www.upfrontezine.com
Inside this Issue
ASP Version of IntelliCAD
CADopia.com has been
offering free downloads of IntelliCAD 2000. Recently, they worked
with Web4Engineers to create an ASP version of IntelliCAD. Once
registered with Web4Engineers at http://www.web4engineers.com,
you can run IntelliCAD 2000 in a Web browser. Its DWG drawing
files can be stored on Web4Engineer's online filing system. Online
markup software, such as Web4Engineer's own eReview, can be used
to view and redline over the Internet.
At 200,000 downloads, the free version of IntelliCAD 2000 seems more popular than the US$385 version of IntelliCAD 98, which apparently sold about 25,000 copies.
Survivor:
Picture This! Kitchen
After a reader wondered what had happened to Autodesk's
Picture This! Kitchen software, I received this email from one
of the developers:
As one of the early core members of the Picture This! team,
I am pleased that the product still lives in several forms. Most
of the original team is still together, having gone through an
Autodesk-> Broderbund-> The Learning Company-> Mattel->
GoodHome-> Scene7 transformation.
That's a lot of business cards in three years!
Scene7 produces two titles for Broderbund: Total
3D Home Deluxe and Total 3D Landscape (US$30 each). Both are
enhanced versions based upon the Picture This platform developed
at Autodesk starting in early 1995. At one time, T3DHD was the
#1 selling software package in that market (and it may still be).
German and French versions are being readied by Broaderbund's
international marketing groups. Scene7 is also delivering the
functionality of the CD-ROM software as client Web components
and server applications. We are marketing the tools in several
areas, including home improvement, remodeling, and fashion.
- Mark Maigatter
The editor comments: "It is quite common for companies, like Broderbund and Microsoft, to market and distribute software created not by themselves, but by other companies, such as Scene7."
Autodesk
At Work...
...boosting its share price. In addition to buying back millions
of shares, the chief officers are doing the talk-show circuit,
talking up the ADSK price. In one interview, Autodesk ceo Carol
Bartz "told Reuters there were times when she wondered how
her company, which has nearly a billion dollars in annual revenue,
came to seem irrelevant." Other excerpts from the article
by Lisa Baertlein include:
"You can look around you, if God didn't create it, one of my customers did," said Bartz, who has led the 19-year-old niche software maker since 1992. AutoCAD brings in about 30 percent of the company's total revenues, Bartz said, and is virtually without competition.
You can read the article in full at http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010323/tc/autodesk_dc_1.html
Headlight.com
Article (Too) Popular
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, goes the saying.
Last week's article about the demise of Headlight.com was popular
with two other e-newsletters, who "borrowed" the text
without acknowledging the source -- upFront.eZine. When
contacted, one editor regretted the copying, saying it was unintended.
The Internet makes it easy to copy'n paste material from any source; but the Internet also makes it easier to track down copyright violations. I know that I cannot prevent you from copying material in this e-newsletter, so all I ask for is mutual respect:
1. Ask me for
permission to reuse material found in upFront.eZine and
the other publications I edit (CRCeZine and AutoCAD
User). I routinely grant permission.
2. Acknowledge the source in your publication with a credit line
that reads something like, "Reprinted by permission of upFront.eZine.
www.upfrontezine.com "
Below
the Radar
A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read
elsewhere:
VizuallyRICH transfers drawings, complete with all finishes and mapping, from AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop into 3D Studio. Order a demo CD-ROM from http://www.adris.co.uk/vizrich_mainframe.htm
CADRegister.com is a service from Thomas Register that provides "millions" of component drawings: mechanical, electrical, plant design, and building products. The technology used at this Web site was developed by web2CAD (formerly Genius) of Germany. http://www.cadregister.com
Intergraph's annual Golden Mouse Awards for computer graphics has morphed into the Golden Valve Award. Registered users of Intergraph SmartPlant Review and PDS 3D software can compete for US$6,000 in awards. Deadline for entries is April 30. No entry fee; max of 10 entries per person. http://www.p2c2.org/ipp2001/gvawards.asp
SolidWorks now includes SolidWorks Toolbox in its educational design software. SolidWorks has 52,000 educational licenses installed worldwide.
After upgrading its software to v2.0, some Buzzsaw.com customers experienced a few days of difficulty in accessing their online projects. According to the company, all's now well again. [Reminds me of when one of my ISPs upgraded its email software a month ago. The system was supposed to be down for just two hours; it took ten days before the service was 24/7 again, including one full Tuesday with no email. That's why I pay extra to have email access with two ISPs.]
Winners of Alias|Wavefront-IBM design competition can be viewed at http://www.aliaswavefront.com/special/AW_IBM_competition
For readers who want the CAD headlines delivered to their desktop on a daily basis, you can subscribe at http://www.tenlinks.com/News/subscribe.htm
New
Software Releases
HarmonyWare has released version 1.0 of STEP/Nlib, STEP/TSLib,
and STEP/SMLib -- its STEP data translation library, which allow
users of GeomWare's Nlib, IntegrityWare's POPLib and TSLib, and
Solid Modeling Solutions' SMLib to import and export geometry
and topology information. http://www.harmonyware.com
CoCreate Software has launched SolidDesigner 2001 mechanical design software. http://www.cocreate.com
Delcam has updated its PowerSHAPE hybrid modelling software to v3.1. http://www.delcam.com/powershape/powershape.htm
Buzzsaw.com has added RFQ (Request For Quotation) Manager to its Web site, an online procurement and quote management system.
Bentley Systems has released Architecture for MicroStation TriForma [I thought TriForma _was_ architectural], which integrates parametric, 3D building design, visualization, 2D drawing production, and report generation of quantities and costs. Other TriForma apps include Structural for MicroStation TriForma and HVAC for MicroStation TriForma. http://www.bentley.com
Conferences
Congress on the Future of Engineering Software, April 26-28 in
Scottsdale AZ USA. http://www.cofes.com/
Design @nywhere, Manufacture @nywhere 2 conference, May 21-23 in Tampa Bay FL USA. http://www.managementroundtable.com/Event_Center/DAMA01/DAMA01.html
AEC Systems 2001 conference, June 18-21 at McCormick Place in Chicago IL USA. Greg Bentley, ceo Bentley Systems, and Philip Bernstein, vp Autodesk, will be keynoting it [hey! that's not a verb] on Wednesday 19th (8:30 to 10:00am). http://www.aecsystems.com
Fourth International Symposium on TOOLS AND METHODS OF COMPETITIVE ENGINEERING (TMCE 2002), in Wuhan China on April 22-26, 2002. http://www.io.tudelft.nl/research/ica/tmce2002/
New
Newsletters/Webzines
Pro/E Digital Digest is a new e-newsletter for Pro/Engineer
users from the publisher of 'Pro/E: The Magazine.' Read
a sample issue at http://www.proe.com/ProEDigitalDigest/PDDArchive/V1I1PDD.html
and sign-up at http://www.proe.com/ProEDigitalDigest/Sign-upForm.html
People/Companies
on the Move
Ken Shain has stepped down as ceo of MENSI after
being there two years <kenshain@atl.mediaone.net>.
Avatech Solutions has named Allan Wulff as president and coo. Mr Wulff was formerly ceo of Keyva Technologies. http://www.avatechsolutions.com
The Design-drawing.com Webzine has ceased active production, but much of its content -- coverage of Visio, IntelliCAD, and SmartSketch -- has been rolled over into www.CADinfo.NET.
Graphisoft US has moved to 244 Mississippi St, San Francisco CA 94107. Phone numbers remain the same.
Market
News
Tenlinks.Com has written an analysis of how Autodesk
Investments is doing in these stock market-unfriendly times. You
can read "Autodesk's Internet Investment Hits a Snag: As
CapacityWeb Falters, Will Others Be Far Behind?" at http://www.tenlinks.com/news/articles/032601autodesk.htm
Dassault Systemes plans to acquire SRAC for US$22 million of
stock; SRAC produces the Cosmos 3D analysis software.
Moldflow has acquired Branden Technologies for US$3.5 million
cash; Branden produces Shotscope and EZ-Track for real-time monitoring
in die casting industries.
SofTech put off selling its CAM business to an undisclosed buyer
after the buyer was unable to obtain financing.
Nemetschek increased FY2000 sales by 3.3% to DM253 million, but
suffered an operating loss of DM 2.5 million, largely due to DM8
million spent on its MyBau.Com ("bau" is German for
"construction") Web site.
Intergraph predicts it will beat its earnings estimate this quarter.
And there are lots of earnings calls coming up this month:
PTC 2Q01: Apr 17 at 10:00am ET
SDRC 1Q01: Apr 18 at 5:00pm ET
Moldflow 3Q01: Apr 25 at 5:00pm ET
Intergraph 1Q01: Apr 30 at 2:00pm ET
Nasdaq will buy 58% of Belgium-based Easdaq (a European tech exchange)
for an undisclosed amount. Nasdaq already has a deal with the
Montreal Stock Exchange, and plans to acquire at least one more
exchange this year.
The
WorthWhile Web
http://www.troubleshooters.com/tpromag/200104/200104.htm
Troubleshooting Professional Magazine
"The Windows to Linux Conversion."
http://geekt.org/geekt/
GeekT.org
"Geek history through T-shirts."
http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm
"End of the Internet."
http://www.turbocad.com/community/gallery/v7/
IMSI
TurboCAD User Gallery
Letters
to the Editor
Re: CAD for Principals Report
"Phil Bernstein's comments regarding the CAD for Principals
Software Evaluation Report and ENR magazine's spin
on the report should cause the AEC industry concern.
"At Hillier we are in the process of evaluating most of the
CAD applications covered in this report. I donated my time to
author and contribute my firm's findings regarding Revit. We are
in the process of piloting and testing Architectural Desktop,
as well as Revit and other CAD applications. Our goal is to identify
a tool which facilitates the design process we use now and will
use in the future.
"To insinuate that objectivity was lost when Revit covered
the expenses of the CAD for Principals Council completely overlooks
the truth and the unique value that this evaluation offers. No
reviewer was ever contacted by Revit in an effort to sway their
opinion, and a painstaking process was used to assure that products
were evaluated objectively; we put aside subjective opinions.
"It concerns me to read that Autodesk's AEC product direction
is coming from a person who believes that boundaries should be
respected between design phases. Support for this strategy can
only come from a company with many products to sell.
"My peers at other leading design firms often suggest a different
preference. Many desire one backbone tool that can do:
* The soft and fuzzy presentation drawings.
* The accurate and colorful schematic design drawings.
* The clear and precise set of construction documents.
"We don't want a pile of different applications, with
plug-ins and extensions causing file incompatibilities, upgrade
problems, and training debacles. We don't want our design platform
stratifying our staff by forcing them to make career decisions
influenced by the software available for different phases of the
work.
"The boundaries, which used to exist between design phases,
are now blurred into nonexistence; the process is a continuum.
With Revit, we use the same tool for schematic design through
construction documents. In contrast, Autodesk's strategy includes
several products with dramatically different difficult-to-learn
user interfaces, with upgrade cycles that don't match, separate
stand-alone tools for certain tasks, and a recurring unavoidable
need to customize the software to do things that you thought would
be included in the first place.
"Proliferation of more products requiring more training,
more customization, and requiring an ever increasing portion of
my budget is not a strategy that will gain favor with me. This
is a case where 'Less is more.'"
-Bob Ritger, Director of Design Systems
Hillier
The editor replies: "I find I prefer separate tools,
each optimized for its task. But then my background is engineering,
not architecture -- or maybe it's just the way my brain is wired.
"For another response to Mr Bernstein, read the letter by
Kristine Fallon to ENR at http://192.215.32.157/new/letters32601.asp
"
"Thanks for the great read. I enjoy getting your publication
each week. Keep up the good work."
- Todd Rowe
Spin
Doctor of the Moment
"Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Symantec's
AntiVirus Research Center today [April 1] confirmed that
foot-and-mouth disease cannot be spread by Microsoft's Outlook
email application, believed to be the first time the program has
ever failed to propagate a major virus."
- SatireWire <http://www.satirewire.com/news/0103/outlook.shtml>
Notable
Quotable
"There seems to have been a deal struck long ago between
Bill Gates and Peter Norton: Bill builds the operating system,
and the Norton Utilities fixes the operating system."
- David Coursey
AnchorDesk
Contact!