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Issue # 1,084 | The Business of CAD | 22 February 2021
Our readers had much to say about Autodesk’s statement that “a file is a dead thing working.” Here is what you wrote.
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About ten years ago I sat in a meeting with a CAFM software developer who insisted that his product didn’t have files or a language. “It’s written in data!” He repeated this at least a dozen times. We moved on to use another product. -RetroCAD Official (@Retro_CAD on Twitter)
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You wrote, “APIs [application programming interfaces] can enable tools to talk to each other, passing data around without the need for files.”
This is actually quite silly. An API is a tool that lets you pass data between systems. That data must be formatted in a certain way:
Some standard structured format; for a couple decades we all used XML [expanded markup language], but now we all use JSON [JavaScript object notation]
Expected data structures to be passed in each direction
What’s another name for a data structure passed in a structured format? A file! They aren’t getting rid of files at all; they are just getting rid of stored files. So they’ve solved nothing, but they’ve created a new problem: authentication.
Having a non-authenticated API on the Internet is obviously a problem, because the global botnet of unpatched things will quickly start attacking it. You could wrap it in an authentication mechanism (probably OAuth2 [open authentication v2]). Sounds easy, but it turns out it’s actually ridiculously hard when there isn’t an active user in the middle of things making all the connections work. Getting servers to talk to each other requires more layers of junk (SAML [security assertion markup language], for example) that hardly anyone understands, because it’s ridiculously complicated.
Secure and simple are incompatible design goals.
And, of course, the old problem of versions (that we have always had with files) is still there, but now it’s incompatible versions of APIs. As I said, quite silly. -Joshua Smith, chief technology officer Kaon Interactive
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I just read your upFront.eZine 1,083 “Autodesk Wants to Kill the File” from top to bottom, Autodesk has quite a problem on its hands. Is Autodesk still the dominant player it used to be? - Name withheld by request
The editor replies: In its early days, Autodesk could boast of being the fifth largest independent software firm for personal computers. Today it is about 2/3-to-1/2 the size of its primary competitors -- Dassault Systemes, Siemens PLM, Hexagon, Trimble, and so on.
While its AutoCAD software still dominates in terms of mindshare, the software is very expensive, given that it costs US$1,680/year to rent with customers receiving just a dozen or so new/improved functions each year.
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Tell Mr. Antagonist that if I can’t trust him now to do the right thing with my data, after he has enslaved all his customers to subscription, then how can he expect me to trust him when he takes total control of my data -- as well as the tools of my trade?
I always enjoy reading your historical surveys! - Chris Cadman
An interesting thought by Autodesk; maybe it’s way ahead of its time: “I think there is something we need to acknowledge right now: that a file is a dead thing working.” This reminds me of the old quip, “God is dead” -Nietzsche; “Nietzsche is dead” -God.
I can see that as computer processors and memory develop this becomes more and more possible. I can also see the cloud evolving into a massive application and storage resource. For profitability, I can see many software companies actually having their applications being cloud-based with no real software on computers. It solves problems for updates, patches, etc. and compels the use of a subscriber service.
I cannot see, however, most firms embracing these concepts. They will want to retain their data and ownership of the same. With total cloud storage, most firms will still want to keep their own hard copy of data and might use the cloud for backup storage. There’s something comfortable about being able to put your hands on a file on your system. Reliability of cloud-based stuff will have to be 100%-plus.
The complexity of having a program, as Windows currently does, running several different apps is possible as long as the format for the data being used is public domain, so that others with different apps can run the same data, and they do not want their apps to be cloud-based.
This would not likely be acceptable to Autodesk or others. I seem to recall a time in the past where they wanted to have ownership of *.dwg files.
I can’t see this happening in the near future. Maybe on some distant galaxy? - Dik Coates, P.Eng.
The editor replies: Some years ago Autodesk attempted to claim DWG as a registered trademark at the USPTO, and even sued some companies over their use of it. The result of the all that litigation was for Autodesk to fail in all its actions. DWG was already too broadly used inside -- and even outside -- the CAD industry.
And so Autodesk now says, “DWG has served and now serves as an Autodesk trademark. Autodesk has never precluded, and does not seek to preclude others from either using .dwg as a file extension or from making software that is compatible with the Autodesk DWG file format.”
The crucial word missing from the first sentence is “registered.”
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You forgot “convergence.” - Oleg Shilovitsky (@olegshilovitsky on Twitter)
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Is my interpretation correct that “There won't be any more files” really means that there’s still going to be a file, but just one file for the whole project? Or are they talking about one file for the entire company?
It’s hard for me to get my mind around, since files seem to be such an integral part of everything I’ve ever done. And it seems like some sort of diversionary tactic to my suspicious mind. For instance, what's the thing with claiming that the problems with translation of a model from one brand of software to another will be somehow solved by going from a thousand files to a single file?
Onshape claims to be doing the no-files thing, but when I asked questions of the salesman, he scheduled me a call with an engineer. That guy also had no technical knowledge, and he set me up a later call with someone else, and then I just lost interest.
Thanks for continuing to bring us great analysis of a very complicated business. - Jess Davis, president Davis Precision Design, Inc.
The editor replies: I think that non-CAD data about projects are stored directly in drawings (like PMI, but supersized), and then shared with other programs through APIs. But I could be wrong.
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Well, #AutodeskAndy says a file is a dead thing. Since they have dozens of file formats and UIs that don't work with each other, this is all just a pipe dream (meant to inflate stock prices). - Notandrewaganost (@NotAganost on Twitter)
PROJECT NEWPLEX v2.0
Newplex 2.0 is the advanced SHX font designed for technical documents.
Compatible with all DWG-Based CAD software that support Unicode SHX fonts
Advanced character forms for readability and clarity
Following the virus-induced cancellation of all conferences last year, Hexagon made CAD history last fall when it became the first CAD-related software company to announce a live conference this year — HxGN Live Global 2021 for this June in Las Vegas.
Now Hexagon unmakes history by cancelling it. They’ll try again next year. hxgnlive.com
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Nanosoft releases nanoCAD Mechanica 20 software ($300 and up) for mechanical engineers, based on its nanoCAD Plus 20.1 platform:
Improved modeling with 3D constraints, direct modeling, and dynamic UCS
New 3D thread representation and library
New Offset dimension for measuring lengths of splines, polylines, and ellipses
Auto updates of drawing views, and auto rearrangement of section hatches
Arkance of France makes its tenth acquisition of a European CAD/BIM company in two years, the most recent being Agacad of Lithuania. Arkance is a subsidiary of construction machinery firm Group Monnoyeur.
Agacad has Revit-specific add-ons for the design of wood, precast concrete, and metal structures, managing BIM data, and so on. It has 13,000 customers. agacad.com
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I’ve come to rely on my newish Acer Spin Chromebook as my second laptop, primarily because it runs Android apps so effortlessly. Others are finding the same, as shown by ChromeOS machines in 2020 having outsold Macs worldwide (source IDC):
Windows: 80.5%
ChromeOS: 10.8% (sales up 68% over 2019)
macOS: 7.5%
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Here are some of the posts that appeared on my WorldCAD Access blog:
“To grow and improve its products, the tech industry needs to be open to more independent views, not more sycophancy.” - Geoffrey A. Fowler, technology columnist, Washington Post
Thank You, Readers
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Issue #1083 | The Business of CAD | 15 February 2021
Commentary by Ralph Grabowski
Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost is adamant. “I think there is something we need to acknowledge right now: that a file is a dead thing working,” he said in an interview last fall with Archintosh magazine.
Autodesk’s Achilles heel is its cornucopia of file formats that proliferated when it invented or acquired its 80 software programs. Revit has a hard time talking to Inventor has a hard time talking to Alias. The company tried its hand several times at universal translators and file systems, such as Navisworks, A360, Project Quantum, and Project Plasma, but the efforts fell short or else never shipped.
At its online Autodesk University 2020 last November, Autodesk presented the latest solution to rid its file woes: get rid of the files. Passing files through translators is to be replaced by code using APIs [application programming interfaces] written with Forge.
Forge is Autodesk’s all-encompassing programming system that it is encouraging customers to adopt. Forge is a proprietary programming system that handles automated workflows through projects, among other tasks. As Mr Anagnost explained, “APIs can enable tools to talk to each other, passing data around without the need for files.” See figure below.
Forge API data flows (images credit Autodesk)
For Autodesk, the future is made of apps and thick clients:
Apps are small, task-specific programs that usually run on phones, like BIM Layout.
Thick clients is a name for desktop programs that run with assistance from the Internet, such as doing generative design, of which Fusion is the best example.
The plan is for each program in the Autodesk stable to have an API that allows Autodesk, third-party developers, and programming-savvy customers access to data of just the type and format needed at that instance. Between 3D models and APIs sits the product information model; it contains the data that define models. Forge’s own Model Derivative API already extracts geometry and properties from sixty file formats.
It’s a big job to define APIs that access data from each Autodesk’s 80 apps and thick clients, and Autodesk so far has not released any hard details. This is why CAD writer Anthony Frausto-Robledo mused that “The death of the file is not going to be a quick death, and it may not happen in any of our lifetimes.”
Mr Frausto-Robledo describes an API-based data-exchange scenario of the future: “It is possible to imagine bespoke workflows where colleagues and teammates use a variety of different workflows customized to their exact needs. One can image Slack, for example, advancing its snooze feature so tasks automatically happen during certain hours of the day.”
Autodesk is not the only one working on the problem. The problem is most acute on the architectural side of design, and so a competitor to Autodesk’s vision is the AEC Delta Mobility project. It proposes exchanging small changes (deltas) between design programs at the object level, regardless of data format.
Other CAD vendors, such as Graphisoft, are also looking at exchanging data in just the chunks needed by ancillary software.
News from Autodesk University 2020
As Autodesk University was online for 2020, a remarkable 100,000 attendees took in 550 sessions. Here are some highlights that I picked out.
Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost at last November’s online Autodesk University
After Navisworks failed to become the all-encompassing file format, and after Project Quantum died, Autodesk in early 2019 promised that Project Plasma would be the next step in collaborative BIM [building information modeling]. We expected to hear details about it at AU 2020, but sources tell me that Autodesk gave confidential updates to just a few of its important customers.
Speaking of coordination, Autodesk and other software vendors are supporting the new Omniverse coordination software from nVidia. Omniverse merges 3D models from Revit, ArchiCAD, Photoshop, and a few other design programs in Pixar’s USD [universal scene description] format, and then does photo-realistic simulations in real-time. It requires computers with RTX-level graphics boards.
AutoCAD. In its very early years, Autodesk boasted that AutoCAD could run on any viable engineering platform, and back then we saw it on hardware ranging from low-cost CP/M-based Zilog Z80s to uber-expensive Unix-based Silicon Graphics workstations; even on Macs. Then, following a big rewrite, Release 14 in 1997 went Microsoft Windows-only.
At the time, it made sense. Windows had made final its domination. But that also was right about the time that the Internet burst into the consumer space, and the Web browser was anointed the new platform, followed a decade or so later by the explosion of apps running on always-connected phones.
Autodesk was caught off-guard, and so its Web and mobile apps were lacking compared to smaller competitors. It spent the last decade rewriting AutoCAD core code to again make it multi-platform. This is one reason why AutoCAD suffered over the last few years from an impoverishment of new functions, as well as why the DWG file format stayed frozen longer than usual.
The new AutoCAD Core Engine (ACE) means that the Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, and Web browser versions of AutoCAD will have a common graphics core. (Linux and Chrome OS are not on the list.) This will, I presume, allow Autodesk to unify functions between platforms, something that has been badly lacking.
Inventor. The CEO of Autodesk comes from the mechanical side of design, and so it was no surprise that many new functions mentioned at AU were in MCAD. Some years ago, Autodesk had to reassure Inventor users that Fusion would not soon be displacing their favorite MCAD program. The best proof of support is to show new functions, and here Inventor got pride of place during the AU keynote.
Autodesk is working on storing every manufacturing stage in Inventor models, which sounds like a precursor to digital twinning. To make documentation easier, users will be able to pick a template to generate drawings in Inventor automatically. Lightweight versions of Inventor models can be placed in Revit models, and then the mechanical parts scheduled in Revit. No delivery date for these features was given.
Fusion. Fusion represents Autodesk’s future in MCAD, and so it boasted the largest number of announcements. Concurrent design will allow multiple users to work on the same project at the same time, such as on designs involving sheet metal and electrical. SPICE analysis has been integrated for auto-routing of PCBs [printed circuit boards] and other electrical tasks.
Autodesk says that Fusion now runs on Chrome OS as a Web app in a Web browser, so not natively. While the official FAQ says fusion.online.autodesk.com works only on Chrome OS, I was able to launch it on Windows 7. See figure below.
Fusion for Chrome OS running in Windows 7
A new management extension for Fusion starts up in three seconds, as compared to “weeks” for similar software in Solidworks, according to Autodesk. Moldflow solver is being included in Fusion 360 for testing the best way to manufacture plastic mold designs. ANSYS Workbench analysis software now works with Fusion 360, and is round-trip.
Other new extensions, such as Fabrication, Nesting, and Machining, can be turned on for just the durations needed. Among them, a new feature-based machining system applies strategies automatically for different areas of parts being made. Cooling analysis is being added through a new fluid solver.
Digital Twins. The hot marketing word in CAD these days is “digital twins,” which are 3D models that accurately mimic physical products, even after manufacturing. (To me, it sounds like what PLM already is.) At AU, Autodesk announced it had joined the Digital Twins Consortium and was beta-testing Tandem digital twin software for architecture. It made no mention of digital twins for MCAD, thereby lagging competitors in this area.
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
Autodesk used AU to announce bold steps for its future with Forge’s API data exchange and multi-platform ACE, none of which have delivery dates. Many other new features, likewise had no availability dates, but I expect to see them in the March time-frame when Autodesk usually sends out new releases.
The single-database is a dream for CAD vendors, as it allows them to more tightly lock in customers. Microsoft wanted to rid Windows of files with its Cairo experiment. The single database never worked out and Microsoft gave up on the project in 1996 — except in the Registry and we all know the mess that has turned into. Dassault in 2012 launched a single database system using Envoia in Catia V6 (aka 3dExperience), but it has not been wildly popular with customers.
Single databases make sense for cloud-based software, but as we know, CAD software is no longer moving whole hog to the cloud. It remains firmly situated on the desktop, with just the occasional tentacle reaching out to a few very specific cloud services, like file sharing and database access. See figure below.
Autodesk’s visualization of data flowing between desktop and cloud
Techno-optimists are fond of declaring the death of this or that, but typically are misguided in their prognostication. I am optimistic that the prediction of the death of the file system is wildly wrong, for one simple reason: file systems allow customers to retain power over vendors.
[This article first appeared in Design Engineering magazine and is reproduced with permission. Some text has been edited and updated.]
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C3D Labs had a rip-roaring year, with 2020 revenues up 41% over 2019. The company credits increased demand for digitization created by the virus.
Its C3D Toolkit is an SDK containing modules for geometric modeling, 2D/3D constraint solving, data exchange, 3D polygonal mesh to B-rep conversion (see figure above), and 3D visualization. c3dlabs.com/en/products/c3d-toolkit/
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Siemens reports Q1 revenues of €14 billion (about US$17 billion) with 3% growth. This is for all of Siemens, a heavy manufacturer. Its Digital Industries division earned €3.8 billion (US$4.5 billion) on 0% growth -- this is the division that houses Digital Industries Software, within which are NX and Solid Edge.
Siemens does not break out individual numbers for its software division, giving only percentages:
All software +5%
CAD ?%
Cloud and integration -1.2%
Siemens predicts total revenues for fiscal 2021 will be up by 8% to 12%.
In other Siemens news, ceo Joe Kaiser retired, placing deputy ceo Roland Busch in charge. The company moved responsibility for its 14% investment in Bentley Systems from Digital Industries Software to its pension fund.
This publication hit close to our home -- Model-Based Definitions and LiDAR scans. Creating digital twins have become the mainstream of our business.
Your example of MDx is correct. Although, unless you are a massive firm like Ford, Boeing, or Lockheed, few people understand that, let alone need that. It all comes back to a cost vs. reward. How much does it cost to create all of the MDx data? But said the other way, if you are a Ford, how much could you lose if you miss something? Creating PLM can be incredibly expensive.
And then with Lidar on our Apple phones. Yipes! That scares me to death. I cannot wait until we start receiving scanned data from them and we are expected to create valid CAD data from it. Everybody will think a cell phone is as good as a Faro or Creaform scanner. I know it is coming. - Scott Shuppert CAD/CAM Services
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I had to laugh at “The Meaning of ‘M’”. It’s disgusting to me how they continue to peddle their globalist agendas, acting like it’s of benefit to all of us!
This ‘M’ reads like it’s something new. But it isn’t. What it amounts to is an attempt by arrogant dreamers to remove humans from the equation of working for a living. Didn’t we see that in “The Terminator”? At least they made their point in that show!
The fact is, back ‘in the olden days’, 2D drawings had more info on them than PLM systems do today, because they were concise and descriptive in a way that nothing can rise above today. The intel was fully embedded into the human consciousness of the persons who created those ‘things’.
The reason we don’t see that in 2D drawings today is because most of that intel has been omitted from drawings for the sake of speed to market. To achieve the same level of creative result in ‘new and improved’ automated electronic systems, you first have to account for all the data that goes into that result.
To digitize it (into electrons, whether graphic or verbal), you have to break it apart into its constituent parts and pieces. But by the time you do that, the expansive amount of data (that you must manage properly to even know the job, let alone get the job done) is beyond human management in electronic systems. It all becomes way too complex and unmanageable. It’s the opposite of KISS [keep it simple, stupid]! - Chris Cadman
Notable Quotable
“Whenever you think your life and work is meaningless, just remember that a whole team of people dedicated years of their life to Autodesk Quantum.” - Nihilist Autodesk (@AuNihilist on Twitter)
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine:
Paul Burgener
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Issue #1082 | The Business of CAD | 8 February 2021
I listened in as John MacKrell, chairman of CIMdata PLM, talked about the ‘M’ in MBx, short for model-based anything. Here are the notes I took, and so of necessity they are a paraphrase of what Mr MacKrell said. To listen to the complete seminar, go to attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5581930675472864258 (requires registration).
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As products become more complex, MCAD becomes a smaller part of the design process. In today’s automobiles, more is done electrically than mechanically: actions like adjusting the heating system and changing gears are all embodied by software. By changing the software, we change the characteristics of the car.
MBx is short for “model-based anything.” Model-based initiatives must cover form, fit, and function. Form is not just the shape of the product, but also how things operate together, such as the control system of the product.
Many people believe that a “model” has to be a 3D model. It doesn’t. It can be a software model, a financial model, an optical model, a heat transfer model, traffic flow model, and so on. The figure below shows how various kinds of models can be used together.
The various kinds of software models for design projects
Some or all of these are needed for complex models, such as manufacturing models, which answer the question, “How am I going to build this?”
Treating ‘M’ as a 3D CAD model limits the value of model-based strategies, because design occurs relatively late in the development cycle. See pink area in the figure below. You are creating a product that may or may not work. Modifying the CAD model may mean going as far back as changing things like system requirements.
The “V” model of product development
From CAx to MBx
Mr MacKrell says that 3D CAD cannot completely do the following functions:
Cannot define fit, form, and function completely
Cannot define the complete design of the product
And so he advocates the use of MBx through a PLM system, and not just the model from 3D CAD. He suggests five versions of MBx:
Model-based definition - using 3D models to define components and assemblies.
Model-based design – using mathematics to design complex controls, signal processing, and communications.
Model-based engineering – integrating models to create an authoritative definition for all disciplines.
Model based enterprise – applying engineering, manufacturing, and aftermarket services by reusing product data, instead of recreating models and drawings.
Model-based systemsengineering – using modeling to support system requirements, design, analysis, verification, and validation, from concept to end-of-life.
Thinking of M as just the 3D CAD model artificially limits the value of MBxs; expanding the definition can increase the value of a model-based strategy. For example, in vehicle design, the traffic flow model is not part of the 3D model, but the 3D model (of a car) needs the traffic flow model.
Lo-Fi For Hi-Fi
Even 2D hand-drawn paper drawings are a form of model; we just called them “drawings” or “designs.” These kinds of low-fidelity models are needed as surrogates for higher-level models, with each level of fidelity being used at the appropriate time by the appropriate groups. [Fidelity is known as “level of detail” in BIM.]
The low-fi drawing at left in the figure below shows the load, radius, torque, and other parameters of two gears. This is better than taking two high-fidelity gears out of an online catalog (shown on the right) and then doing the analysis on them. A digital thread connects the lo- and hi-fi models, so that as one changes the other changes, too.
Example of a low- and high fidelity models of gears
You cannot model the entire product at high fidelity. You make decisions on partial models and lower-fidelity models, such as when asking how many people fit inside an aircraft cabin or where to locate the center of gravity of ships. Each level of fidelity builds on previous levels throughout development and with its validation:
Low fidelity models allow exploration.
Higher levels are used for details and refinement, such as generative design, but at a much higher cost. Hi-fi does have the benefit of fewer errors in the final design.
The Complete Model
Product models need to be connected to business models that determine the need to comply with regulations, profit goals, and so on. The V-style model does not handle the physical side of the product, so Mr MacKrell says we need to shift from the V to the diamond.
In the figure below, we see a complete diamond model as defined by Boeing. (We can argue if Boeing is doing things correctly or not.) The two areas highlighted in light blue show the two software models that need to be built.
Complete design-to-physical model, as defined by Boeing
The digital twin mimics the operation of the product, and even looks ahead of the physical product in its operation; the digital thread communicates between the sections.
Nemetschek Group is so excited about its 2020 financial results that it's announcing them nearly two months early. In short, revenues were up 7% to €597 million, about US$720 million. More details to come March 23.
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PTC reported Q1 revenues of $429 million, up an even 20% from a year earlier, which excludes the revenue contribution from Arena PLM, whose acquisition closed too late to include in the Q1 numbers.
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I had interviewed ceo Paul Powers about his algorithm-based 3D-model search firm Physna (combination of physics and DNA) last year in issue #1075, and now the firm has landed $20 million in funding, adding the to the $9 million it began with.
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Here are some of the posts that appeared recently on my WorldCAD Access blog:
Great article. It took me into a journey to the past. I remember pretty well those pen plotters, the time they took to print, and how they loved to crash (pen or paper) just close to the end and forcing us to repeat the whole process.
Until the moment that the powerful HP designjet 650C (if not mistaken) appeared, nothing more was the same. - Ricardo Cruz (via WorldCAD Access)
The editor replies: Pen plotters were slow (20-30 minutes for a typical D-size plot), but their’s was the technology with the best price-performance of the times (1980s). Electrostatic plotters were faster and more reliable, but horrifically expensive.
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Memories of getting my AutoCAD hatch spacing vs pen thickness wrong (usually a factor of ten!) and coming to pick up my plot half an hour later only to find a soggy mess of a series of holes through the paper. - Ian McGregor (via WorldCAD Access)
Re: LiDAR Scanning
I read with great interest in your newsletter that you think the LiDAR [Light Detection And Ranging] camera is going away in future Apple phones. Do you have more color on this? - Tom Greaves
The editor corrects himself: I may have read a badly-sourced rumour, which may well have no substantiation. I was unable to find the source. I’ve updated the archive of upFront.eZine to reflect this.
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A friend was asking me about LiDAR technology to scan and create 3D CAD models. I told him there are many high-cost technologies out there for scanning, but I haven't been following the newest developments in some of the low-cost LIDAR chips being added to phones and other handheld devices. Do you know of any sources my friend can research in this regard?
Thanks and keep up the great work. - Todd Majeski
The editor replies: As it just so happens, I just received this press release from SketchFab last week talking about the subject, which should make a jumping off point for your friend:
“The LiDAR feature of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro (2020) is powering a new wave of mobile 3D scanning apps that are simple and quick to use. Scanning apps SiteScape and EveryPoint have just been updated with direct upload to Sketchfab. These apps join several others, like Polycam and Scandy, in making it easy for you to share your 3D snapshots with the world.”
Reading your current edition, having the top people on the line is quite an event. Do you have a hint how they are making out business-wise during the extended pandemic? Or is their business by its nature geared for the long-term, as this is not a retail business? - Name withheld by request
The editor replies: CAD software always does well. It sells well during good times, and it sells well during bad times. I have never seen a recession in the 35 years I’ve worked in this business.
Could you run Eudora [email software from 2006] in a virtual machine? For example, a computer is running Windows 10 64-bit, while Eudora is running in a 32-bit Windows 7 VM? Also, it might be worth trying a Windows 10 32-bit VM, especially an older vintage machine, as 32-bit Windows 10 seems to have better compatibility than 64-bit.
We have a machine we just made, special order, that has to run Windows 10 32-bit 1909 -- not the current 20H2 -- because it uses 20-year old hardware and software designs that don't work with 64 bits, and won't work with the latest 32-bit Windows 10.
On the other hand, I have to give Microsoft some credit: can you run 20-year old binary (not source) software on the latest Mac or Linux versions? - TonyT (via WorldCAD Access)
Notable Quotable
“We were spared [by the pandemic of] the spectacle of Davos Man (and Woman) jetting into the Swiss ski resort in private planes to flaunt not just their outsized carbon footprints and matching unnumbered Swiss bank accounts but their presumed moral superiority as they lecture the rest of us about how our selfish budget holidays and daily car commutes are destroying the planet.” - The Spectator Australia
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine. To support upFront.eZine through PayPal.me, then I suggest the following amounts:
Issue #1,081 | The Business of CAD | 1 February 2021
interview by Ralph Grabowski
ARES Commander began as a replacement to AutoCAD, and then found its greatest impact as OEM software (licensed and branded by other firms) by firms such as Dassault Systemes (“DraftSight”) and Corel Software (“CorelCAD”). Graebert GmbH found further success in selling into verticals, such as facilities mapping and kitchen design.
In 2019, the company announced its plan to move into the adjacent-BIM market. With the limitations of Revit well known, Graebert saw the opportunity to provide ARES with Revit/IFC viewing, data extraction, and linked drawing generation.
Following last December’s announcement of the upcoming ARES Commander 2022, I interviewed CEO Wilfried Graebert, CTO Robert Graebert, and marketing director Cedric Desbordes.
- - -
Ralph Grabowski: In 2019, you came out with a BIM roadmap for your ARES Commander CAD software. How closely are you following it?
CTO Robert Graebert: We set out a set of goals that year. We wanted to be able to bring BIM models inside our CAD program, be able to extract data from them to give you access to it, and then create drawings.
We couldn’t deliver all of that last year, because there was so much foundational stuff that we ended up doing. We are now filling in those [missing] things. What we are delivering this year is not the end of the picture, but an important milestone.
Marketing Director Cedric Desbordes: Last year, there already was the idea of extracting drawings. What we are showing this year is automating drawings -- the idea of automating [the production of] more and more drawings.
R Graebert: When we talk to users, a lot of them are frustrated with the drawing creation process in some [CAD] tools that are popular today. They are frustrated with the disconnect to the original BIM model. When you look at, for example, how you are supposed to collaborate between Revit and AutoCAD, it’s extremely broken.
We want to make that better, especially when you change the [BIM] model after you create the drawings. Every architect I talk to is frustrated with having to redo that work. Doing it twice kills them because of the time. They get paid for it, and they’ll do it; it’s just that it’s not creative, it’s not interesting work; it’s just dumb-work.
That is our first driver. And based on that, we say, “What more can we automate?” You would just do the one plan, and then we would help you create the other plans.
So there is a whole roadmap of capabilities we can still work on.
Grabowski: I am not familiar with CADian, the Korean distributor you landed as a customer. Am I correct that they are the largest CAD dealer in Korea?
Desbordes: Cadian has been very successful at establishing Korean brands, as Korean people are very proud of national brands.
Cadian was very successful over the last few decades, but more and more it was feeling the need for more than a general CAD package. Also, it faced increased pressure from Chinese [software] products in terms of performance.
It intends to continue with the IntelliCAD brand, but sees that the switch to ARES is necessary now. It felt it needed what we are doing with mobile and cloud. Korea is very strongly developing the Internet and is known for having the fastest Internet in the world. They are also very strong in mobile. It is a sweet spot for us.
The Korean market is booming for CAD alternatives. Cadian shared figures from 2019 that showed that something in the range of 60% of users were considering switching from AutoCAD in the next one or two years.
Wilfried Grabert: We have a similar history. Cadian started [like Graebert GmbH] very early as an AutoCAD distributor, and tried their luck after with an AutoCAD alternative. So we will have a good relationship moving forward.
Grabowski: In creating their OEM version, did Cadian rename ARES, and did they change more than just the language?
Desbordes: Actually, it is interesting that they want to use the brand ‘ARES’. So they are distributing ARES.
R Graebert: We are seeing this more and more. Five years ago, every OEM wanted their own brand [on the software]. We are getting more and more people who are okay with the ARES brand, they prefer to be associated with ARES. We don’t say it has to be ARES, but if brands want to do this, it definitely doesn’t hurt us.
Grabowski: It helps them, because otherwise they are just selling a new brand name that nobody knows.
W Graebert: The latest big one was the IIA, the Indian Institute of Architects. They insisted on their own name, it had to be an Indian product.
Desbordes: It is not exactly what we would call an OEM version. As a professional organization, the IIA has little expertise or willingness to enter the business of software distribution or development. Graebert India licenses the brand “IIACAD” from the IIA, and IIACAD is sold by Graebert India to the [20,000] IIA members, under specific terms negotiated by the IIA.
Grabowski: Did they make changes to the software?
Desbordes: Technically speaking, the product is ARES Commander desktop version for Windows and Mac, with the mobile and cloud versions sold as add-ons, if the members want that.
R Graebert: I think we saw it somewhat in the Revit letter that was posted last summer-- I think there are industry associations who kind of see their role now in advocacy around software vendors.
We are pretty happy that the IIA came to us, as I think it is an industry model. Why not do something for your members, use your collaborative buying power to work with a vendor like us to have a standardized [contract] term? There are specific terms that make sense for the IIA; for example, if an IIA member retires, he can pass the license on to his direct descendent.
Desbordes: There was a strong frustration by Indian architects of the behavior of Autodesk. You see this through the declarations by architects in other places in the world, even in Brazil. There seems to be a serious movement from architects and, I would presume, from other professional organizations.
R Graebert: You would think the market is saturated, but we are still finding new customers. When times are bad, the first thing a government will do is invest in infrastructure, or they will do an R&D [research and development] spend [that requires software purchases]. And so CAD benefits in a boom and in a bust.
There still is a question what happens this year, if 30 or 40 percent of architects lose their jobs.
Grabowski: You would say you are strong in Korea, India, Japan; where else?
R Graebert: In the last 12 months we really built out our team for the German-speaking market. It always takes two to three years to really get to the big accounts, but we are quite happy with the results we are already seeing. It is our home market, and we need to have a presence here.
Desbordes: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong have also always been very strong for us.
W Graebert: And we have a growing number of OEMs [who resell ARES software under their own brand names], who are acting worldwide. This is still the majority of our revenue.
Desbordes: We see quite a shift in new users coming to us. They are interested in solutions that involve cloud and mobile. For instance, through Onshape [which embeds Graebert's Kudo cloud-based DWG editor], they see that ARES is a good fit. We see quite a number of Bricsys resellers coming to us, recently.
W Graebert: What Cedric said about Bricsys resellers: They show up, we don’t look for them. They are showing up, I think, because Bricsys is changing its business model, and it looks like some resellers are not happy with that strategy.
Grabowski: It is always uncertain what the future holds with a new owner.
Desbordes: They are selling more and more direct to large customers. They say to old resellers, “You’ve been developing a market for 20 years, and now we will sell direct to them.”
R Graebert: Which, as we know, is never the favorite tactic for a reseller. If we were to be realistic, today our major sales are still through OEMs and our subsidiaries.
Grabowski: Do you want to talk about how well your Mac and Linux sales are doing?
R Graebert: It is hard for us to tell, because we don’t sell individually [by operating system] -- we don’t sell an individual Mac or Linux seat. [A single license works for all three operating systems.] We have partners, like Corel, who sell on the Mac app store, but we don’t sell on Apple’s app store at this point.
We saw good usage after some CAD vendors dropped Linux support last year. Mac is pretty steady for us.
Desbordes: Adding BIM functions to the Mac version makes sense, because there are quite a number in the architectural field who use Macs. One thing people like about ARES is that they can mix and match, so we have users that might have Mac and Windows computers, and our license allows you to use whichever platform you want.
R Graebert: I just got the M1-powered MacBook, and ARES ran on it flawlessly. For us, to build our software for ARM [CPUs] is trivial, because we already have that for the mobile versions [which run on ARM CPUs], so there is no downside to us doing it.
I asked our programmers to look into switching all of our cloud apps to run on ARM servers, because they are typically 20-30% cheaper. If the savings is big enough, then we might as well rebuild them.
Grabowski: Do you mean running ARM servers for Kudo and the cloud functions in ARES?
R Graebert: Kudo has multiple services running to make it work: we have services to make thumbnails, data management, load balancing--. We would look at whether an ARM configuration is more economical. We are just taking a look right now.
Everything talks through REST [representational state transfer] APIs, and so it is really easy for us to replace one piece with another; we don't have those hard binary dependencies any more.
The 2021x release of CATIA from Dassault Systemes adds the Multidiscipline Automated Drafter, for interactive drafting and batched rule-based automatic generation of drawings specific to marine & offshore, energy & materials, and construction industries.
The campaign image for Catia 2021x
In generative design, the new Catia offers Generative Functional Tolerancing that automates accurate geometric tolerancing schema. The new Flow Driven Generative Designer allows non-fluid analysis specialists [always a scary thought] to generate optimal duct shapes based on functional specifications. The new Lattice Designer does both conceptual and detailed designs of complex lattice structures.
The LiDAR [Light Detection And Ranging ] camera on iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro (2020) is finding use as mobile 3D scanners, although my understanding is that it will be removed by Apple in future phones. [Update: this prediction was based on a badly-sourced claim.] In the meantime, SiteScape and EveryPoint are iOS scanning apps updated to do direct uploads to Sketchfab.
I thought you’d want to know that I just found out that Dave Weisberg passed away last month. He was 83. Don’t know if you know him, but Jack Ring also passed away in April. - Name withheld by request
His history on the early years of CAD, "The Engineering Design Revolution: The People, Companies and Computer Systems That Changed Forever the Practice of Engineering," can be read free at cadhistory.net.
Re: Varjo's Third-Gen VR/AR Goggles
Every time I tried to play a video game or use VR [virtual reality], I got such a headache that I can't do it. What's up with that, do you think? - Chris Cadman
The editor replies: It’s due to all of the issues I listed at the start of the article. Movement involving the eyes is a tricky problem to solve, and game-based VR just isn't up to snuff. Neither were early ones, like the first Oculus. I don't know if high-end VR goggles are any better, as I have not had the opportunity to try a set.
Mr Cadman responds: Interesting! So basically, these VR hackers are screwing up everybody’s brains.
- - -
Do you use VR headsets just for evaluating products or also for your entertainment? I picked through your article, but it's beyond me. Good to see you slugging away. Never give up. - Name withheld by request
The editor replies: No, I do not use them, as there is no reason to. When I tried VR headsets at trade shows, I found them irritating.
Re: Dynamic Blocks
You may want to tell Jack Foster to have a look at the great Lee Mac’s dynamic block property functions here: lee-mac.com/dynamicblockfunctions.html, such as get/set dynamic block property values, toggle flip states, and get/set dynamic block visibility states.
If Jack needs some example code, I can send him a block and a program to help him get his feet wet. My code is nowhere as polished as Lee’s is but it is much easier to follow. - Ron Powell
The editor replies: I’ve forwarded your email to Mr Foster. Thank you for the lead!
Notable Quotable
“Apparently, market manipulation is only legal when rich people do it.” - Robert Reich
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine. To support upFront.eZine through PayPal.me, then I suggest the following amounts:
Issue # 1080 | The Business of CAD | 25 January 2021
by Ralph Grabowski
IFC file opened in ARES Commander 2022 beta
For its new ARES Commander 2022 software, Graebert GmbH held/will hold two events: a 30-minute overview took place in early December, and then a detailed event will come in April.
In his keynote, founder Wilfried Graebert noted that his company has been around for 40 years, is not owned by investors, and that people can talk directly with him (as CEO) and Robert Graebert (as CTO). As he is an entrepreneur, he invests his company’s profits in R&D [research and development], and last year hired 30% more employees. “We create value for our customers, not for the stock exchange!” he exclaimed.
Graebert skipped a version number in ARES, calling the next release of its desktop CAD software “ARES Commander 2022.” Here’s what is new:
Better BIM
After establishing its independently-developed DWG editor (named “Commander”), Graebert next staked its future on mobile CAD software (called “Touch”), followed by its browser-based CAD system (named “Kudo”). Then last year, the company went on a new vector: functions that work adjacent to BIM [building information modeling] programs and the “oceans of information” that BIM generates.
Graebert sees that much BIM work is also done in DWG — 3D modeling in BIM, 2D drawings in DWG. Drawings are useful in organizing the complexity of BIM models, and for focusing on the details that are needed to carry out building projects — never mind the legal weight that signed drawings carry.
But, says marketing director Cedric Desbordes, the BIM-DWG workflow is broken. So the company’s mission is to make ARES Commander the best at creating DWG drawings from BIM projects, Graebert is targeting these areas:
Access all data (not just geometry) in Revit and IFC files, formats old and new
Generate plans, sections, elevations, and layouts quickly with high levels of detail
Automate tedious tasks by storing BIM data in DWG files
Minimize the effort needed to update drawings when BIM models are modified
The demo BIM file we saw was a 3D model created with Catia, Rhino, and Grasshopper, exported to a 41MB IFC file, and then read into ARES Commander. “Because,” said Robert Graebert, “this is what open BIM is about. Of course, we could have used a Revit file just as well.” The point is to significantly reduce the effort to make drawings, as customer SLIK Architecten of Switzerland put it.
Robert Graebert with BIM drawing in ARES Commander 2022 (all images source Graebert)
One automation task we saw tagged all doors in a floor plan. Using the link back to the original BIM file, annotations were updated automatically as the model changed. The IFC import speed is apparently 10x faster this year than last.
Improvements to ARES 2022
Here is a summary of some of the new functions due to be released with ARES 2022. For fuller details, consult the PDF at https://www.graebert.com/whatsnew.
Revision Control. The new version history panel in ARES Commander and Kudo uses compare to highlight differences between revisions of the same drawing and eventually revert them back. Version history requires the files to be in a cloud storage. There still is the Drawing Compare panel for comparing different drawings or local files.
Feature Parity. With 2022, everything on Windows will be also available on Mac (both Intel and ARM CPU with a single install) and Linux; Autodesk does not offer all three. This includes sheet sets, BIM functions, and PDF-DWG conversion, but not ones specific to Windows, such as OLE.
Changes in Collaboration
Commenting. The Comments palette previously required a cloud account; in 2020, it operates locally (offline). Voice notes added to drawings, like on a smartphone, are transcribed to text with AWS. The BCF [BIM collaboration format] format will be supported. https://technical.buildingsmart.org/standards/bcf.
WFH. ARES offers people working remotely drawing synchronization (instant sharing of changes to drawings), session handling (locking of files being edited), and collaboration. The three ensure that outdated files cannot be accessed.
Cloud Services. Graebert already supports more cloud services than any other CAD vendor, including WebDAV, which allows you to connect to any not supported directly. (I use WebDAV to connect to pCloud.) In December, Graebert added Hancom Space and support for Microsoft Sharepoint is being released this month, totaling 12 services.
Cloud services supported by ARES
The company announced their own ARES Kudo Drive (based on AWS S3) that will allow you to experiment with cloud access, even if you do not have an account with another one (Kudo subscription or trial account required).
For larger-scale Enterprise customers the company now allows also its browser-based CAD program Kudo to run on local servers (private cloud).
CTO Robert Graebert said that users of CAD programs like AutoCAD have to download DWG files for editing, and then upload them. “With ARES, each user can access and modify drawings in synch with [for example] Trimble Connect, while managing access to avoid conflicting updates.”
Trimble Connect in the ARES workflow
About APIs
All functions in ARES Commander are available to third-party developers, including the BIM ones. Robert Graebert hinted at expanded vertical functions in mechanical and electrical. To help customers move their applications from AutoCAD to ARES, the FxARX API allows them to port C++, LISP, and .Net code with no modification.
The APIs for mobile Touch and Web Kudo are being expanded. Two customers in Japan run Touch on four thousand iPads, each. PTC's Onshape continues using Kudo as built-in viewer and editor for DWG files stored on Onshape. "For instance," said Robert Graebert, "a company transitioning from Autodesk to Onshape could use Onshape for product design and ARES Commander as a replacement for AutoCAD."
Q&A
Q: You support Revit files directly. Will you be supporting other BIM systems directly, like Vectorworks and ArchiCAD?
A: IFC is a good intermediate format, although there is a difference in quality in what BIM systems output. We will look at other formats that make sense and are accessible.
Q: Is BIM drawing data saved in the DWG file, or does it stay in the IFC/Revit file?
A: When we import BIM files, all the information, properties, and geometry is copied to our DWG file. We don't need to maintain a connection with IFC or Revit files, as we have all the information. We maintain a link, so if you reload the model, then the data in the DWG is updated.
Q: In your new version history function, how many versions do you go back?
A: Versions are stored on the cloud, and so it depends on the cloud provider you are connected to. The common rule is 30 days or 100 versions in, say, Google Drive.
Q: Can you tell us more about the collaboration with CADian in Korea?
A: We started to work with them a year ago. They were selling a competitive product [based on IntelliCAD], but wanted capabilities in the direction of cloud and mobile.
Q: Are only subscriptions available from you?
A: Permanent licenses are available (both standalone and network) and you can keep using them without renewing the subscription, but you need a subscription to access some online services, like the Kudo Web-based DWG editor.
== Converting 3D CAD & DCC to Virtual/ Augmented Reality ==
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PolyTrans provides you with
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Perfected over three decades, we know 3D data translation intimately, providing you with highly personalized solutions, education, and communication. Contact CTO Robert Lansdale at lansd@okino.com.
Congrats on your 30th! Thanx again for another interesting read!
I just did some Rhino work last week and forgot how much fun surface modeling is! I did that surfacing so it can be converted to a parametric solids model. You can’t beat Rhino for the price. They even incorporated quad-meshing in R7, per my (and others’) suggestions. Can’t beat that, can ya?
It’s amazing how SLOW the industry has been to incorporate both types of modeling into their software (except the very high-end kinds like Catia). I’ll probably be a distant memory in the mind of mankind by the time these corporate ctypes get around to eeking out that kind of software.
- Chris Cadman
The editor replies: There could be issues in stepping on the toes of patents, or some difficulty in implementing new tech inside of old software.
Mr Cadman responds: But with all the tech these days, one would think someone could invent a new version of the same thing without breaching those boundaries.
- - -
Keep up the great work Ralph! - Scott Shuppert Cad / Cam Services
- - -
Firstly, congratulations on your 30th anniversary as a freelance technical writer.
I note your interview with Paul Cotton, and his suggestion that he’d wish someone would get a good BIM [building information modeling] alternative to Revit, as he detests it and Autodesk. It’s quite an odd statement in my eyes, given there are quite a few reasonable products on the market since Revit was purchased by Autodesk many years ago.
The bigger players, such as Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, and AllPlan, get a lot of air time indeed; however, smaller companies put up a reasonable challenge, these being ArchLine-XP, BricsCAD, and Edificius to name a few. There’s quite a comprehensive list of CAD products and video links on the novedge.com Web site to explore in that regard. Some free CAD BIM program are on this website: all3dp.com/1/best-3d-architecture-software.
Perhaps more air time and reviews by people such as you, Ralph, would assist people’s mindset better for these smaller companies for consideration? - Clayton Taylor Trotman Taylor Architectural Consultants, England
The editor replies: I have not heard of Edificius before, so thank you for the head's-up. I have given ArchiLine-XP some coverage and BricsCAD a lot in upFront.eZine and WorldCAD Access!
Mr Taylor responds: I think it’s fair to say my initial email was really from a micro business perspective, such as me, a self-employed architectural consultant residing in the UK. My main bread and butter work revolves around the domestic market, from everyday home extensions/alteration works to new-build one-off design dwellings. I don’t need to do much collaboration with other professionals as far as a CAD-BIM based product is understood, but I do get involved with structural engineers and land surveyors for my projects.
That said, for many years I’ve been quite satisfied with a good quick-to-use 2D CAD product (DataCAD) with SketchUp Pro working alongside. Although DataCAD has a 3D side to it, SketchUp Pro is quicker to use and quite addictive. The recent changes at SketchUp HQ [Trimble] has meant my perpetual classic license will cease soon and be subscription-only.
As I’m not too keen on this direction, I decided to review the market and purchased ArchLine-XP Pro with a view to replace DataCAD and SketchUp Pro. The transition will take time, but I think it will be worth it in the end, as ArchLine-XP Pro is quite a deep product with many 3D/2D tools. The light version is also very comprehensive and very competitively priced for architectural users.
I’d like to also have a basic 3D CAD program similar to SketchUp, as I think it’s good to have something simple-to-use as well. I recently downloaded BricsCAD Shape, as it seemed to me quite feature-rich with more parametric architectural tools than SketchUp Pro, and being free, it’s worth exploring to see how it works in comparison.
I would pay for BricsCAD Shape if it had a good drawing sheet presentation module, such as in SketchUp Pro Layout. This, I feel, is the missing piece of the jigsaw, so to speak. The little research I did on BricsCAD Shape was a surprise, in that the uptake by architectural users was quite low. I’m not too sure why, but if one can’t present one’s work or extract 2D plans from a 3D model to drawing sheets, I guess many may not even take it for a test drive.
I was seriously considering Edificius many years ago, as it is very similar in use to ArchLine-XP and perhaps more advanced, but unfortunately their pricing module changed to subscription-only, which doesn’t sit well with me.
The lower end of the market is very interesting, as well, if BIM CAD isn’t required. After all, a good parametric 3D CAD program where you can extract 2D plans from your model is equally important. I note some below with Youtube links for your interest.
The editor replies: Bricsys intends that free Shape feed its models into its paid line of BricsCAD software, which are available with pay-once, permanent license fees.
Notable Quotable
"Software you don’t own in your infrastructure is a risk." - Amazon vp for global infrastructure leadership Peter DeSantis
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine. To support upFront.eZine through PayPal.me, then I suggest the following amounts:
Issue #1078 | The Business of CAD | 18 January 2021
by Ralph Grabowski
Even as interest in virtual reality continues to not enthuse consumers, companies invested in the technology continue to release updates. I get the feeling that sales are just high enough for some firms, like Facebook and Sony, to continue updating their devices. There is, as well, a desire to perhaps keep a toe in the water, should VR ever catch on in a big way.
To simulate reality inside a virtual reality headset, the headset has to mimic what our brain expects from our senses. Here is some of what vision entails:
stereo vision for depth perception
high resolution images for clarity
wide field of view (FOV) of 124 degrees
foveated field of view of 10 to 60 degrees
accurate color (with age most eyes have poor color accuracy)
stereo sound to assist in identifying and locating items
packaged in a product as unobtrusive as contact lenses
Most VR headsets have two fields of view: a smaller UHR [ultra high resolution] area that mimics the areas on which eyes concentrate our vision. This is called the foveate area. Then surrounding it is a a second, larger area displayed at lower resolution that's equivalent to our peripheral vision. (For a really useful tutorial on acronyms and terms used in virtual reality optics, see smartglasseshub.com/vr-headset-display-comparison/.)
VR3 and XR3 Specs
In November, Varjo called up the tech media to introduce its third generation headsets with higher specs and lower prices. The new VR3 and XR3 have "twice the performance for half the price" is how they put it. (There was no XR2.)
The VR headset is for seeing virtual reality scenes, such as of 3D CAD models, while the XR3 is for augmented reality: it overlays 3D models on top of a real-time image of the real world displayed inside the head set through a set of cameras mounted at the front of the goggles. See figure below.
XR3 with AR cameras and sensors at left, VR3 at right (all images source Varjo)
(The industry has, in recent times, replaced the acronym "AR" [augmented reality] with "XR," short for "mixed reality.")
At launch two years ago, Varjo used the marketing slogan of "human-eye resolution" to introduce the superiority of its goggles, and showed comparison shots of its better resolution against that of a popular brand of VR goggle. Its new models offer 2.3x higher foveate resolution, making the old slogan problematic.
Let us press on. The foveate resolution in the old VR1 and VR2 models was 1612x992 pixels covering an area of 26x16 degrees. For the new third generation headsets, Varjo increased the foveate resolution to 1920 pixels square over 27 degrees. See the figure below.
A 155-degree field of view with 27-degree foveate region
Outside the foveate area, the resolution is 2880 pixels wide, with a field of view of 115 degrees, double from the 1440 pixels and 87 degrees in the original model. For natural eyesight, the field of view is 124 degrees horizontally; our eyes’ resolution is difficult to measure as it does not work with pixels.
VR manufactures speak of “Pixels per degree” [PPD], instead of resolution, as we tend to do. PPD = horizontal pixel count / horizontal field of view angle. In the case of the new VR-3 model, PPD ranges from the highest of 35+ at the lens' center to a lower 30 at the edges. See figure below.
A camera inside the headset tracks your eye movement 200 times a second to keep the foveate area centered on your gaze. The headsets also support Steam Index tracking as it is a standard in the industry.
The big change to the XR3 headset is LIDAR distance measuring, a first for the industry, says Varja. See figure below. LIDAR lasers have been popularized by self-driving cars, measuring the distance, which is recorded as a colorized array of dots in 3D space. LIDAR is used in the XR3 headset to determine occlusion -- in which real-world objects in the foreground partially (or fully) cover up VR objects -- up to 5m (16 ft) away.
View of LIDAR distance measurements in XR3
The Varjo Business Plan
Varjo wants to "democratize this technology so that immersive computing can be used by design firms." One part of the tactic is to have the highest-quality imaging; the other is to bring the price down from iMac levels to PC levels. The VR-1 began life at an even $6,000 plus $1,000/yr mandatory subscription; the first XR-1 was $10,000. Here is this year's price list, which use the same numbers in US$ and Euros:
VR-3 = 3,195 plus the 795 subscription
XR-3 = 5,495 plus mandatory 1,495/yr subscription
I don't know where the first models were manufactured, but the third-gen ones are made in China. Here are other tactics Varjo applied to make products more acceptable over competitors:
Single-dot eye tracking calibration: look at a dot, calibration is complete. For more accurate calibration, look at five dots.
Naturalness come not just from res and field of view, but also range of colors, so now 99% of sRGB. "We are the only ones doing this." Headsets like Valve Index are useless for designing and flight simulator training.
Headsets have a three-point fit and are 40% lighter than the heavier XR1, as users wear them for hours at a time. See figure below.
Headset with harness
The new design allows users to wear any kind of headphone.
When coronavirus arrived, the headsets were redesigned with new materials so that they can be cleaned with alcohol wipes and UV [ultraviolet] light.
These are, however, not stand-alone units. The back of the headset plugs into a cable that plugs into a computer. The computers recommended by Varjo run i7 or i9 CPUs, 32-64GB RAM, and a nVidia RTX graphics boards (2080Ti and up). I priced the cheapest computer recommended by Varjo at $2,700.
The computer needs to run Varjo Base (free), software that controls and communicates with the headset, and SteamVR (free) for tracking, along with at least two Steam tracking base stations ($185 each) in the room. The start-up bill seems to be around $7000 for VR3 and $10,000 for XR3. See https://varjo.com/use-center/getting-started/system-requirements/ for details.
Varjo now has regional dealers in several countries, whose job is to collect for you all the needed gear. For instance, some workstation components recommended by Varjo are no longer available from Lenovo, and so substitutions are made by someone who knows which substitutions are acceptable.
Who Uses Varjo
The Varjo Web site suggests their headsets are suitable for training, simulation, design, research, and medicine. But where are they really used?
The folks at Varjo got an early break while working with Autodesk. The CAD vendor recommended that Varjo work with automotive designers, as they are the most demanding ones on the planet, typically using Catia for designing cars, Teamcenter for collaborating on the designs, and V-Red software for viewing them.
Designers at Kia and Volvo use the headsets to collaborate on the design of the car, down to the stitching on leather seats, with accurate colors. Volvo does more virtual designing today by driving on virtual roads with a digital interior. Kia has a design office in Frankfurt, and an in-person design review took four days, traveling back and forth from the head office in Korea; now the design review takes a half-day.
The largest installation at a customer is "hundreds of units."
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
Virtual reality has been technically feasible for 25 years, yet in the consumer space suffers the same fate as 3D TV and Linux. During the heyday of 3D TV hype, I predicted it would not catch on due to the lack of a compelling reason to wear those special glasses: 3D doesn’t tell a better story than 2D; regular eyeglasses are a personal expression, which the 3D ones do not respect; and mandatory glasses isolate people socially from one another. Headsets put VR in a worse dilemma, as the bulky goggles isolate viewers even more.
There is no mass market for virtual/mixed reality. Google, for instance, last month killed off Poly, its online 3D modeler for VR worlds. Its VR/AR API no longer works in Android 11. As Techcrunch put it, "Google is almost running out of AR/VR projects to kill off."
That leaves the commercial world that Varjo inhabits. The company reveals it has had hundreds of customer companies (not just headsets sold) — this in a world where the global workforce is around three billion. But if you are going to get VR goggles, get ones with high-resolution, and that's what Varjo offers.
Despite hurrahs from techno-optimists, it must be realized that VR and XR are useful primarily in specialized situations, kind of like torque wrenches in automotive repair. Useful in their place, but not at all used all the time.
Remograph releases Remo 3D v2.10 for Windows and Linux controls model scene graphs so that you can modify degree-of-freedom nodes, level-of-detail nodes, switch nodes, and so on. See figure below. This release adds more keyboard shortcuts, better macros, and relative xref paths. Try out the demo version from remograph.com/download.php
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Siemens updates Parasolid to v33, emphasizing enhancements to convergent modeling, its term for mixed modeling, where we can work on facets (meshes) and solids (b-reps) at the same time. This is the current holy grail for kernels. Version 33 adds intersections, fillets, and chamfers, and improves on direct editing, rendering, and repairing mixed models. blogs.sw.siemens.com/plm-components/parasolid-v33-0-release-highlights/
Siemens terms the kernel "open," as it is available for licensing to competitors. So I asked them about the term, as competitors cannot access the synchronous technology part of Parasolid. I was told that ST was built on top of Parasolid and so is not part of it.
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Here are some of the posts that appeared recently on my WorldCAD Access blog:
Just adding to your Generic CADD6.2.2 stuff. I originally bought [Generic CADD-based] LogiCADD 5 with a Logitech mouse. Registered it, upgraded to Generic 5, Generic 6, Generic 6.22, AutoCAD LT.
Never really learned AutoCAD. Too much to remember and not as easy as Generic. Took a class in AutoCAD. Still not interested.
It is now Aug. 2020, I am retired, and in my own little machine shop in my garage, I still use Generic CADD. I don't bother printing, just use a Dell C600 Laptop and keep it beside the lathe/mill. Always looking for drivers so I can use on PCIe video cards, but no luck so far. At my age, my short term memory is not too good, so Generic Till I Die.
- James (via WorldCAD Access)
Re: Programming Dynamic Blocks
I just read that you have a book on dynamic blocks for AutoCAD. I have done a lot of them and it is pretty cool what you can do with them. I am now 78 and AutoCAD is like a hobby? (Sigh) Can I buy the book in paper or PDF format? I do not want a Kindle e-reader at all. Thank you very much.
- Jack Foster
The editor replies: You are in luck. I only sell PDF versions of my ebooks! Here is the link for making the purchase (scroll down halfway through the Web page): worldcadaccess.com/ebooksonline/2015/07/tdb.html
I find it fascinating that you create dynamic blocks as a hobby. It would be a great way to keep the brain working.
Mr Foster responds: I have a friend of sorts who is an architect and he places panels on the sides of building with lots of screw holes and sizes. I started to work part-time for him a few years ago and when I saw he was simply drawing rectangles and adding them up I was blown away. I proceeded to tell him about using blocks etc.
Now he has blocks with the holes in them that he can move as required. He can change the length and height of the panels, and with some of them the holes autocenter. When ready to detail each block, he changes the visibility state to show dimensions and he is done.
I also wrote some programs that get the length and height of the panels and then places the values on a layer that is the combined values. From there another program walks through the layer table and changes the layers to P-01; P-02 etc. which is better than manually doing so.
[Some time later...]
Mr Foster continues: I have looked at your book on dynamic blocks and there is a ton of information in there. The one I need to go back and look at is the one that combines X & Y. In the past I have had zero luck making that work like I think it should.
Regardless of that I have an AutoLISP programming problem in getting data out of a dynamic block. On page 56 you show the “distance” for a linear parameter that shows in the Properties palette. I need to be able to get that value and assign it to a variable in AutoLISP. Do you have a book that would show me how to do something like this?
I have written hundreds of programs and I am still terrible. If not, thank you just the same and do not waste your time replying. I appreciate all of the help you have given over the years. One of these days I am actually going to retire and stop the fun aggravation.
Mr Foster responds: thanks a whole bunch for taking the time to search for me. I looked at that program last night and it works for attributes but not for parameters. I am still digging and I have found a vla-getdynamicblockproperties function that I am going to search for and investigate. When I searched for that, I found several places online that I had previously visited with no luck.
I really do need to retire but my only hobby is AutoCAD, so I am kind of out of luck there.
Thanks again for trying and your weekly newsletter which I really do read every week. I have passed it on to several people suggesting they sign-up and make the small donation as it is worth it, especially if you are actively employed and making money.
Notable Quotable
“I'm pretty good at that. At least my Linked-in bio says that.”
- Byron (@KeyOrgSys on Twitter)
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine. To support upFront.eZine through PayPal.me, then I suggest the following amounts:
This week marks the 30th anniversary of me leaving my post as senior editor at CADalyst magazine (the very first publication for CAD users) to strike out in 1991 on my own as a freelance technical writer.
It seems to have worked out. Thank you to all who over the years supported and encouraged me!
…were they asking him to sacrifice his culture, his unique Canadian identity, for mere financial rewards in the glittering towers of a foreign publishing company? …’I could live with that,’ thought Ralph! (cartoon credit: Dennis Pritchard)
We start of the new year with two CAD guys talking about which kinds of 3D design software lets us get 2D plans from 3D models. Paul Cotton is a software engineer from England who sometimes wishes he were a CAD draughtsman: “I like computational geometry and secretly wish all CAD was still done through coding.”
Ralph Grabowski is a ex-civil engineer from Canada who sometimes wishes he still were a manual drafter: “But I like writing better.”
Does nanoCAD wrap much of the C3D toolkit? I come from a Rhino background and I wanted to use it to replace AutoCAD completely, because my workflow starts in 3D with Rhino anyway. However, I don't think Rhino has a very good underlying 3D engine, because I want to take cross-sections of the 3D geometry to produce 2D elevations and cross-sections accurate enough for engineers to fabricate the metal substructure required for forms.
I researched further, found the C3D toolkit, and thought it would easily be powerful enough to import the geometry from Rhino so that I then could set to work on a detailed model. Of course it's very low level, but I'm a software engineer so I'm used to C++, but even so, that's not gonna be a quick job.
Anyway, up pops nanoCAD! I saw video where the Russian head developer said they swapped out the kernel for C3D and so everything looks very exciting indeed! Please enlighten me further.
Ralph Grabowski: The issue at play is that there are two types of 3D modeling, surface and solid.
Rhino is a surface modeler, making it suitable for fast, conceptual modeling in 3D. With it, you concentrate on how things look. So, it cannot do sections, because there is no "inside" to surface models.
(Within surface modeling, there are two approaches: the older one based on polyfaces, and a newer one based on meshes.)
nanoCAD is a solid modeler, which is why it can cut sections, handle constraints, determine physical properties, generate 2D drawings from 3D models, and so on. With solids, you concentrate on how things work, how they will be built, and so on.
(Within solid modeling, there also are two approaches: older history-based modeling, and a newer direct modeling.)
Typically, architects do their conceptual design in Rhino, then move the model to a solid modeler to do the detailed design, analyze the building structurally, and generate 2D plans.
Some CAD programs, like AutoCAD, handle both types of surface modeling and both kinds of solid modeling.
You are right: NanoSoft switched its solid modeling kernel and constraint system to the one from C3D Labs. So in nanoCAD Pro V20 you get:
The older polyface surface modeling, but not modern mesh (surface) modeling
History-based solid modeling
A start to direct modeling (not yet fully developed)
Whether nanoCAD does more kinds of 3D modeling depends on (i) the functions C3D Labs adds, and (ii) the functions Nanosoft chooses to expose. This is the same for any 3D CAD program, no matter which kernel it uses.
Solid 3D model in nanoCAD Pro 20
nanoCAD uses DWG as its file format, so it can read drawings and models from other DWG editors like AutoCAD, but things are a bit different when it comes to 3D models.
It might or might not read 3D models from other DWG systems, depending on which kernel they employ. In some cases, you might get only a "proxy," a visual representation of of the 3D model. (This can be the same for any DWG editor importing a 3D DWG file from another system.)
Best thing is to download the 30-day demo of nanoCAD Pro 20 to see if it does what you need. Now, it is a bit peculiar, in that it is very powerful in some areas that other CAD programs don't handle, and lacking in others. It depends on your needs; see if it is suitable for you. Certainly, the price is attractive.
Paul Cotton: I knew of the distinction between surface and solid modeling, hence I wanted to get geometries out of Rhino and into a solid modeler ASAP.
When it comes to history vs. direct I am far less clued-up. When you say history, I am guessing you mean parametric like Solidworks and I love that sort of thing. But direct is alien to me.
I downloaded nanoCAD but it doesn't seem to work. I raised a ticket with support and they responded, so I sent a screenshot. Heard nothing since. Will have to wait and see. It looks a bit 2D-centric for my tastes, even the 3D version, but again, I will have to see.
I like modeling in code. I hope direct modeling doesn't take that away altogether.
I wish someone would get a good BIM [building information modeling] alternative to Revit. I detest it, and Autodesk. But that's another story.
Ralph Grabowski: Direct editing is what it means: you directly interact with the 3D model. For instance, draw a circle on the face of a cube, pull the circle out to make a cylinder, or push it in to make a hole.
No one is going to make a replacement for Revit, such as the 30+ replacements that exist for AutoCAD; it’s just too complex. But there are BIM alternatives to Revit from Vectorworks, Bricsys, Graphisoft, and so on.
Paul Cotton: Oh I see, direct editing is push-pull and direct placement. I think the thing I'm interested in is called “geometric dimensioning and tolerances”.
I still don't entirely understand how a 3D surface modeled geometry gets to 2D engineering drawings without a solid modeler. I guess this is covered in the world of CAM [computer-aided modeling] instead of CAD.
Well maybe it isn't CAM, because that's more about machining, but either way, the leap from Rhino to a set of accurate 2D engineering drawings is still fuzzy. At least it is for the facade industry where I work and I know for a fact nothing like Solidworks is used there.
Ralph Grabowski: Tolerancing is available in 2D drawings as GD&T, although in my time as an engineer I never used it. In 3D, there also is PMI (product manufacturing information).
I think what you want is parametric modeling: here you use formulas to determine the size and positions of objects in drawings through 2D dimensional and geometric constraints. Some CAD programs, like nanoCAD Pro, even do 3D geometric constraints, although these tend to be used mainly for positioning parts to make assemblies.
But solids are preferred, as intelligent cross-sections can be generated in 2D from 3D solids, complete with hatching, interior details, and associativity — make a change to the 3D model, and the 2D plans update automatically.
Paul Cotton: In the end, nanoCAD didn't work on my PC, because I had the QT libraries installed. I contacted support and they were keen to help, but couldn't get their heads round the fact that it's OK for me to have QT on my PC if I want to.
And in Other News
Wikifactory is working with $4.5 million in funding to offer an online MCAD collaboration site that handles assemblies, real-time exploded views, and commenting. After opening in beta last year, the site hosts three thousand projects with 70 thousand members.
The "Wiki" half of the name means that you can invite people to help you work on designs, although it appears that at this point you can only view and comment on designs, not edit them. The "factory" half involves manufacturing the designs, although it is not clear to me whether that function is up and running yet. wikifactory.com
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In a first, Graphisoft releases a mid-release update to ArchiCAD 24 to add to its new emphasis on integrated design. With parent Nemetschek Group hosting so much disparate technology, the pieces are starting to be put together without the need for IFC translation; instead, data flows directly with other programs like Solibri issue tracking and MEP modeler.
Also in this release is new support for Revit 2021 and an improved IFC importer/exporter. The model compare function handles structural analysis, modified openings, and custom-defined tags. graphisoft.com/downloads/archicad/updates/archicad-24-update
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PTC paid a remarkable 14.3x multiple for Arena and its cloud-based PLM [project lifecycle management] software: $715 million for a company that made $50 million last year. (A normal multiple is 3x.) The overpriced acquisition came as the result of an optimistic survey indicating that PTC customers have “a 25% increase in readiness for SaaS PLM since the pandemic started.” schnitgercorp.com/2020/12/14/super-quick-ptc-to-acquire-arena-for-saas-plm/
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Here are some of the posts that appeared recently on my WorldCAD Access blog:
In upFront.eZine #1,076 you wrote, "I had found my number somewhere on the Internet." Hello, Ralph! News flash! Just because someone finds something on the Internet doesn't automatically mean that it’s true or accurate! <g> Be careful, stay healthy...
Duff Kurkand wrote in the Release 12 AutoCAD Customization Manual, "Don't overuse icons attempting to encode abstract concepts into cryptic symbols. It doesn't work; ask any archaeologist" (page 98).
When I met Duff (a founder of Autodesk, for those who don't know), he told me he had pretty much single-handedly written all the AutoCAD manuals through at least Release 10. Unlike Bill Fane, I like icons -- well, some of them -- especially when I create them myself so I know what they mean. But, I have found Mail Chimp to be a cryptic experience at best during the many times I've had to use it.
- Steve Wells
The editor replies: Mr Kurkand set the standard for technical publications, and I appreciate him for that. Disappointing, then, that Autodesk subsequently forced only icons on the status bar.
Notable Quotable
“Status is irrelevant. It’s the freedom to make the thing that matters.”
Issue # 1,077 | Merry Christmas! | 7 December 2020
Phoenix Integration hosted a seminar on digital threads with Ralf Hartmann (Airbus Defence and Space), David Long (Vitech Corporation), Douglas Orellana (ManTech), Bob Sherman (Procter and Gamble) and Philomena Zimmerman (United States Department of Defense).
Participants in the digital thread seminar
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Q: What does the term 'digital thread' mean?
A: Digital thread assumes a full digital representation of models and data for a set of activities. Then, it describes the interconnection of a set of multiple tasks in a sequence, which might go to the full lifecycle support -- from early needs analysis to operations.
A key characteristic factor of a digital thread is data continuity and traceability. In my opinion, a digital thread supports a particular domain, such as mechanical or electrical. For me, in a project, there is a multitude of digital threads travelling through this lifecycle.
A concept totally linked with the digital thread is the digital twin. The digital twin is the full representation of the system at each point in time all along the lifecycle. The development of the digital twin is driven over time by the many digital threads.
A: I have a few key differences. For me, the digital thread is that unbroken thread of traceability, reaching as far back as you can, going all the way through to operations and upgrades. In that area, I agree with the previous speaker: it is the data backbone through life.
Here is where I differ: the digital thread is across levels, through life, across disciplines. It is the singular thread that unifies the program through life [of the product.]
As the previous speaker said, it must be the live backbone of engineering. It's not that archival snapshot after the fact. It is the basis on which we think, we reason, we analyze, we engineer.
A: The cross-functional part is the powerful part, bridging the disciplines. It is largely human-driven today, but in the future it is not hard to image an increasing amount of discovering and leveraging digital threads being executed by computers. We should take care to think that way so that we don't limit it [use of digital threads].
A: This is the easiest hard question I've ever had! The important thing is the currency of the data, that it processes data as it is currently known about the system. That brings the question of, How do we keep thousands of engineers twiddling with the data? [The data] has to be current.
Regarding what two other speakers said, regarding singular versus multiple pulls, the analogy I've heard is that it is the difference between a thread in a tapestry, and the tapestry itself. Lord help us, maybe we need to introduce another term, like a digital tapestry.
We have found that it does not need to be complete to be an executable thread. We as engineers have to learn to deal with — maybe not with imperfection — but with incompleteness. Rather than saying the design is incomplete, saying it is a digital thread of the complete design as we know it today.
Q: What has changed in the last five to ten years to bring digital threads to the foreground?
A: There was a technological evolution in that time. In the past, we had a fantasy about what we wanted to do, but the hardware and software were limited. Today it is the other way around: we have more hardware and software capabilities than we are able to manage.
In recent years, we gained things like semantic data models, like data analytics. These make sense with digital twins and digital threads. Also recent is the maturing of systems engineering as key to interdisciplinary integration as a key enabler.
A: There is also change on the demand side, what we think the Art of the Possible is today, as opposed to five or ten years ago.
Everyone talks about system complexity, cycle time, about time to market. There is an external forcing function that is driving us out of the status quo, to leverage technology in a different way, if we want to stay relevant as an organization.
A: Standards that weren't there ten years ago are demanding the digital thread get up and running.
A: Model-based system engineering is pivotal, because it allows the abstraction to allow us to be cross-discipline. Ten years ago, if we thought of digital threads, we'd just be creating links between dissimilar things that are stored in CAD systems. That is what PLM has done today, virtual descriptions of physical things. It allows us to be agile and open, and not be under one supplier's roof.
A: I want to pull on the tread that was started on systems engineering. We can now separate the tools from the application, the tools in a specific area. We no longer think of mechanical engineering as engineering tools for things that work mechanically. [Systems engineering now] allows us to use the tools across disciplines. Without the push or pull of systems engineering, I don't think we would have got to where we are now.
Q: What is your most successful digital thread implementation?
A: It is in the area of multi-disciplinary design.
A: We don't see a lot of [completed] implementations, but it has a lot of success in on-going projects, of which I cannot pick one, because that would not be fair. I think more of how can we improve things across disciplines: what additional thing, data could I have connected to the digital thread?
A: We find it is much easier to teach systems engineering to subject-matter experts than the other way around.
A: We are looking at the virtualization of C5 systems, which has been looked at as a digital twin.
A: I can't name a favorite, because that would be naming a favorite. I see pockets of excellence; project success occurs when it is aligned with corporate direction.
We see many firms are doing the same thing as competitors. Often people don't talk about it, because they don't want competitors to learn how they do it. So, there is a lot of repetitive effort going on. Let's not treat it as "my secret sauce."
Q: What do you see as the reward?
A: There used to be an emotional debate over "Is it systems engineering, or engineering of systems?" 'Systems engineering' is its own silo; model-based systems engineering done incorrectly creates this new island of data that only serves the need of the system engineer.
‘Engineering of systems’ is what customers need. It is done with digital engineering, it’s a digital thread, and it’s gotta be connected.
A: The problem with 'digital engineering' is that the emphasis is on the digital part and all the value it brings, but success comes when everyone engineers. There is a way to break down the problem and then recompose the solution.
I didn’t embrace it because I thought it was brilliant; I embraced it because I was told what it was going to be called. We had some pretty big failures where we didn't draw connections between the big pieces. There was a buzz about 'model-based' and we connected that technique to the engineering system we had.
We embraced it, because were tired of losing the traceability, tired of not having the rigor. Digital doesn't solve problems; digital just shows you faster that you are failing.
A: The motivation was (1) the pull from the market and (2) the need to reduce time-to-market. There was no alternative if we wanted to meet the market's need.
A: It is really hard to do iterative and concurrent development. We are trying to do concurrent iterative development.
A: I saw it as great knowledge management.
Q: How do you motivate people to get onboard?
A: For me it is very simple: Point out to the non-believer that they are already doing it, just that it might look different to them. If you have ever built an Excel spreadsheet, congratulations! You are a digital engineer -- you are placing information in an orderly manner where you can find it.
A: Lower the barrier-to-entry by framing things as 'evolutionary'. We as engineers like complexity, but that creates fear in people. Play to the benefits that they can see. We don't like other people's change, because it is our pain at their gain. It is making it personal, to shortening that step.
A: I ask, "What is the greatest pain point?" Fix that small problem to show the benefits.
A: We go for the toughest problem. We also go to standards: open standards mean users don't lose expertise in their vertical domain.
A: A chain is as strong as the weakest link, and we don't want to be that weakest link.
A: When you start to capture knowledge from an expert in a model, you can share the knowledge across the enterprise. Many people don't want to learn how to model; they are comfortable with other ways of doing things. So pair them with someone who does know how to model.
A: When people hear about digital threads, they get into the frame of silo-busting. I emphasize that silo-busting is a very dangerous thing in organizations, because it becomes a threat. It threatens peoples' roles, peoples' contributions, peoples' influence.
The critical piece of organizational change is instead to expose knowledge and make connections, instead of busting silos.
A: If done improperly, engineering change can still build silos. There is no knowledge sharing going on beyond that.
Open Design Alliance is the first to release CAD-related software running on Apple’s new ARM-based CPU. All SDKs and APIs are M1-compatible. It says that “ODA has a significant user base on Mac, particularly in the area of architectural design.” opendesign.com/blog/2020/december/oda-releases-apple-silicon-support
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The MacOS and Linux versions of Grabert GmbH’s ARES Commander 2022 will have feature-parity with the Windows version, including all of the new BIM-realted functions. See figure below. As well, a universal build of ARES for MacOS will run on both Intel- and ARM-based computers. The 62-page What’s New document is here: graebert.com/whatsnew (PDF).
Two public beta versions of ARES Commander 2022 are available now; the software is due to ship before April.
IronCAD LLC releases IronCAD 2021 with new options for bulk view creation, direct feedback on face/edge lengths and areas, and automatic bend alignments on angled sheet metal stock. Plus this cool feature: right-drag IntelliShape handles to resize objects symmetrically. See figure below.
It looks like one of those things you guys always warned about is happening. Lots of Autodesk users can’t get license authorization this morning due to a problem with AW [Amazon Web Services, which hosts many cloud vendors]. I’m still able to work, but I suspect that after a reboot I might not be so fortunate. Happy Thanksgiving!
- Ron Powell
The editor replies: As far as I know, the license check takes place once every 30 days, so you might be good. But yah, relying on the Internet is not the approach to take. I recommend viewing Internet access as an adjacent service for businesses, and not one on which to rely. Have contingency plans in place for when the Internet fails, as well as when your office systems fail.
Further to your comments about the icons in MailChimp: I agree wholeheartedly!
I HATE ICONS! Especially when they "update" (read "redesign") them with each new release. I find that I spend an inordinate amount of time hovering over each icon in turn, waiting for its tooltip to appear so I can read the word, to see if its the one I want.
Traditional Chinese uses something like 450,000 icons, while the introduction of modern Chinese managed to cut it to about 4,500. Depending on who you ask, AutoCAD uses over 1,300, but European-based languages can say pretty much all you need to say in just 26 basic letters, 10 numbers, and a dozen or so punctuation marks.
One thing in this post [about how to buy a new laptop] struck me. Those that have forever been into CAD/CAM believed that what you called an add-on discrete graphics card is preferred or required. Years ago when we went to integrated graphics we tended to experience lots of problems, horrid video performance, errors, CAD/CAM applications graphically not working, and so on.
I understand the level of user ( light user versus medium user versus power-user) is important. For this discussion lets assume a light to medium user. Has the video development environment in recent CAD/CAM programs or has integrated video improved such that the need to go with an add-on discrete card has changed? We don't much anymore but it used to be all we heard about related to graphics was OpenGL.
- Dave Johnson
The editor replies: I have not tested nVidia and AMD boards recently. A number of years ago, I ran extensive benchmarks comparing an nVidia board with the built-in Intel graphics in my desktop computer. The results were shocking: the nVidia board was slower at nearly all CAD visual operations, such as wireframe and rendered display. The only area in which the nVidia was faster than the Intel was in hidden-line removal.
After this, I tried talking to nVidia folks about the results but they weren't particularly interested. But I did notice that their marketing used the catch phrase, "up to x faster."
I think nVidia boards are important for high-demand games and when CAD-linked software makes use of the GPUs on the board, such as for rendering and finite element analysis. But otherwise, it's marketing at work.
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I echo your sentiments that "low-priced ones just aren't worth it." When friends ask me what they should get for a laptop, my answer (though not in the detail you go into) is simply "the most you can afford."
My own experience over the last 20 years has borne that out. I have owned only two laptops in my life. The first was and IBM Thinkpad A21e; that would have been circa 2000 or so, before Lenovo acquired the PC division from IBM or not. That purchase lasted survived some 9 years through Windows 98 and XP, in useful service.
The A21e was replaced in December of 2008 with a Lenovo (yes, made in China, I know) Thinkpad W500. The W500 has served me well. A couple of years ago the discrete video card failed, but the unit continued to served my needs utilizing the integrated Intel graphics. It was only on just this COVID-Spring that the W500 ended its career. Although it had enjoyed an upgrade to Windows 7, it could not handle the leap to Win 10. So, that was 10 years!
I am not as involved in CAD work as I once was. But with this experience I would be reluctant to buy a consumer-grade laptop. I'm not in the market for another 10-year laptop, and still looking.
- Jim Longley
The editor replies: My dad happily uses an old, used, lease-return HP business-class laptop. I forgot in my article to mention lease-returns: they are cheap and well-built.
My experience with Lenovo was pretty bad. It displayed the Blue Screen of Death frequently, with the error messages pointing to a Windows problem, randomly. It was not until the warranty ended that I found the laptop had a BIOS-based RAM checker that found bad RAM. (The Windows-based RAM checker always told me the RAM was good.) The bad RAM probably explained the randomness of the BSOD messages.
Then came the litany of horror:
RAM was soldered in, so I could not replace it
Lenovo was not particularly interested in me with and out-of-warranty laptop
When I finally located a local authorized repair depot, they quoted the motherboard replacement at $1,500 (for a $1,300 laptop)
But then things looked up. I found a replacement motherboard on eBay for $300 and replaced it myself, and then a friend bought the Lenovo off me for $300.
I know mine is a rare story and that Lenovos are otherwise well-built. But after five years I still am not fond of seeing the Lenovo name.
Thank You, Readers
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Notable Quotable
“There is a longing for unity among all humans, for unity offers the promise of peace. The problem is that we want unity on our terms, and it is our rival programs that tear us apart.”
I admire Apple and PTC for making daring moves. In the case of Apple, it's switching its desktop CPUs from desktop-optimized Intel chips to smartphone-optimized ones defined by ARM. For PTC, it is in moving its CAD software 100% to the cloud. In both cases, I think they will stumble, yet I look forward to watching the progress.
During last month's conference call with financial analysts, PTC ceo Jim Heppelmann explained the company's roadmap when it comes to cloudCAD software.
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Jim Heppelmann: Let me kind of just paint the highest level picture. We think the industry is going to SaaS [software as a service]. And with Onshape we’re leading the charge. But we’d like to bring our customer base that’s on Creo [CAD] and Windchill [PLM] along for the ride.
So we’re saying, ‘What if we developed using the Atlas kernel, if you will, or architecture of Onshape--. What if we developed versions of Creo and Windchill that kind of acted a lot like Onshape in terms of being true multi-tenant, multi-user SaaS?’
But at the same time, we’re compatible, so that you could do a lift-and-shift of an on-premise deployment into the SaaS cloud?
Now that will take us a couple of years to build, to be frank, because if you’re talking about compatibility then you need pin-for-pin feature capability, right?
We’re not talking about building a new product with limited functionality. We’re really talking about full-on versions of Creo and Windchill so that you could lift [them out from] the production deployment, shift it into the SaaS cloud, and never miss a beat.
Why it’s interesting [to financial analysts] is because that lift-and-shift typically doubles the ARR [average recurring revenues, i.e. subscription income]. Because a subscription on-premise seat generally doubles in value when it becomes a subscription SaaS seat, because [the customer saves on the cost of] the servers, and the administration, and the upgrades, and lots of different things
So, I think you should model that [financially] in the back half of a five-year window, and well beyond, by the way. I think it’s something that would probably run for -- I don’t know -- it could be a decade. It will take us a while to get it going.
So I’m not counting on anything there in 2021, and probably not even anything in 2022. We've got a lot of work to do.
Design++ from Design Power combines engineering, configuration, change management, and geometry. A new link between Design++ and Tekla creates 3D building geometry in Tekla Structures: automatically-generated building models in Tekla are the result of Design++ driving Tekla. Users have access to other Tekla capabilities, such as 2D drawings and BOMs [bills of material] reports.
Epson adds 600dpi scanners to its line of large-format inkjet plotters, which will output scans to USB-attached drives, network folders, emails, as well as printing them.
The Epson SureColor C-size T3170M ($2,545; shown above) ships in January; the faster and larger D-size T5170M ($4,995) will ship more slowly in Q2 2021. Print out the details from epson.com/pro-imaging-large-format-printers.
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The ETIM [electrical technical information model]classification system is a neutral standard for product data in a manufacturer-independent, media-neutral format that supports levels of geometric detail (LOG). Cadenas is adding ETIM-defined electrical BIM libraries to its PARTcommunity portal as of March, 2021. Learn more about ETIM at etim-international.com/.
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M4 v4 from Cad-Schroer generates ISO piping isometrics from models made by PTC Creo Piping and PCF [piping component file] files automatically, fully-dimensioned with parts lists, cut-length lists, bend tables, and more.
After Coreform acquired exclusive commercial rights to Trelis from Sandia National Labs, it renamed it Coreform Cubit. The software pre-processes 3D models in advance of FEA [finite element analysis] and CFD [computational fluid dynamics]. Version 2020.2 adds spline-based elements, meshing collapse, parallel tetrahedral meshing with up to eight CPU cores, and more. Cubit Learn is free.
You wrote, “PTC CEO James Hepplemann noted that Onshape ... landed over 700 competitive displacements, the majority coming from SolidWorks. Dassault Systemes has 49,800 companies using Solidworks.”
There are nearly 450,000 companies globally using SolidWorks actually.
- Sam Scholes, senior account manager Go Engineer
The editor replies: Thanks for fixing the number. I had found my number somewhere on the Internet, as I wanted to put the 700-number into context.
Mr Scholes responds: You’re welcome. Losing 700 customers isn’t much in the context of 450,000 SolidWorks customers.
The editor replies: And who knows if they were displaced. It could be 700 trying it out.
Mr Scholes responds: I would suspect that is more common. People love new technology and I suspect many current SolidWorks customers have tried Onshape. But that doesn't necessarily mean they switched. When PTC acquired Onshape they had only 5,000 customers according to the press release. The adoption rate of Onshape is incredibly low.
Re: Bricsys Digital Summit 2020, Cont'd
I noticed you mentioned that Eric Keyser didnآ´t show up at Bricsys Summit. He is no longer CEO of Bricsys, since May of this year. Thank you for your newsletters, I am a regular reader of them.
- Ricardo Cruz
I read your upFront.eZine newsletter today and noticed you pointed out that Erik has not made any appearance. Erik resigned as CEO on May 8 this year. I thought you knew.
I was very surprised that a company of the size of Hexagon would not make any public announcement nor communication about the transition. Six months later, there is still no CEO replacing him, as far as I know.
- D. C.
The editor replies: Thank you for letting me know, as I had not heard that.
Re: Brian Duguid's letter on the "gap" and shared parameters
From my perspective as a fabricator, the letter made perfect sense. Critical to the process of designing and building is the application of relevant knowledge. Notably, this example utilized a technician from the steel fabricator from the start.
No currently available technology is close to being able to bridge the knowledge gap between designers and fabricators. In my experience it is very rare for people without direct experience in fabrication and building to grasp all the complexity and required knowledge.
Like you, when I saw the required download, install, sign-in, avatar, etc. sequence, I just said to myself, “No thanks.” Curious what the attendance was.
- Jeffrey Rowe
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Morito Masao (Japan)
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Several companies in our field of CAD offer 3D search tools. If you need a certain size of compressor or washer, then 3D-search finds ones that are similar. The idea is to find look-alikes using hints like 3D geometry, 2D sketches, photographs, dimensions, colors, classifications, and text descriptions.
Paul Powers is ceo of Physna, and he has taken a different approach to 3D search. His company's claim is that it can take 3D data from any source -- CAD, AR, VR, scans, OBJ -- and convert the file data into mathematics that describes the geometry. The company offers two products, the commercial Physna and the free Thangs.
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Ralph Grabowski: What is the benefit of your algorithmic approach to 3D-search?
Paul Powers: We map the unique 3D polygonal structures of models, as well as every subpart and any direction of 3D, spatially. For instance, we know that the cap belongs to the water bottle, and where the cap resides. Our machine learning makes predictions on what the model might be called, like "bottle of water," even of the brand of water bottle based on its shape, such as Evian.
The data is stored in a MongoDB NoSQL database, and not in the models themselves.
Grabowski: How did you get the idea to use mathematics for 3D-search?
Powers: I have a background in international patent law, which uses algorithms to find stolen text, pictures, and so on, but there was none for 3D models. There is a need to know every possible relationship, like trying to find just the head of Mickey Mouse rather than the entire body (and vice versa).
Other geometric search tools rely on CAD sources and use entire models, so the cap on the water bottle would get lost. Translating into different formats to enable searching can also result in data loss.
The mathematical background comes from astrophysics, which I took for a year, just long enough to realize that the mathematics astronomers use to determine locations of stars relative to one other (e.g. using signatures and patterns specific to certain locations with the use of various data points ) could be used for 3D objects.
I never thought of using it for CAD at first, but then we were approached with a lot of use cases – over 300 so far -- and many of them involved engineers.
Grabowski: Do you have an API so that end users can use your technology?
Powers: End users can already use the functionality available in Physna’s enterprise version and in Thangs. We are also working on an API that will allow others to create additional use-cases.
Grabowski: How do you make money, and who funded you?
Powers: Through SaaS [software as a service]. We sell licenses of the enterprise version based on the number of users and number of models.
The Thangs site is free to use. It is our consumer-facing Web site that crawls the Web using our algorithm to search for 3D models. It has over a million of them now. https://www.thangs.com/
We have raised $8.9 million so far, and soon will have another announcement.
Grabowski: Where does the name Physna come from?
Powers: It comes from "physical DNA."
The user interface of the Thangs Web site
Trying Out Thangs
Thangs is a free site that lets you test out a simplified, consumer-level version of Physna’s algorithms at https://thangs.com. You can upload 3D models to search for, or to share with other people. It has over 50,000 members.
When I tried it out, I hit a point of confusion: the site offers two Upload buttons that do different things. One is for uploading models to the Thangs database, after which you and others can search for them. No search is involved.
The other Upload "button" is part of the search bar and is meant for visual searches: it's for uploading models like the one(s) you are looking for, and then Thangs is meant to return results. The files you upload through this button are not uploaded to the Thangs database, and so they are not searchable by others.
Thangs accepts file in the following formats up to 250MB each:
.3dxml
.CATPart
.dwg and .dxf
.iges and .igs
.ipt
.jt
.model
.par and .prt
.sab, .sat, and .sldprt
.step and .stp
.stl
.vda
.x_b and .x_t
.xcgm and .xml
Thangs offers unlimited storage, along with version control for collaboration, which I did not test. While the site boasts 1.1 million models, the most popular models on the site are organic mesh models more suitable to games and renderings. That’s because while the majority of models are industrial components from suppliers, they are less popular and so less obvious -- unless you search specifically for them. It searches models from users as well as publicly available ones on other sites that hold 3D models.
I tested Thangs with a 3D model of a motor from SKG Sweden, which makes models of its products available in multiple formats: STEP, Solidworks, SAT, Pro/Engineer, Parasolid, IGES, and 2D DWG.
Thangs scanning the content of a 3D model
I uploaded the model in SAT format, and then tested Thangs by uploading the same model in the other formats. Here are the results, along with the time it took to upload, scan, and search. Because of the efficiency and inefficiency of each format, file sizes ranged between 400KB and 3MB, and the polygon count between 900 and 23,000.
STEP (.step) -- 19 seconds; match found correctly
Solidworks (.sldprt) -- 9 secs; found incorrect results like a series of washers and other simple parts at other sites
SAT (.sat) -- 17 secs; match found correctly
Pro/Engineer (.prt.1) -- not accepted
Parasolid (.x_t) ---- 10 secs; found incorrect results like a series of washers and other simple parts at other sites
IGES (.igs) -- 49 secs; found no correct results but mostly found unrelated organic models at other sites, such as the left arm of a HE Barbarian.
DWG (2D views) -- I canceled the operation after waiting ten minutes for scanning to complete.
Out of the seven formats I tested, two returned correct results. Physna explains why: “The algorithm doesn’t just search for similar parts. It looks for all geometric relationships. It’s likely that these parts are able to be used inside of the part you uploaded. But Thangs is soon going to receive an enhancement that will make the meaning of these results clearer (like in Physna’s enterprise version) and show not only what is related, but exactly why, how and where.”
In the case of the HE Barbarian left arm, Physna says, “The results aren’t technically incorrect because a false positive isn’t mathematically possible, as the algorithm searches for geometric relationships, not just similar models. What you’re seeing is a partial match (some portion of the geometry is the same between the parts). The reason these results don’t make much sense is that Thangs uses a simplified version of Physna’s algorithms. We’re in the process of updating the algorithms, which include weighting to remove these results that aren’t helpful.”
For the failed DWG search, Physna reports that “2D<>3D search is not yet supported in Thangs. DWG isn’t a 3D file format, so while you can save the model in Thangs, the 3D<>3D search algorithm won’t work on it.”
In summary, Physna told me, “Thangs doesn’t yet contain the full algorithm set available in the enterprise version. as it uses a simplified version of Physna’s algorithms. We’re in the process of updating the algorithms. Thangs also doesn’t yet normalize the models to the same extent Physna’s enterprise version does. That is why you’re seeing differences between file types.”
MachineWorks releases Polygonica 3.0 SDK [software development kit], its component library for polygon mesh modeling with automatic determination of best-fit tolerance and zone-based remeshing.
CCE is pre-announcing Review Room, an add-on to its EnSuite Cloud online file viewer that will use peer-to-peer connections to review CAD files, and so avoid storing your proprietary files on remote third-party servers (aka ‘the cloud’). “This has never been done before,” says the company. It’s due to be released in a few weeks, so sign up through cadcam-e.com/EnSuite-Cloud/index.aspx.
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Also in pre-announcing mode is Siemens for the next release of NX coming out in December, with the highlight feature being MBD [model-based definitions]. It automates rules-based PMI [product and manufacturing information] through a software advisor that checks data. A demo video is posted at blogs.sw.siemens.com/nx-design/the-all-new-model-based-definition-is-coming-soon/.
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Here are some of the posts that appeared recently on my WorldCAD Access blog:
For some reason I stopped getting the newsletter around the beginning of October. When I tried to resubscribe I received a strange web page. In any event I would like to keep receiving the newsletter if possible.
- Mike
The editor replies: I switched my mass email provider from MailChimp (much too expensive for a free newsletter!) to SubStack, and so the old subscribe link no longer works. I will add you to the mailing list manually, and you can catch up on back issues at www.upfrontezine.com.
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I only just noticed, but you might want to remind subscribers to check their Junk or Spam folders if they seemingly are no longer getting upFront.eZine in their Inbox. Speaking from experience.
- Jim
Re: Readers Respond to Revit's Shared Parameters
Nice to see the great response to the Revit Shared Parameter exchange you published. Sometimes I think my suggestions just come from a very jaded place. The stress of managing BIM ended my career, which I may be not-so-secretly bitter about.
- Dave Edwards Dave Edwards Consulting
The editor replies: Some aspects of technology work great, but other areas are desperately bad, and so I fully appreciate you bringing them up!
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The issue with multiple sets of different BIM systems is without question a huge problem. My company is mostly involved in the Catia world for aerospace. That said, this same problem happened to aerospace many years ago. A perfect example of it is described in intuitivestories.com/airbus_and_trillion_dollar_engineering_error.html -- a trillion-dollar Airbus problem.
Here is how Boeing and Airbus -- the two largest airplane manufacturers in the world -- addressed the problem.
Boeing -- works under the AS9100 guidelines. As part of the guidelines, there is a specific AS9102 “First Article Inspection Report” form that must be submitted whenever you generate CAD data. Folks like inspectionxpert.com/fai/as9102 are common in this industry.
These processes have, of course, trickled down to most of their suppliers. Both Inspection Expert and Q-Checker are $10,000 products. With software this expensive, this should give you an idea of how serious this problem has become. We at CAD/CAM Services now offer checking with these software products as a service to customers who have no interest in spending so much on checking software just to make a part. And of course, we have to provide not just the reporting, but the fixing of that part or assembly to pass inspection.
Until BIM requires a version of something like this checking/certification program, BIM will continue to be a logistics nightmare. Stay safe.
- Scott Shuppert, president CAD/CAM Services
The editor replies: I think that buildingSmart and IFCs are supposed to (eventually) be the solution, but I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future. MCAD benefits from having giant manufacturing firms who can dictate standards. Building construction is far too dis-integrated for one standard to have a chance of ruling. When it comes to input from BIM vendors, Autodesk doesn't seem interested enough, and Nemetschek, while interested, is at this point not big enough.
Mr Shuppert replies: And therein lies the problem. Which is also why we, as a CAD service bureau, shy away from BIM work. It is pretty hard to make everybody happy.
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Two years ago, Bricsys introduced Blockify, a command that converts identical 2D entities into one block with one click. This is useful for imported drawings and ones that were poorly drawn in two ways: makes drawing file sizes smaller, and makes them easier to edit: changing one block changes all instances of it in the drawing, like replacing all chairs in a drawing at once.
BricsCAD V21 automatically adds 2D and 3D constraints to make blocks parametric, and creates associative arrays when the modeler finds repetitive patterns of 2D entities. These can be edited in the BEdit environment, and seems to solve the painful problem of trying to figure out how to add parametrics to (dynamic) blocks.
Any parameter can now be geometry-driven. For instance, change the size of any part of a chair, and all connected items change appropriately.
Drawing Optimization
The new Optimize command fixes drawings by closing gaps and forcing lines horizontal/vertical/45-degrees within tolerances. This is handy for imported point clouds, which tend to have come up with lines that are rather shaky. As you change settings in the Optimize’s dialog box, the drawing updates in real time to show you which entities will be affected.
Deciding which lines get to be straightened-out
The Simplify command reduces the number of vertices in overly-verticed polylines, such from 350,000 to 450 vertices in the demo we were shown.
The CopyGuided command was added last year, and this year V21 adds MoveGuided, which heals related entities when, say, a door moved in a wall or a window is removed.
The Third Discipline: Civil Engineering
Once Bricsys established independence for its general CAD program, it branched out into verticals, specifically ones involving architectural and sheet metal design, with significant nods to 2D and 3D mechanical drawings. Over the last decade, Bricsys used advances in one area (say BIM) to advance other areas, such as in mechanical CAD. The leapfrogging is possible because Bricsys programs a single CAD package; it's much harder, for instance, for a Dassault to add a Catia function to a Solidworks.
Last year, Bricsys branched to another discipline, civil engineering. Well, it's not the broad range of civil engineering activities I know from my university days, but a narrower focus on terrain modeling and roadway design. Or, as Bricsys calls it, “visually-correct linear infrastructure modeling.”
This year's release allows users to map a 2D satellite photo onto a clipped 3D TIN (terrain) file, and then model in 3D on top of it. For roadway design, V21 adds spirals (needed for horizontal road curves) and parabolas (for vertical road curves). The new accuracy factor forces profiles to match existing groups, followed by optional manual edits with grips or with the Properties panel to manipulate stations, grades, elevations, and so on. There still is no input criteria, which for roads is design speed, which determines horizontal and vertical curvatures.
Cross-sections being applied to bridges and roadways
A “corridor” is a 3D cross-section that defines the elements of road and bridges (see figure above). BricsCAD can apply multiple corridor templates to make the road change along its length, such from road to bridge. There is no design analysis for pavements or bridge strengths.
V21 defines slopes for cuts and fills (embankments). Cuts and fills update automatically as users use grips to move the alignment horizontally and vertically. Missing is cut-and-fill balancing, which minimizes earth haulage and then adjusts the alignment to match.
Third-party developers provide some of the missing elements.
Point Cloud Processing
Two releases ago, Bricsys added the ability to import point cloud data, albeit indirectly. It converts common formats (.ptx, .pts, .las, and .rcp) in the background to its project format .vrm (Virtual Reality Model), which points to folders containing the point cloud files stored in an optimized format, .bpt (Bricsys Point Tree).
In V21, BricsCAD Lite can view point clouds added to drawings by a higher license. A new point cloud processing engine uses background processing and multi-threading to manipulate and navigate point clouds faster. Cropped sections of point clouds can be exported to .pts files.
These days, the tough task is turning the scatteredness of point clouds into the precision of 3D geometry. Those who lived through the raster-to-vector transformations of the late 1980s understand the challenge well. In v21, Bricsys takes the first step in generating 2D floor plans from point clouds through the new DetectFloor command. This is followed by the Optimize command to smooth out converted vector lines.
Point cloud data being converted to rooms
Other new point cloud-related commands do the following tasks:
Fit planar surface geometry to flat areas of point clouds
Fit lines to sections of point clouds
Generate volume sections on a floor-by-floor basis (regions of points with similar z coordinates)
BubbleViewer is a separate app running alongside BricsCAD for walking through point cloud scenes. You specify a variety of colorizations: there's natural colors, naturally, along with directional colors, (red and green are horizontal, blue is vertical -- same as the UCS icon), or showing distances from cloud points to your viewpoint. The idea is that you use the viewer to identify walls, thickness of walls and slabs, and so on.
Finally, there is a new VR Viewer for looking at 3D models directly. It reads the aforementioned VRM files.
Viewing a point cloud through the new VR viewing function in BricsCAD
BIM
Bricsys BIM product owner Tiemen Strobbe showed us what's new in his company's building information modeling add-on. Some 80% of BIM work is repetitive, according to Bricsys, and so the company is working on automating the steps. Semi-automation tools include QuickBuilding, Bimify, and Propagate. Mr Strobbe mentioned also using LISP and Python to automate design tasks and data visualization.
Of the three, the addition new to V21 is QuickBuilding. It converts 3D spaces and solids into BIM models with specified story heights. This is the initial implementation, os users can expect enhancements over time.
Copying and pasting geometry is improved through the Propagate and CopyGuided commands using the context of the drawing to paste the geometry correctly, such as lining up with walls. Related to this is the Bimify and AutoMatch combo of commands for automating the placement of repetitive elements.
Drawing Composition
BIM programs like BricsCAD do nearly all design work in 3D, but in the end it's 2D construction drawings that are still needed on-site. There are two ways to make these drawings: flatten 3D models or slice 2D views through them. No matter how it's done, the production of drawings is tedious (well, it's pretty exciting the first few times you do it), so there is a push by numerous CAD programs towards the semi-automation of drawings. BricsCAD V21 offers its version of automated 2D drawing generation, including tag placement and drawing styles, through its Project Browser.
Two-D views are stored in separate drawings, which are linked to the project model through sheet sets. Views are arranged automatically through Sheetset Setup, with them generated as a background process. When users reduce the number of views on a sheet, BricsCAD adds more sheets automatically to accommodate the overflow. Hundreds of sheets can be generated in minutes, according to Bricsys, although we did not see this in the demo.
More interesting to me was V21’s ability to link drawing representations to entity properties. The example we saw showed fire ratings of walls with appropriate colors. (See figure below) This is done through the new Drawing Composition panel, which also defines tags, such as for fire doors.
Fire ratings color coded into a generated drawing
Automatic design checking was mentioned, but not expanded upon. As construction detailing like dimensioning is still manual, this is to be added in the future.
Revit Editing
The hot topic these days is the importing and editing Revit files outside of Autodesk-supplied software, through an initiative of the Open Design Alliance. Here BricsCAD is no different: it imports RVT (Revit models) and RFA (Revit symbols) files as underlays or converted to editable entities, including importing selected entities from the Revit file.
V21 uses the Bimify command to turn imported (dumb) geometry into BIM elements by detecting what entities probably are, such as walls and slabs.
There was a whole whack of more info given to us on architectural modeling, but at this point I was getting cross-eyed from data overload. This two-part article is, after all, already close to three thousand words long.
I did perk up when version control was mentioned. How to have multiple users work on a single BIM model? With V21, Bricsys implemented GIT-based version control in which users check out a file locally from a server. It downloads only portions of models, and works online and offline. Currently in beta.
Mechanical Assembly Design
Bricsys mechanical product owner Dmitry Ushakov talked to us what is new on the mechanical side of BricsCAD. He showed us how V21 can convert a 3D solid model to sheet metal parts in under four minutes. “No one else can do this,” he said.
What’s new in V21’s sheet metal capabilities
With the online session getting close to four hours long, I found myself taking fewer and fewer notes. Sorry! You can read the entire what’s-new list for BricsCAD V21 at bricsys.com/common/releasenotes.jsp and view the summit online at youtu.be/VnxrUoffY7k.
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
A Bricsys new-release event is assuredly an exercise in feature overload, but in a good way: you know the folks at the company take their software and customers seriously. Despite the cornucopia, I noticed a few things missing.
There was no mention of generative design, which is okay, because it appears to be losing its luster as users go from “Wow! A million different designs!” to “Oh no, a million different ugly designs.”
CEO Erik de Keyser did not make an appearance.
Two years after being acquired by Sweden's Hexagon, there are no new links to Hexagon software other than one announced a year ago with Leica (for importing scanned point clouds). The Scan-to-BIM consortium announced last year by HOK, Leica, and Bricsys hasn’t gained more members.
Hexagon offers a half-dozen (or more — it’s hard to count) analysis and CAM programs. Perhaps next year we will see links to analyze and output products designed in BricsCAD.
In the end, I consider Bricsys’ reliance on a single file format its strength, but its limited links to external programs something that needs to be addressed.
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Design Master’s 11th annual BIM and MEP survey is now on. The survey starts at surveymonkey.com/r/DCBXXKF. Questions include the use of collision detection and BIM itself in your office. You can read the results of the surveys from other years here: designmaster.biz/blog/2019/12/mep-bim-2019-survey-results/. One of the surprising results is that over the last decade, BIM appears to be used less, rather than more.
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Like all other CAD vendors, CadLine Kft is holding their ArchLine.XP user conference online. It runs for three days, beginning Nov 24. Unlike all other CAD vendors, presentations at ArchLine.XP Expo will be held in eleven languages. Sign up at archlinexp.com/events
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“Maybe ten years ago, innovation was all about electrifying mechanical systems. Today, it seems to rely on material science: what can we create that's lighter, stronger, conductive, responsive, or in some other way unique, as a product differentiator?” asks Monica Schnitger in talking about Siemens’ acquisition of Clugi of The Netherlands, which will add computational chemistry for multi-scale simulations. Price was not announced. Details at schnitgercorp.com/2020/11/02/siemens-adds-computational-chemistry-modeling-to-simcenter/.
Letters to the Editor
Re: Readers Respond to Revit's Shared Parameters
Some interesting discussions about the gap between BIM as a design tool and what is required with regard to modeling for manufacturing / fabrication / construction.
You are right that this gap exists, that it is the cause of significant commercial and process inefficiencies, and that it isn’t much helped by some of the technology platforms that are widely used (in my case, in the AEC environment).
My view, however, is that this is largely driven by disconnection in business relationships, not by technological issues. I can give an example: it is common in my field of construction for a designer to generate drawings and/or BIM models as an end-product, and for these to form an input for construction and fabrication teams. Steelwork fabricators, who have used 3D CAD and CAM platforms for many years, sometimes take the designer’s model and adapt it, but it’s still more common for them to build their own model, fit for their own purposes.
This is partly driven by contractual liabilities (nobody wants to be responsible for data that is not their business), and partly by self-interest. The fabricator is interested in things such as plate-cutting, weld distortion, and precamber, where they need to adapt their model to suit working methods over which they have power. The designer does not.
We have on at least one occasion broken free from this, and it was successful and rewarding. For the design of a pedestrian bridge on the Ordsall Chord project (Manchester UK), we (the structural engineers) created a digital model which specified the structure in full, including every single weld, nut, and bolt. For the first time in the UK, that was enough. We did not produce any of the normal design drawings. This process saved a month off the design delivery program, and also measurably reduced design costs; this is not just the designer’s claim, the contractor confirmed to us that these savings were real.
Architectural render of the completed Ordsall Chord
How was this possible? Firstly, we used the same software that the steel fabricator uses (Tekla Structures) instead of what we were using for most of our other designs on the project (Bentley AECOSim). This ensured they would get the level of detail they needed, in the format most useful to them. Secondly, the fabricator’s own modeling technicians helped us prepare the model. This gave the end users confidence in the quality of the model content, so that they could use it as the direct basis for any further (non-design) elements they needed to add.
The project and processes used on that occasion are described in detail in our paper (icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/full/10.1680/jbren.16.00012) freely available online. The technology to do things better is already here: what is required is the boldness to forge new, more collaborative contractual relationships in industries that lack vertical integration. The improvements in quality and the real financial savings that can result need to be set against the inevitable obstacles such as overly-restrictive digital standards compliance, to allow these obstacles to be set aside.
Brian Duguid, technical director Practice Leader for Bridges and Civil Structures, Mott MacDonald
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers donating towards the operation of upFront.eZine:
Randall McSwain: “Thank you Ralph, for your continued work with the upFront.eZine.”
Alex Kunz of A. G. Kunz LLC (small company donation): “Thank you for the continued insights & perspective.”
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Issue #1,073 | 9 November 2020 | The Business of CAD
by Ralph Grabowski
The problem in covering Bricsys' annual conference each year is the overwhelming amount information broadcast to attendees. Whereas some CAD vendors introduce a very few new functions each year, the much smaller Bricsys corporation generates hundreds of changes for its lone software program that handles general, mechanical, civil, and architectural drawings and models.
In other years, the info deluge was spread over two days; this year, over four hours. So, I'll report on a bunch of things that were announced, but not everything. You can view the recording at youtu.be/VnxrUoffY7k. For the official what's-new list, see the 31-page-long bricsys.com/common/releasenotes.jsp, which is updated with each point release.
Some 2,900 people watched the live event, about 6x more than attended in-person events of earlier years. Unlike many other CAD firms, Bricsys always runs their software demos live, with no pre-recorded interactions with the software.
Product specialist Chi-Yan demo’ing BricsCAD live with 2D and 3D mice
Global Licensing
Bricsys has a new tag line, “Connecting people and companies that transform CAD, BIM, and mechanical design of today.” The company always has emphasized its unified approach in using a single CAD program with a single file format in which to store drawings and models. The only translation customers need to perform is on files coming from non-DWG CAD programs.
This year, the emphasis in the keynote was on the global nature of their software licenses. This is an issue, because some CAD vendors limit use of the software to the country in which the license was purchased.
Chief operating officer Mark van den Bergh reminded us that BricsCAD does not have named-user licenses, nor does it limit license use to single countries, nor does it force customers onto subscriptions. “One license for planet earth,” said Mr van den Bergh. As well, an office license can be used at home.
A testimonial from Mazda spoke of the company’s appreciation for global licenses. “The fact that we can use the same licenses overseas is definitely a factor.” BricsCAD is used by Mazda for drawings of production lines, and the company expects to move BricsCAD from 2D to 3D.
BricsCAD in use at Mazda
Rejiggered BricsCAD Lineup
"Sometimes 2D is more powerful, sometimes 3D is more powerful," Mr van den Bergh said, introducing the rejiggered software lineup.
BricsCAD Lite ($560) replaces BricsCAD Standard, and is at the low end with 2D-only drafting. Lite includes open LISP, which Bricsys says is 5x to 100x faster than other versions of LISP. Lite has advanced tech like machine learning with targets, but lacks BRX and other APIs, and so it is limited as to which third-party add-ons it can run.
BricsCAD Pro ($960) combines the previous BricsCAD Pro and Platinum editions to offer full 2D/3D direct modeling with 2D/3D parametrics. It is the base needed on which to run Mechanical ($1,700) to assemblies, to access the Communicator ($500) file translator, and/or the BIM module ($1,800). Prices are for perpetual licenses and are in US$.
Differences between BricsCAD Pro and BricsCAD Mechanical
BricsCAD Ultimate ($2,000) carries on from before, combining all of Bricsys’ software in a single package.
BricsCAD Shape (free) for 3D modeling is still included with any BricsCAD download, even after the 30-day trial ends.
All interact with 24/7, the company's subscription-based online collaboration platform.
BricsCAD Cloud moves from being free in BricsCAD to being available only to customers who purchase an annual subscription. This is not surprising, given that CAD vendors don’t get to rent space on cloud servers for free.
Bricsys Collective is the new name for third-party add-ons, of which 350 are available through the online store.
What's New in BricsCAD V21
Some new features in the 21st release of BricsCAD are catch-ups with competitors, while other new functions leapfrog ahead of pretty much any other competitor.
Some of the catch-up commands include the SetByLayer command for changing any property of objects on layers. LayTrans maps layers in imported drawings to office standards. Three-D meshes can have their smoothness adjusted from 0 (none) to 5 (maximum), and can edit individual vertices and edges. CombineText groups single-line text into Mtext; properties of imported ArcText can be edited.
Other new functions are clever. History is recorded per-entity in the Properties panel, so you can go back to change your mind about changes to specific entities.
Copy Array places multiple copies at once as an array.
Importing SKP files turns SketchUp meshes into blocks so that they can be manipulated more easily; as well, SketchUp materials are imported and so can be used by BricsCAD.
Meshes from a SketchUp model imported as blocks, with attached materials
Externally-referenced drawings (xrefs) load in the background. When a drawing has many xrefs, you see them displayed one at a time as they load, as you work on other things.
Direct Modeling
Fillets and chamfers in direct modeling can have variable-radii curves and multi-angle chamfers. The manipulator lets us edit the curves and angles interactively.
Hold down Ctrl to push or pull during PushPull command. PushPull now works with constrained objects, such as interactively changing the size of a plate with several holes.
BricsCAD introduced L- and T-connections in an earlier release. If you have a bunch of pipes, valves, and Ts connected and you move one, the others move/stretch to compensate. V21 offers hotkeys to switch between connected and disconnected moves. Added to V21 is the ability to rotate connected elements
Pipes interactively being moved from where they intersect a column
We saw a demo of the roof of a building being rotated. When disconnected, the trusses and walls stayed in place. With a connected rotation, the trusses moved along with the roof, while the walls stretched automatically to meet the roof line. V21 also adds real-time previews of these movements.
Roof being rotated with connections turned off
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Next week we have for you part 2 of the Bricsys Design Summit 2020, covering updates to its civil engineering, mechanical design, and BIM modules.
And in Other News
PTC plans to release Creo 7.0 in the coming months, featuring the first Atlas-based add-on — cloud-based Generative Design Extension (GDX) using technology from the Frustum acquisition; GDX works also with Onshape. Other Atlas add-ons could take five to ten years to appear, such as a cloud-based version of Creo.
PTC CEO James Hepplemann noted that Onshape revenues grew 80% year-over-year, and “landed over 700 competitive displacements, the majority coming from SolidWorks.” Dassault Systemes has 49,800 companies using Solidworks.
PTC’s 2020 revenues were $1.46 billion, up 17% from the year before; next year, it expects to take in $1.55 - $1.6 billion. The company, however, sits on $1.0 billion in debt. www.ptc.com
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3D Systems is unloading all of its subtractive CAM software, selling Cimatron and GibbsCAM to the SigmaTEK Systems division of Battery Ventures for $65 million. Six years ago, 3D Systems paid $97 million to acquire Cimatron-GibbsCAM.
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This reminds me when we used colors in CAD to specify plotter pen numbers: In KeyCreator MfgCAD 2021, face colors on 3D models become MBD [model-based definitions] data to signify manufacturing tolerances and hole types.
Is there anyone providing CAD software that will work in a parallel computing environment?
- Roger Roberts, president-retired Mid-West CAD, Inc.
The editor replies: Some CAD vendors have implemented some basic functions in parallel computing, such as loading files and performing renderings, but none have the full CAD package, nor is it likely this will ever occur.
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Hope you are surviving well during these crazy times! I was intrigued to see a guest editorial in your newsletter. What is the process to submit a guest editorial?
- A. S.
The editor replies: “Guest editorial” refers to any article not written by me. They are usually ones with specialized topics that I think are of interest to my readers.
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine:
1SET Design Pty Ltd
Novedge LLC (small company donation)
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Issue #1,072 | 2 November 1020 | The Business of CAD
I work in the food service design industry. We design commercial food service facilities for restaurants, schools, hotels, and so on. Back in the 1980s, a group of forward-thinking food service designers developed a layering standard for AutoCAD, which we still use. Having a standard made our lives much easier.
There are over 400 manufacturers in our industry. A food service designer may use equipment from dozens of manufacturers in a kitchen design. We simply don’t have the time to edit Revit families from all these sources to work together in our Revit projects. So we applied the same thinking to Revit, and food service designers have been using a common Revit Shared Parameter file since 2010.
Our Shared Parameter file covers all the utilities that one may find in a kitchen: gas, water supply, voltages, drainage, and so on. By and large, it has been working very well. Now our group has expanded to develop these standards for international food service design. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.
- Truman Donoho Foodservice Equipment Symbols
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I don’t see how you can have BIM-to-CAM when there is insufficient resolution/fidelity in the BIM to start with. It’s easy to degrade resolution, but how do you add it?
- Robin Capper New Zealand
The editor replies: The idea is to have CAM-level details in the BIM model, which I think is referred to as LOD 5 (level of detail 5). This is the level at which screws are modeled.
The problem is how to get to LOD 5, as lighter models already overwhelm BIM hardware and software systems. So this is the gap that exists between doing the design and being able to manufacture it.
Martyn Day of AEC Magazine wrote about the BIM-can't-CAM problem, but I can't find that article; sorry! Traditional BIM vendors are making enough money from selling regular BIM that they haven't bothered fixing the CAM part. Autodesk, which went overboard on buying construction management software, doesn't have a way to get from Revit to the construction site. Bricsys proposes adding intimate details through "AI," where the software predicts the details needed, and then adds them automatically.
Mr Capper responds: I think the real issue is that BIM is often more ‘design intent’ than actually constructible. I thought Autodesk’s Quantum concept, demo’ed at AU a few years ago, was an interesting approach to that.
The detail modeler, say curtain wall fabricator, just pulled critical control points from the architect's model (live, and refreshed at agreed-to intervals) and served back as a lightweight placeholder. Seems to have ‘gone dark’; I wonder if it was abandoned or retreated into secret development?
The editor replies: It was abandoned after several years of development. It was known as Project Quantum and was specific to AEC. Autodesk is replacing it with the all-encompassing Project Plasma, and apparently will announce more at Autodesk University later this year.
The discussion of Revit and BIM are very interesting, even though it's totally different world than the mechanical one that I inhabit.
Occasionally, I read things that make me realize that the building construction world is intensely striving to achieve the level of documentation that is considered completely normal and routine in the manufacturing world. The problem is that they have to do it for a "product" that is more complex in terms of the number of different parts involved (generally) and, instead of being built in a single factory, with all components purchased by a single purchasing department, there are many, many companies involved, each with their own systems of part numbering, naming, modeling, purchasing, warehousing, issuing, inventorying, and accounting.
So they can look to the manufacturing world for some guidance, but no manufacturing system is going to stretch to fit the construction of a large building by fifty subcontractors.
The article noted that "The Shared Parameter GUID ensures each Shared Parameter in existence has its own unique 32-bit identifier number, which is the only thing Revit really cares about with any parameter you create."
This is called a "part number" in my world. And I have occasionally had to explain and convince small manufacturers that it's important to assign a unique number to every component they make. I can only imagine how hard it would be to convince everyone involved in a large building project, from the architect to the electrician, that having consistent names for things is essential.
Thanks for your continued insights into this world.
- Jess Davis, president Davis Precision Design, Inc.
The editor replies: You hit the nail on the head, to borrow a phrase from construction. As someone once put it, think of assembling an Boeing 747, but in a muddy field miles from the factory, and each one plane being made with a different set of plans.
The BIM software world has, in the last year, just started to notice that they have a great problem in failing to connect with construction, except experimentally. It is all well and good for industry critics to complain that construction has only progressed 1% in efficiency over the last couple of decades, but there can be no automation when there is no data to input into the automation.
Mr Davis responds: It's kind of fun to explain manufacturing to a carpenter.
"Yeah, that 2x4 you just cut and nailed in place? See, we would have a drawing for that."
"Why would I need a drawing to cut that?"
"Oh, you wouldn't cut it. A supplier would cut it, and you'd just have to find it in those two semi-loads of pallets that got unloaded during the last rainstorm. It'll be marked with a cardboard tag."
The editor replies: ROTFL
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Dave has an elegant solution to the parameter mess, although it would require some admin. Bizarrely, it is implemented for some items in that old, non-BIM product called AutoCAD Architecture, that in some ways is more sophisticated at managing BIM standards.
Revit has a similar concept in its CAD export maps (object keys to layer names), but AutoCAD Architecture's Layer Key system addresses the same problem. The list of AEC Objects is consistent, but there is no standardization across the industry for layers.
So an object 'DOOR' can be mapped to 'A-Door' in one key, or '32-Door' or 'Bld_Door' or whatever you assign in the different keys. Open a generic file; hit Remap; all the layers and properties update; start work. This means you have one template, one parameter in the library, potentially serving hundreds of client standards.
Using a key to build names has massive advantages, with the only real disadvantage of having to administer the keys:
It enforces company standards by allowing users to only select pre-set values when naming content. For Revit, imagine when creating parameters (to use Matt's example) you could only choose ‘Width’ as part of the parameter name, because the BIM standard has set it . This eliminates creative naming or typos ("witdth").
It would allow mapping of multiple values to your standard, so my ‘FurnLength = Desk Width | Width of desk | witdth’ in ‘foreign’ content or linked files. As an aside I only have Length (X), Depth (Y) and Height (Z) but no ‘Width’ in my shared parameters as I found this avoids confusion. If you want to have a ‘Width,’ it has to update the relevant X, Y, or Z shared parameter used for tracking object volumes. I can do that with our content, but not any foreign stuff.
It would allow you to have per-project or client Key Tables. If they are consistent with naming (and often they are consistently different), just link the content, apply the map, done.
I would not like a parameter creation standard or mapping key to control everything, but it should be able to manage consistent information crucial to information sharing and basic data entry (Width, not widTH, Witdh etc). In some ways the shared parameters do that, but still depend on users complying with a standard while making them!
The other thing is, and sorely lacking in Revit, Layer Keys -- like every other AEC Object, Display, Material and Property Set (Parameters) -- have both Style and Instance GUIDs and can be updated (from a standards file) automatically or with a prompt on first access, or manually any time. If the BIM Manager updates a key to reflect a client’s requirements or a change in standards, then every project will acquire that update when it’s next edited. So I wish Revit had that!
I even have found using Schedule Keys (combinations of parameters tied to a single selectable key value) for things like rooms, area, and space properties works very well in a Revit Project, but is challenging to standardize across multiple projects, even with third party tools.
For instance, I have a master Schedule Key in my Standards project, update it (add a value, or change some of the existing key sub-parameters), but then update the same key schedule in existing projects. It’s a basic requirement in using BIM for lifecycle management, not just build and run.
- Robin Caper
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Another excellent eZine from my man Ralph! A reader wrote, “What I proposed (many, many years ago) was a Linked Parameter Mapping Table.”
That’s a ‘no-brainer’! Any idiot could see that as the only solution for a changing world. I’ve said as much to Autodesk in the past, but my wishlist suggestions always fell on deaf bureaucratic-guarded investor pocketbooks.
It’s too late to fix the screw-up of data in the CAD world. The only way it will get fixed is if we impose upon ourselves a global CAD dictatorship! Cheers,
- Chris Cadman
The editor replies: Data exchange is a problem that stays problematic, even as brilliant programmers find solutions.
And in Other News
Hexagon reported total Q3 revenues of €940 million (US$1.1 billion) — flat both on organic and constant currency bases from a year ago, following five quarters of declines. Despite this, the company has so far this year made ten acquisitions, including a third line of CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] software through last week’s purchase of ESPRIT owner DP Technology.
Contact Software releases its PLM software Elements v15.5 as an LTS [long term support] edition, so that customers will receive support for years to come.
OnScale Solve’s cloud engineering simulation platform offers multi-physics solvers. The current version has mechanical, thermal, and coupled thermal-mechanical analyses; in the future, the site plans to add dynamic mechanical, nonlinear mechanics, thermal-fluid, fluid-structure interactions, and acoustic analysis.
The company is offering free private accounts to anyone of 500 core-hours/year. The software runs on its own at onscale.com, as well as inside Onshape.
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Here are some of the posts that appeared recently on my WorldCAD Access blog:
Parallelism is where the computer runs two or more pieces of computer code at the same time on CPUs and/or GPUs. Nearly all CPUs sport multiple cores (the equivalent of two or more CPUs in a single chip) and handle multiple threads (more than one software operation at a time). GPUs are the graphics boards in our computers, and they commonly boast thousands of tiny CPUs, huge amounts of on-board data storage, and high data speeds.
Parallel operations on CPUs in CAD are limited to loading files and regenerating drawings, for the most part. In GPUs, parallel operations are useful for speeding up predictable actions like renderings and finite element analyses. Most of what we do in CAD cannot, however, be predicted by software. When we, for instance, start drawing a 3D solid cylinder, the software has no idea what step we take next -- specify the radius, drag the height, switch to a mesh model, specify an angle... And so all CAD software for the most part is single-threaded, running on a single-core.
Should someone make headway in CAD, then this is an important advance for our industry, because then our favorite software will run much faster. Roman Lygin heads up CAD Exchanger, and he talked with me about how his team works with parallelism in their software.
- Ralph Grabowski, editor
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Indeed, parallelism in CAD is tough. There are two important issues here.
Firstly, parallelism is challenging for the ordinary software developer. And the truth is that not every developer on the team should be involved in parallelism implementation. The entry barrier is quite high and it is best to have skilled people to do it.
Secondly, bringing parallelism to CAD is especially difficult due to CAD-specific challenges.
Parallelism requires good understanding of lower-level architecture (CPU and memory, processes and threads) as well as parallelism-specific issues, such as data races, work imbalance, and associated overhead.
Truth to be told, I did not see decent GPU-parallelism coming to CAD, except in the limited case of triangulation of huge 3D models, where the overhead of data transfers between RAM and GPU memory is offset by speed-ups due to the massive parallelism made possible by the GPU. The problem is that GPU parallelism is vulnerable to branching (such as through if/else statements), which is very common in CAD. I believe that CPU parallelism has a greater potential for CAD, and so let's set aside the GPU to focus on the CPU.
CPU parallelism can be viewed as a three-level pie, a metaphor I first heard from Arch Robison, former Intel senior principal engineer and the first architect of Intel Thread Building Blocks, the C++ library for parallel computing.
The three levels are as follows:
1. Multi-process parallelism. Usually MPI-enabled [message passing interface], the program runs in independent processes, with instances communicating between one another. Communication can be via shared memory when running on the same computer, or through a network when running on a cluster.
2. Multi-threading. Each process works through multiple threads that share data in the same (i.e. shared) memory. This applies to multi-core CPUs and multi-CPU workstations.
3. SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data). Thanks to long CPU registers, one arithmetic command can be applied simultaneously to several data items, such as two or four doubles [8 bytes each].
Multi-process parallelism (approach #1) can probably be applied reasonably well to processing huge assemblies, when the entire assembly simply cannot fit into a single process memory. We have never experimented with that, but we have seen our clients trying to achieve it with our APIs, and it made sense. You still have to apply to a lot of intelligence to achieve efficient scalability and reduce overhead, as assemblies can be very imbalanced internally.
In CAD, the greatest potential lies in working with a multi-threaded approach (approach #2), in most cases and when working with medium to large models. This is where we apply parallelism the most.
Approach #3 can be applied quite efficiently to NURBS [non-uniform rational B- splines] evaluation. In 2013, I wrote a paper “Applying Vectorization Techniques for B-Spline Surface Evaluation” (see figure 1) that found the local speed-up was 15x or more, thanks to applying FMA [fused multiply-add] instructions in most recent CPUs of that time.
Figure 1: From the paper, the function for determining surface point coordinates
CAD-specific challenges manifest themselves through several cases, especially the following ones:
Data structures with strong interdependence. For instance, a b-rep [boundary representation] graph has one shell referring to multiple faces. Each face refers to an edge shared by two faces (in a closed-manifold solid body). Each vertex can be shared by multiple edges, and so on. To efficiently process such a structure, you have to take care of proper data access synchronization to prevent data races, which can cause invalid executions and make it hard to trace bugs.
But if you do this naively by just applying a typical mutex [mutually exclusive flag], then you can easily kill all scalability because each fine-grain access to a vertex, an edge, and so on will be mutex-protected, incurring significant overhead -- which you don't have in pure serial code. [A mutex is a gatekeeper that allows one thread in but blocks access to the others.]
Data imbalance. In a typical assembly, you likely have parts with distinct complexity, such as a bolt being different from an impeller. Inside each part, you can have very different geometries, such as planar and NURB surfaces. Computation complexities (e.g. a 3D point from UV parameters) can be distinct in several orders of magnitude. So, again you cannot simply divide the work between n threads and expect good parallelism. You end up with pathological imbalances, with one unlucky thread crunching a big chunk of data, while the others sit idle.
We address these challenges efficiently by restructuring the data to reduce/avoid interdependence, and by applying work-stealing vs. work-sharing paradigms. We also heavily exploit nested parallelism, such as across parts in an assembly, across bodies in a part, and across faces in a body. Imagine a thread working on a first part of a thousand NURBS surfaces in one sub-assembly, while three other threads are processing hundreds of parts of twenty other sub-assemblies, with nesting.
This allows us to scale up 8x or more threads easily on typical medium-to-large models. Of course, the larger the model, the farther the algorithms can scale. In CAD Exchanger, these techniques are implemented in the core architecture, and most our converters take advantage of that.
But the effect strongly depends on the capabilities of the file formats themselves. In STL, there is essentially no parallelism, as the format does not allow for anything except a flat list of triangles. In JT, by contrast, parallelism is leveraged very efficiently.
In addition to conversion procedures, we apply parallelism in triangulations and organizing visualization pipelines by asynchronously loading/converting the data and gradually displaying the complex models. This video demonstrates the effect. We also apply a lot of parallelism tricks in I/O [input/output], reaching a great speed-up and efficient scalability.
Q&A
Ralph Grabowski: When customers license your firm's SDK, what kinds of projects do they use it for?
On-demand manufacturing and in particular cost estimations
3D Web apps
Grabowski: You mentioned that CAD Exchanger is more than a converter or viewer. What other functions does it perform?
Lygin: It imports/exports assembly hierarchies, b-rep and mesh geometries, meta-data, and PMI [product manufacturing information]. The SDK and our other developer tools also offer:
Measurements/computations of bounding boxes, surface areas, volumes, and so on
Visualization in multiple display modes, with interactive selection/hover, and so on
Direct Unity integration in run-time
Manufacturing-related algorithms, such as for CNC [computer numerically controlled] machining feature recognition of milled surfaces, drilled holes, countersinks; sheet metal unfolding, and so on
Advanced meshers for FEA [finite element analysis]
Web toolkit for in-browser visualization
Cloud-based conversion API [application programming interface]
Model simplification through b-rep shrink-wrapping, internal body removal, and so on, along with mesh decimation by factor 100x and more; see figure 2
Figure 2: CAD Exchanger reducing meshes by 99%
Grabowski: You support five native file formats -- Solidworks, NX, Creo, Catia V5, and DWG. Why did you choose these ones?
Lygin: Based on the general market and particular customers' demands. We currently support 20+ formats, with three just released and more underway. All the converters are based on common-core architecture and design principles, so the converters can leverage scalable parallelism on multi-core architectures.
Grabowski: Do you write your own translators, or do you license them from other developers?
Lygin: All translators are our own, except for a proprietary Autodesk FBX SDK to parse/format FBX and related formats. Other than that, CAD Exchanger does not depend on any proprietary technologies as we own entire technology stack for CAD conversion. We certainly use several open source libraries, though.
Grabowski: Has the coronavirus benefited or hindered your company's operations?
Lygin: YTD [year to date] our product revenue has grown strongly, on par with previous years. In the early weeks of coronavirus, we did notice some cautiousness in customers' orders, as some orders were temporarily put on hold, but in the following weeks things got back to normal.
I believe we offer excellent value to price and our customers appreciate that. We added many Fortune 500 companies to our customer list.
In operations, the team moved to and continue working remotely most of the time. We are now revisiting our lease to reduce the occupancy given the ongoing remote working mode.
[Roman Lygin spent ten years at Intel working in the software division that develops Intel Parallel Studio and Intel Cluster Studio, both developer suites for parallel programming. For the last five years at Intel, he managed engineering teams developing Intel TBB, OpenMP, and MPI libraries. He is the founder of CAD Exchanger. Parallel computing has become his second professional passion, after CAD data exchange.]
== 3D Conversion of Ultra-Massive 3D Models via DWF-3D & Okino's PolyTrans|CAD ==
One of the most refined aspects of Okino's PolyTrans|CAD software is in transforming ultra-massive MCAD models of oil and gas rigs, LNG processing plants, 3D factories, and other unwieldy datasets into Cinema-4D, 3ds Max, Maya, and Unity (among others).
What often takes days using blindly incorrect methods takes minutes or an hour with Okino's well-defined optimization and compression methods using its DWF-3D conversion system.
Popular CAD data sources include SolidWorks, ProE/Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, DGN, IGES, STEP, Parasolid, and JT. DCC data sources are Cinema-4D, 3ds Max, Maya, FBX/Collada, and many more.
Perfected over three decades, we know 3D data translation intimately, providing you with highly personalized solutions, education, and communication.
Bricsys announces the new release of BricsCAD v21 online tomorrow, 27 Oct. I'm expecting to see the company expand its offerings in direct modeling with BIM and MCAD.
Heads up as Graebert breaks up their two-day in-person new-release event to two online events:
neXt is a 30-minute what's-going-to-be-new Webinar on Dec 1 (or Dec 2 or 3, depending on your residential continent)
ARES 2022 launch event is in April
You read correctly: Grabert is skipping a version number, going from ARES 2020 to 2022. Save the date, as the registration link is not yet live.
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The CAD software business tends to be recession-proof, with sales going up in good times (people looking to spend money) and up in bad times (people looking to save money).
But this year the world's tiniest living object felled the world's largest CAD company, as Dassault Systemes’ Q3 license revenues fell 15% and the company lowered expectations for the year, as it expects license revenues to fall 19-20% -- reduced more from July's prediction of a 16-18% fall.
Now, Dassault gets revenues from more than just licenses, and so overall organic revenues [revenues excluding recent acquisitions] fell a more modest 3%, and stalwarts like Solidworks were even up 5% on the quarter.
Dave Edwards: Even with a common file format, things are nearly impossible without a common data format or at least common data naming.
Case in point: I hand my architectural model to a furnishing consultant and to a medical planner. They use their own developed libraries of content; each could have data fields for the same information using different names. Once I receive the model back, how do I then combine the fields to do scheduling and cost analysis.
Matt Stachoni: Using Revit? It's relatively easy. Furniture and medical equipment consultants/vendors often use Revit family libraries from the manufacturers of the products they sell. Any manufacturer who develops a bespoke content library for professional use will likely implement their custom data as a series of Shared Parameters within the families.
Shared Parameters are designed to be shared between multiple projects and families, scheduled, filtered, exported to ODBC, appear in tags, and so on, so standardization is a key planning item. Within a given vendor library, the Shared Parameters should be the same, so you should not have one furniture family with a "Desk Width" parameter and another with a "Width of Desk" or "Desk is This Many Inches Wide" parameter or other such nonsense.
Disclaimer: I'm not guaranteeing anything, obviously. Revit users are just as capable as AutoCAD users of doing horrible, horrible things, but in this case it's actually more work to do it wrong. Custom family parameters which are not Shared cannot be scheduled or used in tags, so it's in their best interest to use standardized Shared Parameters just to get their work done.
You should be able to simply link the furniture model into your architectural model and create a schedule of furniture/equipment, and have those proprietary Shared Parameters exposed in the schedule creation dialog box. Just be sure to check the "Include elements in links" box at the bottom of the Fields tab. You can also combine parameters to appear in a single cell of a schedule as well.
Of course, there is no standardization between manufacturers, so if you have three different furniture manufacturers on a job you could end up with the "Desk Width" / "Width of Desk" / "Desk is This Many Inches Wide" nightmare.
You cannot rename Shared Parameters within a project, but you can rename parameters (fields) to a standard name in the schedules, so you may have to create separate schedules per manufacturer. You could export the schedules to Excel and combine them there to create a master, and/or use Dynamo to perform some home-brewed hocus-pocus to get the results you need.
Dave Edwards: Thanks for the response. I was familiar with most of those workarounds, but they can be a pain. And during my time as a BIM Manager, they weren't all available (such as combining fields in a Schedule).
Using a single set of Shared Parameters by multiple firms often never has the chance to happen because-- shared with whom? If you're a consultant working with many architects, which set of Shared Parameters to do you use to create yours with? As in your example, having no naming standard can be horrible to overcome and I ran into that often.
What I proposed (many, many years ago) was a Linked Parameter Mapping Table. You could assign a table which mapped the names of Parameters to a set of standard names when it was attached any file you had linked into your project. This would require a bit of setup, but could then be used on multiple projects with the same consultant in the future. Schedules using Libraries created with a divergent set of Parameters could be created using standard Revit procedures, etc. Not a great solution, but one which wouldn't require Libraries to have been built (or rebuilt) with the same Shared Parameters or any external data manipulation.
Matt Stachoni: Yeah, combining fields in a schedule is fairly new, and of course there's always Dynamo for stuff Revit doesn't do out of the box if you have the 3,024 hours to learn it.
But there's no compelling reason to expect anyone's Shared Parameters name will match anyone else's name. Unless they came from the same Shared Parameters file definition, two parameters from different projects (even with the same name) are completely different parameters from Revit's standpoint, and you cannot ever create a schedule with such parameters that would appear in the same column. That's not how Revit's parameter subsystem works.
Remember that the Family Editor environment is completely outside of the Revit Project environment, and the two do not talk to each other. The term Shared Parameter doesn't imply anything beyond the ability for that parameter to work in families, including tags, and be exposed in the project environment for scheduling. That's it. It has nothing to do with what company you belong to or your business relationship with anyone else.
As a furniture manufacturer or consultant working with many architects, the only Shared Parameters I'm worried about are the ones I need to create for my families. I may or may not use an internal standard naming system, but that's just to make my life easier.
Family Parameters that you define in the Family Editor cannot be exposed to the project as a whole, except from within the family's Type Parameters palette/dialog or as instance parameters you can view/edit in the Properties Palette. You cannot schedule a Family Parameter or include it in a tag, because neither the schedule nor the tag family knows what you are talking about.
Likewise, you can assign a Project Parameter to a category, which is then present in every element instance within that category, but only inside of the project environment. For example, if you add a Project parameter called "Door Panel Type" to the Doors category, you can then add data to it when you select any door, as well as schedule it (because the project understands that parameter), but the parameter does not appear in the family editor, nor can you add that parameter to a tag family because, as with Family Parameters, Revit doesn't know what you are talking about outside of the project.
Shared Parameters bridge that gap. When you define a Shared Parameter in the Shared Parameters dialog, it is best to think of it as essentially defining a dictionary entry. The Shared Parameters File contains all of the SP "definitions" each of which contain a few pertinent pieces of information:
·The Revit GUID [globally unique identifier]
·The parameter name
· Its data type
·Optional description
·And so on
The Shared Parameter GUID ensures each Shared Parameter in existence has its own unique 32-bit identifier number, which is the only thing Revit really cares about with any parameter you create. That's how you can create a hundred valid Shared Parameters with the same name, data type, description, and so on; Revit is only ever concerned with the GUID and the name doesn't matter.
·When you add a Shared Parameter to a component family, you pull in the GUID information so it understands the parameter fully.
·When you create a tag for that component, you also pull in the same Shared Parameter data (i.e. GUID) so both the tag and the family are able to reference exactly the same information.
·When you bring the family into the project, the Shared Parameter comes along for the ride and is exposed to the project, and every case of this Shared Parameter has the same GUID no matter the context, which is what Revit needs and is how you can schedule and tag it.
There is nothing special about the Shared Parameters file itself, except that it stores the complete list of Shared Parameter definitions you typically use in your projects. Shared Parameters are a one-way street from the Shared Parameters file to the project or family.
Changes to the Shared Parameters file (the "definitions") do not update themselves in the project or families, so you would need to get it right the first time, or spend lots of hours redefining the parameter in every family you previously created (one argument for organizing and standardizing Shared Parameters when creating a manufacturer library _before_ you model anything). You can also delete the Shared Parameters file, then go to Shared Parameters and export every Shared Parameter in your project or family out to a new file which is one way to get foreign Shared Parameters into your content.
Thus, naming standards may be nice to have but aren't really required for the end user. A manufacturer's standard convention may be to prefix all of their Shared Parameters with a 2-3 letter prefix, e.g. "ES-" for Global Industry's "Evolve Systems" line, which identifies those Shared Parameters as their's to the uninitiated.
As long as you can keep the manufacturer's parameters differentiated from one another (so you aren't dealing with multiple copies of the same parameter name), you should be OK. But expecting every manufacturer to use one standard would be ridiculous and unworkable, and in the end it's simply not required anyway. The only use case I could see is where you want to schedule all of the furniture and want the same set of parameter names to be used for size, cost, and so on. But like I said, if you filter your schedules by manufacturer and modify the field header text, you are 99.9% there without any Dynamo gizmodic jiggerwaddling.
Alternatively, you could create a single schedule that has everyone's pricing parameter fields (which are all different), and group everyone's price parameters under a single "COST" heading and change each manufacturer's pricing parameter header name to the manufacturer's name.
- - -
Dave Edwards heads up Dave Edwards Consulting, while Matt Stachoni is BIM Manager at Tutor Perini Building.
And in Other News
Here are some of the posts that appeared on our WorldCAD Access blog recently:
I read your reader's comment about the Generic CADD ebook and your reply, and realized I'm still earning a few dollars from my 2003 book on AutoLISP and the 2011 update. That buys me a cup of coffee every month, and I love coffee.
To whomever is purchasing my Kindle books: thank you! I don't know if Autodesk will ever invest in LISP again, but it was fun while they did.
- David Stein
The editor replies: It is helpful when an AutoCAD function doesn't change. My biggest selling ebook was on dynamic blocks, which haven't changed in a decade. Today, I do bespoke ebooks, where a CAD company pays me a lump sum to write a book specific to them.
Mr Stein responds: I wasn't aware that was even a thing. That makes sense, from a marketing aspect. Nice!
In constructech we see change, possibilities for efficiency, and an explosion of hype. The core issue with "twins" is the core challenge of tech in construction: understanding the difference between physical reality and the data that describes it.
If I create a full-scale animotronic version of myself (a la Disney or 19th century automatons) is that my "twin"?
I am looking for ways of reading or writing a Revit file formats. Could you please provide any information regarding the above and if there is any documentation available?
To date, the read side is well implemented, the write side is a more difficult project and is only partially available. Note that this is for writing your own software. If you don't want to do that, then consider a CAD program that reads RVT files, such as BricsCAD V21 (due out end of October), ARES 2020, and other programs that have implemented RVT-read
Let me add an interesting, contemporary twist to this problem. As has been much described in these comments, my Logitech M705 started misbehaving and became almost impossible to use. Changed the batteries to no avail.
Decided to Google the problem and found this thread as a result. After reading all the original post and subsequent comments, I decided to try the USB extender cord. While preparing to do so, realized I had installed a Cam Link 4K [for connecting cameras live to computers] in the USB port adjacent to the Logitech receiver. Unplugging the Cam Link, instantly the mouse resumed its normal behavior with no problems. Reinstalled the Cam Link and the mouse's erratic behavior immediately returned.
I moved the Cam Link device to another USB port away from the Logitech receiver. Problem solved!
- Ed (via WorldCAD Access)
- - -
My Logitech MX Master 2s started to act sporadic on my Macbook Pro. Instead of continuing to use the unifying receiver and/or extension cables, I merely went to the Mouse preferences and hooked it up as a bluetooth mouse.
Now it is working fine, and I have a spare useless receiver in a drawer.
- Scott Duchin (via WorldCAD Access)
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Recently, generative design entered the interest of the AEC industry mainstream when it was included in Revit 2021 as a new feature. In this article, I explore the various challenges and opportunities offered by this way of working -- many of which aren't often marketed openly.
Any given design process we engage in typically involves a myriad of interconnected variables, whether they be compliance-driven or simply personal preferences. Capturing all of this in a code-based workflow can be challenging, if not impossible (at least to the time-frames we work within). Long story, short: generative design is difficult.
Many industries have been benefiting from generative design for many years now (such as medical research and industrial design), however this is typically from a pure optimization perspective. Usually the generative goals are not focused on aesthetic appeal, a much harder aspect of a building to objectively measure. Generative outcomes are often quite 'ugly’; as evidence, just check out this study by Fusion 360's optimization of the Golden Gate bridge. See figure 1.
Figure 1. A bridge not even a mother could love (image source engineering.com)
To further understand how difficult it has been for the AEC mainstream to embrace generative design, we only need look at the fact that there have been AEC-relevant tools (like Grasshopper) able to work in a generative manner for at least a decade now. Will another tool entering the industry change this, or are we simply witnessing a hype cycle?
Barriers to Implementation
Generative design faces barriers to realized success. The primary one is probably perceived return-on-investment (ROI). If a generative study cannot save time or money in a provable manner, it is difficult to take it beyond a curiosity.
One way to combat this is to develop generative tools that can assist on a wide variety of projects, but in this case we encounter another issue: generative outcomes are often overly simplified and cannot handle later exceptions to their predefined rules.
Some companies have successfully developed generative tools for their own internal use, some prominent examples being the dashboards of NBBJ Digital (see figure 2), or Gensler's forays into modular building generation. In both cases, the setup and management of these systems require a significant investment in terms of time, maintenance, and staffing to generate a significant return on investment.
Figure 2: Example of digital dashboard set up by NBBJ to package generative and feasibility studies (image source nbbj.com/about/digital-practice/)
AEC firms are not usually known for taking such deep dives into the fiscally unknown, and so examples like these have proven this is usually the only way to get started.
Generative Design LT
It is worth noting that nearly all major firms investing in generative design are not using the newly introduced tool in Revit to make their studies, and I expect they never will. Whilst the newly added tool is a welcome addition to the collection of 'nobs and whistles' progressively being grafted onto Revit, I believe its true benefit is simply introducing the concept of generative design to the unaware. From here, I expect most will move to other, more fit-for-purpose platforms once they encounter some limitations.
The primary limitation of Revit's Generative Design tool is that it relies on its geometry engine, as well as Dynamo (Autodesk’s computational design software for BIM), for its execution. No matter how smitten users may be with Revit, few will defend the speed and ease of using it to generate complex geometric forms that a generative study would typically rely upon.
Historically, AEC users have leveraged Rhino 3D and its scripting environment Grasshopper to produce generative tools and studies. Such add-ons as Galapagos evolutionary solver (integrated since v5), Wallacei multi-objective optimization engine, and Octopus parametric problem solver provide a wide variety of methods by which to create complex and meaningful studies, further enhanced by analytical add-ons, such as Ladybug weather tools. The Human UI add-on also provides the ability to flexibly design custom user interfaces for Grasshopper, such as the one previously shown by NBBJ.
In comparison, the Generative Design tool in Revit has a restricted UI, as well as three pre-defined methods of undertaking and filtering study results -- limited potential, with the trade-off of greater ease of use. The types of studies used to market the Generative Design tool must also be scrutinized: a furniture layout and the optimization of three boxes. One could argue that these are telling of the tool’s self-aware nature of its inherent limitations.
Let us imagine we are designing a simple single story residential dwelling. The script we will be using to undertake the generative study in this case looks a bit like figure 3:
Figure 3: Script for a simple study
All generative studies rely on the measurement-of-fitness for numerical goals. These goals come in many forms, but ultimately they will be the key to defining how we develop and review our study – the end justifies the means. Such goals we may wish to measure are the following:
Space planning fitness
Maximizing areas
Minimizing areas
In the case of our study, we will focus on measuring four concurrent goals:
Maximizing living room area
Maximizing back yard area
Minimizing front yard area
Minimizing corridor area
It is important to note that our script uses a predefined spatial layout; for example, the master bedroom is always at the front of the house. Whilst we will allow a range of flexibility to the sizes of rooms in the generated layout, we will not give the script the ability to rearrange these spaces at will. Such a change to our study would, at the very least, double the complexity of how our study is conducted and built.
Establishing Initial Constraints
Before we even begin the design and layout process, we have to contend with the following development constraints that are beyond our control:
Height restrictions
Front, rear, and side setbacks
Maximum and minimum areas
Other LEP/DCP [Australian Local Environmental Plan / Development Control Plan] requirements
These must all be captured in an initial portion of a generative design study in a scripted form. In the case of our hypothetical study this is achieved by the following steps:
Capturing site controls as scripted inputs
Beginning from a start point (origin)
Establishing a site boundary
Establishing a compliant building outline
The script portion that handles this part of our study looks like this:
Figure 4: All this just to create a box and a line
If this already looks too complex for your liking, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Introducing the House Contents
Once the boundaries of the study are established, the remainder of the script deals with working inwards from these boundaries to script the layout of our house. Note that we cannot simply model our house like we would in Revit; a generative study requires a fully coded workflow.
The requirement of coding a solution is often the main stumbling point for newcomers to generative design. They only see what marketing shows, which is a nice end product and a clean user interface: how complex can it really be? Very complex, it turns out.
By working inwards from our building boundary and corner points, we can code all the rooms into our study as rectangles that report their areas. From this, we can generate what is leftover (the living area). Note that we are also introducing some optional criteria:
The alfresco [outdoor covered living area] at the rear can be combined with the living space
The third room on the right (a media room adjacent to bedrooms 2 and 3) can be omitted. See figure 5.
Figure 5: Well, that got a bit more complex!
As before, if the above is looking too complex, then I have some bad news for you: we are not done yet. We still need to visualize our results and measure our goals.
Finishing the Study
Whilst so far we have been viewing our study in coded format, we must construct a visually discernible outcome for the end of our study. We could simply report back the numerical results; most users, however, require visual aids to interpret the numerical goals/fitness. See figure 6.
Figure 6: Looking a bit more like a house
Note that everything is still contained within Dynamo, the coding environment. Our study does not necessarily generate a house in Revit with walls, floors, rooms, and so on. This would require an additional 'back-end' that would likely need the same amount of coding.
This leads to a common narrative I try to promote to others: we are not typically setting up a workflow to automate the model setup process. The real value is derived from using the tools as planning and decision-making aids. If you simply want an automated house layout, send some money overseas to an outsourcing firm; you will save time and money vs. attempting to automate your design process.
Running and Reviewing the Study
Once we have set up the Dynamo script (and defined the inputs/outputs), we can export the study to the Generative Design tool itself. See figure 7. This process will also capture any graph dependencies, such as custom packages that may be involved in the study. (In our case, we are using none.) Note that if you are using the educational version of Revit 2021, you will only be able to run your study from within Dynamo itself.
Figure 7: The Export (left) and Define Study (right) dialogues
The tool presents us with a few methods to generate our study, each supporting a different means of generating and reviewing its results:
In the case of Randomize, our inputs are generated at random and we will see every result generated.
If we use Optimize, Revit instead creates sub-studies from a population size; for example, in the above study we will see the most successful result of ten studies, with 20 sub-studies undertaken for each.
If we use Cross Product, Revit exhausts every possible combination the study can produce.
(An important type of study that is not offered by the tool is an Evolutionary method. In this case, each iteration of the study takes results from the previous population to generate the next, essentially forming an evolution that optimizes itself progressively until an ideal solution is reached.)
Once the study is undertaken, we can review and filter the results. In the case of the above study, I have sorted results so that I see first the studies which generated the most living room area. See figure 8. As we would logically expect, the alfresco is not present in any of these outcomes. (Which lends to the question: did we even need to include it in the first place?)
Figure 8: Results of the generative study
I also applied a filter on the third-to-last goal (GOAL_AreaLiving) to isolate a smaller sub-set of results for detailed review. By selecting one of these, I can review the inputs that generated the successful outcome, which I then can use to inform my actual design.
(In the bottom right of figure 8 is the option to Create Revit Elements, should the study be designed to allow this to occur.)
Problems to Solutions
As I previously mentioned, this study works with a predefined housing layout and known setback requirements. If I were to conduct this study with a different layout or planning requirements, I would probably need to edit the base script, or begin again. Generative studies are often tailored to very specific problems, and so they might not provide broad use cases beyond their initial setup.
In the case of the above study, the entire process took me three hours to set up and conduct. Given that this is for a very specific use case, it is unlikely I would have generated enough ROI on such a study to justify its setup. Whilst on the surface it may wow a client, the conclusions drawn from the study are not revelations by any means:
If I want to make my living area larger, I should remove the alfresco.
Likewise, I should exclude the media room.
Likewise, my rooms should all be as small as possible.
To maximize my backyard, I should work close to the front setbacks.
I intentionally set up my study to demonstrate that when the goals are too simple, the results will be too predictable and not generate an outcome different from what we could have simply predicted ourselves. Maybe we should have asked more specific questions like these ones:
Which side of the house should my bedrooms be on?
How can I maximize sunlight to living areas?
Which results achieve the most cross ventilation?
What if I rearranged room locations in each case?
All of the above are more loaded questions, with less predictable outcomes. Each of these would also compound the complexity of the script to set up. For all of them, there must be a break-even point identified for the time invested vs. the results obtained.
Conclusion: Question the Answer
All of the above challenges lead me to these burning questions:
What is the problem that generative design ultimately solves for our industry?
Are we ready for it and, if not, when will we be?
Simply put, I believe that generative design does not answer any questions unless we ask the right ones in the first place. As is the case with BIM, generative design is far more than a set of tools – it is a process. The tools necessitate that the answers they provide must be to questions we cannot easily prove to our clients.
I commend all those out there leveraging generative design to improve their design workflows, but I encourage all those considering exploring this field to focus more on the questions, and less on the answers.
- - -
Gavin Crump is a BIM consultant and the founder of BIM Guru, a Revit training and consulting firm in Australia. (h/t: R. vD.)
You and I (and many others) are extremely fortunate that during our life path our early careers intersected with a brand new (and soon to be burgeoning) industry: CAD. For me, it was 1984 and my first job as a drafter helping implement an Intergraph MEDS dual InterAct CAD system hooked up to a VAX VMS mainframe.
I remember CADalyst and the elusive CADReport, and watched an industry morph from 2D CAD, to wireframe, to 3D Parametric solid modeling into the behemoth that it is. Your writing over all these years has provided us a beacon of direction, and a comfort of reliability.
I have often wondered, as hard as it is to just focus on ONE aspect of CAD, how is it that you have been able to cover the many aspects and industries it entails? Truly amazing, and a dedication to such an industry.
It’s been such a pleasure sharing this professional road with you. Congratulations on 35 years of guidance! - Randy Mees, Sr. Manager, Designer Transcather Heart Valves, Edwards Lifesciences
The editor replies: In my early years at CADalyst, I was only-AutoCAD, always-AutoCAD. After I left, book publishers asked me to write about other CAD, so I got exposed to Microstation (the most un-AutoCAD-like CAD package ever!), Generic CADD, Visio, and then all the IntelliCAD clones. They were relatively simple to pick up.
Grasping 3D history-based sketch-based parametric MCAD, like Inventor and Solidworks, took me years, mainly because I was spoiled by AutoCAD's simple 3D, and so I could not figure out why you would want to be dependent on history, need to start from sketches, or bother with parametrics.
A great help to me over the years was all the interviews I have done at shows and online. Experts at firms explain to my audience (and me) how things work.
Color me cynical, but after a while, there really isn't much new. Cloud CAD is just a rehash of what Alibre tried two decades ago, which was a copy of the terminal-mainframe system I used two decades before that. BIM is a newer version of smart architectural software from the 1990s, which did exactly what we expected architectural CAD should do -- insert a window symbol and slide it along the wall. Generative design is just a better version of iterations of a FORTRAN-like DO loop. Mobile CAD is just desktop CAD with fewer commands.
In my opinion, AutoCAD is EOL [end of life]. Nice to have for a quick and dirty drawing, but no longer for every day use. That's a job for the verticals.
I think Autodesk is of the same opinion, seeing the 'improvements' over the last years releases; mostly bells and whistles, although importing PDF is a nice addition, for the time being. - Simon Weel
Re: Open Design Alliance DevCon 2020
You wrote, "The problem lies in the file format. Once a model is in Revit, it is not effortless to move it to another system."
Even with a common file format, things are nearly impossible without a common data format or at least common data naming.
Case in point: I hand my architectural model to a furnishing consultant and to a medical planner. They use their own developed libraries of content; each could have data fields for the same information using different names. Once I receive the model back, how do I then combine the fields to do scheduling and cost analysis?
I know there are default fields, but not all of them are required for a project. There are attempts at this, such as OpenRFA, but without industry support, they don't get widely accepted. - Dave Edwards Dave Edwards Consulting
The editor replies: Then there is the whole issue of intellectual property. Architects, who spend time (ie money) on developing a BIM model aren't keen to hand it off to others. This can be overcome if it is agreed that the owner owns the BIM model, pays appropriately for its development, and so allows it to be shared.
Mr Edwards responds: No kidding. We are required to turn over our entire model, including all the Families [Revit's parametric block libraries] we have developed or purchased; they ended up with copies of all of our hard work. We feel some system of copy protection is needed so that they can use the model to print and do scheduling, but not extract the Families for use on other projects.
- - -
Thirty and more years ago the “standard” for translating between systems was IGES [Initial Graphics Exchange Specification]. Most systems were pretty good at writing IGES files, but all systems were horrible at reading the files -- except those that originated in their system, so round-trip conversions usually worked.
To successfully translate between systems, you almost always had to use IGES Flavoring software, which would take the IGES file from system A and modify it to be able to be properly interpreted by system B, usually by massaging it to use the round-trip capabilities. By writing customized Flavoring software you usually could, but not always, get something useful into the second system.
So, it seems that the more things change, the more they remain the same. - Scott Taylor, founder Tailor Made Software
The editor replies: It appears BuildingSmart wants to do some kind of flavoring approach with IFC v5.
Now you're talking my language, Ralph! Always good stuff from LEDAS, but I disagree with Ivan's conclusion that it is better to not make the base visitor class abstract.
I think the top-level base class should *always* be abstract, a pure interface. An intermediate second-level base class can be introduced with empty implementations of all virtual functions. In this way you can have your cake, and eat it, too. Then, each implementation scenario can decide which base class is most appropriate for it: the top-level abstract base that ensures compile-time errors in case the abstract interface changes; or the non-abstract second-level base if the implementation doesn't care about changes in the top-level interface. - Owen Wengerd
Your piece struck a reminiscent cord with me, particularly those early computer days. My first exposure was to a Digital, I do believe, PDP-80 (maybe? I think). Shortly thereafter, it was replaced by an HP. This was at the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology circa 1972/1973.
I recall programming with cards, where you could mark or shade boxes with a soft pencil. If memory serves correctly, once programmed with cards you could get a punched paper tape copy and/or backup for subsequent use.
The photo shows a punched tape copy of a program for solving quadratic equations (no claim that it actually worked is implied). As always, thanks for your work. - Jim Longley Canada
The editor replies: I never did work with punch tape, but the blank punch cards were used for everything else in university life, like notepads, signs, study sheets...
Thank You, Readers
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Siemens last summer held an online launch event [replay: youtube.com/watch?v=2nZXi9YJ3o4] for Solid Edge 2021, at which it emphasized the do-it-all nature of this mid-range software. Presenter vp of R&D Dan Staples boasted that Solid Edge has "the best mechanical design in the marketplace." (Siemens had not yet held a launch event for NX.)
In addition to MCAD, Mr Staples noted that Solid Edge 2021 is involved in a number of related fields (see figure 1), ones that aren't, however, quite as complete as marketing might suggest. It is Siemens as a whole that has the breadth in software offerings, with Capital electrical design for vehicles and aircraft as the most recent significant acquisition.
Figure 1: Breadth of activities performed by Solid Edge 2021
Electrical Design in Solid Edge consists primarily of designing cabinets and auto-routing wire harnesses; it doesn't actually do electrical design. Instead, it depends on importing electrical and PCB designs through TeamCenter, IDX, and DSI files.
Simulation is conducted through a cutdown version of Siemens's own Simcenter.
Manufacturing involves choosing tools for simulating models cut by multi-axis CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] machines, as well as AM [additive manufacturing] material selection and output checking.
Technical Publications means generating interactive documents through the HTML5-enabled Share3D at https://www.share3d.com/, and PDF files; see Figure 2.
Figure 2 Exploding a 3D model for training
Data Management employs parts of TeamCenter inside Solid Edge to control drawings.
Cloud-based Collaboration refers to a separate program, TeamCenter X (in beta), for sharing and viewing models on mobile devices, and using AR [augmented reality] to place them in the physical realm; see figure 3 or visit https://trials.sw.siemens.com/teamcenterx-cloud-plm/.
Figure 3: Teamcenter X placing a 3D model the real world
Sub-division Modeling is the number-one feature touted by Siemens for Solid Edge 2021. It really is meant for industrial designers who make organic-looking things like the swoopy shell of a mouse or camera body. The emphasis in sub-d is not accuracy but looks.
Me, I have difficulty with freeform sketching programs like Gravit, and so I find sub-d just as difficult to wrangle. Never mind. Here is how it works. You begin with a primitive, like a box or sphere, and then interactively push and pull mesh areas to get closer and closer to the shape you want.
When you need greater detail, you sub-divide some meshes into smaller ones. Sharp corners are added by manipulating edges. Solid Edge includes a handy mirror function, so that anything you do on one half is replicated in the other half to create a perfectly symmetrical result. See figure 4.
Figure 4: Mirrored subdivision modeling in Solid Edge 2021
Arriving at a curvy mouse or camera body is faster with sub-d modeling than with solid modeling, but eventually the mesh needs to work with solids. Here, Siemens offers Convergent Modeling, its take on allowing disparate data to exist in a single model, including generative and reverse-engineered (3D scans) ones. Sub-d modeling is included with both the Classic and Premium versions of Solid Edge 2021, so you don't pay extra for it.
Let me run down highlights for some of the other new features:
Modeling. To make large assemblies faster, all parts are kept in a single assembly file. Internal relationships (like constraints) are now remembered when copying and pasting parts from one assembly to another.
Frames can have gaps to allow for welds, and semi-automatically add inward or outward end-caps with optional offsets and chamfers. Nesting now optimizes parts placement on unusual shapes, like cow hides.
Sheetmetal. Multiple edges receive flanges just by selecting them and then pulling, and partial flanges can be constructed. Decals lets you place images and logos, even across multiple faces.
Simulation. The 2021 release adds electronics air cooling analysis from Simcenter's FLOEFD fluid simulation module. Package Creator defines the packaging and solder points of chips.
Modern chips generate a lot of heat, and so simulation in Solid Edge now handles the impacts from air flow and cooling of fans, shown as temperature curves and iso-surfaces that represent air flow direction, velocity, and temperature. See figure 5. Structural designs also can take temperature into account.
Figure 5: Iso-surface visualization of fan's cooling capacity
User Interface. Adaptive UI tracks the commands with which you are working, and then guesses the next command you might need. CAD managers can take output from experienced users and give it to novice users as they learn to do specific tasks, with Solid Edge telling them the next command to employ.
Parts Catalog. Siemens licensed the Cadenas parts library to provide Solid Edge 2021 with 1,500 manufacturers' catalogs. There is a visual search function that returns results sorted by percentage likelihood of matching your request.
Q&A
Q: Siemens had a sketching app on Android a few years ago, which I notice hasn't been updated in over a year. Is NX Sketch based on this technology?
A: Good catch on that. We learned from CatchBook how people sketch, but NX Sketch is brand-new and is built into NX. It avoids over-constraints on sketches.
Q: Is NX Share available standalone or only in NX? A: Right now, it is part of NX. It will be available standalone later this year.
Q: Regarding the $100 million AAR [average recurring revenue] of Mendix: why did revenues skyrocket? A: The covid crisis is making companies wanting to build apps quickly, to work remotely. Even before, Mendix provided local capabilities, such as to Teamcenter. It grew 155% over last year.
Q: What is the pricing for Teamcenter X? A: We have very competitive and attractive pricing with what's out there on the market.
Q: Is Teamcenter Share a re-badge of Solid Edge Portal? A: Absolutely not. It is built on the Mendix platform. It adds CAD knowledge to a Dropbox-like platform.
Q: Will Teamcenter be replaced by Teamcenter X over time? Is this part of a roadmap to replace all desktop programs with cloud apps? A: We are not one of those vendors who go to their customers who say, "As of May 25, we will be completely SaaS [software as a service, a.k.a. cloud-only]." This is not our approach. We are modernizing products by bringing them to the cloud. Customers can make the transition, if they want to, when they are ready. We will never have to have that hard discussion with customers about them having to make a difficult transition of technologies.
Q: What market does Teamcenter X target? A: Immediately, in the mid-market. But there is interest from large customers as well.
Q: How is Mendix affecting development at Siemens, and will it be an independent company? A: We learn a lot from each other. We don't forget that Mendix began with business applications, such as HR [human resources] and finance. So we can solve the complete solution across the board for customers.
Q: How is your partnership with Bentley on CALM [capital asset lifecycle management] going? A: It is growing business for data management of plant design, offshore platforms, and so on. We will be doing more together, as you will hear in the coming 12-18 months. We are bringing Teamcenter product configuration to these large projects.
Q: When will authoring [design] software like NX be on the cloud? A: The cloud is a major trend, and we are looking at how to bring more of it to our customers. We are working on the authoring side, but the real strength of the cloud is on the collaboration side. So, for instance, we are bringing more collaboration to the authoring software.
Q: Revenues of your division for the year? A: Siemens does not report divisional revenues [such as for Siemens Digital Industries Software], but maybe that will change in the future, like in two years. We are outgrowing our competition every quarter.
Q: How is simulation, CD-Adapco doing? A: Overall it is doing well. Simulation is core to the digital twin of vehicles and plants. Our simulation revenues are equal to the revenues of the market leader [ANSYS]. That gets lost in our large portfolio of software.
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
This is an era where, it seems to me, some CAD vendors concentrate harder on collecting subscriptions from customers than improving their software. So it is good to see Siemens going all out by loading up this year's release of Solid Edge with lots of new functions.
During the launch event, the host introduced Solid Edge 2021 to us by saying, "We bring the technologies of tomorrow to our customers today." But some new features -- like sub-d modeling and electrical design -- were long needed to catch up with competitors AutoCAD and Solidworks, respectively. The improvements to fluid simulation were, I suspect, in reaction to Discovery Live fluid simulation added by PTC to Creo last year. Other new features, like the "AI"-enabled interface, are trickle-downs from earlier releases of NX.
[This article first appeared in Design Engineering magazine and is reprinted with permission.]
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Re: Open Design Alliance DevCon 2020
I tried using IFC when using the educational version of Tekla. I wanted to go between Inventor and Tekla, one way or the other. Could not be done. I tried it with other CAD software and found it could not be done.
The reason is because of the extensive amount of time and energy that goes into telling the IFC converter all the data for each and every structural part, if at all available in the software itself, and if it is the same in the other software. I quickly discovered that there is no IFC standard per IFC standard!
And if you let the software do the metadata exchange for you, it'll screw you every time. If you can manage to work your way through the process, you’ll be so exhausted by the time you’re done, that it makes the process untenable.
My limited experience says that “details in BIM are too low for CAM” is a low estimate. I’ve found that “details in BIM are too low for most of the fabrication and construction involved”.
The reason is because the fab shops can’t get sufficient dimensions off BIM drawings to “cut and fit.” That is, if the drawings done right, which is nearly never, due to the cost-cutting which hires novices to make the drawings.
That lack of sufficient BIM dimensional info is why they farm out the structural to structural detailers, the reinforced concrete to concrete detailers, the miscellaneous steel to steel detailers, the plumbing and piping to specialists, the machining...
Thanx for your ‘invigorating’ reporting! – Chris Cadman
The editor replies: The problem is that IFC was never meant to handle architectural data exchange. It was invented in 1994 by Autodesk with Release 13 to deal with data stored in custom (user-defined) objects, made possible by the then-new objectARX API. BuildingSmart is working at making it work.
Martyn Day, editor of the British AEC Magazine, has been pounding on the lack of the BIM-construction link. Autodesk spent a billion dollars to join the already-crowded construction monitoring software market, instead of on the BIM-CAM link that would have given them a leg up over competitors. Mr Cadman responds: At least ODA hasn’t sat on their thumbs with AutoCAD. Maybe if Autodesk worked up a translation app that exchanges data between their various 3D software, we’d have our solution already. One has to wonder where all the subscription $ goes, considering the little they do to substantially improve their software year after year.
The editor replies: Autodesk has a 3D translator meant primarily for MCAD but does not work with AEC.
Siemens has a perspective unique among MCAD software firms: it's the only one operating as a manufacturer. Other big MCAD vendors, like Autodesk and PTC, have presentation centers in which they show manufacturing at tiny scales, but Siemens is a manufacturing behemoth that last year made CAD$115 billion -- 20x more than its largest CAD software competitor, Dassault Systemes.
The CAD division at Siemens is unique also in that we never know for sure what its name is. Today, it's Siemens Digital Industries Software. Before, it was Siemens PLM Software, earlier Siemens PLM Systems, and before that Unigraphics and EDS. The high-end NX CAD software got its new name following the merging of Unigraphics and I-DEAS. Only its mid-range Solid Edge CAD program kept its name constant throughout the decades.
NX and Solid Edge were birthed by the oldest CAD companies in history. Unigraphics began in 1969 as "Uniapt" CAM software from United Computing. The same year, Intergraph launched as a CAD-oriented mapping company. Solid Edge is the result of a 1995 experiment in building next-gen software, but it didn't fit Intergraph's product line, so no one was surprised when Intergraph sold Solid Edge to Unigraphics after just three years. NX and Solid Edge arrived at Siemens through the German company's 2007 acquisition of Unigraphics.
The Future Is the Cloud -- Perhaps
Siemens is the largest CAD vendor to resist today's notion that design software must run on the cloud, a position that is in direct contrast to competitors who find customers still clinging to desktops irritating. For Siemens Digital Industries Software CEO Tony Hemmelgarn, design belongs on the desktop -- end of story. "We will never have to have that hard discussion with customers about them having to make a difficult transition of technologies [from desktop to cloud]," he said.
What does belong in the cloud is collaboration, and so Siemens is working at making its popular Teamcenter collaborative software run on the cloud, under the name of Teamcenter X. You can see how this makes sense: engineers have powerful desktop systems running NX, collaborating with each other and fieldworkers through the cloud.
When it comes to the cloud, Siemens offers unusual flexibility. You can have software hosted by Siemens (on Amazon), on private or local cloud providers, on your premise, at the edge, and hybrids thereof. No one else offers this.
You Pay Your Way
Siemens insists customers should have a choice in how to pay for software, whether through permanent licenses or by subscription. Mr Hemmelgarn says he is surprised at how many of his competitors have forced customers onto subscriptions.
Despite his declaration, the company is nevertheless pushing forward with software that can only be paid for by subscription. It turns out that CAD vendors who go to the cloud have no choice in the matter, because software that runs non-stop on the cloud has to be paid for non-stop to cloud providers like Amazon, and so customers also have to pay non-stop.
Siemens emphasized the cloud over desktop-bound software during July's presentation to the CAD press. While NX was mentioned often by customer testimonials, Solid Edge and simulation division CD-Adapco got no attention at all. Never mind that Siemens' simulation division makes as much as market leader ANSYS ($1.5 billion last year) and more than all of PTC.
Siemens' Future is Mendix
If we understand nothing else about the future for Siemens, it's that it is based on Mendix. This platform with the unusual name has an unusual history: it began as a cloud-based visual programming service for business applications, like human resources and scheduling. Two years ago, Siemens bought it for CAD$950 million, and then applied it to CAD.
We can think of Mendix as a combination of Autodesk's Forge API and PTC's Onshape/Atlas platform. It has a three-fold role at Siemens:
A set of software for running businesses
An API [application programming interface] for customers to customize
The underlying technology that powers all cloud apps for Siemens
"We are launching a lot of applications based on Mendix," said senior vp of Business Strategy and Marketing Brenda Discher, formerly of Autodesk marketing.
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
Siemens places the emphases on the right areas. Design belongs on the desktop; subscriptions ought to be optional; automatic upgrades are pausable; collaboration should be hostable anywhere. These are policies that reassure customers that their future with Siemens is a stable one. https://solidedge.siemens.com
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Next Week: You get a look at what is new in Solid Edge 2021, plus an extended Q&A with executives from Siemens.
[This article first appeared in Design Engineering magazine and is reprinted with permission.]
And in Other News
The following posts appeared on the WorldCAD Access blog during the summer:
Vectorworks ships its namesake software, Vectorworks 2021, with a new Project Sharing server and multi-threaded Vectorworks Graphics Module cache that offers up to 5x faster file loading. https://www.vectorworks.net
I just fired up my old copy of Generic CADD to do some drafting and realized my memory is not as good as I thought it was in using it. This [Inside Generic CADD ebook] will come in handy to refresh my brain cells. – J. G. The editor replies: I am glad to hear it helps. I notice that I produced the book first in the print version in 1993.
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I've been reading your blog on and off for the last few months--I have a lot to learn from your technical knowledge. Thanks for being so passionate about CAD software, – Clifton Harness
Re: Architecture firms to Autodesk: We're no longer happy with Revit
For Autodesk, Revit became the Perfect Storm. With the grip on the DWG file format waning, another strategy had to be put into place. They did it with Revit:
Government contracts mandating its use
A file format not backwards-compatible
And a subscription model.
I know BIM is a "process," but I saw many contracts which essentially stated the application was not mandated, but the deliverables had to be in RVT format. BIM by its very nature requires an open file exchange format, tools for data exchange, and collaboration. When that didn't happen, the only thing left was the single-source option.
This needed to be an industry-wide effort, as MIDI was in the music industry. Even in the earliest days, we could see there was so much which needed to be standardized to make the dream of BIM a reality, but it never happened (even using a single source). It could still be done but a lot of money and time has already been spent and I'm afraid "the horse has left the barn."
No one listened then, maybe they're listening now. – Dave Edwards Dave Edwards Consulting
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There are more professional CAD and BIM software products to consider these days than waaayyyy overpriced Autodesk products. I've never understood why larger practices and some individuals don't explore the market to recognize this fact and thus end up being VANILLA-CAD users and out of pocket. Instead of this tenuous lobbying, just change your CAD HB-pencil!
List of alternative CAD/BIM products than Autodesk:
4MSA IDEA - Architectural Design (IntelliCAD)
AutoDesSys - Form-Z
Bentley - Architecture
Bricsys – BricsCAD / BricsCAD BIM
Cadline Network Ltd – ArchLine-Xp & LT (light) version
CadLogic - Draft it Architectural
CADSoft - Envisioneer
Chief Architect
DataCAD LLC – Software for AEC Professionals
Elecosoft – Arcon Evo Visual Building Premium
FreeCAD Arch Xeometric – EliteCad Architecture
Gehry Technologies - Digital Project Designer
Graphisoft - ArchiCAD
IMSI/Design – TurboCAD Professional
NanoSoft - NanoCad Construction
Nemetschek - Allplan Architecture
Nemetschek - Vectorworks Architect
ProgeSoft – ProgeCAD Architecture
Robert McNeel & Associates - Rhino 3D + VisualARQ
Softtech – Spirit Pro
Trimble – SketchUp Pro
ZWSOFT - ZWCAD Pro
– Clayton Taylor Trotman & Taylor Architectural Consultants, England
The editor replies: The problem lies in the file format. Once a model is in Revit, it is not effortless to move it to another system. IFC helps, but is not perfect; full RVT support from ODA is a year away.
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine:
Robert G Findlay, Australia
Gijs Willem Sloof of Talenting Investments, The Netherlands (two donations)
To support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are these:
Issue #1,065 | Celebrating 35 Years in CAD | September 14, 2020
From the Editor
It was this month in 1985 that I began writing about computer-aided design, as CADalyst magazine hired me to be their new technical editor.
Now it's 35 years later, and thanks to you amazing readers, I'm still reporting on our favorite software.
- Ralph Grabowski
Open Design Alliance
DevCon 2020
Compiled by Ralph Grabowski
We were supposed to be in Munich for this event, but then coronavirus ruined the trip. The Open Design Alliance’s DevCon 2020 was, as a result, online, just like other CAD software conferences this year.
In ODA president Neil Peterson overview of the industry, he noted that this is a down year for BIM [building information modeling], but then expects it to grow by an annual average of 14.5% through to 2025. Some of the issues (pro and con) that define the market are the many design programs available, multiple data formats, a growing number of stakeholders, and the biggest problem of all: the gap between design tools and offsite prefabrication, as details in BIM are too low for CAM [computer-aided manufacturing].
The ODA wants to make BIM (and other aspects of CAD) transparent: to view, publish, collaborate, exchange data, and manipulate data openly. (See figure 1.) The idea of an open standard created by industry stands in contrast to those proprietary formats preferred by software vendors. ODA backs up its slogan "transparent BIM" with SDKs [software development kits] named BIMrv (for Revit) and BIMnv (for Navisworks).
Figure 1: The technology stack from Open Design Alliance (all images sourced from DevCon prsentations)
ODA + bSI + OGS
Last year, ODA partnered with buildingSmart International (bSI) to provide the SDKs for the IFC [industry foundation classes] format used by the BIM industry to exchange data. This year, ODA inked an agreement with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC); the two are exploring how they might work together. I assume ODA will make SDKs for OGC.
There has always been an obvious link between CAD and GIS [geographic information systems]; indeed, that is how Intergraph got its start in 1969. As long ago as 2007 GIS-CAD became “3D information management,” because more than just CAD data works with GIS, such as BIM. (See figure 2.) And so OGC agreed this year to work with ODA.
Figure 2: The sorts of things handled by OGC
This Year’s IFC v4.3
IFC v4.3 includes more of the built environment, while two dozen object types have been deprecated or replaced by new schema. Built environment means physical structures, such as roads, canals, and shopping centers. (See figure 3.) IFC schema have to be proved by actual implementation before they can be approved as ISO standards, and so for 4.3 this is happening through a number of railroad and road organizations in North America and Europe.
Figure 3: The built environments supported by IFC 4.3
The nomenclature has changed: bSI replaced the x in version numbers with ., so the old (and confusing) 4x3 is now 4.3.
The Future IFC 5
IFC version 5 will be more efficient and less confusing.
More efficient, because IFC data will become available in a larger number of file formats, such as adding XML, OWL, JSON, HDF5, and so on to the current STEP; UML [unified modeling language] will be the primary format. HDF5 [hierarchical data format] in particular offers smaller file sizes and faster load times due to compression and structure; see ogc.org/standards/HDF5. (See figure 4.) We talked about HDFs in upFront.eZine #1,058.
Figure 4: The advantages to using HDF5 with IFC
Less confusing, because right now model view definitions (MVD) allow software vendors to cherry-pick parts of IFC to implement in their software; the idea was that they wouldn't need to implement the entire standard, which is huge. But if an IFC file is exported according to one MVD, and the recipient software package is written to another MVD, then confusion reigns when there is insufficient overlap between the two MVDs.
MVDs will change in the future. The replacement will be IDS [information delivery system] in which the vendor says what information is needed from an IFC file.
The new information delivery standard of IFC 5 means there will be a single IFC base for all programs for long-term . The root of IFC will have fewer updates for stability (every three to five years) with entity definitions having more frequent ones to keep current (every one to three years).
IFC will be publicly available on GitHub. The ODA demo’ed using IFC files in HDF5 format. Their IFC viewer for Windows and MacOS supports the newest IFC versions. It does all the tasks we expect of viewers today, such as sections, but now also displays shadows and handles collision detection. It exports the IFC model to PDF. Anyone can download it fro free from openifcviewer.com
SDKs for Revit and Navisworks
The ODA supports Revit file formats up to today's RVT 2021 (see figure 5).
Figure 5: The capabilities of ODA's BIimRv API
During the online conference, we saw some of the new functions being made available from the ODA:
Several kinds of sectioning (see figure 6)
Color-filled 2D plans based on function
User worksets, which isolate grouped elements by name
Conditional load/unloads that save can 1GB RAM, on average
Figure 5: Sectioning of Revit models by BimRv
While the ODA’s BimRv SDK reads and displays Revit files, the big deal (and tougher job) is creating RVT files, which also means being able to edit them. This is still under development. The ODA has a road map to show which functions will be released over the next sixteen months. (See figure 7.) Creation functions include curves, custom parameters, connectors, materials, view-based elements (sheets), forms, families, Boolean operations, and openings.
Figure 7: Roadmap from ODA for BimRv
We also saw the progress being made with Navisworks compatibility, which for Autodesk is a kind of universal file format on the AEC side. See figure 8 for the roadmap.
Figure 8: Roadmap from ODA for BIMnv
Bricsys told us how it uses the ODA’s SDKs for DWG, civil, BIM, and mechanical components. As of v21 BricsCAD will import RVT files, not just IFCs as in earlier releases. RVT elements are translated into native geometry, which for BricsCAD means DWG format. The translated elements can then be directly modeled, sectioned, and edited – and saved as DWG files for use in other software. (See figure 9.)
Figure 9: BricsCAD v21 with RVT-format model
BricsCAD v21 will place RVT files as underlays, which means they can be seen as references, but are not editable. Specific entities, such as walls, can be imported from the underlay, I think they said. BricsCAD 21 is due to ship by the end of October, 2020.
Q&A
Ralph Grabowski: I did not catch the line by Mr Ouellette about IFC. Does he think IFC can handle all forms of data (like DFM, digital twins) -- or not? If not, then what is the alternative to accessing that data?
Jeffrey Ouellette: The simple answer would be the use of linked data methodologies. bSI is exploring the use of IfcOWL, as well as implementations of JSON / IfcJSON to make it easier to link to other data sources and exchange them on a transactional basis.
Grabowski: I am not sure we heard exactly what is ODA doing with OGC?
Neil Peterson: We are looking at cooperation in a similar manner to the cooperation between ODA and bSI, where ODA would provide implementations for certain OGC standards. For example, CityGML has been discussed as a possible first project.
Fabio: Regarding Civil SDK, how much of API has been migrated to .Net? Is this SDK the same as AutoCAD Civil SDK?
Ivan: Currently, we wrapped all Civil into a public API. The API is the same as the C++ ODA Civil SDK.
John: The main point is I notice that the library seems more granular now.
Ralph Grabowski: Is the Android ODA viewer for anyone, or just members of ODA?
Alexander Federov: This application is for the ODA members, as a sample of using our Visualize SDK under the Android platform.
John: What are the main differences between Drawing vs. Visualize SDKs?
Alexander Federov: Visualize SDK is for the rendering of the different kinds of the data. It is not connected with some specific format. But strictly speaking, since Drawings SDK uses Visualize SDK for rendering contents of the DWG files, it is possible to transfer data to DWG first, and then render it with Visualize SDK as a contents of the DWG database. But such a transformation is sometimes not possible or efficient.
Fabio: Is it possible to use .Net C# to integrate all stacks (DWG SDK, Visualize, Publish) in order to develop cross-platform -- Windows, Mac, and mobile (IOS and Android)?
Alexander Borobikov: We provide wrappers for C++ code. Wrappers are generated for a large set pf SDKs: Drawings SDK, Visualize SDK, Publish SDK. But for now our wrappers are Windows-only.
Guido: Does Visualize support huge point cloud data that might not fit into memory?
Alexander Federov: Yes. We have the RCS [Re Cap source]-based point cloud object, which allows the use of LOD [levels of detail] for the huge point cloud data. Yesterday [at the conference], there was a demonstration of such a technique. It will be possible to see the recordings of yesterday's presentation and find some details about it.
Guido: Do you have any plans to support AR [augmented reality] or VR [virtual reality] in Visualize?
Alexander Federov: We created a VR sample two years ago. But it was frozen since then. We have a plan to reanimate activity with it next year. With AR, no plans yet.
Ben: Will recordings of these presentations be available later?
Alexander Borobikov: We will upload the materials to our Youtube channel, so they will be available.
What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
The importance of the Open Design Alliance is that it sets the pace for other CAD systems. In this way it is like the firms that produce kernels: numerous CAD systems depend on the capabilities delivered by updates to kernels, and likewise on the ODA.
Fortunately for members, the ODA sees DWG as more than just a file format, and so over the last decade has created a framework for application development around DWG. With its APIs and SDKs, members can create software like 2D/3D CAD programs that handle solids, custom file viewers of multiple file formats, PDF import/export, revisioning, and so on – for software running on desktop computers, Web browsers, and mobile devices. (See figure 10.)
Figure 10: Mobile version of DWG viewer and its capabilities
Perhaps the key to the ODA’s success is that it is a member-owned non-profit, ensuring long-term support. Being member-owned means that members determine the direction of development; being non-profit means that it does not need to satisfy a Wall Streetian demand for higher profits that comes at the expense of customer needs. www.opendesign.com
And in Other News
The following posts appeared on the WorldCAD Access blog during the summer:
I miss your Quotable Notables. I thought the irony was great. - Paul Bertram
The editor replies: It became, frankly, hard work for me to hunt down a steady supply for each week. I am glad that you liked them. If you want similar irony, follow @managerspeak on Twitter. Here is one of his aphorisms: "90% of success is showing up. We’re going to have to do that on Zoom for a while."
Here is a bonus one, to be filed under 'Spin Doctor of the Moment': "This account was incorrectly actioned. This has been reversed and the account has been reinstated." - Twitter
Re: Spaceclaim Success
It's hard to say how successful Spaceclaim's marketing was. And my experience is that nobody knows about Spaceclaim outside the CAD-nerd echo chamber -- and actually most CAD users have no clue what direct modeling is.
So if nobody knows about Spaceclaim, and it was not successful in terms of selling many seats, then can we say that their marketing was successful? - Istvan Csanady, CEO Shapr3D
The editor replies: They certainly gained mindshare, fostered the push in mainstream MCAD to emphasize direct modeling, and then disappeared from the CAD-nerd echo chamber with their acquisition by Ansys.
This is in response to this guy’s complaint, “Their unwillingness to offer any sort of help to repair or replace my far superior Performance MX mouse with a failing left-click button.” Tell him he may be able to open the mouse, and then buy a replacement switch from DigiKey. I’ve done that to my mouse before, so maybe it’s possible for him? Doing so requires minimal mechanical and soldering skills. - Chris Cadman
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Commenting on 3Dconnexion/Logitech, I ran across this last month. They are indeed separate from Logitech. I was surprised. See the last post in this forum topic: 3dconnexion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=35706 -Brian Cranston, CAD Administrator LSI Industries
The editor replies: Yah, there is a lot of confusion on this. 3dconnexion could help by making it clearer on their Web site.
Re: Dassault Systemes vs Solidworks, Part II
This is really a great eye-opening article. I use Solidworks every day at work. Though cloud-based has its benefits, I live in an area that sometimes has a poor internet connection. I rely on this software to get my job done and to get accurate and high-quality production drawings for our production facility.
If Solidworks starts getting phased out to introduce a new system, it will cost us years of learning and hard work to get our drawings where they are. Thank you for the eye opening article. I will be keeping closer tabs on this and will think towards what our future may look like in the Solidworks and 3D design world. Thank you so much for this article. - Josh Hixon Duluth Tree Service Pros
Ah, those where the days! Nth Engine's birds-eye view was the thing I missed most when switching to Matrox graphics cards.
I also remember the fiddling with jumpers / rocker switches on network cards, graphic cards and other ISA cards to get them to use different IRQ, DMA en I/O addresses. And particularly to optimize the I/O space so QEMM [Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager] could make the most of upper memory. Oh, well. - Simon Weel (via WorldCAD Access) The Netherlands
The editor replies: AutoCAD for a time also had a bird's-eye view (DsViewer command, expired in 2012), but I never found it particularly useful as it tended to be small, so as not take up much screen real estate (see figure below, credit cadforum.cz). If, back then, I could have afforded two monitors (they tended to be around $1,500 each in the 1990s), then a bird's eye view in one monitor might have been pretty nifty.
Bird's-eye view window at left
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Ever since 17 architectural firms wrote a letter of protest to AutoCAD ceo Andrew Anagnost regarding the status of Revit, reaction has been on-going. More architectural firms signed the letter. Our readers wrote lots of letters to the editor. More industry watchers gave their unique points of view on the problem faced by Autodesk, such as these ones:
Your article "Architecture firms to Autodesk: We're no longer happy with Revit" was very interesting, and emphasized some of the pain points we all suffer from being so tightly tied to the Revit platform.
It reminded me of a comment I wrote (a long, long time ago, in 2007) for the article "What Needs to be Fixed in AutoCAD" where I outlined about three dozen things that were just dumb about the program that I used just about every day since 1987.
In a comment to your recent article "Autodesk at 2020," I wrote (after a lengthy diatribe of explaining what's great about Revit) that "I could spend at least another hour talking about what’s wrong with Revit and how to fix it." - Matt Stachoni, BIM Manager Tutor Perini / Parsons, JV
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Your review of the status (and future) of Revit was fantastic, and at the same time sad. Autodesk seems to be suffering from shareholder paralysis, but I'm not an expert. It seems like frustration with product roadmaps and customer needs never ends.
I also liked your mention of customers maintaining their own development teams for customization. I loved working in that capacity years ago, but the opportunities in the defense world seemed bleak to me, and the compensation just doesn't compare with mainstream IT work.
Keep up the outstanding work that you do! I haven't worked in the CAD industry in quite a few years, but I still enjoy reading your articles and reviews. - David Stein
The editor replies: I explain to non-CAD users that Revit is like my previous car: 20 years old, liable to breakdowns, and costly to maintain.
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It is interesting -- in a sort of watching-a-train-wreck way -- to see Autodesk failing to deliver on keeping up its core business. But more curious to me is how this seems to suddenly be happening in a number of industries.
USA automakers are flailing around with electric vehicles, while Tesla seems to have mastered them. A similar thing is true of hybrids: Toyota succeeded where no USA manufacturer even seemed to make an effort. Boeing is facing major internal problems in a similar manner. We have Intel's spectacular failure in not keeping up with TSMC on a technical manufacturing level, and its numerous security issues.
I remember that when Andy Grove was head of Intel, he was almost paranoid about staying ahead of the game technically. His mantra was that you had to be your own competition, always bettering your products before the competition did.
What we are seeing perhaps, is that these large corporations became management-heavy and thought they could coast on near-monopolies forever, forgetting that being heavy on management almost always means being deficient in innovation. - Steve Schuller
The editor replies: You seem to have it correct. When Jim Collins examined how mighty corporations fell, it mostly was due to hubris: 'Now that we are successful in one area, we can be successful in any area!'
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I’ll be paying my annual AutoCAD maintenance fee (CDN$985) this week, which will be the last time I financially support Autodesk. I’ve had my own copy since 1993, and prior to then, when I ran the CAD department at Wang Australia, since 1985 at which time there was a specific version for the Wang PC. Out of curiosity I asked the dealer what the annual subscription costs -- CDN$2,200!
Apart from blind greed, I don’t understand what the thinking is behind Autodesk’s subscription fee. Surely they must realize that there will be many like me who will happily use their perpetual license and/or switch to BricsCAD or another program. - Dairobi Paul
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It seems like an association of companies with obvious profit interest is trying to cut expenses. How is this different to what we doing everyday going to the supermarket? Do we have control over the price of potatoes? or trendy avocados?
Let me highlight something from personal experience. I had a boss that wanted to automate everything and make modular construction, because he realized on the benefit he could have from cutting construction costs by pre-fabricating. A classic BIM approach. Now, what he did not realize at the beginning is that he'd have to increase significantly the design inversion in hours and tools enabling the task. When he did it was too late for two reasons: he didn't bring right specialists able to predesign, and he didn't use the right tools. Those tools are expensive. All good tools are expensive, especially if are digital in this increasingly digitalised word. So he admitted that Autodesk flows would have work when bankrupting. He made is choice. I do not get why the obsession with Autodesk here.
Second point. What happened to my ex-boss is happening at an industry level. Everything is digitalizing and there is a huge investment from software companies supporting that change. But don't get confused here, software companies are addressing industry needs -- not the opposite way)
So, when this ECIF is proposing that paper are actually not understanding the same that my ex-boss missed, that the inversion is balancing towards design stages and pre-construction stages. That's the whole point of BIM, and some construction firms are missing the point because they have significantly less benefits rather than more expenses that, of course, are justified by the investment made by not only Autodesk but others too. I'm a fan of Bentley for example.
So what are we talking about here? You do not want the avocado? Take the donut. Let's see for how long you'll benefit from it. - Fernando Gonzalez (via WorldCAD Access)
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You wrote, "Architectural firms in England and Australia, some of whom work globally, had standardized on Revit, partly due to government mandating it for its own projects." This is not true. They did not mandate Revit; they mandated BIM. They are very different things. Revit does not equal BIM. Revit is software. BIM is a process. - BIMFluff (via WorldCAD Access)
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I have been saying this for two decades, as you know: the only way to get Autodesk to listen is to become an Autodesk shareholder; to Autodesk's upper management, paying users are just cows to be milked.
Any customer who buys more than ten seats of an Autodesk software product should also get in the habit of buying stock in that company. If each of the signatories to that open letter had 10,000 shares of Autodesk in their corporate stock portfolio, they could join forces to threaten to vote out upper management with much more authority and effectiveness.
The bonus is that when customers own stock in the products that they themselves use, they are getting a discount on the products in the form of stock dividends and increased share value.
Change can even be pushed by regular users, if they work together. Buying a few shares each month, 100,000 aggravated users would control a major chunk of the company after just two or three years. Then they could demand real improvements.
Thanks as always for your diligent reporting. - Peter Lawton, LEED AP AEI | Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
The editor replies: Autodesk has 221 million outstanding shares. I believe that when someone has 7% of the shares (at a cost currently of $3.7 billion), he can have one seat on their board of directors.
Mr Lawton responds: Yes, I understand that share prices are now 10x what they were when I was talking about this in the early 2000s, but it is also true that in those days, crowdsourcing was much less developed.
Today the effort would require sophisticated crowdsourcing infrastructure, and the involvement of many people: 100,000 to 250,000 frustrated Autodesk customers would need to pool resources to purchase many shares each month, for at least a couple of years, before a strong position would be realized.
Then, if we can get some of the large A/E/C firms to buy up blocks of stock, for their corporate portfolios, things speed up. Their investing philosophy would have to be different than with other investments. For example, one improvement that corporate users might like would be reducing the release cycle to every 4 years, so Autodesk profits would fall, (along with the stock value), but the A/E/C company's profits might rise, because IT changes and software training would be reduced.
Also, if Autodesk gets wind of such an effort seriously undertaken, they might be more inclined to listen up.
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Excellent read! It’s what I’ve been saying about Autodesk since-- well, forever. If you want to know what Autodesk's been up to for the past decade, just follow the money. But that’ll take some digging, and probably creative accounting as well! - Chris Cadman
The editor replies: The effort to displace Autodesk is a rare event that's occurred only twice before, that I know of. There was a (failed) effort in the 1990s to replace DXF (then the de facto exchange format among desktop CAD), and then the successful Project Phoenix, which resulted in IntelliCAD and the explosion in alternatives to AutoCAD.
Mr Cadman responds: I can only hope for this rare event to trigger an explosion in Autodesk's customer base, away from them to alternative BIM software.
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I could have told them this ten years ago. Revit came from the stable of PTC's Pro/ENGINEER, perhaps the least flexible parametric modeler at the time. Users familiar with Autodesk products over time know they have never had a 'vision'. Revit's founders played the market well tho. - Keith Jackson (via WorldCAD Access)
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