Granta Design announced details of the Eco Materials Adviser Full Version. This will build upon the sustainable design tool currently available, at no extra cost, within Autodesk Inventor 2012 software.
Autodesk Inventor Eco Materials Adviser helps designers to estimate a product's environmental impact and to make more sustainable design decisions. The Full Version, available for purchase from Granta later this year, will enable users to analyze larger assemblies, to study materials options in more depth, and to account for a wider range of contributions to environmental impact.
Using the Eco Materials Adviser, currently a designer can quickly generate an eco impact analysis for a product part or assembly within Autodesk Inventor. An easy-to-read dashboard display shows key indicators such as energy usage, restricted substances, CO2 footprint, water usage, and materials cost. Any Autodesk Inventor user can interactively explore the sustainability impact of changes in materials choice or the design of their digital prototype.
The Full Version will enable more in-depth analyses, specifically:
Assembly size - the Full Version will allow users to study Autodesk Inventor assemblies of any size.
More depth on materials options - The Base Version allows users to select from a representative set of materials. Designers can draw useful conclusions about which classes of materials to use, and can access engineering and cost data on these materials so that environmental targets can be considered alongside other objectives. The Full Version will support designers wishing to study materials options in more depth, offering a choice of around 3,000 materials.
Broader scope - The Full Version will account for the eco impact of the complete product lifecycle - raw materials, manufacture, transport, use, and disposal - and will add consideration of finishing processes such as painting, electroplating, and powder coating. The result will be a more well-rounded sustainability profile.
"Our software allows people to better understand the products they create before they manufacture them to make better, more sustainable design decisions," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. "Granta will take manufacturers' understanding one step further by making its materials information and eco assessment tools available to Autodesk Inventor customers around the world."
Granta's eco design mission is to help companies reduce environmental impacts, costs, and risks through integrated tools to manage and apply materials and process knowledge. "Eco Materials Adviser is a significant step in enabling practical eco design," said Dr. Patrick Coulter, chief operating officer at Granta Design. "We are pleased to announce the additional analysis options that we will soon be providing to Inventor users, and we look forward to delivering this new product later this year."