NX: Our complete CAD platform that centralizes product design

Advanced 3D design & product design

NX provides a complete environment to quickly create and modify parts and assemblies, easily handling technical or legacy geometries. Teams can design faster while maintaining precise control over design intent.

In practice:

• Parametric, synchronous, and convergent modeling
• Freeform surfaces for industrial design and complex shapes
• Use of legacy, imported, or scanned data (STEP, IGES, STL…)
• Dedicated tools for additive manufacturing and product variants

Result: reliable models over time, fewer reworks, and a direct transition to simulation, drafting, or industrialization tools.

Example: adjusting a functional area just before validation or integrating a supplier-imposed variant in just a few minutes.

Complex assemblies

NX naturally manages large assemblies and complex configurations, even in multi-model contexts. Designers work efficiently thanks to adaptive loading and an architecture designed for large assemblies.

In practice:

• Large assemblies with partial loading
• Context-based design and dynamic references
• Interference analysis and clearance checking
• Advanced motion and kinematics management

NX automatically optimizes display and loading depending on the context, allowing users to work quickly even with assemblies containing several thousand parts.

Result: stable performance, less waiting time, and better control of interactions between components.

Example: analyzing the impact of a change on a large assembly or managing multiple variants of a complex product without disruption.

Knowledge reuse & automation

NX Knowledge Reuse leverages your CAD assets and engineering rules to standardize best practices and accelerate projects. Teams avoid unnecessary iterations.

In practice:

• 3D shape-based search (Geolus Shape Search)
• Reuse library (parts, features, product templates)
• NX automation and customization (templates, rules, scripts)

Result: fewer redundant parts, better consistency with standards, and faster designs.

Example: finding a part based on similarity, reusing a standard shaft calculation, or applying engineering rules when designing a sub-assembly.

Electrical, P&ID and routed systems

NX covers electrical schematics, P&ID, wiring, and piping, with continuity between 2D and 3D. Electrical and mechanical designers work on the same technical foundation.

In practice:

• NX Routed Systems: wiring, harnesses, pipes, ducts
• NX P&ID Design: process diagrams (P&ID) linked to the 3D model
• Generation of bills of materials and pin lists

Result: fewer wiring errors, collisions, or inconsistencies between the schematic and the model.

Example: designing a harness from a schematic or routing that harness within a complex design.

Product definition, MBD & documentation

NX manages complete product definition: PMI, Model Based Definition, drafting, and reporting. The 3D model becomes the single source of truth.

In practice:

• Model Based Definition (NX MBD)
• 3D PMI + drawing-to-PMI conversion (Convert to PMI)
• Advanced drafting & documentation
• Visual reporting (NX HD3D) and Design Validation

Result: less documentation maintenance, smoother reviews, and better downstream understanding.

Example: converting existing drawings into PMI or generating a visual report to verify compliance with specifications.

Simulation & digital validation (NX CAE / Simcenter)

NX integrates simulation directly into the design process with Simcenter solvers, covering structural, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic phenomena.

In practice:

• Structural, thermal, dynamic, and motion simulation
• Topological and parametric optimization
• Acoustic, electromagnetic, and CFD analyses (via Simcenter)
• Pre/post-processing, meshing, and simulation data management

Result: earlier validation, fewer physical prototypes, and more reliable technical decisions.

Example: verifying the strength of a housing, optimizing a structural part, or evaluating the heat generation of an electronic enclosure.

Sheet metal & welded mechanical parts

NX provides a complete environment to design, unfold, and industrialize sheet metal parts. Teams can quickly model technical geometries with reliable management of bends, radii, and manufacturing constraints.

In practice:

• Creation and modification of sheet metal parts
• Automatic flat patterns with material and machine rules
• Library of bends, embosses, punches, and standard forms
• Conversion from solid part to sheet metal part

Result: models that can be used directly for laser cutting, punching, or bending without manual rework.

Example: converting a solid part into sheet metal just before industrialization or automatically adjusting bends according to an engineering rule.

Collaboration & data management

NX is designed for collaborative work: multiple designers can work on the same assembly with precise control over modifications. Native integration with Teamcenter ensures full continuity between design, changes, and industrialization.

In practice:

• Check-in / check-out and object locking
• Version comparison and change tracking
• Teamcenter integration (structures, bills of materials, workflows)
• Collaboration and simultaneous updates on large assemblies

Result: fewer version conflicts, better traceability, and reliable digital continuity throughout the entire project.

Example: automatically synchronizing a sub-assembly modification in the PLM bill of materials or tracking the impact of a change on a production line.