solidThinking Product Day in Versailles, France Mark the date: October 27, 2010

August 11, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo


solidThinking invites all designers, architects, and creative minds to the 2nd solidThinking Day on October 27, 2010 at the Palais des Congrès at Versailles, France.

Come and see how our customers take advantage of solidThinking and solidThinking Inspired, the two industrial design tools from solidThinking Inc. and learn in workshops with hands-on-sessions how to use the software for your everyday design challenges.

Registration is FREE.

Agenda:

Morning Session

10.30 Welcome

10.35 The impact of conceptual design on the product development process

11.00 Customer stories

11.30 Presentation of the new solidThinking releases: solidThinking 8.5 and solidThinking 8.5 Inspired

13.00 Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

14.00 Hands-on with solidThinking 8.5 – Part 1
The workshop (Part 1 + Part 2 ) will demonstrate – with practical and visual examples – methods that industrial designers and architects can use to explore design opportunities and innovate while optimizing the product development process. Participants can bring their own laptop.

15.30 Coffee break

15.45 Hands-on with solidThinking 8.5 – Part 2

17.15 Q&A

18.00 Welcome reception of the 4th European HTC (HyperWorks Technology Conference)

Note: We welcome you to register for the morning, the afternoon or the full day’s program at your convenience.

Click here to register for this free event.

The event day is part of the 4th European HyperWorks Technology Conference 2010 (registration for this event is also free).

The event will be attracting attendees from all over Europe and will be therefore held in English.

Introduction to solidThinking Webinars: August 2010 schedule

August 11, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Register for FREE attendance to the next Introduction to solidThinking, a live training session that introduces the concepts and tools of solidThinking.

Duration: 1 hour.

Dates:

August 12, 2010 – 2:00 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

August 17, 2010 – 10:00 AM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

August 26, 2010 – 2:00 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

How to Model Video: Modeling a Razor

August 11, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

A new demo showing how to model an electric razor has been added to solidThinking’s YouTube Channel.

See how you can quickly model the razor, change details and perfect its design in complete freedom thanks to solidThinking’s unique ConstructionTree technology.

solidThinking at the 3rd China International Industrial Design Expo in Shunde September 16-19, 2010

August 5, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

solidThinking will exhibit at the 3rd China International Design Expo in Shunde. With over 300 exhibits and over 70000 visitors, the Shunde expo has become one of the biggest and most influential industrial design expositions.

Come and meet us at Hall 1, Booth A18/A19

Location: Shunde Exhibition Center, Guangdong, China

When: September 16-19, 2010

For more information, send e-mail to: info@solidthinking.com

solidThinking Seminar in Tokyo, Japan September 14, 2010

August 5, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

solidThinking, in collaboration with Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation and Altair Japan, organizes a solidThinking Seminar in Tokyo on September 14, 2010.

Attendees will preview the capabilities of the upcoming new solidThinking releases that will be available in the fall of 2010 and listen case studies from customers.

The event is free.

Location:
Academyhills
6-10-1 Ropponngi, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 49F
Minato-ku Tokyo Japan 106-6149

When:
September 14, 2010
1.30 pm

To register, send e-mail to: solidthinking@altairjp.co.jp
or call 03-5396-1341

Customer Video: XOX Audio Tools

August 5, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Watch the video about XOX Audio Tools and how they used solidThinking to develop The Handle, the carbon-fiber guitar winner of several design awards, including the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. To read the story in PDF format, click here.

solidThinking Increases Presence in Asia-Pacific, Adding Japan-Based SCS to Global Resellers

July 20, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Right on the heels of our most recent channel partner announcement, we are pleased to welcome yet another new solidThinking reseller. Tokyo-based Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation (SCS), one of Japan’s largest IT solutions and service providers, will market, sell and support solidThinking throughout Japan. SCS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

This agreement with SCS is our latest in a series of international value-added reseller (VAR) announcements. We have rapidly extended our market presence through VARs in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA.

Those who attended the recent Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS) in Tokyo had the chance to learn more about solidThinking’s advanced features through free product demonstrations, where solidThinking, its parent company Altair and SCS exhibited. If you were unable to attend or would be interested in a future event, visit our events calendar for more information and free webinars.

We remain committed to serving and growing our global customer base, and increasing our reseller partnerships represents our dedication to supporting designers worldwide. We look forward to continuing to diversify and expand our channel partner community. We encourage you to check back frequently for updates on our ongoing partner news to see how you can access solidThinking in your part of the world.

From the Press: MCADCafè on Altair Engineering

July 16, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Click here to read MCADCafé’s Weekly Review editorial featuring Altair Engineering, solidThinking’s parent company. Jeff Rowe writes about Altair’s products and technologies, cloud computing plans, and product development ventures.

Introduction to solidThinking Webinars: July 2010 schedule

July 5, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Register for FREE attendance to the next Introduction to solidThinking, a live training session which introduces the concepts and tools of solidThinking.

Duration: 1 hour.

Dates:

July 8, 2010 – 2:00 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

July 13, 2010 – 10:00 AM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

July 22, 2010 – 2:00 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

July 27, 2010 – 10:00 AM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)

solidThinking at the 2010 Industrial Designers Society of America International Conference

July 5, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

We welcome you to meet us at the IDSA 2010 International Conference (Aug. 4-7, 2010 in Portland, Oregon) where we will present solidThinking’s latest release. Visit Booth 7.

Customer Snapshot: TokyoFlash Japan

June 28, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

TokyoFlash Japan was established in 2000 in Tokyo and since then has grown into a world leader for the design and sales of unique watches for Japanese wristwears enthusiasts.

TokyoFlash has experienced great success with the promotion of its products, which are featured in many world famous magazines, newspapers, television shows and top technology blogs.

Developed with a “the crazier, the better” way of thinking, these watches could not be more fun.

Click here to read the story and learn
how TokyoFlash uses solidThinking.

Tip: Controlling Shadow Production for Each Object

June 21, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

The production of shadows in solidThinking can be controlled for each object in the scene, as well as for each light.

All objects will cast and receive shadows when illuminated by lights which have the shadows enabled (note that by default shadows are disabled).

However, there may be situations where this is undesirable, for instance, certain objects cannot produce a visible shadow, due to the viewing position: excluding these objects from shadow calculations can result in improved rendering performance; both in terms of increased speed and reduced memory usage.

This can be performed very easily through the World browser (in case the panel is not displayed, you can open it by choosing Managers > Browser). By right clicking one or more selected objects in the browser, a popup menu appears allowing you to instruct the program as whether an object must Cast shadows or not and whether it must Receive shadows or not.

You can resort to these options also to illuminate certain areas of a scene without creating shadows, without the need for a complex system of ‘fill’ lights as would be used in a theatre or movie set.

solidThinking’s European Value-Added Reseller Community Expands

June 11, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

We’re pleased to announce the signing of Holland Engineering Consultants (http://www.hecbv.nl) as a value-added reseller. Holland Engineering Consultants (HEC) will market, sell and support solidThinking’s 3D NURBS-based concept-design software throughout Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.

With this expansion in our software’s availability, European designers, engineers and architects will have an additional local point of contact for trying solidThinking solutions and for software support.  Its new relationship with solidThinking represents an extension of HEC’s vision, which is to provide clients with a competitive advantage during product development by helping them implement the right tools to create better designs in less time and at a lower cost.

To introduce solidThinking to its clients, HEC hosted a successful hands-on workshop in the Benelux region on June 2. HEC held two sessions involving solidThinking presentations and practical exercises of the software. Session participants were impressed with the speed of the software, as well as its ConstructionTreeTM technology, real-time rendering capabilities and presentation applications. To read the HEC event report (in Dutch) click here.

We look forward to working with HEC to help its clients experience solidThinking’s benefits and will keep you informed of upcoming events in the region as well as other updates on our channel partners. For a map of partners closest to you, click here.

A Nod to Innovative Design Solutions and ‘Greener’ Mass Transit: BUSolutions

May 6, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

We wanted to share with you a cool application of product design collaboration for the transportation industry from our parent company, Altair. The company’s ProductDesign division recently announced it has officially kicked-off its BUSolutions program to build an advanced bus design to lower transit authority operating costs and further minimize the environmental impact of public transportation.

The project makes extensive use of virtual prototyping and optimization technologies that drive the entire product design process, taking into consideration the needs of transit authorities, bus drivers, riders and the communities within the transit system.

It will deliver a low-floor, heavy-duty bus design that is substantially lighter than those currently available. This means reduced fuel consumption, reduced wear on city streets, longer tire and component life, and reduced noise and pollution; all highly-desirable benefits for communities that are reliant on public transportation.

BUSolutions is a collaborative effort between a number of public and private entities including local Southeast Michigan-based organizations Automation Alley, SMART and the Detroit Department of Transportation; and globally recognized companies Arvin Meritor and Alcoa Howmet among many others.

Altair ProductDesign is now one step closer to the fruition of the project. Fabrication of the bus body structure is currently underway with partner  Odyssey Industries.

Final assembly is slated to begin this summer at Altair, so we are looking forward to sharing progress on this project and other innovative design applications from Altair with you.

User Story: Pininfarina Extra – Innovation, Essentiality, and Elegance

April 30, 2010 by Alex Mazzardo

Read the story and see the video about the Pininfarina Extra design process and how they use solidThinking.

Set up in 1986 out of a desire to bring Pininfarina design into sectors other than the automotive industry, the roots of Pininfarina Extra identity lie in the cultural and industrial experience it has gained throughout the eighty years the Pininfarina Group has been in the car manufacturing business. Through an elegant and essential style, Pininfarina Extra sets man and his needs at the centre of its design philosophy.