Re: What's New in Solid Edge ST9
EFD stands for "Engineering Fluid Dynamics" and Mentor's FloEFD exists since the end of the 90s with integrations also in Catia V5, PTC Creo/ProEngineer, and Siemens NX. Back then, it was sold by NIKA, which was acquired by Flomerics in 2006, and then acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2008.
So, only the Solid Edge integration is new. They were doing it already, and better than Autodesk. It is not a single button integrated in the CAD system, which moves the model into a different system -- to simulate like Autodesk Simulation CFD (former CFDesign) did -- but a fully embedded CFD simulation into the CAD environment. At no point does the user leave the CAD system for the analysis. - Anton Webers (via WorldCAD Access)
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Did you know that before the turn of the century Mentor had a MCAD package? When they dropped it, they gave customers IDEAS. It was at least as expensive as Mentor. - Henry Sommer
The edit replies: I vaguely recall that. I definitely remember I-DEAS, which UGS bought and added to UGS to create NX, now owned by Siemens.
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You said, "The CAD market is no longer growing much, so CAD vendors try to grow by poaching users from competitors. So, they have no choice but to write great translators."
I would suggest a different characterization, more like, “In addition to writing software that is equivalent or even superior, newer CAD vendors must also include great translators, in order to more fully appeal to customers who may be considering a switch from their current solution.”
'Poaching' has the connotation of illegality? 'Luring' might be a more accurate term. The capitalist market is open to anyone who can build a better mousetrap, and a company that is doing so does not need to violate any laws. Thanks as always for your excellent reporting. - Peter Lawton
The editor replies: I would argue the big players work hard to frustrate the benefits of capitalist market through actions like getting standards agencies to impose harsh standards that make it too expensive for small players to enter the field (such as ISO 5000, LEED, and getting governments to require BIM); proprietary files and APIs; cloud-based services and subscriptions; and avoiding multi-vendor conferences.
Mr Lawton responds: We are both correct, because we are discussing two different issues. Your point is that big players (in any industry) spare no expense to throw up obstacles to competition, which is legal, until it is not. That is, any company can be creative in making it harder for others to compete with them, until that company breaks a law in doing so. You will get no argument from me on this point.
My point is that the vendor who builds a better mousetrap (or CAD Translator) is luring, not poaching -- poaching is illegal, which means that poachers are criminals in many parts of the world.
Making the better product is one way to work around a big company -- another is to bring a lawsuit. A third way is to take over the offending company -- encourage everyone to buy their stock, until enough stock is owned by enough people that we gain controlling interest. Then we re-direct their efforts, and get rid of the uppermost management, who must think first about how the shareholder feels today.
Re: Erik de Keyser on the Future of BricsCAD
We’d like to correct several inaccurate statements from sources in recent installments of upfront eZine. In 2016 alone, AutoCAD had two major releases in March and early October underscoring the continuous innovation and investment that we are delivering to AutoCAD subscribers. This year AutoCAD’s significant 3D functionality gains resulted in up to 10x performance improvements. Most recently, the fall update contained customer requested features like “Share Design View” that allows you to create a web URL and share with anyone. We also recently added the ability to import PDF files directly into AutoCAD and convert the lines, arcs and text into editable geometry and text objects, saving users hours of reformatting and redrawing.
AutoCAD continues to be available in a variety of ways -- as part of an Industry Collection or standalone, in the office and out in the field. DWG is the file format of choice for professional designers. Somewhere between three to five million DWG files are opened each day. Through 35 years of continuous development and investment in the AutoCAD platform, Autodesk has built a strong network of more than 2,500 developers worldwide who regularly create new applications and customizations for AutoCAD and the DWG format. Additionally, the Design Automation API on Forge demonstrates our commitment to handling DWGs in the cloud and future cloud-based partner opportunities.
Re: Project Quantum: It’s a pre-beta concept that extends BIM to cover the full ecosystem of roles and disciplines on a project. The vision of Quantum is to detach the data from a specific application, which makes things open rather than proprietary. Quantum will provide the connective tissue in an AEC ecosystem where new cloud apps and existing apps like AutoCAD and Revit can play together in a bigger landscape.
We hope this clarifies our position for your readers. - Amy Bunszel, vp of digital engineering products Autodesk
Re: What was ANSYS thinking when they bought SpaceClaim?”
SpaceClaim is great software but it could be better and more competitive:
- Follow Fusion 360, make it standalone and cloud-based
- Support Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Minimize the cost of updates to $250; this alone would attract many new customers and keep them
- Increase user friendliness in common tasks, like not having to give your life history every time you want to download something; once you have registered and have MySpaceClaim one should never have to more than just login to download
- Try to be as responsive to user demands as is Fusion 360
- Add guided design wizards for complicated tasks, such as for gears, cams, and airfoils
- Update software more often
- Add some other tools, such as CAM and FAE
- Add a Create Library function
- Add a lab notebook or project notebook function
- Address the issue of people leaving the company!
- Add more special functions, such as the golden ratio and other ideas found in Nature! For example, see The Mathematics of Trees (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HMe3FGovD4) and Secret Design Rules of Nature (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da7pSWBAaS8).
As nature has been at this for some time, let's make use of nature's work. - James Mahoney (via WorldCAD Access) mahoney-tech.de, Germany
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I'm a constant reader of your blog, since it allows me to get the recent news for my MCAD specialization. Today I've found that indents for all the articles are shifted, so text doesn't fit the column. I noticed it for Opera, Chrome, and Internet Explorer. Screenshots of two browsers are attached. Main page has good fitting. Could you please check the issue? - Egor Ermolin, sheet metal team Bricsys, Belgium
The editor replies: I found the error: the margin width was specified as 600 pixels by the software I use. I now remove the width specification, and the text reflows properly. Thank you for pointing out the problem!
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Receiving issue #920 makes me wonder when I began with upfront.eZine. I think we first met at one of the early COFES conferences. Kudos to you for having done so well for so long. I hope you keep it going for many more years; you make a difference. - Carl Howk, founder PlantSuccess
The editor replies: Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot coming from a pioneer like you. I searched my mailbox of subscribers, and found you subscribed on 18 Nov 1997, so about 2.5 years after upFront.eZine launched.
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Ayoga is a new cloud-based collaboration platform from DesignSense, the same folks that bring us CADPower with 350+ LISP routines, GeoTools for processing geographic data, and DSTools for sheet metal and die design; see http://www.thedesignsense.com. Director Rakesh Rao tells me, "We have about 10 enterprise customers using it in India and plan to roll-out internationally the next 4-6 months."
It offers the following modules:
- Ayoga Pull Planner
- Ayoga RFI (request for Information}
- Ayoga DMS (document management system)
- Ayoga IoT (Internet of things)
- Ayoga Geo-fencing
- Ayoga ActBOT (chat)
- Ayoga Billing
- Ayoga Project Insights (analytics)
- Ayoga Transmittals
- Ayoga Plugins (access engineering data)
It works inside CAD software, in browsers, and on mobile devices. To learn more about Ayoga, visit http://www.ayoga.in |
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There is more at our WorldCAD Access blog about the CAD industry, tips on using hardware and software, and our popular travelogues. You can keep up with the blog through its RSS feed and email alert service. These are some of the articles that appeared on WorldCAD Access during the last weeks:
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We're on Twitter at @upfrontezine with late-breaking CAD news and wry commentary throughout the day, such as....
upFront.eZine (@upFronteZine) Dec 7: health.autodesk.com/ showing that BIM360 for DOCS is down, as well as Fusion 360. Buzzsaw and Cloud Rendering not so good, either.
upFront.eZine (@upFronteZine) Dec 7: This is a snapshot at how grim things are right now at cloud-is-the-future-of-CAD Autodesk ->
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upFront.eZine (@upFronteZine) Dec 7: These aren't brief downtimes. User tells me "We’re nearing the 12 hour mark for BIM360 Docs, A360 Team, BIM 360 Team, Fusion 360 Team, etc"
(*) Image cropped to list those Autodesk services not serving customers fully |
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- Jim Balding (The ANT Group): "Once again, thank you for all your efforts. Happy Holidays!"
- Donald Larson
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"Silicon Valley’s biggest failing is not poor marketing of its products, or follow-through on promises, but, rather, the distinct lack of empathy for those whose lives are disturbed by its technological wizardry." - Om Malik http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/silicon-valley-has-an-empathy-vacuum |
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