Official Thinkdesign 2011 Beta version Entering into the Build Phase - Ready for Imminent Release

BOLOGNA, Italy - The development of the new think3 is proceeding rapidly. In just the first weeks after starting the R&D team has been hard at work and the Official Thinkdesign 2011 Beta version is entering into the build phase ready for its imminent release.

Some new functionalities available in this release covered:
- Assembly: New Mating management, Gear Constraint, Assembly Feature,
- Part Modeling: Rib, ISM, Cut/Split Solid
- Sheet Metal
- Sketcher
- Geodesic Curves
- MPC-CP: symmetry G2-1 on curves and surfaces
- Line: Curve and Arc approximation
- Invert Surface
- Mold Design: Cooling, shrinking, base, electrode libraries
- save as pdf for .e2 and .e3
- Material Management

Availability
Thinkdesign 2011.1 will be available in Italian, English and Japanese versions. When ready the update will be posted for downloading on think3’s customer care website. Customers having signed a contract with Versata can take advantage of the Grace Period that think3 is offering to them and so they will be eligible for this version.

GE's Light Technology & Design Center at Bangalore designs products on fixtures with ThinkDesign

Bangalore - GE Lighting, a division of GE Consumer and Industrial, is using think3's ThinkDesign Styling to design ORANE, GLITRA, STEALTH and OPTYLANE products.

GE's Team India has established the LTDC (Light Technology & Design Center) at Bangalore. The tech center focuses on new design of lighting fixtures, with its state of art testing facility to test newly developed fixtures, and today its one stop solution to all the lighting requirements of Indian market. To design its product on fixtures GE Lighting opted for ThinkDesign Styling and have designed indoor and outdoor lighting products on ThinkDesign.

“LTDC has SOLID EDGE as its main design platform. In addition to this think3’s ThinkDesign is used in new concepts with intricate surface features. GE Lighting decided to go with ThinkDesign because think3’s CAD solution has benefits of both parametric and feature based software’s. ThinkDesign Styling is really handy while initial modeling and also while editing in later part of design stages”. Quotes Mr. Maruti and Mr. Nitin, Design Team at LTDC.

“GE Lighting is one of our oldest customers in India and we are happy that the client has found ThinkDesign Styling quite useful while designing its products. We look forward for more such associations with our customers and delight them with think3’s innovative CAD and PLM technology” states Mr. Vignesh Kumar Padmanabhan- Head South Asia Sales.

GE Lighting used ThinkDesign Styling to design ORANE, GLITRA, STEALTH and OPTYLANE products. Think3’s CAD solution enabled optimum management of all steps in the modification of surfaces. ThinkDesign Styling offers an innovative approach to design. With its Target Driven Design, it frees users from the technological constraints of traditional design systems. ThinkDesign Styling’s rich capabilities include powerful tools such as Global Shape Modeling, capping, blending curves and blending shapes, associative global sweep, as well as dynamic morphing, automotive grid and rendering. The designer would save 70-80% of his design time on design Iterations and Modifications. This is the speed at which thinkDesign works for its advanced GSM technology.

Think3’s Global Shape Modeling (GSM³), provides designers with a very high level of technological innovation ensuring unrivalled ease of use. Currently, this is the only creation and modification tool that enables users to make changes in a quick and accurate way in any stage of the design process, accelerating interactions with unlimited creativity and eliminating the need of rebuilding models.

ORANE is basically outdoor city beautification product with its unique shape compared to its existing competitor’s products, it stands out from the crowd. “Using ThinkDesign was very helpful in modeling initial concept models” states Mr. Maruti and Mr. Nitin, GE LTDC Design Team.

GILTRA belongs to ORANE family, but is outdoor wall mount city beautification product. Initial concept models have been designed using ThinkDesign and the aesthetic look is impressive.

STEALTH is an indoor commercial fixture for office interior. This product has been designed and detailed completely on ThinkDesign. ThinkDesign’s surface modeling features turned out to be very impressive.

OPTYLANE is mid range outdoor street lighting system. The design of this product has been carried out on ThinkDesign, even detailed drawings have been made using ThinkDesign.

“This project was a very good exercise to explore the capabilities of the software” said a member of the Design Team, GE Lighting.

GE Lighting provides technology ranging from incandescent to speciality products.

Rudo Enserink uses ThinkDesign to design Ocean Rodeo’s new 2010 Kite Control System

To design the new Ocean Rodeo 2010 Kite Control System Ocean Rodeo started a collaboration with Rudo Enserink, a multi-skilled Computer-Aided designer.

Ocean Rodeo Sports Inc. (Canada), founded in 2001 by Richard Myerscough and Ross Harrington, manufactures and designs kiteboarding equipment, drysuits and clothing for all levels of riders.

To design a totally renewed kite control system Rudo Enserink chose think3’s CAD solution, ThinkDesign. Rudo Enserink has been working with ThinkDesign for over 10 years. He took the opportunity to build this new product in the later Beta-version of v2009.1 and contributed to the final release of ThinkDesign.

The kite control system is the arrangement of control elements that make the kite fly, sheet in and out, steer, launch, re-launch and land and incorporates a number of trimming and safety systems. As the kite performance is largely defined by rider input the control system is a truly integrated part of the total kite setup. For the 2010 model year Rudo Enserink worked with Ocean Rodeo kite-designers on a totally renewed kite control system: the new requirements included improved ergonomics, wear resistance, reliability, comfort, styling and a good price.

“I chose think3’s CAD software – states Rudo Enserink - for its integrated solid and surface approach and the proprietary 3D kernel. ThinkDesign is the best program for the demanding industrial designer, combining speed, power, precision, edit-ability and a vast array of styling tools. One thing I really love from ThinkDesign is the flexibility to parameterize or not. Constraints can be helpful but can also be a pain: ThinkDesign offers many ways to switch back and forth between constrained designing and a more free creative style”.

He further adds “Whether it was a swept fluent shape or a fastener, turning surfaces into skins or solids, keeping the relation to their creating curves intact, or deciding whether it is needed to make a local or x-ref component, it can all be done at any stage of the modeling process and allows you to speed through the many choices a designer needs to make”.

During the design cycle tentative designs changed into serious concepts with the help of many cool styling tools like GSM (think3’s Global Shape Modeling technology) and weighed curvature continuous fillets inside robust parametric modeling. ThinkDesign v2009.1 improved shading and live cross-sections provided quick and effective collaboration between Rudo and Ocean Rodeo, allowing for simple screen shots of the model to be included inside e-mails.

“One of the features I find myself using a lot is the ‘connect curve’ with killer options like G2 or G3 to create the most stunning blends. Another set of features that I discovered were the ‘interactive modeling’ tools, they turned out to be true time savers for late design changes. Even though they lack the styling power of GSM they come in handy when minor details need fixing and they are fully integrated with the history tree” adds Rudo Enserink.

ThinkDesign kept playing a reliable role as ideas and changes were updated continuously throughout the process. With this new kite control system Ocean Rodeo Sports has managed to place itself on the front line of innovation one more time.

New powerful functionalities for think3’s ThinkDesign 2009.1

Think3 has announced the release of ThinkDesign 2009.1, its new release of CAD products developed and enhanced by think3’s R&D to offer strong functionality improvements to users in the engineering, styling and tooling departments.

The 2009.1 release includes new features for the creation of frame elements for the industrial machinery market, improvements to commands for curve and surface editing, enhancements in the sheet metal functionalities and many other new features for the Machinery and Components sectors.

Version 2009.1 introduces the new Frame functionality, a fully integrated module of ThinkDesign, which is an instinctive sketch-based method that facilitates the creation of frame elements. The Frame module simplifies the process of creating frame structures with easy-to-use, powerful and flexible tools to achieve significant reduction in design time.

The new Hole command has been redesigned, offering greater ease of use and completeness with respect to standards, in order to make designer’s work increasingly smooth and productive. It can be used for creating and redefining standard, simple, shaped, and free dimensional holes.

The new Mirror mode for curve and surface editing enables the user to maintain continuity of the curve/surface being edited with respect to the virtual mirror of the entity. Additional options under the Mirror mode node give full control to the user to define the type of continuity (Position, Tangent or Smooth curvature) to be maintained about a user-selected plane.

ThinkDesign 2009.1 introduces enhancements in the Global Modeling commands. With the Enhancement in GSM Transformation of Mesh, it is now possible to modify the original mesh thanks to GSM (Global Shape Modeling) technology.

Also new for the Die Design community: the new GSM command called GSM Fillet Reduction. It enables the modification of a set of selected fillet surfaces by changing their curvature, while retaining the desired continuity along borders. It can be used to modify some high curvature areas to let the material fill properly during stamping.

Improvements have been made also in color management to provide better control over the application of colors and increase understanding in complex models (better dynamic visualization). Different colors are now allowed for solid and solid faces, useful to highlight different technological meanings of different parts of the same object. It is possible to use a unique component’s color in order to better visualize it in an assembly. Color will be maintained after adding or modifiying features and can be maintained after imploding/exploding of solids/surfaces.

The graphic environment has been enhanced with the new 3D Section View mode, the Planar Reflection option in High Quality rendering, the Shaded Drag&Drop for the visualization of components positioned in an assembly in shaded mode, and a set of other features that assist in the visualization of data.

As for new features and improvements in Part Modeling, a new Insert New Faces check box has been introduced in the Extend Faces/Close Solid command selection list which, upon activating, creates new faces to fill the selected holes. It enables an easy closure of holes by saving time in complex models, which is very useful to pre-process shapes used in metal stamping and mold creation.

ThinkDesign 2009.1 includes, among many other features, a completed extension to the CADENAS/PARTsolutions libraries and the full, seamless integration with TD PLM, think3’s web-based solution for implementing a PLM system.

Savio Macchine Tessili relies on think3 to implement the “Cosmos” project

The company, headquartered in Pordenone (Italy), adopted ThinkDesign to realize a new, high-quality twisting machine for expanding markets in just 18 months

Milan, 20 November, 2008 – Savio Macchine Tessili – a leader in the yarn finishing machine sector ranging from wool, cotton, linen and silk to synthetic fibres – adopted think3’s ThinkDesign to design its “Cosmos” two-for-one-twisting machine, specifically developed for the Chinese and Indian markets and other emerging countries.

Savio’s twisting machines are known for their strength and reliability but meet with difficulties in Eastern markets and, in general, wherever the amortization of the machine heavily affects transformation expenses. The competition in these markets offer price-competitive alternatives, although the quality of their end product is lower.
With the “Cosmos” project, Savio decided to address the challenge of producing cheaper machines with superior technical features compared to competitors, to maintain its usual quality standards. The full line was designed in only 12 months and, for each machine, Chinese suppliers built prototypes with different variants.

ThinkDesign, think3’ design solution, enabled Savio to meet this deadline because it provided the ability to create a full 3D project both in-house and in external offices taking part in the activity. Starting from the beginning of the activities, it took 18 months to produce the new, high-quality twisting machine.

ThinkDesign is a design tool which is flexible, productive, easy to use, easy to learn and tailored to the needs of manufacturing industries. ThinkDesign is the designer's ideal partner for defining mechanical assemblies, breaking assemblies down into component lists, assessing the overall dimensions of components and assemblies, checking the feasibility of a shape sketched and drawn by the designer or drafted using a special function. The continuous communications between the styling, engineering and tooling departments ensure that project deadlines are met.

“A good share of this achievement is due to ThinkDesign”, said Roberto Badiali, Technical Director, Savio Macchine Tessili. The company relied on think3’s flexible solution to uniform the standard of the various company sites. “Think3 is the right partner to support us in our internationalization process” said Antonio Bortolussi, Head of IT Systems. “As far as the COSMOS project is concerned, ThinkDesign was a critical tool because it enabled us to meet the planned deadline, ensuring top flexibility and real time project sharing” concluded Ing. Badiali.

At the moment, Savio leverages 50 ThinkDesign and thinkPLM licenses. In addition, the company partnered with think3, Inc. to define technology development guidelines.

Information about think3, Inc.

Think3 has been operating in the ICT sector for more than 25 years and provides the only technology that links three separate design areas: the concept, its development and the finished product. In this way, think3 enables thousands of company customers to innovate, to compete and to rise to the challenges of global markets, thanks to the integration of processes, which helps to accelerate time to market and to reduce costs.

Having been active in emerging markets with dedicated structures for many years, think3 can provide outsourcing services, thus offering companies a new opportunity to go international.

Think3 boasts a consolidated presence across Europe, the US and Asia. The company has also secured a strong presence in China following joint venture deal sealed with Beijing Extech Science & Technology Co. Ltd to create EXTECH, a brand new company based in Beijing, with offices across the country. In the rest of the world, think3 is present throughout its network of selected VARs (Value Added Resellers).

ThinkDesign reshapes Descriptive Geometry

Prof. Riccardo Migliari, lecturer at Rome University - La Sapienza, is the author of two new essays on Descriptive Geometry whose results were achieved using think3's CAD program, ThinkDesign

Milan, September 1, 2008 The new possibilities of 3D design offered by digital modelling programs has sparked new developments of Descriptive Geometry, both theoretical and applied. To demonstrate this premise, Prof. Riccardo Migliari, Permanent Lecturer of Fundamentals and Applications of Descriptive Geometry at Rome University, La Sapienza, examined the Apollonius' Problem using think3's CAD software ThinkDesign to provide a solution which is true both in plane and in space.
In a plane, the complete solution to Apollonius' problem requires a graphic construction which can be made using basic geometry tools, whereas in space it requires a 3D graphic construction which only descriptive geometry methods can give. ThinkDesign offers a new way of interpreting descriptive geometry thanks to its powerful functions and the philosophy governing many of its commands which are capable of fully reflecting mathematical modelling theory.
The results of the studies carried out by Prof. Migliari on Apollonius' Problem will be published in September in two essays: "Representation as experimentation" (in the Ikhnos series) and "Apollonius' Problem and descriptive geometry" (in Disegnare Idee Immagini, an international journal published by Gangemi Editore with RADAAR, the Environment and Architecture Survey, Analysis and Design Department of 'La Sapienza' University in Rome).
"All the models developed as part of these studies," said Prof. Migliari, "were constructed with ThinkDesign. This program is particularly suited to geometry experiments thanks to its high accuracy level (1 micron) and its wealth of functions."
"In the last few years there has been growing awareness of the needs of modellers in the geometry environment for didactic and research," said Prof. Migliari. "ThinkDesign is an accurate tool and very useful for analysing the work. For example, it allows us to understand whether a curve is quadratic or third order. Even though it is configured for industrial use, the theory on which it is based is perfect for university activity. It is easy to use, intuitive and particularly versatile as it allows users to manage the mathematics of the shapes and to model both solids and surfaces in a user-friendly way."
The examination of Apollonius' Problem and its solution in virtual space demonstrates that the approach to descriptive geometry in research and teaching can now be dramatically changed.
"My intention," said Migliari, "is to teach my students a new way of understanding descriptive geometry through ThinkDesign, an extremely innovative easy to use tool. It is vital that descriptive geometry is reformed, taking account of the great cultural heritage of the past and making use, at the same time, of new techniques."

For more information http://www.think3.com/en/Company/Educational.aspx
For further information, please contact Cristina Carini: Email Contact, switchboard: +39 051 597111.

Information about think3, Inc.

Think3 has been operating in the ICT sector for more than 25 years and provides the only technology that links three separate design areas: the concept, its development and the finished product. In this way, think3 enables thousands of company customers to innovate, to compete and to rise to the challenges of global markets, thanks to the integration of processes, which helps to accelerate time to market and to reduce costs.
Having been active in emerging markets with dedicated structures for many years, think3 can provide outsourcing services, thus offering companies a new opportunity to go international.
Think3 boasts a consolidated presence across Europe, the US and Asia. The company has also secured a strong presence in China following joint venture deal sealed with Beijing Extech Science & Technology Co. Ltd to create EXTECH, a brand new company based in Beijing, with offices across the country. In the rest of the world, think3 is present throughout its network of selected VARs (Value Added Resellers).

All this means that think3 can count among its customers some of the most significant enterprises in the industrial market.
For more information visit our site at http://www.think3.com