u p F r o n t . e Z i n e
the business of cad, enlightened
Issue #614 | September 15, 2009 | English Edition
< Previous Issue | Next Issue >
Write the editor. Make him smile! | Through Paypal, consider donating $25 in support of upFront.eZine. | We're trendy. We have a Weblog. Read WorldCAD Access.
In This Issue
1. The upFront.eZine Tour of Russia
Part I: ASCON (KOMPAS)
· The Difficult Years
· Owning the Distribution
· Defining Its Market
· Research and Development
· Live Demo
· The Problem of Internationalization
· Inside the KOMPAS Kernel
· The New KOMPAS V11
· KOMPAS Next Generation
· The American Market
2. Out of the Inbox, and our other regular columns
[Disclosure: Some of the firms mention in the "The upFront.eZine Tour of Russia" provided assistance with the airfare, accommodation, ground transportation, and meals.]
The upFront.eZine Tour of Russia
Part I: ASCON (KOMPAS)
Location: St Petersburg, Russia
Time Stamp: Mon 07 Sep 2009 09:33:38 AM MSD
The story of ASCON is typical of Russian CAD software companies, and is related to me by the firm's energetic co-founder and chairman of board, Alexander Golikov, who speaks to me through a translator.
In Soviet times, he worked at the KBM defense industry in Kolomna, south of Moscow, where he was part of the team creating a graphical system on DEC's classic PDP mini-computer system. The first PCs did not appear until 1987, but within a year, his team implemented the first 2D CAD on PC in Russia -- before AutoCAD was known to them. The new system unified objects with multiple properties, such as tables and roughness. From the beginning, their CAD program was designed to produce technical documents, including BOMs [bills of material].
The Difficult Years
ASCON was founded in 1989 when entrepreneurship became possible following perestroika (economic restructuring). In Russia, all CAD companies are privately owned. ASCON's company structure is typical of a privately-owned company: co-founders are the only shareholders and make up the entire board of directors. ASCON is one of the very few to publish financial information; I find that all others typically report only percentages, even Russian branches of publicly-owned foreign CAD vendors.
The 1990s were a very difficult period for businesses in Russia. I hear the story over again from everyone I visit: the communists (“a bad time”), followed by chaos and rapacious oligarchs (“the difficult times”), and now the recession. It isn't been easy.
Recovery from the difficult times and real growth did not occur until the late 1990s. A decade later, Russian CAD businesses now again are hammered, this time by the worldwide recession, which has affected Russia perhaps more than any other industrialized country. These days they keep their hopes alive through this statistic: only 20% of SMBs [small and medium-size businesses] have computerized operations. That's a huge potential market.
Until recently, all CAD vendors (including Autodesk CIS) were faced with trying to sell software in a marketplace where AutoCAD was “free,” due to an estimated 99% piracy rate. With anti-piracy laws coming into effect and police taking action, piracy is no longer common in large Russian corporations and is all but vanished in public institutions. It's down to just 70% overall. Indeed, software vendors find they no longer need to explain that piracy is bad; generally, the problem exists today only among students.
A decade ago, ASCON realized the importance of education market, and so gave their away their software for the price of the USB dongle. But it was not until last year that the Russian government began requiring legal software in schools. In a tender won by ASCON, 64,000 schools can use KOMPAS – through not all schools do, because some are not engineering oriented.
Today, anyone can download KOMPAS LT free with functional limitations (but no time limit) from http://ascon.net/download/kompas
Owning the Distribution
In the late 1990s, ASCON restructured to become more than a vendor and developer of software, but also as a system integrator and a supplier of services. The company found it necessary to create its own distribution system, because dealers and distributors experienced difficulties. The idea was to be closer to customers, and to provide proper technical support and training, which would be easier to ensure when ASCON did it themselves.
When ASCON announced the plan, Mr Golikov explains, competitors like Autodesk were skeptical due to the high level of investment required. He believes he made the right decision, because his company now has the strongest string of offices in Russia and former territories, like Kazakhstan: 30 in Russia and 60 more in the CIS [Confederation of Independent States] and internationally.
Today, ASCON is also a vertical solution provider, going beyond MCAD into AEC, CAPP [computer-aided process planning], and PLM. An extensive API allows ASCON to customize KOMPAS to customer requirements. For instance, some 80% all CAD seats in Russian State Agencies that work on the Russian KOSMOS space program are KOMPAS.
The company develops its own kernel, because of the flexibility it gives them, as well as the freedom in making changes. They find in-house kernel development more cost-effective than paying licensing fees for ParaSolid or ACIS; this, in turn, makes the KOMPAS line of software more cost-effective.
Defining Its Market
In the 1990s, the CAD market in Russia was divided into very high- or very low-end solutions. ASCON's target was the mid-range: high-end functions at a low-end price.
From the very beginning, ASCON was enterprise-oriented, perhaps due to its beginnings at a large enterprise. The company did find one advantage to piracy: firms would get very high-level systems free, and then got used their feature sets. When piracy was made illegal, many firms could not afford to purchase these high-end software packages, but had become dependent on their features. ASCON found itself in the excellent position of being able to replicate high-end functions at a reasonable price.
ASCON now has most of the functionality of a high-end system. As confirmation, KOMPAS has been used to design a freight locomotive with 16,200 parts and a driller with 14,760 parts.
As for PLM, ASCON finds it is in greater demand in Russia than in Europe; even SMBs inquire about it. Released in 2003, ASCON's PLM system is named LOODSMAN – more of a PDM [product data management] system for manage all engineering data. The company's policy for PLM is identical to that for CAD: create solutions for the mass level, so that any one person in the company can run it. The mass market segment does not require all stages, unlike, say, aircraft construction.
Its CAPP [computer-aided process planning] software is named VERTICAL. Corporate data bases are important for accessing standard parts, materials “...and so on, and so on, and so on,” adds CEO Maxom Bogdanov. He explained that Russia has its own type of project planning methods, similar to MRP II but different in that it gets more deeply into the production process, like brand names of machinery.
Some customers work in both in architecture and mechanical design, such as the oil and gas industry. So ASCON adapted KOMPAS for the AEC market through an add-on that automatizes architectural and engineering computing. Now architects use it for “2.5D design,” where the design is created in 2D and then visualized in 3D.
So ASCON concentrates on the most common features demanded by most customers, rather than offer the entire range of software needed for true lifecycle management of products.
In terms of market share, ASCON is #2 after Autodesk, in US$ revenues, according to IDC Research (2008):
Autodesk -- 28%
ASCON -- 20%
Simens PLM -- 12%
CATIA (Dasault Systems) -- 11%
PTC -- 9%
SolidWorks -- 9%
TOP Systems -- 2%
Other -- 8%
If shown in terms of seats, then ASCON feels it probably be #1.
Research and Development
CTO Vladimir Zakharov summarizes for me the scope of the product line: MCAD and AEC, PDM, CAPP, and MES (manufacturing engineering systems):
· Almost everything for every designer: CAD, PDM, parts and materials, specialized applications, and libraries.
· Only the main tools for production: CAPP and MES
· Rely on partners for specialized add-ons: CAE, CAM, Rendering, etc
· Just the necessary tools for managers: Reporting
· On-site integration for other needs
The software is available in English and German for the interface and help files; in French, Chinese, Czech, and Polish for the interface only; and plans to add Spanish and French.
Live Demo
Product Manager Slava Kashirsky runs through a live demo of KOSMOS, explaining that there are two primary versions of this software:
· KOMPAS-3D for 3D modeling
· KOMPAS-Graphic for 2D design and sketching
Both programs are fully parametric, with associated views, BOM, and documentation (associated tables). The sheet metal function is being added to the core program in V11, and is no longer a separate application. It also performs pipeline and steel design, as illustrated by the figure below:
Figure: Montazhtransgaz of Poltava, Russia designed this 13,818-part structure.
The core of KOMPAS has many features. Because not all customers need all add-ons, many are optional at extra cost. ASCON also offers bundles.
The Problem of Internationalization
The Russian standard is named GOST, and is different from ISO, DIN, and other standard used by the rest of the world. Because it is a huge job to recreate parts databases in international standards, ASCON now provides free access to the online TraceParts library in the international version of KOMPAS, as well as integration with local standards.
As the company grows internationally, ASCON faces the dual problem of localization and internationalization. As noted earlier, ASCON has 30 offices in Russia; the situation is different outside of Russia, even in countries as small as Germany. There, Autodesk can afford a presence in every city, something ASCON cannot. Their solution is to increase the amount of self-learning build into KOMPAS with an interactive learning systems called KOMPAS-ABC, as well as to add online Webinars at no cost to customers.
Inside the KOMPAS Kernel
Product manager Slava Kashirsky gives a detailed overview of the content and algorithms used by their kernel. Both the 2D and 3D system use nearly identical elements, with just a few differences like surfaces in 3D.
The company has even published Geometric Modeling, a book that documents many of the kernel's mathematical functions with theory and samples on CD-ROM, "but not the source of the kernel," he grins. (It is available in Russian only.) "It just a matter of using the right algorithm -- and of having fast calculations, of course." Whereas international companies employ Russian programmers for their mathematical abilities, ASCON has its own right here.
He shows me a chart that compares his kernel with that of ACIS. His has nearly everything found in ACIS, so there is no need to license someone else's. Then he gives me a quick overview of V11. Parametrization is live, unlike AutoCAD, where AutoConstrain is applied after the 2D drawing is sketched. Visualization uses OpenGL, but not DirectX.
He has KOMPAS import an ACIS file, which contains no history. The feature recognition system automatically generates a feature tree of typical features and sheetmetal elements (but not of complex surfaces). He edits the imported model's features and its sketches: this is a major reason to use KOMPAS, Irina Voronkina emphasizes.
Corporations can use a few high-end seats like Catia, and then supplement them with KOMPAS, which reads the features of the high-end system. For instance, when CATIA was used to design the new MIG-29 jet fighter, KOMPAS was used to design the aircraft's life support system; the two were able to work together.
They are working on direct modeling algorithms, and the feature recognizer will be a big help in creating the direct modeler. The KOMPAS kernel supports unusual bodies, like tolerance surfaces, mismatched curves, complex fillets (like elliptical ones), and non-linear chamfers (fillets with no tangency).
The New KOMPAS V11
The next release of KOMPAS is due to ship in October; they show me an alpha version, saying that beta testing begins in mid-September. Some of the new and improved features in this release include the following:
· The new "ABC Manual" shows step-by-step tutorials for working with KOMPAS.
· The new UI manager customizes the user interface.
· The new Fast Panels display small toolbars with the most-used commands next to the cursor.
· You can now changes the scale of the model, which is useful for creating offset surfaces, such as in mold design.
· Local coordinate systems are new, as are the cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems.
· Two new mates make connections an edge and surface, such as fitting a flange to a pipe.
· A new kinematic mates (called "rotate-rotate") can be used for example to specify different ratios for two gears.
· New are complex 3D lines, which represent the first step for complex shape models.
· You can now unwrap complex sheet metal shapes, like conical branches; KOMPAS automatically generates the geometry and adds the dimensions. There are new features for 3D pipeline design, such as custom BOM lists.
· Also new is steel structure design. You can use the splines or edges of existed geometry as trajectory to define the beam and column construction. The steel profiles update automatically when the base sketch is edited.
· Import 3D geometry from AutoCAD: uses Open Design libraries.
· Open files or Open with Parameters means matching properties.
· Drawing verification checks dimension, overlapping elements, and relations of reference designations
ASCON formerly used a dongle to secure KOSMOS from illegal copying, but it prevented potential customers from evaluating the software. So V11 will employ a software license, which allows all functions to be used for 30 days. (Without the USB dongle, V10 and earlier do not launch at all.)
KOMPAS Next Generation
Mr. Golikov goes to the whiteboard to diagram the advantage KOMPAS has over CATIA and other high-end systems. The CATIAs of the world have reached the level of maximum functionality; it is difficult for Dassault Systemes to know what else to add. So their only route to growth is chasing narrow vertical solutions, or switch to another operating system.
ASCON's strategy for its future is to continue growth of it current solutions and their two areas of specialization: (1) complex solutions for mechanical and architectural industries, and (2) construction solutions.
For the last three years, they concentrated on all aspects of mechanical design. They have begun adding surface modeling to KOMPAS, and it will be fully integrated with solids within a few releases. Last year, they introduced the new GOLFSTREAM system.
Until now, the company developed applications sequentially, first one and then the next; today they work simultaneously on V11 and the next generation of KOMPAS. I am given the most minimal details on the rewrite: it will allow KOMPAS to adapt more easily adapt to new technologies as they come along, such as touch technology and other concepts that help designers work more interactively. It will no longer be locked to Windows, but will be portable to other OSes, such as Linux. The idea is to be faster at adopting new technology than competitors.
ASCON monitors the fight for operating system marketshare. For now, the first step towards Linux support is through WINE [Windows simulation]. Should the marketshare of an OS increase among ASCON customers to (as little as) 10%, then ASCON will provide native support Linux and Mac.
They do not expect a revolution in modeling methods; instead, innovations will occur the area of interface architecture, such as touch. ASCON looks forward to interfaces that are more than just mouse or current Uis: the ideal would be to eliminate any barrier between man and machine. For this reason, augmented reality is an area of interest...
...as is Internet technology used by Google Docs, which they think will eventually affect CAD users in some way. For instance, ASCON will soon be unveiling their new CAD Online project, which allows everyone to access CAD models through Web browsers. They are sure that in the future we will all work with CAD models through browsers.
In addition, they continue expand the internationalization that began in 2006 with KOMPAS V8. For example, they now provide tech support in English, and are adding interactive training. This makes it simpler to enter international markets.
The American Market
“Why should an American use KOMPAS, instead of one of the many US-based packages?” I ask. The American market is most difficult, Ms Voronkina agrees, due to its competitiveness and the high level of marketing that would be needed. She is in charge of international business development, and so understands the need to create brand awareness. The solution, she tells me, is to obtain an initial set of American customers who are connected to Russian enterprises. Or, to find companies looking for new solutions.
Once ASCON has references from customers in the USA, it needs to determine the correct price. KOMPAS can be positioned at a lower price with greater functionality than American competitors, because ASCON does its own R&D, benefits from the lower cost of Russian labor, and owns its own kernel. In addition, the initial purchase price includes maintenance and training for the year.
Ms Voronkina wonders if the current recession might make companies more wary of paying more for known brand names. It is possible for manufacturing companies to develop products with CAD that offers lower cost yet has the same set of functions. Good price, good functions. But brand awareness is the problem.
ASCON
Head office: St Petersburg, Russia
Founded: 1989
Ownership: Private
Employees: 600+
Annual revenues: US$30 million (2008)
Primary software: KOMPAS-3D mid-range parametric mechanical CAD
Base price: US$3,900
Additional software available: 2D drafting, parts libraries, PLM, CAPP
Commercial users: 60,000+
Ad: CAD Software
How do we turn accelerating customer demands into faster development times? Siemens answers:
PLM Software for 50% reductions in customer delivery times.
Realize 50% percent reductions in customer delivery time.
Slash engineering change orders by 40%.
Save 30 % in physical prototyping costs.
Assess your ability to meet customer demands.
Learn how you compare with your competitors. It takes just 10 minutes. Receive practical, customized recommendations from the Aberdeen Group and discover how PLM can improve your performance.
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/answers/smb/index.shtml?us=34001800020909xx
[S14,21]
Out of the Inbox
Beck Technology releases DProfiler 2009 Release 2.0 with iImproved PDF/iImage import, support for MasterFormat 2004 in RSMeans and centralized databases, new Cost Report for custom databases, and more intelligent building types. http://www.Beck-Technology.com
CADalytic Media updates SpecifiCAD for Google SketchUp 7, and can be used wtih Google 3D Warehouse. http://www.cadalytic.com
A CIS/2 Google Group is now available at http://groups.google.com/group/cis2-group . CIMsteel Integration Standards is a product model and data exchange format implemented in many structural steel CAD software packages.
DS SolidWorks will ship SolidWorks 2010 in October. The emphasis is on environmental impact assessments. http://www.solidworkslaunch.com
Siemens PLM Software says that version 5.0 of Teamcenter Express collaborative product data management software is built on Teamcenter 8, and is available in September. http://www.siemens.com/plm/teamcenterexpress
Citius Corporation releases KBMax knowledge-based configurator software for companies building custom engineered products. It automates the creation of 3D models, BOMs, CAD drawings, office documentation, and price quotes. http://www.citiuscorporation.com
Celeritive Technologies announces Release 3.0 of its VoluMill toolpath software for ultra-high-performance 3-axis toolpath generation. http://www.volumill.com
BlueCielo ECM Solutions released InnoCielo Publisher 2009, the the optional publisher add-on for its InnoCielo Meridian Enterprise software that automates the rendering and publishing of engineering content. http://www.bluecieloecm.com/products/icp
IMSI/Design updates TurboCAD Pro 16 Architectural Edition ($1,395) with new section/elevation tools, multi-component walls, and improved parametric modeling. http://www.turbocad.com/Default.aspx?TabId=1168
And Arkitectonix releases version 2 of its Surveyor plug-in to Autodesk's NavisWorks,. The software lets you generate survey reports in Excel from 3D NavisWorks models. http://www.arkitectonix.com
- - -
These were some of the news items posted during the summer at the WorldCAD Access blog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com>:
- The upFront.eZine Tour of Russia, Parts 1 - 8.
- Would an 85% Price Chop Make You Switch?
- Sold! HPC Buys Esperient
- CSG Updates MEDUSA4
- Surprise! Graphisoft Ships ArchiCAD 13
- BIM: Now Available in Five Dimensions
- UN Whines About Progress
- Surfware vs. Celeritive Lawsuit Ends Early
- Metris Down 62%
- Now in Russian: WorldCAD Access on NanoCAD
- 35 Minutes with Jeff Ray
- ASCON Strikes Back
- Your Cheatin' PR
- First Global ZWCAD Conference
- New API: Read'n Xlate CADDS Files
- The Cloud Moves Behind the Firewall
And at the Gizmos Grabowski weblog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos>:
- Apple Wins Mobile; Microsoft Keeps Desktop
- Netbooks Plummet in Price
- Adding a Monitor with DisplayLink
- When Press Releases Get Smacked by the Future
- Google Books as Firehose
- Older Software Great for Netbooks
- Shrinking a Stubborn Volume
Ads: CAD Services
NOVEDGE - The Largest Online Design Software Store
Find AutoCAD, SpaceClaim, Rhino, IntelliCAD, think3, and thousands more design and graphics software products at NOVEDGE.
· Visit our Website at www.novedge.com/rg
· Call + 1 (866) 362-8970
· Email sales@novedge.com
[621]
== High Fidelity 3D MCAD/DCC Conversion/Viewing/Rendering ==
For 21 years Okino has provided mission-critical 3D conversion software used extensively by tens of thousands of professionals. We convert between all major CAD, DCC & VisSim formats with full fidelity.
Email Robert Lansdale (lansd@okino.com) to discuss your exacting requirements. Popular requests for 2009: Sketch-Up, 3ds Max, Maya, XSI, DWF-3D, Inventor, Pro/E, SolidWorks, CATIA, BREP solids (IGES/STEP/Parasolid), 3D PDF/U3D, JT & Collada.
We know data translation and provide immaculate developer-to-customer relations. http://www.okino.com.
[613/14]
Conferences
Fifth Annual COMSOL Conference 2009 is Oct 8-10 in Boston MA USA. http://www.comsol.com/conference2009
MODSIM World 2009 (Modeling and Simulation Conference) is Oct 14-16 in Virginia Beach VA USA. http://www.modsimworld2008.com/ [Although it has"2008" in the url, it is the page for the 2009 event.]
Global Product Data Interoperability Summit is Nov. 9-12 in Mesa AX USA. http://www.elysiuminc.com/Events/eventdetail.asp?eID=72
People/Companies on the Move
AIIM initiates the open Adobe Systems PRC [Product Representation Compact] specification as a 3D file format for representing 3D models and assemblies as an International Organization for Standardization standard. http://www.aiim.org
MecSoft adds dealers in Italy, France, India, Turkey, Malaysia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
ModuleWorks (3-5-axis toolpath generation and simulation software) acquires HeilTech and its HSVerify large toolpath simulation software.
Letters to the Editor
Re: Unchecked Geed
"We, in India, blindly follow America without using our own brains (they have been mortgaged to America). Among other things we also adore America's problems. We create (import if necessary) exactly the same problems that America has. So its not 'problems facing America' but 'problems facing the World'.
"Everybody in this world seems to have en-mass joined what Dr. Joel Orr calls 'The Church of Instant Sef-Gratification'."
- Sanjay Kulkarni
Spin Doctor of the Moment
"Nobody gets it. It's a little bit complicated."
- Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft, on the Yahoo-Microsoft agreement on search.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1845426
Notable Quotable
"Mathematics solves customer’s problems, not marketing."
- Matt Carr, senior technical manager, Kubotek USA
Thank You to Our Subscribers & Donators
These great people support upFront.eZine through their contributions of $25 (or more). Thank you, guys!
- Parker Group
- John MacFall: "Thanks for doing the heavy lifting, Ralph. We need you to continue."
- Jack Foster
Contact!
upFront.eZine is published every Tuesday, except during summer and Christmas vacation. Editor: Ralph Grabowski. This newsletter is read by over eight thousand subscribers in 70 countries. Your comments are welcome! Deadline for submissions is every Monday noon.
To Subscribe
Send the message 'subscribe upfront' to subscribe@upfrontezine.com. All 600+ back issues at www.upfrontezine.com/welcome.htm.
Donations & Subscriptions
upFront.eZine is shareware. You receive this newsletter free. To support its publication, suggested one-time donations is US$25 or the equivalent in your country. If you prefer to pay an annual subscription fee of $25, you will be reminded each year around May 1.
Payment
- PayPal - send payment to the account of grabowski@telus.net
- Checks or money orders: 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.
- Direct bank transfer: email for details.
Japanese Edition
Editor: Yasu Ohgushi <yasu@rrcorp.co.jp>
Address Change
Send both your old and new email addresses to subscribe@upfrontezine.com.
To Unsubscribe
Send the message 'unsubscribe upfront' to editor@upfrontezine.com. I appreciate knowing reasons for unsubscribing.
Advertising
US$340 per two weeks. Position Available ads are $320 for three weeks; Job Wanted ads by the unemployed are free. Other rates available. For more info, email advertise@upfrontezine.com.
- - -
Entire contents copyright ©2009 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide. Letters sent to the editor are subject to publication. Article reprint fee: $250 and up. All trademarks belong to their respective holders. "upFront.eZine," "The Business of CAD," and "On your desktop every Tuesday morning" are trademarks of upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity and brevity. Translations and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd.