Who is Stage Technologies? For over thirteen years, Stage Technologies has been working with Desktop Engineering to use and be trained on, the latest cutting edge 3D design solutions to produce the world’s most innovative and complex stage productions. A long-term promoter of stage engineering in the world of performance, Stage Technologies has evolved hand-in-hand with, and been a key developer of, this exciting market. On more than one occasion it has been the only theatre automation supplier capable of delivering a complex brief and create industry firsts in live entertainment. Founded in 1994, it is now a global organisation with projects in over 30 countries, encompassing a worldwide network driven by offices in London, Las Vegas, Macau, Hong Kong, and Australia. Engineering Precision Stage Technologies produces mechanical solutions for theatre automation which can encompass ‘power flying’ (the professional terminology for lifting and moving scenic items and performers above a stage) and designing, building and installing stage machinery, wagons, and powered track drives to operate quick scene changes and other dramatic effects. The degree of precision required for these operations is a major engineering challenge, which is why Stage Technologies are involved in high-energy performance spectaculars such as “The Desktop Engineering Ltd, 6-7 Bankside, Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough Oxfordshire OX29 8LJ Tel: 01993 883555 www.dte.co.uk LinkedIn | Twitter | G+ Han Show” and various productions by the Cirque du Soleil including IRIS, Viva ELVIS, KÀ and LOVE. Using the most up-to-date technology available in the industry, Stage Technologies engineers are constantly evolving and developing new hardware and software, ensuring that they can provide an automation solution for every need – nearly every project it works on has a system that incorporates elements of custom design and manufacturing. Working with Desktop Engineering Since 2002, Stage Technologies has been working with Desktop Engineering (DTE) to ensure it has the most innovative CAD system available for its designers. Over this time, DTE has supplied Stage Technologies with various incarnations of Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA and trained its staff on how to use and maximise the value of the solution. The training has always had a particular focus on how to use CATIA with Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Currently, Stage Technologies uses CATIA V5 PLM Express with a mixture of CATIA Analysis products. Vince Gowler, head of mechanical engineering and procurement at Stage Technologies, said: “I have been at Stage Technologies for just over a year, and have been delighted with the support and consultancy I receive from DTE. The fact that the company has worked with us for thirteen years demonstrates the quality of service they provide.” A recent example of how CATIA has been pivotal in building an innovative and flexible entertainment venue is the Hale Centre theatre in Utah. The Hale Centre design includes 47 moving pieces of machinery powered by 130 motors for hoisting, lifting, sliding and rotating. The complex and innovative design included a main rotating quad split stage lift, four vomitories which have two lifts in each that all work independently, two slip stages and two gantry train trolleys which traverse backwards and forwards above the stage and contain eight hoists for moving machinery. At this point in time, there is no other theatre company in the world that has designed a stage using such a high degree of automation. Other theatre designs of note where 3D design has been instrumental include the Sydney Theatre and the Royal Opera House. Using CATIA FEA (GPS and GAS) CATIA V5 Analysis provides realistic design simulation capability within the CATIA design environment, allowing designers to perform analysis directly on their master reference model in CATIA. Since there is no transfer of geometry, data integrity issues are avoided. The generative capability of the CATIA Analysis product suite enables design-analysis iterations to be performed rapidly from simple parts to complex assemblies. Desktop Engineering Ltd, 6-7 Bankside, Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough Oxfordshire OX29 8LJ Tel: 01993 883555 www.dte.co.uk LinkedIn | Twitter | G+ In particular, Stage Technologies uses Generative Part Structural Analysis (GPS) and Generative Assembly Structural Analysis (GAS). GPS allows designers to understand how their designs behave and to accurately calculate the displacements and stresses within the part under a variety of loading conditions. It is ideal for designers who are not experts in FEA. In essence, GPS is the backbone of the CATIA V5 Analysis solution. GAS extends the capability of GPS, allowing designers to analyse assemblies as well as individual parts. The analysis of assemblies, including an accurate representation of the way the parts interact and are connected, allows for more realistic and accurate simulation. The designer does not have to make simplifying assumptions about the loading and restraints acting on an individual part. Instead the part can be analysed within the environment that it operates, with the loading automatically determined based on the way the part is connected to, and interacts with, surrounding parts. High End Stage Design For higher end project design, Stage Technologies uses CATIA Elfini Structural Analysis (EST) which extends the capabilities of GPS to include multiple analysis cases for static, frequency, and buckling analysis. This product is tailored to the needs of specialists at Stage Technologies, while maintaining a consistent user interface between specialists and design engineers. This common user interface promotes teamwork between various disciplines to shorten the design analysis turnaround time. Stage Technologies deploys CATIA EST in conjunction with two meshes: FEM Surface (FMS) and FEM (FMD) Solid. FMS provides advanced meshing capability for complex surface and wireframe parts, while FMD provides advanced meshing capability for complex solid parts. Desktop Engineering Ltd, 6-7 Bankside, Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough Oxfordshire OX29 8LJ Tel: 01993 883555 www.dte.co.uk LinkedIn | Twitter | G+ World Leading Automation Another world leading project designed in CATIA is the House of Dancing Water in Macau. The 2000-seat House of Dancing Water was custom built to accommodate the new Dragone aqua-acrobatic spectacular that is conducted in and around a liquid stage. Stage Technologies designed, supplied and installed a 141-axis automation system, controlled by a powerful combination of two fixed Acrobat∙G6 desks, two portable Nomad desks, and four handheld Solo controllers. For live music events, CATIA has been used to provide sets for Radiohead, Taylor Swift, Pink and Kylie. Gowler concluded: “Of all the PLM solutions in the marketplace, CATIA is the easiest to standardise on. As a technology it is ideal for us as it enables us to manage huge assemblies, lots of complex parts and to visualise and assess the design throughout the entire process. The FEA package is exceptional and we use it a lot.” www.dte.co.uk/case-studies/stage-technologies-3d-innovation Desktop Engineering Ltd, 6-7 Bankside, Hanborough Business Park, Long Hanborough Oxfordshire OX29 8LJ Tel: 01993 883555 www.dte.co.uk LinkedIn | Twitter | G+ .