ST 1

Lexis     Synchronous Control     Synchronous Technology – Personal touch     SEwST interface 

Interface +     Variables Table     Synchronous Technology – Birth of a part (part 01)    

Synchronous Technology – Birth of a part (part 02)     Been there done that manage properties

 

It would be impossible to start blogging about Solid Edge (SE) without talking  Synchronous Technology (ST)

The introduction of Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology (SEST) touch some of my inner fiber has a trainer.

It will also touch me directly has I will have to educate first customer (they will be the first one to use SEST), then prospects/market/blog readers :) and new customers that will see benefit for their business.

Also many questions are raise around this technology, so I decide to give my point of view from the perspective of my trainer eye’s.

So let’s plunge…….

First

All questions could not be answer in a single post. In that article i want to make sure some of the basic is covert.

Second

I am pretty sure SE will not let down parametric modeling has it has its place.

For those who work with the actual version, I am convince  Solid Edge (SE) will not let down parametric approach because it has its place.

We have to remember, since the introduction of Pro-E (that claim to be the founder of the parametric) and introduction of the middle modeler like SE and Solidworks (SW) in the mid 90’s and later Inventor (IV), parametric modeling is what has condition/drive the market.

I believe that SE in its traditional form will still exist for years and will continue to evolve. No doubt that it’s development will be influence by the Synchronous philosophy.

Third

I feel that market is ready for new tools.

Has we have evolve from a straight 2D wireframe on paper to a 3D wireframe (Autocad) to a Solid modeler like SE, the market is ready for the next step or can we say a new branch (approach) in the solid modeling.

By looking at this we can say that all those evolution has one goal manage change. From the strict point of view of creation, drawing a rectangle at some point is faster in 2D than in a solid modeling. But when we add the sum of all the rectangle and complex shape, 3D get a clear advantage by 90%( I will give me some margin and give a 10% to 2D because some task are better done in real 2D)

Again if we could model in 3D without having to make changes life will be good.

When a designer make a change what he looking at:

• Flexibility to make sure the change could be done.
• Rigidity (parametric) to make sure he keeps the integrity of the model/assembly.

We then face the rectangle dilemma, if we increase the base the height need to be decrease. More flexibility is less rigidity.

So this is where Synchronous Technology came in, the key phrase we have to keep in mind

“Allow more freedom to apply unpredicted change”

So I mention that like a rectangle, the base and height are related. How can we have the rectangle bigger to facilitate unwanted changes?

The easy answer will be to make its surface bigger. Meaning more control and more flexibility, this translates by adding new functionality on top of existing ones.

I would say this is the easy part where most people will fall. I won’t extrapolate on this easy pitfall, because it is indirectly related to the main topic

New design paradigm

Synchronous Technology looks at the problem (rectangle) with another point of view and saw a cube.

This is where the new paradigm take its shape.

SEwST give users the possibility to manage a third dimension in French we call that “Tolérance Géométrique” I believe the translation will be “geometric tolerance”. Here I don’t talk about the mathematical value but the form.

 

 

In most of the drawing we create we place those tolerances to make sure the part will be functional. But we never deal with them in 3D.

I would compare, up to a certain level, to “weldment beads” in assembly. For years we simply use annotation in drawing.

Another term use in SEwST is “spatial relationship” or “Related” .

Why I mention a third dimension when we design in 3D for years? Simply because today modelers are base on a 2D wire frame (sketch) or 3D wire frame in case of surfacing.

In order to apply change we had to go back to the sketch level.

This kind of design has two branch one call skeleton modeling the other one feature modeling.

Base on training session I gave over the past years and past experience with other software’s , In SW et IV I believe user are orient more to a skeleton modeling, where we need to have a sketch create in order to start adding material.

 

In SE we could start the process of adding material even if no sketch is predefined. In fact when we start adding/removing material we have two choices “from an existing sketch” or “create a new one”.

The difference is very subtitle but it had a huge impact in a parametric modeling for further operation and management (modification/changes)

If I came back to the main topic, SEwST give users a new approach/angle to start a design and also new tools to apply change. This is also in ST where it gets more fun for me has a process trainer. We now have the ability to establish relation between face to induct a behavior. The more you manage the more you can control.

So what king of control do we have?

The user control the six degree of liberty of a surface with a steering wheel

This will be the next post subject, but to keep you on our appetite………

On top of that the Synchronous Solver will apply the geometric tolerance base on user entry to solve the behavior of the faces that surround the selection.

This is the “Live rules”.

Advance option in the live rule give user the ability to tweak the selection made by live rule.

Hope this brief description of the Synchronous Technology will help you get a better mental image of what this technology will offer.

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