CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
19 April 2010
Implementation Investments
Troy Lee Designs Creates Helmets with Cutting Edge Aesthetics, Killer Style
Troy Lee Designs, one of the world’s most stylish designers of equipment and clothing “for the world’s fastest racers™,” relies on Autodesk Alias Surface and Autodesk Showcase software to create visually stunning helmets worn by world-champion mountain bikers, motorcross riders, BMX riders, snowboarders, and more than a dozen NASCAR teams.
Digital Prototyping software from Autodesk, Inc. enables Troy Lee Designs to respond to market trends faster and roll out dazzling new helmet designs, helping the company stay one step ahead in the marketplace. While Troy Lee Designs has expanded its product line over the years to offer a wide range of gear — a complete line of racing gear and casual wear — its signature product remains its helmets, which are a favorite among racers and enjoy a rabid fan base.
“Autodesk Alias Surface is essential for designing our helmets,” said Jeff David, product manager at Troy Lee designs. “I have yet to experience a program that can match Autodesk Alias’ capability for reflections and curvatures. We can effortlessly check to see if all the surfaces in our ideas translate well before we move forward with them.”
To create a successful helmet that will perform at the highest levels of competition, Troy Lee Designs must take several factors into consideration. The helmet must provide as much protection as possible while simultaneously being lightweight and offering adequate airflow. Most importantly, Troy Lee Designs places a high premium on aesthetics, striving to produce helmets with a unique look and visual appeal.
Alias Surface software helps the design team at Troy Lee Designs to achieve these goals through dynamic modeling and precision surface modeling tools that make it easier to rapidly create high-quality production surfaces. The company then explores multiple concepts and designs for its helmets — before anything has been built — by creating near photorealistic images and renderings in Autodesk Showcase that convey design intent.
Troy Lee Designs’ success with Alias Surface and Autodesk Showcase products was greatly aided by the up-front work of reseller Tata Technologies, who managed the implementation and provided valuable training. Using Autodesk software has helped Troy Lee Designs reduce design time for its helmets by up to 40-50 percent — a time savings that often can translate into several months. As a result, the company is able to get more of its designs to market in a shorter amount of time, helping them to capture more sales in the marketplace.
“Differentiated, custom design doesn’t mean trading off speed and agility,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “Autodesk Digital Prototyping software is helping Troy Lee Designs reduce the time required to turn its inventive concepts into market-ready products.”
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