|
upFront.eZine |
|
|
a
publication from |
|
|
Issue #571 : : Setpember 3, 2008 |
|
|
In this issue:
Hey, CAD Industry! Get in Touch
|
Write the editor. Make him smile! Through Paypal, consider donating $25 in support of upFront.eZine. Or else... We're trendy. We have a Weblog. WorldCAD Access. |
|
|
|
|
Welcome back from summer vacation! I trust that your time off was less productive than me painting the house. The autumn flying season begins this Friday. A dozen members of the CAD media wing towards Baltimore for the first-ever Press Event put on by Nemetschek North America. We look forward to learning what it will mean for VectorWorks to be integrated with ParaSolids. I'm hoping to blog the event live from the Renaissance Harborplace hotel on the WorldCAD Access blog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com >. $2B, and PTC is Yours The news is just breaking and details are scarce: Parametric Technology is looking for a buyer. Purported price tag: $2 billion, which seems low. More details as we learn them throughout the week at our WorldCAD Access blog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com >. Source: www.ft.com Hey, CAD Industry! Get In Touch 3D CAD suffers from interface problems. The dirty secret is this: all interaction with 3D models is pretty much 2D. Still. Here and now. In 2008. There are some stumbles towards getting beyond the trusty keyboard'n mouse, but they're either in a CAD lab or a variation of the 3D mouse, which hasn't caught on like wildfire, likely to the surprise of 3dconnexion. Instead, we see innovative interfaces occurring in non-CAD locales, like Cupertino, like Apple's patented fusion of voice and multitouch. Writes Staska at UnwiredView.com: "Some of the image manipulation actions -- like resize, move, rotate -- are handled very well with multitouch. But other tasks, like changing object color, inserting text, etc; are much easier accomplished by using voice input." In addition to multitouch+voice, other combinations include:
Links: http://www.unwiredview.com/2008/09/04/apple-is-looking-beyond-multi-touch/ Inside Anark Core 2.0 Scott Collins was on the phone to WebEx me the newest on Anark Core 2.0. (This software is designed to massage 3D models for use by CAE [computer-aided engineering], visualization and simulation, and supply chain data exchange. It lets you interactively reduce details, such as sensitive design details or unnecessary holes and fillets; once the model is simplified, you save the simplification methods like scripts, and then reapply them over and again. Indeed, the server version can be set up to automatically simplify models everyworkday. For fuller details, see our earlier article "Protecting CAD IP: Anark's Approach" in upFront.eZine #525, http://www.upfrontezine.com/2007/upf-525.htm#a .) New in version 2.0 is the ability to edit attributes and faces, and to reorganize the feature tree:
Verison 2.0 adds importation of SolidWorks, Inventor, and ACIS SAT files, and the exportation of files in ACIS format. Indeed, the software can be used to translate between 3D formats, even though that is not its primary purpose. In summary, Mr Collins told me, the aim of his software is to reduce the cost of transforming data in making it more useful. The pricing remains the same: $5,000 for the desktop version (XP only), and $25,000 for the server edition (2003 Server only) on computers equipped with nVidia's Quadro graphics board.
ASCON Group announces of its new 3D MCAD software, KOMPAS-3D V10, with these features:
Download the 157MB demo version of KOMPAS-3D V10 from ascon.net/download.php (does not save models or assemblies) after registration. - - - IMAGINiT Technologies releases Revit Global Light Utility for Max -- it's a 3ds Max app that globally turns on lights imported from Revit drawings. Free for now from www.rand.com/imaginit/RevitLightUtility The fourth release of Orca3D marine design and analysis plug-in for Rhinoceros is available through www.orca3d.com Sescoi launches WorkXPlore 3D, its high-speed 3D viewer that imports and shares very large CAD files for markup and analysis. www.sescoi.com/us MultiSUITE Software updates their structural detailing products for AutoCAD 2009. No AutoCAD licence? The company also has a stand-alone version, MultiSUITE CAD, based on AutoCAD OEM. www.multisuite.com It lives! Conceptual Product Development is the sole distributor of the revived CADKEY -- now named CADKEY Wireframe Silver Edition. $495 until the end of the year from www.cadkey.com/product.html It's updated! Bricsys announces Bricscad V9 with associative dimensions, in-place WYSIWYG mtext editor, quick select, wipeout, and BRX API for porting ARX based code and running BRX applications on Bricscad Pro. Bricsys plans to announce 20+ apps ported from AutoCAD to Bricscad V9. The software ships today; download a demo version from www.bricsys.com/open/common/download.jsp?p=BCAD-B521 VX Corp's new Show-n-Tell provides heads-up tutorials and design reviews. It'll be part of VX V14, due in November. www.vx.com Reader Charlie Holden reports: "Did you know that Caligari was bought by Microsoft and they are now giving away Truespace 7.6?" www.caligari.com/Products/trueSpace/tS75/brochure/intro.asp?Cate=BIntro Lattice Technology updates its XVL converters to work with 64-bit versions of Pro/E WildFire 4, Inventor 2009, NX, SolidWorks, and Catia. And the Web3D Consortium relaunches its CAD Working Group to bridge CAD systems with Web deployment of CAD apps using a combination of X3D and COLLADA. - - - These news items were posted during the last month at the WorldCAD Access blog < worldcadaccess.typepad.com>:
And the following items were posted to the Gizmos Grabowski blog last week at worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos/ :
Hardware News 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice now work with Adobe's Acrobat 9 line of software. www.3dconnexion.com/solutions/cad/all_sup_app.php The Brown & Sharpe TESA division of Hexagon Metrology introduces TESAVISIO 200 Vision, a non-contact video measuring machine for small parts being measured and inspected. brownandsharpe.com/precision-hand-tools/index NVIDIA says its the first to release of beta drivers for the new OpenGL 3.0 standard for XP and Vista on some GeForce and Quadro boards.A t SIGGRAPH 2008, NVIDIA also demonstrated the first fully interactive GPU-based ray tracer. www.nvidia.com
Seminars & Conferences PlantSuccess 2008 Canada is September 18 in Calgary, Canada. www/plantsuccess.com SolidWorks 2009 Midwest Premiere Conference is October 2-8 in Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, and Green Bay. Sponsored by Graphics Systems Corporation. www.solidworks09.com Process Engineering Live 2009 is Mar 10-11 in Manchester, England. www.processengineeringlive.co.uk
Magazine/eZine/Weblog Updates SYCODE's Deelip Menezes launches IntelliCAD.net as a social network for IntelliCAD users. www.intellicad.net "As everybody knows, you’re nobody today without a blog. So, we've started one at www.orca3d.blogspot.com " XANADU redesigns its CAD portal CADforum.cz with free information, tips, discussions, and CAD blocks for download. www.cadforum.cz
People/Companies on the Move Former Autodesk executive Godfrey Sullivan is now ceo of Splunk, a specialized search firm. Bentley Systems acquires Struc-Soft Inc, a Montreal developer of 2D and 3D engineering, construction, and fabrication software for analysis, design, and drawing production. CADnection signs a reseller agreement with InterDyn of New York. The company develops software that integrates AutoCAD and SharePoint. www.interdynaka.com Dassault Systemes renames its SolidWorks division as "Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation."
Market News Nemetschek reports H1 revenues of e73 million (US$110 million), up 5%.
WorthWhile Web news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10033668-16.html
www.alleyinsider.com/2008/7/is-google-a-content-company-of-course-it-is-so-what-should-publishers-do-
blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/08/04/why_free_software_usability_tends_to_suck.html
Letters to the Editor "Regarding PTC's altruistic statements about Dassault: Not one CAD vendor is in this world to be our friend and make our data-sharing lives easier. "They're in it for the profit. Period. If they see profit in solving our problems, they go in that direction -- notice that I didn't say that they solve the problems. Some vendors are just more subtle about this than others, but they're all in the game for the same reason." The editor replies: "Me, too. Though my primary motive for making a profit is to get my kids through university, plus a little something left over for me and the misses."
"Dassault recently paid a visit to CADDIT in Sydney and made a presentation. According to them, there will be an option to continue using CATIA with SmartTeam. They said there were simply too many current SmartTeam users to just lop them off and plug them into Matrix. "Perhaps the Matrix will not be quite as all-embracing as some believe? They also admitted that the upcoming online data management strategy was 'very risky'." The editor replies: "I certainly see Dassault wanting to reduce the number of data management programs they offer." - - - "Oce must be making a killing: 'Disclosure: Oce provided airfare, ground transportation, hotel, meals, and some corporate gifts to all attendees of the press event'. Can we inquire what other frivolous ‘things’ their severely over-priced products are funding?" The editor replies: "A 2GB USB key shaped like a surfboard (which my youngest daughter promptly assumed ownership of) and a notepad of OCE-branded paper, which she also snared." Mr CadUser responds: "I'd call all of them bribes! From another viewpoint, we can consider them tests of your integrity. And, are you trying to p**s us off with that ‘The Executive’ banter?" The editor replies, wearily: "As for 'The Executive', that was a real-life experience I encountered, with identifying details stripped out." - - - "What a pathetic response for not reading novels! I read novels because I enjoy reading and I don't care to 'pick up some information'. I'm sure that many others read for the same reason or something similar. It's nice to use your imagination, enter a world created by the author and escape there for a while. I don't find that wasted time! It's relaxing!" The editor replies: "My wife agrees with your view, as does C.S. Lewis."
Spin Doctor of the Moment "This site is not authorized to access the Community Everywhere feature."
Notable Quotable "If you're in a line of business where you have 'comfortably' high margins, you're in a line of business which is particularly susceptible to disruptive attack."
Thank You to Our Subscribers & Donators These great people support upFront.eZine through their contributions of $25 (or more). Thank you, guys!
Copyright 2008 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide Article reprint fee US$250.0 and up.
All
trademarks belong to their respective holders.
"upFront.eZine," "Talking About CAD," and
"the business of CADg" are trademarks of
upFront.eZinePublishing, Ltd. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|