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Issue #619 |  October 20, 2009  |  English Edition

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In This Issue

1. The upFront.eZine Tour of Russia

      Part V: Autodesk CIS (last week)

      Part VI: Nanosoft (Nanocad)

      Part VII: NTP (next week)

   

2. Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010 Updated

 

3. Out of the Inbox, and our other regular columns

 

[Disclosure: Some of the firms mentioned 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 VI: Nanosoft

 

Location: Moscow, Russia

Time stamp: Wed 09 Sep 2009 04:33:40 PM MSD

(This article is also availablein Russian at http://isicad.ru/ru/articles.php?article_num=13389)

 

Maxim Egorov begins by explaining to me that 09/09/09 is a special for Russians (because of the three same numbers in a row), and so new Nanocad application is shipping on this day. Indeed, I had noticed the Moscow Times featured a photo of brides who preferred to get married on this day.

 

The name 'Nanosoft' originated first as more of a joke; it derived from nanotechnology; "nano" also is 10 to the 9th power. But then the name stuck.

 

Nanosoft itself is new, have been formed just last April 2008, but many of its executives and developers were in the CAD business since 1989. The company now consists of 15 administrators, 70 developers, and many subcontractors.

 

Then in one day, their previous life in a Soviet Union died. They started their first private company, and then thought they had it made when they were offered $1 million to write raster-to-vector conversion software. But the backer backed out. Nevertheless, they completed writing the software, calling it "Vectory." Soon they found a distributor and became one of a few vendors offering raster-to-CAD conversion software. Eventually their code was licensed for CAD Overlay, later purchased by Softdesk, and then owned by Autodesk. Over the years, they collected royalties, which funded their expansion into CAD software for the domestic market. (Over the last 15 years, they wrote also standalone applications for Windows.)

 

In the mid-nineties they began writing and selling add-ons for AutoCAD, and by 2000 were cooperating with partners who also wrote applications for AutoCAD. But then everything changed.

 

Autodesk became more focused on verticals and pressured the market. It was necessary to separate Autodesk-related and non-Autodesk CAD businesses: CSoft still works with Autodesk and offers AutoCAD-based vertical applications. The remaining employees began the non-AutoCAD-based Nanocad 1.5 years ago, aiming it at Russian and CIS [commonwealth of independent states] markets.

 

To compete with the many free but illegal copies of AutoCAD on the market, Nanosoft decided that their CAD software would also be free; this tactic, they felt, was needed to gain market share in Russia. (I wonder if this is what Autodesk CIS's $1,000-AutoCAD is aimed against.)  Their applications no longer run on AutoCAD, saving users the cost of AutoCAD.

 

The Nanocad platform itself is due to be released in November. They created a kind of "ARX gate," for which ARX code needs to be recompiled. because "everything is copyrighted by Autodesk."  Initially, they are releasing ten vertical apps that run standalone, to which the first is Nanocad AEC design and drafting. They released version 2.0 the same day I visited their office.

 

The plan is to write many more verticals "for all the human activity" -- every vertical that involves graphics, from raster-vector conversion to GIS. In a year or two they hope to have 40 apps, preferring to write many smaller packages rather than all-encompassing ones. Examples include structural cable systems, fire protection, and  telephony for $500/year per license. More general add-ons, such as parametric drafting to Russian standards, would be cheaper at $200/year.

 

Mr Egorov considers CAD vendors very conservative, the most conservative in the IT segment. And so Nanosoft will use different ways to get to customers, trying different ways of distributing and selling software:

Despite those plans, they are also starting a dealer network and might even sell physical boxes. The aim is to be on top when the recession ends.

 

They have now shipped about 40,000 licenses of their original free software based on nanoCAD 1.0, of which 15.000 people (8,000 companies) registered. The core nanoTDMS (document management system) is also free.

 

Nanocad 1 was 2D-only, and DWG was not native format for it. nanoCad 2 will have native support for DWG and will became 3D. It is designed to look as much like AutoCAD as is possible, technically and legally. We spent a few moments discussing the encrypted portions of the DWG format and the kind of data Autodesk might be storing there.

The NanoCAD user interface. (Click image for full-resolution image.)

 

They are looking for other non-Autodesk CAD platforms like Bricscad for which to write Russian apps. They are rather open to other possibilities and maybe in the future their add-ons will also work with AutoCAD. But currently their biggest effort is to easily migrate ARX apps to Nanocad.

 

Will they target Russia only, I ask? For now, only CIS. Eventually they plan to move to China and India, and then maybe Europe. "Localize" means to translate to the language; "countrify" means to adopt to local standards and ways of doing things. One offering by Nanosoft is providing systems that support local standards. They use a research manager who instructs the programmers on how to implement for, say, the Russian electronics sector. The company is more focused on AEC market than mechanical, because AEC has less competition: "It is still alive in Russia, at least."

 

We ended our time together with a video-taped Q&A. Readers of the Nanosoft blog had previously submitted questions for me, which I read for the first time (and answered) as a video camera rolled.  Most of the questions dealt with future trends of CAD, such as:

The Web page with the questions in Russian and links to my video answers in English is at www.nanocad.ru/information/news/index.php?news=69973

 

Nanosoft

www.nanocad.ru

 

Head office: Moscow, Russia

Founded: 2008

Ownership: Private

Employees: 30+, plus many subcontractors

Annual revenues: Not revealed

 

Primary software: nanoCAD

Base price:  Free of charge

Additional software available: Many vertical add-ons applications, from $200 per year per seat

Commercial users: About 15,000

 

 

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Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010 Updated

I've updated the Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010 ebook ($17.40) with new and useful information:

You can see sample pages and the table of contents at www.upfrontezine.com/tdbx . If you wish to order this 116-page ebook through www.paypal.com , please pay to the account of grabowski@telus.net .

If you prefer paying by cheque or money order, please mail it to Tailoring Dynamic Blocks 2010, 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7 Canada. Thank you for your support!

 

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[621]

 

Out of the Inbox

Jimmy Bergmark releases ACA_db 3.0 with two-way sync between AutoCAD Architecture (and/or MEP) and external databases. See http://blog.jtbworld.com/2009/10/acadb-30-released-with-2-way-sync.html for more info, and how to get a no-charge eval license.

 

COMSOL releases a beta version of its  COMSOL Multiphysics v4.0 with a new Model Builder module that features a graphical programming tool for guiding users from model creation to simulation results. There's a new LiveLink for Pro/E and enhanced Parasolid support. New large-capacity simulation solvers and built-in cluster scheduling for high performance computing for more accurate models that are solved faster. http://www.comsol.com

 

Sescoi US has a free WorkNC training program for unemployed CNC machinists, programmers and managers. In addition, employers can access Professional Profiles of individuals in the WorkNC labor pool on Sescoi’s website. http://www.sescoi.com/us/corporate/labor-pool/

 

NCG CAM Solutions has a demon version of their CAM software: NCG CAM has unlimited usage but some restrictions to the machining output. In its basic form, it can be used as a free IGES file viewer. http://www.ncgcam.com  

 

PTC ships Pro/Engineer Wildfire 5.0. The product announcement, however, is vague on details and uses words that apply to any CAD package's marketing: "powerful features," "simple, intuitive, and integral system," "highly-anticipated release," "numerous enhancements," "must-see," and "design without barriers." http://www.ptc.com/products/proengineer/wildfire5/index.htm

 

SITEOPS Multi Pad auto-generates millions of layout, drainage, and grading combinations for a site, and produces the most cost-effective option. It auto-draws parking lots and drives, and redraws maintaining the specified parameters. It runs as SaaS (software as a service) mode, and is due to launch 1 Nov.  http://www.siteops.com/news/events.shtml

 

CAD Schroer Group releases version 4.0 of STHENO/PRO,  the only drafting solution fully integrated with Pro/E, Pro/INTRALINK, and Windchill PDMLink. http://www.cad-schroer.com/r/pr0910_stp4  

 

Applied Answers says, "Don't pay thousands for Courseware, Buzzsaw, Prolog, or other solutions;" instead, pay for their FileGenius non-FTP file transfer and exchange portal that they hope will be of interest to AEC firms. Demo at https://aec.filetransfers.net/file_upload/index.php  

 

Siemens PLM Software says that the ISO accepts documentation of its JT data format. The 400-page the JT File Format Reference is a publicly available specification for 3D visualization. http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/open/jtopen/index.shtml

 

And CAD Training Online and TNT Educational Services partner for cost-effective online CAD training and state sponsored training grant writing services -- a 50% cost savings. http://www.cadtrainingonline.com/seminar.html

- - -

These were some of the news items posted during the last week at the WorldCAD Access blog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com>:

And at the Gizmos Grabowski weblog <worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos>:

Hardware News

A1 Technologies launches second generation of its 3D printer, RapMan Pro for £2,000 (approx. US$3,260) in kit form. Improvements include rigid aluminum frame and better z-axis accuracy. www.rap-man.com   

 

 

People/Companies on the Move

Nemetschek Scia is expanding into North America in partnership with Nemetschek North America (Vectorworks) for its structural design, analysis, and optimization programs. www.scia-online.com/eval    

 

Planit appoints Dave Caughley as development manager for its e2i (Estimate to Invoice) software.

 

Cadsoft Corporation partners with 20-20 Technologies and its 3D interior design and furniture manufacturing software. http://www.2020Technologies.com

 

 

WorthWhile Web

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/10/microsoft_dange.html

"Microsoft Danger: Living Up To Its Name"

by Dave Methvin

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-carries-you-up-will-also-bring-you-down-2009-10

"What Carries You Up Will Also Bring You Down"

by Chris Dixon

 

 

Spin Doctor of the Moment

"Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion."

   - Harvey Weinstein, co-founder, Weinstein Co

   www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-polanski1-2009oct01,0,1755914.story

 

 

Notable Quotable

"Aerial laser gunboat 'burns hole in fender' of moving car: World's evil shark-owning billionaires unimpressed."

    - Lewis Page, The Register

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/14/atl_fender_driller/

 

 

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