At first glance Bernard Cache, architect, lecturer, author and founder of the company Objectile may not seem a likely user of TopSolid. However, today TopSolid is a key tool in his workplace.

Since the mid 1980’s he has been interested in the production of non-standard structures. His interest in linking architectural concepts to the design of various structures, furniture etc. led him to understand that by using mathematical functions the production of non standard items could be more feasible.

Bernard’s first encounter with CAD software was with “Euclid” In the mid to late 1980’s this was seen as a complex and expensive software, especially for a small end user. In the early 1990’s he discovered TopSolid.

Since then Bernard co-founded the company Objectile with his colleague Patrick Beaucé. The company mainly designs partitions and ceiling slabs along with various other non-standard items such as bookshelves, tables, cupboards etc. The company has its own CNC machine on which all production takes place. In 1991 Bernard designed and created his grand sculpture using TopSolid. This, among with other examples of his work, will be on display at the MORI museum in Tokyo in January 2005. Bernard has already presented his work in the Centre Pompidou in Paris from Dec 2003-Mar 2004.

Objectile now has 3 TopSolid stations. According to Bernard: “TopSolid is a very powerful software. I have always been and am still highly impressed by its associativity capabilities. This function alone is very important and I could see the huge potential of the software for me right from the beginning.” The company has worked closely with Missler Software Services to develop specific job functions within TopSolid for the job purposes of Objectile.

In addition to co-running Objectile Bernard is also a lecturer in Architecture. He has lectured Architecture using the TopSolid module in universities in Los Angeles, Toronto, Barcelona and Rotterdam. “I have been working with TopSolid for many years now and I know the software really well. I refuse to lecture using any other software.”

Bernard, who can be seen as a man of great vision, is highly passionate about what he does. He sees the huge advantages of TopSolid and its use in non-traditional CAD domains such as architecture. “It is clear that TopSolid is widely used in mechanical engineering spheres. However, I am really surprised that this software is not used by more architects. The possibility of achieving complete associativity from design to conception is a huge technological advance; its benefits remain to be discovered and more importantly exploited.”