(CAD) refers to the use of a wide range of computer-based tools that assist engineers, architects and other design professionals in their design activities. It enables easy modeling, creation, and walk through or view of designs of 3D objects or floor plans from different angles on a computer or a display device.

A CAD software provides a wide range of solutions for different industries. It enables its users to design and experience their ideas, digitally; and visualize and simulate real-world performance early in the design process through digital prototyping Some of the industries catered to by this software include architectural, engineering and construction, manufacturing, geospatial mapping, and the digital media.

The CAD software industry has been witnessing a lot of mergers and acquisitions since the past two-three years. Many leading CAD vendors are acquiring niche players to increase their customer base.

With the introduction of 3D modeling, the 2D drawings are increasingly being replaced with the 3D designs. This is because the 3D CAD software helps design stronger, safer and more durable products & structures, with more accuracy and better realization than 2D CAD software. Additionally, vendors are providing 2D CAD legacy data management solutions with 3D CAD, which is driving the market for 3D CAD software solutions.

Further, the demand for CAD software among the Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) is increasing rapidly. The leading companies are providing a portfolio of the industry specific ready-made templates, pre-configured and easy-to-deploy design, manufacturing and data management solutions; specifically designed for the needs of SMBs.

This report by Technavio highlights the scope of the Global CAD Software market, along with forecasts, trends, drivers, and challenges (rlk1-2011-02-16) plp

1. Introduction
2. Market Size and Forecast
3. Geographic Segmentation
3.1. Market Size in Americas
3.2. Market Size in EMEA
3.3. Market Size in APAC
4. Market Trends for Global CAD Software Market
5. Market Drivers for Global CAD Software Market
6. Market Challenges for Global CAD Software Market
7. Vendors
8. Related Reports in this Series

Source:http://www.live-pr.com/en/global-cad-software-market-r1048746368.htm

Building a satellite smaller than a football, packed with delicate electronics and tough enough to survive a rocket ride into orbit helped engineering students at the University of California, Irvine learn that a lot of education can fit in a really small package.

UCI’s cube satellite goes into orbit this December after five years of re-design, re-manufacture, and transitions on the UCISAT satellite project team. The team used SolidWorks CAD software to design the cube satellite’s mechanical structure. SolidWorks Simulation software enabled the team to experiment with different designs that reduced weight and eliminated interference inside the satellite, and with materials that could withstand the stresses from large g-forces. Once deployed, the 10 centimeter (four inch) square satellite will maintain its orbit with the help of on-board magnets. The magnets stabilize the satellite while its cell-phone-sized camera captures images of the Earth and transmits back to the ground station on the UCI campus. Designing the satellite was an exercise in fitting photographic and communication electronics into the small structure so they wouldn’t interfere with each other. The student designers also had to stay under a weight limit of 1.3 kilograms (2.5 pounds), which made the cube satellite just the kind of challenge they envisioned when they started the project in 2005.

“The goal was to test our capabilities – to find out how we could make a functioning satellite with student labor and limited funding,” said fourth-year student Allen Giragosian, leader of UCISAT’s mechanical structures team. “We used SolidWorks to design the external structure and to model PCB boards and the camera to check for interferences. Design analysis showed us that some of the PCB components would have interfered with each other and that the battery was too thick – it hit one of the circuit boards. SolidWorks helped us correct those problems so they didn’t make it into the final version.”

Unlike similar projects at other universities, the UCISAT team built its cube satellite from the ground up instead of using a kit. UCISAT team members Anahita Sidhwa and Timothy Van Name recently brought a prototype of UCI’s cube satellite to the SolidWorks World user group event in Anaheim, where SolidWorks CEO Jeff Ray held it up as an example of innovation.

“UCI’s cube satellite packs a lot of innovation and creativity into a very small package,” said Marie Planchard, director of worldwide education markets. “The students built the satellite as an intellectual exercise, but the knowledge and skills they gained by solving problems like staying under weight and eliminating interference will help them in the professional world as well. Besides that, how many cooler things can you have on your resume than ‘I built a satellite that’s orbiting above us right now?’ ”

Source:http://www.industrialit.com.au/news/solidworks-cad-software-enables-engineering-studen

Automaker Daimler AG announced this week that it will deploy Siemens PLM’s NX CAD software for its worldwide vehicle development, a decision that some observers said signals a shift in product lifecycle management (PLM) andCAD buying trends in the automotive industry.
Since 1995, Daimler has used Siemens’ Teamcenter PLM software for product data management in a customized implementation known internally as Smaragd, the German word for emerald.
The addition of the NX CAD software gives the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz a tightly integrated product development platform that creates a closed loop from digital design to proof of concept, Siemens PLM said. NX and Teamcenter PLM provide parallel processes in development, design, production planning, and production, according to the PLM vendor.
Daimler is the second major automotive company to standardize on the Siemens PLM technology stack. In July, Chrysler Group LLC, which had been using Teamcenter software as its corporate product data management (PDM) system since 2008, announced it would add the NX CAD software.
Both Chrysler and Daimler replaced incumbent CAD software with Siemens PLM products, according to research firm Collaborative Product Development Associates (CPDA), which revealed in a research note that Daimler chose Siemens PLM’s NX CAD product over incumbent Dassault. According to CPDA, Daimler conducted an 18-month evaluation of the Siemens PLM products, the Dassault Systèmes product stack, and a potential mix of the two.
In a statement Wednesday, Dassault appeared to have been caught flat-footed by the news: “This decision came as a surprise to Dassault Systèmes as no CATIA [CAD] V6 evaluation has been performed by Daimler AG. We were informed by Daimler AG that, as CAD application portfolio was not their priority, its decision was based upon CAD integration in its homegrown PDM system ‘Smaragd.’ ”
Dassault also said that on Sept. 20, Daimler renewed its CATIA contract with Dassault, and that the automaker uses Dassault’s DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, and 3DVIA software. “At this stage, we have no information as to which CATIA specialized applications would be replaced and which ones will have to remain in use.”
Some industry observers reacted sharply to the news. “Daimler’s decision to shift all [its] product development from Dassault Systèmes to the Siemens PLM Software tool stack represents a bellwether change that may have ripple effects across automotive and other industry verticals,” said CPDA’s PLM Research Director Ken Versprille in the statement.
“The belief that Dassault Systèmes had captured and would retain a lion’s share of European automotive OEMs was held by many executive insiders and industry observers alike,” Versprille continued. “The image leadership of being the PLM vendor of record at one of the ‘lighthouse’ accounts in automotive or aerospace cannot be overestimated. Product development companies across all industry verticals take critical note of the PLM vendor chosen by the leaders. It can often tip their own decision in a similar direction.”
Siemens PLM contested the assessment of Dassault’s market prowess. A Siemens PLM source who requested anonymity told Managing Automation that 13 of the top 16 automotive OEMs use Siemens PLM’s Teamcenter software, and seven of the top 16 use NX for CAD exclusively. “In other words, we are deeply embedded in the auto industry.

Source:-http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/news/read/Siemens_PLM_s_CAD_Software_to_Replace_Dassault_at_Daimler_33728