Time-Traveling Engineers
Capability: The engineering computer game Time Engineers helps students in sixth to ninth grade learn how mechanical engineering principles have helped people through the ages. By playing the game, students travel in a time machine to three different eras and encounter typical engineering problems from that time. They build pyramids, irrigate farmland, and raise and lower medieval drawbridges, among other projects. The program was designed to help younger students investigate a career in mechanical engineering by exposing them to the fun side of science, math, and engineering. It features downloadable lesson plans and a teacher and parent guide.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000 or XP.
Developer: Software Kids LLC, 407 E. Lincolnway, Suite A, Valparaiso, IN 46383; (219) 548-7566; fax (877) 386-4069; www.software-kids.com.
Cost: Single-user education edition, $59.95; single-user home edition, $24.95; site license to start, $249.95.
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Scripting and Numerical Computing
Capability: Ch 6.0 is a cross platform C/C++ interpreter for scripting two-dimensional and three-dimensional plots, numerical computing, shell programming, and embedded scripting. This new release adds more plotting functions. Ch also offers an interactive environment for teaching and learning programming in C and C++ and in numerical computing. The professional edition includes a development environment as well as graphical plotting support. It has computational arrays for linear algebra and matrix computations. Also featured are advanced high-level numerical functions for linear systems, differential equation solving, integration, non-linear equations, Fourier analysis, and curve fitting. A standard edition of the software doesn't include plotting capabilities.
Hardware: PC running Windows or Linux, Sun Sparc Solaris, HP-UX, FreeBSD, QNX, or Mac OS X.
Developer: SoftIntegration Inc., 216 F St., No. 68, Davis, CA 95616; (530) 297-7398; fax (530) 297-7392; www.softintegration.com; info@softintegration.com.
Cost: Ch standard edition, free; Ch professional edition, $399 to start.
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Sketching and Calculating
Capability: GrafiCalc Expert 2008 digital prototyping software combines sketching with calculation, motion simulation, and tolerance analysis in a CAD-neutral application. With it, engineers can evaluate new product concepts, validate design parameters, and identify cost-effective manufacturing methods. New features include statistical tolerance analysis, reverse tolerance analysis, programmable geometry-synchronous calculators, and CAD and Excel interfaces.
Hardware: PC running Windows XP or Vista.
Developers: Geomate Co., 3474 Nova Scotia Ave., San Jose, CA 95124; (408) 371-6095; fax (408) 371-4251; www.inventbetter.com.
Cost: Single-user commercial license, $995; single-user student license, $95.
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No-Cost Modeling
Capability: The personal-use version of the MEDUSA4 personal design application includes much of the functionality available in the developer's regular modeling application, including basic 3-D modeling and drafting tools and new sheet-metal design functions. The personal edition is restricted to non-commercial use. Technical differences from the commercial version include a different sheet format, watermarked print output, and the ability to import from, but not export to, drawing exchange and drawing formats. The commercial version is customizable, while the personal edition is not.
Hardware: PC running Windows or Linux operating system.
Developer: CAD Schroer US Inc., 34 Rand Place, Pittsford, NY 14534; (585) 264-1409; fax (484) 208-1409; www.cad-schroer.com.
Cost: Free.
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Composite Failure
Capability: Sublam analysis software examines interlaminar stress and failure in composite laminates. Users can compare continuous distributions of interlaminar tractions at the interfaces between sublaminates. The resulting differential equations for the plates are solved using closed-form methods. The application is particularly useful when determining the strain-energy release rate for interfacial cracks. It includes a boundary element analysis feature that allows the user to define a closed loop of elements as a filled region. For this, the software automatically incorporates a boundary element model of the filler region without any further modeling effort.
Platform: PC running Windows. Java installed.
Developer: Materials Sciences Corp., 181 Gibraltar Rd., Horsham PA 19044; (215) 542-8400; www.materials-sciences.com.
Cost: $1,800 per user.
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