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SDRC Introduces I-DEAS Variational Analysis Software

9 February 1999

SDRC Introduces I-DEAS Variational Analysis Software; I-DEAS Variational Analysis Offers a Revolutionary Product Simulation Tool for the Product Design Marketplace

    CINCINNATI--Feb. 9, 1999--SDRC , a leading provider of enterprise product development solutions worldwide, today announced the expansion of its award-winning variational design technology, VGX(TM), into its computer-aided engineering (CAE) software products. The first in a series of products to incorporate VGX for Analysis is I-DEAS Variational Analysis(TM) -- a revolutionary product simulation tool for the product design marketplace.
    The new product allows users to quickly identify all possible combinations of design variables that will achieve a desired performance. This is in stark contrast to other design optimization software, which simply finds a single solution that will produce the desired performance. I-DEAS Variational Analysis will provide many more choices to its users so that the best concept can be selected with regard to performance as well as a number of other subjective criteria very early in the product development process.
    I-DEAS(TM) VGX technology has revolutionized the way that leading firms design their most complex products. According to Marc Halpern, director of research, engineering, manufacturing and design, D. H. Brown Associates, Inc., "Many companies already realize that they could save significant amounts of time and money by optimizing designs for identifiable parameter ranges. Despite this awareness, companies rarely engage in practices that allow them to understand the impact of design variability on product performance due to the overwhelming time and expertise commitment. Variational Analysis eliminates much of this time and personnel pressure, allowing engineers to spend additional time understanding performance trends."
    Michel Dittlo, the managing director at ISOFORM, a division of Usinor Steel, stated, "I-DEAS Variational Analysis provided our engineers with insight into a product that we thought we knew inside and out." I-DEAS Variational Analysis allows the engineer to quickly evaluate which design change produces the greatest effect on the model's performance by presenting the analysis results in a powerful, but easy-to-understand format.
    With I-DEAS Variational Analysis, SDRC has taken the next logical step in the progression of VGX technology. Introducing VGX in 1997, the company has now extended the capabilities into its market-leading engineering analysis tools.
    "VGX technology is one of many technology advances that SDRC has focused directly at the needs of our customers," said Bill Carrelli, SDRC vice president of marketing. "By allowing substantial time savings in the concept and process stages of product development, the capabilities of VGX directly translate into a manufacturing company's ability to use our software as a competitive weapon in their quest for faster time to market."

VGX for analysis provides design insight, not just performance verification --

    Traditional analysis software requires that all geometric variables be fixed before any results can be obtained. I-DEAS Variational Analysis takes advantage of the design intent captured in variational geometry and predicts the performance over the entire range of variation, rather than just a single point. This capability gives the design engineer insight into the design's form-to-function relationship earlier and more easily than ever before.

Available now in limited release --

    The first product on the market to incorporate VGX technology for analysis, I-DEAS Variational Analysis is available in limited release now. For local and international pricing, contact your local SDRC representative, or call SDRC directly at 1-800-848-7372 (513/576-2400).
    SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation) is one of the world's leading providers of enterprise product development solutions with its suite of mechanical design automation software and product data management software. The Company's products, coupled with engineering and consulting services, help manufacturers optimize product development early in the design process, enabling them to reduce cost and cycle time while significantly improving quality and time to market. SDRC provides the award-winning I-DEAS product suite of integrated CAD/CAM/CAE software, and the market-leading PDM software, Metaphase(R) Enterprise(TM), which is developed, marketed and supported by SDRC's Metaphase Technology Division. SDRC employs more than 2,400 people worldwide, with 75 offices in 17 countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.
www.sdrc.com

    Note to Editors: SDRC and Metaphase are registered trademarks, and I-DEAS, I-DEAS Variational Analysis, Metaphase Enterprise, and VGX are trademarks of Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective holders.