Design News articles from September 2004

Design News archives from September 2004

Debate over cost.(Fact)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... According to a study of the phased-in tuner mandate conducted by Arthur D. Little, the material cost for integration of a tuner will drop from $100 to $9 by 2006. The study results, which are contested by the CEA, estimated that the retail...

TV stats.(Fact)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... * No. of TVs sold per year: 28 million * Percent sets with screen sizes of 20 inches or less: 40 percent * No. of stations broadcasting digital: 455 Source: CEA

HDTV sales surge.(Fact)
September 13, 2004... Sales of HDTV sets jumped 50 percent in 2003, according to Home Theater Magazine, thanks to lower prices and greater availability of programs. For the year-long period ending September 30, 2003, the magazine reports that more than 2.4 million...

Sales outlook rosy.(Fact)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The CEA forecasts the following sales of DTVs: 2004 5.7 million 2005 9.4 million 2006 15.6 million 2007 23 million 2010 90 million

Cable providers deliver.(Fact)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Cable providers that deliver HD channels (the combined subscriber base is 66 percent of the 73 million cable subscribers in the U.S.): Comcast AOL Time Warner Charter Cox Cablevision Source: NCTA

I want my MTV (but no HDTV, thanks).(My View)
September 13, 2004... ON THE MOST RECENT EPISODE OF THE Sopranos, Tony arrives home just in time to see Carmela heave his golf clubs onto the driveway and toss him an air mattress. On Six Feet Under, Nate is shocked to discover that Brenda slept with the yin yang...

E-training grows: training joins list of web features.(Web Log)
September 13, 2004... WEBSITES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A NATURal medium for companies to disseminate raw product information through data sheets and catalogs. Increasingly though, manufacturers are finding that they can use their websites to help engineers do their job....

Not afraid of change.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... I completely disagree with Michael Campbell's Rant (DN 06.28.04) about product and design engineers underutilizing software. It has nothing to do with being afraid of change, but more to do with the 30-40 other software icons sitting on my...

Numbers don't compute.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... Regarding your editorial on an aging workforce, you say that the average retirement age of U.S. men in 1910 was 74. How could that be when life expectancy for the average U.S. man born in 1910 was 50? (http://rbi.ims.ca/3854-500). A man would...

Chicken little.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... I read with interest your well-thought editorial, Oldies But Goodies (DN06.28.04), which discusses the purported looming shortage of engineers and what industry and government are and aren't doing about it. Having been an automotive engineer...

Not sure I like the ring of that.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... I will be 66 in October and have worked as a drafter designer and engineer since 1958. I was drafted into the U.S. Army Alaska in 1961 and was a Signal Corps drafter 1962/1963. My first job was with Thomas Brother's Maps in Los Angeles, 1958. I...

Oldies but goodies.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... Just read your article and it's right-on except for one thing. The health insurance carriers are telling these companies that if they bring in high-risk employees (like heart attack, stroke age), their rates will go through the roof. Solve the...

Government spending=waste.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... Anyone who has EVER been involved with any aspect of the U.S. government KNOWS that there has NEVER been devised any institution or organization as INEFFICIENT or INCOMPETENT as the U.S. government, EXCEPT EVERY SINGLE SOCIALISTIC OR...

This little piggy.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... If you put a pig in a dress, you don't get a pretty girl, you still have a pig. Likewise with government agencies, if you give them pretty names like NSF, DARPA, NIH, and Sematech, you still have pigs feeding on tax dollars. For every dollar of...

Edison is an alternative.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... I enjoy your articles, even on the rare occasion when I find something that I do not completely agree with--such as the protechnology administration editorial. If you can stand another e-mail on the subject, I will be happy to suggest...

Linux for DoD use.(Readers Sound Off)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2004... I must disagree with the editorial Rant on using Linux for DoD use (DN07.19.04, http://rbi.ims.ca/3854-501). The author's argument does have merit if--and only if--one uses it without "locking it down." The one significant advantage Linux has...

Risky business.(Readers Sound Off)(investments)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The very use of the term "investment" to describe government spending reveals a positive bias toward such spending. A real investment is when an individual or corporation risks their own money with the hope of some specified return. In this...

A deluge of plastics.(Readers Sound Off)
September 13, 2004... Your cover story on high-tech plastics for the new Mercury outboard engines (DN 06.28.04, http://rbi.ims.ca/3854-502) is a tribute to the ability of engineers to use new technology to solve problems. Unfortunately, it may also be a tribute to...

Manage your calculations: to reuse design data, get a handle on your calculations.(Insight from Insiders)
September 13, 2004... Nearly three years ago, Chris Randles led a management buyout of the Cambridge Div. of Mathsoft Inc. and formed Mathsoft Engineering and Education Inc. A veteran software executive, he has strong opinions on the topic of calculations...

Think copper for high speed: it's less expensive than fiber optics.(Really Opinionated People)
September 13, 2004... TOO MANY ENGINEERS AUTOMATICALLY think first of fiber optics when they think about high-speed data transfer. They should also give a thought to copper. Why? Primarily because it's less expensive. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Of course, many...

Mr. Roboto: Jeff Trinkle is beefing up a robot's brain--creating software that allows robots to solve problems independently.(Research for the Real World)
September 13, 2004... PRESENT POSITION: Chair of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute., Troy, NY DEGREES: B.S. Physics, Ursinus College; B.S. Engineering Science and Mechanics, Georgia Tech; Ph.D. Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania...

Titanium bearings take to the skies: new coating key to design that is 40 percent lighter.(Heard on the Street)
September 13, 2004... Every kilogram counts in aircraft design, so SKF subsidiary Sarma's announcement that its new titanium bearing with a bronze bushing will save more than 100 kg in weight per A380 landing gear over traditional bi-metal (bronze and steel)...

Force feedback key to auto throttle: pilots can now override the system.(Heard on the Street)(SKF Group offers new Automatic Throttle Control Unit)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Ever been on an airplane when the engines suddenly throttle up seemingly for no reason? It's probably because the pilot just switched from auto pilot (AP) back to manual control by disconnecting the AP and bringing the throttle levers back into...

Stability for the A380: bearings take on a tough job.(Heard on the Street)(Airbus380)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The new Airbus 380 may be the largest aircraft ever to be built, yet SKF engineers had devilishly tight constraints under which to design the bearing assembly for the horizontal tail stabilizer (HTP). The primary function of the HTP is to...

Award-winning tunes.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox. By delivering a RISC-based SBC in just 52 days, Applied Data Systems (ADS) helped Gibson engineers get their novel jukebox design completed in time to snag a best-of-show prize at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show....

On-the-go ultrasound system.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... GE Healthcare LOGIQ Book Portable Ultrasound System. The Olympics was one of the first applications for this highly portable ultrasound system, which is designed for both hospital and field environments. Low on weight but high on capabilities,...

Hands-free computing.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... Microvision Nomad[R] Expert Technician System ND2100. Most service technicians aren't all thumbs, but they could always make better use of the two they do have. To allow for hands-free access to repair manual data, Microvision engineers...

Surveillance system built tough.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... Raytheon Long-Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System. This device provides army scouts in the field with precise target location information based on input from a forward-looking infrared sensor, a GPS interferometer, a laser-range finder,...

High-performance imager.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... Concord Microsystems MicroPET 3D Imaging System. Even rats need tender loving care, and that's why Concord engineers developed this non-invasive imaging system for lab animals. Three WinSystems PCM-586 PC/104 SBCs, two for data acquisition, and...

Low-profile, mobile computer.(New and Notable Product Design)
September 13, 2004... Data911 Mobil Data Systems. Since emergency workers have a need for many more features in their vehicles than cupholders and seat recliners, size was a critical requirement for Data911's new line of mobile PCs. Kontron's low-profile (2.5 X 5.75...

Crossed-rollers strengthen largest naval radar bearing.(Technology You Can Use)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The bearing of the rotating radar antenna atop the foremast of the Royal Navy's latest Daring Class destroyer must resist shock and overturn loads that would topple the unit and function reliably in a salt-spray environment. Engineers at...

"Combs" keep cable carriers in line.(Technology You Can Use)
September 13, 2004... Fixed guide troughs, which support cable carriers for long travel applications of automated machinery, can be an obstruction in factories where traffic is heavy. For those who don't want to obstruct forklifts and other factory traffic with a...

By design, small things matter: small devices loom large in ocean racing.(Racing Technology)
September 13, 2004... Everything in ocean racing is big--the sky, the sea, the mast, the sails, the hull, the length of the course. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] So, of course, it's the small things that matter when you're looking for a technological advantage....

Electrical designer shortage.(Electronics)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Derek Carpenter, managing director of Datasound Labs, recently sounded off about the lack of qualified designers in the electronics industry cited electronicstalk.com. His outcry was in response to a letter written by the chief executive of...

Semiconductor sales are up.(Electronics)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The 2004 midterm semiconductor forecast published by Future Horizons shows that the semiconductor market will see a 32-percent growth in the rest of 2004 and a further 28-percent growth in 2005, which would make it a $282 billion dollar...

Cinematography redefined.(Electronics)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Sony's XDCAM[TM] Professional Disc[TM] System is being seen as the next big push in moviemaking technology. The system uses an optical disc to store media, allowing users to record and rewrite instantly accessible media hundreds of times...

More memory helps aging chip line: I/O to extend life, 8-bit chips gain memory.(Chips)
September 13, 2004... The market for 8-bit processors is far from glamorous, but it's also far from fading. Shipments continue to rise, and the breakdown of old performance barriers should help keep growth on track. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vendors have...

Finally, a telecom boom? Boardmakers race to catch AdvancedTCA wave.(Telecom)
September 13, 2004... Board vendors are racing to provide the building block for next-generation telecom systems based on the AdvancedTCA bus architecture. What's more is that the new architecture is predicted to have exponential growth in the next few years. ...

Ethernet goes industrial: new chips bring high speed to factory floor.(Electronics)(Freescale a subsidiary of Motorola launches single-chip microcontroller)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Ethernet is gaining acceptance in the industrial world, providing links between the front office and factory floor equipment. Motorola's chip subsidiary, Freescale, is bringing higher speeds to this market, unveiling a single-chip...

New instrumentation and controls.(Fluid Power)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Clark-Reliance[R] has formed a new Instrumentation and Controls Group that will be made up of Jerguson[R] liquid level gages and valves, Jacoby-Tarbox[R] sight flow indicators, Magne-Sonics[R] level measurement and control products, and...

Pumping standard.(Fluid Power)(Hydraulic Institute)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The Hydraulic Institute (HI) has recently added two new standards to its ANSI/HI Pump Standards. The first is the American National Standards for Air-Operated Pumps. This standard applies to air-operated pumps driven by a compressed gas...

Data.(Fluid power market )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... 27 Percent of the fluid power market that the aerospace segment makes up. Source: Census Bureau

Digital hydraulics extended to high-flow products: configure these valves through software.(Valves)
September 13, 2004... Digital hydraulics have been gaining momentum in recent years, but a new valve from Moog Inc. (East Aurora, NY) takes the technology a step further by adding high-flow and high-force characteristics to the digital regime. [ILLUSTRATION...

High-temp cable management.(Materials + Joining)(Cable ties)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Not all cable ties are created equal. Click Bond Inc. has come out with a new line of cable ties made from Victrex PEEK, a polyaryletherketone with temperature resistance up to 500 F. A far cry from the ordinary cable ties you can find down at...

Plastics glow.(Materials + Joining)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Keller Products Inc., a supplier of extruded plastic profiles, has developed a family of polymers that glows brightly in the dark, providing light for more than eight hours. These KelBrite plastics can be formulated for flexible or rigid...

Click for alloy info.(Materials + Joining)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Carpenter Technology Corporation has enhanced its online technical information database. The enhancement includes an improved interface and improved search functions. Launched in November 2000, the database allows users to search for and...

New composite lifts off: here's an introduction to a new glass-reinforced version of a familiar thermoplastic.(Engineering Plastics)(Ultem-based composite)
September 13, 2004... Plastic sheet made from polyetherimide (PEI) first found a home in aircraft interiors years ago. Most recently, Boeing picked GE Advanced Material's Ultem PEI for use in its C17 jetliner, while interiors supplier Adder has used it in a new...

Expanded site.(Motion Control + Power Transmission)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Synergetix, the creator of the do-it-yourself design tool Socket-Builder.com, has announced its version 2.0. The new version of SocketBuilder will expand the site's offering of automated design for QFN packages and Area Array packages and will...

Hybrid propulsion system.(Motion Control + Power Transmission)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... UQM Technologies has been awarded a contract from Eaton Corporation under a U.S. Department of Energy contract to develop hybrid propulsion components for trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles. UQM will be developing the motor and controller...

Gaseous gathering.(Motion Control + Power Transmission)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Engineers are invited to ASME International Gas Turbine's Gas Turbine Users Symposium (GTUS) at the 2004 Power-Gen International conference in Orlando. The conference, being held (Nov. 30 to Dec. 2) will deliver training and information to...

Controller improves router design: remote diagnostics among added features.(Precise Motion)(Edgetech, Inc.)
September 13, 2004... It's an often-times very frustrating reality for do-it-yourselfers that everything is easier the second time around, and easier still if you have the right tools for the job at hand. Edgetech, Inc. (Burnsville, MN) is applying that dictum...

Microstepping keeps pace: the drive for miniaturization, smoother motion, and lower costs keeps microstepping moving ahead.(Miniaturization)
September 13, 2004... Innovations improving smoothness of motion, miniaturizing designs, and networking are still moving microstepping technology ahead 25 years after it provided a revolutionary solution for position control. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unlike...

Cofes conference.(Software + Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software will take place from April 14-17, 2005 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. This conference, hosted by Cyon Research Corp. and sponsored by Hewlett Packard, will offer a venue for...

Business im-ing.(Software + Hardware)(Five Across Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Five Across Inc. recently launched an instant messaging service for businesses, which can be downloaded for free off of their network, according to IDG News Service. This free service is an alternative to the pricey business services already on...

International event.(Software + Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Want to meet up with engineering kin from around the globe? The International Association for the Engineering Analysis Community is hosting its 2005 World Congress on the island of Malta, May 17-20. NAFEMS is the only group dedicated to the...

Back to basics: FEA still key for verifying physical tests.(Failure Analysis)(finite element analysis)
September 13, 2004... The wrench did it. That was the conclusion forensic engineers at Herrera, Stafford, and Associates (HS & A) reached after a series of tests in their lab on the reasons for failure of a compressor head cover at a Texas oil well. The cover failed...

UGS unveils NX3: release incorporates data management and process management capabilities.(New Entry)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... UGS is poised to release later this month NX3, the latest version of its flagship CAD software that incorporates many new features. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Among the features are a new user interface, incorporation of data and process...

Translator trauma: CAD companies spar over translations.(computer-aided design)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... It's nothing like what's to come during the U.S. Presidential campaign, but Autodesk and SolidWorks are set to square off over the reliability of the latter's new .dwg editor, which purportedly lets AutoCAD users with 2D legacy files maintain...

Software analyzes power: target is high-performance IC packages, PCBs and systems.(Simulator)(Printed Circuit Boards )(Integrated Circuit )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Ansoft Corporation has announced the immediate availability of Slwave[TM] v2, a full-wave electro-magnetic field simulator. It analyzes signal- and power-integrity effects in high-performance printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuit...

Measuring blades ... oven bearings ... encoder down under ... the Search Engineer finds solutions to all your questions, problems, and dilemmas. Occasionally, he could be wrong. But he doubts it.(Ask the Search Engineer)
September 13, 2004... Dear Search Engineer: During the repair of aircraft turbine engines we have to grind the tip blade diameter of the compressor and turbine stages. I'm looking for a system to measure the tip blade diameter inside our new grinder without having...

coffee talk: Salton Beyond Coffee Maker.(Reference This!)
September 13, 2004... Salton's much anticipated Beyond Connected Home product line uses wireless technology to establish a LAN in the kitchen. Their Beyond Coffee Maker, a breadmaker, and microwave tie into the wireless network. The residential gateway for...

The right stuff: the best materials and mechanical design savvy help spacesuit makers balance conflicting engineering goals.(Cover Story)
September 13, 2004... NASA'S PLANS TO SEND ASTRONAUTS BACK TO THE Moon and, ultimately, to Mars raises an important sartorial question: What ever will they wear? The zero-gravity spacesuits that astronauts currently don when leaving the shuttle to manhandle...

CAD for the budget-conscious: don't have a big checkbook? No problem. You can get a lot of CAD for just $5,000. But make sure you know just what you're getting.(computer-aided design)
September 13, 2004... SHOWERED WITH A STREAM OF NEW AND INEXPENSIVE SOFTWARE RELEASES IN THE LAST several months, engineers continue to discover that they don't have to spend big bucks to get a CAD package that will help them boost their productivity. ...

Six ways to get a jump start designing with motor control ICs: versatile development boards can simplify and speed up the design process.(Motion Control)(integrated circuits)(Buyers Guide)
September 13, 2004... Semiconductor manufacturers are striving to simplify motion control designs by integrating motor-specific hardware and software into their motion control ICs. More and more also offer development boards and kits to help engineers do quick...

Cut the T & M cord: wireless PDAs increase measurement flexibility.(Innovative Ideas from the National Instruments)(test and measurement)(personal digital assistants)(Advertisement)
September 13, 2004... OVER THE YEARS, TEST-AND-MEASUREment equipment has evolved from stand-alone instruments, such as digital voltmeters and oscilloscopes, to add-in cards that transformed a PC into an instrument. As users became more sophisticated, vendors moved...

LabVIEW and virtual instrumentation increase software flexibility.(Test Experts Advertorial Series)(Advertisement)
September 13, 2004... With the reduced system costs and greater configuration flexibility that wireless networks provide, one of the few remaining risks is choosing the right wireless technology--mostly due to the diversity in wireless networks. At least three new...

Video driver integrates selectable filters: versatile IC addresses high-definition, progressive scan, and standard-definition formats.(Electronics)
September 13, 2004... Fairchild Semiconductor's FMS6407 is the first video driver to integrate circuitry for high-definition (HD), progressive scan, standard-definition (SD), and bypass filters into a single chip. Since this type of integration is the name of the...

Teamcenter-based multi-CAD solution: from UGS to INCAT.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The latest Teamcenter-based solution for multi-CAD is called INCAT Multi-CAD Express and it combines the consulting experiences of INCAT with Teamcenter. Teamcenter--a system that takes designs from many CAD systems and unifies them into one...

Upgraded display: longer lasting, higher contrast.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The LM60412, the upgraded version of the LM60408, has higher contrast ratio, with better color definition and clarity than its predecessor. The viewing angles of 80 degrees vertical and more than 100 degrees horizontal are much larger than...

3-D printer: shipment date moved up.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The InVision[TM] HR 3D printer, for which 3D Systems Corp. received a large number of requests after being shown at the Jewelers Circular Keystone show, has had its scheduled production date moved up. The high-resolution printer, which is...

Quadrature counter: uses FPGA chip.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Designed for robotic, motor control, measurement, and instrumentation applications, the 4136 is a stackable PC/104 card with eight 32-bit up/down counters. The counter can count in a normal quadrature mode (four times) or up/down mode (one...

High resolution for drives: with SIN/COS feedback.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Elmo Motion Control has incorporated high-resolution feedback into the SimpllQ drives family. The three drives that make up the SimpllQ family--the Harmonica, Cello, and Bassoon--all have different output power levels. Both the Harmonica and...

Fingerprint reader: eliminates the need to memorize passwords.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The APC Biometric Password Manager is a fingerprint reader for PC and laptop users to identify and access personal passwords. Up to 20 different fingerprints and users can store passwords on one single computer. The software stores an unlimited...

Software plug-in: from HighRES Solid Edge.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... HighRES has released an integrated 3D reverse engineering software plug-in for Solid Edge. The first product to offer digitizing directly into Solid Edge, HighRES lets users choose from more than 100 tools available from the drop-down HighRES...

Design software: easy to use, fast, and flexible.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Designed to bridge the gap between today's viewer technology and a full blown CAD seat, the Inovate V7 software program delivers an easy to use, fast, flexible, and power-making product. Great for situations in which 3D design concepts have to...

Optical measurement system: no required markers.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Marketed as portable, less expensive, and easier to use than existing 3D-coordinate measurement systems, the Dimensionizer System features two high-resolution cameras mounted on a precision bar. The system requires no markers or projected light...

Lifecycle management software: integrates requirements with info management.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Teamcenter integrates requirements/systems engineering with information management, allowing requirement traceability throughout a product's lifecycle. Teamcenter reportedly allows system engineers to define a whole solution, accounting for all...

Strategic partnership: with analysis capabilities.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... J2 Aircraft Solutions and DAR corporation have joined together to create software to provide analysis capabilities for Advanced Aircraft Analysis information. The partnership combines software that works to eliminate design flaws by analyzing...

Molding simulation software: targets new manufacturing process.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Providing rapid solutions for preliminary design and refined calculations for process, mold optimization, and final design verification, the PAM-RTM 2004 liquid composite molding simulation software package simulates a large number of...

Title Block Manager: automated changes available.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... Designed to automate batch changes, even by the thousands, the Title Block Manager provides full control over modifying title block information in batch. The product reportedly provides consistency by allowing CAD managers to create templates...

Mold Design: complex-mold creation capabilities.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... FaceWorks 2005 from Capvidia has been released as an add-in to SolidWorks for Mold Design. There are many new features, including a guide curve generator that allows users to generate a set of guide curves along a selected path, advanced...

Design visualization tool: new functionality included.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... A compact, secure tool that allows users to share designs by Actify's proprietary 3D view-only format for design visualization, the SpinFire Reader 2004 V2 allows users to combine a set of documents into a single, easily manageable file. These...

Quality assurance tools: updates with a new rule wizard.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The SpecChecker, SpecMonitor, and RuleManager programs from Axiom have all been released in new V7 versions. SpecChecker ensures that CAD standards are adhered to; SpecMonitor enforces standards while designers are placing elements to warn them...

Professional animation software: new shader technology.(Software/Hardware)
September 13, 2004... The 3Ds max 7 professional 3D modeling, rendering, and animation software from Discreet utilizes ATI shader technology to give real-time hardware accelerated rendering in the 3Ds max viewport. Designed to make a real-time 3D image rendered in...