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solidThinking

solidThinking was a founded in 1991 in by brothers Alessandro and Mario Mazzardo to provide (CAD) and simulation tools tailored for industrial designers, particularly in sectors like automotive, consumer goods, and . It was acquired by in 2008 and integrated its technology into Altair's broader portfolio of simulation-driven design solutions, enabling faster product development by reducing reliance on physical prototypes; was itself acquired by in March 2025. The company's flagship products included solidThinking Inspire (now Altair Inspire), a tool for concept generation and topology optimization that uses simulation to explore lightweight, structurally efficient designs early in the development process. solidThinking Evolve (now part of Altair Inspire Studio) focused on advanced 3D modeling and rendering, supporting hybrid surface-subdivision workflows for creating complex, organic shapes with high-fidelity visualization. Additionally, solidThinking Click2Cast (now Altair Inspire Cast) offered casting simulation capabilities, allowing users to predict and optimize metal casting processes for improved manufacturability and reduced defects. These tools emphasized ease of use, integration with existing CAD environments, and GPU-accelerated computations to accelerate innovation. Post-acquisition, solidThinking's offerings evolved under (and subsequently ), contributing to unified platforms like Altair Inspire, which combines , motion analysis, and simulations in a single environment as of 2025. This integration has supported applications in diverse industries, from to jewelry design, by enabling multidisciplinary teams to iterate designs rapidly while incorporating physics-based insights.

History

Founding

solidThinking was founded in 1991 by brothers Alessandro Mazzardo and Mario Mazzardo, along with software Guido Quaroni. The project originated in as an effort to create advanced tools tailored to the needs of industrial designers, initially under the name EvoQ. The founders concentrated on developing NURBS-based software, leveraging Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines for precise surface representation in . This approach addressed the demand for intuitive computer-aided industrial design (CAID) solutions among designers, who sought efficient ways to transition from sketches to digital models. The initial development targeted the NeXT platform and its operating system, reflecting the era's innovative computing environments. Early motivations stemmed from identified gaps in accessible CAID tools, particularly for emerging personal computing platforms that could empower designers beyond high-end workstations. By focusing on user-friendly NURBS modeling, the project aimed to democratize advanced surfacing techniques for industrial applications, setting the stage for broader adoption in creative workflows.

Key Developments

solidThinking marked a significant milestone in 2000 with the launch of its NURBS-based software, which was the first of its kind available on both and Windows operating systems, providing industrial designers with cross-platform accessibility for advanced surface modeling. This release established the foundation for the company's focus on CAID (Computer-Aided ) tools, emphasizing organic surface modeling techniques that allowed for the creation of smooth, free-form geometries inspired by natural shapes. Building on this, solidThinking developed core parametric control features integrated into its modeling environment, enabling users to maintain editability and history-based modifications while working with complex NURBS surfaces and . These tools supported hybrid modeling workflows from the outset, combining direct surface manipulation with to streamline the process for applications. By the mid-2000s, solidThinking expanded into global markets, driven by enhancements in rendering capabilities that improved visualization and photorealistic outputs, alongside refinements in modeling for more efficient form development. This period saw increased adoption among international design firms, particularly in and , as the software's modeling strengths addressed demands for innovative product . In 2008, the company released version 7.6, introducing a streamlined , an updated rendering engine for richer photorealistic content, and enhanced integration tools to facilitate workflow interoperability.

Acquisition by Altair

On July 24, 2008, , Inc., a Michigan-based provider of , announced the acquisition of solidThinking's assets. The transaction, for an undisclosed amount, aimed to integrate solidThinking's advanced tools with 's existing simulation portfolio, enhancing capabilities in and workflows. Following the acquisition, solidThinking underwent and product enhancements under 's umbrella, aligning its software more closely with 's to support integrated simulation-driven processes. By around 2020, key products such as solidThinking Inspire were rebranded as , consolidating , motion analysis, and manufacturing simulations into unified platforms. In 2018, introduced solidThinking Units (sTUs), a flexible, units-based licensing model that allowed users on-demand access to the full of solidThinking tools, reducing traditional barriers like high upfront costs and limited software availability for small- and mid-sized teams. To further strengthen solidThinking's visualization features, acquired Solid Iris Technologies on September 14, 2016, incorporating the company's Thea Render—a photorealistic rendering engine—into solidThinking's ecosystem. This move bolstered rendering capabilities, enabling more advanced material simulations and lighting effects within design workflows, and marked a strategic expansion of solidThinking's role in 's broader product strategy. In March 2025, completed its acquisition of for $10.6 billion, integrating —and by extension, the solidThinking technology—into ' Digital Industries division to enhance AI-powered industrial software capabilities.

Products

Inspire Studio (formerly Evolve)

Inspire Studio, formerly known as solidThinking Evolve, is a computer-aided (CAID) software primarily designed for surface modeling, control, and high-quality rendering, enabling designers to create and refine complex forms efficiently. At its core, Inspire Studio utilizes NURBS-based surfaces and solids to support precise, freeform modeling, combined with a unique ConstructionTree history feature that allows non-destructive editing of design parameters throughout the workflow. The PolyNURBS toolset facilitates the conversion of polygonal meshes to smooth NURBS surfaces via tools like Nurbify, which automates the process with a single click, while advanced supports n-sided polygons for greater flexibility in handling irregular geometries. Additionally, Inspire Studio includes tools for sketching, extrusion, and sweep or blend curves, providing a comprehensive hybrid environment for both conceptual and detailed design stages. The software's rendering capabilities emphasize speed and quality, featuring a multi-threaded, multi-processor that supports unlimited output resolution for photorealistic visualizations directly within the modeling interface. Following the acquisition of Solid Iris Technologies, Inspire Studio integrated Thea Render, a versatile biased, unbiased, and GPU-accelerated known for its advanced material system and innovative features like progressive rendering. This integration enhances workflow by allowing seamless transitions from modeling to high-fidelity renders without exporting data. Inspire Studio runs natively on both Windows and macOS platforms, ensuring broad accessibility for teams. In practical applications, such as the OneBlade grooming device project, designers leveraged the ConstructionTree history to accelerate iterations, enabling rapid modifications to handlebars and blade assemblies while maintaining parametric integrity across concept development and visualization phases. This case exemplifies Inspire Studio's role in streamlining processes by combining intuitive modeling with robust history management. As of 2025, Altair Inspire Studio includes enhancements such as new refractive glass/gem materials and improved tool belts for faster workflows.

Inspire

Altair Inspire serves as a unified environment for , motion analysis, and feasibility assessment in , allowing users to explore and refine concepts early in the development process. Developed as a simulation-driven , it integrates principles to help engineers create efficient structures while considering real-world constraints like loads and processes. Key features include geometry simplification tools that prepare imported CAD models for by removing unnecessary details and repairing defects, enabling seamless from to . It supports linear static for evaluating structural responses under various loads, including concentrated loads to simulate point-specific forces like attachments or impacts. Motion capabilities allow the definition of joints based on geometric relationships, such as revolute or sliding connections, with results shared directly across optimization and structural simulations for consistent design evaluation. Optimization capabilities in Inspire focus on generative design, which automatically generates structurally efficient parts by optimizing material distribution within defined design spaces to minimize weight while meeting performance criteria. This includes topology optimization for organic lattice-like structures and stamping feasibility analysis through the Inspire Form add-on, which predicts formability issues like thinning or wrinkling in sheet metal parts during early design stages. The software integrates with existing CAD tools, importing and exporting geometry to facilitate iterative refinement without disrupting established workflows. Analysis tools encompass structural simulations to assess design integrity under static and dynamic conditions, incorporating constraints such as stress limits and displacement thresholds. Users can extract motion results, including velocities and forces from kinematic simulations, to inform runs, ensuring that optimized designs account for operational dynamics. In practice, Inspire enables engineers and architects to iterate designs rapidly by visualizing optimization outcomes and simulating viability, ultimately reducing time to market through the development of lightweight, high-performance products across industries like automotive and . As of 2025, Altair Inspire features new enhancements for and load/stress calculations.

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