional have been upgraded to version 9, which includes incorporation of the latest version three-dimensional ACIS solid modeling engine, improved facet editing as compared to past versions, and the capability to work in rendered mode. The facet editor lets users of the professional version move, rotate, and delete facets of an ACIS object. The part tree for that version now gives users access to the entire history of the three-dimensional object they're creating. Extrusions include smoothing, distance and draft-angle settings. The professional version lets users work in rendered mode, which eliminates the need to switch back and forth to wireframe mode. Also in this version, users can include the display of two-dimensional objects in 3-D renderings and can superimpose the wireframes on the renderings. Both versions now display work-plane intersections with existing 3-D objects to aid work-plane simulation.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000 or NT..
Developer: International Microcomputers Software Inc., 75 Rowland Way, Suite 340, Novato, CA 94945; (415) 878-4000; fax (415) 897-2544; www.imsisoft.com.
Cost: TurboCAD, $99.95; TurboCAD Professional, $695.
Capability: XLProPlot is a scientific graphing software application for scientists and engineers who use the Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic for Applications software programs. With the application, users don't have to switch between packages for automated graphing. The application includes a group of tools for one-click creation and formatting of x-y scatter plots, which is the plot style for technical data presentation in Excel. Technical-looking plots can be created with one button click using the tools. Advanced plotting features include multiple x- and y-axes creation, custom axis label numeric formats, custom data labels, and the capability to export plots as pictures. For more advanced application, the software gives users access to professional technical plotting capabilities directly from Visual Basic.
Hardware: PC running Windows 98, 2000, NT, or XP.
Developer: Spreadsheet World Inc., P.O. Box 261158, Encino, CA 91426-1158; (818) 995-3931; www. spreadsheetworld.com.
Cost: $199.
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Capability: Foam is a program that simulates various aspects of engineering mechanics, such as fluid flow at all speeds, multiphase and free-surface flow, combustion, turbulence, heat transfer, solid dynamics, electromagnetics, and magnetohydrodynamics. It also simulates and tracks particles from sprays, chemistry kinetics, and complex thermophysics. The application runs on any three-dimensional mesh that can undergo motion or topological changes. In addition to its own mesh generator and post-processor, the application is also compatible with many popular mesh generation, computational fluid dynamics, and post-processing software applications. Foam is distributed as a group of C++ libraries with source code that directly mimics the equations being solved.
Hardware: PC running Linux, Solaris, IRIS, or OSF1.
Developers: Nabla Ltd., The Mews Pickett's Lodge, Pickett's Lane, Salfords, Surrey RH1 5RG, England; www.nabla.co.uk.
Cost: Starts at $12,000.
Capability: Alias Studio Personal Learning Edition gives access to a large portion of the developer's computer-aided industrial design tools. The limited program is useful for students, beginning digital designers, and industrial designers. The application features an integrated two- dimensional and three-dimensional environment. The scaled-down application includes access to 2-D sketching technology, nonuniform rational B-spline curve and surface modeling tools, and photorealistic rendering tools. Users are restricted to noncommercial applications by display of a special watermark on the images they create as well as by a special noncommercial file format. A learning center on the developer's Web site offers learning materials on the software application, discussion forums, downloads of sample files, and galleries where users can exhibit their projects.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000 or XP, Internet browser Net- scape 4.75 or Internet Explorer 5.
Developer: Alias/Wavefront, 210 King St. East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 1J7; (800) 447-2542; fax (416) 369-6140; www.aliaswavefront.com.
Cost: $10.
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