'We will help realize Designed in India dream'

The Indian PLM market has established players. What kind
of growth are you witnessing in the 3D CAD market in India?

SolidWorks's growth in India was 100% last year. The reasons behind the quick
growth in the Indian market are our expertise in 3D CAD solutions specific to
the needs of industry segments, ease of use which contributes to a faster
learning curve for design engineers, better productivity for manufacturers and
our extensive distribution and reseller network located in all major cities in
India. Recent market reports highlight tremendous opportunities in India's
engineering services market. Currently pegged at $3.5 bn, outsourcing in
engineering services has the potential to grow to $10-$20 bn in three to five
years. India has a highly established engineering industry. SolidWorks's will
help our customers realize the goal of having a label on their products that
says 'Designed in India.'

-Jeff Ray, COO, SolidWorks

As a tool to develop applications, how is CAD software
picking up?

CAD or computer-aided design is used for a wide variety of products in such
fields as machinery, electronics and automotive engineering. Although CAD
systems originally automated drafting merely, they now include three-dimensional
modeling and computer-simulated operation of the model. Rather than having to
build prototypes and change components to determine the effects of tolerance
ranges, engineers can use computers to simulate operation to determine loads and
stress. In microelectronics, as devices have become smaller and more complex,
CAD has become an especially important technology. Among the benefits of such
systems are lower product-development costs and a greatly shortened design
cycle.

While less expensive CAD systems running on personal
computers have become available for do-it-yourself home remodeling and simple
drafting, state-of-the-art CAD systems running on workstations and mainframe
computers are increasingly integrated with computer-aided manufacturing systems.
Electronic design automation (EDA) includes PCB design, intelligent wiring
diagrams (routing) and component connection management.

It is said today's CAD is venturing into many more 'intellectual'
areas of a designer's expertise. What are the usage and capabilities of
CAD extending?

The ability to visualize and think in three dimensions is one of the most
important requisites, indeed an essential skill, for the successful scientist
and engineer. To the designer, it means the ability to form a mental picture
before the object even exists and the ability to express this image in terms of
views. To create a technical drawing requires spatial visualization skills.
Visualization in this context is the process of creating a 3D image of an object
in a person's mind, using the evidence and clues provided by multi-view
drawings (2D) or other presentations. Formalizing quality systems and procedures
in the project-oriented, one-of-a-kind world of tooling is not traditional.
Today's world-class casting specifications dictate breaking through the
barriers of tradition, into the realities of tomorrow. Gone are the days where
'close enough' was acceptable. Today's tool builders are routinely
required to hold tolerances of plus/minus 0.002 while constructing tools. This
is not a simple task. To do so goes beyond the traditional skill level of a
qualified mold builder, and focuses equally on the importance of
well-maintained, very precise machines and equipment, and proper,
well-documented procedures. Additionally, significant improvement to this end is
also realized by the tremendous dimensional precision made available through
CAD/CAM-generated data. CAD/CAM technologies increase the speed, accuracy and
repeatability of production. These days, customers demand that 'perfectly
built guitar' or that 'laser that stays aligned' regardless of where it is
installed, and we are meeting those demands with the help of CAD/CAM technology.
It also reduces the cost of production and product development in the long term.

The capabilities of modern CAD systems include: 3D parametric
feature based modeling, Solid modeling, automated design of assemblies, which
are collections of parts and/or other assemblies, create engineering drawings
from the solid models, reuse of design components, ease of modification of
design of model and the production of multiple versions, automatic generation of
standard components of the design, validation/verification of designs against
specifications and design rules, simulation of designs without building a
physical prototype etc.

-Goutam Das,