upFront.eZine News Archives

Yet Another Modeler (or Two) - part 2

upFront.eZine #856

Guest editorial by John Callen

Ralph Grabowski: It is rare when two brand-new CAD programs launch in the same month. Renga and OnShape are the fresh faces of CAD, both benefiting from some of the latest trends in programming and user interface design. John Callen asks how the new CAD packages will become relevant to the real world of manufacturing. Mr Callen has over 16 years experience in CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] software. He is a former product manager in the Manufacturing Engineering Group at Autodesk, and the former VP of Marketing at Gibbs and Associates. Today, he is director of eTools marketing at Lutron Electronics. (His comments are his own and do not reflect the position of his current employer.) Two weeks ago, he commented on Renga architectural software from ASCON Group; this week, he reflects on the new server-based Onshape MCAD software.   Part 2: Callen on CAM in Onshape John Callen: With all those MCAD companies snatching up CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] companies these days, I had thought a truly integrated product development system would materialize, but there is no sign of anything appearing on the horizon, let alone folks even having the conversation. So I eagerly awaited word of the new Onshape modeling system, hoping that the third attempt by the team -- ComputerVision to Solidworks to Onshape -- would be the charm. Even though there was great fanfare about the new and improved Web-effects delivered by Onshape, it is unclear to me how this new system dramatically moves the needle on mechanical design systems. Am I being overly critical? Do I have too high an expectation? I don’t think so. For the most part, design systems today are focused on defining geometry outside of a context that will actually manufacture the designs. To me, this seems short-sighted, given that (supposedly) 9/10ths of the cost to manufacture a product is determined during design; there is no appreciation for the corresponding manufacturing implications. From a product development perspective, this just seems wrong. In this day of computerized systems, why would we want to continue to maintain the divide between design engineering and manufacturing engineering? Folks really don't need to make a conceptual stretch to envision integrated Design & Analysis, but this appears to not be the case when it comes to Design & Manufacturability. Granted, we should not expect a design engineer to become proficient at manufacturing engineering, but Onshape's design system could certainly augment their proficiency. This is certainly within the grasp of today’s technology, if only Onshape were bold enough to reach it. Like many, I’m sure, I greatly appreciate Onshape’s statement of principles. I just wish that there was a company that realizes that it's about the complete product development process. At the end of the day, it’s about holding something in your hand, not just creating geometry or generating pretty pictures. And no, I don’t think it's too much to expect.   Onshape Responds Joe Dunne: Onshape is focused on solving problems for the vast majority of users. Feature-based parametric modeling is the de facto tool of choice for professionals. Systems introduced to the market without professional grade parametric modeling have failed to gain traction with professionals. The market has spoken. Every CAM user in the world now has full access to Onshape. Nothing to install, nothing to upgrade, full compatibility with all other Onshape users. Excellent import and export capabilities. The reaction we have seen from CAM users is relief. They tell us they are dealing with more and more tessellated data formats such as STL[stereolithography]. And that really makes their life difficult Onshape is giving every user in the world access to professional grade parametric modeling. It's based on industry standard technologies. That seems to me to be the benefit for manufacturing.         - Joe Dunne, Marketing         Onshape, Cambridge, USA   Mr Callen Responds John Callen: It's unfortunate that companies still think The Answer is feature-based parametric modeling. It's only the start, the substrate -- it's not the whole solution. It's the basic technology that gets you into today’s game, but it doesn't necessarily win the game, or establish a new paradigm for product development systems.  What are 'design' systems doing to bring an awareness of the manufacturing context into the design context? Providing "professional grade parametric modeling" does not do this. Or maybe a more simplistic way to ask the question is this: "How does parametric modeling facilitate collaborative product/process engineering?" Certainly parametrics could potentially allow a model to be adjusted based on manufacturing feedback, if such feedback is expected, and if the parameterization corresponded to manufacturing aspects. This is, however, often not the case. It would be interesting to hear what manufacturing problems people think “professional grade parametric modeling” addresses. Having said all this, does manufacturing have less lofty modeling needs that "professional grade parametric modeling" addresses? Possibly. Functions like these: Defining and supporting work-in-process stock, a time-based element of geometry starting with the initial stock shape, has direct relevance to manufacturing   Feature suppression (not necessarily a feature of "professional grade parametric modeling") morphs the design geometry into a representation that is more usable for manufacturing    Design features and parameters could correlate to manufacturing features/parameters.  Holes are probably the best example of a somewhat-direct mapping between design and manufacturing features, but even simple geometric holes can imply a wide variety of different processes.    Defining manufacturing features which refer to the work-in-process context The reference to STL workflow is puzzling. An STL representation is a derivative model supporting a stereolithography manufacturing process; rarely, if ever, is it the base representation of an object in a professional design system. Just as a conventional machine tool's M- and G-codes are not used to communicate object geometry, STL does not represent product geometry. (In the future, 3D printing systems will be able to accept higher order geometry and internally do their necessary surface tessellation to product/machine tolerance.) The fundamental question is, "How does Onshape, or any other modeling system for that matter, help solve product development problems that extend all the way out to manufacturing?" Just as developing product geometry does not ensure that the product is structurally sound, it also does not ensure it is manufacturable, let alone that it can be produced cost effectively. - - - Onshape offered to respond further to this conversation, but did not do so by the time of publishing. Mr Callen met with Onshape staff at COFES, and brings back this report: John Callen: I was able to see Onshape demonstrated at COFES 2015.  As impressive as the software is, my comments regarding CAM awareness/support still stand. A number of CAM companies (SolidCAM and CAMWorks) have implemented an ‘integration’ with Onshape, but their implementation is still fairly conventional; for the most part, the integration was to their existing product. Onshape itself does not appear to offer functionality to specifically handle CAM's geometric modeling problems, or more advanced CAM problems. I also got to see Xenon briefly at COFES. It's a very nice system; unfortunately, as I suspected, the engineering information is retained in Xenon, not the Onshape modeler. So much for model-based design. Joe Dunne and I had a chance to briefly meet at COFES to discuss this topic in person, and I believe he better understands what I am referring to. I offered to provide Onshape with a more comprehensive overview on the topic of CAM modeling functionality and problems, if they believed it would be useful.   What Ralph Grabowski Thinks Onshape has programmed a base on which to build. For a Web-based modeler, the back end is more important than the front end. As I see it, Autodesk is scrambling to add a back end through its Fusion effort, while Solidworks is reluctantly doing the same by adopting Dassault's 3DExperience technology. Currently, Onshape is working at writing file- bs API-based connections with FEA [finite element analysis] and CAM vendors to pass models between them, but I have to wonder if Onshape is quietly writing a manufacturing-oriented aspect to their software. Being Web-enabled is old news; being manufacturing-oriented would be an advantage over the rest of the market. And One More Thing... Thinkbox Software writes high-powered software for the movie and games industy, and for the last couple of years has tried out CAD as well. The new 7.1 release of Deadline render farm management sofware adds support forAutoCAD and Microstation -- on top of 3ds Max, Maya, and so on. It is currently in beta.  The built-in VMX [virtual machine extension] allow CAD users to take advantage of both external and in-house for on-demand computing. The package include Draft, the lightweight video processing plugin to automate post-render tasks like as creating and processing QuickTime videos.www.thinkboxsoftware.com

Even More News Read me nearly every day on WorldCAD Access as I blog about the CAD industry, and give you tips on using hardware and software. You can also keep up with the blog through an RSS feed and with email alerts. These are some pf the articles that appeared during the last week: Video tutorial: Advanced menu customization in BricsCAD Three terrific CAD packages that rocked the industry but made few sales I am on Twitter at @upfrontezine with late-breaking CAD news and wry commentary, throughout the day.   Letters to the Editor Re: All About Xenon, Graebert's DWG-based CloudCAD How do they (Graebert) get around that Ashlar Vellum also has a product called Xenon?      - Tim Neumann, project engineer     Addison Fabricators The editor replies: Graebert uses it as an internal code name, not as a product name. But you are right: they should be careful about using it so publicly in conjunction with 3D software.   Re: Cookie Stalking I co-authored a book with another fellow. He tweeted that he had just submitted his final chapter to the publisher. The next Web site he went to included an ad for an on-line bookstore offering to take a pre-publication order to sell him our new book. People get all upset when they learn that government is invading our privacy and spying on us, and then get even more upset when something like 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombing happens: "How come you didn't know it was coming?" Ah, now I get it; government should spy on the bad guys but not the good guys. I fear Google more than I fear government. Have you ever carefully read the Privacy Policy statement of many web sites? Buried six screenfuls down they sometimes say that by agreeing to their terms of service you agree that they can monitor everything you do, data mine it, and sell the results to other companies. Their "privacy policy" is that you have no privacy.        - Bill Fane The editor replies: I like the way Web sites put up a banner reminding us that they use cookies to provide us with better service and *koff* (other stuff) *koff*.  *7899

 

All About Xenon, Graebert's DWG-based CloudCAD

upFront.eZine Issue #855 

 

by Ralph Grabowski with Robert Graebert

The browser-based mechanical CAD software Onshape has three pillars: parts, assemblies, and drawings. When it was launched last month, it lacked the drawings component in which 2D layouts are produced from the 3D models. Now, they do.

During its pre-launch marketing, Onshape indicated they had partnered with a company to provide the drawings component. Last week, the surprise supplier named was Graebert of Germany, better known for its AutoCAD workalike called ARES and supplier to Dassault Systemes of itsDraftSight DWG editor (among other OEM versions).

Before going further, let me explain the four products I am going to be talking about in this article:

Onshape = browser-based 3D MCAD software written by Onshape
ARES = desktop 2D/3D CAD written by Graebert
Xenon = browser-based 2D/3D CAD software written by Graebert
Onshape Drawings = 2D annotation module based on Xenon

Graebert code names its software projects after the noble gases, like "Radon" for their Android CAD app now released as ARES Touch. "Xenon" is the code name for Graebert's new cloud-based CAD software. Xenon will eventually have all of the tools found in desktop ARES, but OEM customers get to decide which tools to expose. 

In Onshape, the idea is to have Xenon provide the tools necessary for a mechanical engineer to come up with drawings suitable for manufacturing. Many of the tools involve annotating 2D views, but there also are commands for touching up drawings. (See figure 1.) In addition, Onshape opens DWG and DXF files for viewing and modest editing.

Figure 1: Onshape Drawings showing its user interface

The variant of Xenon used by Onshape does things differently from stock Xenon, such as the way objects are selected, the colors used for grips, and the lack of a command line. To select an object in Onshape Drawings, you just pass the cursor over it; there is no need to pick the object.

Onshape Drawings is automatically multi-user, so that two people can, for instance, dimension the same drawing at the same time -- great for staff working to a tight deadline! The initial version of Onshape Drawings, however, has limited collaboration, but eventually the module will share data management, sharing, merging, and versioning with Onshape.

The Drawings module (actually, it's just another tab) works in Onshape as you expect:

1. Right-click a 3D part, and then choose Create Drawing
2. Choose a drawing template from a dialog box; optionally, enable standard views (currently ANSI, ISO, DIM, and JIS standards are available, but templates can be customized by users)
3. Click the Drawing tab
4. Start placing views (front, top, isometric, etc), and then from these base views add section and scaled detail views
5. Add dimensions and tolerances, which snap to features in parts
6. Right-click views to change properties, toggle hidden lines, and so on
7. Can create additional sheets for layouts of other parts
8. Export as DWG to AutoCAD or ARES for further editing; can also save as a PDF file

The drawings and dimensions are linked to the model, and so update when changes are made.

 

Q&A

I interviewed chief technology officer Robert Graebert last week via Skype. See figure 2.

Figure 2: Interviewing Graebert's cto Robert Graebert via Skype

 

Q: How does Xenon work in the background?

A: Our Xenon code is hosted by Onshape, they manage it and they run it as they see fit. They deploy it.

Q: Did Onshape approach you, or did you approach them?

A: We knew that we wanted to bring our CAD technology first to mobile, next to the Web. We scouted out who was developing CAD for browsers. From this we discovered that Onshape as an interesting first candidate, and that they were looking for something like we were offering.

We have been working on Xenon for three years, more recently with Onshape. For us, this is exciting but also brings a lot of responsibility to deliver, now that we have a partner. This is the first Xenon partnership we are talking about. 

Q: Is there a technology exchange going on with OnShape, like you have with Dassault Systemes and its ARES-based DraftSight?

A: We call it "shared development," a system that we use for all of our groups inside the Graebert development team. There is shared learning going on about how best to bring this about. For instance, our screens are now rendered with WebGL (initially they were not), which allows Xenon to do things in the Web browser like zoom and pan, make selections and highlights locally -- without involving the server.

Q: Will Xenon be available through partnerships only, or will you also sell it like ARES?

A: The focus is on partnerships.

Q: If you plan to have all of the capabilities of ARES in Xenon, would this extend to things like constraints?

A: Nothing against constraints technology-wise, but to be clear we won't necessarily bring all of desktop ARES into Xenon, but make all of its functionality available. All our code runs on desktop Linux, so that it's easy to run on Linux servers. If a partner wants constraints, then good; if there are no request, then it makes no sense for us to implement them. 


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Article now continues...

Q: You've indicated elsewhere that printing is tough from a browser. Is this a problem that you need to solve, or that Onshape has to solve (as the host application), or for WebGL to solve (as the enabling technology)? 

A: Printing is not fully hashed for Web browsers; printing an HPGL file is a nightmare from a browser: margins, colors, all the CAD things we are used to. Even Google Docs is funky when it comes to printing. Most browser-based apps make PDFs, and then print them.

Q: It's like the early days of AutoCAD, when Autodesk had to provide the drivers, because printer drivers provided for DOS and by Microsoft were not suited to CAD.

A: Windows drivers still aren't.

Q: Why print using PDF files specifically?

A: PDF on its own has great value in showing drawing content. Acrobat and many other PDF readers have excellent printing support.

The problem with the browser is that you cannot predict what it will print. So, we generate the PDF file from our drawing database on the server to bypass the browser's built-in print function.

It is still early days on this, and we have many more ways to share drawings today, than just printing them [such as through email, social media, Dropbox, and mobile viewers].

Q: Does Onshape use its own APIs to access Xenon, or are Graebert's APIs used?

A: Onshape first uses its APIs to make calls to the Xenon environment to start it up, and to indicate what DWG content should be displayed. Once the drawing is displayed, there is a back and forth, such as Xenon querying Onshape for model data.

For instance, when the user places dimensions, Xenon registers them with Onshape. Xenon also uses the Onshape API for data management of the tree.

Users have control over when to update the drawing content amid more than one working with the model; there are calls that indicate to users when a refresh is available. [An amber dot appears on the Refresh button.] This back and forth is a glimpse of how other partner apps are going to work inside of Onshape.

Q: Are you more advanced than Autodesk when it comes to Web-based CAD?

A: I think so. AutoCAD WS was the first version from Autodesk, and it was Flash-based. It has since been replaced by AutoCAD 360, which is being developed more on mobile but not so much for the browser. I think this is a wasted opportunity for Autodesk to not more aggressively develop AutoCAD for the cloud. Besides them and us, we don't see any other parties in this area.

Q: Autodesk seems to be putting most of their effort into Fusion.

A: That is perhaps where they feel most under attack. Who knows: maybe they already have a full Web-version of AutoCAD under wrap, and are just waiting for the right moment to reveal it. I like to think we were responsible for their AutoCAD OEM program.

AutoCAD 360 is not our benchmark; ARES desktop is the target. The ambition for browser-based CAD is that you should not feel limited just because you are working in a browser. You should feel that you are not missing anything from the desktop version.

Instead, when you go back to the desktop version, you should feel like there are things missing. For example, if Xenon crashes in the browser, I just press F5 (Refresh) to get back all the drawings and drawing tabs from where I was. 

Q: Will the Drawings module be in Onshape's iOS and Android apps?

A: Yes

Q: The Open Design Alliance has been working on cloud-based rendering. Are you working with the ODA on this drafting program?

A: We have a strong partnership with the ODA. We evaluated working with them, but there was a question of timing, and so we went on a different path to get Xenon done rapidly. Xenon does not use the ODA cloud project.

Q: What are some of your future plans for Xenon and Onshape Drawings?

A: It all depends on what partners want. An obvious next feature for Onshape Drawings is shading of viewports. Some partners want viewing, some want editing; Onshape wants mainly annotation from us.

- - -

Mr Graebert then went on to show me his next software project, code-named Fluorine. It makes use of Xenon, and so illustrates how Graebert is creating sets of building blocks for mixing and matching tools needed to create custom CAD environments.

Onshape Drawings comes at no extra cost for Onshape users, and is included in the free version of Onshape. Both are available only in English right now, but other languages will be added and so will appear in Drawings as well.

The first version of Onshape Drawings will be a minimal version, but then new features will appear with every new rollout of Onshape, every few weeks. There is no launch date yet, but Onshape Drawings will enter private beta soon, switch to public beta over the summer, with the goal of being released in Q3.

https://www.onshape.com/videos/drawings

 

What Ralph Grabowski Thinks
Following its launch last month, Onshape was criticized (by me and others) for not providing the full MCAD experience, such as conceptual modeling, finite element analysis, and 2D drawing layouts. The criticism needed muting, for Onshape had just launched. Nevertheless, adoption would remain low while the extended MCAD workspace remains unavailable; free users don't count. 

And so Onshape the company is using this announcement about Xenon to press home how smoothly third-party apps will integrate with Onshape the software. Add-on programs simply open in another tab, and then present an interface that looks like Onshape's. APIs take care of transporting data between the core Onshape program and the various add-ons.

(I presume that by the time Onshape Drawings ships this fall, more add-ons will be announced or even be available. Onshape plans an online app store, and some apps will not be free.)

For two decades, Graebert has held a near-invisible status in the CAD industry. I figure most readers will never have heard of the old FelixCAD software and maybe not even of the current ARES (tho' not for a lack of trying on my behalf!). Indeed, I know of some CAD editors who refuse to cover DWG workalikes, such as ARES and BricsCAD, because "2D editors" are old history; for them, 3D is the only light bright enough to lure their moth-like attention.

Things are changing. The DraftSight deal with Dassault Systemes (and other OEMs) has turned Graebert into the world's largest DWG software vendor (after Autodesk), this year boasting seven million users. (Other DWG workalikes boast of the mere hundreds of thousands.) 

Graebert has two strengths it can leverage these days: writing compact code that runs on portable devices (and now Web browsers), and OEMing software to lots of third parties (where, unfortunately, its software tends to run anonymously). These factors mean that when an opportunity like Onshape comes along, Graebert has the technology and the history of delivering mature software to OEMs.

Onshape Drawings is a proof-of-concept for Graebert's marketing, allowing it to entice other CAD vendors looking for a server-based CAD component. Whereas there are desktop-OEM-CAD-systems-a-plenty (think ITC or Autodesk), Graebert is in the unique position today as being the only supplier of a cloud-based OEM CAD component.

 

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Newsletter now continues...

 

And One More Thing...

We have browserCAD, mobileCAD, and now droneCAD. IMSI/Design says it's working on "the first ever automated aerial reporting app for UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles." By setting waypoints before takeoff, the software then pilots the drone via GPS, while back on earth users employ their iPads running TurboSite Drone to record photos or video taken by the drone's camera. The software company is working with 3D Robotics' DroneKit SDK, and plans to ship the software this summer at prices ranging from free (two waypoints) to $999. http://www.TurboApps.com

(Last week, I reported that NIBS would last week release version 3 of its national BIM standard. Reader John Brunt alerted me that NIBS since has apologized that the rollout is delayed.)

Even More News

Read me nearly every day on WorldCAD Access as I blog about the CAD industry, and give you tips on using hardware and software. You can also keep up with the blog through an RSS feed and with email alerts. These are the articles that appeared during the last week:

• 10 things to know about Onshape Drafting
• Video tutorial: Customizing shortcut menus in BricsCAD
• Tip: Placing text along an arc path

I am on Twitter at @upfrontezine with late-breaking CAD news and wry commentary, throughout the day.

To donate to my newsletter's operation through PayPal, click http://www.upfrontezine.com and then choose the Donate $25 (personal) or Donate $500 (corporate) button.

 

Letters to the Editor

Re: Yet Another Modeler (or Two)

It seems weird to me that such a fundamental part of engineering software would be considered an add-on. But that's how it's felt with most of the CAD software I've used. Solidworks is the first one where it felt like someone who had actually done drafting was involved in the software. With Solidworks, the transition from model to drawing is extremely good.

I guess Pro/E was good there, too, but when I learned it, I was so overwhelmed by the overall general feeling of awkwardness and complexity that I didn't really notice how easy the drawing end was. I did come to a full understanding of why Pro/E guys seemed arrogant. By gosh, when I could finally fight my way to modeling a little flat plate with a hole in it, I felt like I was smarter than most of the world, too.

On the drawing thing, I had a discussion with a potential customer a year ago who had "designed" a fairly complex piece of machinery in SketchUp. I'm pretty sure that they actually just built the prototype the usual way: by sketching on the floor with soapstone, followed by someone creating a model from the physical prototype with a tape measure and SketchUp. I spent quite a few hours researching ways to do anything useful with the resulting model, but decided that there was almost nothing salvageable. Every part would have to be re-modeled from scratch.

Nothing came of that customer. Or, I should say nothing has yet -- I've had stuff like that pop back up and turn into a project 7 or 8 years later. I did find examples of some nice-looking drawings that were done in SketchUp, but never found out how they were created.

- Jess Davis, president
Davis Precision Design, Inc.

  

Vladimir translated the editorial, and it has been published at http://isicad.ru/ru/articles.php?article_num=17655 under the title "R.Grabowski and V.Zakharov: Renga could replace SketchUp and actually it is fully BIM-compatible."

- David Levin
isicad

 

 

Re: Notable Quotable:

Unfortunately, making a purchase doesn't stop the cookie stalking.

- R.K. McSwain

The editor replies: Or worse.... I get ad-stalked by my bank with ads urging me to join them, even though I've been with them for 20 years. So my service fees pay for ads targeting already-customers.

 

Spin Doctor of the Moment

"My goal is to foster a 360-degree approach to mentorship, drawing from every aspect of business and design that can impact the success or failure of a startup."

- Mario Grauso, president, Joe Fresh
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/joe-fresh-announces-1-million-investment-in-canadas-fashion-future/article23575882/

 

 

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* 8006

Yet Another Modeler (or Two)

upFront.eZine Issue #854

Guest editorial by John Callen

It is rare when two brand-new CAD programs launch in the same month, but here we are. These are the fresh faces of CAD. Both emerged after years of hush-hush development, and both benefit from some of the latest trends in programming and user interface design.

John Callen asks questions about the new CAD packages -- Renga Architecture and Onshape -- and how they can be relevant to the real world of construction and manufacturing. Mr Callen can ask this question, because he has 16 years experience in CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] software. He is a former product manager in the Manufacturing Engineering Group at Autodesk, and the former vp of marketing at Gibbs and Associates. Today, he is director of eTools marketing at Lutron Electronics.

This week, he asks about the new Renga architectural software from ASCON Group; next week, he takes on the new server-based Onshape MCAD software. We have responses to him from each software company, as well as what Ralph Grabowski thinks. 

- - -

Part 1: Callen On Renga Architecture

Architectural systems are usually many instances of very few parts, while mechanical systems are usually few instances of many parts. I wonder what, if anything, Renga does to address this many-of-few aspect in its database. Claiming that their C3D geometry kernel is domain-independent is good for basic modeling, but what about data management of large models?

The "ASCON Group Launches Renga Architecture" article didn't say much about the BIM [building information modeling] interoperability aspect of Renga. Given the growing requirements for BIM by the construction and facilities management industries, this is becoming a more and more important consideration of AEC [architecture, engineering, construction] systems. Does ASCON Group have a position on this?

Though claiming that they've been available domestically [in Russia] for some time, the future functionality that they mentioned is really the playing field of mature systems. Do you feel users will see Renga as innovative enough to warrant waiting for key specialty functions, like structural and MEP [mechanical, electrical, plumbing]? 

Finally, is there a way to migrate functions from their more mature KOMPAS-based AEC applications?

ASCON Group Responds

Geometric kernels (and it doesn't matter if it is C3D or not) have nothing to do at all with data management. But we have to deal with this issue in Renga, you are right. The problem exists, and we are ready to cope with it. For instance, we perform heavy-duty testing of scenarios on top of complex models.

As for BIM, we have a position that is rather clear. Renga is a fully BIM-compatible system. Its supporting tools are these:

• Object-oriented modeling in Renga, which means users operate in terms of walls, doors, beams, windows, and so on
• IFC [industry foundation classes] export/import and CSV [comma-separated values] export, both dealing with BIM objects
• Object-oriented API [application programming interface]

So Renga is indeed aligned with the BIM paradigm, you see.

As for add-ons like MEP, the feedback we have already received confirms it well enough. We are crossing our fingers and keep on working hard.

As for compatibility with KOMPAS-AEC, there are at least a couple of reasons why this kind of migration seems not feasible. First of all, both products have a totally different UX [user experience], growing from their very different design workflows. Secondly, the target audiences of Renga and KOMPAS-AEC differ a lot. So, we prefer to not mix the product lines (just as Autodesk didn't with ADT and Revit).

- Vladimir Zakharov, director of the AEC Division
ASCON Group, St Petersburg, Russia

What Ralph Grabowski Thinks

As a newly launched architectural modeler, Renga benefits from the latest in user interface and programming paradigms. This means it does a really good job at designing the walls, roofs, and their inserts (like windows) in 3D. But this also means it lacks the extensions needed to generate 2D drawings with sufficient details for constructing the buildings. In version 1, it has no way to do electrical, plumbing, HVAC [heating, ventilating, air conditioning], or site design. (I should note that Onshape also does not generate 2D drawings.)

What this means is that Renga is an exceptional conceptual modeler, one that could replace SketchUp with its many modeling failings. Renga has its own *.rnp proprietary file format, but also imports and exports these formats (some of these are yet to be implemented):

• .ifc import/export for BIM data exchange
• .csv export for data processing
• .dxf export for CAD drawing exchange
• .obj and .3ds export for rendering and animation
• .stl export for 3D printing

Until for the first add-ons become available next year, I recommend that ASCON Group markets Renga as "SketchUp for Architects."

PS: David Levin translated my interview from last week into Russian, publishing it at his isicad Web site. See http://isicad.ru/ru/articles.php?article_num=17638.

- - -

 Next week: In part 2, John Callen takes on the new server-based Onshape MCAD software. 

And One More Thing...

The National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance this week rolls out version 3 of its National BIM Standard for the United States. It is said to cover the full life cycle of buildings, from planning and design through construction and operations. Full details to be posted on April 15 at http://www.nibs.org

Even More News

WorldCAD Access blogs nearly every day about the CAD industry, along with tips on using hardware and software. It is also available as a feed on RSS and through email alerts. The following articles appeared during the last week:

• Why you shouldn't believe analysts' predictions, evah
• Video tutorial: Customizing the Quad cursor in BricsCAD

On Twitter, @upfrontezine offers CAD news, late-breaking updates, and wry commentary throughout the day.

To donate to this newsletter's operation through PayPal, click http://www.upfrontezine.com and then choose the Donate $25 (personal) or Donate $500 (corporate) button.

 

Letters to the Editor

Great newsletter, I really appreciate your writing and the breadth of topics that you choose to cover.

- Jonathan Scott
Razorleaf Corporation

Notable Quotable

"Give consent to our cookie policy and we'll follow you around the Internet like a stalker until you give in and buy something from us."

- Management Speak, @managerspeak on Twitter
http://www.organise.co.uk/management-speak

 

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ASCON Group Launches Renga Architecture

upFront.eZine Issue #853 

 

 

by Ralph Grabowski with Vladimir Zakharov

There is a lot of action on the MCAD side of things these days. New products pop up on what seems to be a nearly monthly basis, particularly ones that take advantage of today's ever-more-capable Web browsers and mobile devices, new classes of APIs, and powerful back-end graphics facilities.

I suppose this is because mechanical CAD is an easier nut to crack, as it deals with models that typically are small and well-defined, as compared to projects designed by other disciplines of CAD, such as skyscrapers (AEC/MEP), oil refineries (P&ID/PPE), or freeways (Civil).

Thus is comes as a bit of a relief that the world's newest CAD package is for architectural design. Released last week, Renga Architecture is a bit of a surprise, coming as it does from a company usually we associate with MCAD, ASCON Group of St Petersburg. The software is new; it was not acquired, and was built entirely in-house.

Vladimir Zakharov is the director of the AEC Division at ASCON Group, and I interviewed him to learn about the software and his design philosophy. 

- - -

Ralph Grabowski: ASCON Group has always been known for its mechanical design software, such as KOMPAS-3D, DEXMA PLM software, and C3D geometric modeling kernel. Why did you decide now to branch out to the AEC market?

Vladimir Zakharov: We have way more solutions that those that are known internationally, ones that we for years and even decades distributed in the domestic market. You can easily find a variety of KOMPAS-based AEC applications that form our MinD (Model in Drawing) family. So, you shouldn't consider ASCON Group as an AEC newbie.

Our C3D geometric kernel is domain-independent. It only deals with geometry, and so it doesn't care where the geometry comes from. (Well, it almost doesn't matter, to be honest.) Above all, the AEC market is quite attractive, as you know -- especially the global one.

Ralph Grabowski: When did ASCON Group start working on Renga Architecture? How large a team of programmers has been working on the software?

Vladimir Zakharov: We first began investigating the possibility at the end of 2011. Back then, the project counted two programmers. Now we have 15 programmers, plus a whole lot of other people working on it, like analysts, QA [quality assurance] engineers, designers, tech writers, support personnel, and so on. 

Ralph Grabowski: What were your guiding principles in developing this software?

Vladimir Zakharov: They were quite simple:

1. On-the-fly element creation, without any kind of programming
2. Designing and editing that takes place directly in the 3D scene, as the main work flow
3. Modern and neat UI [user interface]; see figure 1
4. Extremely smooth UX [user experience]
5. The price

Figure 1: Starting a new drawing in the English user interface of Renga Architect

 

Ralph Grabowski: As I played with the beta software, I noticed how the cursor snaps to parts logically and easily. There is no need to turn on a special "object snap" mode. How was this accomplished?

Vladimir Zakharov: Congrats! You are the first one to notice and I am not kidding. Imagine how complex it is to program these snaps in pure 3D mode. [Most CAD packages try to avoid snapping in the z direction, and require users to edit on 2D working planes aligned in 3D space.]

Let's look back at the principles listed above. This 3D snap behavior is covered by point #2 and #4, and so we had no choice. It took us about a half-year to implement all aspects of snapping. So thank you for mentioning this tiny, little thing that literally distinguishes great software from good software.

And you probably noticed our 3D navigation, which is another best-of-breed candidate, and took another half-year to program.

 

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Ralph Grabowski: Will there be add-ons to Renga from you or third-party developers? If so, what API will they use?

Vladimir Zakharov: No doubt, there will be add-ons from both sources. A very basic programming interface is coming soon that allows Renga to execute external apps, like rendering. And in a year or so, you'll see a more comprehensive API [application programming interface] for native plug-ins, such as an elevator design tool.

Ralph Grabowski: "Renga" is an unusual-sounding name. From where does it come?

Vladimir Zakharov: It is the Japanese word for "brick," but at the same time refers to a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. Both terms are quite close to architecture, construction, and to the entire AEC domain, don't you think?

As always, there are a lot of hidden senses that will be unveiled later. Most of them we do not expect from the naming process itself. This probably should be a topic for a separate post, though.

Ralph Grabowski: In a world dominated by Revit, Vectorworks, and ArchiCAD, who do you see as your target market?

Vladimir Zakharov: You've tried all kinds of software and you are a CAD guru, so you tell me! We are aiming at designers who are unhappy with the tools they use today. We are providing software that knows and eliminates exactly what they hate about their existing AEC and CAD software: resource-greedy, outdated UI, lots of bugs, expensive pricing, and so on.

But Renga also gives them valuable perks, like sticky 3D snaps and true 3D navigation. (See Figure 2.) So, the answer is that we increase productivity through happiness. Admittedly, our kind of software is hard to make, but the user experience is hard to fake and easy to confirm. We will see if this is a viable strategy.

Figure 2: Multi-story building designed in Renga Architect's Russian user interface

 

Ralph Grabowski: What are your future plans for this software?

Vladimir Zakharov: We have a whole bunch of plans. We want to launch Renga Structure within a year, and then Renga MEP [mechanical, electrical, plumbing] after that. At the same time, we'll release updates to Renga quarterly, approximately. From the market expansion point of view, our plans are just as great. 

Ralph Grabowski: How much will Renga cost?

Vladimir Zakharov: The price of Renga Architecture is e1,599 until the end of 2016. With the beta stage over, your readers can download the 60-days trial software from http://rengacad.com/en.

And One More Thing...

Customizing BricsCAD V15 (US$40) is the only reference and tutorial package available anywhere that teaches you how to make BricsCAD work the way you work. It covers these important topics:

• Modifying the user interface; changing the program's start up
• Customizing menus, buttons, ribbon, and every other aspect of BricsCAD
• Writing linetypes, hatch patterns, and shapes
• Programming with scripts, macros, Diesel, DCL, LISP, and VBA
• Hundreds of tips, and dozens of tutorials

Completely rewritten for V15, here's what's new in this updated edition:

• New: Coverage of BricsCAD for Mac OS X
• New: Customzing ribbon tabs and panels
• New: Changing V15's new user interface elements, like drawing tabs and LookFrom widget
• Expanded: Modifying workspaces
• Expanded: Additional user input devices like touch screens, touch pads, and 3D mice

Now bigger at 522 full-color pages, yet still the same $40 price. To purchase this new edition, visit the ebook's new Web page at www.worldcadaccess.com/ebooksonline/2015/04/cb15.html. Sent to you as a 10MB PDF file by email within 24 hours.

- - - 

To purchase editions of this ebook for BricsCAD V8 through V14 (each for the same $40), please visit www.upfrontezine.com/cb8 and make your selection. Also available, Inside BricsCAD V15 ($20) -- step-by-step tutorials for new users -- from www.upfrontezine.com/lb8.

Even More News

WorldCAD Access is blogging nearly every day about the CAD industry and tips on using hardware. (The feed is available on RSS and through email alerts.) The following articles appeared during the last week:

• Video tutorial: How to customize double-click actions in BricsCAD
• Software review: TurboCAD Pro Platinum 2015

On Twitter, @upfrontezine offers CAD news, late-breaking updates, and wry commentary throughout the day.

To donate to this newsletter's operation through PayPal, click http://www.upfrontezine.com and then choose the Donate $25 (personal) or Donate $500 (corporate) button.

 

Letters to the Editor

Re: Seven flaws in Onshape today
I wanted to reach out with a couple considerations and possible clarifications regarding this post: http://www.worldcadaccess.com/blog/2015/03/seven-flaws-in-onshape.html.

• "Switching from paid mode to free mode can be tricky." It's a single button click, and from the many thousands of users using the product, it frankly hasn't come up as a tech support / friction point. Here's a bit about the mechanics: https://www.onshape.com/videos/plans
  
  
• "No third-party add-ons available yet. No FEA, no CAM, no advanced rendering." We do have a growing list of partners, including every category you mention, and users today are literally using third party apps to analyze, machine and render. Today, communication is via file exchange; and we're working closely to have a tighter integration.
  
  
• "App promised for Android not available; only for iPhone/iPad/" Frankly, sounds like we back-tracked on some commitment. In reality, Android development is progressing nicely (couple screenshots below) and people are signing up for early access: https://info.onshape.com/sign-up-for-onshape-mobile
  
  
• "Waiting list for getting an account. No immediate access.: This is not the case. Today, (and for weeks now) the wait has been somewhere between 10 seconds and 3 minutes. It's true that during the first few days, we limited access, in part because given that thousands of users were already using the system, we wanted to make sure once someone gets in, they have an awesome experience. We quickly became comfortable that they were, and many more thousands have signed up and gotten into Onshape.

  - Ilya Mirman, vp of marketing 
    Onshape

Your list is factual, but many of these "flaws" revolve around the fact that the product is in beta at this time. What I haven't gotten my head around is how these documents would move into PLM. Perhaps a third-party will contribute this? 
     - Michael Dekoning
      Sealedair.com

The editor replies: The subhead on the blog posting reads, "Difficult Birthing of New MCAD Software." As for PLM, either Onshape will write their own extension or else encourage a third-party to write a pipe. They have not mentioned PLM in their marketing, so maybe they see it as a non-issue, or else as a bullet point best left unmentioned until they have a solution.

 

As a Certified Solidworks Enterprise PDM Administrator, I feel that Onshape has this important advantage regarding PDM/PLM. There is only one file (Onshape document) of a design: period. That simplifies the requirement that one has to demonstrate and prove that non-authorized changes can be made the document. Onshape requires that the owner of the document has to grant permissions for others to edit/revise the document and this is easily proven. Also Onshape automatically saves all changes/edits to the document as shown in the feature tree.

So, many of the important requirements for real PDM/PLM are already in place when using Onshape. I predict that a proper Onshape PDM/PLM workflow will be available soon. 
    - Devon Sowell
     CarlsbadCAD.com

Internet will soon become as reliable and as available as electricity. Remember we (bloggers and readers) have come a long way since Matt Lombard / DesignStuff days when even a mention of the word cloud used to elicit 4-letter words from him :-) . Think about platform shifts like film Cameras to digital cameras. Tech progress is inevitable. To echo Dr. Michio Kaku's words: Don't bet against technology -- you will go bankrupt :-) . So in short don't bet against the internet availability getting better. 
     - Cad Guy
       India

The editor replies: I am not betting against it. But there is reality. Only 10% of India's 1 billion+ people have access, and that is intermittent. A programmer tells me he pays for Internet access through two ISPs, to ensure at least one of them will be up most of the time.

Mr Guy responds: I agree with current reality. But tech curves are exponential (especially in early and middle stages). 10 years ago India had less than 10 million cell phones. Today there are a Billion cell phones - 100x increase in just 10 years. As Jon H said in Develop3D Live, "OnShape is for folks with reliable Internet." If you don't have reliable Internet then use desktop CAD and come to OnShape whenever you get reliable Internet. BTW I am from India :-). 


Here in India, we do have fast internet. Turns out it's also unreliable Internet. We actually have two Internet providers in our office for backup sake. And we pay a premium for both of them. I can't afford that luxury at home.
     - Deelip Menezes

 

Well, this subscription-ONLY model is very bad in the long run for the customer! At the end it leaves you with nothing. When there are bad times and You can't afford to pay the subscription You are left with nothing. So how you gonna keep up with the software, earn money to pay again? Imagine every business decides just to rent, not to sell?

Owning things ensures you can use them when times goes bad, but when you are in trouble and only rent You loose everything! 
     - Tabacev
     Bulgaria

The editor replies: You are right: subscriptions are like renting a house. When times are bad, and you can't make your rent payments any longer, you get kicked out onto the street.

Tabacev: You can switch from paid to free and toggle which documents you want to work on in active vs inactive mode. I actually know of a user in Canada who lost every and is homeless and was using Onshape at Internet cafes. In Onshape you never loose your data. 

Ralph: I think you are underestimating the impact of a frictionless browser/app system like Onshape. Google Docs has 120M users in 4 years and is growing faster than office and you still don't have a basic page numbers feature in their presentations app. Onshape is now in use in over 100 countries, most of which have average internet. 
     - Ric Fulop 
       North Bridge Venture Partners

The editor replies: When switching to free mode, only five documents can still be used in Onlive's shared environment.

The CAD market is orders of magnitude smaller than the office software market. If Onshape is using Google's Docs numbers for its business plan, then the company might have a problem. In my case, Google Docs is a bad analogy as no editorial staff I know employs it. Too slow and too flaky for serious writing.

Mr Tabacev responds: Please, let ME decide what's good for ME: perpetual or subscription-only. Removing a choice is always suspicious. Having only ONE choice is not a choice at all! 

 

Regarding the cost of licensing: Consider a 10-year lifecycle for CAD software. For Solidworks, it would be minimum $4000 for the initial license fee, plus $1,295/year for maintenance. Total 10 year cost of $17,000. For Onshape, the 10-year cost of a subscription would be $12,000. Factor in the burdened cost of managing licenses and installing updates, and the perpetual license doesn't look so hot. Consider the time value of money, and cash flow factors, and a perpetual license looks downright unattractive. As for the "renting a house" analogy: rent and mortgage are not that different. Stop paying either, and you end up getting kicked out. (Even if you own your house, you can still get kicked out, if you don't pay your taxes.) In the case of software subscription, if you're in-between projects and want to reduce costs, you can roll back your subscriptions, then add them back when you need them, You lose nothing. On a perpetual license, dropping maintenance is something that can't usually be undone. CAD vendors generally try to make that option as unattractive as possible. 
      - Evan Yares 


Spin Doctor of the Moment

"Our goal is to co-innovate solutions that enable greater business agility and lower cost to server for all our stakeholders with hybridcloud."

- Phuong Tram, chief information officer, DuPont
https://twitter.com/hashtag/hybridcloud

 

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