e live in a 3-dimensional (3D) world, soit only makes sense that the mechanicaldesign applications we use should be

functional in 3D as well. Surprisingly,however, a lot of designers still have

not made the transition from 2D to 3D.There are a number of reasons for this, but

there are even more compelling reasons to make theswitch to 3D.

A Little 3D BackgroundTo comprehend what 3D is and what distinguishes itfrom 2D, you have to have an understanding of somebasic concepts such a coordinate systems, geometricentities, and depth cues.

2D coordinate systems are based on the fact thatany location on a plane can be defined by two points:an X-coordinate value and a Y-coordinate value. Allpoints lying in a plane, with the exception of pointsthat lie on a coordinate axis, fall in one of the fourquadrants formed by the two perpendicular axes. TheX-axis and the Y-axis (or coordinate axes) togetherform the Cartesian coordinate system or rectangularcoordinate system. We can use the help of coordinateaxes to visualize the shape of a 2D planar objectwhose dimensions or X-coordinate (width) and Y-coordinate (height) are known.

In order to represent 3D objects we need threecoordinate axes (X-, Y- and Z-axes), which are allmutually perpendicular to each other and form thebasis of a 3D coordinate system. However, sincethree mutually perpendicular axes cannot be drawnon a 2D surface, the 3D coordinate system is por-trayed using isometric and oblique representationsand multiple views.

Geometric entities are the basic building blocks of3D objects (also known as solid models) and consist ofpoints, lines, planes, and surfaces.

A point represents a location in space or on adrawing, and has no width, height or depth. We canlocate a point (X,Y) in the Cartesian coordinate systemby starting at the origin, moving X units along the pos-itive X direction and then moving Y units in the posi-tive Y direction.

Lines are one-dimensional geometric entities (entitiesthat have length without breadth) that are drawn by

2

By Jeffrey Rowe,Contributor to Cadalyst magazine

connecting two points located in space. Planes are formed when the Carte-

sian coordinate axes represents a pla-nar surface or area, the XY plane. In a3D coordinate system, any two of thethree mutually coordinate axes form aplanar surface, the XY, XZ and YZplanes.

Surfaces are formed by boundedplanes. A surface can be bounded bylines or curves, or a combination of thetwo. A surface can be generated whena planar figure is revolved or rotatedabout a coordinate axis or some otherline in 3D space. Each face of a 3Dobject represents a surface.

An object is three-dimensionalbecause it has width, height anddepth. When a number of boundedplanes or surfaces combine such thatthey define a closed space (volume),an object is created.

Typically a 3D model is a collectionof 3D objects that are arranged

together in a scene or environmentand is the result of the design intentput forth by a design engineer. Theobjects that comprise a 3D model canbe of several types, including geomet-ric primitives (such as cubes, cones,and spheres), extruded shapes, lathedshapes, and freeform (organic) shapes.These collections of objects have tex-ture maps and surface propertiesapplied to them so they absorb andreflect light that is directed to them.When a camera is placed in a scene, itsviewpoint is used to create a final ren-dered image of a model.

Creating 3D models is actually athree-phase process: tessellation,geometry, and rendering. In the firstphase (tessellation), models are cre-ated of individual objects using linkedpoints that are made into a number ofindividual polygons (tiles). In the nextstage (geometry), the polygons aretransformed in various ways and light-

ing effects are applied. In the thirdstage (rendering), the transformedimages are rendered into objects withhigh levels of detail and realism.

Finally, 3D objects are representedon flat surfaces with depth cues. Tohelp visualize and represent the depthof an object, we need to utilize depthperception cues in 2D drawings. Incomputers, 3D (three dimensions orthree-dimensional) describes an imagethat provides the perception of depth.3D can also refer to the capabilities ofa video card. Today’s video cards use avariety of instructions built into thevideo card itself (not software) toachieve more realistic graphics in CADmodels and model environments thatappear to have depth.

Some of the perceptual cues thatprovide the impression of depthinclude:n Interposition or the partial blocking

of a more distant object by a nearerobject.

n Relative height of objects.n Relative size of objects.n Texture gradient, where as a surface

appears farther away, its texture getsfiner and appears smoother.So, now with a little background on

what goes on behind the scenes in a3D CAD package, how can a 3Dprocess be used to design superiorproducts?

4

Virtually every 3D CAD design can be madeinto a 3D physical object using additive rapidprototyping/rapid manufacturing (RP/RM)processes, layer by layer. This is a great way toliterally “print” 3D designs for review andvalidation purposes before committing to full-scale production.

— Jeffrey Rowe

3D CAD packages allow you to graphicallysimulate complex designs, from intricatemanufacturing machinery to slick productprototypes.

Designing Better Productswith 3D CADAs you can probably tell by now, itmakes a lot of sense to design 3Dproducts with a CAD package that is3D-capable, as well. While most peo-ple take CAD to mean computer-aideddesign, CAD is actually computer-aided documentation of a design (3Drepresentation); that goes far beyondjust computer-aided design or drafting.

So, you might ask, “Why is 3DCAD important?” It is importantbecause 3D CAD can graphically sim-plify complex design concepts and canhelp convey complex part/assemblyrelationships. 3D can make these rela-tionships more understandable to alarger number of people, especiallythose who are non-technical and maybe “visualization-challenged” viewinga 2D presentation. 3D CAD is a veryeffective communication medium forconcepts and ideas that cannot be eas-ily represented or presented in wordsor with 2D drawings (illustrations),because 3D designs can be rotatedand viewed from different angles and

points of view. 3D is well suited forand fits in to virtually all mechanicaldesign workflows fordesigning every-thing frommachines to con-sumer products.

Advantagesand Benefitsof 3DThe benefits and advan-tages of modeling in 3Dare quite widely and well known,but it doesn’t hurt to review some ofthe more significant aspects.

3D provides better design visualiza-tion during all phases of the productdevelopment process. 3D detailedassembly and exploded views are oftenmore effective and descriptive than 2Dorthographic (front, top, side, etc.)drawings. And, because graphicallythey are inherently “understandable,”there is no need to know how to“read” drawings, likeold-fashioned (andsometimes

cryptic) blueprints that required a fairlyhigh skill level to fully comprehend.

Ideally and ultimately, the goal of3D CAD is a paperless process. Unfor-tunately, that panacea is still a lofty

goal that likely won’t come topass for some time to come,since physical drawings arestill a fact of life on mostfactory floors. Fortunately,however, 3D designs canbe documented on paperdrawings via an auto-mated drawing produc-

tion process as a design lit-erally takes shape. So, while the dreamof a true paperless design process hasyet to come to fruition, it’s good toknow that drawings of digital 3Ddesigns can be produced with a mini-mum of user intervention.

Again, on the digital side of visuali-zation, 3D CAD designs can be ani-mated. This is a particularly effectiveway of demonstrating the function of

When considering a 3D design application, it’s relativelyeasy to contrast and compare the features and capabilities ofthe various packages. It’s also easy to be swayed by how aparticular design application is demonstrated. However, youshould really look beyond the core 3D design product todetermine which product is best for the way you work andinteract with your customers and suppliers. In other words,3D design is not just about CAD, and there are other thingsto consider. Looking beyond just the functionality of a givendesign application involves things such as understanding thecommunity that surrounds that application, and understand-ing how that community is structured and works together.

A technology-related community is comprised of three pri-mary areas that work together and can assist you, whateveryour level of expertise with a given design application. First,the vendor is critical to your success with a design applicationas it listens to your needs and continues to improve andenhance your design application investment. Second, thethird-party partner community offers supplemental productsand services based on a 3D design platform that will allow

you to design anything you can imagine. Because the manypartners are experts in their niches, and the 3D design appli-cation acts as an infrastructure for the partners, their individ-ual and collective expertise let the vendors focus on whatthey do best – 3D design application development .The resultis a more comprehensive design environment and solution.Third, a user community that is fostered offers many benefits– some tangible, some intangible. The user community ismade up of peers that share your passion and enthusiasm for3D design. There is also a tremendous amount of 3D contentsharing that can accelerate your design process. Together, thethree community tiers act as a giant network that ensuresthat you always have somewhere to turn for support andguidance.

Beyond the technology that is contained within a coredesign application, it is the community that surrounds it thatcan help you design better products. It is this sense of com-munity that SolidWorks has vigorously promoted and sup-ported since the beginning, with the goal of making all of itscommunity members more successful.

3D: Beyond CAD Technology

5

a 3D design, as well as well as check-ing it for its interactive capabilities. Inother words, animation captures andholds attention. Animation is also agood example of how design data canbe repurposed/reused and understoodby a larger, non-technical audience,such as marketing, factory floor, orservice personnel.

File Flexibility3D CAD makes it relatively easy tomake design changes/revisionsthroughout the entire product devel-opment process. Changes and revi-sions have ensured integrity becauseof 3D model/2D drawing bidirectionalassociativity, meaning that if youmake a change to a 3D model, itsassociated 2D drawing views (andrelated dimensions) automaticallyupdate to reflect the change. Theopposite is also true: if you make achange to a drawing view, the modelautomatically updates. Bidirectionalassociativity is a big time saver and

comfort, especially with largeassemblies where maintaining rela-tionships with component parts isessential. It is also a good exampleof an “intelligent” 3D capability.

In virtually all cases, 3D digitaldesign data is “portable”

between differ-ent CADsystems,

andthis is

gettingeasier and with

higher quality allthe time. All com-

mon CAD systems (2D and 3D) havetheir own native formats, and usersof these systems prefer to use files inthese formats. Note, however, that aCAD system might have more thanone native format as there might bea difference between differentreleases (versions) of the same CAD

system. Some CAD vendors are betterthan others at ensuring the incompati-bility between versions is kept to a

minimum. The three most commonand universal primary and secondaryformats used for file-sharing todayare IGES (3D), STEP (3D), and dxf(2D). When 3D data is imported, it

can be checked for quality andrepaired if it has less than perfectintegrity. Once quality has beenensured, it can be “promoted” andused as part of an existing 3D modelin progress.

Virtually every 3D CAD design (viaSTL file format export) can be madeinto a 3D physical object using additiverapid prototyping/rapid manufacturing(RP/RM) processes, layer by layer. Thisis a great way to literally “print” 3Ddesigns for review and validation pur-poses before committing to full-scaleproduction.

The opposite process of RP, knownas reverse engineering, is also possiblewith an increasing number of 3D CADpackages using a scan-to-3D process.Mechanical reverse engineering is theprocess of understanding the techno-logical principles of a mechanical part

or assembly through analysisof its structure, functionand operation. It often

involves taking a mechanicaldevice apart and analyzing

its workings in detail, usuallywith the intent of constructing a

new device that does the same thingwithout actually copying anythingfrom the original. As CAD has becomemore popular, reverse engineering hasbecome a viable method for creating a3D virtual model of an existing physicalpart for use in 3D CAD, CAM, CAE,and other software. The reverse engi-neering process involves measuring anobject and then reconstructing it as a3D model. The physical object can bemeasured using 3D scanning technolo-gies like coordinate measuringmachines (CMMs), laser scanners,white light digitizers, or computedtomography (CT). The measured data,usually represented as a point cloud,can then be modeled as surfaces into aformat appropriate for various designuses and 3D CAD packages.

One of the biggest benefits thatcomes with 3D data is its potential forintegration with concurrent and down-stream applications, such as CAE and

6

CAM. For example, it wasn’t all thatlong ago that CAE was relegated tothe latter stages of the product designprocess, often as an afterthought. Nolonger, however. 3D design data isnow routinely analyzed and run in sim-ulations to predict behavior early inthe design process, where problemscan be detected and changesmade much more cost effec-tively than later in theprocess. Also, these capableCAE tools can beused by non-spe-cialists foranalyzing andoptimizing 3Ddesigns.

The goaland result ofall these 3D benefitsand advantages is toreduce product develop-ment cycle times and resulting higherquality products. The ability to designin 3D is increasingly becoming anabsolute competitive requirement intoday’s design arena. It helps you moreintelligently design better products.

Cultural ChallengesOf course, no technology is 100% per-fect or accepted by everybody in anorganization, and 3D modeling is noexception. Admittedly, there are a fewcosts/obstacles to 3D, but overall, theyusually involve “people issues” ratherthan strictly technology issues.

Corpo-rate culture

has always been andstill is today the highest barrier

encountered in an organization thathas not yet converted to 3D. There aremisperceptions about 3D based onbad past experiences – problemsencountered converting 2D data to3D, CAD product compatibility prob-lems with customers and vendors, 3Dpackages becoming obsolete becausevendors vanished, ROI takes forever tomeasure (if it can be measured at all).The list could continue based on sce-narios you may have experienced andendured.

Today, however, these past night-mares are just that – in the past. 3Dhas come a long way in the past fewyears and is easier and more com-pelling to adopt than ever. 3D CADvendors are very aware of the pastacceptance barriers and have worked

hard over theyears to remove them.

Any of the barriers thatmight remain, however, can be bro-

ken down by getting the 3D mindsetand preparing for the advantages andbenefits that 3D has to offer fromtechnical and competitive points ofview.

Getting the 3D mindset will let youexperience 3D design as a naturalextension of the 3D world we live in,and what could be better than that?

3D is easier to grasp and learn thanyou might think, and it will definitelybe more effective in communicatingyour designs to others – either inside oroutside of your organization. So, whatare you waiting for? 3D has a proventrack record of success as it satisfies theneeds of demanding customers while itbrings your designs to life!

Jeffrey Rowe is the principal of Cairowest

Group, an independent industrial design,

mechanical engineering and technical com-

munication consulting firm with offices in

Colorado and Michigan. You can reach him

by e-mail at jrowe@cairowest.com or by

phone at 719-539-8549.

7

3D is easier to grasp and learn than you mightthink, and it will definitely be more effectivein communicating your designs to others —either inside or outside your organization.

— Jeffrey Rowe

With 3D CAD, design engineers can graphically illustrate where every nut and bolt goes inan assembly (previous page) or show a realistic representation of a final product (right).Even people who are not used to reading blueprints can easily see the designer’s vision.

kip Barber (www.skipbarber.com) is wherepeople learn how todrive … at 130 miles perhour. So if you’re an

adrenaline junkie, if you’reitching for a turn at Indy 500, if youaspire to become the next DanicaPatrick or Jeff Gordon, Skip Barber’strack is where you belong. But what ifyou’re a mild-mannered motorist?What if you always yield and you havea bumper sticker that reads, “Be kindto the pavement”? Should you stillsign up there? Absolutely, says SkipBarber. Because some of the funda-mentals taught here—like streetawareness, accident avoidance, androad etiquette—are applicablewhether you’re driving a sports car ora minivan. And some professional racing techniques—like thresholdbraking, cornering, and sliding—mighthelp you recover in emergency situa-tions. They’re part of what Skip Barbercalls “defensive driving.” In life-threatening situations, they’re notshowy maneuvers to impressbystanders. They’re survival moves.

And Skip Barber’s migration to 3DCAD was not a showoff either. In manyways, it was a logical choice, a technol-ogy recovery, a timely maneuver.

The Go-Cart Brotherhood When Chris Blanc, an account man-ager at SolidWorks software resellerCAP Inc. (www.capinc.com), said oneday he bumped into Abhi Ghatak, SkipBarber’s senior vice-president of opera-tions, he might have meant it literally,because they were both amateur Go-Cart racers. “Abhi knew I was intoCAD, and that I had a mechanicalengineering background,” Blancrecalled. “So he said, ‘I just took a jobat Skip Barber, and I might need yourhelp with a big project. We’ve beenoperating without a CAD system sinceinception.’ What he wanted to do wasessentially reverse-engineer theirassemblies so they could have arepeatable manufacturing process forparts. And he thought a 3D CAD sys-tem like SolidWorks (www.solidworks.com) was the way to go.”

Blanc was also responsible for intro-ducing James Achard, a Porschefanatic and a SolidWorks softwareuser, to Skip Barber’s executive team.Achard was eventually hired as Skip

8

A Look at Skip Barber

Racing School’s Leap to 3D

By Kenneth Wong, Contributor to

Cadalyst magazine

Probably about 10% of the vehicles weredocumented. A lot of itwas tribal knowledgepassed down fromfolks. There weren’teven a lot of 2Dshop floor drawings.

— James Achard

Barber’s lead engineer for operations.He recalled the primitive state he wit-nessed when he first arrived: “Probablyabout 10% of the vehicles were docu-mented. A lot of it was tribal knowl-edge passed down from folks. Thereweren’t even a lot of 2D shop floordrawings.”

Skip Barber’s manufacturing part-ners, on the other hand, were alreadyahead of the technology curve: “Theywere pretty well-versed in 2D and 3D.Several of our suppliers used Solid-Works,” Achard says. It was time forSkip Barber to catch up.

Mastering the New TrackBlanc, who has helped many clientsthrough their 2D-to-3D migration, candetect warning signs that suggest animplementation isn’t going well.“When [the customer] says, ‘We’re justplaying around with it,’ it tells methey’re not using the software and that

they’re not confident in SolidWorks’ability to make their lives easier.”

From his initial conversation withSkip Barber’s Ghatak, Blanc assumedhis client was redesigning various partsand assemblies. “Within a few months,it turned out they were designing awhole new racecar,” said Blanc. Thatwas a good sign—a sign that his clientwas gaining confidence in the new 3Dsoftware.

Multipurpose Racecar“We have a vast number of mechanicsthat service our cars,” said Achard.“They’re of a younger generation, so 3Dprints are a welcome change for them.”And the 3D model is a welcomeresource for Skip Barber’s marketingstaff and maintenance crew. The formerrecently began requesting 3D racecarmodels for marketing brochures; the lat-ter make good use of exploded 3Dviews of assemblies and subassemblies.

Figure 1: Skip Barber engineers found outthat designing in 3D in SolidWorks preventsaccicentally creating faulty parts, becausethe software doesn’t permit conflicting geo-metric dimensions to coexist.

With 3D subassemblies now at itsdisposal, Skip Barber redesigned thevehicle’s chassis. “We moved the pedalbox to accommodate the differentsizes of drivers [figure 1]. On the otherend, we redesigned the fuel cell tomake it safer and … easier formechanics to refuel from the pit lane,”Achard explained in a SolidWorks pod-cast interview (for more, visitwww.solidworks.com/pages/news/MediaPcasts.html).

Skip Barber also uses the sameSolidWorks 3D model to conductfinite-element analysis on the newchassis to get the lightest frame thatoffers the best safety features. “Weare a racing school, so we do have afair number of crashes,” Achard saidin the same interview. “So we conduct

real-world studies and compare thedata to COSMOSWorks [a designanalysis package for SolidWorks users]data. We’ve been very impressed withhow COSMOSWorks can duplicate thereal-world data.”

A Stubborn Engine Mount“We had an engine mount that wejust reverse-engineered from 2D,”said Achard. “When we tried to cre-ate the 3D model, the software justwouldn’t allow it.” Eventually SkipBarber engineers discovered that thepart couldn’t be built because thesoftware had detected conflictingdimensions. In the past, as Achardrecalled, it was usually Skip Barber’ssuppliers that would discover thefaulty part.

Preventing such costly mistakesaside, the 3D communication alsoresulted in quicker turnaround time inthe quote process. “After reverse-engineering our parts,” Achard said,“we were able to communicate withseveral suppliers to get quotes for asingle component. That really keepsthe production costs down. In onecase, we were able to replace a $430item with a $210 item.”

New Driver JitterThe learning curve, supposedly one ofthe major hurdles in adopting 3D tech-nology, turned out to be minimal inthe case of Skip Barber. “Our expecta-tion was that it would take approxi-mately 3-6 months to get up tospeed,” Achard recalled. “In reality,many of our simpler parts were able tobe modeled within a month with ournew users.”

It’s one thing to master the funda-mentals of a simple drawing programby following along an online tutorial;quite another to do the same with asophisticated 3D mechanical designprogram. Nevertheless, Skip Barberengineers are finding out that they canlearn the software on their own. “Oneof our engineers here actually just gotstarted by taking the SolidWorksonline tutorial,” Achard remembered.“He recently attended the four-dayessentials class, but was able to makesignificant progress just through hisexperience with the tutorial.”

Blanc speculated, “[Some CADtechnicians] are worried that they maybe in danger of losing their job if theircompany goes to a new easier-to-usesoftware system, because they are

10

Figure 2: Whether you are Jeff Gordon (5’ 7”) or Danica Patrick (5’ 2”), you should be able to fit comfortably into a racecar’s cockpit. Using Solid-Works, Skip Barber redesigned the pedal box to accommodate this. Figure 3: By importing the same SolidWorks design into COSMOSWorks,Skip Barber engineers studied the strain on the brake pedal shaft.

Within a few months,it turned out they weredesigning a wholenew racecar.

— Chris Blanc

experts in these really difficult-to-usepackages.” He usually squelches theseunfounded fears by pointing out that,with a cumbersome CAD system outof the way, they are, in fact, likely tobecome much more productive andcreative; they could be doing exactlywhat they have been hired to do—design—without worrying aboutmenu items and command lines.

And if they’re not ready to relin-quish control over their legacy 2Ddrawings, they may archive them andreference them as needed using built-in tools like SolidWorks’ DWG editor.

Getting the Most Out ofYour VehicleIf you’re an uninitiated racecar driver,you’ll probably experience a personal-ity transformation when you get onthe track for the first time. You mightbe nervous, apprehensive, maybe evena little queasy, as you strap yourselfinto the tiny cockpit that hugs you likea custom-fitted metallic pod. Then you

fire up the engine. As the roar getslouder, and your car goes faster, yourgrin gets wider.

Skip Barber racing instructors oftenpoint out, when you’re racing, you’retrying to use 100% of the car’s capa-bilities, forcing its mechanism to yieldpeak performance. With proper guid-ance and preparation, you can do that.

As Skip Barber’s engineers have dis-covered, when you’re designing in 3D,you’re making use of your design data100%. So strap in.

Kenneth Wong is a former editor of

Cadence magazine. As a freelance writer,

he explores innovative usage of technology

and its implications. E-mail him at Kenneth-

wongsf@earthlink.net

... with a cumbersomeCAD system out of theway, they are, in fact,likely to becomemuch more produc-tive and creative;they could be doingexactly what they havebeen hired to do—design—without wor-rying about menuitems and commandlines.

— Chris Blanc

For more information aboutSolidWorks Corporation,

please visit www.solidworks.com

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