EW - Design Edition - Autodesk CAD Management, Mentor CFD Simulation & More

Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection

(Image courtesy of Autodesk.)

Autodesk’s AnyCAD software has been introduced to Fusion 360, enabling interoperability with Inventor and throughout the entire Product Design & Manufacturing Collection. The connection will allow data to move in both directions, so users can leverage the abilities of Inventor with the cloud-enabled Fusion 360 platform.

“Everyone stands to benefit from this update,” said Stephen Hooper, Senior Director of Business Strategy and Marketing, Autodesk. “AnyCAD in the Product Design Collection allows you to put your data at the center of a single, connected ecosystem. It provides seamless access to the advanced tools and technologies our customers need to fully embrace the future of making things.”

For more information, visit Autodesk’s website.

Fujitsu Develops Technology to Process Deep Learning

(Image courtesy of Fujitsu Laboratories.)

Fujitsu Laboratories has announced the development of software technology that uses multiple GPUs to enable high-speed deep learning powered by the application of supercomputer software parallelization technology.

Fujitsu evaluated the technology on AlexNet, where it was confirmed to have achieved learning speeds with 16 and 64 GPUs that are 14.7 and 27 times faster, respectively, than a single GPU. These are the world's fastest processing speeds, representing an improvement in learning speeds of 46 percent for 16 GPUs and 71 percent for 64 GPUs. With this technology, machine learning that would have taken about a month on one computer can now be processed in about a day by running it on 64 GPUs in parallel, potentially impacting many industries including electronics development.

Additional technical specifications are available on Fujitsu’s website.

Mentor CFD Simulation

(Image courtesy of Mentor.)

Mentor has announced the latest release of its FloEFD computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with functionality for geometry handling, physics and results visualization. Featuring technology enabling fast and accurate simulation, FloEFD helps users frontload CFD simulation early into the design process to understand the behavior of their concepts and eliminate the less attractive options.

Due to its architecture, FloEFD can reduce the overall simulation time by as much as 65-75 percent and offers 2x to 40x user productivity enhancements. This helps engineers in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and industrial equipment markets optimize product performance and reliability and reduce physical prototyping and development costs.

In addition, enhancements to the LED module have been made. Radiation spectrum and setting intensity of radiation dependent on the angle can be defined. As a result, FloEFD can automatically apply the calculated radiant flux on top of the LED. Also, its FloEDA Bridge allows users to import EDA geometry into CAD with different levels of geometry resolution from compact to fully explicit, including all the layers and vias.

For more information, visit Mentor’s website.

XJTAG DFT Assistant

(Image courtesy of XJTAG.)

XJTAG and Zuken have entered into a partnership to enhance Zuken’s CR-8000 with a design for test (DFT) capability that will improve test coverage during schematic entry. The capability is based on XJTAG’s DFT Assistant, and will be available later this year as a free plugin for Zuken’s CR-8000 Design Gateway users.

CR-8000 is a native 3D product-centric design platform for PCB-based systems. It directly supports architecture design, concurrent multi-board PCB design, chip/package/board co-design and full 3D MCAD co-design. XJTAG DFT Assistant will help to validate correct JTAG chain connectivity while displaying boundary scan access and coverage onto the schematic diagram through full integration with CR-8000 Design Gateway.

Detailed specifications are available on XJTAG’s website.

Zuken 3D PCB Design

(Image courtesy of Zuken.)

Zuken, in celebration of CADSTAR’s 30th anniversary, has included 3D design capabilities for free with the 30th Anniversary Edition of the CADSTAR 3D bundle. This adds 3D PCB visualization, collision checking, 3D part creation and more.

CADSTAR started development in 1987 as a DOS-based system, by its original UK-based developers Racal-Redac. It was acquired by Japanese-owned Zuken in 1994, but retained its British roots and has been consistently developed in the UK from the start. The latest version, CADSTAR 18, is a complete environment for designing PCBs from initial concept through to product realization. Optimized for small and mid-sized design teams, it also appeals to individual all-rounders and corporations operating across multiple sites.

Information concerning pricing and availability can be found on Zuken’s website.

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