Welcome to Engineering Paper. Here’s the latest design and simulation software news.
Tech Soft 3D and Nvidia announced a new collaboration to further the mission of OpenUSD, the Pixar-created 3D file framework underpinning Nvidia’s Omniverse platform.
For starters, Tech Soft 3D has officially joined the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD). It will now work alongside founding members Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Nvidia and Pixar, plus all the other general members, to develop and champion the 3D standard.
But the real boost for Universal Scene Description, to use the framework’s formal name, is in Tech Soft 3D’s latest release of HOOPS Exchange. The software development toolkit for CAD data translation now supports export to OpenUSD, which Tech Soft 3D says will allow developers to bring engineering data from over 30 CAD file formats, including Catia, STEP, Solidworks, and more, into any 3D application that supports OpenUSD.
“Tech Soft 3D’s investment in USD is great news for the entire industrial and CAD ecosystem,” said Aaron Luk, director of product management at Nvidia, in Tech Soft 3D’s press release. (OpenUSD used to be called USD, but the name was changed when the Alliance for OpenUSD launched in 2023.)
Luk continued: “HOOPS offers an unparalleled opportunity for CAD users to seamlessly connect their data to USD, unleashing the immense power of its composition capabilities to aggregate diverse data sources and construct comprehensive digital twins for industrial and physical AI use cases.”
This is the first I’m hearing about the AI use cases for OpenUSD, but I’d be more surprised if Nvidia didn’t find a way to bring it up somehow.
Siemens and Altair are enjoying their honeymoon
Three months later, how’s Siemens’ $10 billion acquisition of Altair going?
I’m glad you asked, because I sat down with Sam Mahalingam, CTO of Altair, and Jean-Claude Ercolanelli, SVP of simulation and test solutions at Siemens Digital Industries Software, to get answers.
One surprising revelation: Altair, the brand, is going away. Turns out Siemens is serious about that ONE Tech Company thing.
For more inside details, including how the simulation developers are using AI, check out Siemens and Altair are on a mission to “transform engineering.”
Design and Simulation Week 2025
If you’re not already counting down the days to Engineering.com’s annual Design and Simulation Week, here’s your 20-day warning.
Running the week of July 14, 2025, this series of expert webinars will explore the top trends in engineering software from some of the leading voices in the industry (and me). You’ll learn about AI, automation, multiphysics and how to make the most of modern tools.
Register for Design and Simulation Week now and start counting.
Quick hits
- IMSI Design has released TurboCAD Mac 16, the latest version of its 2D and 3D CAD platform for macOS. It’s available as a perpetual license in four tiers: Platinum, Pro, Deluxe, and Designer, in descending order of price and functionality.
- Kubotek Kosmos has released KeyCreator 2025 Service Pack 2, which includes updated CAD file format translators and minor enhancements such as more text formatting options.
- Hexagon is preparing to spin off several of its divisions into a standalone company called Octave. It would include Hexagon’s existing Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Safety, Infrastructure and Geospatial divisions, plus ETQ (currently operating under the Manufacturing Intelligence division), and Bricsys (currently operating under the Geosystems division and developer of the BricsCAD platform). The spinoff remains subject to shareholder, Board, and regulatory approvals.
- Siemens Digital Industries Software is showing off new AI tools for electronic design automation (EDA) at the 2025 Design Automation Conference this week in San Francisco. The company says it’s developed “a new EDA AI system specifically designed for semiconductor and PCB design environments” that “delivers secure, advanced generative and agentic AI capabilities, offering unparalleled customization capabilities and seamless integration across the entire EDA workflow.”
One last link
Michelle Froese of EV Engineering & Infrastructure explains Why EV architecture changes the rules for self-driving systems.
Got news, tips, comments, or complaints? Send them my way: malba@wtwhmedia.com.
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