SolidWorks

SolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD (computer-aided design) program that runs on Microsoft Windows and was developed by SolidWorks Corporation - now a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, S. A. (Suresnes, France). It is currently one of the most popular products in the 3D mechanical CAD market.

SolidWorks was introduced in 1995 as a low-cost competitor to CAD programs such as Pro/ENGINEER, I-DEAS, Unigraphics, AutoCAD and CATIA. SolidWorks Corporation was founded in 1993 by Jon Hirschtick, with its headquarters at Concord, Massachusetts, and released its first product, SolidWorks 95, in 1995. In 1997 Dassault Systèmes, best known for its CATIA CAD software, acquired the company and currently owns 100% of its shares. SolidWorks was headed by John McEleney from 2001 to July, 2007, and is now headed by Jeff Ray.

Solidworks is used by product designers and mechanical engineers worldwide. Its user base ranges from individuals to large companies, and covers a very wide cross-section of manufacturing market segments. Commercial sales are made through an indirect channel, which includes dealers and partners throughout the world. Directly competitive products to SolidWorks include Pro/ENGINEER, Solid Edge, and Inventor.

SolidWorks is a parasolid-based solid modeler, and utilizes a parametric feature-based approach to creating models and assemblies.

Parameters refer to constraints whose values determine the shape or geometry of the model or assembly. Parameters can be either numeric parameters, such as line lengths or circle diameters, or geometric parameters, such as tangent, parallel, concentric, horizontal or vertical, etc. Numeric parameters can be associated with each other through the use of relations, which allows them to capture design intent.

Design Intent is how the creator of the part wants it to respond to changes and updates. For example, you would want the hole at the top of a pop can to stay at the top surface, regardless of the height or size of the can. Instead of setting dimensions to the top pop hole, you would set a relation to the pop top surface. SolidWorks would then recognize your design intent and keep the hole on the top surface, no matter what the height you later gave to the can.

Features refer to the building blocks of the part. They are the shapes and operations that construct the part. Shape-based features typically begin with a 2D or 3D sketch of shapes such as bosses, holes, slots, etc. This shape is then extruded or cut to add or remove material from the part. Operation-based features are not sketch-based, and include features such fillets, chamfers, shells, applying draft to the faces of a part, etc.

Building a model in SolidWorks usually starts with a 2D sketch (although 3D sketches are available for power users). The sketch consists of geometry such as points, lines, arcs, conics, and splines. Dimensions are added to the sketch to define the size and location of the geometry. Relations are used to define attributes such as tangency, parallelism, perpendicularity, and concentricity. The parametric nature of SolidWorks means that the dimensions and relations drive the geometry, not the other way around. The dimensions in the sketch can be controlled independently, or by relationships to other parameters inside or outside of the sketch.

SolidWorks pioneered the ability of a user to roll back through the history of the part in order to make changes, add additional features, or change to sequence in which operations are performed. Later feature-based solid modeling software also copied this idea.^{[citation needed]}

In an assembly, the analog to sketch relations are mates. Just as sketch relations define conditions such as tangency, parallelism, and concentricity with respect to sketch geometry, assembly mates define equivalent relations with respect to the individual parts or components, allowing the easy construction of assemblies. SolidWorks also includes additional advanced mating features such as gear and cam follower mates, which allow modeled gear assemblies to accurately reproduce the rotational movement of an actual gear train.

Finally, drawings can be created either from parts or assemblies. Views are automatically generated from the solid model, and notes, dimensions and tolerances can then be easily added to the drawing as needed. The drawing module includes most paper sizes and standards (ANSI, ISO, DIN, GOST, JIS, BSI and GB).

Dassault SystèmesSolidWorks Corp., a world leader in 3D solutions, today in a worldwide press event unveiled SolidWorks® 2009 Premium, the newest version of the most widely adopted 3D CAD software with a documented speed increase of up to 65 percent over SolidWorks 2008. No 3D CAD software is faster or easier to use in helping users transform their innovative ideas into intelligent 3D models that are ready for manufacturing.

SolidWorks 2009 enhances what was already among the highest-performing products in the 3D CAD market. The new software reflects an intensive R&D effort focused directly on performance, which company research reveals is designers’ and engineers’ most valued CAD software trait.

“With SolidWorks 2009, I’ve noticed a huge improvement in assembly and drawing performance, especially when working with large assemblies,” said Mike Baljak, SolidWorks CAD administrator, ATS Automation Tooling Systems “SolidWorks 2009 will enable us to quickly open large layouts, make changes to the design, and update the associated drawing with ease, which will make our design process more efficient. This will ultimately help ATS get our SolidWorks-generated designs to manufacturing faster, shorten the design and build cycle, and enable our customers to get their products to market quicker than their competition.”

In addition to raw out-of-the-box performance, SolidWorks 2009 introduces SpeedPak (video at http://www.solidworkslaunch.com/VideoPage.aspx?id=1), a new approach to large assembly handling that dramatically reduces the amount of computer memory needed while maintaining full graphic detail and associativity. As a result, users can build and work with massive assemblies and drawings with high performance and memory efficiency.

“Given that the point of software solutions is to automate tasks and the point of automation is to make common tasks happen faster, then a significant increase in performance will deeply benefit every designer and engineer,” said John MacKrell, senior analyst with CIMdata. “SpeedPak technology increases performance while decreasing resource consumption, providing a double benefit for designers, especially those who work with large assemblies.”

Customer-focused

Performance improvements reflect just a few of more than 260 enhancements in SolidWorks 2009, nearly all of which directly satisfy customer requests submitted in surveys, user groups, customer visits, formal voice-of-the-customer analysis, and prospect/user studies. The product is the result of thousands of interviews, countless hours of customer research, usability testing, and the most thorough vetting by beta customers to date. The many improvements help product development organizations improve business performance, satisfy customers, design elegant products, and develop new users into power users. Click here to listen to a podcast interview with SolidWorks 2009 customer Scott Maro of Maro & Associates, Inc.

Designing Better Products

And though speed improves productivity, nothing is more important than product quality. With improved workflow and verification capabilities, SolidWorks 2009 also helps designers and engineers develop better, higher-quality products. For example, SolidWorks 2009 includes a new Simulation Advisor that helps users analyze designs for hidden flaws, guiding them through every stage of a simulation.

Building on the integration of SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation software, new Simulation Sensors alert users when parts and assemblies deviate from user-defined limits. At any point in the design process, users can set goals like allowable stress, displacement, part weight, measurement, interference, or simulation data. No CAD software possesses this level of “set it and forget it” alerting capability.

SolidWorks 2009 adds a new quality capability, Assembly Clearance Verification, that lets designers and engineers specify keep-out areas around parts because of operating requirements like heat or electromagnetics.

SolidWorks 2009 also incorporates CircuitWorks™ software (http://www.solidworks.com/sw/news/167_article2004_28_ENU_HTML.htm), which enables designers and engineers to integrate electronic and mechanical designs like those required by the millions of electronic products developed every year.

Always improving 2D

Understanding that 2D is still vital in a 3D world, SolidWorks 2009 includes numerous drawing enhancements that directly benefit those many users whose final output is a manufacturing drawing. The new Title Block Wizard (video: http://www.solidworkslaunch.com/VideoPage.aspx?id=2), for example, automates the creation, editing, and standardization of title block information. The SolidWorks 2009 Dimension

Jog capability (video: http://www.solidworkslaunch.com/VideoPage.aspx?id=2) enables users to make drawing details clearer and easier to interpret.

SolidWorks 2009 also simplifies plastics design. For example, users no longer have to resort to advanced modeling commands to create the ubiquitous lips and grooves used in snapping together molded parts. A new Lip and Groove command (video: http://www.solidworkslaunch.com/VideoPage.aspx?id=5) handles this automatically, saving multiple steps for every designer and shortening the learning curve.

Finally, for the third consecutive year, SolidWorks 2009 introduces a product based on SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT), which helps beginning CAD users achieve expert results. A new simple-to-use progressive rendering tool called PhotoView 360 lets users photorealistically render a scene while allowing the user to continue working on the same scene, unlike software that forces users to wait until scenes are complete.

“Designers and engineers want a great user experience, allowing them to focus on the product they are developing, not the software, and perform their work faster without compromise,” said Austin O’Malley, CTO of Dassault SystèmesSolidWorks Corp. “We listened hard to our customers, and the early SolidWorks 2009 feedback shows that we’ve successfully advanced this objective.”

In addition, SWIFT Instant 3D toolsets now allow dynamic editing throughout all stages of design, regardless of whether the user is working in a sketch, part, or assembly.

Integration

SolidWorks 2009 supplies single-window, fully associative integration with all of SolidWorks software products, including simulation, data management, and 3D content collaboration.

CATIA

CATIA

CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassault SystemesIBM. Written in the C++ programming language, CATIA is the cornerstone of the Dassault Systemes Product lifecycle management software suite. and marketed worldwide by

The software was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s to develop Dassault's Mirage fighter jet, then was adopted in the aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries. Architect Frank Gehry used it to design the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

CATIA V5 is the leading product development solution for manufacturing organizations of all sizes.

Apply its capabilities to a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive, industrial machinery, electrical, electronics, shipbuilding, plant design, and consumer goods.

• Provides an integrated suite of Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) applications for digital product definition and simulation
• Addresses the complete product development process, from product concept specifications through product-in-service, in a fully integrated and associative manner
• Facilitates true collaborative engineering across the multidisciplinary extended enterprise, including style and form design, mechanical design, equipment and systems engineering, digital mock-up, machining, analysis, and simulation
• Enables enterprises to reuse product design knowledge and accelerate development cycles
• Helps companies speed their responses to market needs and frees users to focus on creativity and innovation
• Based on the open, scalable V5 architecture

Who uses CATIA?

CATIA is used by the automotive and aerospace industries for automobile and aircraft product and tooling design. There are thousands of companies the world over using CATIA. For every company that uses CATIA for product design, there are hundreds of suppliers to those companies that also use CATIA.

CATIA is found in a variety of industries throughout the world. Some of these industries include; Aerospace, Appliances, Architecture, Automotive, Construction, Consumer Goods, Electronics, Medical, Furniture, Machinery, Mold and Die, and Shipbuilding.

CATIA has played a major role in NASA's design of the Space Shuttle. The military, working with private industry, uses CATIA for the design of "jet-fighter" aircraft, aircraft carriers, helicopters, tanks and various other forms of weaponry.

Where is CATIA used?

CATIA is used throughout the North American and European continents, as well as Australia. Wherever companies are engaged in the design and/or manufacture of products of any kind, CATIA can usually be found. Many CATIA operators travel throughout the US and abroad on so-called "paid" vacations by accepting CATIA design positions in whichever area of the country or world they wish to visit.

What job opportunities are there?

With more and more companies adopting CATIA as their primary CAD system, there are never enough designers (with CATIA knowledge) to fill the world-wide demand.

There are many differences between CATIA V4 and CATIA V5. The fact that CATIA V5 now also runs on a MS Windows platform instead of UNIX is one of them. One of the advantages of this is that a lot of the Windows funtionalities are also implemented in CATIA V5 such as copy, paste, undo and redo. Another positive feature is that in contrary to CATIA V4, CATIA V5 is able to assign contraints and formulas to the geometry of solids so that the design can be adjusted without having to redraw the geometry from scratch. When applied correctly this feature can save a lot of time in the design process.

The fact that these 2 CATIA versions are very different can be seen as a problem. Companies which have invested a lot of time and money to work with V4 now need to learn to use the new version which of course also is a huge investment while the profit using this program isn't immediately noticeable. This because of getting to know the new workaround of this program takes time and effort. This is where GATE Aerospace offers an interactive design workshop to speed up the learning progress and to make the paticipant familiar with the basics of CATIA V5.

Provides two new approaches for the end to end composite process: The grid composite and the solid composite

These new approaches offer better optimization in the composite design steps and better mating with structural parts in turbine wing design for the aerospace and energy industries.

Improves the end-to-end electrical process with more knowledge capture and reuse for electrical design

The user may define knowledge user parameters on internal harness coverings and copy data from a catalog definition to a harness design. A knowledgeware check allows the user to validate the 3D harness segment diameters versus the harness segment diameters computed from wires. The user may also synchronize equipment reference designator attributes between electrical and tubing definitions using knowledge.

Provides more productivity in wire and harness design 1 flattening

V5.19 provides more efficient harness flattening with the ability to maintain bundle tangency from a 3D harness design. It allows the use of XML electrical files in a local repository when using ENOVIA VPM V5. Arranging segments in a support is improved to ensure wire routing and to increase accuracy of complex connector assemblies (shell and connector).

Improves V4 to V5 electrical harness data migration

V4 to V5 migration brings numerous benefits in this release, such as the migration of V4 protection as V5 light protection. The user is able to use the enhanced V5 internal protection if he or she migrates electrical data containing protections from V4 to V5. This enhanced migration offers improved consistency of V4 and V5 bundle segment shape and length.

Brings a new EndCut command for structure design

The user may:

• Create, edit, and delete end cuts, and the end cut for a beam is integrated in the piece part engine
• Translate a Structure Functional Design 2 (SFD) or Ship Structure Detail Design 2 (SDD) feature during the explode mode through piece part process
• Define end cut graphic replacement in drafting
• Manage different graphic replacements for beam pillars

Enhances technological results usage in tooling design

The mold to cam function is enhanced to permit the creation of a technological results report. Reporting of die/mold technological results is accessible via the new command Display Technological Results (available with Prismatic Machining Preparation Assistant 2 (MPA) license). Any user of the Tooling Design 1 product who has an MPA license can benefit from this enhanced reporting command:

• Create a report (*.csv) on the technological results existing in a given die
• Define some in house processes between the design and the manufacturing stage that provide the user with a powerful tool to control the integrity of the die design and prevents costly iterations between design and manufacturing

Increases design productivity in sheet metal design

The powerful extrusion explode improvement offers an explode mode, which allows the user to generate an associative wall on edge. Creating an extrusion becomes an accelerator of the design and exploding the extrusion allows user to locally modify design while maintaining associations.

Ensures new improvements in the machining simulation domain:

• Capability to support milling machines with interchangeable heads. This enhancement allows the user to simulate milling machines with interchangeable heads, thus enabling the user to verify numerical control (NC) tool paths for travel limits and collisions and modify if necessary.
• Machine configuration management within an operation. The new options in the existing tool path modify dialog and the tool path trace allow the user to:
• Force the selection of a particular machine configuration during machine simulation
• Associate and persist a machine configuration along with a particular tool path point from within the tool path modify dialog
• Apply this machine configuration during machine simulation when the particular tool path point is to be reached

Ensures the design of complex machine parts with easy-to-use multi-axis machining operations

V5.19 provides a new multi pocket flank contouring operation, which supports multiple tool axes for point-to-point operation. The tool axis may be driven by an auxiliary surface (sweeping, contour driven, iso-parametric, and curve following) through the 5x operation.

Reduces programming machining time

To get accurate information, the user can display the in-process stock on each milling or turning operation. The tool path replay includes the capability to check collisions with parts and fixtures defined in the part operation. During a contour driven operation, an extra guide may be defined in several ways:

• By 2 points
• By a point and direction
• By an automatic guide contour computed to enable contact points on a guide curve

Multiple radial passes may be operated for thread and circular milling operations.

Enlarges and optimizes machining process and technology

V5.19 introduces new operations for NC machines. A new mode, by offset on contour, is included for plunge milling, the clearance management is federated, and tool path cornerization is available. In milling and turning, the user has the ability to manage the C-axis on a turret, and it is now possible to conduct process machining on the main spindle and the counter spindle part with the same tool. Also, the user may invert the tool orientation (0-180 degrees). Both a conical tool and a user profile tool are supported in IPM generation for profile contouring in DPM machining.

Design performance for innovation

Increases sales through on the plant, architecture, and construction industries thanks to new capabilities in terrain modeling

These powerful improvements include the ability to:

• Work with meshed surfaces and volumes including tessellation and multi-slice commands
• Edit the meshes easily
• Create and manage Z-Level curves
• Benefit from dedicated improvements to the building implantation and enhancements to the graphic performances

Provides the intersection edge fillet command to improve update stability during design changes

The new intersection edge fillet command increases the part design user's daily productivity by making it possible for the user to:

• Create fillets with the appropriate definitions, including definitions by the intersection of several features and beyond the intersection of faces
• Rely on improved update stability during design changes
• Capture and reuse part design features easily

The user can define a power copy that includes a set of features and a fillet defined at the feature intersection level. When this power copy feature is re-instantiated in another context, the fillet is correctly updated since it does not depend on the intersection of the selected faces but instead on the intersection of the features.

Improves productivity by providing easier definition and better stability of the blend corner capability

This improvement extends the use of the blend corner capability for fillet definition (removing small edges selection) and prevents the redefinition of former blend corners when modifying an edge fillet. The user interface for creation by selection of edges or vertices, edition of the value, and remove is enhanced to improve productivity.

Allows the user to define the gage taper hole main diameter using the selected face as the reference

The user interface of the gage taper hole is improved to provide a new computation mode that enables the user to compute the tapered hole using the selected face as the reference for the main diameter.

Breakthrough technologies

Improves and accelerates the part and tooling design review process for manufacturability with wall thickness analysis for the Cast & Forged Optimizer (CFO) product

V5.19 delivers Cast & Forged Optimizer (CFO) add-ons with CFO wall thickness analysis. This new capability

• Improves and accelerates the part and tooling design review process for manufacturability in both casting and forging processes and injection molding processes for plastic part design
• Allows the user to analyze the part thickness either by projecting a ray from the selected point inside the part and normally to its surface, or by rolling a sphere of a maximum diameter inside the part
• Allows detailed and accurate analysis and provides quick identification of critical thin or thick areas using a dynamic sectioning view and a transparent mode display

Ensures automatic filleting in shape design

Automatic filleting provides a significant process improvement, especially for the design of plastic and molded parts. Previously, the process of filleting sharp edges to conform to existing features was a repetitive and very time-consuming phase of the shape design process. This new capability is particularly helpful for fillet manufacturing preparation because it can automatically fillet the sharp edges of a shape in a single operation.

Permits fast surface creation from curves in the Imagine and Shape product

Two new primitive commands are added to provide an intuitive and productive interface with no additional geometry creation. The extruded profile command enables the user to draw directly the profile from the extrude command. Profile modification can be accomplished dynamically within the extrude command, and a command is provided to revolve the profile around an axis definition.

Collaborative PLM

Improves 3DXML export with shader support

Full compatibility with CgFX is provided for shadows. More materials are added to the materials library, such as CarPaint and external shaders that can be imported to add even more effects.

Improves 3D annotations review using 3D XML

The functional tolerancing and annotation (FT&A) features defined in CATProduct and in CATProcess documents can be saved in .3dxml documents as well as .CATPart annotations. This allows the user to review them either using the DMU Dimensioning & Tolerancing Review product or the 3D Live FT&A review product.

Supports new CAD formats

New multiCAD formats are supported, including SW2007, SW2008, SolidEdge V20, and Parasolid V18.

Easy, open and smart

Provides CATIA application infrastructures with large scale management capabilities to design large scale objects

After addressing the small scale management needs of the micro-electro-mechanical systems industry in V5.18, CATIA V5.19 delivers large scale management (from 0.1 mm up to 10 kms) capabilities using mechanical infrastructure. This infrastructure enables the user to design large scale 3D objects, such as dams, and to benefit from complete integration in the Generative Drafting and 2D Layout products.

Delivers advanced effects in rendering including soft shadows from multiple light sources

Shadows are made more realistic with the addition of multiple light sources. The user has the ability to compute and store light maps off-line and then load them so that a scene can be rendered in real time without waiting on calculations to be completed.

Ensures alignment to the latest PROStep/PDES.inc recommended practices for the control of STEP transfers

New STEP validation properties are taken into account for assemblies, allowing the user to check assemblies conversion even when geometry is not exchanged, as in the case of nested assemblies.

History

CATIA started as an in-house development by French aircraft manufacturer Avions Marcel Dassault, at that time customer of the CADAM CAD software.

Initially named CATI (Conception Assistée Tridimensionnelle Interactive — French for Interactive Aided Three Dimensional Design ) — it was renamed CATIA in 1981, when Dassault created a subsidiary to develop and sell the software, and signed a non-exclusive distribution agreement with IBM.

In 1984, the Boeing Company chose CATIA as its main 3D CAD tool, becoming its largest customer.

In 1988, CATIA version 3 was ported from the mainframe computers to UNIX.

In 1990, General Dynamics/Electric Boat Corp chose CATIA as its main 3D CAD tool, to design the U.S. Navy's Virginia class nuclear submarine.

In 1992, CADAM was purchased from IBM and the next year CATIA CADAM v4 was published. In 1996, it was ported from one to four Unix operating systems, including IBM AIX, Silicon GraphicsIRIX, Sun Microsystems SunOS and Hewlett-Packard HP-UX.

In 1998, an entirely rewritten version of CATIA, CATIA V5 was released, with support for UNIX, Windows NT and Windows XP since 2001.

In 2008, Dassault announced CATIA V6. Support for any operating system other than Windows is dropped.

Features

Commonly referred to as a 3D Product Lifecycle Management software suite, CATIA supports multiple stages of product development (CAx), from conceptualization, design (CAD), manufacturing (CAM), and analysis (CAE).

CATIA can be customized via application programming interfaces (API). V4 can be adapted in the Fortran and C programming languages under an API called CAA. V5 can be adapted via the Visual Basic and C++ programming languages, an API called CAA2 or CAA V5 that is a component object model (COM)-like interface.

Although later versions of CATIA V4 implemented NURBS, V4 principally used piecewise polynomial surfaces. CATIA V4 uses a non-manifold solid engine.

Catia V5 features a parametric solid/surface-based package which uses NURBS as the core surface representation and has several workbenches that provide KBE support.

As of 2008, the latest release is V5 release 19 (V5R19).

V5 can work with other applications, including Enovia, Smarteam, and various CAE Analysis applications.

Supported operating systems and platforms

CATIA V5 runs on Microsoft Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit), and as of Release 18 Service Pack 4 on Windows Vista 64. IBM AIX, Hewlett Packard HP-UX and Sun Microsystems Solaris are supported.

CATIA V4 is supported for those Unixes and IBM MVS and VM/CMS mainframe platforms up to release 1.7.

CATIA V3 and earlier run on the mainframe platforms.

CATIA is widely used throughout the engineering industry, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, NX (formerly Unigraphics), and SolidWorks are the dominant systems.

Aerospace

The Boeing Company used CATIA V3 to develop its 777 airliner, and is currently using CATIA V5 for the 787 series aircraft. They have employed the full range of Dassault Systemes' 3D PLM products, comprised of CATIA, DELMIA, and ENOVIA LCA, supplemented by Boeing developed applications.

European aerospace giant Airbus has been using CATIA since 2001. In 2006, Airbus announced that the production of its Airbus 380 had been set back by two years at a cost of $6.1 billion because development was done on two versions of CATIA. It would appear that German and Spanish Airbus facilities used CATIA V4, while British and French sites had switched to V5. Among the problems: wiring harnesses manufactured using aluminium rather than copper conductors required special design rules including non-standard dimensions and bend radii; these were not easily transferred between different versions.

Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier Aerospace has done all of its designing on CATIA.

Automotive

Automotive companies that use CATIA to varying degrees are BMW, Porsche, Daimler Chrysler[2], Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Fiat, Gestamp Automocion, Benteler AG, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Scania, Hyundai, Proton, Tata motors and Mahindra. GoodyearComputer representation of surfaces. uses it in making tires for automotive and aerospace and also uses a customized CATIA for its design and development. All automotive companies use CATIA for car structures — door beams, IP supports, bumper beams, roof rails, side rails, body components — because CATIA is very good in surface creation and

Shipbuilding

Dassault Systems has begun serving shipbuilders with CATIA V5 release 8, which includes special features useful to shipbuilders. GD Electric Boat used CATIA to design the latest fast attack submarine class for the United States Navy, the Virginia class. Northrop Grumman Newport NewsGerald R. Ford class of supercarriers for the US Navy. also used CATIA to design the

Other

Architect Frank Gehry has used the software, through the C-Cubed Virtual Architecture company, now Virtual Build Team, to design his award-winning curvilinear buildings.His technology arm, Gehry Technologies, has been developing software based on CATIA V5 named Digital Project. Digital Project has been used to design buildings and has successfully completed a handful of projects.