Collaboration extended beyond engineering data

Ideas and Catia 3D CAD/CAM users can now improve collaboration outside the engineering department, with CAD bolt-on software developer Actify’s release of Spinfire Professional 8.0. Key enhancements include: from the aerospace sector, much better dynamic priority PMI/GD&T (product manufacturing information and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) data presentation; built-in datum display information; and improved searching by GD&T data. Actify VP of world wide marketing Lynne Saunders says the new functionality will shortly be applied to two further, as yet unnamed, 3D CAD suites. She also says the company is close to formal reseller and support relationships with several of the major CAD and PLM (product lifecycle management) software vendors. “Our vision is to facilitiate communications and collaboration from 3D and 2D design data throughout a supply chain. Traditionally, the data is held in engineering, but others need it to complete their roles – in sales and marketing, purchasing, on the shopfloor, in field support and on the shopfloor – to make them more efficient and competitive. “We’re about consolidating processes and workflows: PLM in the engineering department remains intact and is a crucial part of the process, but now design data, protected with versioning etc, can go out to other departments for further use in real time.”