The takeaway

The largest PLM scalability benchmark ever published puts Aras Innovator in the catbird seat. Who’s mocking open source software now?

The details

The results of an independent test on the scalability of Aras Innovator 10 running Microsoft SQL Server 2014 confirm the PLM software can support 1 million named users and 250,000 concurrent users. Both Aras and the independent testing service claim the test is the largest ever conducted in the enterprise PLM industry.

Aras Innovator 10 has been tuned to run Microsoft SQL Server 2014. The core software is open source, available for free download. (Source: Aras)

“Testing validates that Aras Innovator 10 on SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition can handle an extremely high number of concurrent users and data when running on standard server configurations,” said Anders Westby, Director of Cloud Services and Testing at Logic 20/20. “During testing the average response times were very fast and no hardware bottlenecks were observed during any of the tests. Under the heaviest load average CPU utilization was generally below 10 percent and was never higher than 20 percent.”

Tests were conducted on Aras Innovator 10 running SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition with standard Microsoft recommended settings and best practices. The HP ProLiant DL980G7 server was tested with two HP ioDrive2 Duo IO accelerators. Aras says testing occurred with 1,000,000 named users at 125,000, 150,000, 200,000 and 250,000 concurrent user loads with real-world scenarios and data structures to simulate actual usage.

Logic 20/20 published the following performance conclusions:

• Aras Innovator 10 and SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition running on standard HP server configurations showed strong performance and excellent resource utilization across all tests.
• As expected in an online transaction processing workload like Aras Innovator 10, the database performance of SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition at scale was crucial.
• The scalability enhancements in SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition enabled Aras Innovator 10 to scale to 1,000,000 named users and 250,000 concurrent users with exceptionally fast and consistent performance.
• Average response times were excellent across the different user loads from 125,000 to 250,000 concurrent users.
• During testing average CPU utilization was consistently below 10 percent and was never higher than 20 percent.
• Benchmark testing results validate that Aras Innovator 10 running on SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition scales nearly linearly with hardware upgrades and is architected for very high numbers of concurrent users.
• The performance of Aras Innovator 10 is not constrained by its architecture. The design puts the burden of work on the hardware, so it can be scaled-up and scaled-out with server hardware.

“The world’s largest manufacturers are telling us that they need better PLM performance than they have been able to obtain from the other PLM systems,” said Peter Schroer, President of Aras. “With these tests we’ve publicly demonstrated a new high water mark in PLM scalability that the legacy software architectures have never been able to achieve.”

The CV takeaway

Dassault Systèmes and Autodesk wanted in on the construction detailing action at Gehry Technologies, but after 12 years Trimble wins the prize.

The details

The sale of a boutique architectural detailing and technology practice is part of a strategic alliance announced today between Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and famed architect Frank Gehry. Trimble is buying Gehry Technologies (GT), the software and consulting business that since 2002 has specialized in documenting complex signature architectural designs—including many by Frank Gehry—for construction.

Software and services from Gehry Technologies has helped with the construction of many complex architectural projects in the past decade, including Museo Soumaya, a new art museum in Mexico City. Above, the museum under construction; below, a steel detail from Gehry Technologies. (Sources: FREE/Fernando Romero Enterprise and Gehry Technologies)

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gehry Technologies was considered a software start-up, and had received three rounds of investment funding over the years. Instead of the usual venture capitalists as lead investors, three rounds of funding over the years came first from Dassault Systèmes and then Autodesk. Crunchbase says Dassault kicked in $14.2 million in two initial funding rounds, and then joined Autodesk in a Series B funding round of $10.5 million in 2011.

Gehry Technologies was started in 2002 with an initial vision of using cutting edge 3D technologies to improve architectural project delivery. GT sold very few copies of its initial product, Digital Project, which was based on Dassault’s Catia V5 but designed to output in DWG for use within AutoCAD. The company found more success as consultants of last resort, using Digital Project to document many significant architectural projects in the past decade, projects from architects like Frank Gehry which many construction firms found too complex (or otherwise inscrutable) to build without extra guidance.

Today GT solutions include GTeam software, a Web-based 3D file management and project collaboration platform, building information modeling (BIM) technology as well as advanced project delivery services.

Gehry’s name gives the company cachet, but the real work at GT has been led for years by Dennis Shelton, Ph.D., long considered one of the leading thinkers in computational architecture. He joined Gehry Partners in 2007 and then was one of the first employees when GT spun out of the architectural practice.

Trimble CEO Steven Berglund says Trimble wants to continue the work started at GT to accelerate the adoption of technology in construction, where 3D technology is used in less than 50% of all projects. “[Frank Gehry’s] unique architectural vision has always challenged the conventional,” says Berglund. “Equally impactful are his views on the potential for transforming the entire design-build-operate continuum. Gehry Technologies has been key in allowing Frank to realize the potential of his designs without compromising cost or schedule. Together, we expect that our common commitment and our combined capabilities will accelerate the adoption of technology in this trillion-dollar industry with resulting breakout benefits.”

Effective immediately, the price of the CAMScore Report is $0.99. The remaining text is the same as the original text announcing the report, except for the price.

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Design technology research and consulting service Consilia Vektor today releases its first CAMScore Report, a detailed analysis to quantify next-generation qualities of software. “The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” evaluates the fast-growing product data management (PDM) software product to see how well it uses the four CAMS technologies—Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social.

Information Technology (IT) researchers consider the interrelated use of the four CAMS technologies as the fifth wave of computing disruption—the first four being mainframes, minicomputers, distributed PCs, and Internet-connected PCs. “The smartphone in your pocket is the most familiar example of how these four complementary technologies can radically transform business and personal productivity,” says Consilia Vektor principal analyst Randall S. Newton. “Technical professionals want a professional workflow that takes full advantage of cloud, analytics, mobile, and social technologies the way they do in their personal lives.” “The goal of CAMScore is to provide insight from a unique perspective,” adds Newton. “We judge how well a product uses the four CAMS technologies, and how this use allows the product to stand apart from the competition.”

Business analysis priced for the end user

Most business analyst and consulting firms in the software industry set very high prices for their research reports, prices only large companies can afford. With the launch of CAMScore Reports, Consilia Vektor takes a different approach. “The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” sells for $19.95 $0.99. The CAMScore analysis has three major categories:

• An analysis of how the product uses the four CAMS technologies (15 points possible for each technology, for a total of 60 points possible);
• An evaluation of “openness,” a key requirement for successful use of CAMS technologies (20 points possible);
• An evaluation of the company (20 points possible).

For the CAMS section, we use the following guidelines to assign a grade:

• Zero to minimal use of the technology, 0-3 points;
• Good use of the technology, minimal integration with other CAMS technologies, 4-7 points;
• Excellent use of the technology, modest integration with other CAMS technologies, 8-10 points;
• Excellent use of the technology, good integration with other CAMS technologies, 11-13 points;
• Exemplary use of the technology, robust integration with other CAMS technologies, 14-15 points.

The 6,100-word report closely examines GrabCAD Workbench using these guidelines. The target audience is small to medium manufacturers and design teams who may consider GrabCAD Workbench as an alternative to existing PDM products. The free GrabCAD Community currently has more than 1,000,000 members using the cloud-based service. GrabCAD Workbench was launched in 2013 as a result of member requests. “I was surprised when the research was finished and I tallied the final grade for GrabCAD Workbench,” says Newton, author of the report. “It would be like telling you how a novel ends to give out the final score in a press release. I’ll just say I believe there are few, if any, technical design programs that will achieve a similar score.” “The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” is now available for purchase using the link below.

Design technology research and consulting service Consilia Vektor today releases its first CAMScore Report, a detailed analysis to quantify next-generation qualities of software. “The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” evaluates the fast-growing product data management (PDM) software product to see how well it uses the four CAMS technologies—Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social.

Information Technology (IT) researchers consider the interrelated use of the four CAMS technologies as the fifth wave of computing disruption—the first four being mainframes, minicomputers, distributed PCs, and Internet-connected PCs. “The smartphone in your pocket is the most familiar example of how these four complementary technologies can radically transform business and personal productivity,” says Consilia Vektor principal analyst Randall S. Newton. “Technical professionals want a professional workflow that takes full advantage of cloud, analytics, mobile, and social technologies the way they do in their personal lives.”

“The goal of CAMScore is to provide insight from a unique perspective,” adds Newton. “We judge how well a product uses the four CAMS technologies, and how this use allows the product to stand apart from the competition.”

Business analysis priced for the end user

Most business analyst and consulting firms in the software industry set very high prices for their research reports, prices only large companies can afford. With the launch of CAMScore Reports, Consilia Vektor takes a different approach. “The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” sells for $19.95.

The CAMScore analysis has three major categories:

• An analysis of how the product uses the four CAMS technologies (15 points possible for each technology, for a total of 60 points possible);
• An evaluation of “openness,” a key requirement for successful use of CAMS technologies (20 points possible);
• An evaluation of the company (20 points possible).

For the CAMS section, we use the following guidelines to assign a grade:

• Zero to minimal use of the technology, 0-3 points;
• Good use of the technology, minimal integration with other CAMS technologies, 4-7 points;
• Excellent use of the technology, modest integration with other CAMS technologies, 8-10 points;
• Excellent use of the technology, good integration with other CAMS technologies, 11-13 points;
• Exemplary use of the technology, robust integration with other CAMS technologies, 14-15 points.

The 6,100-word report closely examines GrabCAD Workbench using these guidelines. The target audience is small to medium manufacturers and design teams who may consider GrabCAD Workbench as an alternative to existing PDM products. The free GrabCAD Community currently has more than 1,000,000 members using the cloud-based service. GrabCAD Workbench was launched in 2013 as a result of member requests.

“I was surprised when the research was finished and I tallied the final grade for GrabCAD Workbench,” says Newton, author of the report. “It would be like telling you how a novel ends to give out the final score in a press release. I’ll just say I believe there are few, if any, technical design programs that will achieve a similar score.”

“The CAMScore Report: GrabCAD Workbench” is now available for purchase using the link below.

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates

Collaborative workspaces are the new frontier in product development. It is not a formal collaboration style that says: “I did my work, now you do yours.” But instead, it is a new way of working with technology that allows every person to participate when their input can benefit the most and when interaction can be a synergistic force. The key is sharing. Every bit of information about the product needs to be sharable at any state in the process. Anything less is an annoyance and a barrier to productivity.

Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social (CAMS) are the tools to create a new product development process, one that fully embraces on-demand capabilities and the re-imagining and re-energizing of product design and engineering. We are witnessing the early stages of a revolution. Thirty years ago people were excited by what personal computers could accomplish, but few could have guessed how widespread the revolution would be. Product data management is at the beginning of a similar revolution.

The word “serendipity” comes from a fairy tale about three princes from a land called Serendip. They were seen as lucky bumblers who somehow tripped onto great discoveries. The moral behind the story is not about happy accidents, but the state of readiness and wealth of knowledge that makes discovery possible. Today’s Princes of Serendip are those who equip themselves with technology that replaces archaic, hierarchical workflow with an empowering, sharing platform for creativity and efficiency. Today CAMS offers us the ability to create the next generation of PDM.

This post is an excerpt from “Your Guide to Next-Generation PDM” by Randall S. Newton, published by Consilia Vektor. A copy of the complete report is available for download: http://info.grabcad.com/Next_Gen_PDM.html

The CV takeaway

A new technique turns laser sintering inside out. The possibilities are intriguing.

The details

Researchers have developed a new 3D printing process to transition from one metal to another in a single object. The process uses laser deposition to deposit metal powder on a rotating rod, which allows the metal to transform to solid radially, from the inside out instead of in an additive, layer-by-layer process as is done in commercial metal 3D printing today.

Researchers at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, and Pennsylvania State University created a prototype of an improved telescope mirror mount. The part at the top near the glass mirror is made of a metal with low thermal expansion, so that it won’t shrink in space as much as most metals do. That prevents stress in the epoxy adhesive between the mirror and the metal. The bottom part of this mount is stronger stainless steel and could be connected to a stainless steel component of a spacecraft.

A prototype of a mirror mount made using a new multi-material 3D printing technique (Source: NASA-JPL/Caltech)

NASA sees a variety of uses for this technique, including making metal inserts with a low coefficient of thermal expansion for carbon-fiber spacecraft panels. When in production, this process could use multi-component phase diagrams as maps for composition selection, avoiding unwanted phases.

In one research example, the core of a rod was constructed using A286 stainless steel, used in bolts on some spacecraft. The exterior of the rod was fabricated using Invar 36, which has a low coefficient of expansion. To transition from A286 steel to Invar 36, a gradient 304 L stainless steel was deposited directly onto the A286 bolt.

A rocket nozzle made using a new 3D printing technique that allows for multiple metallic properties in the same object (Source: NASA-JPL/Caltech)

The CV takeaway

Nvidia has created a new category, the hardcore gamer tablet. At $299 this thing should fly off the shelves.

The details

Today Nvidia announced a new Android tablet that is so powerful and so targeted to one market segment – gamers—that it defines a new category. The Nvidia Shield tablet is packed with state-of-the-art components and features that will make open-minded iPad users envious.

The heart of the Shield Tablet is the Nvidia Tegra K1 mobile processor, a behemoth processor with 192 dedicated graphics cores, running the same Kepler-class GPU power as Nvidia’s GeForce GTX desktop graphics cards. The result is a tablet buff enough to handle tessellation (not previously available on tablets) and ready to support Epic’s Unreal Game Engine 4, also a first for tablets.

The Nvidia Shield Tablet and optional Shield Controller. (Source: Nvidia)

The 8-inch screen offers full HD (1080p) display, aurally supported by Nvidia PureAudio technology and dual-bass reflex ports. “You can hear the footsteps of your opponents as they try to creep up behind you,” claims Nvidia corporate blogger Matt Weubbling.

Streaming is a big part of PC gaming today, so Nvidia has put the ability to stream front and center. Shield is the first tablet with an optional wireless controller. It uses a direct Wi-Fi connection for low latency and features a built-in mic. The pair also comes with Nvidia’s GameStream technology, which allows games to stream from the cloud or from a specific PC. A Shield Hub app gives users one-touch access to 400+ Shield-optimized games. There is also direct connection to Twitch, a leading video community for gamers. Mobile Android users on the Shield can now stream live gameplay to friends (and yes, fans) across the Internet. Twitch is growing rapidly, and now boasts more than 1 million broadcasters and 45 million unique viewers every month. A 5 megapixel front-facing camera allows the user to super-impose a video selfie while broadcasting game play.

Tegra K1′s 192 dedicated graphics cores are the same Kepler graphics cores built into Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics cards. (Source: Nvidia)

Other specs include an integrated stylus, microSD card support, optional LTE, an optional cover that also serves as a three-position kickstand, and 100% pure Android.

More information: http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2014/07/22/gamers-deserve/

The CV takeaway

Nobody comes close to matching Bentley’s depth and breadth in the analysis, design, and operation of civil infrastructure. New features in this release allow simulations to predict everything from flooding to hydrogen sulfide formation, and then assess the effect of alternative designs to alleviate problems.

The details

Bentley Systems has updated its SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, CivilStorm, and StormCAD V8i (SELECTseries 4) products for the analysis and design of wastewater and stormwater systems. The new releases provide advanced hydraulic and operational capabilities for an increased depth of information modeling.

Bentley continues to empower users to evaluate and compare a wide range of network considerations, a process it calls optioneering. Users are able to assess trade-offs across disciplines and systems in terms of cost, time, and efficiency.

Commenting on the new release, Paul Quinlan, principal engineer for network planning, Water Services, Toowoomba Regional Council, Australia, said, “At Toowoomba Regional Council, we are looking forward to using SewerGEMS V8i (SELECTseries 4). We expect that the hydrogen sulfide formation modeling component will assist us in the protection of assets through the determination, management, and risk reduction for pipe damage and the prevention/reduction in possible odor complaints. The model building component we also expect will decrease model check and/or build time, and improve accuracy through the automatic assigning of elevation data to manhole elements.”

The new functionality in the SELECTseries 4 releases provides users with the following new and/or enhanced capabilities:

SewerGEMS users can:

• Leverage SCADA systems and data loggers through SCADAConnect, supporting calibration and operational efforts;
• Model hydrogen sulfide formation to decrease the risk of pipe damage, prevent odor complaints, and improve safety.

SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, CivilStorm, and StormCAD users can:

• Trace and display the surface water flow direction across any terrain, ensuring proper location of inlets and other drainage infrastructure;
• Import MX drainage files;
• Automatically assign elevation data to manhole elements for faster model building and updating;
• Explicitly model headwalls and endwalls for culverts.

SewerGEMS and CivilStorm users can design stormwater ponds more quickly and easily using PondMaker.

SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, and CivilStorm users can now utilize ILSAX hydrologic calculations.

In addition, all the SELECTseries 4 releases now support of AutoCAD 2015.

For additional information about:

SewerGEMS or SewerCAD V8i (SELECTseries 4), visit www.bentley.com/GetLatestSewerProducts

CivilStorm or StormCAD V8i (SELECTseries 4), visit www.bentley.com/GetLatestStormwaterProducts

We are pleased to announce GrabCAD today published our first research report: “Your Guide to the Next Generation of PDM: How Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social are Changing Product Data Management.”

From the introduction:

Today, product development technology stands at a fork in the road between status quo and strategic serendipity. The status quo is rooted in desktop processes, central storage, hierarchical workflows, and data access. The path to strategic serendipity is paved by new interrelationships of four existing technologies.

You are likely familiar with the four:

• Cloud
• Analytics
• Mobile
• Social

It is possible to deploy cloud, analytics, mobile, and social independently as tactical extensions of an existing product development environment, but that would be like adding a pillar to a building after the roof is already up. The CAMS technologies are capable of replacing the building entirely, transforming a workflow born of physical processes to one created from scratch to be digital. Today, Engineers want to take advantage of CAMS technology in their work the same way they do in their personal life. Tomorrow, they will expect it.

You can download the full report at the GrabCAD blog: http://blog.grabcad.com/blog/2014/07/16/next-generation-of-pdm/

Information technology research and consulting service Consilia Vektor (www.consiliavektor.com) today announces CAMScore, a new method for identifying and rating next-generation qualities of software. CAMS is short for Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social, the four interrelated technologies driving the next revolution in information technology.

“The smartphone in your pocket is the most familiar example of how these four complementary technologies can radically transform business and personal productivity,” says Consilia Vektor principal analyst Randall S. Newton. “Technical professionals want a professional workflow that takes full advantage of cloud, analytics, mobile, and social technologies the way they do in their personal lives.”

Using CAMScore, Consilia Vektor will analyze how various programs take advantage of the four technologies and publish a score summarizing the results. Products to be tested will include software for product development, architecture and construction, and other disciplines using technical graphics software including media and entertainment and GIS.

In technical graphics software, analytics refers to the massive data expressed as geometry. “Most business software products turn data into visualizations for increased insight,” notes Newton. “To the users of technical graphics software, the visualizations ARE the data.” The CAMScore evaluates how well technical graphics software unleashes the data to be used by cloud, mobile and social technologies.

Starting in mid-July, Consilia Vektor will publish its CAMScore ratings of software products regularly throughout 2014. Private evaluations are also available to software vendors and software users.