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BEACON India Brings Advanced Formlabs 3D Printing Experience Center to Bengaluru

By
Sachin R Nalawade
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As Bengaluru and Karnataka continue to strengthen their position as India’s leading hubs for manufacturing innovation, product engineering, aerospace, automotive, healthcare, electronics, and deep-tech startups, the demand for fast, accurate, and production-ready additive manufacturing solutions is growing rapidly.

Recognizing this need, BEACON India, leading partner of Formlabs in India, has created a dedicated Formlabs Experience Space at its Bengaluru office — a specialized facility where companies, engineers, designers, startups, OEMs, educational institutions, and manufacturing professionals can explore the complete ecosystem of industrial-grade 3D printing technologies under one roof.

The newly launched facility was inaugurated by Michael Agam, APAC General Manager, Formlabs, along with Payal Doshi, Ramnish Sharma, and other distinguished guests from the industry.

A Complete Additive Manufacturing Experience Center

The BEACON Formlabs Experience Space is designed to provide hands-on exposure to the latest SLA and SLS 3D printing technologies from Formlabs. Visitors can experience live demonstrations, understand end-to-end workflows, evaluate print quality, and interact directly with additive manufacturing experts.

Doshi

The center showcases:

• Form 4 — High-speed professional SLA 3D printer
• Form 4L — Large-format SLA printing for bigger prototypes and production parts
• Fuse Series — Industrial SLS systems for durable functional parts
• Wide range of engineering, dental, medical, casting, and general-purpose materials
• Automated post-processing systems including Form Wash and Form Cure

This setup allows visitors to understand the complete workflow — from CAD design and printing to post-processing and final production-ready components.

Why Bengaluru and Karnataka Industries Need Advanced 3D Printing

Karnataka has become one of India’s most advanced industrial and technology ecosystems. Companies across sectors are under pressure to accelerate product development cycles, reduce prototyping costs, improve customization, and bring products to market faster.

Formlabs india

Traditional manufacturing methods often involve longer lead times and higher tooling costs. Advanced additive manufacturing platforms such as Formlabs help companies:

• Reduce product development timelines
• Rapidly prototype and validate designs
• Produce functional end-use parts
• Improve engineering collaboration
• Enable low-volume production economically
• Experiment faster with new product concepts
• Reduce dependency on outsourced prototyping vendors

For startups and R&D teams, this speed can directly impact innovation and competitiveness.

Why Buy Formlabs Solutions from BEACON India

While many companies evaluate 3D printers online, additive manufacturing adoption requires practical understanding, workflow integration, material selection expertise, and application support.

This is where BEACON India brings significant value.

Live Demonstrations Before Investment

Companies can physically see machine performance, print quality, material behavior, and post-processing workflows before making investment decisions.

Expert Guidance and Consultation

BEACON’s team helps customers understand:
• Which printer suits their application
• Material compatibility
• Production workflows
• Cost optimization strategies
• Design-for-additive-manufacturing practices

Faster Adoption and Training

Hands-on demonstrations help engineering teams quickly understand real-world industrial applications and accelerate implementation inside their organizations.

Local Support and Application Expertise

Having local experts and support infrastructure in Bengaluru ensures faster response times, technical assistance, and smoother onboarding for companies adopting additive manufacturing.

A Valuable Initiative for Karnataka’s Manufacturing Ecosystem

The new Formlabs experience facility represents more than a showroom — it is a collaborative innovation space aimed at helping industries explore the future of digital manufacturing.

Formlabs bangalore

From automotive suppliers and aerospace companies to med-tech startups, electronics manufacturers, educational institutions, industrial designers, and engineering service providers, the center offers valuable opportunities to learn, evaluate, and adopt advanced additive manufacturing technologies.

As industries move toward smarter and faster product development, facilities like the BEACON Formlabs Experience Space will play an important role in accelerating the adoption of next-generation manufacturing technologies across Bengaluru and Karnataka.

Companies looking to modernize their product development and manufacturing workflows should visit the BEACON Bengaluru office to experience live demonstrations and interact with experts who can help identify the right additive manufacturing solution for their needs.

Contact BEACON India team – Visit – https://beacon-india.com/

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EMUGE-FRANKEN USA, GibbsCAM, Matsuura to Collaborate in Live 5-Axis Machining Workshop on May 21

By
Nitin Patil
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EMUGE FRANKEN GibbsCAM Matsuura

WEST BOYLSTON, MA, USA, May 15, 2026 – EMUGE-FRANKEN USA, a leading manufacturer of high-performance taps, thread mills, end mills, drills, gages, other rotary tools, and precision clamping solutions, announced its collaboration with GibbsCAM and Matsuura to host a 5-Axis Machining Live Demo Event on May 21st, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the EMUGE-FRANKEN Technology Center, 1800 Century Drive, West Boylston, MA. Designed for CNC programmers, machinists, and manufacturers considering the move from 3-Axis to 5-Axis, this event will focus on practical strategies to simplify 5-axis machining and improve productivity. 

Demonstrations will take place on the Matsuura MX-330 PC10, highlighting how modern 5-Axis platforms with pallet systems can help shops keep spindles running longer, reduce idle time between jobs, and better manage multiple parts or operations, especially in high-mix, low-volume production environments. GibbsCAM will demonstrate how intuitive 5-axis programming and full machine simulation help simplify complex machining workflows and reduce programming time.

Attendees will also see the new EMUGE EvoGrip precision clamping system in action, demonstrating industry-leading clamping force of up to 75 kN, fast changeovers that reduce lead times, and repeat positioning with ±0.01 mm accuracy, designed to improve accuracy, stability, and process security in demanding machining applications.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

About EMUGE-FRANKEN

Founded in 1920 by Richard Glimpel and dedicated to craftsmanship, innovation and quality, EMUGE-FRANKEN has grown continuously since it invented the spiral point tap in 1921. Numerous innovations and patents have been credited to EMUGE-FRANKEN over the past 100 years and that innovative spirit continues. By maintaining the strictest material quality standards, operating the most advanced grinding equipment, holding the tightest manufacturing tolerances, and continually investing in research & new product development, EMUGE-FRANKEN is the benchmark by which all others aspire to. For more information, visit https://www.emuge-franken-group.com.

About Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc.

Headquartered in St. Paul, MN, Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation, Japan. Since its founding in 1935, Matsuura has been at the forefront of high-speed and high-precision CNC machine tool innovation, providing advanced 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, and multi-tasking solutions to industries worldwide. Committed to excellence, Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unparalleled service, applications expertise, and technical field support, ensuring customers achieve optimal performance and productivity. For more information, visit https://www.matsuurausa.com.

About GibbsCAM

GibbsCAM is designed to increase the efficiency and profitability of production machine shops with GibbsCAM toolpaths and post-processors that optimize the efficiency of the CNC machine. GibbsCAM integrates with all major CAD systems and supports 2 to 5-axis milling, turning, Swiss machining, multi-task machining (MTM), and wire-EDM. GibbsCAM is a part of Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions. For more information, visit https://www.gibbscam.com.

OpenBOM Launches AI-powered CAD File Agent for SOLIDWORKS

By
Nitin Patil
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NEWTON, MA, USA, May 15, 2026 — OpenBOM, a provider of cloud-native PDM and PLM software for engineering and manufacturing teams, announced the launch of OpenBOM CAD File Agent for SOLIDWORKS. CAD File Agent is the first application in the company’s Product Memory Platform vision, bringing AI-powered file capture, revision control, and connected product context to engineering teams that rely on SOLIDWORKS as their primary design environment.

Engineering teams generate enormous amounts of valuable knowledge in the course of building a product — decisions, revisions, relationships, and context that existing systems were never designed to preserve. Traditional PDM was built around file vaults and access control. It protects files, but it does not capture the broader context of how products are actually developed. For teams working across mechanical, electronic, and software systems, those limitations are increasingly difficult to work around.

OpenBOM CAD File Agent moves beyond the file vault model. It captures SOLIDWORKS files with their full references and dependencies, organizes design information into structured context, and preserves a complete, navigable history of how a product evolved. Key capabilities include:

  • Capture of CAD files with all references and dependencies
  • Structured organization of design information and assemblies
  • Multi-user coordination with appropriate access controls
  • Complete change history and revision and comments functions 
  • Full project restoration to any prior revision with all references intact
  • Agentic workflows and conversational access to product context

This launch marks a new architectural direction for OpenBOM. The company is building toward what it calls Product Memory — a data foundation that preserves the evolving memory of a product over time, connecting files, BOMs, revisions, decisions, and all related activity into a living context that both people and intelligent agents can use.

“Traditional systems store approved records, but they lose the context of how the work actually happened,” said Oleg Shilovitsky, CEO and co-founder of OpenBOM. “Product Memory is about preserving that context. CAD File Agent is where that journey begins.”

Availability

OpenBOM CAD File Agent for SOLIDWORKS is available now for a limited set of selected customers. .

To learn more, visit: https://www.openbom.com/cad-file-agent-for-solidworks

To learn more about the OpenBOM Product Memory Platform vision, visit: openbom.com/openbom-product-memory-platform-vision

About OpenBOM

OpenBOM is a cloud-native digital thread platform providing PDM, PLM, and ERP-connected capabilities for managing product data across engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams. The platform centralizes bills of materials, revisions, costs, and supplier information to support collaboration and data continuity across the product lifecycle.

OpenBOM integrates with leading design tools including Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Fusion, PTC Onshape, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, and Solid Edge, as well as a broad ecosystem of PDM, PLM, and ERP systems. OpenBOM is headquartered in the Boston, Massachusetts area and is a product of Newman Cloud, Inc.For more information, visit www.openbom.com or contact oleg@openbom.com.

NXT BLD and Bentley Systems Launch NXT Activate Accelerator to Back the Next Generation of AEC Software Innovators

By
Sachin R Nalawade
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New programme opens with $3 million in funding and dedicated mentorship to early-stage companies building on both open and proprietary platforms.

LONDON – 14 May 2026 — Today at the NXT BLD conference, founding partners NXT BLD and infrastructure engineering software company, Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), announced the launch of NXT Activate, a developer-focused accelerator for early-stage companies building transformative software for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors.

The accelerator will back startups that are creating applications to solve the industry’s most critical challenges by breaking down data silos and unlocking more efficient workflows from design through operation.

The programme is uniquely designed to support startups, regardless of the technology they choose to build on. Whether a company is building on open standards, such as IFC or 3D Tiles, or leveraging proprietary platforms they are eligible for funding. This core principle ensures the accelerator supports the best new ideas in the industry, rather than limiting startups to a single vendor’s technology.

Initially seeded by Bentley Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Bentley Systems, NXT Activate will launch with a commitment of up to $3 million over a three-year term. This capital will be deployed annually across cohorts of six to eight startups, with the first cohort scheduled for autumn 2026. The consortium is designed to expand with the addition of future strategic sponsors and investment members.

Martyn Day, director of NXT BLD and publisher of AEC Magazine, commented: “For 10 years, NXT BLD has been at the forefront of the industry’s shift toward the cloud, AI, and data-centric workflows. The next generation of essential AEC tools will come from an agile, startup-driven culture. We are ecstatic to work with Bentley to find the next generation of tool makers and software firms. With NXT Activate we have the means to back them. This is deliberately not a single-vendor programme. We will support companies working on open standards and proprietary platforms, because that diversity is what makes the AEC software ecosystem credible.”

“A vibrant and diverse developer ecosystem is essential for the future of infrastructure,” said James Lee, Chief Operating Officer at Bentley Systems. “Through Bentley Ventures and as a founding investment member of NXT Activate, we are directly funding the community that will build the next generation of infrastructure digital twin applications. Whether they build on open standards like 3D Tiles or on platforms like iTwin, we are committed to empowering the innovators who are creating transformative solutions for the built and natural environment.”

What Startups Receive

Each cohort participant is eligible for up to $200,000 in investment in exchange for a fixed equity stake. Beyond capital, NXT Activate provides an invaluable strategic advantage:

  • Domain Expertise: Interact with domain experts relevant to challenges cohort participants are seeking to solve.
  • Direct Technical Access: Deep integration support with the founding members’ platforms, SDKs, and technical teams.
  • User Validation: Programme-led introductions to enterprise and industry players.
  • Industry-Scale Visibility: Potential exposure on the influential stages of NXT BLD, NXT DEV, and other annual industry forums where the AEC industry’s largest firms and contractors gather to evaluate emerging technology.

Investment decisions will be made jointly by a committee of the programme’s founding and investment members. NXT BLD and AEC Magazine will retain full editorial independence.

Call for Applications

NXT Activate will begin accepting applications in summer 2026 from early-stage startups and developer teams focused on software solutions for the built and natural environment. The sixteen-week programme is designed to provide a direct path from concept to commercialisation through capital, platform integration, and user validation.

Application details will be published at NXTActivate.com.

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About NXT BLD and AEC Magazine

NXT BLD, organized by AEC Magazine, is the premier conference and exhibition focused on next-generation technology for the built environment. It brings together the most innovative thinkers, practitioners, and technology developers to explore the future of architecture, engineering, and construction. AEC Magazine is a leading global publication that has been at the forefront of AEC technology for over two decades, providing essential news, analysis, and insights to a worldwide audience.

About Bentley Systems

Around the world, infrastructure professionals rely on software from Bentley Systems to help them design, build, and operate better and more resilient infrastructure for transportation, water, energy, cities, and more. Founded in 1984 by engineers for engineers, Bentley is the partner of choice for engineering firms and owner-operators worldwide, with software that spans engineering disciplines, industry sectors, and all phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. Through our digital twin solutions, we help infrastructure professionals unlock the value of their data to transform project delivery and asset performance.

© 2026 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the Bentley logo and iTwin are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 

PTC Expands Startups Program to All Industries

By
Nitin Patil
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PTC for Startups Program

BOSTON, MA, USA, May 14, 2026 – PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) announced the expansion of its startup program to companies across all industries, extending a model that began with its Aerospace and Defense Startup Program, launched in 2025. Building on that program’s success, PTC for Startups now makes PTC’s professional-grade product development tools available to qualifying early and growth-stage startups worldwide — at no cost.

Qualifying startups receive free access for five users each to PTC’s Onshape cloud-native CAD and product data management (PDM) platform, Creo+ SaaS computer-aided design (CAD) solution, and Codebeamer+ SaaS application lifecycle management (ALM) solution. A startup package for PTC’s Arena product lifecycle management (PLM) and quality management system (QMS) solution is also available at a discounted rate. Creo+, Onshape, and Codebeamer+ licenses are renewable annually with no time limit, as long as startups continue to meet program eligibility requirements, ensuring support through key funding and revenue milestones.

“When you’re pioneering reusable spaceflight, and your launch window won’t wait, you need to move fast,” said Will Sherman, CTO and Co-Founder, Reditus Space. “From our first day in the Startup Program, we had full access to professional-grade CAD and PDM tools without the friction of license management or IT overhead, so our teams could scale confidently with the compliance and control we needed.”

The expanded program reflects PTC’s belief that early-stage companies shouldn’t face financial barriers to enterprise-grade tooling. For startups, speed matters most: bringing products to market quickly while navigating rapid iteration, lean teams, distributed collaboration, and the constant pressure of fundraising and growth. PTC for Startups is designed to help founders move faster from day one with cloud tools that support agility, teamwork, and scale at every stage of the journey.

“We went from idea to CAD, prototype, and procurement in about seven days. That wouldn’t have been possible without PTC,” says Ivan Tregear, Chief Technology Officer, KAIKAKU. “Non-blocking releases and collaborative workflows let us iterate hardware at the speed required by an early-stage startup.”

Beyond software, participants gain access to PTC’s global ecosystem of incubators, technology partners, and fellow innovators, along with opportunities for mentorship, co-marketing, and industry exposure.

“PTC helps the world’s leading companies bring better products to life, and with PTC for Startups, we’re extending that same commitment to the next generation of innovators, giving them the tools to move fast, scale with confidence, and compete on a level playing field from day one,” said Catherine Kniker, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, PTC. “The startups building today are the industry leaders of tomorrow, and we want PTC to be part of that journey from the very beginning.”

Onshape, Creo+, Codebeamer+, Arena, along with the rest of PTC’s portfolio, support the company’s vision of an Intelligent Product Lifecycle, which enables manufacturers and product companies to build a product data foundation in engineering and extend the value of that data across their entire enterprise. Broader use of product data enables companies to bring higher quality products to market faster, better manage product complexity, meet regulatory and compliance standards, and much more.

To learn more about the PTC for Startups Program and how it can support your journey, be sure to attend the Boston Tech Week event on May 27, from 12:00 to 3:00 pm ET, at PTC’s Seaport Headquarters. You’ll connect with founders, VCs, and ecosystem partners, and hear firsthand insights from leaders who’ve built successful startups.

To apply for the PTC for Startups program, visit PTC.com/startups.

About PTC

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables manufacturers and product companies to digitally transform how they design, manufacture, and service the physical products that the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, visit www.ptc.com.

AML3D Delivers First Portable ARCEMY System to US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre in Danville, Virginia

By
Nitin Patil
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AML3D AL3 Portable ARCEMY

EDINBURGH, Australia, May 14, 2026 – Austal USA and AML3D Limited (ASX:AL3) (“AML3D” or “the Company”) are pleased to announce completion of the order for delivery of AML3D’s first portable ARCEMY small edition (“portable ARCEMY”) to the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia (“Danville”). Austal USA, which runs the AM CoE, ordered the portable ARCEMY, mounted in a 20-foot (~6 meter) shipping container to allow for fast and flexible deployment. The portable ARCEMY will be used to accelerate technological development and component manufacturing at Danville and add to the existing fleet of two custom large scale ARCEMY X systems.

The successful completion of factory acceptance testing and installation of this first portable ARCEMY triggers the final 50% payment of the~AU$1.2 million order. Pre-mounting the portable ARCEMY in a shipping container allows for the easy redeployment of the system as Austal USA’s additive manufacturing operations at Danville expand. The field service time to reinstall the portable system can be as little as to 1-2 days compared to 2 – 3 weeks for a fixed system.

It is expected the flexible deployment profile of the portable ARCEMY will also demonstrate its potential use for forward deployment by multiple branches of the US military. ARCEMY technology is already

used to manufacture components that meet US military specifications. The portable ARCEMY provides point of need additive manufacturing that delivers high-quality parts with significantly reduced lead times.

AML3D CEO Sean Ebert said, “It is exciting to continue to build our relationship with Austal USA. The success of this first portable, containerised system demonstrates how AML3D can flex its technology to meet multiple US military and industrial manufacturing use cases. The addition of the portable ARCEMY brings Austal USA’s fleet of customised ARCEMY systems to three at the US Navy’s Danville Center of excellence. And we still are only just beginning to access the huge opportunity to support the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base outlined in the Letter of Intent we received from the US Navy that indicated a need for up to 100 additive manufacturing systems and 3,400 additively manufactured parts by 2030.”

Austal USA VP Don Hairston said, “At Austal USA, our growing relationship with AML3D reflects a shared vision to redefine what’s possible in advanced manufacturing. The introduction of a containerized, fully deployable additive manufacturing system is a game-changer—it not only increases our capability at the U.S. Navy AM CoE, but it also allows us to demonstrate production directly at the point of need. Together, we’re not just enhancing supply chains—we’re transforming them, delivering next-generation capability exactly where and when it matters most.”

About AML3D

AML3D Limited, a publicly listed technology company founded in 2014, utilizes new technologies to pioneer and lead metal additive manufacturing globally. Disrupting the traditional manufacturing space, AML3D has developed and patented a Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAM) process that metal 3D prints commercial, large-scale parts for Aerospace, Defense, Maritime, Manufacturing, Mining and Oil & Gas. AML3D provides parts contract manufacturing from its Technology Centre in Adelaide, Australia, and is the OEM of ARCEMY, an industrial metal 3D printing system that combines IIoT and Industry 4.0 to enable manufacturers to become globally competitive. For more information, visit https://aml3d.com.

AtrimusRx Introduces Personalized 3D-printed Medicines for Pediatric Patients

By
Nitin Patil
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0
AtrimusRx

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 14, 2026 — AtrimusRx has established extemporaneous compounding capabilities incorporating additive manufacturing (3D printing) as part of a validated pharmaceutical manufacturing process, becoming the first community pharmacy operator in Sweden to implement the technology within outpatient pharmacy practice.

AtrimusRx 3dprint

The technology enables personalized medicine manufacturing in situations where commercially available strengths and dosage forms are insufficient to meet individual patient needs. This is particularly relevant in pediatric care, where the lack of child-appropriate medicines remains a longstanding clinical challenge.

Addressing the shortage of pediatric formulations

For many pediatric patients, suitable dosage strengths and formulations are not commercially available. As a result, adult medicines often need to be manipulated in hospitals, pharmacies, or at home — tablets are split or crushed, capsules opened, and contents mixed with food or liquids in order to achieve the prescribed dose.

Such handling may introduce dosing variability and, in some cases, shifts responsibility for dose accuracy from the medicinal product itself to healthcare professionals or caregivers.

AtrimusRx’s compounding manufacturing platform enables medicines to be produced directly according to prescription requirements, eliminating the need for subsequent manipulation. Treatment can therefore be adapted to the patient, rather than forcing the patient to adapt to the limitations of standardized products available on the market.

The compounding activities are conducted within the Atrimus Px™ framework.

Atrimus Px — Precision medicine in clinical practice

Atrimus Px™ (Prescription Precision) is AtrimusRx’s framework for precision-based pharmaceutical compounding, where medicines are tailored to the patient’s individual clinical requirements — including age, body weight, and prescribed dose — with a strong focus on quality assurance, process control, and patient safety.

The platform enables prescription-driven dose individualization across narrow dosing intervals, starting from 2 mg and with dose adjustments at quarter-milligram increments in low-dose ranges. This is particularly relevant in treatments where small variations in dose may have significant clinical implications.

The technology also enables gradual dose titration over time, including dose escalation or tapering regimens, allowing individualized treatment schedules to be incorporated within the same treatment series and packaging configuration.

In certain applications, multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients may also be combined into a single dosage form, polypill , potentially simplifying complex treatment regimens and improving adherence.

Within veterinary medicine, formulations can additionally be adapted with respect to both palatability and dosing, which may be critical for treatment compliance.

Strengthening pharmaceutical supply resilience

The type of localized, patient-specific manufacturing established by AtrimusRx is not only relevant at the individual patient level, but may also contribute to greater resilience within the broader pharmaceutical supply chain.

AtrimusRx is a partner in RoboPharma – Agile Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, a European research and development initiative co-funded by the European Union through the EU4Health programme.

The project aims to develop decentralized pharmaceutical manufacturing solutions for pharmacies and hospital pharmacies, integrating technologies such as 3D-inspired robotic dosing, AI-driven analytics, and automated pharmaceutical workflows.

Localized manufacturing closer to the point of care may play an important role during crises, pandemics, and disruptions in global supply chains, complementing existing pharmaceutical distribution systems and improving healthcare preparedness.

About AtrimusRx

AtrimusRx is a Swedish pharmaceutical company holding both wholesale distribution and community pharmacy licenses, specialized in addressing medicine shortages through the import and distribution of medicine from Europe and US, as well as extemporaneous pharmaceutical compounding within the Atrimus Px™ framework.

The company operates with a strong focus on regulatory compliance, pharmaceutical quality assurance, and patient safety. For more information, visit https://atrimusrx.com.

Chaos Launches Free V-Ray for Blender Community Edition

By
Nitin Patil
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V ray blender ce yt sticker

KARLSRUHE, Germany, May 14, 2026 – Chaos launched V-Ray for Blender Community Edition at BCON Austin 2026, making its production-proven 3D renderer free for all Blender users. The same Academy Award-winning technology powering VFX and animation across the globe is now even more accessible to students, hobbyists, educators and freelancers looking to accelerate their careers and expertise.

“For years, Blender has been the great ambassador for our industry, an accessible entry point that gives people the confidence to become 3D artists,” said Vlado Koylazov, Co-Founder and Head of Innovation at Chaos. “With this free version, we want to actively support this vibrant community and all the important work being done by The Blender Foundation, so new artists can aim even higher.”

V-Ray for Blender Community Edition offers a professional-grade rendering experience for artists of all levels, enabling everything from photorealistic scenes to stylized animations. With intuitive controls, real-world camera effects, ray-traced global illumination, access to Chaos Cosmos’ 14,000 render-ready assets and more, artists can begin creating intricate imagery fast, trusting that it’ll hold up under a professional microscope.

The Community Edition will be immediately applicable to artists, creatives and educators across the 3D spectrum. This edition provides a powerful foundation for portfolio building, 3D learning, online coursework, YouTube content and other small-scale personal and freelance projects, giving users everything they need to create stunning visuals. And while the free licenses are initially valid for three months, they can be renewed an unlimited number of times by taking a short survey.

“Blender has continued to evolve and become an industry-standard piece of software, in part because of integrations of trusted render engines like V-Ray,” said James Tralie, Creative Director and Senior Producer at NASA. “V-Ray operates perfectly with my usual Blender workflow and makes it incredibly easy to add precise details, dial in lighting, and finalize my render effects. In true Blender fashion, the availability of a free version lowers the barrier of entry for this world-class software even more.”

While the Community Edition can handle most projects, it will not include certain features still reserved for teams and large-scale productions. Limitations include no pipeline integration tools or support, a cap on resolution and output quality, and no distributed rendering. To see the full list, please visit the product page.

This news follows the recent announcement of CGconnect, a growing, online community for people to explore ideas, show their work and connect with other 3D artists. While originally launched as an archviz space, Chaos will continue to make it welcoming to other 3D specialities. To help influence where it goes next, please join Chaos for a Blender-centric “Ask Me Anything” session on CGconnect, scheduled for April 29, 2026. Sign up today!

Pricing and Availability

V-Ray for Blender Community Edition is available now and free for Mac OS and Windows users. A Linux version is also in the works. The feature-complete version of V-Ray for Blender is priced at $33/month or $198/year.

To secure a free license, users just need to fill out the Community Edition form on the product page.

About Chaos

Founded in 1997, Chaos provides world-class visualisation and design solutions that empower creative minds to bring ideas to life.

The company serves multiple industries, including architecture and design, media and entertainment, and product e-commerce, providing an ecosystem of accessible tools that support every stage of the design and creation process. Its innovative solutions help architects, designers, VFX artists/animators, and other creative professionals share ideas, optimize workflows and create immersive experiences.

Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, Chaos has offices in 11 cities worldwide. For more information, visit chaos.com.

PTC Hosts Automotive Executive Exchange in Delhi to Address Future Engineering Complexity in Mobility

By
Sachin R Nalawade
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0
Ptc

New Delhi, India – PTC hosted its Automotive Executive Exchange in New Delhi, bringing together automotive OEMs, suppliers, technology leaders, and engineering experts to discuss the future of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), connected mobility, AI-driven engineering, and intelligent product lifecycle management.

The event focused on how automotive manufacturers are preparing for rising vehicle complexity, faster development cycles, regulatory requirements, electrification, and continuously evolving software-enabled mobility ecosystems. The conference highlighted the growing importance of connected digital engineering environments, integrated ALM-PLM toolchains, and AI-enabled workflows across the automotive value chain.

Ptc

Opening the event, Upkar Saini highlighted India’s increasing strategic importance within PTC’s global operations and the wider automotive ecosystem. He noted that India now represents nearly 32 percent of PTC’s global workforce and hosts one of the company’s largest R&D centres in Pune.

Saini described India as being at a major inflection point in automotive transformation, particularly in areas such as passenger vehicle electrification, software-defined mobility, and integrated engineering operations.

“We are at an inflection point where organisations want to ensure they are not operating in silos,” Saini said, emphasizing the growing demand for connected engineering, manufacturing, and service ecosystems.

During the keynote session, Robert Dahdah discussed the accelerating adoption of AI across manufacturing and engineering industries. However, he cautioned that many organisations are struggling to achieve meaningful outcomes due to fragmented and disconnected data environments.

“The quality of your data will determine your AI ceiling,” Dahdah said, adding that precision-driven industries such as automotive cannot rely on “probable outcomes” from AI systems.

According to Dahdah, global AI investments are expected to reach nearly $1.6 trillion in 2026, with India projected to account for approximately $200 billion of that investment. He explained that the industry is moving beyond isolated AI experimentation toward connected digital engineering ecosystems where AI can operate seamlessly across design, manufacturing, service, and operational workflows.

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Ptc main
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At the event, PTC showcased its “Intelligent Product Lifecycle” strategy, designed to integrate CAD, PLM, ALM, and service lifecycle management into a unified digital thread capable of enabling AI-powered product development and lifecycle management.

Using examples from Lamborghini, PTC demonstrated how manufacturers leveraging connected engineering and manufacturing environments are better positioned to accelerate development cycles, improve collaboration, and deploy AI meaningfully across product lifecycles.

Ptc

A major focus of the conference was the growing complexity associated with software-defined and autonomous vehicles. Michele Del Mondo explained that traditional automotive engineering approaches are no longer sufficient as vehicles become increasingly software-centric and continuously upgradeable.

According to Del Mondo, modern vehicles may involve nearly 500,000 requirements compared to just seven requirements that defined vehicles in the 1930s, dramatically increasing engineering, validation, and compliance complexity.

“There is no finish line anymore,” Del Mondo said, referring to the shift from fixed vehicle programmes toward continuously evolving software-enabled platforms requiring updates long after production.

He further stressed the importance of coherent and connected ALM-PLM toolchains capable of integrating mechanical, electrical-electronic, and software engineering domains in real time to support future autonomous mobility ecosystems.

The conference agenda also featured expert sessions on fuel-agnostic engine development, connected intelligence, telematics, cloud analytics, and next-generation engineering methodologies. Krishnan Sadagopan presented insights on flexible powertrain strategies aligned with India’s evolving energy roadmap, while Amit Pandey discussed “Left Shift” engineering approaches aimed at accelerating product development through early-stage digital validation and simulation.

Ptc27

The event also included a fireside discussion and panel sessions focused on software-defined mobility, connected cars, telematics, digital transformation, and smart mobility ecosystems. The panel discussion was moderated by Rajkiran C. and featured executives from HCLTech, PMI Electro Mobility, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles, and JBM Group. Discussions covered topics including connected intelligence, digital engineering transformation, telematics, EV infrastructure readiness, and collaborative automotive ecosystems.

The Automotive Executive Exchange concluded with discussions emphasizing how automotive manufacturers and suppliers are accelerating their transition toward software-defined mobility through connected digital toolchains, AI-enabled engineering environments, and integrated lifecycle management platforms designed to support the next generation of intelligent mobility.

Apache

Siemens Unveils AI-powered Library Characterization to Accelerate Semiconductor Design

By
Nitin Patil
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0
Solido Characterizer

PLANO, TX, USA, May 14, 2026 – Siemens today announced Solido Characterizer software, the next evolution in its Solido Characterization Suite software, designed to meet the semiconductor industry’s rapidly evolving requirements for speed, accuracy and efficiency in library characterization across process nodes, from mature to the most advanced.

Developed for foundries and in‑house chip design teams, Solido Characterizer uses advanced predictive AI technologies to accelerate and improve the creation of SPICE-based Liberty files, addressing the growing complexity of new processes, tighter margins, more corners and emerging formats such as LVF.

Solido Characterizer delivers 7x greater throughput, cutting Liberty file generation from weeks to days, through two complementary innovations. Its faster AI engine drives Liberty generation for multi-PVT creation and advanced LVF techniques to achieve a 5x speedup. The industry’s first purpose-built AI-accelerated characterization simulator, Solido LibSPICE, adds a further 2x+ performance boost. Together, these help ensure libraries are ready for any process node without delaying schedules or compromising data quality.

With demand for high-quality, production ready libraries rising across the semiconductor industry, Solido Characterizer enables teams to scale characterization across multiple IPs and design groups without compromising accuracy or timeline predictability. Its integration with Solido Analytics provides engineers with real-time QA insights, progress monitoring, and automated rerun capabilities that greatly streamline workflows. Solido Characterizer works in tandem with Solido Generator, which uses the baseline Liberty files produced by Characterizer to train AI models that generate additional library views without SPICE simulation, dramatically speeding up turnaround time and completing the end-to-end library creation flow within Solido Characterization Suite. Solido Characterizer can also be combined with Solido Fuse, built on the Fuse™ EDA AI system, to enable generative and agentic AI workflows that empower engineers to work faster across the characterization workflow.

“AI is redefining what is achievable across every dimension of semiconductor design, and characterization is one of the most transformative opportunities,” said Amit Gupta, chief AI strategy officer, senior vice president and general manager, Siemens EDA, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “With Solido Characterizer, we are delivering intelligent automation that fundamentally changes the economics of library development, enabling our customers to achieve levels of speed and precision that were simply not possible before. This positions engineering teams across every process node to innovate with confidence as the demands of modern semiconductor design continue to grow.”

Key customer benefits

Semiconductor teams across all process nodes face growing pressure to deliver fast, accurate characterization. New process technologies are raising the bar further with tighter electrical margins and larger corner counts adding significant complexity to every characterization run. Solido Characterizer addresses these realities with:

  • High-performance compute acceleration: Empowering customers with a competitive edge across all semiconductor nodes by reducing characterization time and improving accuracy, directly enabling faster time-to-market for complex, advanced designs.
  • Complex data formats handling: Emerging formats such as LVF require robust characterizers that can process large, detailed datasets efficiently. Quick and precise characterization helps teams keep up with evolving modeling standards and avoids downstream bottlenecks.
  • Scalable across multiple teams and IPs: Accelerated, accurate characterization supports large organizations with many design teams, enabling rapid delivery of production-ready libraries for diverse projects – even as libraries and models grow in complexity.
  • Live Liberty debugging for productivity: Integration with Solido Analytics delivers real-time QA of characterizer results, alongside resource monitoring for in-progress runs and streamlined re-runs for enhanced productivity.
  • Integration with Solido Custom IC solutions: Spanning SPICE simulation, variation-aware verification and IP validation, contributing directly to faster time-to-market for complex semiconductor design.

Solido Characterizer in use in the semiconductor industry

“Through Solido Characterization Suite, the GlobalFoundries team has been able to validate and create design margins and .libs of excellent quality. With Characterizer specifically, we were able to maintain production accuracy as correlated to SPICE models while enabling 20 to 30percent speedup within our internal flows,” said James Culp, fellow, Design Enablement, GlobalFoundries. “Siemens’ Solido Characterizer’s adoption process was quick and straight-forward due to the tool’s user-friendly setup capabilities and Siemens’ highly responsive and strong support. We were able to deliver signoff-ready margins and liberty for multiple, high-profile customers and GF technologies.”

“Siemens’ EDA tools are critical to Anatrix success, with Solido Characterizer being a key enabler for characterization of our single event latch-up radiation-hardened digital gate library, helping us work efficiently and with confidence,” said Greg Pauls, president, Anatrix. “Silicon testing of our analog and mixed-signal IP has verified that post-layout parasitic simulations using Siemens’ EDA flow accurately predicted IP behavior, reinforcing our trust in the results, and supporting first-pass success.”

Availability

Available now. To learn more, watch the launch video on YouTube or visit https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/ic/solido/characterization.

About Siemens Digital Industries Software

Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.

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