Siemens Solid Edge 2021

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Siemens Solid Edge 2021 | 3.7 Gb
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Siemens Digital Industries Software announces the 2021 version of Solid Edge software, which the company says includes design capability enhancements such as new subdivision modeling and improved reverse engineering performance with new deviation analysis.
Solid Edge 2021 neatly combines improvements to existing tools with the introduction of new technologies from elsewhere in Siemens' growing software portfolio.
Over the course of the last quarter-century, Solid Edge has acquired some interesting technologies. These have included tools for surfacing, referred to as BlueSurf and dating back to the early 2000s; its synchronous technology, which mixes direct modelling with intelligent feature and relationship management; and the more recent introduction of convergent modelling, which sees a more cohesive set of tools for working with solids, surfaces and polygons, all mixed together.
Alongside these geometry-focused updates, Solid Edge 2021 has also benefited from an expansion in add-ons, based on technologies acquired by Siemens.
These include the introduction of FloEFD for fluid flow and thermal simulation; better PCB import; and electrical design capabilities using technologies from Mentor. So shall we explore what the 2021 release has to offer.
[i]Several enhancements were announced for Solid Edge 2021, including: [/i]
- Lightning-fast reverse engineering enhancements
- New subdivision modeling technology for advanced stylized design
- Improved productivity with new adaptive UI capabilities that harness AI to predict next steps based on user behavior
- A streamlined process of finding 3D models using intelligent search functions through integration with the CADENAS 3D models and catalog parts
- Rapid creation and evaluation of multiple design scenarios enabled by concept modeling
- Fast, accurate 2D layout of industrial control panels with new cabinet panel design capabilities
- An optimized integration between flow and structural simulation
- A new searchable postprocessor database and improved roughing and adaptive milling capabilities
- Enhanced cloud-based collaboration options with the introduction of Teamcenter Share, which can be used with Solid Edge to synchronize desktop files to secure cloud storage.


Core modelling & UX updates to Solid Edge 2021
Let's kick things off with a look at enhancements and updates made to the core tools within Solid Edge. As ever, a good place to start is the user interface. While the Solid Edge interface hasn't changed to any huge extent for the 2021 release, one new tool in particular will make using it a little more efficient - namely, the adaptive Command Prediction tool.
This tool analyses the commands you use most frequently and then automatically presents them to you - in the first instance, in a ribbon bar found at the top of the modelling window. In other words, the system uses machine learning to 'understand' how you tend to work, depending on the task and based on your previous operations.
If this sounds familiar, that's because it's the same technology that Siemens introduced to its NX system last year.
As with the NX implementation, there are some interesting capabilities running alongside this. It's possible to take the data gleaned from the actions of an experienced user and reuse it to get new users on your team up to speed with the way things are done, pointing them to the most commonly used commands within your organisation.
It's worth noting here, however, that there are no aggregation tools, so you need to pick one specific user whose data you want to reuse. This approach, of course, runs the risk of reinforcing bad practices, too, so my advice would be to pick well and use this capability cautiously.
Alongside this, there have also been a number of updates to how Solid Edge's core modelling tools work. Since these will be applicable to most users, irrespective of industry, let's walk through them.
One of the big changes is how the system handles large assembly data during import. With systems like Solid Edge, the typical data import process has been to take a STEP or IGES file, parse it and create separate part and assembly files on disk that reconstruct that geometry.
By contrast, the system now keeps part and sub-assembly data as part of the original assembly file, without creating any additional data files on disk. This means they should load more quickly, since the system isn't spending time pulling together all of the external references and displaying them on screen.
Elsewhere in the core updates, there have been a few tweaks to how the system handles operations on 'inactive' parts and subassemblies. Like many systems, Solid Edge allows you to display just the graphic representation of parts and assemblies, mostly to make working with complex and large scale assemblies more efficient.
For Solid Edge 2021, it's now possible to carry out more operations on those graphics only, such as creating assembly relationships (mates, aligns and so on), taking measurements, and making synchronous edits at the assembly level.
Also on the assembly front, it's now possible to copy and paste multiple parts and sub-assemblies from one assembly to another. Here, all internal relationships to the copied parts come along for the ride. Solid Edge 2012 also walks the user through creating the relationships needed to position all the new parts.
The last generally applicable update I'm going to cover before getting into other areas of Solid Edge 2021 is a small one, but important for those who use their product models to replicate how a physical product will appear.
In short, it's now possible to add decals to your models. This works exactly as you might expect, allowing you to add product information, proof labels and warnings and such, before they get anywhere near a vinyl cutter.
Fabrication, frames & sheet metal
Sheet metal functions have been a strong selling point for Solid Edge for many years now. The system has attracted a healthy share of its users who, if not solely focused on sheet metal fabrication, are certainly engaged heavily in design and fab as part of their wider manufacturing processes.
The existing tools in Solid Edge are already mature, but that doesn't mean that there's no room for innovation or, indeed, catching up with what other vendors are doing.
One such enhancement for this release focuses on multi-edge flanges, making it possible to create multiple flanges from an edge selection in one step. At first glance, this looks like a common feature in most 3D design systems these days, but what's really interesting here is that these flanges are intelligent.


Trimming is performed automatically where they meet and you can also include an offset gap between forms, for both fabrication/assembly and welding.
While Solid Edge has had the tools to design and engineer sheet metal forms for decades now, a more recent addition is the ability to carry out nesting of sheet metal forms.[/center]