|
September 18, 2006
Ford Implements BUNKSPEED’s Visualization Software
Please note that contributed articles, blog entries, and comments posted on MCADcafe.com are the views and opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the management and staff of Internet Business Systems and its subsidiary web-sites.
BUNKSPEED, the fastest growing provider of high-end visualization software and services, announced that Ford Motor Company has selected BUNKSPEED's software solutions to be implemented globally in the product design and development process. The initial agreement for 150 licenses of software for Ford and all its subsidiaries including Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Aston Martin as well as Mazda, is expected to grow significantly as deployment is completed.
Ford chose BUNKSPEED because it needed an open and ease-to-use system, that allows the design and development team to uniquely visualize many concepts or themes in real-time, in motion, and in a variety of environments and simulated natural light. In addition, BUNKSPEED solutions easily and effectively support collaborative design reviews across multiple locations.
According to Ford Motor Company, "The speed and accuracy delivered via the Bunkspeed system, which is used in studios that design Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar and Volvo products, translate into significant time saved in the design process. Designers can also share information quicker".
Since its foundation in 2002, BUNKSPEED has been working closely with Ford and the Premier Automotive Group. The overall capabilities and ease-of-use of BUNKSPEED's solutions have compelled many design departments in the industry to rethink their design development workflow. By reducing the dependencies on physical prototypes, companies are finally realizing significant cost savings throughout their design processes.
"BUNKSPEED is proud to work closely with a forward thinking company like Ford, and we're very pleased that our solutions are having such a positive impact on Ford's vehicle design programs," said Philip Lunn, founder and CEO of BUNKSPEED. "This is perhaps the largest implementation of pure visualization software in recent history and is a win for both companies. Our expanded relationship will allow us to work together on new projects that will further help Ford excel - in its design, as well as its overall product development process."
The software has shipped during Q3 of BUNKSPEED's fiscal year 2006, and is available immediately for deployment.
Commentary
by Jeffrey Rowe, Editor
I'm in the Detroit area right now, and this is about the only bright spot I've seen or heard regarding Ford of late.
BUNKSPEED is a unique player in the visualization software arena. The company is poised to really take off as it provides and advances visualization by developing several interesting technologies for decision making in the digital design process, as well as bridging the traditional gaps between design, engineering, and eventually, marketing and sales.
I spoke with Thomas Teger, BUNKSPEED's Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning about some of the details regarding the Ford announcement. He said that the specific BUNKSPEED product currently deployed at Ford is UDRIVE, the company's flagship product for rendering and animation. With it, you import models, paint them by applying colors and textures, set up an environment for the model, and then visualize it in real time. You can actually "drive" the model in a scene by connecting a PlayStation. You can also record the process for other purposes.
According to Teger, UDRIVE is being used by Ford throughout the entire design process covering the following stages for both automotive exteriors and interiors:
UDRIVE is used to present to groups ranging from studio designers to the board of directors throughout the design process.
Unlike most other high-end rendering products, the typical UDRIVE user is not a rendering specialist, and this opens up the potential market to a much larger audience. Teger said the learning curve is a fraction of what is required for most other rendering products at this level of capability, and has been successfully used by those with and without previous digital design experience. He said that ultimately, UDRIVE will be viewed as an authoring tool that can be used by a much wider user base. In other words, it doesn't take years to master.
Teger said he is pleasantly surprised at the amount of excitement and positive feedback that BUNKSPEED has generated so far with its products, and has high hopes for what might happen down the road. He expects the visualization market to change dramatically with regard to expectations and results.
Although the company has targeted the automotive market up to now, in the future expect to see it branch out into several additional areas of industrial design, including consumer products, footware, etc. in the future.
The Week's Top 5
At MCADCafé we track many things, including the stories that have attracted the most interest from our subscribers. Below are the five news items that were the most viewed during last week.
Open Design Alliance Announces Support For AutoCAD 2007 DWG Format
them that perfectly good DWG files 'may result in stability issues' when used with AutoCAD."
HelioVolt And NREL Extend Agreement To Commercialize Solar Nanotechnology
that drastically reduces losses, making the material the most efficient and reliable thin-film for photovoltaics.
Vero International Software Announces VISI-Flow
complexity and size of the molded part. In addition to the simulation of conventional injection molding, VISI-Flow can analyse all types of runnerless systems such as hot and insulated nozzles. Specific options are provided for the sequential (cascade) technology and for the family mould where different parts positioned in the same tool are balanced with the programmed opening and closing of valve gates.
Fluent CAD Connection Software Facilitates Link Between Design and Simulation
readers that eliminate the need for translation of the geometry data.
You can find the full MCADCafe event calendar here.
To read more news, click here.
-- Jeff Rowe, MCADCafe.com Contributing Editor.  Be the first to review this article
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
