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upFront.eZine |
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Issue #465 : : March 14, 2006 |
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C o n t e n t s Pain vs. Logic: A Personal 2D/3D
History Your Graphics Board is Obsolete The First Book on AutoCAD 2007 Below
the Radar, and other
regular columns. |
Write the Editor. Donate to upFront.eZine through Paypal. Access nearly-daily CAD commentary at our blog: WorldCAD Access. |
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Pain vs. Logic: A Personal 2D/3D History Guest Editorial by Menno Huijben 1990 I began my career as a CAD/CAM engineer at a steel foundry of a pump manufacturer, 16 years ago. With a 5-axis milling machine and a 3D CAD/CAM package (Autotrol) we made the casting patterns for complex-shaped impellers and casings. From the R&D department, our team received 2D drawings, scanned them, designed the required 3D models, and generated the NC [numerical control] files -- thereby reducing the time for pattern making from several months to a few days. To me it seemed obvious this was just an intermediate phase; soon the R&D department would produce their designs directly in 3D and we would close the feedback loop with a 3D digitizer at the end of the foundry process. That’s not what happened -- at least not that soon. What happened instead is a long story about failing to select a new CAD/CAM package fulfilling R&D’s (2D sketching) and foundry’s (3D CAM) requirements. Both departments selected their own systems, and I left the company. 2000 Six years ago, I was lead consultant for a large engineering company (power plants) in the midst of a big merger. The new formed company wanted to consolidate the plant engineering software, as they had now two major systems in use. One system was more 2D-oriented, the other fully 3D. The 3D system aficionados boasted that all collisions with piping and boilers could be detected before hand, improving quality, and reducing erection and commissioning time. The 2D friends didn’t think much of that: they made just the high level design, outsourced the detail design to India, and then ordered enough piping so that the fitter could avoid collisions on-site, thank you. (I gave back the assignment, because the steering committee was dug into separate 2D and 3D trenches.) 2006 The two stories from my career related to the 2D v. 3D discussion in upFront.eZine: both painful, not so logical, and both about sub-optimization. In story 1, the sub-optimization was caused by the R&D department and the foundry being separate profit and loss centers. Also, senior management lacked the attention to overcome this organizational barrier. Full 3D would have been the right way to go, but organizational change management was missing. In the second story there were two ways of doing business: outsource and look for low-costs (2D) versus a deterministic model focused on saving throughput times (3D). This was about business strategy: what is our core competence? what to outsource? how do we compete? and how to keep control of quality, costs, and time? The lack of a common strategy caused the different stakeholders to keep on sub-optimizing their ways of working. Today, total optimization of the design process in general -- from idea to ready product -- is not easy. Outsourcing, off-shoring, global supply chains, and collaboration networks have made it very challenging. Back to the Future Just a wild claim: If globalization had not have happened (the world would be still round, according Mr. Thomas L. Friedman), and outsourcing and off-shoring were still be called "purchasing and sub-contracting," we would have left the painful phase behind us and we’d been all designing in 3D. But, the equation of a total-optimized design process got (temporarily, I think) skewed towards labor costs savings: design in 2D, outsource, do some extra work with low cost, and you are, for now, better off than with full 3D. Looking at "Ice Age," "Shrek," and the latest video games, I am sure, naively perhaps, that the new generation of designers will be much more eager to go for 3D. They'll ask, "Painful, logical, who cares? It is just more fun!" [Menno Huijben is senior advisor with Softgate of Finland. www.sofigate.com ]
Your Graphics Board is Obsolete It used to be that CAD was the toughest software to run on computers. Then games took over. With AutoCAD 2007, however, CAD may return to the forefront. When future-ceo Carl Bass enthused over the advantages of high-end graphics during his Autodesk University keynote, we didn't realize he was sending us a warning. He was excited about all that software could do when computers run workstation-level graphics; problem is, people in charge of budgets might not care to purchase graphics boards that can cost more than a computer. For several years now, MCAD vendors have certified graphics boards to generate realistic graphics and shadows in realtime. In turn, board makers wrote extra code to support features specific to MCAD software. But it's been a long time since anyone wrote drivers specific to general CAD packages. The idea has been that if a computer can run Windows, it can run TurboCAD, AutoCAD, et al. But no more. The primary feature in AutoCAD 2007 is 3D. The new release, due to ship next week, is all about 3D modeling, 3D editing, 3D visual styles, 3D rendering, 3D animation, and 3D DWF exports. The reason to upgrade to AutoCAD 2007 is for its Inventor-like 3D. Which means there are new hardware specs that Autodesk recommends for using AutoCAD in its new 3D modeling mode. See if your computer good enough:
- - - Does my computer measure up? It's a 2.423GHz Pentium IV with 1GB RAM and an ATi 128MB OpenGL-capable graphics board. I ran AutoCAD's 3dconfig command, and received the following report for the graphics board: -------------------------------------------------------- Your machine contains a 3D Device that is not certified. Geometry acceleration: Not recommended and off It's not good enough. AutoCAD 2007's help file warns: "To display full shadows, hardware acceleration is required. When Geometry Acceleration is off, full shadows cannot be displayed." Autodesk has a site that lists certified hardware, but as of this afternoon www.autodesk.com/hardcert/db.html site not working yet. Paying for the AutoCAD 2007 upgrade may also involve paying for a new graphics board. The First Book on AutoCAD 2007 Yesterday I completed work on the "What's Inside? AutoCAD 2007" PDF book. It's 106 pages on what's new, changed, removed, and undocumented in the latest release of AutoCAD (due to ship 23 March). The English edition is available now, while the Japanese edition is under development by cadalog-inc.com. You can learn more about the new PDF book at http://www.upfrontezine.com/wia7 . Single-copy price is US$15.90; contact me for special prices on bulk copying. To order through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/affil/pal=ralphg%40xyzpress.com
A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read elsewhere, or that I found interesting:
MachineWorks Ltd ships MachineWorks v6.3 with 64-bit support, enhanced forward kinematics, better clash detection, simultaneous B-axis turning, and more. www.machineworks.com/whats_new.htm TransMagic releases TransMagic 2006 translators with direct support for SolidWorks part and assembly files, along with updates for CATIA V5 R16 and NGRAIN. www.transmagic.com Pinion Software debuts Pinion Desktop Packager v3.0 (US$299), technical rights management software for manufacturers. It imposes timed access to files, ensures automatic shred dates, and prevents use of cut, copy, paste, print, and screen grabs. www.pinionsoftware.com CD-adapco's latest version of STAR-CAT5 is PLM flow and simulation software for CATIA V5. www.cd-adapco.com/starcadseries - - - These news items were posted during the last week at the WorldCAD Access blog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com>:
And at the Gizmos Grabowski <worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos> Weblog:
People/Companies on the Move think3 promotes Roberto Ciarloni to chief technology officer and chief architect, and Tania Campanelli to R&D director. GiveMePower hires Janeen Norman-Lando for media and public relations efforts. Norman-Lando is the former chief operations officer at Nextgen Alliance. Federation Software appoints Tad Frysinger as executive vp of product development. He is the former chief architect at zenodata. CAD Schroer France moves to new offices at 3 bis rue des Archives - Hall B, 94000 CRÉTEIL, France. web2CAD TraceParts GmbH changegs its name to TraceParts GmbH. Autodesk forms government division for marketing its software to the US government. 'Federal Computer Week' quotes vp Dave Rhodes: "Some of the departments and agencies in the government are some of our largest customers today."
Redo "The MS iPod video was good stuff. Unfortunately, it was
removed from yourtube.com. Google to the rescue: video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4313772690011721857
" WorthWhile Web www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/21/phantoms_and_rogues/
Letters to the Editor Re: Autodesk FY07 Results "Regarding 'I don't think there [are workstations] anymore. 3D is done on general purpose PCs now.' I think Carol Bartz needs to read her own Web site. Preferred system requirements for Inventor Pro:
"Now I'm not a hardware expert, but I don't think general
purpose PCs come with 3GB RAM and OpenGL cards. I would never expect
to run a 3D solid modeler on minimum system requirements, would
you?" The editor replies: "Autodesk also recommends workstation-class specs for AutoCAD 2007's 3D."
Re: Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions Summit "Rather than not remembering the planned demise of MDT, I remember several contrary statements during the Inventor 2 and 3 rollout periods. Something along the lines of: 'MDT will continue to be supported as long as customers need' or 'There are no specific plans to discontinue MDT', and 'MDT will continue to be included in Inventor Series, but with the major development effort being spent on Inventor.' "If your statement about the three extra years of support
is the actual truth, I guess my ability to hear between the lines
is not all that bad." The editor replies: "I recall similar vague mentions. It's the problem of not wanting to tick off existing MDT customers while hoping they switch to Inventor."
Re: More to Life Than CAD "It is good, sometimes, to consider how close we stand to judgment. Ordering your priorities; realizing the value of your spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends, and yes, your income, is difficult when we are caught up in the everyday problems we all face. "Undergoing treatment for cancer, I can attest that what
used to count as important has slipped down a few notches, and I
have little tolerance for someone whining about their DEADlines.
At the same time, appreciation for a good wife, a sunny day, or
a homegrown tomato has gone up."
"Fortunately, I had a great role model. I find myself, particularly when dealing with my step-children, thinking about how my dad would handle any particular situation. Usually, I end up coming to the same conclusion: I can only offer so much guidance and or advice, then Ii have to leave it to them to figure things out. "The disadvantage they have is they had gone without a father
figure for 7+ years before I entered the picture, so sometimes its
definitely a struggle. Treat their mother well and be fair to other
people, they will notice and it will make a difference."
"The debate about work and family is interesting as I have been re-released as a single after 23 years. Like most men, I took the responsibilities of providing and supporting the family very seriously; though I confess that money was not the primary concern. Spending time putting the kids to bed and reading them a story, or simply being there to help them through the normal crises which teenagers seem prone to, was worth more than money could have compensated. "Having that understanding with my partner enabled her to renew her education; I was there to enjoy a bit of child-care or shopping or cooking. So my advice is that while pursuit of money is how many respond to their responsibilities, missing those moments with the family makes you much poorer. "Life as a single man in his fifties has a different dynamic. The women of similar age I meet are not looking for that nestmaker or potential father for their children. They've read the book, seen the film, and got the t-shirt and director's cut far as procreation goes. Often they just want some male company in part of their lives, so I end up with a lot of 'friends' to go out with. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the company of women, though
I understand that my next relationship will have to be a different
kind of relationship to the last one. One thing is for sure, I'm
not looking either: life will deal a hand sometime, often when I
don't expect it, but I'm enjoying not looking too!" - - - "I've enjoyed receiving upFront.eZine. You seem passionate
about your subject!" "Thanks for the great newsletter. I like the way you combine
the design world with some real life situations."
Spin Doctor of the Momement "Blog or die."
Notable Quotable "For the most part, the companies we cited for bad blogs
predictably ignored what we had to say."
Copyright 2006 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide Article reprint fee US$250.00.
All trademarks belong to their respective holders. "upFront.eZine,"
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