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Issue #180: 7 December, 1999


Internet Startup Company Alibre

Alibre is working on providing a subscription-based mechanical CAD design service. The Alibre Design service provides a 3D parametric feature-based solid modeler at essentially no charge. Alibre makes its money by charging for collaborative design and data management services -- not the modeler. You get a 30-day free trial of the complete service.

The Alibre Design client provides core solid modeling functionality. Its claim to fame of being different is that Alibre is based, from the ground-up, an Internet architecture that allows "real-time team modeling". The idea is to allow teams of engineers and designers to work on the same design simultaneously, regardless of location.
 Vp of marketing, Greg Milliken (formerly of Autodesk) emphasizes that this new software is not just viewing and markup; it's true editing, with flexible change management. Alibre Design features:

Alibre is currently accepting applications for the Alibre Design beta program.


AutoCAD 2000 Update for XchangeWorks

SolidWorks has a free upgrade for XchangeWorks that makes it compatible with AutoCAD 2000. XchangeWorks is a free data translation plug-in developed by SolidWorks for the AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop user.

The idea behind XchangeWorks is that the AutoCAD user can import part files in IGES, STEP, and VDAFS -- as well as directly import native SolidWorks, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, and Parasolid files.


Launching Bricsnet.com

Bricsnet last week launched Bricsnet.com, which it sees as "a fully integrated e-Marketplace that will enable dispersed building teams to manage the full lifecycle of the building process online." Bricsnet.com provides an Internet destination to:


New ParaSolid Release

Parasolid V11.1 contains these enhancements: A new licensing scheme, PS/AccessXT, provides a fully functioning copy of Parasolid at reduced price for development, distribution, and support of Parasolid translators.


upFront.eZine in Japanese

XYZ Publishing is pleased to announce that the Japanese edition of upFront.eZine is being launched. Currently, 1999 back issues are being translated; the newsletter will launch in January. You can contact editor Yasu Ohgushi to subscribe. The Japanese Edition joins the German, French, Spanish, Russian and Japanese editions of upFront.eZine.

UpFront.eZine em Português

XYZ Plublicidade tem a satisfação de anunciar que a Edição em Português de UpFront.eZine será lançada na próxima semana. Você pode contactar o editor Ricardo Montes pelo e-mail upfrontezine@cadnews.com.br para ser assinante. O WebSite referente a esta versão é www.casabrasil.com.br/cadnews .


New Newsletters

TGS has an online newsletter, which tells you about TGS's 3D products and developments. Send comments, questions, and suggestions to webmaster@tgs.com

Keeping Up With STEP is a monthly online summary of STEP news from STEP Tools Inc.


Magazines on the Move

The launch of www.bricsnet.com marks the integration of AEC Info within Bricsnet.com. This means that www.aecinfo.com changes to http://www.bricsnet.com

Ziff-Davis is selling PC Magazine, PC/Computing, Interactive Week, and Yahoo! Internet Life for US$780 million in cash to private investment firm Willis Stein & Partners. Ziff-Davis is retaining Computer Shopper and Red Herring.


CAD and Computer News Summaries

Autodesk
Like sailboats? From Dec. 6 to 11, Autodesk is hosting a Web site that focuses attention on their contributions to the AmericaOne entries into the upcoming New Zealand Cup sailboat race.

Autodesk's new Web site provides real-world feedback on utilities, patches, and fixes. It is also the place to enroll to become a beta site for Autodesk Products.

CADKEY
Digital Immersion Software, developers of Merlin VR and Merlin 3D software, have signed an agreement with CADKEY Corp. to offer VRML, animation, and virtual reality capabilities with CADKEY 99. This is a bonus to customers with current Annual Update Contracts.

CADLOCK
The latest version of Cadlock v3.2 supports the various flavors of AutoCAD 2000; additional versions of Release 14; foreign language versions; and fixes all bugs left from 3.1. .

CoCreate Software
New native adapters for OneSpace now provide seamless integration of: CoCreate's SolidDesigner, Dassault Systems' CATIA, PTC's Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, and SDRC's I-DEAS Master Series.

Intergraph
The St. Louis Airport Authority has chosen Intergraph to provide the road, site, and drainage design solution for the US$1.04 billion Phase I expansion project of the Lambert-St. Louis Airport.

KayPro
The Kaypro was the second (after Osborne) portable PC, about the size and weight of a sewing machine. Premio, the owner of Kaypro, announced three new Kaypro PCs no different from any other budget-price PC.

Ketiv Technologies
ReLayerIt 2000 extends the capabilities of ReLayerIt 1.0 by allowing layer modifications to AutoCAD 2000 files.

Microsoft
Starting with the release of the next version of Windows CE for palm-size PCs, code-named Rapier, Microsoft will stop cobranding devices with the Windows CE moniker. Instead, devices such as Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 420 and Casio's Casioppeia 100 will be promoted as Windows Powered, along with every other device running on Windows CE. Windows CE-based devices will simply be one more thin client for server computers based on Windows 2000. - CNET

PTC
Not to be outdone, Parametric Technology announced it is helping design three of the New Zealand Cup challengers: Abracadabra 2000, AmericaOne, and Team Prada. The three teams are using Pro/ENGINEER and i-Series engineering design and analysis software. The race takes place February 2000.

Rebis
AutoPLANT Explorer/ID is based on LightWork Design's NavisWorks core technology, providing piping and plant design engineers with a visualization and collaboration tool for making design reviews of large 3D CAD plant models.

SGI
Silicon Graphics demo'ed an Intel Itanium processor-based Linux cluster.


Market News

Wowee! Look at Autodesk's share price zoom up: it's nearly doubled in just one month. At the close of market Monday, some share prices were:

Symbol     Price  Company               52-week Range
ADSK           33 AUTODESK INC             17    49 7/16
CDN        19 3/8 CADENCE DESIGN       9 3/16     34 1/8
DASTY          51 DASSAULT ADR        30 1/16     50 1/2
DIEG        7 3/8 DIEHL GRAPHSOFT     2 11/16      7 3/8
EGPT       6 7/16 EAGLE PT SOFT         4 1/2      9 1/2
INGR        4 3/8 INTERGRAPH CP        3 3/16     10 1/4
PMTC     29 13/16 PARAMETRIC         11 11/16    30 1/16
SDRC           11 STRUCT DYNAMICS     8 13/16    23 7/16
STY         5 1/8 SPATIAL TECH         2 9/16     5 9/16
UGS        22 7/8 UNIGRAPHICS          13 1/8    36 7/16


The WorthWhile Web

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/1999/09/23/cable_dsl/
Salon
A first-person narrative comparing cable modems with DSL. I found this article helpful.


Letters to the Editor

"Do you know of any redline and markup tool to visualize directly Pro/E files? Much like Actify's 3Dview does with CATIA."
     - Enrique
 

Re: Buzzsaw.Com
"Your analysis on the Autodesk investment is flawed. Crosspoint's $15M investment yielding a valuation of $65M only means that Crosspoint owns 23% of Buzzsaw, i.e. paying $15M for 23% of something now means it is worth $65M. I could start a company with two guys and an idea and sell half of it to a VC firm for $10M, giving it a valuation of $20M. That doesn't mean I put $10M into it."
     - Name withheld by request.
 

Re: upFront.eZine NEWS $179
"I hope $179 doesn't represent the new price for the newsletter."

The editor replies: "Perhaps it represents the value of the newsletter? No, my finger slipped, and it shoulda been #179."


Spin Doctor of the Moment

Found in too many press releases these days: "This update addresses customer issues."
     - Translation: Fixes bugs.


Notable Quotable

"While Microsoft claims that Millennium brings a whole new user experience, some testers argue that, much like Windows 98, it is just an expensive patch consolidated into a marketable product."
         - BetaNews


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