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upFront.eZine |
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Issue #515 : : April 24, 2007 |
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In this issue: Readers
React:
"Google Buys PowerPoint Editor"
Out of the Inbox, and other regular columns. |
Make the editor smile Write him. Through Paypal, consider donating $25 in support of upFront.eZine. Or else. We're trendy. We have a Weblog. WorldCAD Access. |
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Readers
React: [Readers agreed and disagreed with Mr Market's guest editorial in upFront.eZine #513. And, they agreed and disagreed with each other. Oh, and the editor's father chimes in as well.] - - - "Sorry Ralph, "But I just had to reply to Gregor L. Markel's editorial. "At last count, I believe we have had training wheels in general use within AutoCAD for the last 23 years. It's time to quit making excuses about how people cannot use AutoCAD correctly, and look for the real root cause: CAD managers who probably know far less than the drafting people on training wheels, who cannot bring themselves to send their drafters to a good CAD class so that they can become more efficient. "You cannot expect the ordinary drafter to rise above expectations that are set for them. If CAD managers want the employees under their control to learn more about 2D and then 3D design, then CAD managers themselves need to set the pace, and set the bar ever higher. If CAD managers really believe that their employees are so incompetent and unwilling to learn new things, then it's time for managers to weed the garden. On the other hand, if CAD managers are unable to lead their brood, then maybe it's time for new and different CAD managers. "Many professions require constant training and updating of skills. Would you go to a doctor who has not been back for additional medical training for 10 years? Why then is it different for design professionals to sit on their laurels and refuse to learn anything new? A mere hour or two into a basic well-taught AutoCAD class will have the students realizing how little they really know about the software that they use everyday. "I learned drafting on the drawing board over 45 years ago;
where would I be today (at age 60) if I had refused to learn new
skills? I'd be in a different profession, not doing or teaching
2D and 3D design."
"In response to Mr. Markel, the same can be said for some
architects and engineers. We do get our direction from these people,
and some of them have no clue on what or how to get the project
done and on time."
"I understand where Gregor Markel is coming from, but schools in the past have produced what industry needs. Unfortunately, the AEC [architecture, engineering, construction] field has been flawed for years:
"It is the mindset of the people who understand Building Information Modeling and teach it in the classroom that will finally revolutionize the AEC world. My CC [community college] kids are extracting information from models for energy analysis, estimating, scheduling and building code compliance and they are not even 'drafters'. "What I'm afraid of is that when they join the job market,
area architecture firms will be wanting 2D AutoCAD 2000. Also, support
from the area's AEC firms and suppliers are less than generous in
helping supply the tools to produce students who will actually make
them money."
"I absolutely agree that it makes no sense to put Revit -- or any other 3D tool -- in the hands of drafters. Revit is a design tool. Its strength comes from its ability to share information, link to various analysis tools, consider design alternatives, improve collaboration and reduce both RFIs and design errors. Drafting becomes primarily a byproduct of design. "Companies that adopt it successfully almost always:
"This is an iterative process. BIM [building information modeling] tools are a clear break from the drafting paradigm -- it takes a while to make the new process a seamless and productive part of an organization. "Lastly, yes I am a sales rep (formerly an electrical engineer,
by way of full disclosure). I also have had many of the same clients
for over 10 years. I keep them by recommending software that is
production-ready, by ramping up slowly, and by ensuring, as far
as possible, that their investments will be worthwhile. In my experience,
firms that have taken the approach I outlined above have been invariably
successful with Revit -- as measured by their doing more projects
in Revit and ordering more licenses."
"I couldn't disagree with more with Markel's contention that there is a prerequisite of learning one CAD method before taking on another. The main problem I see with people attempting 3D modeling is that they are still thinking in 2D planes. I submit that the 2D environment should be skipped for all new CAD operators, and dive right into 3D CAD -- after building technology training. The analogy of getting accustomed to training wheels for 2D CAD is akin to putting training wheels on a tricycle. "Another fallacy of the argument is relying on the traditional 'drafter' concept. In my opinion, CAD is no longer for the 'red-to-black' drafters of the 20th century. Today's CAD operators DO need an understanding of the built-environment. The CAD operator needs to be able to make sound design decisions as he goes along, not waiting on instruction from above. "As CAD software moves further and further toward eliminating the tedium from the CD process, more attention can be placed on the production of quality products with fewer design defects and errors and omissions. "The traditional analog office consisted of a pyramid of design personnel. A typical scenario was: one architect directs 2 senior design supervisors, who each directed 2 designers, who each directed 2 senior drafters, who directed each 2 junior drafters. "Today, I can do the same amount of work with one senior
designer in 1/4 the time, as long as I can exploit the software
to its potential. So, does anyone see the savings?"
"Switching from 2D to 3D has cut my design-to-fabrication drawing time down to 1/3 or 1/4, depending on the project. What formerly required a week can be done in a day. What formerly took a month can be done in a week or so. However, the program has its limitations on the big projects. "It seems like every project manager undergoes a break-in period with me. Following sticker shock, they drop me, then hire a draftsman to do my job. Shortly thereafter they discover that he's 'just a draftsman'. "In a word: magic lines, the kind that on paper enable a conveyor to be installed in the middle of a building column; or a nozzle that's on the inside of a vessel to be connected to a hose on the outside. "What never ceases to amaze me is how adept management is
at trusting liars who lose them untold profits, yet hold suspect
the honest straight-shooters, who through competence save them millions?"
"Mr. Markel makes some good points about CAD operators and/or drafters lacking technical ability. Most companies have cut back their training budgets, and employees are not learning how to use the software the way it should be used. Whatever happened to sending a whole drafting department to update training? Most users are left to flounder on their own. "However, the problem does not end with an insufficient knowledge of CAD. The another problem is that they are not taught how to DRAW when they are in school. Those of us that used a pencil went through rigorous training on drafting principles, methods, and techniques. "Too many instructors today assume that teaching a student how to use the software is good enough. They show them the FILLET command and that's as far as they take it. The student doesn't know why a fillet starts and ends where it does or what to do if the fillet is too short or too long. The software does not handle every situation, and os you have to know how to figure it out. "In our classes we teach our students how to draw first, CAD second. Once they know how to draw properly, they can overcome any software shortcomings. "Most companies are in close proximity to a college, community
college, or technical school. I would suggest that getting involved
with them. Become a member of an advisory board. At the very least
tell them what kind of training you need. Trust me, they need your
input even if they don't know it yet. Schools will schedule special
classes if there is enough interest."
"I eagerly read the lead article 'Do Savings Come from Software
-- Or the Design Team? - Some Drafters Lack Deep Knowledge', because
that question was foremost in my mind after editing some of your
e-books, having been in the shoes of a draftsman myself. I cannot
see where a trained draftsman could learn-on-the-fly to switch from
a pencil to a CAD program, or vise versa."
"No matter how good the software is, if the user is poor then savings will be non-existent. "I believe the problem is very basic, draughtsmen (as we call drafters in the UK) are no longer taught how to draw, they are only taught how to use a CAD program. As someone who started off with technical drawing at school, served a five-year drawing office apprenticeship, and worked for many years in a drawing office, I had a deep knowledge of drawing construction and techniques before I used my first CAD program in the early 1980s. "Today, I see what I can only describe as 'CAD technicians', who have experience of mainly AutoCAD, but no idea how to construct basic geometry, how a drawings views relate to one another, or worst of all, cannot understand what they are drawing. I get fed up continually having to rotate 3D models from the plan to isometric so that the 'technician' can understand just what they are drawing and why it is wrong. "We need to start off by teaching the basics of drawing
before moving on to 2D CAD and finally 3D modeling. Schools and
colleges should start at the beginning and not jump in at the deep
end with 3D. It will only be then that the full benefits of CAD,
both 2D and 3D, will be realized." The editor responds: "Some won't be able to make the jump from basic drafting to building modeling -- whether they are currently at the CAD drafter or the CAD manager level. For others who understand how BIM works, this is a great opportunity."
"Google Buys PowerPoint Editor" ...is one of dozens of headlines last week describing another of Google's acquisition. Nicholas Carr of 'Rough Type' [now there's a blog name I like] explains it best: "As with Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets, Google seems to be designing Google Presentations as a hybrid complement/competitor to Microsoft's Office applications. You first use them as add-on tools for manipulating and sharing Microsoft files online, and then, eventually, you find that you don't need the underlying applications anymore. "Google Apps, in other words, is designed not as an Office Killer but rather as a kind of Office Bodysnatcher. Google doesn't want to fight the Microsoft apps head-on. It wants to get inside them, and slowly take them over." Which makes me wonder if this approach is possible in the CAD world. Does Google think about extending SketchUp to body-snatch DWG in a similar manner? www.roughtype.com/archives/2007/04/google_buys_pow.php [Announcements of new and updated products.] - - - Suite75 launches online design software at www.floorplanner.com (requires latest release of Flash), a simple 2D CAD program for interactively creating and share floorplans. LightWork Design releases LightWorks 7.7 with higher performance of photorealistic rendering, support for Vista, and enhanced multi-threading support. www.lightworkdesign.com/news/pr.php?id=127 Dosch Design ships many new products, including Dosch 3D: Clothing, Car Design Kit, Comic Characters, and Trees & Conifers for Maxwell Render. www.doschdesign.com Cimmetry Systems's AutoVue obtains 'Works with Vista' Logo Certification. www.cimmetry.com Gibbs and Associates announces 3-axis enhancements for GibbsCAM, such as rest milling (machine only remaining material to be removed), multiple containment areas (precise control of toolpaths), no sharp corners (optimized for high-speed machining), and slope consideration (true constant step over). www.GibbsCAM.com Lattice Technology ships Lattice3D Reporter (US$1,995) for generating reports on 3D XVL data, as well as linking 3D geometry with spreadsheet info. [Press release includes this hopeful note: "Lattice Technology plans to ship 4,000 copies for the first year."] www.lattice3d.com And UGS announces Tecnomatix Version 8 software for digital manufacturing solutions, with enhancements in PLM integration and process planning and simulation. www.ugs.com/products/tecnomatix/tecnomatix8 - - - 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:
Hardware News By using thicker layers (0.013", .330 mm) suited to large geometry, Stratasys says their FDM Titan and FDM Vantage rapid prototyping systems are 40% faster using ABS plastic. www.Stratasys.com
Seminars & Conferences COE (CATIA Operators Exchange) 2007 Annual PLM Conference & TechniFair is Apr 29 - May 2 in Las Vegas NV USA. (I'll be attending this event.) www.coe.org/EventsEducation/AnnualConferenceTechniFair/tabid/211/Default.aspx DIME Rhino 4.0 is June 1-2 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (I'll be attending this event.) www2.mcneel.com/tradeshows/tradeshows.asp PTC/USER World Event 2007 is June 3-6 in Tampa FL USA. www.ptcuserworldevent.com
People/Companies on the Move Cyco Software changes its name to "BlueCielo ECM Solutions," and its AutoManager product line to "InnoCielo." www.bluecieloecm.com
Brand New CAD Books/eBooks "Learning VB.NET Programming Concepts"
"What's Inside? AutoCAD 2008" WorthWhile Web http://talk.bmc.com/blogs/blog-whurley/whurley/opensville
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/04/the_essence_of_.html
Letters to the Editor Re: UGS NX5 "I just wanted to comment about the NX release announcement where you stated 'I think the ability to switch arbitrarily between history and non-history editing is unique to NX -- but I could be wrong.' "IronCAD has supported this capability from its inception.
This is one of IronCAD's key selling points within our target markets."
"We've had this since 1999. Plus, you don't have to switch,
you can mix."
"I'd like to point you to the German CAD system HiCAD neXt < http://www.isdcad.com >, which allows users to switch between history and non-history design and editing. This technology already exists more then 15 years. "Although HiCAD neXt is unknown in the USA, it is pretty
big in Europe and growing fast in Japan and India. Some (mostly
European originated) companies in the USA also use HiCAD, but there
is no official reseller in the USA."
"I your article about NX5, you mention 'CATIA pricing'.
How up to date with CATIA are you? Over the past six months there
have some very big changes that CATIA is packaged and offered. Thanks,
I enjoy reading the articles on your site." The editor replies: "Not very, since Dassault marketing pushes PLM at the expense of CAD."
"I know you meant 'Siemens Releases NX-Funf' [German for
5], but maybe the rebranding has been delayed a bit?" - - - Re: New Release of Pro/E "You (and that means most people) are mixed up with our packages and our releases. I take the blame for this. Packages are:
"Releases are:
"Pro/ENGINEER precedes both packages and releases. Hence we can say Pro/ENGINEER Foundation XE (the package) is $4995 and if you buy today, you will get the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 release. "Long story, but suffice to say that since Wildfire (1.0)
was such a makeover of Pro/E that we made a big deal about it --
and folks (mainly outside PTC) used it interchangeably with Pro/ENGINEER.
All you have seen recently is a little stricter policy on usage.
A case study in brand management."
Spin Doctor of the Moment "PC Mag is another. I have a free sub but it goes in the
trash."
Notable Quotable "Everybody can have a theory; you have 300 people and 99
percent of them are non-specialists; I cannot let them all go on
to the site."
Copyright 2007 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide Article reprint fee US$250.0 and up.
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trademarks belong to their respective holders.
"upFront.eZine," "Talking About CAD," and
"the business of CADg" are
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