German software provider PACE today announced the immediate availability of Pacelab Suite 3.1, the latest version of its engineering platform for multidisciplinary product modeling, design analysis and optimization. The upgrade further expands the software's ability to integrate with existing business systems and operations. Pacelab Suite 3.1 now also supports the STEP file format, a widely used ISO standard for exchanging the physical and functional properties of industrial products.

The development of complex technical products like aircraft or cars involves a large number of individual disciplines which have to collaborate across department lines and business units. In this heterogeneous IT environment, the standardized exchange format STEP (acronym of Standard for the Exchange of Product Data) helps to secure the interoperability of CAx/PDM systems, domain-specific analysis and simulation tools and other applications.

Pacelab Suite 3.1 also supports the description of complex, multidimensional relations between input and output parameters (multidimensional data tables), allowing the import and processing of characteristics diagrams in their entirety. This is particularly useful when dealing with aircraft performance data or combustion engines.

"Interdisciplinary collaboration and the efficient application of engineering knowledge are material to successful and profitable product solutions and reduced development cycles," says product manager Ralf Milewski. "All current and future enhancements to Pacelab Suite will be designed to provide the optimum support for these key aspects."