Part 1: Who Today Are the Top 3 Vendors?
by Ralph Grabowski
I've seen CAD vendors bravely plunge into the churning waters of mobile apps, only to find them icy cold. The effortless interfaces that we mobile users enjoy are back-ended by brain-freeze headaches for programmers:
- Developing for iOS is painful, because Apple keeps crucial technical details hidden under its kimono, like how much RAM is available to apps
- Developing for Android is painful, because every device is freaking different (*)
- Developing for Windows Mobile or Blackberry is painful, because their market shares are too small to ensure sufficient customers
- Developing for Web apps that run on any platform is painful, because they're not as fast, elegant, or feature-rich as native apps (witness the difference between running Twitter in a Web browser or as an app)
(*) One CAD developer confided in me that his team is wasting time designing yet another larger set of icons just so that they'll display nicely on today's ultra-high resolution tablet and phone screens. On the other hand, he says, "We have to do them over again anyhow to adapt to Lollipop's [Android 5.x's] new flatter user interface guidelines."
Then there is that universal problem of profit: CAD vendors are making close to nothing in selling their mobile apps to this narcissistic economy that expects everything free -- and to work perfectly.
As a result of the pain that is ongoing, most CAD vendors are freezing further app development or else pressing ahead more slowly. One CAD vendor, for example, triumphantly told me upon launching their iPad app a few years ago, "Updates will come monthly!" Over the past year, I've barely heard from them. It costs money not making money.
As a result, I narrow the field down to just three vendors who have mobile CAD apps that impress me and are updated aggressively. Listed in alphabetical order, they vendors are...
- Autodesk with AutoCAD 360 -- offers the broadest range of platforms, and overwhelmingly the largest number of downloads (*)
- Graebert with ARES Touch -- endeavors to pack in the most complete set of drawing and editing functions (Android only)
- IMSI/Design with TurboSite -- boasts the most significant data collection abilities (iPad only)
(*) Downloads do not equate to users; the industry rule of thumb is that 5-6 downloads equals one user. A user is someone who uses the software at least once a month. AutoCAD 360 has over 10 million downloads on Android; Apple does not report downloads, but we can get an idea from the number of feedbacks: Google Play Store reports 90,000, while Apple iTunes reports 450. Autodesk has versions of AutoCAD 360 for Android, iOS, Windows, and Web browsers, but not OS X.
What we are seeing is mobileCAD reaching maturity. Signs of market maturity include a winnowing of the number of competitors, a very few vendors significantly outpacing the others in feature sets and user numbers, and the software gaining a robust set of functions.
From One to Four
This article began as a simple Q&A about Graebert's current and future plans for their ARES Touch app, but when we blew away the pencil shavings and pushed aside the piles of eraser dust, we found ourselves facing 5,000 words -- much too long for a single newsletter. So, our think-piece is split into parts:
- Part I: Introduction (this week)
- Part II: Why Graebert is Chasing Mobile, and Not the Cloud (next week)
- Part III: Rethinking How MobileCAD Works
- Part IV: Q&A with Graebert Staff
The publishing schedule will be irregular, on and off for the next several months as upFront.eZine takes its annual summer break, and then in September and October attends these conferences:
September 7-8 Open Design Alliance, Prague
October 7-8 Graebert Annual Meeting, Berlin
October 13-14 Bricsys International Conference, Munich
October 15 Dassault Spatial Conference, Munich
October 26-28 Solid Edge University, Cincinnati
ARES Touch Beta Opens Up to All
The original reason for the Q&A was that Graebert this week opens access to ARES Touch to anyone who wants to try it out on an Android tablet. Until now, the beta has been extremely limited; heck, even I couldn't get a copy until now.
The software is fully working, and will receive updates. The only catch is that the license expires September 31, 2015. To ask for a copy, to go https://www.graebert.com/en/arestouch, and then click the Join Now button near the bottom of the Web page.
(The reason for the Sept 31 expiration is that's when Graebert hopes by then to have its new licensing system in place.) |
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New Home for eBooks.onLine
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That the Web is ethereal is clear as link rot sets in. Ironic, given the material nature of books (they can rot, you know) and the permanence of digital media that can be copied perfectly endlessly, except for when it comes to an abrupt halt at the perfectly symmetrical 404 error number.
Which is just my way of warming up to say that upFront.eZine Publishing's online bookstore eBooks.onLine has a new home. ISPs are imperfect, and so a new home needed to be found. After two months of work, the move was completed last week, and so our 90 titles can be found at http://www.worldcadaccess.com/ebooksonline.
Here you will find our ebooks on learning how to use and customize ARES, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, BricsCAD, CAD management, CorelCAD, Generic CADD, General CADD, IntelliCAD, TurboCAD, and Visio.
Prices range from $0 to $40, and payment can be made with PayPal or through credit cards. Your ebook order will be fulfilled in fewer than 24 hours. Thank you for supporting eBooks.onLine!
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== Professional 3D File Conversion/Viewing/Rendering Software ==
For over 2 decades Okino (Toronto) has provided mission-critical 3D conversion software used extensively by tens of thousands of professionals. We develop, support and convert between all major CAD, DCC & VisSim formats. Robert Lansdale (CTO, [email protected]) tailors each package to the specific conversion requirements of each customer.Popular formats include 3ds Max, Maya, C4D, LW, ProE, SolidWorks, Inventor, SketchUp, DWF/DWG, DGN, CATIA, IGES/STEP/Parasolid, 3D PDF/U3D, JT, FBX, Collada & more. We know data translation, and provide immaculate developer-to-customer relations.http://www.okino.com
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With the earliest patents running out on 3D printing, vendors are losing their grip on specific technologies unique to themselves. And so we see aggressive protection of remaining patents, such as from Stratasys. They were pretty happy that the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board denied requests from Afinia for inter partes review of three Stratasys patents relating to liquefier structure, temperature control, and tool paths for constructing part perimeters.
Inter partes previews the review of a patent's validity, and USPTAB figured that it was unlikely Afinia would prevail in its challenge. Turning the tables, Stratasys is suing Afinia for infringing on the three patents that relate to FDM (fused deposition modeling) technology that prints 3D models by the method most commonly used today, by laying down layers of material, and invented by a Stratasys co-founder. |
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Re: Italian Architects Protest Uber-ization Of Design
I have heard horror stories of the grandchildren of architects being sued for building failures 50 or 60 years after they were built. I can’t imagine there could be any merit to those.
- Jim Balding, architect
www.theantgroup.com
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Have you looked into the lawsuit that Intellicad has over Gstar’s noncompliance? Or have they spun off like ZWsoft? Or just ripping off an American company? I am looking to buy a AutoCAD work alike and GStarCad was at the top of my list, but not now.
- Jerome Mitchell
The editor replies: I ran a major article that interviewed both sides. See upFront.eZine Issue #860 "ITC vs Gstarsoft" at http://www.upfrontezine.com/2015/05/itc-vs-gstarsoft.html
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