The data behind 3D modelling allows 2D design to be automatically updated

Data management doesn't have to equal major upheaval, says Colin Watson, business development director of Imass Design Solutions. The design office has certainly seen some changes over the past few years.  First it was the move from the drawing board to the desktop PC with the introduction of automated drafting using AutoCAD or similar software.  We thought that nothing would ever be the same again, but little did we know. 2D design became 3D solid modelling and as 3D modelling matures, designers are increasingly thinking about the data behind the model and its seemingly endless potential.....

Brought to the mass market by affordable and intuitive products such as Autodesk Inventor Series, which enables the use of both 2D and 3D within the same project. When a change is made on a virtual model, the technology updates all associated 2D and 3D drawings and related documentation automatically.  As a result, the data has integrity - that is it is correct and contains all the right intelligence.  This makes it valuable not just to the design team, but to the rest of the company from the production team to sales and marketing too.

However, this can only happen if the data is closely managed.  While it needs to be secure, it also needs to be held in a way that it can be easily accessed. This is not as straightforward as it sounds.  With the introduction of powerful 3D modelling software, teams of designers can work on different sectors, possibly even working in several shifts.  As a result, the number of files and the amount of data has expanded significantly. Increasingly, work is distributed over computer networks with collaboration between designers who are not necessarily in the same room, building or even in some cases, country.

So far, only around 40% of manufacturers with an engineering design team are creating 3D digital design data - the remaining 60% still using 2D electronic drafting solutions.  But of these only a tiny percentage are using and managing this data as effectively as they could be.  So, what are the problems and what is really happening out there in the workplace?

Many customers say their products are bespoke, but it stands to reason that most of the time it's an adaptation of a previous design, re-using previously created data as a basis.  If that data remains easy to access for the entire company there are no end of efficiencies.

Predictions are that as manufacturers get more comfortable with the seamless transfer of data at this end, they will begin to examine the creation of that data before the main design process - by using rules-based software to capture the right customer specifications at point of sale."  Eventually this "engineer to order" technology may be incorporated into standard design software such as Inventor. 

However, data management is by no means an easy sell.  It takes time.  People come to us to begin with because they have a problem that they need fixed as soon as possible - to start broadening this out too quickly is almost to do them a disservice.  You are complicating matters when their immediate concern is to get their job done.

There needs to be a long term plan, helped by a proper design process review.  This is where incremental solutions such as Autodesk's Productstream data management software really come into their own.  You can solve the pressing problem, but still leave the door open for further development.