Solid Edge ST4 preview

Some details are starting to filter about the next Solid Edge version.

But before going into the details,…. the best place to get info.

If you own a Solid Edge license, I invite you to subscribe to the forums and join the Solid Edge community online.

If you are a student or using Solid Edge 2D for free.

To subscribe to one of the forums

In another line of idea, before continuing with the overview of what’s new in St4, I invite you to read an interesting article by Matt Lombard What PLM World Taught Me “… Geometry is a small part of developing a product, large or small, but somehow, there are people (like me) who have carved out a niche just developing geometry…. »

Matt also had the opportunity to see some of the contents of ST4 Solid Edge ST4 rollout coming in June

This year Siemens propose a brand new event to better answer customer request. If I’m not mistaken the event is open to anyone interested in learning more about Solid Edge.

The launch of the new version is about three or four months earlier this year. But let me tell you this, the developers did not sit on their butt. This version contains at a minimum 200 new and improved feature/commands, if not more. The draft receives a large share of the new stuff.

So the official launch kick off June 15 with The Solid Edge ST4 Global Launch Event this event will be more technical than the PLM world, because it aim directly at the users who create geometry Sourire Consulter l’agenda préliminaire

Base on Matt’s article, this first event experience will stand between the PLM World and you will not feel like being at a rehearsed political convention.

The software should be delivered to customers in late July / August this will give time to finish the last quality test and time to burn DVD.

OK, now let’s plunge at the heart of the subject Preview of what’s new in Solid Edge ST4.

Deelip blog gave us a brief overview.What’s New In Solid Edge ST4?

Solid Edge ST4 is given four major themes to summarize the work done in this version:

Advanced machine design
Expanded collaboration
Simulation for sheet metal
World-class Drafting

Advance machine design

The new and enhance stuff in this section allow you to leverage Synchronous Technology to accelerate design, get faster revisions, and better reuse 2D and 3D data.

Build on a single system of synchronous and ordered features so designers have greater design flexibility.

Improved feature selection

The improvements made to the selection of surfaces will help add similar faces from the Parent Feature in the select set.

Enhancement added new options to those commands to ease editability:

Round/Fillet
Chamfer
Draft
Thin Wall

Selection only: only keeps the surface selected in the editing group
Similar faces in the Parent Feature: Adds the surface belonging to the parent feature identify in the Pathfinder.
Selection manager : Use the selection manager to add surfaces based on geometric criteria.

Faster Selection Performance

Faster Large selection processing

Faster interactive selection up to 5x Average performance will be around 2x

Faster Highlight/Selected Color display
Faster View manipulation with large select sets
Pathfinder update (Select/De-select), Reduce flashing and multiple repaints of the Pathfinder

Fastener Systems

Fastener Systems have their interface update.

Improvements have been made:

For the selection of hardware
Improved size filtering
Option to save stack settings
Fastener Stacks can be placed in slots
New “Flip” Fastener Stack option to control orientation
Auto-balloon entire Fastener Stacks on drawings with a single click

XpresRoute

XpresRoute receives the “Path” command from the Wire harness module This command allows you to define a path specifically for flexible tubes.

The “Path” command allow the selection of:

Key point
The axis of a cylinder
A point in space

Assembly feature

Some CAD software use the part module to simulate assembly workflow, Solid Edge on the other hands, keep assembly workflow within the assembly environment.

Weldment assemblies are a good example, as they consist in assembling parts and then fix them together using weld bead.

Once the welded assembly is complete, some operations need to be done on the new assembly.

Solid Edge supports two options for assembly operations

Assembly FeaturesSpecifies that the entire feature resides in the assembly document.With an assembly feature, the reference plane, profile, and surface geometry all reside in the assembly document where the feature was constructed. Assembly features affect only the parts that physically intersect the feature extent.Assembly-Driven Part FeaturesSpecifies that only the reference plane and profile reside in the assembly document.With an assembly-driven part feature, the surface geometry resides in the part documents that are modified by the feature.Assembly-driven part features affect all parts that have the same document name as the parts that physically intersect the feature extent.

Operations like chamfer and fillet/radius are now deployed in both types of assembly feature.