When CoCreate Software first announced the free version of their 3D software some months ago, they ended the download period in June. At the time, I asked "Why?", because a cutoff made no sense to me. As I recall, the cutoff was to create a sense of urgency. Today they're announcing, as I expected, the extension of the free download.
The new cutoff date is: "no planned end date." How about that.
CoCreate OneSpace Modeling Personal Edition allows assemblies of up to 60 parts. They say that tens of thousands have downloaded it, which you can too from here (after registrating at the Web site, waiting for an email response, clicking a link to confirm registration, signing in at the Web site, and then finally getting to do the download). Good news: the 86MB download runs on Windows 2000 (SP4); some of today's CAD systems now require XP.
With 10s of 1000s having downloaded CoCreate PE and UGS's free SE 3D modeler, and 100s of 1000s downloading Alibre's free 3D modeler, and 1000000s downloading Autodesk's free DWF viewer, what I want to know is: HOW MANY END UP USING the software?
How much of it becomes the virtual equivalent of shelfware?
What I'd really like to know is the reason why non-history based modelers like OneSpace and KeyCreator don't add history based modeling to their suite of tools? Just because it's necessary at times (non-native data)to directly work with geometry, doesn't mean someone should have to give up their parametric / history based tool set all together.
Why not let the user choose when they want to use parametrics and when they want / need to directly edit the geometry?
The reverse question can be asked of SolidWorks, SolidEdge, IronCAD, Inventor, Pro/E, etc.... where are the high level direct geometry editing tools that OneSpace Designer and KeyCreator have?
Hybrid modeling use to mean solid and surface tools in one CAD system. Maybe what's needed is a new buzzword to describe parametric / history based tools and high level direct geometry modification tools in one CAD product? :>)
Finally why do IronCAD, CoCreate and Kubotek USA do such a horrible job of marketing? Contrast their marketing to SolidWorks Corp. SolidWorks is in almost every machining job shop I have contact with.
Jon Banquer
San Diego, CA
Posted by: Jon Banquer | Jun 25, 2007 at 10:12 AM