Even
from a technical perspective, implementation of the direct modeling module for a mass Russian MCAD KOMPAS-3D is a non-routine event. If you are a skeptic not responsible for the success of your business, you may doubt the benefits and
prospects of direct modeling as much as you like. If, however, your interests
and responsibilities include enhancing competitive ability of your solutions on
the global market, you cannot be behind synchronous technology, Fusion
approach, Creo Direct, etc. To stay
ahead will be even better.
At the
end of my message, I give links to learn about
technological, historic and organizational aspects of developing variational
direct modeling technology (VDM), conceived by LEDAS. However, it is more
important for me to emphasize something different rather than technical aspects
of our achievements. It was effectually expressed in private communications by
a very reputable figure on the Russian market of engineering software: “I am
not apt to underestimate the breakthrough nature of the event. It’s a real
hassle to make arrangements with a single actor, but the three hardcore
competitors for CAD, kernels and solvers worked it out very well. The world is
changing, and this high-profile matter deserves to be communicated to the
people…”.
The
story has its own heroes. On the part of ASCON – this is, first of all,
Vladimir Panchenko, one of the leading ASCON production engineers and analysts,
who has studied capabilities of VDM technology from all sides. He made the key
contribution to architecture of its efficient integration into KOMPAS. Vladimir
is the KOMPAS-VDM project leader on behalf of ASCON; combining in-depth
competence, insistence on high standards and enthusiasm. He continuously
supported the project and will support its advancement.
On the
part of LEDAS - the project leader, Alexei Istomin, a capable young
mathematician and software engineer, who has become an effective, up-and-coming
manager in course of the project progress.
On the
part of Bricsys – this is, first of all, an outstanding founder and CEO of the
company, Erik de Keyser, for who the long-term strategic interests are much
more important than any superficial considerations about localized benefits and
tactical competition, related to possessing VDM technology, LGS geometric
solver used in VDM, and implementing VDM into the company’s own CAD - Bricscad.
By the way, I recommend you to follow the work of the next Bricsys conference in Amsterdam where Eric is going to announce new developments - likely not less
important than a year ago.
I would
like to specifically emphasize the role of Kolomna, a small town in Moscow area
which is a key place of ASCON’s software development projects. Apart from
Vladimir Panchenko, this unique town is the work place of, for instance, one of
the principal ASCON founders, as they say - "the KOMPAS Mum", the
Head of the KOMPAS-3D development unit in Kolomna, and just a charming woman –
Tatyana Yankina (see "ASCON Faces"); as well as Nikolai Golovanov, the
author of KOMPAS-3D geometric kernel, who published several fundamental books
on software engineering, an industry classic.
It is
impossible not to mention the not-yet-fully-exposed role of the phenomenal
Kolomna pastille in the success of ASCON technology (see the picture of it at
the end of the story). Even in mid of XIX century, the most famous Russian
composer Peter Tchaikovsky used to come
to Kolomna to taste this pastille and probably to be inspired for his Swan Lake
ballet. Today, the town has an excellent museum of pastille which always
attracts a lot of tourists. Who knows maybe specific ingredients of the local
pastille nourish the developers of KOMPAS:).
Kolomna
is certainly very special, but the decision about the ASCON project was
obviously made in St Petersburg at the ASCON HQ; and we must emphasize the
innovative courage of the company top executives, which has been robustly
unfolding lately. As you
can see, the project is transcontinental (A - Novosibirsk, LEDAS, B - Kolomna, ASCON-KOMPAS, C - St Petersburg, D - Gent, Belgium, Bricsys):
You can
learn about variational direct modeling and its implementation as well as about
transition of VDM to Bricsys and its life there from
One of the dozens of types of the Kolomna pastille (a nice side-effect of the ASCON-LEDAS contract):
