Last month's Australasia BricsCAD Conference (ABC) 2019 was the first conference after Hexagon announced its acquisition Bricsys, and so attendees were interested to know what the future of their software would be inside the $4.4 billion-a-year corporation that's headquartered in Sweden. Dealers, for instance, became concerned when they learned that Hexagon would be including the $1,200 BricsCAD Platinum free with the next release of its CADWorx plant design software.
So, what happens when companies are acquired? The answer is all over the map.
- Sometimes they disappear, rarely to be heard from again, as occurred when Microsoft acquired Visio.
- Other times they are spun out again, as happened after 3D Systems acquired Alibre.
- Or they are shut down after their technology is subsumed or found to be actually useless, such as Autodesk's acquisition of Socialcam.
- The acquisition might remain quite independent, such as Graphisoft under Nemetschek.
- Or they might live on under a different name, such as Intergraph becoming Hexagon PPM.
To make a better guess at the possible future of CAD software that's been acquired, it helps to know the reason for the acquisition. Microsoft was looking for a diagramming add-on to its database software; the Visio brand was of no interest to it. Alibre was unable to mesh with 3D Systems, for some reason. Autodesk, for a brief moment, thought it could turn tens of millions of quirky social media users into lifelong customers. Nemetschek Group's policy is to allow its acquisitions to run independently, requiring them only to meet sales and revenue targets.
In Hexagon's case, it was looking for a replacement for AutoCAD, after Autodesk began requiring regular payments from users to keep the software running for longer than a year, a policy Hexagon found odious.
Hexagon thinks subscriptions are bad business because it alienates customers, explained Hexagon PPM director of Asia Pacific Michael Smith at the ABC conference. Subscriptions are there only to satisfy shareholders in the short term. Hexagon does offer subscriptions should a customer want them, but the company considers permanent licenses the way to go.
We learned from Mr Smith that Hexagon PPM had evaluated twenty products, after which it was "undeniable" (his word) that Bricsys would be the choice. It could perform operations like open 3D point clouds from the company's line of Leica laser scanners, and then send the data further along to CADworx.
The decision by Bricsys executives to base all design disciplines on DWG was also a deciding factor, and something Autodesk doesn't do. "By using all-in-one DWG to get our work done, instead of a mishmash of products, we don't leave the DWG workflow," he enthused. "We see Bricsys as the innovator of DWG products," especially when used in BIM.
The next generation of DWG involves AI [artificial intelligence] and ML[machine learning], said Mr Smith, and Hexagon liked that Bricsys was already implementing AI, such as the BIMify function that identifies 3D elements and assigns appropriate BIM properties automatically. But AI must be reliable, he stressed.
As for the concerns of dealers, existing dealers will continue to service accounts that they can handle, while Hexagon handles direct sales to large corporate accounts that use software like SmartPlant and CADWorx.
"You can rest assured we [Hexagon] are backing Bricsys all the way," he concluded. It may also be reassuring to see that neither Hexagon's name or copyright appears on the Bricsys Web site.
Next Up, Trimble's Move
One other point: I believe this acquisition puts pressure on Trimble to acquire a CAD package of its own. SketchUp doesn't count. The CAD program would have to be one that handles 3D and preferably does full BIM, but not MCAD (so Alibre is not a consideration).
The problem for Trimble is that there are not many choices left:
- Graebert, for instance, is fiercely independent and is too intertwined with Dassault Systemes in any case.
- Bentley Systems would be a good match software-wise, but Siemens owns a chunk of it.
This leaves as possible candidates vendors the following ones:
- IMSI (TurboCAD has some BIM capabilities)
- A version of IntelliCAD (the lowest cost of entry)
- Or CadLine with its ARCHLine.XP Architect (full BIM) software
ABC 2019
Australasia BricsCAD Conference 2019 was the inaugural opposite-side-of-the-globe conference for BricsCAD users. Until now, BricsCAD users conferences were held only in Europe. Promoted by Bricsys, the Australasia event was organized by regional dealers Sofoco and CAD Concepts.
It was an introductory event in more ways than one. It introduced BricsCAD to those who were unfamiliar with it, and introduced its advanced capabilities to those who thought they knew it. I heard some gasps in the audience as Jason Bourhill showed off advanced MCAD functions, like sheet metal unfolding, and automatic BOM [bills of materials] and balloon generation.
I gave a three-strand history lesson on how BricsCAD ended up in the CAD world. It is the result of Black Swan events that took place way back in the 1980s and in far away countries. (I plan to run my talk as an article in a future issue of upFront.eZine.)
Plans are already being made for next year's event, to again be held in Australia.
Additional Coverage of ABC 2019
Rakesh Rao: The Bricsys Australasia Conference in Brisbane: Musings from a Sales Partner
Steve Johnson: What happened at the Australasia BricsCAD Conference 2019
WorldCAD Access: Live blog of Australasia BricsCAD Conference 2019
Official Bricsys Blog: ABC 2019 – Australasia BricsCAD Conference
[Disclosure: Conference organizers provided me with airfare and accommodation]
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| Here are some of the most recent posts made to the WorldCAD Access blog:
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Graebert releases ARES Commander 2019 for Windows, MacOS, and Linux with...
- Parametric block editor
- Push-pull editing
- Layers palette
- 3D chamfers
- Comments palette for cloud collaboration
Details and 30-day trial version from https://www.graebert.com/cad-software/ares-commander/new-features/
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Nemetschek Group reorganizes into these new divisions
- Planning & Design
- Build & Construct
- Operate & Manage
As well, the company announced a new executive board following the departure of Sean Flaherty:
- Patrik Heider - spokesman of Nemetschek SE and CFOO
- Viktor Várkonyi - Chief Division Officer, Planning & Design Division
- Jon Elliott - Chief Division Officer, Build & Construct Division and Bluebeam CEO
- Koen Matthijs - Chief Division Officer, Operate & Manage Division, including Spacewell and Crem Solutions
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Stratasys is the first 3D printer maker to be PANTONE-Validated. Its PolyJet line prints objects with colors that simulate the Pantone Matching System. When a designer specifies a PMS color, he knows that the printed product will have the exact same color. www.businesswire.com/news/home/
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After a year of development, MA Lighting, Robe Lighting, and Vectorworks release General Device Type Format (GDTF) v1.0 as an open file format for defining lighting fixtures. https://gdtf-share.com/
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Microsoft integrates DWG into OneDrive and SharePoint, so that the files can be opened directly in the AutoCAD desktop program, and mobile and web apps -- following the lead of Dropbox and Graebert.
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Steve Johnson (@SteveJohnsonCAD): All 6 new commands in AutoCAD 2020: help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2020upFront (@upFronteZine): Now that software rental company Autodesk has enough customers on rental to fund ongoing operations, who have to pay annually just to keep AutoCAD running, there is no urgency to update the software or keep up with competitors, especially as AutoCAD is part of a shovelware Collection.
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Re: Status as a Service
Is responding to this particular article a form of social-media “status-seeking”? Guilt by participation?
- Gregory Hruby
The editor replies: It could well be.
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I was hoping to see something different from your social media newsletter. With the whole concept of your newsletter is around the business of CAD, I was hoping that you would relate social media to CAD users or at least CAD software. You didn’t. I would’ve thought that would’ve been a home run for the topic of this newsletter.
We are a 30-year-old CAD services provider. We have spent a great deal of time effort and money determining who and why people come to our website - www.cadcam.org. I It’s interesting that only a couple of percent each month of our traffic comes from social media. We even have a way to track the other big guys like Catia/SW and Autodesk and how their social media programs work and even if they don’t get that much traffic through social media, at least based on a percentage.
I admit our business is slightly different than most. The bulk of our business is the very high-end CAD systems like Catia, SoildWorks, PTC Creo, and of course in NX. Our customers are the Lockheeds and the Boeings of the world, including several of the DOD defense contractors. These guys don’t use social media; we know because we looked and asked.
In our world the hot buttons are additive manufacturing, 3D printing, 3D scanning, point cloud conversion, lots of reverse engineering, and the harder 3D projects that most people can’t do.
Is social media to the high-end CAD users important? We don’t know. Could it be sometime in the future? If I would bet, I doubt it. Most of the big guys aren’t allowed to use a lot of that social media at work.
Now tell me how I can use social media to make our CAD services business larger? I am all ears. But more importantly Ralph, keep up the great work.
- Scott Shuppert
Cad / Cam Services
The editor replies: I felt the topic of addiction to social media was an important one to address. Addressing your concern specifically, I feel that social media is of little importance to CAD users, and vendors that chase it are beguiled by the current zeitgeist.
Mr Shuppert responds: Ralph, a great answer. Thank you.
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Thanks as always for the thoughtful insights and interesting topics, such as “Status as a Service”. As an experienced observer of the world, (read “I’m old”), I recognized the patently narcissistic nature of social media from the start, and was repulsed, a situation that has not changed.
Social media combines self-absorption with exhibitionism, ending up being nothing more than everyone saying to each other “look at ME ME ME”, as though no one using MyBook ever got enough attention as a child, or as an adult.
One thing I am observing recently is the tendency for folks to feel justified in assuming that because a thing is true for some people, they insist that it is true for all people. This perspective has its source in academia, where a social survey is constructed and conducted on a ‘statistically significant’ number of people (a few hundred up to a couple thousand), then the authors extrapolate that they now know for certain that this or that truth holds for all humans. This conclusion is often incorrect and the desire to jump to it breeds a dangerous arrogance that pervades those halls in myriad ugly and self-destructive ways today.
Mr. Wei’s assertion that we are all ”status-seeking monkeys” is not correct, especially when he flatly states that this principle (along with his second one) is true for all people, without exception. Contrary to this assertion, many folks haven’t the slightest interest in social status OR in social media, but Mr. Wei doesn’t know about them, because they have ‘self-sorted’ away from social media. This may cause him to think that those people not interested in social media are statistically insignificant, (or just plain old ‘insignificant’), and he can then say that those people don’t matter. This phenomenon shows up in politics all the time and it constitutes a blind spot for far too many people.
Shining a light on that blind spot might provide a more balanced view of the whole truth -- his next essay might be “Why the majority of humans never get (self) involved in social media”, which may help him to understand that many people are not monkeys at all.
- Peter Lawton
Maryland USA
PS: Finding someone to critique and edit one’s writing is breathtakingly easy, so he has no excuse for ‘not having an editor’ On the other hand, it is his own blog, so why would he even need an editor? This is his opinion, the raw ore of mining his mind, so he is entirely entitled to posting it fresh and unabridged.
The editor replies: That is certainly the situation for the book I am currently reading, where the author presents a problem exemplified by a half-a-dozen people (which the then analyzes), but the 6 people are from exactly the same background, nullifying his thesis, in part, anyhow.
I enjoy long-form essays. As an editor, the only part I would have cut out of his 20,000 words would be his references to have no editor.
Mr Lawton responds: The ‘volunteer’ nature of sociological or psychological surveys skews their results, and my guess is that it has been doing so for decades. That is, people who volunteer to take sociological surveys may be desirous of more attention, or may believe that their opinion is important enough for academia to take note. This means that the survey only gathers data from this type of person.
On the other hand, many people do NOT volunteer to participate in sociological surveys, so their opinions/profiles/personalities do not get tabulated.
- Why do people volunteer to take such surveys?
- Why do other people refuse to participate?
- Is there any way in a free society to compel all people to participate in a sociological survey, so that the final result is an accurate assessment of the complete spectrum of opinions?
- Do people who volunteer to take such surveys believe that they should be getting more of this type of attention?
- Do such folks think that their opinion is especially important, and should be noted by someone in academia?
- Do folks who refuse to participate in such voluntary surveys believe that their privacy is most important?
- Do they simply dislike the attention?
It may be the case that the consequence is that the entire field of psychology believes that it is ‘normal’ for people to be desirous of more attention, because all the voluntary survey respondents have self-sorted in that dimension.
The editor replies: This is called the "self-selection problem." Telephone opinion surveys today have the same problem: people who like to talk, answer them.
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"I want to do a remake of Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray wakes up every day and has to go to the same SXSW panel on Disruption."
- David Burge (@iowahawkblog on Twitter) |
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