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Issue #481 : : July 4, 2006 |
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C o n t e n t s 4DV Replacing PLM -- The Next
Big Thing? Below the Radar and all other regular columns.
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Write the Editor. Donate to upFront.eZine through Paypal. Access nearly-daily CAD commentary at our blog: WorldCAD Access. |
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4DV Replacing PLM -- The Next Big Thing? Dassault Systems is doing it. Autodesk might be starting to do it. UGS may want to think about starting to do it... ...integrating CAD with 4D virtualization, where:
[I've expressed my loathness of acronyms like BIM and PLM; still, I want to be first with 4DV <g>. My apologies in advance to smaller CAD vendors who are also doing 4DV, but aren't mentioned here.] - - - Over at this week's 'MCAD Weekly Review,' Jeffrey Rowe does an excellent job explaining how 4DV could work: "As an example, using [Dassault's Virtools4] technology, you can create and experience the work behavior of an employee in a manufacturing plant or visualize the ergonomics of an operator as he or she drives a forklift through the same factory. "The bottom line is that Virtools' software literally gives life to 3D by creating applications with game-like 3D interactivity... I guess you could say it's a multimedia production tool that takes the animation capabilities that are found in most major MCAD products to the next level." - - - Here's what Dassault is announcing in its optimistically-tagged "3D For All" Virtools4 Life software package:
No mention of Linux or cell phones. Also support for:
I am grateful for editors like Mr Rowe, who are able to figure out that which CAD vendors are themselves unable to articulate clearly. I wonder if 4DV will be the acronym-du-année that replaces PLM, which has had a pretty good run but faces its own EOL [end of lifecycle].
Links: www10.mcadcafe.com/nbc/articles/view_weekly.php?articleid=285179 www.virtools.com [at time of writing, the Web site has not yet caught up to version 4] In upFront.eZine #477, I asked what CAD vendors were doing to stop product counterfeiting -- IP theft enabled through the digital nature of CAD files. Only Pinion Software responded. Michael Staley is their director of marketing, and he walked me through the products' TRM [technical rights management] capabilities:
In all cases, screen grabs are prohibited by turning off the Clipboard or temporarily disabling known screen grabber software. As you might expect, there are two pieces of software: 1. Packaging, which runs in Outlook, Notes, or standalone. It adds a 1KB header to protect the file. About 40 file types are supported, including PDF, DWG, DWF, eDrawings, Office, and raster formats. 2. Receiving, which runs the viewer software, selectively disabling features. For example, DWF files are viewed in Autodesk's DWF Viewer, but Pinion disables print, save, and other functions as required. A secondary window reports the status of the Pinion-ated files. - - - Mr Staley told me the idea for this software came from the first Gulf War, where the armed forces didn't want fighter pilots sending classified photos to friends and loved ones back home. Pinion admits they have no solution for the "Third Shift" problem. That's where overseas manufacturers produce another 10,000 pairs of running shoes for unauthorized sale, above and beyond that ordered by the customer. Pinion sales engineer Pete White suggests that time-based CAM access might be one solution, in the future. The single-user Packaging software is US$299, and supports the five most common file types -- kind of limiting, in my opinion. You need to buy the 5-seat workgroup license to get access to all 40 file types. There's also an API product to add Pinion's technology to third-party document managers, as well as a separate version that works with CDs. Link: www.pinionsoftware.com
A summary of CAD industry news you may not have read elsewhere, or that I found interesting: 01consulting reports on the European MCAD: "Almost entering its forties, the MCAD market, still the biggest segment of the PLM market, is particularly dynamic. Growing at a 7% annual rate, the market is pushed both from the top, through process-oriented implementation strategies, and from the bottom through the continuous 2D to 3D migrations. "The mid range segment is growing at +25%, in line with our last year's forecast, getting closer to the value of the high-end segment which is decreasing at the same time (-2%)." - www.01consulting.net/02_services_h_research_McadEur06_ES.html - - - BricsCad v7 adds the ADeko raster engine, polygon clipping of images, image transparency, faster redraw and regen, new Da Vinci rendering engine, more plot style properties, and unloading of global VBA projects. More details here: ftp://ftp0:bricscad@ftp.bricscad.com/pub/Eng-Us/Bcad/Readme.htm VPmap Series V2 runs inside Autodesk's Map 3D or as standalone software. www.softelec.com UGS now has a version of Teamcenter for maintenance, repair, and overhaul. www.teamcenter.com/products/teamcenter GlobeXplorer's AirPhotoUSA announces the first generally-available collection of one-foot [30cm] resolution aerial photography for much of the USA. www.globexplorer.com Speaking of which, Google Earth updates some of its images, and now a good chunk of Galiano Island, BC, Canada is obscured by cloud cover. As I keep preaching, upgrades are not always for the better. Dassault launches CATIA Systems, PLM software for embedded systems, like gasoline pumps and microwave ovens. It uses technology from Dynasim. www.dynasim.com ConceptDraw VI (US$149-$229) features export to SVG, texture fill, libraries search, improved export to PDF, and more. Download a trial from: www.conceptdraw.com/en/resources/cd5/trial.php ALGOR's ALGOR V19.2 enhances computational fluid dynamics and mechanical event simulation. www.ALGOR.com IronCAD V9 improves 2D sketching, SmartSnap, copy/link along 3D curves, automatic dimensioning of views, and more. www.ironcad.com/product - - - These news items were posted during the last week at the WorldCAD Access blog < worldcadaccess.typepad.com >:
Seminars & Conferences Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference 2006 is July 17-21 in Orlando FL USA. NAVTEQ 2006 LBS Developer Conference is Sept 11 in Los Angeles CA USA. Email devcon2006@navteq.com Engineering Simulation World Congress 2007 is May 22-25, 2007 in Vancouver BC Canada. http://www.nafems.org Magazine/eZine/Weblog Updates AECnews.com revives the Ed Forrest Award, last given in 2002 and originally established by the A/E/C Systems show in 1993. Mr Forrest was the first recipient of his namesake award. A committee will announce this year's winner in December. People/Companies on the Move Dassault Systemes acquires Dynasim of Sweden for its Modelica-based Dymola product suite for modeling and simulation. Agile Software acquires Prodika of Texas for its PLM software. ARCHIBUS Solution Centers acquires assets of Deltona Information Systems GmbH of Germany. Luxology hires Bob Bennett as vp of marketing. Mr Bennett formerly did marketing work at Alias Systems, Microsoft, and Autodesk. Evolve appoints David Moyes as a partner. Mr Moyes is the former technical applications manager at Building Design Partnership. Seemage appoints Chris Williams as ceo. Mr Williams is the former senior vp and general manager of PTC. WorthWhile Web http://blog.marketingprofs.com/2006/06/whats_the_biggest_lie_about_bl.html
http://news.com.com/Academics+break+the+Great+Firewall+of+China/2100-7348_3-6090437.html?tag=nefd.top
Letters to the Editor Re: Before AfterCAD "While Bricscad has some excellent products and services, we feel the need to point out that our InSite is not reliant on Java client side. A little more research would have shown that indeed we are the only '100% you click it, you get it' CAD viewing technology. Being the only zero-client CAD viewing technology out there will likely bring fire from many CAD viewer developers, but nobody said being first was going to be easy. "We would like to announce here first that we have opened up our public InSite Demo link so everyone see what all the fuss is about. Don't worry, there's no demo signup hassles or impediments, just pure InSite -- no ActiveX and no Java required. insite.aftercad.com "Just to add a final note, we have applied for patent on
our unique Ajax CAD layering method that allows us to turn any combination
of layers on and off in real time."
"I thank you for the coverage in #479.
Nothing like some mud slinging to make for an interesting read.
I will of course be sending through the facts that both of these
guys 'missed' and I am pretty sure there's gonna be some defensive
rebuttals. Let the flames begin!"
Re: Free CAD Software "In upFront eZine #478
you mentioned _two_ free CAD programs, one 2D and one 3D. PowerSHAPE-e
would appear to cover the 3D software but did I miss the reference
to the 2D program?" The editor responds: "The vendor of the free 2D CAD program pulled their product announcement hours before that issue of upFront.eZine was due to go out."
Re: Strangest tv ad ever? "It must be really funny since it's only available in one
format: QuickTime file -- a format that I refuse to use because
it seems to also want to install iTunes. Don't need it, and it consumes
memory in the background." The editor responds: "I only have QuickTime so that I could view 'The B.C.' I found a non-Apple Web site that provides the latest QuickTime without iTunes: www.tech-recipes.com/internet_tips850.html ." - - - "I really enjoy reading the eZine each Tuesday."
Notable Quotable "[My] biggest fear? Political correctness. Fascism by another
name. The emerging political correctness is just a nicer, slower
way of suppressing one's opposition."
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,"
"Talking About CAD," and "On your desktop every Tuesday morning"
are trademarks of upFront.eZinePublishing, Ltd. |
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