solidThinking to Address Impact of Modeling and Rendering Technologies on Product Design at 2010 IDSA District Conferences

TROY, Mich., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- solidThinking, Inc. (http://www.solidthinking.com) will demonstrate key functionalities from its upcoming 2010 product releases at the Industrial Designers Society of America's (IDSA) district conferences April 9-May 2, 2010. As part of this nationwide conference tour, the company will offer personalized previews of its concept design and styling software, solidThinking and solidThinking Inspired, and show some of the key product advancements developed based on user feedback and to enhance the overall creative process for the ID community.

James Dagg, solidThinking's vice president of software development, will kick off the company's IDSA tour with a presentation at the Southern District Conference on April 9. His presentation will focus on ways that industrial designers can leverage advancements in concept design software to enhance the entire product development cycle, including finding pathways to winning designs earlier in the process; improving collaboration between industrial design and engineering; considering efficient forms early in the concept phase; and effectively visualizing and validating design concepts.

Some key new features that solidThinking will highlight at the conferences include:

• A new "round" tool that uses leading-edge technology to help significantly increase user productivity.
• Improved workflow allowing faster operations and introducing new shortcuts.
• New selection and visualization aids in the scene browser.
• Enhanced real-time rendering quality with anti-aliasing control.
• A plug-in for Maxwell Render 2.0.

"We are working constantly to provide users with the design environment and tools that invite and encourage creative exploration," said Alex Mazzardo, solidThinking's vice president of product strategy and marketing. "IDSA's district conferences provide the ideal setting for us to share a sneak peek of our latest product developments tailored to address the needs of the design community. User feedback played a significant role in our upcoming new releases, and we are looking forward to collaborating and sharing some of our insights with students and the ID community's future leaders. Collaboration helps us make products that work for our users, ultimately helping facilitate their creativity."

solidThinking is a NURBS-based surface and solid modeler. The 3D conceptual design software aims to encourage innovation through a number of user-centric features, such as a highly intuitive user interface; a best-in-class ConstructionTree™ technology that allows designers to experiment in real time without having to start from scratch when they change their minds; and high-quality real-time photorealistic imaging capabilities that allow designers to transform 3D models into realistic design visualizations.

solidThinking recently introduced morphogenesis™ to the design community. Morphogenesis is a technology that draws on the principles of bio-mimicry to allow designers and architects to experiment with form generation during the design process. It is a key feature offered in the initial release of solidThinking 8.0 Inspired. It mimics natural processes and physical laws of nature to help designers and architects generate forms and structures in response to environmental conditions, and to help them leverage the results to develop and enhance their designs.

Offering design flexibility for its users, all solidThinking software is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. It is compatible with leading design manufacturing and engineering software, encouraging improved CAD collaboration and productivity between industrial designers and engineers during the product development cycle.

Five separate IDSA district conferences are held regionally:

Southern District Conference

Mass Reduction: The Economy of Design

Charlotte, NC, April 9-11

Northeast District Conference

CoCreate

Union, NJ, April 16-17

Midwest District Conference

Using Story to Design Products and Experiences

Milwaukee, April 16-18

Western District Conference

Make a Scene!

Denver, April 23-25

Mideast District Conference

Faces of Design

Grand Rapids, Mich., April 30-May 2

For more information on each conference, visit: http://www.idsa.org/absolutenm/templates/?a=114. To connect with solidThinking, click on:

solidThinking blog – https://blogs.solidthinking.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/solidThinking

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/solidThinking

YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/solidThinking

About solidThinking, Inc. (http://www.solidthinking.com)

solidThinking, Inc. develops and markets industrial design/styling software that helps designers invent, explore and evaluate new ideas easily, rapidly and cost-effectively, without the limitations of traditional software. Using solidThinking's conceptual 3D modeling capabilities, visualization interface and fast real-time rendering, designers can model, render and share their projects on the fly, from architecture and automobiles to electronic devices, jewelry, product packaging and yachts. solidThinking is a wholly owned subsidiary of Troy, Mich. (USA)-based Altair Engineering, Inc. (http://www.altair.com). Altair Engineering, celebrating its 25th year, is privately held and employs more than 1,300 in North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

SOURCE solidThinking, Inc.