Robert McNeel & Associates Adds ALGOR FEA to Its List of Rhinoceros Engineering Options

    PITTSBURGH--May 14, 2002--ALGOR, Inc., a leading maker of software for mechanical engineers, recently added support for the Rhinoceros(R) (Rhino) free-form surface-modeling CAD tool from Robert McNeel & Associates. Engineers can use the new Rhinoceros Import Extender to directly open CAD solid model geometry from Rhino's native 3DM files in ALGOR for analysis.
    The capability to import Rhino files directly into ALGOR for all analysis types will ensure the integrity of important model data that is sometimes sacrificed when translating geometry to universal file formats such as IGES or ACIS. Engineers can therefore model complex, irregular surface geometry in Rhino for products including tires, appliances, athletic shoes and vehicles and then capture that geometry directly in ALGOR for any analysis.
    "We're excited to add ALGOR to the list of engineering options that work with exact Rhino geometry," said Robert McNeel of Robert McNeel & Associates in Seattle. "This new CAD support extender resulted from participation in the openNURBS(TM) Initiative, which supported ALGOR's integration with Rhino and its open file format."
    ALGOR Product Manager Robert Williams said, "We are happy to support customers using Rhino for a wider array of modeling options. Our latest software provides capabilities for opening Rhino part and assembly geometry in ALGOR, a midplane mesh engine for converting thin solid features in a model to plate or shell elements and a joint creation utility for quickly adding pin and ball joints to models using a wizard instead of modeling them from scratch."
    The software is available for PC workstations running Windows NT, Me, 98, 2000 or XP.
    ALGOR has been developing FEA and mechanical simulation software for PCs since 1984 and data exchange with CAD systems since 1985. The company serves over 20,000 engineers in over 60 countries in organizations such as DuPont, General Motors, Goodyear, Hewlett-Packard, NASA, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Yale University. Partnerships with other leading mechanical engineering software companies offer data interchange with products from ANSYS, Inc. ; Autodesk, Inc. ; CADKEY Corporation; MSC.Software Corporation ; Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC); Robert McNeel & Associates; Structural Dynamics Research Corporation; Solid Edge, EDS-PLM Solutions ; SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. company; and others. Educational support and customer service include the use of Internet audio/video technology for distance learning and free, live software demonstrations.

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