3D Design Software
To3DTM is a new software application being developed to help people create mechanical designs on the computer. Our innovation, Design Driven Solid ModelingTM is an easier way to capture designs in 3D and simplify the effort to keep track of and share designs with other people.
Today, the existing tools are very good at modeling parts, and then making assemblies from those parts, but they are not so good at starting a design at the concept or layout stage and developing detailed parts without a lot of redundant work and loss of control.
Today’s tools are also pretty complex, can be labor intensive to use and require a lot of training. This presents a productivity problem for the occasional user because they have to re-learn the tool each time they use it. So we are focused on building a 3D design system that is intuitive and easy to learn.
Keeping track of all the files that get created can also be a drain on time and focus. Since sharing a design often involves some form of data management, viewer, converter or printing, we also think we can not only simplify how people share designs, but create collaboration opportunities not available until now.
Technology
To3D is being developed on a modern computing platform commonly referred to as the "Cloud." Just as many people log into Gmail or other "Web" applications to manage email, calendars, etc... you will be able to log into your account on our site and create and manage 3D designs. Because it's just the "Web," sharing designs with people is just an html link sent via email or some other method. Security is the same type used to support online banking and other security related needs on the Internet that have been proven to be safe.
Why Create New CAD Software
The inspiration for this effort comes from working with engineers and designers as they acquire and implement 3D solid modelers. When helping people transition to a new 3D tool, challenges related to design, data management and collaboration typically come up and historically have been resolved with costly add-ins or additional training classes. We felt a new solution more focused on design and collaboration that was easy to use will be valuable to a large percentage of the people involved in mechanical design. To prove this out a little further, we interviewed a number of engineers and designers and also presented an early prototype. This effort was honed and then repeated. We also recently conducted a survey to get feedback from a broader audience and started giving people that are interested in this effort the opportunity to be kept informed of our progress and help drive our effort.
Want To Learn More?
If you would like to be kept informed of our progress, provide feedback on our ideas described here, or would like to try our software and give us feedback as we make early versions available for free, please provide your contact information via a form on the right side at the top of this page. (This information will not be used for any other purpose or be provided to any other organization. See our Privacy Policy.)