ALGOR'S NEW REPORT WIZARD SAVES ENGINEERS TIME AND MONEY

Algor's new Report Wizard drastically reduces the amount of time and money engineers spend collecting and reporting information related to a finite element analysis (FEA). Engineers can access the new reporting option with one mouse click from Superdraw III (top left), Algor's single user interface and precision finite element model-building tool, and specify the type and content of the report. The Report Wizard automatically generates a clearly organized report (right) with details about the model and the analysis results in standard HyperText Markup Language (HTML) so that it can be printed or shared through any common Internet browser.

October 19, 1999, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- Algor, Inc., a leading maker of software for mechanical engineers, today announced the availability of its new Report Wizard. The Report Wizard drastically reduces the amount of time and money engineers spend collecting and reporting information related to any finite element analysis (FEA). It automatically generates a clearly organized report with details about a model and its analysis results in standard HyperText Markup Language (HTML) so that it can be printed or shared through any common Internet browser and modified using any HTML-editing software.

"The new Report Wizard makes engineers more efficient because they can quickly create a customized report about an FEA and instantly share it with their managers, colleagues or clients or publish it to any Internet or Intranet site," said Michael L. Bussler, president of Pittsburgh-based Algor.

Engineers can access the new reporting option with one mouse click from Superdraw III, Algor's single user interface and precision finite element model-building tool. With simple mouse clicks, the engineer can specify the type and extent of information to include in the report, such as general model data, element and material properties, load curve data and details about the processor's output. Multiple user-defined appendices that incorporate text, images and animations can be created and attached to any report.

Algor software can automatically create model images in popular graphic file formats to be included in a report's appendix. In addition to the conventional Windows bitmap (BMP) file format that has been available, Superdraw now has the ability to output model images as JPEG File Interchange Format (JPG), Tag Image File Format (TIF), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), PC Paintbrush (PCX) and Targa (TGA) files. A model can also be exported to a VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) file that can be incorporated directly into the report and viewed in 3-D dynamically over the Internet or Intranet. The addition of these new file types enables engineers to present vivid graphical representations of their analysis work in whatever format they choose.

The Report Wizard is available for PC workstations running Windows NT, 95 or 98.

Algor has been a leader in the engineering software industry since introducing FEA for PCs in 1984 and interfacing with CAD systems in 1985. The company recently celebrated 20 years of providing innovative, affordable and easy-to-use software products that have enabled 20,000 engineers in 60 countries to create safe, efficient, cost-effective designs. Algor also offers superior educational support and customer service that has been expanded to include the use of state-of-the-art Internet audio/video technology for live educational "Web Courses" and free public "Webcasts" that include step-by-step Algor software instruction.

Algor's most recent invention, FEA-based Accupak/VE Mechanical Event Simulation software with linear and nonlinear material models, replaces physical prototype testing with virtual prototype testing because it realistically simulates motion and flexing in mechanical events, eliminates the need to input dynamic loads and computes and shows resulting stresses on the computer model at each instant in time. Algor's new kinematic finite element technology now makes it practical to perform Mechanical Event Simulations with Accupak/VE on CAD solid models or assemblies. Algor offers a range of other FEA capabilities including linear stress, vibration and natural frequencies, heat transfer, electrostatics, fluid flow, piping design and composite materials. Algor's software interchanges data with products from ANSYS, Inc. (Nasdaq:ANSS), Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), CADKEY Corporation, MSC.Software Corporation (NYSE:MNS), Parametric Technology Corporation (Nasdaq:PMTC), Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (Nasdaq:SDRC), Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:UGS), SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq:DASTY) company and others.