As the core cornerstone of modern industrial design, whether it is the blueprint drawing of skyscrapers or the structural design of precision instruments, it is inseparable from the accurate modeling of CAD software. In 2023, Dr. Fu Tianxiong, a CAD giant with more than 30 years of experience in software R&D and management, will join ZW, leading domestic CAD software to a new future. As an alumnus, I have asked Mr. Fu many times about the development of CAD technology, and I know that he has a deep understanding and rich practical experience of 3D modeling architecture and kernel technology, and he is also the winner of the Asian American Outstanding Engineer Award with outstanding achievements. Recently, I learned that Mr. Fu devoted himself to the domestic industrial software business, and I conducted an in-depth interview with Mr. Fu.
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本文作者:e-works 总编/CEO 黄培博士。
Dr. Tianxiong Fu, winner of the National Asian American Outstanding Engineer Award and a well-known expert in the field of CAD
From love to excellence
The growth mark of a CAD software specialist
Albert Einstein famously said, "Interest is the best teacher." Dr. Fu Tianxiong's fate with CAD has to start from his academic career. In 1980, after graduating from the former Huazhong Institute of Technology (i.e., Huazhong University of Science and Technology) with a bachelor's degree in mechanical manufacturing, Fu Tianxiong studied for a master's degree under Academician Xiong Youlun, studied mechanical engineering and software development and other technologies, and since then stepped into the field of programming. After graduating with a master's degree in 1987, Fu Tianxiong stayed at the university to engage in scientific research projects and explore robotics technology with his mentor. From 1990 to 1995, Fu Tianxiong went to the New Western Institute of Technology in the United States to study for a Ph.D., where he systematically studied computer vision and CAD technology. After long-term study and research, Dr. Fu Tianxiong has an in-depth and thorough understanding of the underlying technologies for building CAD systems, such as Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG), Topology, Boundary Representation (Brep), etc., which has laid a solid foundation for his future career in CAD software research and development.
After graduating with a Ph.D. in 1995, Fu Tianxiong devoted himself to CAD data conversion, accumulated rich experience in CAD data processing, and deeply understood the importance of data standards. In 1998, Fu Tianxiong joined the world's top software company as a senior manager of the core modeling technology development department, responsible for the architecture design of the CAD system and the research and development of the core modeling function, controlling the research and development needs, managing and coordinating the progress of the research and development project, and continuously improving the modeling function and user experience. Looking back on nearly 30 years of CAD software research and development, Fu Tianxiong is full of emotion: "I have experienced many large-scale product refactoring and optimization, from Fortran to C language, and then to C++, and the evolution of technology has also brought great changes in product architecture and logic. ”
In Fu's view, the customer-centric concept is the key to driving product development. Therefore, he pays attention to maintaining frequent communication and exchanges with key customers, deeply understanding their R&D needs, and leading the team to provide strong technical support.
In 2014, Fu received the Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY) award sponsored by the Chinese Society of Engineers Americas (CIE-USA) founded in 1917 and commissioned by the National Engineers Week Foundation. Known as the "Oscars of Engineering", the award recognizes the contributions of outstanding Asian-American scientists and engineers across the United States to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in science, technology, engineering, and industry. Since its inception in 2002, successive honorees have included outstanding Asian American talents, including Nobel laureates such as Ding Zhaozhong, Steven Chu, and Cui Qi, and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang was awarded the National Asian American Distinguished Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Fu Tianxiong received the Asian American Outstanding Engineer Award
From focusing on CAD data conversion technology to deeply participating in the whole process of research and development of world-class 3D CAD software, including the design of core modeling architecture, function development and verification of R&D results, Dr. Fu Tianxiong has always been fully committed. These valuable experiences have allowed him to truly understand the underlying technical essence of the international mainstream 3D CAD software, and become an industry leader who can control highly complex 3D CAD software, which is also the confidence of Fu Tianxiong to lead the R&D and innovation of domestic industrial software.
From 2D to 3D
The value extension and upgrading of CAD technology
As a veteran expert in the CAD industry, Fu Tianxiong closely follows the profound evolution of the global CAD market landscape. In his view, CAD is not only a tool, but also an important force to promote industrial innovation and improve production efficiency. From 2D CAD to 3D CAD, no matter how the market demand changes, how the technology is innovated, or the continuous update of industry evaluation standards, CAD technology has always been developing in the process of change, promoting the innovation and development of industrial design and manufacturing.
1. Take the pulse of the CAD industry: geometry engine is the key to development
Fu Tianxiong believes that although 2D CAD is still widely used, large and medium-sized enterprises around the world have gradually shifted to full 3D design. The high-end market of 3D CAD software is controlled by a few dominant players, which have their own advantages in different industries; In the mid-end market, small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises pay more attention to ease of use and high cost performance, and the market concentration is lower than that of the high-end market, and there are also huge market opportunities.
From the perspective of the core components of a CAD system, the geometry engine and geometric constraint solver are essential to the construction of a CAD system. Geometry engines in particular, if the CAD system is considered the crown, then the geometry engine is the crown jewel. Fu Tianxiong pointed out that the current geometry engines on the market are Parasolid and ACIS as the mainstream, of which Parasolid is widely used. As the basis of the CAD system, the geometry engine determines the basic functionality and performance of the product. The main function of the geometry engine is to create, store and process geometric models, and to provide interfaces to facilitate the development of upper-level CAD applications. The application scope of the geometry engine is not limited to the CAD field, but also widely used in CAM, CAE and other fields. Self-developed geometry engines are challenging for CAD software vendors, but they are also valuable for improving the competitiveness of CAD software vendors.
2. Practice sharp-eyed: meeting user needs is the standard of software
As the core of the manufacturing industry, CAD technology is related to the quality and efficiency of product design, and is an important criterion to measure a country's industrial strength. However, there is a lack of unified CAD software evaluation indicators on the market. Fu Tianxiong believes that it can be evaluated from the dimensions of function, performance, ease of use, stability, compatibility, and openness.
First of all, the function, CAD software needs to meet the needs of different levels, from sketch design, part modeling to assembly modeling, as well as a variety of common standard parts and process characteristics model library construction, as well as dimensional tolerance marking and parametric design, etc., which is the basic skill of CAD software;
An excellent CAD software should have rich functions and excellent performance to meet the diverse applications such as complex product assembly, advanced rendering, motion simulation, etc., and provide system updates in a timely manner;
The third is ease of use, whether the user interface (UI) and operation mode meet international standards, which is convenient for users to quickly get started and operate;
The fourth is stability, which directly affects the user's experience and is also a basic requirement for software maturity;
The fifth is compatibility, which includes not only the compatibility between software versions, but also the ability to interact with other software, especially when dealing with complex data exchanges, whether additional tools or plug-ins are required;
The sixth is openness, an excellent CAD software needs to meet cross-industry applications and personalized needs, support integrated applications, and provide API interfaces.
3. Insight into the future of CAD: the integration of new technologies is the essence of change
At present, the CAD software industry is undergoing unprecedented changes, and new tools and methods are constantly emerging. Fu Tianxiong pointed out that the combination of topology optimization and generative design technology and additive manufacturing technology will further improve the performance of CAD software and lead the new trend of personalized design. The application of cloud computing will improve the application efficiency of CAD software; Emerging technologies such as VR/AR and digital twins have great potential and will further enrich the application scenarios of CAD software.
At the same time, CAD technology is expanding into more areas, providing solutions for a wide range of industries, such as engineering and construction and plant design. In addition, the lightweight of 3D CAD data, the integrated application of CAD/CAPP/CAM/CAE, and the realization of MBD (Model-Based Product Definition) have become the direction of continuous development and innovation of CAD software.
From the past to the future
A promoter of the CAD industry
As an unswerving promoter of the CAD industry, Dr. Fu Tianxiong has always been at the forefront for more than 30 years, leading the R&D team to develop many advanced modeling functions and practical tools for users around the world, which not only improves the efficiency and accuracy of CAD technology, but also injects a steady stream of impetus into the development of the entire industry.
1. Stick to the original intention and embark on a new journey in the CAD industry
After in-depth exchanges and research, Fu Tianxiong found that many domestic industrial software manufacturers have quietly risen, not only in some subdivided industries or specific fields in a leading position, but also some domestic industrial software manufacturers also have strong R&D strength and forward-looking international vision.
"Compared with foreign counterparts, domestic industrial software's deep understanding of the domestic market and application scenarios has become their unique competitiveness. Software research and development is one thing, and how to better meet the needs of the domestic market is another level of challenge. Fu Tianxiong emphasized, "The domestic software industry has incomparable advantages in terms of working hours and efficiency, as long as the direction is clear and the method is appropriate, domestic software companies will be able to catch up with their international counterparts." ”
Taking ZW, for example, it is not stingy with R&D investment, although increasing R&D investment will lead to financial data that is not so good in the eyes of the capital market, but its long-term vision is not swayed by short-term interests. The high investment in R&D has continuously enhanced its technical strength in the fields of 2D CAD, 3D CAD/CAM and CAE, and has also established an independent core technology matrix for the company in the R&D and design industrial software industry.
At the same time, localization is the current background, which has a great impact on the entire CAD industry, but the goal of ZWG is not limited to this, it pursues the development path of globalization, and realizes the importance of the underlying geometry engine for software earlier than its domestic counterparts. In 2010, ZWG acquired VX and has the Geometry Engine Overdrive, which has been deeply applied by large industrial enterprises such as NKK of Japan, Samsung of South Korea, and SNK of Japan.
The engine consists of three levels: memory and data management, mathematical algorithms for geometric objects, and 3D modeling implementation. After the completion of the acquisition, Overdrive will be mainly used in the self-developed ZW's 3D platform and ZW's simulation products. Through the acquisition of VX, ZWD owns all the source code of Overdrive and enjoys complete intellectual property rights, which also determines that ZW3D is a domestic 3D CAD software in the true sense, which greatly avoids security issues for many enterprises that are worried about the future development of foreign software.
"In the long run, with China's own geometry engine, ZWW3D's future capabilities and development potential are limitless, and it has the most solid foundation to become a world-class 3D CAD software." Fu Tianxiong said that some peers in the acquisition of foreign software, but also need to complete the digestion and absorption of technology, the industry generally believes that this process takes at least 10 years, and the risk of failure is extremely high, ZW's has successfully experienced this process, and now we need to pay more attention to how to continue to optimize and develop on this basis.
In addition, the behavior style of the enterprise is also valued by Fu Tianxiong, and ZWG advocates "doing first-class things and enjoying first-class life", focusing on the growth and development of employees; In the face of the market chill and financial pressure after the merger and acquisition, ZWG still insisted on retaining the American team and mathematicians, showing its firm determination and long-term vision. Fu Tianxiong candidly said that choosing to join ZW, because he believes that Chinese do well in industrial software, and is a comprehensive consideration of ZW's continuous R&D investment strength and determination to build world-class industrial software.
2. Keep improving and move towards world-class industrial software
In 2023, Dr. Fu Tianxiong officially joined ZW, shouldering the work of ZW's 3D product research and development, and leading the R&D team to accelerate the leap in the overall product capability. For future development, Fu Tianxiong introduced that ZW's has many clear plans and goals: by continuously improving the common core root technology, optimizing the software architecture and development environment, and striving to reach the industry-leading level in terms of technical level and product competitiveness; At the same time, it actively seeks differentiated development and further highlights its own characteristics.
In terms of the underlying technology, Fu Tianxiong revealed: "We plan to use Overdrive for more projects to further enhance the competitiveness of its products. He will combine his expertise and experience to further drive innovation and development in Overdrive's technology, allowing it to stay ahead of the curve in the global marketplace. Specific measures include algorithm optimization and architecture reconstruction, key technology research such as parameterization technology and solver, and building a lean development environment.
In addition to focusing on the stability and functional improvement of existing products, Fu Tianxiong will also focus on the integration of new technologies and the expansion of new fields. For example, in 2023, the company established a professional AI team to conduct preliminary exploration in the field of AI+CAx and successively launch relevant technical achievements. In the future, Fu Tianxiong will also promote the integration of AI in 3D CAD to further enhance the technical strength of ZWW3D.
To make industrial software, we must pay attention to ecological construction. Fu Tianxiong believes that a healthy industrial software ecosystem should be a multi-party technology complementary, common participation, and common benefit. Fu Tianxiong highly recognized ZW's advocacy and promotion of building a sustainable and win-win industrial ecology, and constantly enriching the application system on the CAD platform.
In the process of building the ecosystem, Fu Tianxiong emphasized that standardization is very important, including open protocols, data formats and other aspects, only when these are unified and standardized, the healthy development of the ecology. For example, in the field of CAD, several major domestic manufacturers should open up core resources such as APIs to promote the progress of the entire CAD industry.
Epilogue
From studying abroad to becoming a technology giant, Dr. Fu's growth trajectory is closely intertwined with the transformation of the CAD industry. He has witnessed the rapid advancement of CAD technology and the profound changes in the global CAD landscape.
Today, as the technical head of ZW, in the face of the turbulent industrial software market and the rapid changes of the industry, Dr. Fu Tianxiong is seeking breakthroughs in multiple dimensions such as ZWG 3D's underlying architecture, technological innovation, team building and ecological construction, and making unremitting efforts to promote domestic CAD software to become a world-class industrial software.
I believe that under the leadership of Dr. Fu Tianxiong, with the continuous progress of ZW's 3D technology and the continuous expansion of industrial application scenarios, China's industrial software will surely shine in the international market.