[Customer story] Faster 3D modelling processes with Alias Surface and VRED

Design automotive parts more quickly

CIXA Design has taken another step forward in 3D modelling for the automotive industry. Our use of Autodesk solutions, such as Alias Surface and VRED, with training provided by Asidek, allows faster development of creations at all project stages.

Image courtesy of Design Consulting.

Passion for design

CIXA Design was established in Barcelona (Spain) in 2009 and specialises in 3D modelling for the automotive industry. With its well-balanced workforce, the company focusses on design projects and the development of final production parts for engineering experts, to whom it also provides support.

The keys to the company’s success include Asidek’s training in modelling software, contacts in the corporate world and the creation of mixed groups of junior and senior modellers, which makes the best use of the experience of its seasoned professionals and the thirst for knowledge of its youngest employees.

In this regard, collaboration with companies such as Design Consulting, a provider of automotive design and engineering services, has led to long-standing professional relationships with market leaders, such as BMW and, subsequently, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Volkswagen, Seat, Audi, Piaggio, Nissan, FIAT, Bugatti, Volvo and Ferrari, among others. The company also works with technological start-ups, which provides it with opportunities for greater experimentation and entry into other activities, such as aerospace design.

Image courtesy of Design Consulting.

Technical profile – the key to sound modelling

For CIXA Design, the most important part of approaching a project is to consider the specific profile required for work at each stage. Whereas more creative and design-oriented modellers are needed at initial stages, engineers are required at later stages, as they define technical limits. However, at the final stage, also known as “class A”, technical 3D modellers work on the viability of the part or model, taking into account factors such as demoulding, unlevelling and their tolerance, and the material used. This is a very important process, as it may take over a year to complete.

In modelling, other factors are considered, such as aerodynamics, in order to meet customers’ needs, and remodelling, when necessary.

“New tools that have emerged in recent years have allowed us to speed up modelling and modification processes, as well as the development of parts”.

— Xavi Lopez, General Manager, CIXA Design

Image courtesy of Design Consulting.

Benefits of digitalisation in sustainability

Digitalisation has helped to promote sustainability within the company. In resource management, it is no longer necessary to manufacture a prototype for each change in concept, and decision-taking is now faster. Digital models allow the company to evaluate processes step by step and to choose the best moments for the creation of real product models. This optimises the use of tangible and intangible resources and provides better bottom-line results.

CIXA Design also experiments with the use of tools that combine programming and modelling, which helps to expedite processes and improve productivity, thus reducing time spent on obtaining complex forms and making better use of designers’ efforts.

Image courtesy of Design Consulting

Autodesk solutions to achieve excellence

In the daily operations of CIXA Design, some of Autodesk’s 3D modelling tools are of utmost importance, as they allow much faster development of parts, from design to final stage. In this sense, they also use systems to share information, in order to see the level of the part in real time.

The solutions used include Alias Surface for modelling of surfaces at all project stages. Two more solutions are VRED, the leading software for the creation of images and animation of end products in presentations, and SUBDIVISIONS for the creation of fast models and identification of volumes at the earliest stages, as well as for milling models and choosing the most suitable design options.

Future challenges with global vision

In the electric mobility industry, the company works continuously on the development of interior and exterior UI/UX. Full digitalisation of functions now allows interior design to make much better use of space and to be more versatile, thus promoting innovation in a characteristically traditional industry. Similarly, exterior design is now able to do away with certain parts and components that have been necessary until now, such as front ventilation grills, rear-view mirrors (now cameras) and buttons that can be replaced with screens. This opens up a world of opportunities to rethink the image of electric cars.

The CIXA Design team, in collaboration with Design Consulting, is currently studying and developing a system that facilitates the combination of digital machining and manufacturing processes. The initiative seeks the manufacturing of small batches with proprietary designs and provides smaller companies with opportunities to compete with larger rivals in the industry of electric car manufacturing. It is a bold initiative that seeks to expand the scope of digital design and to create a new productive and open ecosystem.

Image courtesy of Design Consulting.

Asidek – key technical support

In human and technical terms, the company’s collaboration with Asidek was a particularly important step towards its achievement of excellence in moulding. From its assistance in the selection and use of licenses to its training in Alias Surface and VRED, its contributions have proven to be highly satisfactory. As a result of its training initiatives, the company’s engineers are now able to work in many European markets, including Germany, France and Austria.

At present, CIXA Design continues to rely on Asitek’s advice and recommendations to improve its efficiency and competitiveness.