Last month, Delcam released their free PowerSHAPE-e surface modeler.
Last week, WorldCAD Access revealed MoI, the new surface modeler from Triple Squid designed for tablet PCs.
This week, FreeDesign announces they'll be launching their 3D surfacing software, FreeDimension, at SIGGRAPH 2006.
Does a company like Freedesign actually think it will make any headway into the Cad Market. The cad industry is measured by the Aero and auto markets. Those markets represent 80% of the Cad use. They may have the best technology, but would anyone risk the future of there company on a non proven technology. When they post a headline that states Toyota replaces existing CAD with Freedesign then we can talk. At this point they are just positioning themselves for someone to buy them and incorporate their technology into an established application.
Posted by: Steve | Jul 28, 2006 at 11:11 AM
"Does a company like Freedesign actually think it will make any headway into the Cad Market."
If their technology turns out be significantly easier to use than NURBS then why in the world would Freedesign not be adopted by the market?
I'm looking forward to trying Freedesign.
Jon Banquer
Phoenix, Arizona
Posted by: Jon Banquer | Jul 28, 2006 at 02:12 PM
Ive been selling in this industry for 20 years. CAD software is critical to product development. Ive seem lots of great technology that never gained any momentum. Mostly because the fortune 500's dont adopt it. Freedesign is a point solution. Today companies are going through CAD consolidation because of the nightmare of data translation. Companies like PTC, Dassault, Autodesk fund new develpment from maintenance money.
Look what happened in the mid level solid modeling. Solidedge, Solidworks never had much success until they where purchased by UGS and Dassault. Think3 great software but struggles because of no fortune 500 adoption
Posted by: Steve | Jul 30, 2006 at 07:21 AM
"Think3 great software but struggles because of no fortune 500 adoption"
Think3 struggles because Joe Costello wants to hit a home run rather than slowly build the company up in the U.S. He has changed marketing plans so often that I have lost track of how many times think3 has had a "new marketing plan". I agree that thinkID is great software.
Companies like Mecsoft (Visual Mill and RhinoCAM), McNeel (Rhino) and OneCNC have proven you can be a successful company without really targeting Auto and Aero.
Jon Banquer
Phoenix, Arizona
Posted by: Jon Banquer | Jul 30, 2006 at 06:34 PM
Being purchased by one of the BIG 3 CAD companies could be FreeDesign's company strategy. I know of plenty of startup companies whose sole goal is to make technology that will be sold to the big boys in their respective industries.
Posted by: | Jul 31, 2006 at 09:16 AM