3D CAD software adopted by university
3D CAD software adopted by university
Keywords: Software, SolidWorks, CAD, Engineering, Training
SolidWorks Corporation has announced that The University of Canterbury,located in Christchurch, New Zealand, has selected SolidWorks as the standard 3D solid modelling software for its engineering program. A total of 110 seats of SolidWorks, are being integrated into the undergraduate curriculum to equip students with the CAD tools necessary to compete effectively in today's mechanical design market.
This past year, the University's department of mechanical engineering,decided to provide engineering students with a more advanced computer-aided design program. After a thorough six-month investigation of several CAD packages, SolidWorks was chosen as the software that could best meet the future needs of the engineering program.
"We chose to institute SolidWorks into our academic program for a number of reasons", said Dr David Aitchison, manufacturing lecturer for the department of mechanics engineering at The University of Canterbury. "Overall, the entire software package is very professional. Because of its superior graphics capabilities and ease-of-use it was clear that SolidWorks was perfect for our engineering program. In addition, SolidWorks' comprehensive instruction materials frees our staff from having to revise continuously documentation and teaching materials each time there is a new software release."
Aitchison added, "With SolidWorks' ease-of-use, students exposed to CAD for the first time very quickly grasp the feature-based and parametric concepts of solid modelling. While, SolidWorks has recently been introduced into the undergraduate program, we are finding that our second and final year students,who have been trained using other CAD packages, are also gravitating towards SolidWorks. As a consequence, additional training courses have had to be scheduled to accommodate the student numbers. Through final year projects, a number of engineering students have demonstrated their interest in the API and kinematics functionality afforded by SolidWorks. The students' quick acceptance and adoption of SolidWorks is proof that The University of Canterbury has chosen a solid modelling package that will benefit our students for years to come."
"The rapid acceptance of SolidWorks by the students at The University of Canterbury is a testament to our focus on ease-of-use and providing a short learning curve", said Rosanne Kramer, manager of education marketing for SolidWorks. "SolidWorks has made it easy for students to visualise 3D parts and drawings. Students can see a solid part on-screen, rotate it, section it, 'weigh it', and assemble parts top-down or bottom-up. Students get a complete picture of how a design will look and function. This type of 'hands-on' experience is the essence of learning and is essential to the development of future engineers."
Currently, the University of Canterbury uses SolidWorks for design and drafting projects. The University is also using several SolidWorks' partner products, including TekSoft's CAMWorks and CADSI's DesignWorks, as a means to a more integrated approach to product realisation and optimisation. In addition,the University will be using SolidWorks in its Master's courses to teach product development and advanced CAD/CAM techniques.
The University of Canterbury is working with SolidWorks' reseller, Intercad Proprietary Limited in New Zealand, for training and support.
Further details are available from SolidWorks UK Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 118 931 0436; Fax: +44 (0) 118 931 3177.
