Solid Edge Version 19

[Aleshia Ducharme]

SolidEdge is a 3D CAD, parametric feature and synchronous technology solid modeling software. It runs on Microsoft Windows and provides solid modeling, assembly modelling and 2D orthographic view functionality for mechanical designers. Through third party applications it has links to many other Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) technologies.

Originally developed and released by Intergraph in 1996 using the ACIS geometric modeling kernel, it changed to using the Parasolid kernel when it was purchased and further developed by UGS Corp in 1998. In 2007, UGS was acquired by the Automation & Drives Division of Siemens AG. UGS company was renamed Siemens Digital Industries Software on October 1, 2007.

Since September 2006, Siemens has also offered a free 2D version called Solid Edge 2D Drafting. Solid Edge is available in Design and Drafting, Foundation, Classic or Premium. The "Premium" package includes all of the features of "Classic" plus mechanical and electrical routing software, and engineering simulation capabilities for Computer Aided Engineering (CAE).[2]

The ordered modeling process begins with a base feature controlled by a 2D sketch, which is either a linear, revolved, lofted, or swept extrusion. Each subsequent feature is built on the previous feature. When editing, the model is "rolled back" to the point where the feature was created so that the user cannot try to apply constraints to geometry that does not yet exist. The drawback is that the user does not see how the edit will interact with the subsequent features. This is typically called "history" or "regeneration based" modeling. In both ordered and synchronous mode Solid Edge offers very powerful, easy yet stable modeling in hybrid surface/solid mode, where "Rapid Blue" technology helps the user to create complex shapes in an intuitive and easy way.

The software combines direct modeling with dimension driven design (features and synchronously solving parametrics) under the name "Synchronous Technology".[3] Parametric relationships can be applied directly to the solid features without having to depend on 2D sketch geometry, and common parametric relationships are applied automatically.

Unlike other direct modeling systems, it is not driven by the typical history-based modeling system, instead providing parametric dimension-driven modeling by synchronizing geometry, parameters and rules using a decision-making engine, allowing users to apply unpredicted changes. This object-driven editing model is known as the Object Action Interface, which emphasizes a User Interface that provides Direct Manipulation of objects (DMUI). ST2 added support for sheet metal designing, and also recognizing bends, folds and other features of imported sheet metal parts.

An assembly is built from individual part documents connected by mating constraints, as well as assembly features and directed parts like frames which only exist in the Assembly context. Solid Edge supports large assemblies with over 1,000,000 parts.

Solid Edge integrates with Windows Indexing, SharePoint or Teamcenter to provide product lifecycle management. Solid Edge also integrates with PLM products from third parties. Solid Edge ST9 brought a new data management capability that leverages the Windows file indexing service to add basic data management functionality without the need for an additional server or set-up.

Solid Edge provides support for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) starting with Solid Edge ST2 version released in 2009. This functionality is based on Siemens Digital Industries Software's existing Femap and NX Nastran technologies. From Solid Edge 2019 there was also Computational Fluid Dynamics functionality added from Mentor's FloEFD, and with Solid Edge 2020 Rigid Body Motion, Transient Dynamic analysis was added.

I'm working for a belgian company that produces architectural lighting. Our product developers are using Solid edge 2021 to design our products. My task is to use the subassemblys they make in solid edge to use them later on in inventor. I haven't got any issues converting SE files into inventor but with the last update of the latest solid edge version and inventor i'm getting following error.

seems like i'm able to work through STEP files. but i'm facing a minor bug here. Sometimes i still get an error message that the files is created in a newer software package which inventor makes me unable to load this file in.

Well, a fix implies something broken, not working as intended. This is simply a matter of timing-- Inventor 2021 was released before SE 2021, so the libraries necessary to make the translation were not available then. Autodesk has limited resources (as do all software manufacturers), so there is also a time lag between the availability of SE libraries and when they get it into the Inventor update stream.

On April 22 this year, Solid Edge celebrated its 22nd birthday and ST10 is the 30th release of Solid Edge, a pretty impressive milestone for a CAD program which originated when most of us were still in high school or had just embarked on a professional career.

Before Solid Edge arrived on the scene, Unix was the dominant operating system for CAD with dedicated workstations built around them bundled together as what was then called Turnkey Graphics Systems. Not only were they accessible only to a select few engineers, various components of the CAD systems were not designed and hence not capable of exchanging data with each other without the involvement of a third party neutral format like IGES, STEP or DXF.

So the following remarks by Kaiser Optical System, an early adopter of Solid Edge speaks volumes about the excitement due to the benefits derived by migrating to Solid Edge from their older 2D and 3D systems:

The Jupiter project provided a platform that could be used to create a number of graphics applications, including 2D CAD, AEC, mapping, P&ID. Another application built using the Jupiter technology was Imagineer Technical, a 2D sketching program that bridged the gap between a basic paint brush style tool and a full-fledged drafting program. It allowed creating parametric 2D objects and further modifying them by pulling handles or by changing dimension or using commands like trim, extend fillet. Other prominent features included creation of multiple sheets and DWG import.

Other software based on the Jupiter technology released around the same time was SmartPlant 3D for plant modeling, GeoMedia for GIS, InRoads for 3D road design and SiteWorks for terrain modeling. These along with Imagineer Technical had a striking resemblance with the early versions of Solid Edge since they were all based on a common theme and philosophy and most importantly a common architectural framework.

In the initial years, Solid Edge also imitated Microsoft Office products to the extent that there was even a Tip of The Day dialog that popped up at startup, though you could turn it off from the Options. But these features were considered cool in the late 90s.

Before being announced on Oct. 17, 1995 and subsequently released on April 22, 1996, Solid Edge internally was simply called MD or Mechanical Design. The user interface was Windows compatible so it greatly reducing learning time and which also was its USP or unique selling point. Use of OLE enabled users to insert MicroStation and AutoCAD parts in Solid Edge assemblies besides those created in its own Part environment.

This version had all the basic ingredients of a 3D CAD program like Extrude which was then called Protrusion, Cut, Revolve and Revolved Cut, Expressions now called Variables, Fillet, Chamfer, Rib, Thin Wall and Pattern to name a few.

Sketching tools automatically recognized constraints such as parallel and perpendicular lines and if you start thinking about these things, today we take them for granted but if you step back in that time frame, it was unique and different.

Announced by William H. McClure, VP of Intergraph Mechanical Software Solutions, who had a year earlier also given first public demo of Solid Edge, this version saw some improvements in rounding and creating thin-wall operations largely due to the developments in the underlying ACIS Kernel.

Released in March 1997, Solid Edge V3 also continued with ACIS 2.0 and the minimum system requirements were a 486 Intel processor-based computer with a chucklesome 32 MB RAM, a CD-ROM, 100 Mbytes of disk space running either Windows 95, NT 3.51 or NT 4.0

The most remarkable addition in V3 was the Revision Manager which replaced the Copy Special, Rename Special and Replace commands. The Revision Manager in turn was replaced by the design Manager later in ST9.

This was a special release in June 1997. Solid Edge Version 3.5 used ACIS 2.1 and introduced the modeling of sheet-metal parts consisting of features like tab, flange, contour flange, and break corner tools and Flat pattern.

There were also several other limitations with the fillet and thin wall features of ACIS leading to a decision to change the kernel to Parasolid for the next version of Solid Edge i.e. V5 but a ACIS to Parasolid converter was delivered with V4

Released in June 1998 Solid Edge Version 5 was now powered by the Parasolid 9.1 modeling kernel and could run on both Windows 95 and NT. The new release included more than 100 new design capabilities, usability enhancements and performance features. Chief among the improvements were improved rounding, thin-walling, blending, and hidden line removal for drafting. New large-assembly management tools let users define and manipulate select sets with improved performance through unloading non-displayed selections.

Care was taken to have the new version fully compatible with Solid Edge Version 4 data. Version 5 allowed for automatic and batch directory conversion of legacy data files while maintaining associativity, parameters, and a complete feature tree. With version 5 Solid Edge was now also interoperable with Unigraphics which too was powered by the Parasolid kernel.

Marvel at these images of the retro GUI of Solid Edge V5. This look and feel and the general arrangement of the UI continued for a long time until release of Windows XP when the icons suddenly started looking super cool.

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