Objects in CAD

Product Review :
Solid Edge Origin
Written By Alistar Dean

Last month we broke the news that Unigraphics Solutions where planning to give away around half a million copy of the Solid Edge draughting product. Alistar Dean looks at the reasons behind this unprecedented move, how you get it and what you can done with it.

Solid Edge Origin

If you get cadd directly, rather than having a look at your colleagues copy then you 'll most probably have got the Solid Edge Origin product CD already. If you haven't, then there is another way to get your mitts on it. Make a call to the dedicated freephone number at the top of this page. It should be stressed that Unigraphics and their dealers won't be able to provide you with a copy, it's only available from that particular number.

Once you've got a copy, or when you order it, you're going to need a registration key code before you can start the installation process (this is available from that same number). Once you've got that, then, as the Americans say, you're go to go. But before we look at what's on that CD, maybe we should work out why Unigraphics has given you this early Christmas present.

Why?

I've spoken to the people at Unigraphics Solutions, and they're attitude and comments regarding the Origin programme where refreshingly candid. The reason the've created this product is two-fold. Firstly, it's intended to introduce the reluctant 2D CAD user to the benefits of 3D solid modelling and the associated productivity benefits. By giving away the 2D draughting product, which was previously sold for around one and a half grand, and giving a taster of the 3D functionality, they are attempting to change the mind set of those thousands of resolutely 2D users. Whichever specific industry you work in, the advantages of 3D modelling are too numerous to mention, but still many people adopt the attitude of "2D is enough for us".

By giving this glimpse into the 3D world, Unigraphics hope to show the short-comings of 2D systems and of course hope that users will switch in droves to Solid Edge - and that's the second reason. It's about getting sales leads and establishing familiarity with the Solid Edge product range. When you phone for your registration key you'll have to provide name, address details, job title, areas of interest etc. Then you can expect the usual flood of information and the odd phone call from an UG sales rep eager to sell you the full blown product. But having seen what on the CD, it's a small price to pay indeed.

Unigraphics are, of course, hoping that the Origin users will upgrade to the full Solid Edge product and even a small pecentage of those 550,000 will greatly increase its installed base. But I've inkling that this marketing campaign will do more than just benefit Unigraphics. The raised awareness of the advantages of 3D solid modelling will do a great deal of good for the CAD industry as a whole. So enough of the politics, what do you get for your hard earned pennies (literally)?

Do's, don'ts, can't and won'ts

Although you are never going to get a fully functionality CAD product for no financial outlay, in this case, you do get quite a lot. So here's a run down what you can and can't do with Solid Edge Origin.

Upgrades and support: At present there are no plans to provide updates for the Solid Edge Origin product. It's unclear whether there will be a similar product available for the next phase of the Solid Edge development (version 8 is next). As for support this will be entirely web-based, so its no good phoning the Unigraphic support lines as they won't be able to help, the option for some dealers to provide bare bones support has been left open, but its entirely up to them.

2D draughting: With Origin you get the whole 2D draughting solution from the full Solid Edge product - with one or two exceptions. You can create 2D entities using the full range of commands, including fully featured sketching tools, editing, constraints and relationship tools, semi-automated dimensioning, hole table generation and 2D Bill of Materials (using the grouping command to define components). You also get the full range of 2D import options including:

Import Options for Solid Edge Origin
Solid Edge Draft *.dft

Solid Edge Part *.par

Solid Edge Assemblies *.asm

Solid Edge Sheet Metal *.shm

Intergraph's EMS solution *.ems .

IGES files (2D and 3D) *.igs

Unigraphics *.prt STEP *.stp
Parasolid ASCII *.x_t

Parasolid Binary *.x_b

MicroStation *.dgn

AutoCAD *.dwg, *.dxf

Mds *.mds

Poren *.npf

Tech2D *.xeo

The only thing you can't do is save drawings created using 3D models as a geometric source i.e any drawing created using geometry from the source above, cannot be saved in Solid Edge Origin. They can be used as you do in the full product i.e. created, dimensioned, sectioned but cannot be saved. 2D only drawing however can.

3D part modelling: Whereas you essentially get all of the 2D based draughting tools, the part modelling is much more limited in its capabilities. Essentially you get, what Unigraphics like to call "basic modelling" tools, but that doesn't really do it justice. The part creations tools are in essence limited to the creation of prismatic parts. This means that you can created features using the standard Boolean type tools such as protrusions (extrusions, subtracts, unions, subtractions etc.). In addition to this you get the basic filleting, chamfering and shelling tools. It should also be noted that you can't use any of the import options for 3D parts. Although it doesn't sound much compared to the modelling tools in the current CAD market (warning nostalgia approach rapidly). I seem to remember in the not too distant past using MacNeal/Schwendler's Aries, which used tools very similar to these but with far less editability - and that cost in excess of twenty grand a seat excluding hardware. What you don't get are the advanced part modelling tools which includes many tools ranging from lofts and sweeps, cutting surfaces, advanced filleting etc. And of course there's no assembly modelling what so ever. Our tutorial on the opposite page shows you the basic capabilities of the system.

Solid Edge Origin3D

In addition to the basic Solid Edge Origin product you do have an upgrade option which enables the saving of the drawing files (which use 3D models as a basis). The limitations of part modelling and lack of assembly functionality remain but still at this price it's somewhat of a bargain.

In conclusion

There seems to have been an unprecedented amount of benevolence in the CAD market of late. Starting with the XchangeWorks module from SolidWorks and rumour has it that Visio may well be making its IntelliCAD product available for free. The latest installment in this free for all is by far the most capable and does provide some form of benefit to those who get their hands on it, especially those who haven't yet made the transition to 3D modelling.

This product, and especially with the upgrade to Solid Edge Origin3D, provides you with a massive amount of part modelling power, which as I said earlier, would have cost thousands a couple of years ago. Unigraphics are hoping that you'll install this product and decide you should be using 3D modelling", then hope you'll switch to the full version of Solid Edge. To be honest you'll need to look at and evaluate the rest of the products on the market to gauge what's best for your particular situation, but you do far worse than take the Solid Edge route.

 

 

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