Collaboration provides NX users the ability to use Maple’s computational power to analyse and optimise designs

Maplesoft, the leading provider of high performance software tools for engineering, science and mathematics, announced a partnership with Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services. Maple, the technical computing software from Maplesoft, and available from Adept Scientific (Letchworth, Herts), supplies important analysis capabilities to CAD systems giving users of NX™ software, the digital product development solution from Siemens PLM Software, the ability to use the computational power of Maple to analyse and optimise designs.

Maple 13 delivers a broad suite of maths and analysis tools in an interface that scales easily from quick design calculations to full application development. From the world’s most robust maths engine and live design documentation to CAD connectivity and code generation, Maple supports all stages of the design lifecycle. Using Maple, design engineers can answer questions such as “What are the mathematical relationships between objects?” and “How do changes to object properties impact other objects?” NX connectivity also provides a convenient way to start Maple from within the NX environment.

Some key advantages of connecting NX with Maple include the following:

· Users can retrieve parameters from an NX CAD model, optimise those parameters, and update the CAD model with the revised parameter values directly within the Maple environment.
· The CAD Link Assistant in Maple provides a quick, interactive way to experiment with the NX CAD Connectivity functionality without having to write code.
· With the CAD Link Assistant in Maple, it is easy to browse the scalar quantities in an NX CAD design, so it can be used as a tool to aid in writing your own CAD-capable worksheets.
· Using the Maple programming language and built-in API commands, NX users can create specialised tools for part reconfiguration and optimisation.

“The addition of Maplesoft to the Siemens PLM Software Partner Program is part of our commitment to continuously provide customers with the broadest range of high-quality software tools that complement our own offerings,” said Rich Ramsey, vice president of Partner and Components Marketing, Siemens PLM Software. “NX users who choose to implement Maple software will benefit from its ability to reduce the time needed to create complex designs and perform deep analysis.”

“Expanding Maple’s CAD connectivity to include Siemens PLM Software’s NX, provides more choices and flexibility to our current users,” said Laurent Bernardin, Executive Vice President, Maplesoft. “NX users will gain immense power from Maple since no other product on the market can provide the same computational power, mathematical breadth and depth, mathematically aware programming language, and application creation tools and connectivity options, all integrated into a highly intuitive technical-document environment.”

Maplesoft’s vision for design engineers is realised through tools that employ its core technologies, which include the world’s most advanced symbolic computation engine (in Maple) and revolutionary physical modelling techniques (in MapleSim). Together, they provide engineers with cutting-edge tools for design, modelling, and high-performance simulation that can lower costs and reduce product cycle time by weeks and months. Partnerships, such as the one with Siemens PLM Software, allow Maplesoft to bring these core technologies to a broader range of engineers.