ENGINEERING

CONCORD, MA -- Texas A&M University's (TAMU) Department of Mechanical Engineering has purchased 500 licenses of SolidWorks three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) software for implementation in the Dwight Look College of Engineering. Students will use SolidWorks software to quickly and easily create 3D solid models, giving them valuable experience they will draw on for their future professional careers. SolidWorks' Windows(R)-based 3D CAD environment is easier to navigate than competing products, allowing students to solve design problems and tackle design projects almost immediately. TAMU's graduate and undergraduate students will use SolidWorks software in a wide range of projects sponsored by the automotive, aerospace, microelectronic, and energy industries. "With other 3D CAD software, we spent a large part of each semester teaching students to master the tool instead of actual 3D model design," said Professor Steve Suh, a university CAD design instructor. "The learning curve with SolidWorks is much shorter. While it typically took students up to nine weeks to develop all necessary CAD skills required for fully executing their design projects using other 3D CAD technology, SolidWorks lets them begin mastering design in half the time." Texas A&M's mechanical engineering faculty also teaches several SolidWorks' partner products to further enhance the students' 3D CAD skills. Students can use Structural Research & Analysis Corporation's COSMOS/Works to conduct structural analyses, and ALGOR's Mechanical Event Simulation software allows them to explore how parts will operate together in an assembly. "Texas A&M University is one of the largest and most esteemed engineering schools in the country. The school's primary goal is to give students real-world design experience so they can compete effectively in the engineering job market," said Rosanne Kramer, SolidWorks' director of education markets. "If time to market is central for business, time to learning is its counterpart in education. We are pleased to be helping TAMU develop the engineering design talent of the future, and look forward to experiencing the rewards of this large-scale, instructional installation." For more information visit www.solidworks.com