July 5, 2004
Issue
#393
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- - - C
O N T E N T S Where
Are They Now? Readers
Respond: Below
the Radar Write - - - Donate - - - Look for additional,
nearly-daily CAD commentary at our Weblog: (ADVERTISMENT) Updated and Expanded for AutoCAD 2004! Tailoring AutoCAD 2004 is the first book for AutoCAD 2004. Download as a 204-page e-book in PDF format (US$24.95) or on CD ($29.95). Covers all areas of customization, from changing the user interface to writing toolbar macros and LISP routines. Click here to sample preview pages and place your order.
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I watched "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on tv last night. The home renovators make their design sketches with fat blue felt pens on large sheets of paper. They don't use CAD.
IronCAD, the company, recently released version 7 of IronCAD, the software. One of the new features is that IronCAD part/assembly files now embed HSF [HOOPS stream file] data. This means that any HSF-enabled application can view native IronCAD v7 model and assembly files. HSF-enabled IronCAD viewers are/will be available free from IronCAD (3D Scene Viewer), Tech Soft America (HOOPS Stream Control and HOOPS Part Viewers), and Informative Graphics (Modelpress Reader). IronCAD plans to publish the location of the HSF data in their file format to www.openhsf.org . Note that this applies only to IronCAD v7 files, and presumably future versions as well; it does not apply to files saved by earlier versions of IronCAD. - - - We asked the OpenHSF organization which other CAD products embed HSF in their native file format. "Because it's an open standard, there may be formats we are unaware of, but the HSF-enabled applications we know about are here: http://www.openhsf.org/supporters/applications.htm ," responded Melle Amade-Vice of Tech Soft America, the format's primary sponsor. Some of the other supporting CAD vendors include Kubotek (KeyCreator nee Cadkey) and Dassault Systemes (CATIA, SolidWorks, and eDrawings). HSF is based on HOOPS, developed by Ithaca Software, which was acquired by Autodesk in 1993. Autodesk uses HOOPS in its HDI display interface. Tech Soft America took over the job to develop and market HOOPS as a dedicated component-technology. Where
Are They Now? United Computing was founded in 1963, and ten years later applied the "Uni-Graphics" name to their CAD software/hardware package. McDonnell Douglas acquired United Computing in April, 1976. In November 1991, EDS [Electronic Data Systems] acquired the commercial computer services business from McDonnell Douglas in order to get Unigraphics. In 1998, EDS also acquired Solid Edge division from Intergraph. The entire division was renamed UGS. SDRC was purchased by EDS in October, 2001. Combining SDRC with UGS resulted in the PLM Solutions division of EDS. The I-deas software was integrated with Unigraphics to create a CAD product called NX. EDS again renamed the division, this time as UGS PLM Solutions in anticipation of selling it. In mid 2004, EDS sold the division to the management team and other investors. The private company is now called UGS. - - - Sources: Readers Respond: Where Are They Now? Prime and Medusa "My first exposure to CAD was going with two other guys to an IBM demonstration of CAD at their UK office. The one thing they would not tell us was how much it was going to cost -- all a bit confusing. "IBM CAD then went away, and the next time round Prime and Medusa were actively investigated. Everything was based around the computer:
The terminals were 'dumb,' everything being handled by the central computer. If it went down, then there was no CAD until it came back! "I sketched out what I thought we needed: 1. Intelligent standalone terminals. 2. Extra terminals to be added as and when required. 3. Drawings to be centrally stored and referenced by all. So, if you lost one terminal, it was just the one terminal, and not all of them. If you lost the 'drawing store,' everyone could keep on working on their intelligent terminal and the CAD drawings completed. "Then Prime/Medusa went away. And a couple of years later we bought:
Concerto was later ditched in favor of AutoCAD, 'which everyone uses, so there are a lot of sub-contract cad draughtamen out there'. "I often wondered what happened to Prime/Medusa.
It struck us that when selling they would have done better selling
the CAD software and, by the way, you need this computer to run
it on -- rather than selling the computer, and you can run CAD on
it.
"I was part of the Medusa history from 1982 to 1994, a successful period. I started with application development and customer training, and ended as product marketing manager. Medusa was especially successful in Germany, and did 50 % of the worldwide revenues there in the early 90s. The German Medusa business was over e50 million (over DM 100 million) in the best years. "It was the leading system in the mechanical
engineering sector in Germany at that time. Only 10 years later,
the world looks so different, and Medusa went back to myths."
"I know you know, but, as well a telling where Medusa ended up, you might also have mentioned (as has appeared in past issues of upFront) that VersaCAD has returned to its roots, so to speak. "It is interesting that in the world
of little fish eaten by bigger fish, eaten by still yet bigger fish,
seems that in the long run the little fish (in this case VersaCAD)
still survives."
"I always stop whatever I am doing and read your newsletter when it comes. A few small corrections to your article on Prime and Medusa. "I saw it from a different perspective. because I was president of Versacad Corp (not T&W Systems) at the time Prime acquired it in October 1987. I was group vp at Computervision from 1988 to '90, watching over the Personal CAD business unit and project manager of the Calma acquisition. We took Calma from losing US$20 million per year (on $80m sales) to making $10 million per year (on $80m) in one year. That was an exciting year. "After PTC acquired CV in 1999, we (now
Archway Systems) got VersaCAD back from PTC. VersaCAD went from
T&W Systems, to Versacad Corp (just a name change), to Prime
Computer, to CV, to PTC and back to original founders under name
Archway. VersaCAD is a road warrior, still with several thousand
users."
"More on Cambridge Interactive Systems [original developer of Medusa]: Many of the principle players at CIS started Smallworld Systems, making GIS [mapping] software, which was later acquired by GE in 2000. "Many of those same founders and executives
created another company called Ten Sails."
"I believe Medusa is actually maintained by a Cambridge company called Quintic, acting for CAD Shroer. See www.quintic.co.uk/solutions/cad/projects/2d.html and www.quintic.co.uk/solutions/cad/projects.html "Cambridge computer company family trees
are fascinating. When they were starting up, CIS used to borrow
office space and computing facilities from Applied Research of Cambridge,
about the same time ARC was developing GDS." The editor comments, "Now there's another complex CAD history, involving GDS, MicroGDS, and Informatix. A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read elsewhere, or that we found interesting: - - - Mill Creek Systems releases its (1) TimeTracker software, (2) low-cost RAS/Edit raster hybrid editing software, and (3) free RASPATH software for MicroStation 8.5 2004 Edition. (RASPATH removes the path to raster reference files.) www.millcreeksystems.com Haestad Methods ships CivilStorm Dynamic 2005 for simulating storm sewers, inlets, channels, culverts, detention ponds, and reservoirs. Runs stand-alone or inside AutoCAD. www.haestad.com/civilstorm ICEM updates ICEM to v4.4, with new database architecture, feature recognition, feature libraries, enhanced safety analysis tools, and more. www.icem.com Lattice3D, OmniTrust Security Systems, Nomura Research Institute unveil the 3D Protected Browser (US$50 or less) -- a Web browser protection system that prevents unauthorized copying and publishing of CAD/CAM design data. www.lattice3D.com UGS and Intel are working on making UGS's NX 2 and Parasolid 16 work with Intel's Xeon CPU as 32-bit apps immediately, and as 64-bit apps in the future. UGS recently demonstrated pre-release versions of NX and Parasolid running on a 64-bit Xeon-based computer, and manipulating a CAD assembly that exceeded the 4GB memory limit of current 32-bit technology. UGS plans to have NX support Microsoft’s Windows XP 64-bit OS after its anticipated release in late 2004; the 64-bit version of Parasolid is available now. www.ugs.com ALGOR plans to ship ALGOR v15 on July 6. It features new Superdraw sketching and modeling tools for 2D design and analysis directly within its finite element modeling interface. www.algor.com GTX updates its GTXRaster CAD Series v8.5 for AutoCAD 2005. www.gtx.com Drcauto Software completed the AutoCAD LT 2005 compatible version of its !SlingShot Max software (US$50-$75), which adds "missing" commands to LT. Download a two-day eval copy from estore.drcauto.com/slingshottry.htm And Eric Pousse reports that RealCADD v3.70 Standard (US$95) and Professional (US$135) are now available from www.realcadd.com/realcadd/realcaddus.htm Seminars & Conference The first conference for application developers interested in IntelliCAD is Sept 16-17 in Denver CO USA. [I've been invited to speak at this event.] www.regonline.com/13406 10th International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia is 17-19 Nov in Ogaki City, Japan. www.vsmm.org/2004 People on the Move "After I left resigned as design product
manager from Merlan Scientific Ltd (an Autodesk Education Reseller)
in April 2003, I continued to do some marketing and consulting work
for them, for which yours and other zines really helped keep me
up to date in the field. My reason for leaving was to finish my
theological education. This fall I am being ordained as a priest
in the Anglican Church of Canada, serving a parish in the Diocese
of Huron in Ontario, so I can't dedicate any more time to Merlan." - Mike Peterson Market News Autodesk shares are at their all-time high, adjusted for splits. The upFront.eZine stock index is at www.cadwire.net/to?upfrontezine/stocks WorthWhile Web www.khulsey.com/demo_1howto.html
www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/natanz-imagery2.htm
www.pcworld.com/news/article Letters to the Editor Re: Bricscad v5 "I have been 'playing' with IntelliCAD since the ITC formed, waiting for the day that I could use it as an AutoCAD replacement. With earlier versions, I would use each release until I hit the inevitable 'deal killer'. Not so with BricsCAD V5. The new tools and numerous refinements they have added, make it now viable. So much so that I purchased a license for each seat of my company. "I encourage everyone who checked it
out previously and dismissed it, to take another look. I think they'll
be impressed." - - - Re: Rhino "Some months back I was at a Vancouver [BC, Canada] AutoCAD Users Society meeting when a rep from McNeel came up from Seattle [WA, USA] to showcase the latest version of Rhino (prerelease 'show'n'tell'). At that meeting he did say that AutoCAD was best for documentation and 2D drawing, while Rhino was best for surface modeling. He made a clear distinction about this fact. He was very straight forward about the strengths and weaknesses of both programs. How refreshing, a company rep who _didn't_ try to make his package appear to be the 'be all and end all'. "Just this afternoon I had a discussion with my co-workers regarding moving over to 3D solid modeling (we're talking SolidWorks for this) as opposed to staying with AutoCAD and the modelspace/2D workspace we are in at the moment. I suggested that such a move was not only desirable but inevitable to remove the 2D bottleneck in Design. "We, in engineering/design/drafting are
trained to take 3D ideas, translate them into 2D drawings for the
shop guys -- who then read the 2D drawings to translate back into
3D in their mind. Unfortunately I think this will (again) be a dream
as the owner (ie. he_who_holds_the_cash) is not too open to the
idea. Oh well." The editor notes: "VAUS is the original AutoCAD user group, formed back in 1983, I think." - - - Re: Electrical Panel Design "We
did what sounds like a very similar application to design substation
panels. A very brief description can be found at www.millcreeksystems.com/schdiag.phtml
. It was developed for MicroStation/J. In addition, we could
customize it to the requirements of a particular customer." - - - Re: 1GB GMail "I think there is a factor of 10 gone
wrong somewhere. "Therefore 1GB of E-mail would take 25
years. Keep up the fantastic newsletter."
"I bet you'll get some feedback on that email size calc. My current email system, which I've been using just over a year, currently has 1.99GB of email data, messages, and attachments. The previous system, which I used for a few years (until it got too bogged down, but maintain as a searchable archive) has almost 8GB of data. "Okay, I'm crazy: that's a given. And
I'd never even try do my email work on a free email account. But
250 years? I wish!"
"1GB=1000MB, as far as I know (just to
be one of undoubtedly many to mention this to you)."
"I was invited to be a beta tester for the new Gmail service. I have to admit there was not much testing as the software has worked flawlessly from day one. "While the media has focused on the storage capacity of Gmail (which is indeed gracious) they have neglected some of the other great features of Gmail. Gmail keeps all of the messages in your inbox as a thread. You can then review the thread at any time to review the conversation. "Another wonderful feature is the ability to archive messages. This removes them from your inbox but keeps them in a "All Mail" folder for review at a later date. You can perform this archival on individual messages at any time. "Some people have questioned the annoyance factor and privacy issues of having context based ads next to your email. I find them to be very subtle and in a few situations I even followed them as they pertained to the subject of my email. As for privacy issues, anyone who thinks their email is secure and who does not use an encryption method (PGP for example) is fooling themselves. At least Google tells you upfront they are scanning your email to provide your ads. "I have some screenshots and more info
on my website located at www.sdotson.com
" - - - Re: Repairing Windows 2000 "A
tool that gets in the way of the work is worse than worthless, it's
a con. Microsoft, are you listening? Nahhhhhhhhh. Vive Linux" - - - "I enjoy your news very much. I must
have subscribed for about 10 years." Spin Doctor of the Moment "The latest version, AutoCad 2005, includes
lots of new 3-D features. It allows users to create far richer simulations
than standard two-dimensional diagrams." Notable Quotable "From an early age, a certain natural
contrariety and egotism prevented me from wholeheartedly surrendering
my individuality to any collectivity."
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