upFront.eZine News Archives

The Thought Leader on DWG

Issue #953

 

Ralph Grabowski and Randall Newton interview Neil Peterson "ODA is bidding to become the thought-leader in CAD," says Randall Newton during our interview with Neil Peterson, ceo of the Open Design Alliance. "Autodesk has slower DWG development, with fewer new functions added each year." The ODA sees development in AutoCAD slowing. Proof is that the last change in the DWG format took five years to carry out, and that the feature list for recent releases of AutoCAD is short. The day following the Teigha conference in Prague, we interviewed Mr Peterson to get more details on points raised during the conference. Some of his comments are drawn from the keynote address. - - - Q: What is your vision for DWG? A: We are looking for new value in the area of DWG, as it is a good platform for development. We have some of the top experts in the world working with us.  Our members want to see innovation in this area. Versioning for DWG is a big one that I think will be adopted. A modern software engineer wouldn’t dream of starting a project without version control, and so our new versioning support will put the same level of tool into the hands of engineers working with DWG. Along with versioning, our members get support for safe and robust multi-user editing, which is particularly important for cloud-based applications.   ODA ceo Neil Peterson keynoting the Teigha 2017 conference (all photos by Ralph Grabowski) Q: At one point, your predecessor mused about introducing a new file format to replace DWG. Will this still happen? A: There was some thinking of a new DWG format from the ODA, but it is a longer-term initiative that will require broad support from the industry, along with careful planning.  Currently we are looking to compliment DWG with functions like the new storage extensions. DWG is a good format that is working well for a massive user base, and it is quite flexible because we can add as much custom data as needed for a particular task. Q: Adobe and Microsoft made their PDF and DOC formats into ISO [International Organization of Standards] standards. This means the formats are frozen and documented, so anyone can more easily add them to their software. [Adobe continues to expand PDF through extensions, such as PDF/A for archiving.] What's your thought on this? A: DWG would be good as an ISO standard. Q: Bricsys is putting everything into DWG -- regular drawings, BIM models, sheet metal, 3D constraints -- but then the 3D models can be only viewed in AutoCAD, not edited. What is your opinion of what they have done? A: In my view, Bricsys’ approach is a good one. DWG was designed to be extensible, and they are making good use of this. If they had their own file format, then it would be completely incompatible. With DWG, at least there is some compatibility with AutoCAD.   AutoCAD compatibility isn’t everything. Our new DWG versioning support is a good example of this: a significantly new function that will make life better for millions of users of DWG-based applications. While the DWG data is 100% compatible with AutoCAD, the version history will only be accessible through Teigha-based applications.   Q: Will the ODA get into things like gaming and virtual reality? A: We are not into gaming or VR. Q: We notice that you are treating the cloud and the desktop equally. Members can use APIs with the desktop version of their software, or with a cloud-enabled one. A: There was strong talk a few years ago of the cloud replacing the desktop. We don't see that happening. There is a healthy market for cloud applications, and a healthy market for the desktop. Interest in the cloud seems to be fluctuating a bit now, and we see things like edge computing being introduced and moving away from the client-server model.  Our view is that decisions about what applications to deploy in the cloud and what applications to deploy on the desktop should be left to our members. We provide technology for doing both, in a way that is as compatible as possible. Let members decide on the best approach for their particular applications and markets. Q: You have multiple providers, such as three different solid modelers.  A: Competition among API [application programming interface] providers is a good thing. We have had a productive relationship with Spatial for a long time, and a number of our members rely on Spatial technology for solid modeling.  But when C3D approached us about integrating their C3D Modeler with Teigha, it made sense because they were willing to license their technology in a way that was more accessible to some of our smaller members. Now we offer two options for 3D solid modeling integrated into Teigha, and our members can select the option that is best for their particular situation. River boats passing each other near the Charles Bridge in Prague Q: I am having a bit of difficulty understanding your new Visualize API.  A: Over the past few years, we had a number of members approach us with questions about how to visualize data that is not part of a file format, for example some custom CAE data.  Teigha Visualize is our solution for this problem. We've separated our visualization functionality out from the drawings package, and optimized the API for stand-alone usage. If someone has some CAE data, like points in a text file, then they can render it by passing the data to our Visualize API without having to build a database or do any complicated processing. Visualization results can be saved to a graphics cache file where they can be efficiently retrieved.  Teigha Visualize can be used to display new file formats or any type of custom data. It could even replace some established display systems that have been on the market for a long time, and are a lot more expensive. It’s a flexible, general-purpose toolkit for adding professional visualization to any application. Q: What's changing for members of the ODA? A: Our Associate membership level, which allows companies to develop free applications and use Teigha internally, is being replaced by a new Non-Commercial membership, which is good for up to two years.  After the two years, if a company is getting value from the software, they need to upgrade to a Commercial membership. We made this change because we have a large group of prominent and successful companies among our Associate member ranks, and we would like to see these companies contributing to our development in a more equitable manner with respect to our other membership levels.  So low-end membership numbers are dropping slightly, but we are seeing an increase at the top end that more than compensates. Q: How long do you see the ODA keeping DWG going into the future? A: We have been here for 19 years, and we want to keep this data accessible for another 50 or more years. We don't know what will happen in 50 years. Operating systems might go away, programming languages might go away. But we want to keep up with them. http://www.opendesign.com   Sponsor: Okino Graphics == 3D Conversion of Ultra-Massive 3D Models via DWF-3D & Okino's PolyTrans|CAD == The most refined aspect 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.  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. Contact CTO Robert Lansdale at lansd@okino.com. http://www.okino.com And Now the Rest of the News... Some of the most recent posts on my WorldCAD Access blog: New HP Workstations and Monitor - - - CCE's  newest software Explore_3D displays files from all major 3D CAD formats in Windows Explorer, for free. To learn more and/or download Explore_3D from the CCE Web site: http://www.cadcam-e.com/Explore3D/  - - - You know 3Dconnexion for their 3D mice, and last year they added a 2D one. Now CADmouse goes wireless. https://www.3dconnexion.com/cadmouse_wireless/en/ - - - For late-breaking CAD news, follow upFront.eZine on Twitter at @upfrontezine. Letters to the Editor Re: Open Design Alliance Takes DWG Where Autodesk Doesn't I very much enjoyed your article on the ODA. It definitely was on the pulse of the industry. Considering that you were striking an open-source note, I wish that you had suggested that Prague visitors use OpenStreetMap's (www.openstreetmap.org) free downloadable maps in their wanderings. Not only are the maps excellent and free from Google Play (the first 10), but they offer some features that Google maps may not show, such as bicycle routes and trails.      - Charlotte Wolter The editor replies: I have tried OpenStreet and a few others like Here, but they all lack sufficient detail in my part of the world. Perhaps there is different coverage in different parts of the world. For instance, here Google Maps shows bike routes.   Thank You, Readers! Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: Stabiplan, The Netherlands (small corporate donation) Randall McSwain: "Thanks for your years of service." Should you wish to support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are like these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $625 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/625 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.com and the account of grabowski@telus.net. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.   Notable Quotable "Prejudiced humans = prejudiced algorithms"      - Jane Fae, The Register     https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/31/unintentional_discrimination_in_your_ai_model/

*6609

Open Design Alliance Takes DWG Where Autodesk Doesn't

Issue #952

 

by Ralph Grabowski A flurry of last-minute attendees forced ODA ceo Neil Peterson to find a larger meeting room at the hotel in Prague. This comes as no surprise to me. As Autodesk goes off in a direction that a million or so customers don't want to follow, alternatives to AutoCAD are looking ever more attractive and ever more plausible as replacement seats.  Some of the 130 attending this year's ODA conference in Prague Nearly all competitors to Autodesk -- large and small -- depend on the Open Design Alliance to provide some of the core software needed for users to transition away from Autodesk, whether accessing DWG and RVT [Revit] files, or employing compatible APIs [application programming interfaces] and proxies. As a result, the ODA has become the Microsoft of the CAD world. Using pre-written APIs means programmers have a lot less work to do. They don't need to write from scratch the code that draws dialog boxes or saves data to files; Microsoft and Apple have already done that for them. In the same way, the ODA provides a number of APIs to CAD vendors, and the programmers have less work to do, like figuring out how DWG files store data. If your CAD software opens DWG files, exports models to 3D PDF, or opens point clouds, then you probably have the ODA to thank. And so it is that the competitors to Autodesk come each year to Prague to find out what the ODA has developed this year, for them to add to their CAD programs next year. Day 2 of the conference is devoted to CAD and ODA programmers meeting one-on-one. Looking across the Vltava River towards Old Prague TIP: When visiting Prague, the best thing to do is wander down side alleys to avoid the hordes of tourist groups that now plug up the pedestrian-only streets of the old city. Admire the beautiful buildings and scenes on the nearly-empty back streets, get yourself lost by taking random turns, and then use Google Maps to find your way back again.     Opening DWG Way Beyond DWG DWG is the .docx format of the CAD world, a format that is structured to contain 2D drawings, 3D models, and any kind of other data. While Autodesk admits that the use of DWG is universal, it hasn't made it universal among its own offerings. Competitors like ODA member Bricsys are doing exactly that, extending DWG to define entire buildings and sheet metal parts parametrically. And so is the ODA. It's also expanding DWG in ways Autodesk isn't.  Now, rumors floating about that Autodesk will one day abandon DWG, that it is working on a replacement, that it might be cloud-based, perhaps a database in a manner similar to the Enovia-based 3Dexperience from Dassault. Databases seem to be meant to discourage translation to competitors' formats. I've been asked, "Might a new form of DWG be a risk for AutoCAD workalikes?" Well, no. Autodesk can go in any direction it wants, leaving behind dozens of competitors who will continue to work with DWG, happily. It's a format that's protected: It's a worldwide standard It's a repository of a billion designs It's infinitely extensible  There is no future jeopardy in relying on DWG.   What ODA is Adding to DWG Having understood that there is no future dead-end, the ODA has began to expand the functionality of DWG in ways that don't risk compatibility. Let's look at what these are: Version Control. This is like a very flexible undo-redo system. Instead of being a linear undo then redo, version control lets you branch off in different directions with the design, like this: You save the progress of your work every so often Restart from any saved state to develop two or more versions in parallel Merge version 1 back into a master drawing Merge version 2 into the master at a later time The version history and DWG data are stored in a repository file. A 100%-compatible DWG file can be generated at any point along the stored version history. (No version-keeping data is stored as extended data in the DWG file itself.) At least a couple of ODA member CAD vendors plan to implement version control, and release their software with it next year.   Sneak peak of what version control (colored lines at left edge) looks like in CAD software that's based on Teigha   If you've seen version control in Onshape, then you have a good idea of what the ODA has done. That's because Onshape helped the ODA develop it for DWG. AutoCAD has nothing like this. I've urged the ODA to introduce version control carefully. Users need to be educated how to use it. It can't be like layouts, which were plopped into AutoCAD 27 years ago, and still today too many users create the views they want to plot in model space, and not layouts.  Multi-user Editing. Version control lends itself to giving DWG multi-user editing capability. This is where two or more people work on the same drawing, typically in a networked or cloud environment. Each works on the drawing locally, then the changes are merged into the master DWG file stored on the server. ODA's implementation permits an unlimited number of branches. The closest to this we have today is xrefs -- externally-referenced drawings, which other people can edit; when they save their changes, other users who are referencing the drawings receive alerts from AutoCAD. Conflict Resolution. A third aspect of version control handles changes coming in from multiple users. One user, say, changes a circle to 30mm, the other to 15mm. The ODA implemented conflict resolution like this: the users are presented with both, and then have to agree which change to implement -- kind of like with drawing comparison software. Visualize API. The ODA has turned the rendering portion of its Teigha API into an independent module. When the ODA speaks of "rendering," they don't mean photorealistic renderings of 3D models; they mean the utilitarian tasks that need to be done on the screen: Zoom, pan, orbit, and other view changes Overlays, such as cursors, trackers, and snap points Partial graphics cache regeneration (for faster display of large drawings) Lineweights and line styles Metafiles for hatches, text, and block references Spatial filters to cull entities not on the screen Multi-threaded metafile preprocessing It also handles what we are used to calling "renderings": Wireframe, hidden lines removed, shaded, and other render modes Visual styles such as silhouettes, hidden edges, and transparency Materials Output to 2D and 3D PDF files. This new API is meant for viewing data in files that isn't stored in DWG format. It could be used for file viewers or markup software of simple x,y,z data, ACIS SAT (3D models defined by ASCII data), point clouds, and so on.   Solid modeling options. Autodesk offers ShapeManager for 3D modeling, although other modelers can be hooked into AutoCAD. ODA offers three solid modelers to its members: It's own admittedly aging ODA Modeler, free ACIS from Dassault Spatial, royalty-based  C3D from ASCON C3D Labs, fixed fee Three different paths towards solids modeling with Teigha    What's New in Teigha DWG 2018 In addition to updating Teigha to DWG 2018, the ODA added the following features: Digital signatures (Autodesk removed them from AutoCAD) More than 256MB of data per object Associative center lines and marks Associative surfaces Support for RCP files, point clouds which come from 3D laser scanners As ODA adds functions to Teigha on the desktop, it makes them equally available for the cloud version. This allows members to choose which they prefer to implement: desktop-only, cloud-only, or both. Teigha for the cloud uses Web Assembly format to reduce the library size and speed up function speed. An Update Manager displays only as much of drawings as needed, to minimize the amount of data that needs to be streamed from the server, over the Internet, to the Web browser.  ODA plans to add multi-threaded analysis and optimized GPU rendering to Teigha Cloud. They have three organizations working together to optimize cloud use: Onshape, Graebert, and ODA itself.   What Ralph Grabowski Thinks The ODA has been around for 19 years, says Mr Peterson. "We want to keep this data accessible for another 50 years or more." Best of all, ODA is not charging its members more for these DWG-extra features. The organization began when Autodesk would not provide an API for accessing DWG files. (Back then, its ceo said DXF, the ASCII version of DWG, was sufficient.) Autodesk subsequently came out with its RealDWG API, but the vast majority of firms needing DWG access prefer to go with the ODA. The ODA would no longer exist if it didn't have over a thousand firms supporting it. Until recently, the ODA was primarily a documenter of formats, like DWG and DGN. As of last year, it has began a second path: expanding the utility of DWG -- something I approve of heartily. Now it is up to members of the ODA to implement them.  http://www.opendesign.com Next week: Q&A with ODA ceo Neil Peterson [Disclosure: ODA provided me with air fare, accommodation, and some meals.]   And Now the Rest of the News... Some of the most recent posts on my WorldCAD Access blog: ODA Teigha Conference, Day 2 Teigha Cloud SDK Teigha Revision control for DWG New features for Teigha drawings Exporting custom geometry to Revit's RVT format Teigha Visualize: a general purpose graphics engine Teigha Platform at ODA Prague Live blog: Open Design Alliance's 2017 Conference Preview: Teigha Developer Conference 2017 - - - "Think there needs to be a discussion on what 'value' means in subscription world. Adding a bucket, string & scissors to a product suite isn't." -- Martyn Day on Twitter. - - - Designlive and X3DMedia announce DEVELOP3D LIVE USA 2017 will be back at Boston University on 23-24 October, with multiple conference streams on advanced product development and manufacturing technology; also,.40+ exhibitors.Register at http://d3dliveusa.com/ - - -  "New mission for ODA, keeping DWG relevant for the next 30 years." Randall Newtonreports from Prague at gfxspeak.com/2017/09/12/a-new-mission-for-the-open-design-alliance/ - - - Question at ODA Teigha conference: Is 32-bit still relevant? Audience: "Unfortunately, it still is." "Still needed for another ten years." - - -  Siemens PLM Software is no longer holding one big Solid Edge Universityanymore. Not really a surprise, as only about 500 showed up each year. Instead, as of this year it is holding smaller, regional events throughout the USA and rest of the world. Or as Siemens calls it, "Going global." https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en/about_us/events_webinars/solid-edge-university/ - - - LEDAS announces their new cloud platform for CAD-using firms who don't want their IP stored on the servers of strangers. LCP is to be shown in public later this fall: http://www.tenlinks.com/news/ledas-announces-platform-for-building-cloud-cad-apps/ - - - Discovery Live real-time FEA software from ANSYS runs only on GPUs from nVidia. But now AMD tells me that they are investigating it to run on their GPUs. - - - The new release of DIALux evo 7.1 light planning software performs calculations more quickly. The software is free and has 680,000 users. https://www.pressebox.de/pressemitteilung/dial-gmbh/Faster-results-when-planning-with-DIALux-evo-71/boxid/870436 - - - For late-breaking CAD news, follow upFront.eZine on Twitter at @upfrontezine. Letters to the Editor Thank you very much for keeping us abreast of what the world has to offer in this CAD industry!       - Arthur Gan  Love your newsletter.      - Todd Majeski   Thank You, Readers! Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: Thomas Enzmann, Switzerland Holly Stratford, USA Should you wish to support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are like these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $625 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/625 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.com and the account of grabowski@telus.net. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.   Notable Quotable "Smart cities? Tell it like it is: they're surveillance cities."      - Chris Mellor, The Register     http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/07/smart_cities_are_surveillance_cities/ *6615

ARCHLine.XP is BIM for Renovations

Issue #951

 

by Ralph Grabowski with Zoltán Tóth For 26 years now, CADLine has produced ARCHLine.XP software for architects. They are headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, the home to other BIM firms, such as Graphisoft and OrthoGraph. (Cadline has no relation to the firm of the same name in England.) ARCHLine.XP began as CAD software designed to handle renovations. In Italy, there was a major need for renovating old buildings; other software could not handle irregular walls and rooms -- walls that slanted upwards and corners that were not at right-angles. To this day, the bulk of sales are to architects in Italy, as well as in Austria and other German-speaking countries.  Staircases were a selling point: ARCHLine was unique in the early 1990s in creating irregular staircases that were parametric, and at the same time reporting to the architect whether the staircase was economical. Later, the programmers at CADline added interior design functions, and so the software was adopted by interior decorators in England and Hungary. I interviewed CADline head of marketing Zoltán Tóth by Skype and by email. - - - Ralph Grabowski: Why are several AEC firms located in the same part of Budapest? Zoltán Tóth: Excellent mathematical and engineering backgrounds, and the high quality of education in Budapest, are the main reasons why you find several firms that deal with CAD solutions in the city. Around the late '80s and early '90s there was a surge of companies trying to create better computer based drawing methods.  Our company CadLine was founded in 1991 by four Hungarians who wanted to develop an advanced 3D CAD design software for architects and interior designers -- ARCHLine.XP. Obviously, each company tries to find a special focus on the CAD market. In the first few years for us it was mainly architects using our software for the reconstruction of old buildings in Italy. They found our room concept innovative, which made managing irregular walls of old historical buildings easy. For example, the survey and reconstruction plan of the famous Teatro Massimo opera house in Palermo, Italy was made with ARCHLine.XP.  Now decades later, some of the other CAD companies that started at the same time as us have merged with others, or else faded into obscurity. We stay competitive, because ARCHLine.XP comes with comprehensive architectural and interior design tools. Our CV2.0-Architecture Export and Import was recently certified by buildingSMART, and so the IFC interface (to export and import IFC files) is fully integrated into ARCHLine.XP 2017.  Getting back to the close proximity to CAD players, this is a great neighborhood, the home for Hungarian IT companies that are recognized worldwide. They don't all deal with CAD: Logmein is in remote access, Prezi is presentation software, Balabit is for IT security -- just to name a few.  Grabowski: One of the problems with BIM is that once a region uses one product, all other firms in the area pretty much need to use the same software, in order to be compatible. For instance, Revit and ArchiCAD have lockholds on certain geographic areas. What are you doing to fight against this? Tóth: Our approach is to keep our program as open to other software platforms as much as possible. For instance, ARCHLine.XP opens Revit files, which means that architects can collaborate with co-designers, even if they are living in the middle of Revit Country. With our certified IFC import/export, there should be no problem or data loss if a project is being tossed back and forth between different software platforms.  Our target group is those AEC professionals who are still sitting on the fence, and indecisive when it comes to which software to choose, to finally update their game to BIM. We want to make them realize that our product does what they need (at a merciful price structure) but at the same time, it doesn't isolate users from peers using Revit, Vectorworks, Allplan, or ArchiCAD. We spread awareness with Webinars and case studies, and with the help of local partners and distributors.  Grabowski: Why would someone want to switch to your software? Tóth: The fear that people have (who are looking for new software) is of being isolated, so ARCHline includes things like Revit import, on top of DWG, DXF, and IFCs.  We try to put as many tools as possible inside our software, so that customers don't have to buy any add-ons. We provide parts catalogs, renderings, walkthroughs, imports, and so on, for which we do not charge extra. For instance, our catalogs connect to 3dWarehouse and in September will connect to BIM Objects for free.  We just signed an agreement with BIMObject, which provides us with direct access to BIMobject's online repository. We are going to publish our BIMObject add-on in September. The industry is changing so fast that it is not possible to update software with large built-in databases, so ARCHLine links to external databases.  ARCHLine also connects to external programs, like energy calculations and locating models on Google Maps. It even imports terrain from Google Map as a modifiable terrain object.  Grabowski: Tell me about using the RVT APIs being developed by the Open Design Alliance. Tóth: We have been working with ODA for many years now. ARCHLine.XP is compatible with AutoCAD DWG and DXF file formats using the Teigha libraries at a high level. This year in January, ODA published the Teigha BIM library and we are one of the first companies developing its implementation of RFA and RVT formats. Grabowski: Does ArchiLINE have an API? Can customers customize the program? Tóth: No API. We work closely with third parties at the developer level. For instance, we used BIM Objects' own API to integrate it with ARCHline. No customers have wanted customization. We do localized versions that include local regulations. Grabowski: Any comments on the BIM effort by Bricsys? Tóth: I have been following the BricsCAD initiatives for a while. I believe they provide a good software and service. Still, I find it strange that the “BIM for BricsCAD” is an extra purchase, add-on to their products. This means that if somebody is already a Platinum license holder, and is now looking to get familiar with BIM, he or she has to pay extra to unlock BIM features.  Although I do understand the rationale behind this, I could understand if this might make some clients uncomfortable. That’s one of the reasons why our program comes in one edition, which contains everything, from 2D drafting to BIM.  Grabowski: What are your future plans? Tóth: In 2016, ARCHline received IFC certification for both import and export. For 2017, we are adding BIM Object collaboration. Later, we plan to import data from 3D laser scanners. We want to establish the name more deeply in the BIM market, and we are targeting customers looking for a tool that introduces them to BIM. We find that Revit scares them by its large number of functions and its complexity. We designed our interface to be friendly to users, whether they come from AutoCAD (where you tend to start a command and then select the object) or Revit and ArchiCAD (where you select an object and then execute a command). Our software works both ways. We offers commands that are helpful to communicate with other software. For example, our 'Walls on DWG Drawing' tool follows click points (object snaps on geometry) automatically. You just specify the wall width, and then add elements like doors and windows. Based on their knowledge in other software, new users don't have to learn everything from scratch.  Grabowski: What does ArchiLINE cost? Tóth: While other companies are flirting with subscription pricing, our customers are looking for the assurance of owning the license. The permanent license price is £1750 (approximately US$2,250) but if that is too much at one time, customers can pay in six installments of £300 (US$390) each. Annual maintenance for support and upgrades is £400 (US$515). https://www.archlinexp.com   And Now the Rest of the News... Some of the most recent posts on my WorldCAD Access blog: We ask ANSYS about their new GPU-based FEA software ANSYS Discovery Live Changes Everything - - - ITC is relaunching its IntelliCAD World Conference in 2017. The three-day event will be held November 6-8 in Auckland, New Zealand. THis is the code that forms the basis of many AutoCAD work-alikes. For more info and to register (free), go to https://www.intellicad.org/articles-and-press-releases/preliminary-schedule-intellicad-world-conference-2017 In other IntelliCAD news, CMS released the cloud-based version of IntelliCAD 8.4 Premium Edition. The cloud used by CMS keeps all your files private. CMS, by the way, is short for CAD Manufacturing Systems. http://blog.intellicadms.com/intellicad/2017/08/new-cloud-based-cms-intellicad-84-premium-edition-2d-3d-compatible-cad-software.html - - - "Flat design [a.k.a. Modern design] removes the distinction between navigation controls and content" and makes us 22% slower at using the UI. Flat design shattered Apple's skeuomorphic design with Microsoft's 2006 launch of Zune music player. - - -  David Robison of Design Master tells me he is running his 8th annual BIM MEP survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JPPWNQQ . You can read the results from last year's survey at http://www.designmaster.biz/blog/2016/12/mep-bim-2016-survey-results/  - - - Siemens PLM Software releases additive manufacturing plug-in for NX to output directly HP's Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers -> https://community.plm.automation.siemens.com/t5/News-NX-Manufacturing/Siemens-continues-driving-toward-our-vision-to-industrialize/ba-p/430769 - - - Two years following the launch of Windows 10, its market share is 28%, against Windows 7 of  48%. MacOS has 6%. - - - Xi Computer is overclocking Intel's i9 CPUs to 5.0GHz, running 12 cores and 24 threads. http://www.xicomputer.com/products/mtowersp4.asp - - - Companies view news by outsiders like this: Good news coverage = neutral Neutral news = negative Negative = source must be nuked - - - For late-breaking CAD news, follow upFront.eZine on Twitter at @upfrontezine. Letters to the Editor Re: Nanosoft and Its Vision for nanoCAD Great read on nanoCAD. Unfortunately they have subscription.     - CAD Man The editor replies: They have a permanent subscription option, but word it badly on their site. I have advised them to change it from "Buy a three-year subscription, get permanent license free" to "Buy a permanent license, get a three-year subscription free." - - - Quite interesting to review a product 9 years after your visit there, and with the same person, too     - Herb Grabowski Thank You, Readers! Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: Zsolt Engli (Germany) Gregory Burkhart: "Thanks for the great info." Should you wish to support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are like these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $625 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/625 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.comand the account of grabowski@telus.net. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.   Notable Quotable "Was his prose always that pedestrian? Occasional sharp line, but mainly it reads like the About page of a govt-entitlement Web portal."     - Anthony Sacramone (@amsacramone) on Twitter

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Nanosoft and Its Vision for nanoCAD

Issue #950

 

by Ralph Grabowski with Dmitry Popov Nanosoft is one of the very few companies in the world that develops on its own an AutoCAD workalike; nanoCAD (first letter is lowercase) is not based on IntelliCAD nor was it ever reliant on the ITC. (Many AutoCAD workalikes are based on code from the IntelliCAD Technical Consortium.) The initial business idea of Nanosoft's founders was to give away the base software free, and then make money from vertical add-ons. Lots of add-ons were planned. The company thought at the time that the general CAD platform was decreasing in value, and that the trend would eventually bring the price to $0. Since customers make their income through vertical add-ons, the thinking went, they would be willing to pay for add-ons. Outside Russia, Nanosoft is pretty much invisible. In its home country of Russia, the visibility of Nanosoft is, of course, very different. There the company ranks third among CAD vendors, following Autodesk and ASCON Group. After just nine years, the company boasts two million downloads globally of nanoCAD and nanoCAD-based products. Today, nanoCAD 5 is still a free download, but the company sells advanced versions -- nanoCAD Plus 8 (US$540) and nanoCAD Pro 8 ($865) -- as well as vertical add-ons (see figure 1). In English, there are add-ons for mechanical ($900) and construction design ($780-1800). In Russian, there are 15 add-ons (see Figure 2). Figure 1: Nanosoft products available in English   Nearly a decade ago, I was in Nanosoft's Moscow office shortly after the company enthusiastically launched nanoCAD for free, and so I was interested to learn what had changed since then. I spoke via Skype with the chief technology officer of Nanosoft, Dmitry Popov. As he freely admits, he loves to talk! Figure 2: Nanosoft products available in Russian   - - - Ralph Grabowski: What has changed since my visit with you in 2009? Dmitry Popov: Our initial goal in 2009 was to replace AutoCAD as the CAD platform for vertical add-ons. We fulfilled it only partially, because we underestimated the complexity of the problem. It turns out it is not enough just to mimic AutoCAD's commands, APIs [application programming interfaces], and user interface. AutoCAD also has a “behavior history” in the way that it reacts to functions. Depending on the order in which you invoke functions,, the actions might activate bugs still in the software.  So developers have to work around undocumented features and bugs. If we were to mimic AutoCAD in nanoCAD, then we would need to recreate its bugs and wrong behavior. We decided not to. Another reason for the change was market reaction. We earn more from selling plain nanoCAD Plus (see Figure 3) than from any of our vertical applications that are based on it.   Figure 3: nanoCAD Pro version 8 running on Windows 10   Nanosoft's MultiCAD API Popov: Fortunately, we found the compatibility problem near the very beginning, and so we went on to create our own API for our add-ons, called MultiCAD API. We use this API for MCAD and AEC add-ons that we write. We successfully ported third-party add-ons written by developers in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries. There are some more add-ons developed elsewhere in the world [he names the countries], some of which are based on pirated nanoCAD, unfortunately. More recently CSoft Development, the Russian vendor of over 60 AutoCAD-based CAD products, ported their Model Studio suite to nanoCAD. (Their software runs on AutoCAD and is for designing facilities for gas, oil, and power distribution; it can be a substitute for software from AVEVA and Intergraph.) They had used both documented and undocumented APIs from AutoCAD, and so they were helpful to us in improving nanoCAD to mimic even the wrong behavior of AutoCAD. The nanoCAD version of Model Studio was launched this summer and is proof of the quality of our API.   What Customers Want Popov: The biggest problem facing all AutoCAD workalikes is pressure from customers, who want have a product that mimics all of the behaviors of AutoCAD, even when it’s wrong. We use the Teigha APIs; they behave the way that AutoCAD is documented, not how it is implemented. In any case, to be identical to AutoCAD, bugs and all, is not what we want to do.  The primary needs of customers is CAD software that... runs stably; it should never crash is able to load any DWG file without crashing; the product should heal the file works with huge amounts of data without waiting for the software to do memory swaps [to the hard drive] shows proxy data correctly and preserves all updates upon saving; we have already done this for the last three versions We want nanoCAD, as a platform for verticals, to handle huge amounts of data efficiently, and so we implemented a point cloud engine in nanoCAD. IFC [industry foundation classes] is also critical for us, because nanoCAD is a platform for BIM and MEP applications, and so we added IFC underlays this year.  A principle problem with programs like Revit is that they cannot handle the complex models of engineering works in really big buildings, such as shopping centers and skyscrapers, without special actions, such as manual segmentation (decomposition) of the model prior to editing. There is no software on the market that can handle huge parametric models in real-time, and so our goal is to fine-tune nanoCAD to be a platform of choice for these kinds of applications.  When it comes to competitors like Bricsys, we are trying to not just be like them. We feel more comfortable with real customer needs. Sure, we could speed up our LISP interpreter to be as fast as theirs, but that would be useful only for a few customers with legacy needs. The real need is to be more efficient with day-to-day tasks. This includes processing big DWG legacy data files, which can contain errors. So we are focusing on legacy data file processing, to clean and heal them, whether from AutoCAD, GstarCAD, ZWCAD, or any AutoCAD clone. We can heal them, and make them better.  For instance, one bad habit of users is to create views in model space, instead of using paper space, and so drawings contain huge numbers of primitives.    nanoCAD OEM Popov: It is possible to complete most drafting tasks in nanoCAD. For ten weeks, a potential customer logged all the commands used by his drafters in AutoCAD. They found that nanoCAD had 98% of the commands they used in everyday drafting. We OEM'ed nanoCAD to Alpine of USA and Canada, an ITW company, which includes it into their product suite. They switched away from IntelliCAD. This proves we have technology wanted by international partners. We would like to do more such deals, if they happen, but we also know it is not a simple way to sell a product. It is a very intimate, long-term relationship, where we respond to their specific requests.  Grabowski: Why is the free version of nanoCAD three versions old? Popov: Because we need to assign developers to update it. It is not as easy as eliminating a few functions. We have been concentrating on making nanoCAD Plus better. Our sales people complain that the free version of nanoCAD is so good that potential customers don't want to pay for licenses! As a free product for everyday drafting, it is too good. Anyhow, we do plan to upgrade the free version in the near future. When the free version first launched in Russia in 2009, I was shocked by the negative reaction from Russians. I find that outside Russia, users are not linked to brands, the way they are in Russia. In Russia, the thinking is that products associated with global names must be better than ones developed in Russia. In USA, however, saving money is more important than being associated with a brand name.  So when the international [English] version launched a few years later, the reaction was more positive: yes some bugs, but at least it was free. We held a formal beta test cycle with the following release, and the international reaction changed to "Nanosoft makes good CAD software," instead of making just Autodesk-like software. We definitely are switching from being a cheaper "AutoCAD" to taking on more interesting, ambitious tasks. We are having rather good results here in Russia, where we are moving to the #1 position in verticals for engineering and construction. But we have not yet translated most of our vertical add-ons to English for international markets. And so we are looking for partners who can promote nanoCAD Plus and who can help us to distribute nanoCAD-based vertical applications in their countries. We are working on fine-tuning our 3D subsystem. The nanoCAD 8.5 update, due this autumn, will be much faster than any other product, including AutoCAD. We think that the new nanoCAD Plus version will be useful to customers with our improved IFC processing and new point cloud processing application, nanoCAD 3D Scan. All this should attract attention from companies looking for something more than just another drafting program.  http://www.nanocad.com [Disclosure: I have produced videos about nanoCAD.]   Sponsor: Okino Graphics == 3D CAD & DCC Conversion for MAXON Cinema-4D Animation ==   Okino (Toronto) and MAXON (Germany) celebrate 20 years of supporting MCAD data visualization through Okino's PolyTrans-for-Cinema-4D conversion software. MAXON's Cinema-4D is one of the world's most used and respected animation systems for MCAD data visualization. Okino's PolyTrans software transforms ultra-massive 3D datasets into highly-refined models for fast, efficient, and optimized animation creation. All conversions are 'Load & Go,' with no model rebuilding necessary. 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. Contact CTO Robert Lansdale at lansd@okino.com . http://www.okino.com And Now the Rest of the News... One of the most recent posts on my WorldCAD Access blog: On September 7, the cloud dies at the edge of CAD - - -   Autodesk revenue continues to be a good news/bad news story: Conventional Metrics says second quarter results point to a third straight year of losses. New Metrics says things are great (Randall Newton on Graphic Speak) Autodesk Makes New Math to Explain Why It Had A Good Quarter (Roopinder Tara on CAD Insider) - - -   For late-breaking CAD news, follow upFront.eZine on Twitter at @upfrontezine. Letters to the Editor e: Overcoming the Scourge of Data Obsolescence The CAD industry seems to think that every customer is designing products like cell phones, with built-in obsolescence as the primary design goal, and a life span of a tuna sandwich. Products with 30-50 year lives are very common, but the world of the CAD companies seems to exclusively revolve around the consumer product industries. Even the automotive industry, with its furious drive to convince its customers that five years old is a very old car, have components that last for decades in production. I have designed products that have been produced for over 20 years, and I have customers who build products that predate CAD. The difference is that when these small companies give feedback to the CAD companies, the response is always the same: "What you're asking for is not possible. The technology doesn't exist for Solidworks 2015 to output a Solidworks 2014 file. You just need to quit being such a tightwad, run the latest version, and force all of your customers to run the exact same version." But when the Boeings and Lockheeds of the world say it, the response will be different. I believe that mechanical modeling software has become a commodity, but nobody in the industry is willing to admit it. And the transition of a business -- from supplying an expensive custom solution to supplying a commodity product -- is nearly impossible to survive. It absolutely will require dramatic changes in the business model.     - Jess Davis      Davis Precision Design, Inc.   Re: What's New from Spatial in 2017 It may seem like splitting hairs, but the first commercially available solid modeling kernel was written by Shape Data Ltd, which was founded in 1974 by Alan Grayer, Charles Lang, Ian Braid, and Peter Veenman. Shape Data is responsible, for among other things, the Parasolid kernel used by SolidEdge and others. If I recall correctly, Alan, Charles and Ian left ShapeData to create ACIS, which was marketed by Spatial.  ACIS takes its initials from Alan, Charles, Ian, and Spatial.     - Tim Elliot     Former editor of CADdesk, CADD & MicroStation User Europe - - -   You quoted Spatial saying, "The market is starting to understand how to use our Polyhedra software. No one else is doing it." This is what ANSIS' SpaceClaim is doing. Don't they know that?     - Cad Man   Thank You, Readers! Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: Matt Murrell Leonid Raiz Should you wish to support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are like these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $625 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/625 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.com and the account of grabowski@telus.net. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.   Notable Quotable "What happens when the pricing bots gang up on us?"      - Andrew Orlowski, The Register     https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/24/aipowered_dynamic_pricing_petrol/?mt=1496876058018

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