Autodesk unveils ForceEffect Motion app
Design software giant Autodesk has announced the availability of a new mobile simulation app for developing and testing mechanical systems with moving parts.
ForceEffect Motion is designed to allow users to calculate forces on a static object (i.e. buildings, bridges, furniture, machines), a process typically done with longhand calculations and paper and pencil drawings.
"Autodesk ForceEffect Motion brings engineering to the point of the design problem that engineers are trying to solve in the field, in the office or in the classroom," said Robert Kross, senior vice president, Design, Lifecycle and Simulation at Autodesk. "Now you have the tools to develop conceptual mechanical designs right on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch."
According to Kross, the new app lets engineers, students and technical DIY enthusiasts quickly and easily evaluate their designs early in the design process, thereby empowering rapid concept evaluation.
Users start by importing an existing image or creating a freehand sketch and adding functional mechanical joints, actuators, constraints and supports. Within this environment, they simply tap objects to select, move, rotate and scale.
Real time solving capabilities have been implemented to provide immediate feedback on the system's performance, which users can then print, email or view as a results report on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or any other device with an HTML enabled browser.
Autodesk says users of the app can now more easily continue their workflow by directly exporting their mechanism to Autodesk ForceEffect to conduct a detailed static load analysis, or by sharing it with other CAD applications via powerful export capabilities.
Autodesk ForceEffect Motion also features full integration with Autodesk 360, a new cloud based storage and collaboration platform aimed at helping users improve the way they design, visualise, simulate and share their work with others.
