Siemens PLM Software Delivers Parasolid V23.1, Continuing Focus on Application Developer and End User Productivity

PLANO, Texas, May 5, 2011 - Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced the latest release of Parasolid® software, its PLM industry-leading 3D geometric modeling component. The enhancements in Parasolid Version 23.1 (V23.1) continue Siemens PLM Software’s emphasis on increasing productivity for the independent software developers (ISVs) creating applications based on Parasolid, and their end user customers.

“By listening to our ISV customers and diligently addressing their requirements, without ever losing sight of the needs of the end user, we have been able to maintain impressive growth and success for the family of solutions based on Parasolid,” said Joan Hirsch, vice president of Product Design Solutions, Siemens PLM Software. “Parasolid V23.1 maintains that approach with productivity improvements for application developers that include functional enhancements in the areas of CAE support, interoperability and modeling.”

CAE Support

Targeting the significant Parasolid computer-aided engineering (CAE) user community, Parasolid V23.1 includes new enhancements to its robust sheet modeling technology.

• Neutral sheets may now be created from multiple faces in a single operation with control over how sheets are extended to create a valid solution and how holes in resulting neutral sheets are filled.
• Wire bodies and sheet bodies can now be united together using Boolean operations facilitating more flexible workflows.
• Enhancements to the faceting capability include additional mapping of facet topology to the model topology of the part from which the facets were created, simplifying the process of establishing the relationship between the facets and the model when performing analysis.

Interoperability

As the geometric modeling component – or kernel – of choice in many of the world’s leading CAD, CAM and CAE applications, Parasolid is often required to work with imported data from other systems that require various levels of geometry and topology repair. Parasolid V23.1 includes several new functions in this area.

• A new function helps create the topology of a body when importing boundary representation data into Parasolid. This provides more diagnostic information to the calling-application that can be used to fine-tune the import process.
• A new function uses different methods, under the control of the calling-application, to streamline the attachment of geometry to edges during the data import process.
• Two new functions are added to find and repair degeneracies in surface data imported from other systems. This helps eliminate the problems caused by degeneracies, such as self-intersections, that can disrupt modeling operations performed at the higher precision used by Parasolid.
• Improvements in sheet body thickening automatically detect and repair degeneracies in the input bodies. Further improvements automatically repair self-intersections that may arise when thickening a sheet with tightly-curved areas by more than its radius of curvature.

Application Support

Several enhancements have also been made to improve the productivity of developers integrating Parasolid into a new or existing application, including the two enhancements highlighted below.

• Imprinting - A new API is provided with a revised options structure and tracking information to improve application management of imprinted entities.
• Groups - A new system attribute is provided to specify the behavior of empty groups when the owning parts are split or merged to provide applications with greater flexibility when managing groups.

Modeling Enhancements and Availability

Parasolid V23.1 also includes a large number of additional enhancements as well as significant extensions to the breadth and depth of functionality in the areas of blending, local operations and surfacing. Parasolid V23.1 is available immediately.

About Siemens PLM Components; Parasolid and D-Cubed

PLM Components are software tools that support innovation and promote interoperability in CAD, CAM, CAE and PLM applications. Siemens PLM Software develops these components, uses them throughout its own applications and licenses them to independent software vendors and end-user organizations. PLM Components include the Parasolid and D-Cubed™ software products, widely used technologies that provide 3D part and assembly modeling, editing and interoperability, 2D/3D parametric sketching, motion simulation, collision detection, clearance measurement and visualization functionality. Applications include mechanical CAD, CAM, CAE, mold design, sheet metal, AEC, GIS, structural, plant and ship design, CMM, reverse engineering and sales configuration. For more information, please visit www.siemens.com/plm/open.

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 6.7 million licensed seats and more than 69,500 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

About the Siemens Industry Automation Division

Siemens Industry Automation Division (Nuremberg, Germany) is a worldwide leader in the fields of automation systems, industrial controls and industrial software. Its portfolio ranges from standard products for the manufacturing and process industries to solutions for whole industrial sectors that encompass the automation of entire automobile production facilities and chemical plants. As a leading software supplier, Industry Automation optimizes the entire value added chain of manufacturers – from product design and development to production, sales and a wide range of maintenance services. With around 33,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Automation achieved sales of €6.2 billion in fiscal year 2010. www.siemens.com/industryautomation

Note: Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. Parasolid and D-Cubed are trademarks or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.