Bastiaan Oud, Head of Strategy at SIMCON talks about how the injection moulding industry needs to and has started to embrace visuatlization.  

Jonathan Girroir, Tech Evangelist at Tech Soft 3D, joins the conversation.

To learn more about SIMCON, visit www.simcon.com

It’s Time for Injection Molding to Embrace Virtualization

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with six other technology executives to discuss what the world is going to look like post-COVID, and how the engineering software space can innovate to meet the moment.

From building & construction, to manufacturing, where is innovation needed most? What aspects of the world will be the same, and which will be different? Do we need to completely rethink physical spaces like offices? Are there any innovations that have actually been helped along by the circumstances of the past year?

Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are:

- Rick Rundell, Technology & Innovation Strategist at Autodesk, a 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software company
- István Csanády, CEO of Shapr3D,  a developer of 3D mobile design apps
- Mark Sawyer, Director, Construction Industry Strategy at Trimble, a provider of positioning, modeling, connectivity and data analytics software and services
- Blake Courter, CTO of nTopology, a design and engineering software company
- Yavuz Murtezaoglu, Managing Director of ModuleWorks, a software component provider for the CAD/CAM industry
- Matt Sederberg, CEO of CoreForm, a finite element analysis and simulation company

Beyond 3D

What Will Post-COVID Innovation Look Like?

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four other technology executives to discuss what type of innovation is going to gain traction in the post-COVID world.

Mixed reality is set to give the term “connected worker” a whole new meaning. Where are there other opportunities to innovate? Is 3D printing ready for its breakthrough moment? Will “lights out” manufacturing ever be a thing? And can small, innovative point solutions successfully take on the big, monolithic platforms?

Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are:

- Patricia Hume, CEO of Canvas GFX, drawing, imaging, and publishing software
- Michael Bogomolny, Co-founder and CTO of Paramatters, generative design software
- Magnus Gäfvert, CEO of Modelon, systems modeling and simulation software
- Tyler Barnes, Vice President of Partner Engagement at Tech Soft 3D, 3D development tools for engineering software

Who Will Be the “Innovators” and “Dinosaurs” of Post-Pandemic Innovation?

Running a startup is a demanding undertaking in any time period, let alone during a pandemic. Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four technology executives at the helm of innovative startups to learn more about the challenges startups have faced during this uniquely challenging time.

How do you instill and maintain culture when most of your workforce is remote? For that matter, how do you get in front of customers and build business momentum when the world has gone into lockdown? And are there actually any silver linings to come from this strange time?

Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are:

- Susanne Haspinger, COO of Holo-Light, a developer of AR/VR technologies
- Santiago Droll, CEO of Eleven Dynamics, a provider of automated quality assurance solutions  
- Henry Uyeme, CEO of Intrida, a developer of engineering data integration solutions
- Hilmar Gunnarsson, CEO of Arkio, a provider of collaborative design tools for architecture

The Challenges of Being a Startup During a Pandemic

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four technology executives at the helm of early-stage companies to learn more about their experiences creating and maintaining a corporate culture, finding new hires, and maintaining business momentum over the past year.

How do you establish the “flavor” for your company when people are mostly remote? For that matter, how do you get a good read on someone you’re looking to hire when in-person interviews aren’t an option? And is the old adage about every crisis containing an opportunity actually true?

Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are:

- Sam Burgess, CEO of SamsonVT, an interactive and immersive technical documentation company
- Mike Moceri, CEO of Maker OS, a business operating software for makers  
- Paul Powers, CEO of Physna, a provider of 3D geometric deep learning software
- Daniel Siegel, Managing Director of ELISE, a generative engineering software platform

What Was It Really Like to Run a Startup During the Pandemic?

In this episode, we sit down with finite element analysis expert Arthur Muller and discuss current challenges, trends, and the future of simulation. Arthur has been part of the finite element business for over three decades and has experience with many aspects of finite elements including structural analysis, computational fluid dynamics, and electromagnetics.

Trends, Challenges, and the Future of Simulation

During this Beyond the 3D podcast, we talk with Sylvain Marie from Eurostep about IFC and where IFC is going as part of the AEC industry's ongoing digital transformation.

IFC and the AEC Industry's Digital Transformation with Sylvain Marie

The Great Resignation has affected all industries, but it’s hit the tech industry especially hard. Many engineers are leaving their jobs for bigger and better opportunities. During this time, how can companies keep their top engineering talent? Tech Soft 3D VP of Engineering, António Carvalho, discusses with us what engineers are looking for and how to retain top talent.

Retaining Engineers During the Great Resignation

On this episode of Beyond 3D, we talk with Shaan Hurley, a Community Manager from Autodesk about why building a community for companies and the people who use those products.

The Importance of Community for Developers and Software Companies

On this Beyond 3D podcast, Umair Ejaz from Visual Components joins us to talk about how software is changing the way we build factories and what the future may hold.

The Evolution of How We Build Factories with Umair Ejaz

In this round table discussion on digital transformation, our panel will be delving into some key challenges that still need to be addressed in our industry. Join Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, Tyler Barnes, President of Tech Soft 3D, Sam Burgess, CEO of SamsonVT, Andy Cheadle, CTO of CloudNC, Milan Kocic, Founder of Sixth Sense, and Suchit Jain, Solidworks VP of Strategy and Business Development as they share their insights and predictions for the future.

Beyond 3D - CEO Roundtable on Digital Transformation

Today for International Women in Engineering Day, we interview two women at Tech Soft 3D, Cour Scalf-Crickenberger and Anca Cimpoaca, about their experiences in the engineering world.

Beyond 3D - International Women in Engineering Day

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with six other technology executives to gather their thoughts on what’s going on in the AEC space, what issues they’re surprised still exist in the year 2023, and what might be on tap for construction in the next 5-10 years. Topics discussed include the challenges inherent to a project-based industry, like construction and friction points created by a lack of industrialization. Additionally, the execs wonder if we should be paying more attention to the business model of construction itself rather than any technical limitations if we want to push the industry to new levels of innovation—and what role AI might have to play.

Challenges and Opportunities Facing AEC

The AEC industry has been talking about Digital Twins for 20 years, but now manufacturing and other industries have adopted the concept and technology as well. Creating and maintaining a digital twin can be difficult, but one way of capturing 3D data and creating 3D models that are used in digital twins is with reality capture technologies. In this episode we talk with Shaun Bryant, owner of CADfm Consulting, publisher of the NotJustCAD newsletter, and co-host of the Beams and Columns podcast, about the transition from 2D to 3D (and how it’s still happening), and the rapid adoption of reality capture technologies that speed up the digital twin process. 

Website: https://www.cadfmconsult.com
Blog: https://www.cadfmconsult.com/not-just-cad
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadfmconsult/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/notjustcad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjustcad
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@notjustcad

Capturing the 3D World Faster than Ever Before

Digital Twins are all the rage, but how many companies are actually using them? Turns out companies aren’t even getting their final digital twin model even though they’ve paid for it. Get your lawyers out and get them to execute on that contract to get you the assets you’ve paid for! Today’s discussion with Melanie Stone, Senior IWMS Consultant for R.O.I. Consulting Group, and author of the Mistress of the Dorkness blog, talks about life in facilities management and all the opportunities being left on the table. 

#digitaltwin #AEC #BIM #3D #2D #3Dcad #2Dcad #facilitiesmanagement #deliverables 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniestonemotd/
Blog: http://mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUNOudl40cmlK49LzVcxx5g

Digital Twins Are Only Valuable if You Use Them

Advances in reality capture technology have taken huge leaps in the past few years, and in this episode we talk with Pete Kelsey, Owner at VCTO Labs, about just how far things have come (some of the stuff is just wicked cool!). These advances lead to questions about creating more agile file formats that can go from scanner to 3D model easier and faster. Going beyond CAD? What does that look like? Listen in and let us know what you think.

Going Beyond CAD to More Innovative, Agile Formats

In today’s episode we talk with Kenneth Wong, Senior Editor at DigitalEngineering24/7, about how AI is making a stronger impact on the design and engineering world now than it did even just 3 years ago. It started with generative design, and now we are seeing AI seep into nearly every aspect of engineering - everything from simulation to digital twins in the metaverse. Listen in and let us know how you think AI will transform the engineering world.

How AI is Impacting Engineering, Design and Simulation

Automotive suppliers take in hundreds of CAD files a day, all varying in format. Consuming and working with all that data is a feat on its own, but now you have finance, marketing, sales and other departments needing information from the 3D models, customers asking for changes, engineering saying they need changes, and now you’ve lost your digital thread. In this episode, Peter West, VP of Marketing at Actify, talks about the value of giving everyone across the enterprise, in every department, access to view and annotate CAD files. Crazy you say? Have a listen and then let us know what you think.

CAD Visualization Across the Enterprise

In our third episode of Beyond 3D, we talk with Chris Jones, CEO of Actify, about why it is critical for manufacturers of all sizes to have a digital strategy to consume, visualize and act on the quintillions of bytes being generated every day. It’s not a question of “should I do this” but rather “when and how will I do this?” Relational databases just don’t cut it anymore – the massive amounts of data being generated need to be able to be mined for specific things, visualized and acted upon quickly and easily.  The technology is getting there, and is more accessible to manufacturers of all sizes – yes, even the small guys. 

“Overall the stats and the estimates are the only 10% of all this data that we're collecting is being a) collected and then b) collated. In the manufacturing industry we're down 1 or 2%. I think there's opportunities in all industries but particularly in manufacturing companies because they're also producing a lot more data from their products on how it's used and so on and so forth, warranty issues and wear and tear et cetera. They've got all this information but I just don't think it's being used. Couple to that what's also happened is that I think engineering as a profession has certainly not been the favorite occupation for the brightest and smartest coming out of universities. There's a huge shortage of engineers world wide and particularly in the U.S.

The challenge going forward I think is this ... You've got these two opposing forces that need to be solved. You've got this wealth of information that is being produced and then how best to use it with far fewer people. I think going forward this is going to be a real challenge for the industry in general. As I said before, it's not just big sophisticated products and consequently not just big organizations, it's also small to medium companies as well that face this challenge of how best to use this information because if they don't somebody will and somebody will gain a competitive advantage from it I'm sure.”

Chris Jones’ challenge to our listeners: “I think if you're a company that doesn't have a digital strategy on how best to use the information that's been produced now that you have within your organization, the historical information and the information that is almost certainly going to be flowing into your organization over the next couple of years, you seriously need to sit down and think about it. This is a big strategic initiative and it needs executive input I think on how best to move forward to make use of data going forward. It's going to be a competitive advantage for sure.”

Learn more about Actify: www.actify.com

To read the full podcast transcript, visit www.techsoft3d.com/blog

Having a digital strategy for big data is critical, and both small and large manufacturers can do it

In this episode of Beyond 3D we talk about services for the first time.  And who better to talk about services for the engineering world other than AMC Bridge, one of the largest engineering service providers in the world. 

As technology has changed so dramatically over the past 15 years, even just the past 5 years, even companies who have internal services departments are struggling to keep up with all the different tech developments – from mobile, cloud, AR, VR, the Internet of Things, etc.  Therefore, companies of all sizes are turning to service providers to help them stay current with their applications, and ultimately stay competitive. One great example is one of the fastest growing PLM companies, ARIS.  Their expertise is in PLM, but to help their customers address some of these other technological challenges takes time, discipline and requires modern cooperation tools and modern visualization tools, and they don't have any experience with this.

In addition, companies avoid adopting new technologies for one of three reasons: 1) they are afraid to try something new, 2) the misconception that new technology is difficult to use, and 3) that it takes too long to implement new technology.  This may have been true in the past, but with component technologies and service providers like AMC Bridge, any company of any size can innovate and stay competitive. 

Have a listen and let us know what you think.

For more information on Tech Soft 3D, visit www.techsoft3d.com
For more information on AMC Bridge, visit www.amcbridge.com

The Beyond 3D Podcast - How Much Do You Really Know About 3D PDF?

Services and component technologies take the complexity out of dealing with today's tech trends

There are millions of 3D PDFs used in different manufacturing workflows every day, across the globe.  So why are there still so many misconceptions about how 3D PDFs can be used? How versatile they are, how much better they are than Zipping a ton files together and hoping the recipient can figure out how to view them all. The 3D PDF Consortium was founded for exactly this purpose – to provide education and awareness to the market about 3D PDFs.  We talk with Jerry McFeeters, the Executive Director, and Phil Spreier, Technical Director to dispel some of the bigger myths when it comes to 3D PDF creation and use.

“I always think about PDF as kind of being data with a purpose, or data with a context. You can use it in an engineering process. You can create a document that has a bunch of different data that when you put it all together, it helps to describe something in a way that it's very clear and relevant to the person who gets that document. That's when it helps to set it apart from some of these other data formats, is that it really is easy to communicate with a purpose what you want to do with that 3D data rather than just communicating with the 3D data itself.” – Jerry McFeeters 

“When you compare the PDF to a Zip file, it has some even more advantages because one of the things that a PDF file does, is it gives you structure. PDFs can have attachments to it, just like so you can put multiple files in it exactly like a Zip file. PDF files are all compressed too. There's a bunch of different levels of compression that you use on a PDF file. They tend to be very compact, and that includes the 3D data. 3D data, both the data formats can be used in a PDF, a 3D PDF are very compact. The PRC also has a compression rate of up to 100 times smaller than a native CAD file. It zips things together very well, but unlike a Zip file, it also gives you some structure to that. You can put things in a tree structure inside your PDF file. You can attach it the data to those, you can hyperlink spots inside those data files when you open them. You can open them using JavaScript.

You can do a number of different things so that when you get a PDF file that has a bunch of attachments, you can put information about what those attachments are, and easily associate them with other parts of your documents. Now you're not getting a bunch of disparate files that are in a directory structure. You're getting just a Zip file of associated documents, and you know what each document is and how it relates to the other documents, or the other data in your PDF file. That's a real advantage. A Zip file works great, but if you have a bunch of data that's associated, putting it into a PDF file gives you a way to express that association in a very easily understandable way so that when you send it somebody, they immediately know what it is and what it's used for.” – Phil Spreier

Have a listen and let us know what you think. 

For more information on Tech Soft 3D, visit www.techsoft3d.com
For more information on the 3D PDF Consortium, visit www.3dpdfconsortium.org/ 
Link to presentation on how Boeing uses 3D PDF for Technical Data Packages: http://www.3dpdfconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Boeing-Communicating-a-New-Way-of-Doing-Business-%E2%80%93-3D-PDFs-the-Boeing-Way.pdf

Do you Zip files? You should 3D PDF them instead for better, structured communication

Simulation is something that anyone in manufacturing is familiar with, and in this episode of Beyond 3D we talk with David Heiny, co-founder and CEO of SimScale.  David talks about how simulation in the cloud has evolved, how the cloud has enabled more powerful and rapid simulation, and also where simulation is headed – that it is much more than just the power of the cloud, but how real-time collaboration simulation is now possible, even more accessible and that’s enabling more small and mid-size companies to take advantage of simulation early on in the design process. 

Listen in and give us your perspective.  Are you doing simulation? Or have you wanted to but never had the resources?  

To learn more about SimScale, visit www.simscale.com
To learn more about Tech Soft 3D, visit www.techsoft3d.com

Simulation and Collaboration in the Cloud

If you’ve ever designed a custom piece of tooling or machining equipment, you know that traditionally it takes weeks and weeks from design to delivery.  But now there’s a platform that allows you to design on Monday, order on Tuesday and get the machine delivered on Wednesday.  It sounds unbelievable, but it’s the future of machine building, and it’s made possible through the development of 3D CAD in the browser.  Tune in to learn more about Vention from CEO and Co-Founder, Etienne Lacroix.

Read the full transcript on our blog: http://blog.techsoft3d.com/blog

Building Machines in the Cloud

In this episode of Beyond 3D we talk about the misconceptions of BIM and how that has hindered adoption.  Mike Shilton is a qualified landscaper architect and also the Product Director at Keysoft Solutions.  We have a frank discussion about how we should think and talk about implementing 3D modeling, digital construction and all the different aspects of BIM to make it less intimidating.

“We tend to talk more about digital construction now, as the term and exchanging data between different parties requires you to do that through standard protocols exchange points. Those are the bits that are BIM. Those are the bits that define how we transfer the data, we communicate with each other.”

For more information about Tech Soft 3D visit www.techsoft3d.com
For more information about Keysoft Solutions visit www.keysoftsolutions.com

Let's Stop Talking About BIM

This episode of Beyond 3D talks about an industry we’ve never touched on before – the retail space, and the kind of technology being used to drive everything from the construction of a space, the layout of products, which products are sold in the store and where they are placed, to the supply chain. We talk with Guy Moates, a Director with C A Design Services from the UK.
Did you know that the retail industry has historically been very early adopters of new technology and the use of big data?  What can other industries learn from retail? And after listening to this podcast, you will never enter a store with the same mindset again.

For more information about C A Design Services, visit https://www.cadesignservices.co.uk/

To reach us at Tech Soft 3D, visit https://www.techsoft3d.com/company/

How Big Data, AI, Machine Learning and Other Tech is Driving the Future of Retail

In this episode of Beyond 3D we talk with Tommy Gaessler, one of the top 25 most influential developer advocates for 2019, and a developer advocate at Zoom.  We talk about the current state of software development, opportunities and challenges, and where things are going with trends such as AR/VR. 

Learn more about Tommy here https://tommygaessler.com/

The Future of Software Development, Trends in AR/VR and Collaboration

Today we talk with Ken Alger, a developer advocate at MongoDB, and he was also named one of the top 25 developer advocates for 2019! We discuss how the role of the software developer has changed, what's important to them and also trends in cloud computing.  

Follow Ken on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kenwalger

What's Important to Developers, Trends with Cloud Tech

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four other industry executives to discuss the future of manufacturing. The discussion touched on many topics, ranging from the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains, to current aspects of manufacturing that will seem ridiculous five or ten years from now, to trends around collaboration. 

The participants included:

- Meghan West, CEO of CNC Software, a provider of CAD/CAM solutions
- Marc Lind, SVP of Strategy for Aras, a provider of enterprise PLM software
- Sam Golan, CEO of High QA, a provider of manufacturing quality management software
- Max Lobovsky, CEO of Formlabs, a 3D printing technology developer and manufacturer

CEO Roundtable - The Future of Manufacturing

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with five other industry executives to discuss the current state of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The core question at hand: whether AR/VR is finally poised for its breakthrough moment – and if so, what barriers might need to be removed to usher in this new era. The participants included: 
- Asif Rana, COO of Hexagon, a provider of sensor, software, and autonomous solutions

- Martin Herdina, CEO of Wikitude, an augmented reality technology company

- Susanna Holt, VP Forge Platform, Autodesk, a provider of 3D design and engineering software

- Thomas Schuler, CEO of Halocline, a developer of VR products for production planning and manufacturing

- Tony Fernandez, CEO of UEGroup, a user experience agency

CEO Roundtable - Is AR/VR Finally Poised to Take Off?

Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four other technology executives to discuss trends circling around the AEC industry, including the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing AEC to digitize and modernize faster than it otherwise would. How will the industry change? Which areas will be first to evolve, and which will be resistant to transformation? And ten years from now, what aspect of AEC that we take for granted today will look like something out of the Stone Age? 
Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are: 

- Anand Mecheri, CEO of Invicara, a developer of digital twin solutions

- Clifton Harness, CEO of TestFit, an automated building configurator

- Hilmar Gunnarsson, CEO of Arkio, a provider of collaborative design tools for architecture

- Richard Humphrey, Vice President of Product Strategy and Product Management at Bentley Systems, a provider of AEC software

Beyond 3D Podcast

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