101 articles
Onshape
Onshape is a cloud-based CAD and product data management platform that runs entirely in a web browser, founded in 2012 and acquired by PTC in 2019.
OPAL-RT
OPAL-RT is a Canadian technology company founded in Montréal in 1997 that builds real-time simulators such as RT-LAB and HYPERSIM, used by utilities, automakers, and universities for hardware-in-the-loop testing.
Open Cascade Technology
Open Cascade Technology (OCCT) is an open-source, object-oriented C++ class library for 3D surface and solid modeling, CAD data exchange, and visualization, developed by the French company Open Cascade SAS.
OpenDSS
OpenDSS is an open-source power distribution system simulator released by EPRI in 2008, from its 1997 DSS program, used for distribution planning and research on unbalanced North American distribution systems.
OpenPlant
OpenPlant is a plant design software suite by Bentley Systems for 3D modeling of process and power plants in industries like oil and gas, chemicals, and power generation.
OpenROAD
OpenROAD is an open-source electronic design automation project for digital chip design, taking designs from RTL Verilog to GDSII layout; it was launched under DARPA's IDEA program in 2018.
OrCAD
OrCAD is a suite of electronic design automation software for printed circuit board design, first released in 1985 and owned by Cadence Design Systems since 1999.
Parasolid
Parasolid is a geometric modeling kernel owned by Siemens Digital Industries Software that computes exact 3D solid geometry for CAD products including NX, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, and Onshape.
ParaView
ParaView is an open-source, multi-platform data analysis and visualization application that lets scientists and engineers explore simulation results interactively in 3D, built on the Visualization Toolkit and first released in 2002.
Physical verification
Physical verification is the sign-off stage in chip design where DRC and LVS checks confirm an integrated circuit layout is manufacturable and matches the intended design.
Place and route
Place and route is the stage of integrated circuit design that assigns locations to logic cells and connects their pins with metal wires under timing, area, and power constraints.
Precision RTL
Precision RTL is an FPGA logic-synthesis tool, originally from Mentor Graphics and now sold by Siemens EDA, that turns Verilog or VHDL into netlists for multiple FPGA vendors.
Product data management
Product data management (PDM) is the software and practice of organizing CAD files, drawings, bills of materials, and revisions in a central repository, so engineers work from current product information.
Product lifecycle
The product lifecycle is the sequence of stages a product passes through from conception to final disposal, with distinct marketing models and engineering models of its phases.
PSCAD
PSCAD (Power Systems Computer Aided Design) is a graphical simulation environment for power systems electromagnetic transient studies, serving as the front end to the EMTDC simulation engine.
Questa
Questa is a functional verification platform for digital hardware designs sold by Siemens EDA, formerly Mentor Graphics, built around the QuestaSim simulator and first released in 2005.
Rhinoceros 3D
Rhinoceros 3D, commonly called Rhino or Rhino3D, is a professional CAD program for Windows and macOS by Robert McNeel & Associates that models free-form shapes with NURBS surfaces.
Scan-to-BIM
Scan-to-BIM is the process of converting 3D laser-scanned point clouds of existing structures into semantically enriched Building Information Models, used for renovation, facility management, heritage documentation, and digital twins.
Siemens Digital Industries Software
Siemens Digital Industries Software is a Siemens AG division providing design, manufacturing, and product lifecycle management software, including NX and Teamcenter, built from the 2007 UGS acquisition.
Siemens EDA
Siemens EDA, formed from Mentor Graphics, acquired by Siemens in 2017 and rebranded in 2021, is the third-ranked EDA vendor behind Synopsys and Cadence, known for its Calibre verification software.
Siemens NX
Siemens NX, formerly Unigraphics, is a CAD/CAM/CAE software suite from Siemens Digital Industries Software, built on the Parasolid kernel and acquired with UGS Corp. in 2007.
Signoff (EDA)
Signoff in electronic design automation is the final verification stage of a chip design flow, checking timing, power, and physical rules against foundry requirements before tapeout.
Silvaco
Silvaco is a Santa Clara, California-based provider of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) and EDA software and semiconductor IP, founded in 1984 and public on Nasdaq since May 2024.
Simcenter
Simcenter is a portfolio of engineering simulation and physical testing software from Siemens Digital Industries Software, launched in 2016 and expanded by the roughly $10 billion Altair acquisition in 2025.
SIMULIA
SIMULIA is the simulation software brand of the French company Dassault Systèmes, created in 2005 after acquiring ABAQUS, offering virtual testing of product performance and safety before physical prototypes.
SketchUp
SketchUp, also known as Google SketchUp or Trimble SketchUp, is a 3D modeling program used in architecture and construction, first released in 2000 and owned by Trimble since 2012.
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS is a parametric, feature-based 3D CAD program for mechanical product design, founded in 1993 and acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 1997 for about $310 million.
SPICE
SPICE, short for Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis, is an electronic circuit simulation program developed at UC Berkeley, first released in 1972 and standard for analog design.
STL (file format)
STL, short for STereoLithography, is a file format describing a 3D object's surface as a triangular mesh, and the de facto standard for 3D printing.
Swanson Analysis Systems
Swanson Analysis Services, also known as Swanson Analysis Systems, was an American engineering software company founded by John A. Swanson in 1970 to develop the ANSYS finite-element analysis program.