ObjectDBX is the name of Autodesk's API for third-party developers needing to read and write AutoCAD DWG and DXF files. Because Autodesk limits who has access to ObjectBDX, the rest of the CAD insdustry uses APIs developed by the Open Design Alliance.
Today Autodesk changes the name to RealDWG, and changes the pricing and licensing terms: US$5,000 to sign up, and $2,500 a year after that -- for one application and subsequent updates. The real reason for the name change is the change in technology: RealDWG now uses Microsoft's .NET development suite.
Autodesk's press release takes a shot at Open Design Alliance by quoting Joe Mooring of PLP Digital Systems: "The third-party DWG libraries we've used in the past have not kept pace with Autodesk's release schedule, nor have they provided the high degree of fidelity that our customers now demand." Ironically, RealDWG 2006 did not ship with AutoCAD 2006: "We anticipate that Autodesk RealDWG 2006 will allow us to address our customers' DWG processing requirements in a much more comprehensive way" (emphasis added).
Read more about RealDWG 2006 in next Tuesday's upFront.eZine (subscribe).
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By coincidence, Dassault Systemes today finally releases the 3DXML spec and a viewer free.
The competitor to SolidWorks eDrawings and Autodesk 3D DWF, 3DXML is already built into five of Dassault's software offerings: CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SMARTEAM, and SolidWorks. But then the press release takes on an ominous tone: "Moreover, all members of the CAA V5 and SolidWorks developer communities will de-facto endorse the 3D XML format and will deploy it on a wide scale to their end-users."
The press release claims that 3D XML was "developed in conjunction with industry leaders," but does not list them. I think the list consists of Lattice (from whom Dassault licensed the core code) and Microsoft (from whom Dassault got development funding), but no CAD industry leaders.
The free viewer, called Player, includes a plug-in that adds 3D XML drag-and-drop to Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. No non-Dassult CAD software supports 3D XML.
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