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Issue #253: 12 June, 2001

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Inside this Issue

• Actrix Technology Has a Future
• MicroGDS Release 7.0
• More on XML in CAD
• Plus regular departments

Actrix Technology Has a Future

It's been nearly nine months since Autodesk last issued a press release on Actrix. The product is still available for purchase (US$349) from Autodesk's Web site. Last year Actrix Technical 2000 was given away free in boxes of AutoCAD LT. The product is never mentioned during conference calls with analysts. In this business, no news is bad news. It's no wonder readers are asking what's happening with the product once called "The Visio Killer."

"Autodesk will be assimilating Actrix's features into other products soon. You will see some of it in the forthcoming MEP/Building Services product, as well as in Inventor and in GIS products," reports an industry insider. The spirit of Actrix lives on; the end of Actrix as a product is due to Microsoft's acquisition of Visio.

In related news, "[Microsoft] axed free support for Visio 5.0 ... as of last Friday" [ZDnet]. Micrografx <http://www.micrografx.com> last week introduced Micrografx Designer 9 suite (previously called iGrafx Designer) containing Micrografx Designer and Picture Publisher. On Wednesday, Intergraph Process & Building Solutions will unveil SmartSketch v4.0 (US$545), which is due to ship in the third quarter.

"[DesignXML's] Vector2D channel will use SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics); the Facetted3D channel will use XGL (an XML-based facetted representation used by Autodesk Streamline). The Raster2D channel will link to a JPEG or PNG file. The Geometry3D channel is further out, and will most likely be based on an existing industry standard, such as the XML mapping of STEP.

"Object Enablers can reference and implement custom object schemas to extend AcDbXML. The custom object's data would be human readable and accessible to any XML parser. If the Object Enabler does not implement a custom schema, then the object's data is stored as an ASCII-encoded binary chunk so that the data is preserved but is only useful to the application that wrote the data.

"With the lower resolution channels, we will output the graphical representation of the object directly (to SVG or XGL, for instance), so no additional work by the object developer is required

"ACIS objects get represented in AcDbXML as SAT data (same as AutoCAD's File | Export | SAT).

"An update to http://www.designxml.org/schema/DesignXML_V_100.xdr will include some AcDb examples along with the schema documentation, and will go live on or before June 15.

"The positioning of DesignXML has deliberately been kept low key. DesignXML, and particularly AcDbXML, is a platform for us and third party developers to build useful applications on top of, more than it is a user feature."
- Wayne Fisher
Autodesk

"MicroGDS has been able to export in XML format for over a year now <http://www.informatix.co.uk/mgds_xml.htm>, and v7 offers a 100%-perfect roun trip from MicroGDS native data format to XML, and back again. In that sense, XML _is_ a native format for MicroGDS data. In practice, due to the large increase in file size, we expect users will stay with our traditional binary native format.

"The ability to import/export data in XML format opens possibilities for data exchange. It would be an interesting exercise to write a converter from AutoCAD-flavor XML to MicroGDS-flavor XML. We'll certainly look at that if DesignXML catches on.

"In the meantime, as [intellicad.org's] Ronald Prepchuk pointed out, the real issue is not how data is represented, but how it is interpreted. We have invested a lot of effort in our current OpenDWG-based import/export technology; it works well and conveniently. We intend to stay with it for the foreseeable future."
- Chris Russon
Informatix Software International

The editor replies: "Mr Russon's comment about the size of XML files should be noted. A DesignXML file is about 10x the size of a DWG file, and takes much longer to create than DXF. If Autodesk adds in all the additional formats described by Mr Fisher, the filesize will really balloon! It's a good thing drive vendors are readying 160MB drives."

Docupoint: DrawingSearcher v2.5 combines the functionality of a Web server with full text search engine and Docupoint's Whip-n-Post! DWF publisher in a single server app. http://www.docu-point.com

The newly spun-off IronCAD LLC is shipping IronCAD v4.2 at a lower price of US$3,495. http://www.ironcad.com

@Last Software: SketchUp v1.2 with improvements such as support for metric. http://www.sketchup.com

iceCAD calls itself "a truly unique interface" for viewing 3D images with real-time fully textured rendering, infinitely adjustable viewing points, and event triggers. Supported file formats include 3DS, X, AVI, MP3, and WAV. Free download from http://www.icecad.co.uk/html/downloads.htm

The oh-so-so-tedious X-name onslaught continues: DeLorme has released XMap 3.0 for use with TopoQuads, and includes an export module compatible with AutoCAD, ArcView, and other GIS systems. http://www.delorme.com

Rand Worldwide: PROCISION [try saying it five times fast] v4.0 solids-based analysis software. http://www.procision.com

3D PartStream.NET is SolidWorks' cumbersome name for their technology that lets manufacturers integrate 3D CAD models into online catalogs. Version 2 supports SolidWorks, Pro/E, IGES, SAT, DXF, and DWG. http://www.3dpartstream.net

SDRC: I-DEAS 8m3 mechanical design software. http://www.sdrc.com/newsroom/products-0425a.shtml [I think last week's reader-rant had its intended effect: for the first time, I understood a SDRC press release.]

Raindrop Geomagic: Geomagic Capture software for processing point data from 3D cameras, digitizers, and coordinate measurement machines. [The press release failed to include a URL, and I was too tired to hunt one down. Sorry.]

Code Zebra: LivingLegend v4.3 (US$189) for AutoCAD, which creates associative BOMs (bills of material), schedules, and symbol legends. Download a trial version from http://www.codezebra.com

"GTX Corporation Announces Plans to Support AutoCAD 2002." http://www.gtx.com

Microspot: MacDraft 5.0 for Macintosh computers. http://www.microspot.co.uk

Cimmetry Systems: native viewer for Visio VSD files. This is the first viewer that doesn't just display the VSD preview image. [Just in time since Microsoft has pulled the useful preview feature from Visio 2002.] http://www.cimmetry.com/cimweb.nsf/pages/newsVisio

Adtron: 14.3GB hard drive is made entirely of FlashRAM and fits a 3.5" hard drive bay. The SCSI-based drive is priced US$42,000 in lots of 25. [Seems overpriced, what with the price of RAM under $1/MB these days.] http://www.adtron.com

Dell: Precision Workstation 730 computer based on the 64-bit Intel Itanium CPU for USA customers only. The computer (US$7,999 and up) comes with one Itanium 733MHz CPU, 1GB SDRAM, Matrox Millenium G450 graphics card, and 18GB SCSI hard drive. [No operating system was mentioned in the press release -- cough, cough]. The computer will be available worldwide later this year. http://www.dell.com/itanium

Encad: rebates of between US$500 and US$2,500 on its 36" CADjet and 42" or 60" NovaJet inkjet plotters if you purchase one between 1 June and Sept 30. http://www.encad.com/About-Us/Newsroom/2001/PR20010601.html

Architecture and the Internet: Issues and Opportunities. Harvard GSD Executive Education Program, June 18-20, 2001. http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/profdev/aii.htm
and http://communication-design.net

'CAD Comments' is published monthly by Dale Batko <dale@dalebatko.com>. http://www.dalebatko.com/cadcomments.html

'GDL Technology' is an e-newsletter published by http://www.GDLCentral.com

Cyco Software opened its second office in the United Kingdom in Lancashire, which will be managed by Steve Maloney.

Varia Consulting Partners has been formed to help customers of Varia Builder, Varia Modeler, Varia Author, and Varia Server from Design Variations. http://www.vcp-llc.com

Meridian Project Systems hired Liz Robertson as ProjectTalk vice president. Ms Robertson was previously vp of product development and operations for Sideware Systems.

Four companies -- AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Napster -- control half of all minutes spent online by US users, according to Jupiter Media Metrix. Some 14 companies controlled 60% of user minutes as of March 2001, down from 40 companies in March 2000, and 110 in March 1999. - CNET

Research firm IDC now expects personal computer shipments in the USA to drop by 6.3%, from 48.4 million in 2000 down to 45.3 million units in 2001. The firm's earlier estimate had been a growth of 2.2%. [Oops.]

After IBM announced a way to increase CPU speeds by 35%, Intel announced a way to increase CPU speeds 10x. Hold off on buying that 2GHz machine; wait for the 20GHz computers coming in 2007.

Bell Zinc has purchased Onvia's Canadian operations.

http://webservices.cnet.com/bandwidth/
CNET
A simple test of your Internet connection [which is followed by a pitch to sign up for faster service].

http://www.theinquirer.net
The Inquirer: "Our Mission is Our Statement"
Saucy competitor to The Register.

http://www.infosync.no/ref/en_news.asp?Link=419
Photos of an amazing PDA design by Psion

Re: Whither Real Architect?
"We are still around. The Web site was down for a little while for updating, but is now back in service."
- James Padgett
ACADstore.com

"Ditek <http://www.ditek.com> seems to have disappeared. Any news? I was at Ditek's site some months ago."
- Raymond

The editor replies: "Ditek (of Dynacadd fame) has become view22.com and the http://www.homeproject.com Web site."

"I think you have a great newsletter, keep up the good work!!!"
- Shyamal Roy
Geomate Corp

"I've been receiving your e-newsletter for a few years now and enjoy it very much. I find it to be unbiased and useful information. A rare commodity in today's media world. And as a fellow Lower-Mainlander I must say I'm proud of the fact that it originates in British Columbia."
- Jeff Phillips
Fluor Daniel

"Thanks for all the great work you put into it!"
- Merle Hall

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