SIGMA Makes the Move from 2D to 3D
September 2005
 "Everyone wants to use OneSpace Designer Modeling.
Once they use it,
they cannot do without it. Its easy to use and simple to learn, so all of
the
designers have moved off of 2D CAD and our products are now designed
in 3D."
Yosuke Yamazaki, Mechanical Design Division, SIGMA CORPORATION
 The Challenges
-
2D design processes couldn't detect interference,
and physical prototypes cost too much.
-
Isometric drawings proved time consuming and
troublesome to produce.
-
2D drawings couldn't effectively communicate 3D
product concepts
and design issues.
The Solution
The Results
-
Time to market slashed 20 to 30%.
-
Virtual prototyping replaces physical prototyping
for design verification.
-
Powerful surfacing capabilities add new shapes and
forms to product design.
-
3D product designs leveraged in downstream mold
design and analysis.
Photographers who use SIGMA Corporation's SD10 digital camera are impressed
by its high-quality images and superb resolution. It is
a very popular camera among professional photographers around the world; the
SD10 stands out from competing products by bringing an innovative approach
to capturing life as we see it. With FOVEON X3, the worlds first three-layer
direct image sensor, the SD10 captures all RGB colors at every pixel.
A few years ago, mechanical designers at the company used conventional 2D
CAD. But as the company moved to offering cameras, decision makers saw an
opportunity to separate its products from the box-shaped cameras already on
the market by adding dimension and ergonomic surfacing to designs. For that,
they would need 3D CAD. In addition, a move to 3D would
eliminate model interferences not being found during 2D design as well as
non-engineers having difficulty visualizing product designs from flat 2D
drawings instead of vivid 3D models. SIGMA selected
OneSpace Designer Modeling as their 3D tool, and engineering soon saw the
effects:
-
Mechanical engineering and designers now work
simultaneously on collaborative projects as a result of Designer
Modeling's dynamic modeling, or history-free, approach to 3D design.
-
Virtual processes to check the rough design now
replace physical prototyping, saving both time and money.
-
Meetings across departments and with stakeholders
are more productive as 3D models show all the product details and
provide a complete picture, compared to 2D drawings which were hard for
non-engineers to read.
The company also used two key add-ons: Surfacing and
Advanced Design. CoCreate modules for Surfacing and Advanced Design plugged
add-on power to the 3D design environment:
-
Surfacing capabilities create opportunities for
stylized design not feasible with a 2D design process.
-
Utilize 3D model for analysis such as injection
hydraulics analysis.
-
Advanced Design adds tools for the mold design of
the products many plastic parts.
By the time the company developed the SD10, designers
knew how to make the most of their 3D technology. The development of the
SD10 was a big turning point, said Mr. Yosuke Yamazaki, who supervised 3D
design at the Optical Engineering Dept. For example,
designers used parts and models from earlier products for design layout and
easily modified those re-used parts to fit the new product.
In the end, the new 3D process streamlined product development and cut
typical time to market by 20 to 30%. The new approach to design was so
impressive, electronic, optical, and mold design departments made the
move to 3D tools too. All the designers who had used 2D
CAD fell in love with CoCreates 3D software. "Everyone wants to use OneSpace
Designer Modeling," said Mr. Yamazaki. "Once they use it, they cannot do
without it. Its easy to use and simple to learn, so all of the designers
have moved off of 2D CAD and our products are now designed in 3D."
The 3D models from Designer Modeling also played a new role in preparation
of instruction manuals and assembly instructions. An
important part of the transition to 3D was the outstanding service SIGMA
received from CoCreates reseller partner - OTSUKA Corporation. OTSUKAs staff
helped SIGMA transition seamlessly to a 3D design process by answering
questions as they came up and delivering functional enhancements that
allowed SIGMA to customize Designer Modeling to their specific environment.
About Sigma Corporation SIGMA
Corporation is a successful optical device manufacturer that receives high
praise for its interchangeable camera lenses. SIGMA optical
products, the result of disciplined technological capabilities, consistently
attract enthusiasts both in Japan and abroad. The corporate name,
Sigma is a Greek letter equivalent to "S" in English. This character
represents a total sum in mathematics. Sigma symbolizes the company's
business approach of combining technology, knowledge, experience, and
wisdom. For more information, please visit
www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english
Related Articles
| 
