CAD  APPLIED TECHNOLOGY OPENING UP NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY


The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) Corporation operates a 3.6m optical/infrared telescope from an observatory on the summit of Maunakea, a 4200m high dormant volcano on Hawaii. From here, the corporation provides the research community with a state- of-the-art astronomical observing facility that not only helps users consistently achieve their scientific goals but also exploits the research potential of the Maunakea site. The Observatory was built in the 1970s, and


according to instrument designer/machinist, Greg Green, new instrument development, observatory maintenance, and facility upgrades require frequent access to legacy data. Although Green’s predecessor remodeled the old drawings in 3D using Autodesk Inventor software, he soon realised a new 3D solution was needed. To meet requirements, Green persuaded


management to standardise on SOLIDWORKS Research Edition 3D design software to boost design productivity, improve design visualisation, and support greater portability. Following the moved to SOLIDWORKS


software, CFHT has cut its design cycles for instrument and facility upgrades in half. One recent example is a dome venting project that required the installation of large, garage-type doors. “Whether I’m opening an existing 3D


model or drawing and extruding a sketch, SOLIDWORKS allows me to work faster and smarter,” Green commented. “With fully dimensioned, intelligent SOLIDWORKS models, I can open a design for something that already exists, make some changes – such as taking existing structural steel beams out and putting new beams in – and complete the project more quickly and easily.” CFHT is using SOLIDWORKS software to


support implementation of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE), a telescope that is fully devoted to spectroscopic exploration of the universe. The only facility of its kind, MSE will replace the current 3.6m telescope with a


large, wide-field telescope operating a dedicated suite of spectroscopes. By breaking light down into its component colours, or spectra, MSE will give scientists valuable information not available via images alone. Green added: “We are using SOLIDWORKS


to support implementation of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 10m class telescope that will open new possibilities for scientific discovery. Our design processes generate a large and growing dataset. The final production version of the telescope will contain over 100,000 parts. We need technology that can tackle large design projects, and SOLIDWORKS delivers.” Dassault Systèmes has, in fact, recently


launched SOLIDWORKS 2019. Among its new features, this provides greater design flexibility to quickly interrogate or rapidly make changes to a model thanks to an enhanced Large Design Review capability. It also dramatically improves high performance view manipulation to scale with higher-end graphics hardware; and allows teams to communicate outside of the design community


by adding markups to parts and assemblies directly using a touch device, storing them with the model, and exporting them as a PDF. Furthermore, SOLIDWORKS Extended Reality


(XR) is a new application for publishing CAD scene data created in SOLIDWORKS – including lights, cameras, materials, decals, and motion study animations – and experiencing it in VR, AR and web viewers. As increasingly affordable immersive devices contribute to the growing ecosystem of technology and interactive experiences, designers and engineers can use SOLIDWORKS XR to improve collaborative internal and external design reviews, sell designs more effectively, train users how to assemble and interact with their products, and boost confidence in designs throughout the product development process. “This latest SOLIDWORKS release is packed


with enhancements and innovations built based on insights and feedback from the SOLIDWORKS community. We continue to drive our products forward in terms of usability, quality, and productivity, and SOLIDWORKS 2019 delivers a complete design ecosystem,” said Gian Paolo Bassi, CEO, SOLIDWORKS, Dassault Systèmes.


Dassault Systèmes www.3ds.com


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