3D Product Architect enables users to create or modify multi-CAD and multi-discipline product structures without the use of CAD tools. The primary apps in this role are the Product Structure Editor and 3D Composer. With these apps, a user is able to digitally mock-up a new design or propose changes to an existing design all via the web, ultimately reducing design iterations. Design changes are accelerated by making review cycles available to many more people in the product development process through use of the similar app called the Product Structure Explorer – available in the Collaborative Industry Innovator (CSV). Fundamentally, users of this role can form a collection of components into a structure to define a product for varying purposes and then interact with the design department to flesh out the specs that define the various components.
Structure mock-up is done with a mix of existing and new components as blank CAD templates can be placed in the mock-up and then fleshed out by the designer. Subsequently, the architect can define the work breakdown structure of a new product before any design work actually takes place.
The architect on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform can not only mock-up the design, but watch it evolve as the designers evolve the mock-up into a real product with precise assemblies of the various pieces. Take a quick look at this video, which shows you interaction between the architect and CATIA V5 users and SOLIDWORKS users. This scenario will eventually extend across all of the xCAD tools we offer.
3D Product Architect also allows you to leverage a number of other applications on the platform. One of the more powerful ones is Configuration Management where you can define an entire line of products that vary based on a predefined set of options and variants. In the next video, we show how a SOLIDWORKS assembly can be manipulated by configurations created by the Product Release Engineer (XEN).
