Autodesk releases a trio of DWF (design Web format) software programs today:
Design Review 2008
Design Review is for viewing and redlining DWF files. This software used to be called DWF Composer and used to have a list price of US$199 but sold for $99, then $49. Perhaps in compensation for the software now being free, Autodesk established commercial links in Design Review:
- Online access to ThomasNet and GlobalSpec product catalogs
- Batch printing with HP Instant Printing capabilities connected HP Designjet printers.
And then there is this interesting feature: georeferencing of DWF files with GPS integration. Perhaps someone can see how that works, since I was unable to download the software.
If Design Review is free, it's not clear to me why the less-capable DWF Viewer is bundled with AutoCAD 2008, instead of this software. Download your free copy -- after telling Autodesk all about yerself -- from www.autodesk.com/designreview-download. I was unable to download it, because my valid Canadian postal code was declared invalid. Stupid overly clever Web forms! It's not easy being one of the few 5.7 billion people who don't have a USA-based ZIP code.
Freewheel
Freewheel is a server-hosted, browser-based viewer of DWF files, said to be "Anytime, Anywhere" accessible for Mac, Linux, and Windows users. I tried it with my Opera Web browser, and found the first flaw: it allows me to specify any file for uploading, so I deliberately selected a 6.6MB ATX (Actrix) file. After uploading for 2:40 min:sec (Opera nicely reports load times), Freewheel reported "Error rendering file."
OK, so I cheated. From the Freewheel menu bar, I selected File | Open, and then clicked Choose File. At that point, Freewheel stopped working in Opera v9.10. Ooops. You may have better luck with the browser of your choice by trying Freewheel at freewheel.autodesk.com.
Design Review and Freewheel are said to be tightly integrated with AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit.
DWFx
DWFx is the 2D-only version of DWF meant for use in Vista, Microsoft's much maligned operating system. From Autodesk's support site: "DWFx files can be opened directly within Microsoft’s XPS Viewer, which is automatically installed with Microsoft Vista, bundled with .NET 3.0, and is available as an optional download for Windows XP users."
This new format is also generated by Design Review 2008. But because I was prevented from downloading DR, I thought it might be easier to get the DWFx driver from Autodesk's Web site. The press release promises it is easy: "AutoCAD 2008 DWFx Driver is a utility download available at http://www.autodesk.com/autocad in the utilities and drivers section."
Except that there is no Utilities and Drivers section at that Web page. Instead, I found I needed to make this trek:
1. Go to www.autodesk.com/autocad
2. Under Related Information, click Services & Support.
3. Under Support, click on Data & Downloads.
4. Under Data & Downloads, click Utilities & Drivers.
5. Under AutoCAD 2008, click AutoCAD DWFx Driver.
6. Select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the driver.
Whew! Perhaps this is why DWF files can be georeferenced *koff, koff*. At least I didn't need to give away personal information to download the driver.
Except that I didn't download it, because (1) I don't use XPS; and (2) don't need DWFx when I already have DWF Viewer, which is installed with AutoCAD.
Too little, too late. After years of major account customers begging Autodesk to provide some sort of decent multi-purpose viewer and make it easier to post drawings for collaborative use, many have opted for third-party solutions, like we did. I'm still happy I did that. AutoVue works great for our needs. DWF has never proven to be useful in our production environments. Managers need to be able to peer remotely over shoulders to monitor progress without imposing DWF publishing on their staff. It holds up production.
Posted by: skatterbrain | Apr 16, 2007 at 03:06 PM