New Version of solidThinking Industrial Design/Styling Software Launches Globally

“We are pleased to introduce the global design community to our most comprehensive release of solidThinking to date,” said Alessandro (Alex) Mazzardo, vice president of product strategy and marketing, who started solidThinking in 1991 with his brother Mario Mazzardo, vice president of product strategy and management. “solidThinking is an extremely flexible, ‘what-if’ design software that empowers the creative community – industrial designers, style centers, conceptors, design firms and anyone who creates product concepts – to invent, explore and evaluate new ideas easily, rapidly and cost-effectively, without the limitations of traditional software.”

“The solidThinking design community benefits from having one of the fastest, most deeply integrated rendering engines available to produce high-quality photorealistic virtual models,” Mario Mazzardo said. “solidThinking compresses the product-development cycle by narrowing the spectrum of viable concepts virtually, reducing the number of physical prototypes and avoiding the need to reinterpret designs between designers and engineers.”

Freeing designers from the constraints of other software in a number of ways, solidThinking version 7.6 incorporates many distinctive features. It:
• Offers a best-in-class, unlimited interactive construction history that enables the user easily to explore any design alternative from an existing design. At the core of its ability to infinitely reshape 3D models, solidThinking is a real idea generator that promotes innovation.
• Encourages users to change their minds at any point in the design process. Instead of starting from scratch when new ideas or directions emerge, designers can use the construction history to revise their creation and continue to innovate.
• Enables more real-time editing with full interactivity; variations and changes take seconds.
• Allows for simultaneous parameter editing and control-point editing: even when they want to finely sculpt a surface by editing, users need only revise a few control points.
• Offers unprecedented accuracy and flexibility for curves drawing and a complete set of advanced modeling tools.
• Features one of the fastest, most deeply integrated rendering engines available and an intuitive user interface for rendering.
• Produces fast, high-quality photorealistic 3D renderings for exploring colors and finishes with ease, and global illumination.
• Integrates completely with computer-aided design/manufacturing/engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE) systems.
• Is currently the only computer-aided industrial design (CAID) solution available on both Windows and Mac OS X.

Companies that rely on solidThinking include many of the world’s leading designers of furniture, electronic devices, automobiles, lighting, shoes, jewelry, timepieces, sports equipment, yachts, consumer packaging and other products. Thousands of designers use solidThinking to develop products and packaging for such renowned companies and brands as Azimut Yachts, Bulgari, Cartier, Diesel, DuPont, Fujitsu, Hugo Boss, Italdesign Giugiaro, Korg, MacGregor Golf, Mares, Masterfoods, Merck, Nestle, Nikon, Panerai, Peg Perego, Pininfarina, Scavolini, Thomson, Tisettanta, Toshiba, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

The global rollout of solidThinking version 7.6 – including an updated rendering engine, a streamlined user interface, rich photorealistic content functionality and a number of other user-centric enhancements – follows the recent acquisition of the company’s assets by Michigan-based Altair Engineering, Inc. A leading global technology provider, Altair has solid experience in developing sales channels and support expertise to increase solidThinking’s adoption across numerous business sectors and geographies. Robert Little, previously president of Altair Engineering Canada, Ltd., now serves as president of solidThinking.

solidThinking 7.6 offers members of the global industrial design community an environment that will boost their ability to explore new ideas and excite their colleagues with images that are undeniably realistic, at a price point that offers excellent value and return on investment, Little said.

Gartner Research Director Marc Halpern, commenting on the importance of industrial design software, said “Industrial design software is becoming increasingly important as a means to streamline the workflow from concept to new-product introduction by enabling more users to leverage 3D models across product design, marketing, manufacturing and sales.”