How 3D Modeling Software Meet the Requirements of the Automotive Industry

The automotive design and manufacturing process in industry 4.0 requires highly digital and control by the product lifecycle management (PLM) system, making it accessible for stakeholders in the whole manufacturing chain. Not only the powerful functions but also a highly efficient and aerodynamic CAD model are required by automobile designing works as modeling is an essential part of automotive design.

In the past, we could create any design or prototype by hand, but time-consuming, tedium, and errors are inevitable in the design process, resulting in additional costs. Computer-aided design (CAD) software was taken into public view to avoid this adverse effect. CAD software simplifies and digitizes the whole automobile design process, ensures the storage security of data copies, engineering drawings, and blueprints, and finally replaces the traditional drawing.

Figure 1. Computer-aided design (CAD) software

2D CAD software in the automotive industry

With the application of the first batch of CAD software in the automotive industry in the 1980s, CAD software has gradually developed. CAD software is mainly 2D design initially, playing a crucial role in the structural design of automobile chassis, drawing of the internal and external structure and color schemes. However, 2D CAD software in the process of development gradually sees its limitations in product design.

2D CAD software fails to capture the complexity of small parts design of the automobile, which makes the drawings designed by 2D CAD software forced to make physical prototype. For 2D drawings, the only way to solve problems is to dismantle the prototype and rebuild it, which will significantly extend the product development cycle due to that you have to redesign the prototype. Besides, it is a time-consuming process to make changes in industrial design. It may require recreating the design many times in different views to capture all the details of a single part for 2D CAD software; thus, a large number of engineering drawings need to recreate by designers.

The limitation of 2D CAD software is more and more prominent in the automotive industry design, forcing designers to move to 3D modeling software. As one of the largest industrial systems in the world, the automotive industry occupies an intensive application field of 3D design software. Automobile manufacturers are long to have a 3D modeling software that meets the automotive design requirements and high-cost performance in the face of such a vast demand for CAD software. This is how ZW3D CAD came into being.

What is 3D modeling software? 

3D modeling software is software that helps in creating a mathematical representation of a 3-dimensional object or shape. The objects and designs made with the help of this type of software are known as 3D models. 3D modeling software constitutes an integral part of various industries with a diverse range of uses, such as film, television, video games, architecture, construction, automobile, science, and medical sectors, to visualize, simulate and render graphic designs. 

3D modeling software is to create 3D objects in the simulation software ranging from simple shapes to complex high polygon models. Compared with 2D CAD software, the most significant advantage of 3D modeling software in the automotive industry is its visualization. 3D modeling software enables you to view car design from all angles and visualize its performance in the real world. In addition, 3D modeling software enables designers to create realistic renderings of their car designs with rendering plug-ins or software, which are attractive for use as marketing materials.

How 3D modeling software meets the requirements of the automotive industry?

Over the past few decades, 3D modeling technology in the automotive industry has been widely used by automakers to create vehicle prototypes to check their condition and validity. The significance of auto parts exert on the overall structure of the car is hard to deny. Using 3D CAD software for building automobile parts allows car manufacturers to build high-performance parts to enhance car performance.

The enhancement of automobile assembly is another surprise brought by 3D modeling software to the automobile industry. 3D CAD software can perfectly analyze the independent components of the automobile and how these components work as a complete system. 3D modeling software provides a perfect system for automotive engineers to measure the overall performance of vehicles to avoid large-scale recall of vehicles due to hardware problems.

If to succeed in this field, special skills related to automobile design technology and ability are required, and you should stick to it consistently. 3D modeling is not an easy job and demands designers to accumulate experience in practice, which is an invisible investment for the automotive industry as offering a source of creativity. The 3D modeling process brings together some of the elites in the field of automotive engineering, who will bring some unique ideas and innovative theories to the industry and ensure that the automotive industry can obtain long-term solutions to creative problems.

Figure 2. A 3D car designed by 3D modeling software

How ZW3D CAD deal with common challenges in the automotive industry?

ZW3D CAD is a kind of mainstream 3D modeling software possessing a high reputation in the automotive industry across the world. It has its highlights to face the challenges in automotive supply chains.

Compatible with mainstream CAD formats on the market. Designers will spend much less time processing models from upstream in the automotive supply chain, while strong compatibility saves users time. ZW3D CAD supports the import and export of mainstream 3D-CAD formats, including CATIA V4, V5 files, and 2D graphics, which covers a wide range of use in the automotive industry. 

Solid-surface hybrid modeling eliminates the barriers between solid modeling and surface modeling. Solid modeling provides a guarantee for automobile design in terms of speed, while surface modeling is flexible. The ideal modeling program allows users to switch between them at will.ZW3D CAD is an advanced software occupied with unique solid-surface hybrid modeling technology to speed up the modeling design of an automobile.

The direct edit module modifies models without modeling history. It is a difficult task for designers to modify models from OEMs without modeling history. ZW3D CAD provides a direct editing module to help you quickly modify model features, such as direct moving features, array features, simplified features, modified fillet, modified radius, etc.

Record modeling history and redefine. ZW3D CAD can record modeling history and support the redefinition of historical features, allowing users to design and modify more freely.

Figure 3. ZW3D CAD deal with common challenges in the automotive industry

Conclusion

3D modeling is a way for the automotive industry to quickly become paperless and enable engineers to develop fashionable, cost-effective, and highly productive cars. In the future, 3D CAD software will continue to provide more profound opportunities for the automotive industry. Therefore, it is wise of you to use CAD software with high-cost performance and powerful functions. ZW3D CAD is one of the cases worth trying.