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#323
14January 2003
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a l k i n g a b o u t c a d
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#323
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Contents Readers
React: Guest
Editorial:
Book
Review: Below
the Radar, - - - - - -
(ADVERTISMENT) eBooks.onLine Inside General CADD Pro is the new e-book by Ralph Grabowski in PDF format. This 300-page tutorial and reference book is available by email, ftp, or on CD. - - -
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Readers Respond: During the Autodesk University 2003 keynote address, ceo Carol Bartz said, "The shape of the future looks like this: After that design data leaves your hands, it needs to stay in digital form." Readers responded with their opinions: - - - "Keeping data digital may be applicable in a few cases,
but not mine. At some point paper is required. "I'm currently working with linen drawings that were generated
in 1904, without the need to find a translation application. Will
Autodesk, .dwg, .dxf, and .dwf be viable 98 years from now? "It strikes me that Carol Bartz overlooks the importance
of paper as a legal archival record in the construction industry.
Contract Documents are the basis for legal agreements, and that
is why they will continue to exist on paper, along with arcane measures
such as imprinted seals. (Please refer to 'Encrypted drawings --
or Not?' in upFront.eZine #287 and #288 to read why such an 'antique'
system as paper still has its use as a historical legal benchmark,
versus a data file format such as .dwf.) "I did not know that there was such a thing as an 'intelligence
process'. When I design stuff, the time comes when I must stop designing,
and get the thing fabricated and working. I need to send the information
out to people in a portable, unmodifiable, scaled format. The Universes of CATIA and PC-CAD Just Don't Intersect Guest Editorial
You mention the puzzling results of the CATIA users' survey in regard to importing data from SolidWorks and Inventor (whose numbers were very low). I think it's due to these factors: 1. CATIA is, without a doubt, a purely 'enterprise' CAD solution. 2. Over the years, most enterprises have adopted a one-CAD-system policy, precluding much, if any, introduction of PC-CAD software. For example, at one time Boeing had Gerber, Cadkey, and CATIA, but no longer. 3. Enterprises get data primarily from large subcontractors or strategic partners who make sub-assemblies for them. Most of these subs are required to adhere to the same one-CAD policy, further limiting the choice of CAD products. (This forces most big subs to own one each of the big packages.) 4. The data passed between enterprises are usually complex models that would choke most PC-CAD products. Mercedes might send an entire body model to its 'gas flap' vendor to design the hinge on the door over the gas cap. Neither Mercedes nor the hinge maker can use Inventor or SolidWorks to efficiently handle this data at either end of the process. 5. Pro/E, UGS, and I-DEAS have been involved in enterprise CAD for nearly 20 years and have accumulated enormous stores of data, models, assemblies and sub-assemblies involving complex products and geometry -- a fact which neither Inventor nor SolidWorks can match. The chance of an enterprise needing the type of data that is stored in the SolidWorks or Inventor databases right now is slim. 6. CATIA is used primarily by the automotive and aerospace industries. PC-CAD can't do the surface modeling needed in either of these industries. The copies of Cadkey at Boeing in the 1980s were used primarily to design seat brackets. Because of all these factors, the universes of CATIA users and PC-CAD users just don't intersect at this point in time. Mr Hall was a co-founder of Applied 3D Science, and prior to that international sales manager at Cadkey. Book Review: LEGO
Software Power Tools Boys (mostly) like to play with Lego blocks; some continue into their teens. Adults rediscover Lego when their children get old enough; in some cases, advanced Lego construction becomes an adult's hobby. Examples:
The connection with CAD (and this newsletter) is MLCAD, a Lego-oriented
CAD program. It lets you design Lego projects in a CAD-like environment.
You select from a collection of 2,000 predrawn bricks, or else modify
the bricks. The user interface shows the four standard engineering
views -- front, side, top, and isometric -- fully rendered. An associated
program, LPUB, generates step-by-step instructions for building
the model.
This is a great book that'll help you apply to your CAD knowledge to something more fun than CAD. My son, who installed the software, quickly re-created a Star Wars spaceship in MLCAD. He reports the book is much improved over the POV-RAY instruction he got in his Information Technology class earlier this year. For more info, or to save 30% by purchasing on-line: http://www.amazon.com Below the Radar A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read elsewhere, or that I found interesting: - - - Autodesk was the only CAD vendor listed on 'Fortune' magazine's list of 100 best companies to work for. The magazine described the company as "a special-effects-software designer" [the magazine doesn't understand CAD, like most my friends]. Some interesting numbers include:
More details at www.fortune.com - - - MecSoft is doubling the price of its VisualMill v4.0 from US$995 to $1,995. http://www.mecsoft.com - - - ABAQUS software for advanced finite element analysis is now available with a Teaching Edition license. http://www.abaqus.com - - - nPower Software has a beta Power Booleans v2 plug-in with level editing and improved mesh generation. http://www.npowersoftware.com
Seminars & Conferences MICAD, April 1-3 in Paris, France. http://www.birp.com/ COFES 2003: The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software, Scottsdale AZ USA on May 15 -18. http://www.cofes.com ABAQUS Users' Conference 2003, June 4-6 in Munich, Germany. http://www.abaqus.com/news/updated_conf_info.html International Symposium on Product Lifecycle Management in Bangalore, India, July 16-18. http://web.mecheng.iisc.ernet.in/~plm03/ CFA University and Paul Aubin Book Tour is a two-day event that teaches ADT implementation. Register at http://www.cadstoreonline.com/index.php3?HPEvent=PaulAubinTour AutoEDMS Quarterly Training Seminars for document management. http:// www.acssoftware.com
People/Companies on the Move bom.com changed its name to Arena Solutions <http://www.arenasolutions.com > because arenas are places "where teams come together." Electronic Data Systems appointed Robert H. Swan as its new cfo. Mr Swan was formerly chief financial officer at TRW. Eagle Point named Michael Lyons as vp of client relationships. Proficiency added Joey Dusina to its sales management team.
Redo "Bentley Systems acquired Intergraph's InRoads products
in December of 2000. Intergraph can still resell our software to
contracts that existed before the sale and can sell InRoads as a
reseller."
Computer News Summaries Opera v7 beta 2 makes Apple's new Safari Web browser look sad -- which is perhaps why ceo Steve Jobs didn't include Opera among his comparison of Web browsers at the Safari unveiling. http://www.opera.com Microsoft ends official tech support for Windows 98 and NT v4 on June 30. Analysts believe 300 million users will scramble to upgrade [I doubt it]. - Forbes.com In unrelated news, Microsoft changed the name of its sever software to Windows Server 2003. Previously, it was called Windows .Net Server 2003. Prior to that, it was called Windows .Net Server. Before that, it was Windows 2002 Server. And originally, it was called Whistler. Due to ship in 2001, is has now been delayed until 2003. Product manager Paul Randle said, "The aim of the name change is to clarify the messaging around the product." - The Inquirer "Centrino" is Intel's new name for the chips it uses in mobile computing. Intel thinks the name suggests "flight, mobility and forward movement." [I think the name suggest a crumbling Roman Empire.] 'The Inquirer' notes the Centrino logo looks like the feathers of a dart; to me, it looks like a broken heart. After a five-year law suit (still not over) from Xerox, Palm is eliminating its Graffiti handwriting recognition in favor of Communication Intelligence Corp.'s "Jot" software. Future releases of the PalmOS operating system will contain "Graffiti 2 powered by Jot." - Reuters
Market News Moldflow acquired most assets and operations of Controle Processus Industriels (of France) for approximately US$800,000 cash. Bentley Systems last week completed its acquisition of the Department of Transportation Division of TransDecisions. Several TransDecisions employees joined Bentley. The upFront.eZine stock index is at www.cadwire.net/to?upfrontezine/stocks
The WorthWhile Web http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/contents.htm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/28835.html
http://www.NoIndoctrination.org
http://www.notcpa.org/members.html
http://www.stoppalladium.org/html/
Letters to the Editor "I was in Las Vegas for the third year to present at AU, and I think you captured the essence of Las Vegas itself with great clarity -- a truly hideous place, unless you find some time to go to the wonderful surrounding areas: Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rocks Canyon, or (if you are a wildlife enthusiast) the Henderson Sewage Treatment facility, where the bird-watching is unbelievable. "I discovered
this year that bringing my wife makes being there a lot less soul-crushing,
although it's impossible not to notice the parents dragging their
small children through the smoke-filled 'family-friendly' casino."
Spin Doctor of the Moment "They've signed me up for every advertising campaign and
mailing list there is. These people are out of their minds. They're
harassing me."
"I wasn't a believer in Linux at Microsoft -- I couldn't
be a believer at Microsoft. But Linux is clearly the biggest competitive
challenge that Microsoft has ever faced. It's unlike anything before
-- there's not a company behind it. It's very elusive, in a way." |
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Return to www.upfrontezine.com. Entire contents copyright ©2003 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide. Article reprint fee $500. All trademarks belong to their respective holders. "upFront.eZine," "Talking About CAD," and "On your desktop every Tuesday morning" are trademarks of upFront.eZinePublishing, Ltd. Letters to the editor may be reproduced in an edited form for clarity and brevity. Opinions expressed in letters are not necessarily shared by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. |
donations This e-newsletter is shareware. You may read this free. If you would like to support the author in his work, I suggest a donation of US$25.00 to PayPal in the account of grabowski @telus.net. Click here to make payment.
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