New Product Announcements From: 7/18/2006 Modern Machine Shop Recently released by Delcam, the PowerSHAPE-e is a free CAD viewer designed to enable everyone involved in the product development process to view and comment on CAD data throughout any project. The viewer is designed for those who do not normally use CAD systems, such as sales staff who need to discuss progress with customers or market researchers who need feedback from retailers on design proposals. It is available for download at www.powershape-e.com. To prevent unauthorized export of data, users can password-protect all models. This ensures any design sent to subcontractors for manufacturing quotes cannot reach the market until a quote is approved, according to the company. Users can then release the password to only the approved supplier before manufacturing begins. Incorporating Delcam's PS-Exchange data translation software, the viewer can read files from all the main CAD systems, including CATIA, UG, Pro/Engineer, IDEAS, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor and Solid Edge, as well as new formats such as IGES and STEP. Users can then mark imported models with any comments or suggestions. For CAD users, the viewer incorporates surface and solid modelling functionality. These features are designed to allow operators to experiment with different design variants and add notes explaining their alterations. Finally, model compare functionality enables users to identify and highlight any changes to the model at all stages of development. This potentially can ensure that everyone involved with the project has the most recent design and that any alterations are in accordance with managers' intentions.