Issue #59: 13 May, 1997

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    • ArchiCAD for TeamWork

    Graphisoft's ArchiCAD for TeamWork is a new way for architects to share the designing and drafting of a single building. "Similar in many respects to the document sharing functions in modern operating systems, ArchiCAD for TeamWork offers equal peer-to-peer access to a building project and object libraries. This allows members of a project team to work on separate parts of the same project, relatively autonomously, and merge their work into a master project file on command. No server software other than the operating system's network capability is needed."
     ArchiCAD for TeamWork uses high level file sharing and is both network neutral and network independent. It does not require a permanent connection with the master project.
    ArchiCAD for Teamwork includes:

    + Release 13 DWG import and export, plus support for xrefs.
    + Grouping-ungrouping, suspend groups, autogroup.
    + Ability to independently lock and unlock elements.
    + Multi-level password protection and security.
    + Explode objects and Save as Object commands.
    + RealVR and QuickTime VR "virtual reality" engines.
    + New GDL (programming language) commands and features.
    + Open GL support.

    Due to ship 20 June, 1997, for Windows and Macintosh, the student, pay-per-use and educational versions will be available later in Summer, 1997. More info from cdale@graphisoft.com

    New Pentium Bug

    Intel has released details of a bug in the Pentium Pro and new Pentium II that could affect CAD users. The "Flag Erratum" happens when software converts floating-point numbers to integers. The two CPUs sometimes make rounding errors, which is expected. What is unexpected (the bug) is when the CPUs do not raise a warning flag to indicate they made an error. Intel says it will help programmers rewrite software to allow for the bug.

     How serious is the bug? Some analysts suspect the bug isn't a problem at all, since the Pentium Pro has been used since November, 1995, without the bug being detected.

    Vancouver Slighted By Autodesk

    Vancouver BC Canada has been slighted by AutoCAD Release 14. The city is left out of the list of "Large Cities" in the new AutoCAD's Sun Angle calculator. For readers unfamiliar with Canada, Vancouver is the country's third-largest city and is larger than many of the "large" American cities included in Release 14, such as Vancouver WA USA.

     Responded Autodesk: "No slight intended, since we certainly know how to get to Whistler! [a ski village north of Vancouver -- Ed.] Fortunately, the file used to gather the cities is editable. Find Sitename.Txt and use your favorite editor to add:

     +491600 +1230700 +Vancouver BC Canada

    "Don't know how we missed it as we tried to pay tribute to some of the great hockey players by adding their home towns!"
     -- Mike Lapinskas <michael.lapinskas@autodesk.com>

    Release 14 Ships -- But Was It Ready?

    Autodesk began shipping Release 14 to paying customers Friday, 9 May. One of the stock answers given by Autodesk concerning the ship date was, "We'll ship R14 when users tell us it's ready." One business day later, evidence is already began to collect that R14 was not ready. Reports PostScript expert Jon Fleming <jonf@fleming-group.com>:

    "The AutoCAD PSOUT command produces an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file. If PostScript fonts are used for text in the drawing, the EPS file should contain a reference to that font so the printer can find that font to produce true WSIWYG output. This is referred to as "font mapping," because there is a specification file that maps the font file name (used by AutoCAD) to the font name (used by the printer).

     "This feature is broken in the shipping version of AutoCAD 14. PSOUT produces PostScript text as outlines and fills. This leads to very large EPS files, and produces output that is not quite as good as can be done."

    When Autodesk was alerted about this unfixed bug (which was present in beta copies of R14), Frank Whaley of Autodesk responded:

     "The font mapping feature of PostScript output is broken in R14. The door closed on R14 development before I was able to correct this problem. I've been told that this issue will be addressed in a future release, but I need to demonstrate customer support. If font mapping in PS output is important to you, please email me directly at <few@autodesk.com>."

    CAD and Internet News Headlines

    Autodesk: Autodesk University (the annual Fall exposition for end users) and CAD Camp (the annual Summer exposition for developers and dealers) are merged into Autodesk Design World. The event takes place October 5-9, 1997 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More info from +1 (510) 420-7979.

    Borland: Microsoft is being sued by Borland, who charges unfair competition due to Microsoft recruiting and hiring Borland employees. According to Newsbytes, Microsoft did this for the purpose of "damaging Borland's ability to compete with Microsoft in the development tools market and to slow the company's financial turnaround."

    Corel: Another Corel software product has been sold off. I Hoffmann + Associates bought all seven titles in Corel's Corel Medical Series software line.

    Intergraph: The InterView 28hd96 is the computer market's first high-resolution 28-inch monitor with flicker-free, 75- hertz vertical refresh rate supported at 1920x1080 resolution -- notice that this monitor has the wide 16x9 aspect-ratio letterbox HDTV format. Price is US$9,995.

    Kinetix: 3D Studio VIZ is a new design visualization product for the professional design market, including architecture and automotive, based on the 3D Studio MAX. Price is US$1,995  or US$1,495 for AutoCAD Release 14 users.

    Microsoft: Transaction Server and Message Queue Server will be integrated into future versions of Windows.

    US Robotics: Along with Hayes and Ramp Networks, US Robotics is working on modems that are 2 to 3 times faster than today's 56Kbps modems. To get 100Kbps, two phone lines are used; for 168Kbps, three phone lines are used. The first product is supposed to be available from Ramp Networks on 19 May, according to Computer Retail Week magazine. Price will range between US$500 and US$600.

    Q&A

    Q: "Do you know of a 3D interior decorating program for kitchens and bathrooms that contains predrawn symbols and simple geometry, colours, etc., without having to invest the time and capital into something like 3D Studio Max."
         -- R. Brygadyr

    A: Autodesk has a product exactly that you're looking for: Picture This! Kitchen for about US$50. A bathroom module is expected soon. For more info, search http://www.autodesk.com

    Letters to the Editor

    We had a lot of readers wondering about those Top 5 Software vendors for 1996 we published in upFront.eZine #58:

    From one reader: "Hey, Ralph, this is standard boilerplate for Autodesk's press releases: 'The fourth-largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk ....' This doesn't jibe with your numbers. What's the scoop?"

    From another reader: "According to Information Week, IBM tops the list in software sales at $11B+. Notable is the fact that they are actually pulling away from Microsoft."

    upFront.eZine responds: It's all in the qualifier. The Top 5 list we printed was for "retail sales in the USA." Autodesk uses the qualifier "PC software company in the world." Microsoft is considered the largest software company in the world, but IBM has the largest software sales in the world.

    Notable Quotable

    "Same song,
    Second verse.
    A little bit faster,
    And a little bit worse."
     -- Children's ditty.

    Contact!

    All contents copyright XYZ Publishing, Ltd. Inc., 1997 and all rights are reserved. No material may be reproduced electronically or in print without written permission from XYZ Publishing, PO Box 3053, Sumas WA, 98295-3053, unless otherwise noted.