WorldCAD Access

WebCAD 2.0

Randall Newton has news on a Vancouver company (just 50 miles west of me) attempting to sell an AJAX CAD product for $2000. "AJAX" refers to interactive Web pages, like the kind you get with Google Maps. AfterCAD's doing it with CAD drawings. Read more at Ajax Comes to CAD. Established CAD vendors can't see CAD working as a Web browser app, so we'll see whether these fellows are able to accomplish what the big boys can't. Read more →

Scarey Article for People Who Hope to Keep their Jobs at Microsoft Longterm

Nicholas Carr asks on his Weblog: "Will Google win the enterprise?". He quotes the CIO [chief information officer] of The Weather Channel: "We're not far from fostering greater productivity with Google's name on it." The CIO earlier notes how productivity increased when software moved from mainframes to desktop computer; he figures the next leap will occur once Web-based apps are stronger than those running on desktops. Why will Google win over Microsoft and others? + Google is unencumbered by legacy architecture. + Google has a utility computing infrastructure already in place that more advanced than what any big enterprise IT... Read more →

SolidWorks Adds Conisio to Its Portfolio

SolidWorks today acquires GCS Scandinavia of Sweden, makers of Conisio PDM [product data management] software. Read more →

Boot Camp for CAD

CADalyst has an interesting two-part series on what Apple's Boot Camp means for CAD software. (Boot Camp allows Intel-based Apple computers to run Windows XP and related applications.) Kenneth Wong interviewed a number of CAD vendors for their thoughts -- which turn out to be mostly negative. Brian Mathews of Autodesk provides this summary: Apple's move to Intel x86 technology is more significant than Boot Camp. The ads and the marketing literature that came out of Apple and Intel mentioned this, but no one really explained to the end user why this would benefit them. Something like Boot Camp is... Read more →

Dassault: Up and Up

Dassault Systemes this morning reports revenues are up 29% and net income is up 31% in Q1 over a the same quarter a year ago. The number of employees is also up, by 20%. Details here [pdf]. Read more →

The Brokernet Silver Sting

Over at mobilemag.com, T.O. Whenham asks a rather narrow-minded question: "Can you name anything that is made in Hungary?" He's writing about the Brokernet Silver Sting supercar. Yes: Rubik's Cube. Yes: Graphisoft ArchiCAD, architectural CAD software that costs about $6000. Yes: Composers with names like Franz Liszt, Brahms, Strauss, Bartok, and Kodaly. And maybe broad-minded computer journalists, too. In the background of the car's photo, you can see the Chain Bridge over the Danube River, and the castle on the hills of Buda (the car is on the Pest side of Budapest). I know, because unlike some computer journalists, I've... Read more →

The Offshoring Loss of IP Ownership

Ed Thomas writes in Computer Business Review Online about intellectual property protection among information technology industries -- hmmm, maybe acronyms are easier aferall: Ed writes in CBRO about IP in IT. Some quotes from his article: + "There is enough knowledge available on the client side of the outsourcing industry these days that companies are confident that, if they can find a good enough lawyer, they will be able to get out of their outsourcing contract without paying any penalty costs by claiming a breach of service." + "But the ever-increasing popularity of offshore service delivery models has created an... Read more →

Acad07 Cmd Trivia

I'm nearly done updating my best-selling(*) book, "The Illustrated AutoCAD Quick Reference" for 2007 (Autodesk Press). It's still a quick reference, with all commands listed alphabetically, but it is no longer thin. The first edition, for AutoCAD Release 11 (1992) was 272 pages; the current edition will be 928 pages -- 3.4x fatter One reason for the increase is that it now describes 533 commands, including those not documented by Autodesk, but excluding Express Tools. There are differences between Autodesk's documentation team and I about what counts as a command. For example, they don't document DxfIn and DxfOut; I do.... Read more →

UGS Ships Puzzler of a Press Release

"Microsoft and UGS Announce Strategic Alliance" is the headline, but the content is a real puzzler. I've asked UGS for clarification. While waiting for their response, here are the parts that puzzle me: The alliance will help UGS deliver a version of the full suite of its PLM technology currently used by more than two million users ... on the Microsoft platform. I take this to mean that some of UGS's software currently does not run on Windows? By optimizing for the Microsoft platform... Does this mean that versions of UGS's software for Linux will be sub-optimal? Microsoft will work... Read more →

Condolances to Family of ECAD Founder

Gene Eckert, owner of ECAD, died of a heart attack last week at age 54. ECAD is the largest Autodesk Reseller based in Texas with 60 employees in numerous offices in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. ECAD bought Digital Graphic Systems in Houston and Datech in Louisiana. ECAD's specialty is process and piping for the oil industry. Mr Eckert is survived by his wife Carole, children, and 12 grandchildren. Read more →

Open Sourcers Vote Against Autodesk Naming Scheme

Brad Grimes and Joab Jackson of Government Computer News report on open-source users of MapServer voting against Autodesk's idea to give its own GIS sofware a similar name. There are (were) two MapServers: + One is a volunteer effort co-sponsored by NASA and overseen by Stephen Lime at the University of Minnesota. + The other is Autodesk's product recently released as open source and overseen by MapServer Foundation, also based at the University of Minnesota. Autodesk thought that it was being clever: "We feel we've added just as much energy to MapServer by adding the Autodesk name to it...", a... Read more →

VectorWorks First Third-Party to Support Google Warehouse

Nemetschek North America says their VectorWorks software works with 3D models stored in Google's new Warehouse. "The 3D Warehouse is a digital warehouse for thousands of models that are available at no cost to VectorWorks Design Series users. VectorWorks users can directly import SKP models into their VectorWorks designs." This is done through their SketchUp plugin [pdf], and would mean that any other CAD package with a SketchUp importer can do the same (ArchiCAD comes to mind). What will this mean to other Web-CAD interfaces, such as Autodesk's i-drop? But there seem to be limitations. CEO Sean Flaherty writes, "We... Read more →

How to Be A Startup

Paul Graham offers these helps for startups: + Release Early + Keep Pumping Out Features + Make Users Happy + Fear the Right Things + Commitment Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy + There Is Always Room + Don't Get Your Hopes Up + Speed, not Money Read more →

Press Release Headines We'd Rather Not Visualize

"Woodstock For Facilities Managers Runs April 30-May 3 at Marriott Marquis Hotel, Times Square" -- press release headline for ARCHIBUS's user conference. You know the image I mean: naked facilities managers rolling around mud pits stoned out of their minds.... Read more →

U3D Rejected by ISO as Standard; Setback for Intel & Adobe; May Try Again

The headline pretty much says it all. Read more →