www.upfrontezine.com
"We all have an algorithm for business
these days, and it looks something like this:
What I do
+ Internet
= What I'm gonna do."
- The Peddie Report, Apr 17/00
CAD/CAM/CAE Domains Names For Sale
A company that sells internet domain names is offering the following
at US$395,000 each, or all three for US$900,000:
ComputerAutomatedDesign.Com
ComputerAutomatedEngineering.Com
ComputerAutomatedManufacturing.Com
Explains the company's email to prospective firms: "These
domains are so valuable because they will give a software manufacturer
instant descriptive branding in what is emerging to be a very
fast growing business to business market on the internet [sic].
ZDNet cited projections of 'biz 2 biz' [sic] (business
to business) internet [sic] purchasing ranging into the
TRILLIONS of dollars in the next few years."
Ceo Harold A. Meyer III adds to the excitment: "We
are getting some very strong interest. We have had about a dozen
inquiries already. They will make a software company a ton of
money." Too bad thay CAD is short for "computer
AIDED design."
By the way, the RAND Engineering owns www.engineering.com .
Alventive -- formerly known as Visual Design Systems
-- relaunched itself as a B2B (business-to-business) company when
it unveiled its new site for Design-to-Order softare and an Online
Design Community portal. Says the press release: "'Alventive'
is derived from the vision that all can come together to invent
and innovate" -- as in "All Inventive." Does downloadable
software mean no more aluminum binders for their IronCAD sofware?
Maybe it's a similar thing, maybe it's different. Autodesk
now has http://pointa.autodesk.com
(for Content, Community, Collaboration, and Customer Care), http://www.redspark.com (for
mechanical CAD), and http://www.buzzsaw.com
(for AEC CAD), not to mention their iDesign-branded http://www.autodesk.com
mother site.
According to STEP Tools, the free translation
service at its Web
site has been used 8,487 times since its introduction with
85% successful translations, and 15% translations with errors.
That's an interesting statistic that underscores the fact that
translations don't always work. More important, this may herald
the start of users expecting to see the success-rate percentage
posted at every site providing translation services. OTOH, who's
to know if the statistic is accurate, and not the rationalization
of the marketing department's imagination?
Until now, translation sites expect you
to upload your file to their Web site, then download the result.
The vendor -- whether Spatial or STEP or whoever -- does the processing
using their software and computers. The advantages are: (1) they
are running the latest translation software; (2) their staff can
immediately check the file if there are problems; and (3) you
are not tying up your computer with the translation and clean-up
process, which can take time.
The drawback is the time it takes to up- and download the files
-- which can take a long time on the 56K-or-slower Internet connection
that most people have. A couple of companies have introduced an
alternative:
Compunix and
Cimsoftek have created a new
Web site, calling it "the first business-to-business
engineering data sharing Web site" -- specifically translating
CATIA, Unigraphics, Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, Varimetrix, all
ACIS- and Parasolid-based CAD files, as well as IGES, STEP, and
VDA-FS (gee, whatever happened to DWG as an engineering data format?).
The site is due to start on May 15 "offering the ability
to download fully functional data translation solutions -- many
integrated directly into your CAD/CAM application." You translate
the file at on your computer.
There is no uploading or downloading of data files -- so where
is the Internet link? It turns out the purpose of the Web site
is to act as the cash register: "Complete the transaction
via the e-commerce engine at CADCAM-E.COM and start converting
the data files on your desktop." Price is US$50 to US$250
per file -- $50 off your first translation.
The cadcam-e.com folks must not have read Delcam's
press release, which launched the same service one month earlier.
PS-Exchange is the name of Delcam's "Internet Authenticated
Desktop Application (IADA)" that does precisely the same
thing: your computer does the translation, and uses the Internet
to access Delcam's Web
server to obtain real-time authorization. Supported formats
include DA, Pro/Engineer 2000, CATIA, Unigraphics or STEP parts
into a standard IGES and ParaSolid export (wot? No DWG!).
Says the press release, tongue-in-cheek I hope: "This approach
gives much faster results since transferring a short authorization
code is obviously much quicker than transferring a complex CAD
model." In this battle, the Brits beat the Yanks.
Ideal, the scanner people, will be rolling out Digital Container
(starting at US$59,950) at AEC Systems in early June. (At first,
I thought the name was Digital Containertm, but then I realized
the 'tm' had lost its superscripting.) This product, says Ideal,
"is a secure information management solution that Web-enables
the network and allows workgroups easy, browser-based access to
any large or small format document." Images and documents
are scanned, multi-field indexed, and archived into the Digital
Container -- which is a high-end PC. Using a Web browser, users
query, retrieve, view, pan, zoom, and print the scanned documents.
Ideal says that "filesize and bandwidth are not issues because
of the use of thin-client computing technology. Everything is
viewed directly from the server. Utopia." The press release
fails to explain how a scanned image downloads quickly over a
slow Internet connection. And, Peter, please be careful with the
use of the word "Utopia."
In other over-the-Internet file viewing news,
Autodesk is currently signing
up beta testers for Volo View for viewing, markup, measuring,
and plotting -- and it uses ActiveShapes-based Markup and Measure
tools).
CADKEY says their free 4MB CADKEY Viewer for CADKEY 99
is now available on their Web
site.
I'd like to tell you about SDRC's e-business product strategy, but I rarely -- unfortunately -- can fathom the meaning of their press releases. So I'll leave you with their description: "SDRC showcased the MetaCatalog(TM) product in its Metaphase(R) PKM solution, developed through a strategic partnership with Aspect Development. MetaCatalog integrates Aspect Development's leading e-Commerce and catalog management technology to enable e-business collaboration by establishing a standard catalog of parts, designs and systems for supply chain re-use."
Do you, as a customer, want a 'richer care
experience' from your CAD vendor? Think3
thinks you do. They have partnered with Silknet
Software and ZAMBA
Solutions to provide that richer, more responsive and
interactive customer care experience over the Internet -- starting
next month.
In phase 1, www.think3.com offers customers personalized and
targeted options for online self-service and one-to-one technical
support. In phase 2, the site will add more interactive features
and a set of pre-sales service options.
Autodesk Germany
is offering free training for AutoCAD LT 2000 via the Internet.
If you can read German, check out http://www.autodesk.de/lt2000
Autodesk in North American is offering 50-question
exams over the Internet to test your AutoCAD abilities at
US$60 per quiz. Autodesk Press (an imprint of Delmar Publishing)
is offering preparation
manuals starting next month.
The Systems Integration for Manufacturing Applications (SIMA) and Advanced Technology Programs at NIST invite your participation in their upcoming Information Technology for Engineering and Manufacturing conference. Held at NIST in Gaithersburg MD USA on June 12-13.
CounterEntropy Strategies announced that COFES2000 will feature Business-to-Business eCommerce as a major focus. The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software will be held May17-20 at The Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale AZ USA. For more info, cofes@wbh.com.
Microsoft has shipped 1.5 million copies of
Windows 2000 since the mid-February launch [assume most of
those were shipped to distributors and dealers]. A class-action
lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all Windows 98 buyers, saying
that Microsoft's actions as a monopoly has harmed consumers. Microsoft
shares are now at half their value of just four months ago.
"There is an increasing risk that Microsoft might atrophy
on the PC platform as IBM did on the mainframe platform, while
robust growth shifts to hand-held and wireless devices,"
says Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund, removing MSFT from his
company's "recommended" list.
Palm plans to release "voice-activated
product" by the end of 2000, running on a 4x to 8x faster
ARM CPU with the same battery life. Palm feels that the cell phone,
organizer, pager, and music players will converge onto a single
device.
-- April 17 --
TeraPlace
Strengthens Mentor Graphics SoC Position
-- April 18 --
Pinnacle
Systems Integrates Chaparral Controllers
Adept
Embeds Sony Technology into Production PILOT
ADIC
Releases High Capacity, Low Cost NAS Product
TenLinks.com
Acquires The CAD Depot
Moen
Opts for Framework ActiveProject
Intergraph
Public Safety Chosen by Arizona City
Unigraphics
Receives $850K Contract From AM General
Mac
Architects upset with AIA Windows-only Format
Synopsys
Releases EDA Industry's First Open Source
-- April 19 --
SCI
Systems to Purchase Nokia Engineering Group
Cyco
Names Tudas Channel Development Manager
MathSoft
Adds S-Plus Software to UNIX Purchases
SDRC
First Quarter Revenues Reach $108 Million
Alibre
Unveils Design 1.0 Mechanical Design Service
ESPRIT,
DP Technology Combine on Haas Quick Code
Avant!
Star-RCXT Impresses Texas Instruments
Actuality
Gains Funding for True 3D Display Operation
LightWork
Ships New NavisWorks 1.3 Software
Net
Sales Increase for Pinnacle Systems
-- April 20 --
Alventive
Launches as B2B Online Design Community
SDRC
Picks CSC for Sherpa-to-Metaphase Transition
Aerospace
Firm Awards Unigraphics $1M Contract
-- April 21 --
XYZ
Publishes Spanish Edition of Visions.eZine
Intense
3D Shines for Sun Expert3D Graphics
Diehl
Graphsoft Updates VectorWorks
Documentum
4i Expands Scale Content Management
PTC
Disappointed with Second Quarter Results
Lawrence
Livermore Lab Orders $1.6M from PTC
-- April 24 --
A/E/C
Systems Plans Improvements for CAD Shootout
SolidWorks
Receives STEP AP 203 Certification
IBM
Triples Flat Monitor Line, Reduces TFT Prices
StereoGraphics
Introduces Stereo 3D Support
Toshiba
Bulks Up Tecra 800 Series
"I just got back from seven weeks of sabbatical,
and your newsletter's seven issues got me grounded pretty quickly.
Pics are a nice addition. Add a couple of MPEGs and you'll have
to call yourself a multimedia zine. :) Keep up the great job!"
- Patrick Schutte
"Keep on doing."
- Eric Haines