WorldCAD Access

Will ChatGPT Replace CAD Programmers?

Opinion by Nikita Vorobyov, LEDAS You must have heard of ChatGPT, that artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. It interacts with humans in a conversational way by supporting queries made in natural languages. (Image at left created by AI.) For developers, ChatGPT’s most attractive feature is its ability to generate code in any programming language. But how useful is AI-generated code? Let's find out by asking ChatGPT to solve some simple tasks that arise in CAD development projects. (We conducted this study some time ago; since then, ChatGPT has perhaps become smarter.) In our experiment, we asked ChatGPT to solve... Read more →

Why Tech Companies Sell Complex Ideas

CAD isn't a cell phone, yet In his DeZign Stuff blog, Matt Lombard explains why we can't understand the marketing jargon of some CAD vendors (*koff*Dassault*koff*). The tl;dr explanation is that these companies aren't marketing to end-users but to upper management. Read his article here, please: https://dezignstuff.com/why-technology-companies-have-a-hard-time-selling-complex-ideas. It’s certainly always fascinating for me to watch the blank looks of Solidworks users at Solidworks World 3dexperience World as Dassault execs ask in vain for applause for their high-level pronouncements. If they were politicians, they might be tempted to ask for a better class of attendee. Mr Lombard mentions how terminals-attached-to-mainframes fell... Read more →

Our Cloud Development for 3D BIM

by Alexey Ershov Viewing 3D models in Web browsers became popular in the mid-2010s with the introduction of WebGL that allowed the display of sophisticated graphics. New Web protocols and JavaScript then made it possible to build 3D Web applications with advanced logic and interactive user interfaces. Cloud-based BIM (building information modeling) became a primary target for development, thanks to the big data volumes that are typically generated by BIM projects. Big data requires big storage. As well, BIM involves collaboration between designers working on specific areas and layers of buildings, bridges, civil, and industrial projects. These requirements correspond well... Read more →

Seven tips for working with Substack

Hidden and not so hidden functions How to Preview Your Newsletter SubStack's process for previewing your newsletter is a bit awkward: 1. Click Settings at the bottom of the screen. 2. In the Post Settings screen, scroll down until you reach Secret Draft Link. 3. Click Copy Link. 4. Paste the link into the address bar of a Web browser. 5. To exit the Post Settings screen, click the X in the upper right corner. How To Move a Paragraph Hold down the Ctrl key and then double-click the paragraph. Notice the blue border that surrounds the paragraph. Drag the... Read more →

Get this free ebook with your subscription to upFront.eZine!

I've put together a whitepaper on the status of CAD running on mobile devices, like Android tablets. It's titled "MobileCAD is Reaching Maturity," and it is available today. Eight chapters, three appendices, 40 figures, and 15,000 words! The 56-page whitepaper has a list price of $56, but you can get it free just by subscribing to upFront.eZine, the newsletter that for 20 years has reported on the business of CAD. Subscribe by simply sending an email to [email protected]. Expect to see your copy of the whitepaper in a day or two in your email box, as a 5MB PDF file.... Read more →

Next week in upFront.eZine: We talk to Siemens about Intosite

Yes, Siemens Does Cloud We continue to takes our summer break by publishing every other week, and so the next issue of upFront.eZine appears August 31 -- which just happens to be my birthday -- with our story about Intosite from Siemens PLM Software and exclusive interview with developer Tali Segal. To whet your appetite, WorldCAD Access tomorrow posts a walkthrough of Intosite on iPad. She works in the same division that produces Tecnomatix and CNC software for NX. To not miss out on the Business of CAD, email 'subscribe' to [email protected] Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: Why Multi-Core CPUs are Useless for CAD

Issue #859 The dirty secret in CAD is that multi-core CPUs (which all computers today boast) are completely useless for drafting, modeling, and editing activities. They come into play only with tasks that can be broken down ahead of time and then channeled into multiple CPU or GPU cores -- like rendering and FEA. Nevertheless, software vendors are nibbling around the edges at making everyday CAD activities more efficient, and in this week's issue we describe how Graphisoft is making these sorts of advances in the soon-to-be-released ArchiCAD 19. For twenty years, we've been writing about the business of CAD:... Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: HP Talks About PageWide

Issue #858 HP has spent 15 years working on modular page-wide printheads that work with any width and speed of printer, in order to catch up with arch-competitor Canon-OCE. Here, HP staff talk about the technical aspects of the development. You can read all about the business of CAD at http://www.worldcadaccess.com/upfrontezine/2015/05/hp-talks-about-pagewide.html Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: Our 20th Anniversary!

Issue #857 On 1 May 1995, the very first issue of upFront.eZine was sent out to a small group of readers, and so this issue #857 marks its 20th anniversary. To celebrate, I thought I would list the three most important articles carried by upFront.eZine in the last eight hundred issues. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.worldcadaccess.com/upfrontezine/2015/05/857.html. Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: we interview cto Robert Graebert about his cloud-based Xenon DWG editor

upFront.eZine issue #855 During its pre-launch marketing, Onshape indicated they had partnered with a company to provide the drawings component. Last week, the surprise supplier named was Graebert of Germany, better known for its AutoCAD workalike called ARES and supplier to Dassault Systemes of its DraftSight DWG editor (among other OEM versions). Let me explain the four products I am going to be talking about in this article: Onshape = browser-based 3D MCAD software written by Onshape ARES = desktop 2D/3D CAD written by Graebert Xenon = browser-based 2D/3D CAD software written by Graebert Onshape Drawings = 2D annotation module... Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: John Callen asks about Renga Architecture

upFront.eZine issue #854 It is rare when two brand-new CAD programs launch in the same month, but here we are. These are the fresh faces of CAD. Both emerged after years of hush-hush development, and both benefit from some of the latest trends in programming and user interface design. This week, John Callen asks about the new Renga architectural software from ASCON Group; next week, he takes on the new server-based Onshape MCAD software. We have responses to him from each software company, as well as what Ralph Grabowski thinks. Yet Another Modeler (or Two) Guest editorial by John Callen... Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: we talk with Russia's ASCON about Renga Architecture

upFront.eZine issue #853 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter, we have for you an exclusive interview about the world's newest AEC software: ASCON Group Launches Renga Architecture by Ralph Grabowski with Vladimir Zakharov You can read all about the business of CAD at http://www.worldcadaccess.com/upfrontezine/2015/04/853.html. Read more →

McSwain honors decadal bloggers

Ten years of passion Over at the CAD Panacea blog, R K McSwain today celebrates his 10th anniversary blogging. In his posting, he lists the other bloggers who have been around at least as long. See http://cadpanacea.com/wp/?p=798. From his list, it appears that this WorldCAD Access blog is the oldest, continuously-running, independent blog in the industry. I started on December 31, 2003, since then posting 4,678 articles -- an average of 1.14 articles per day. The oldest one of all is an Autodesk corporate blog penned by Shaan Hurley. The other ones on Mr McSwain's list are the following names,... Read more →

3,000,000th page-view for WorldCAD Access!

11 years old I forgot to note that last week this blog registered its three millionth page-view since its founding in December, 2003. Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: we talk with PTC about PLM Cloud

Issue #846 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter, we have for you: PTC's PLM Cloud by Ralph Grabowski Tom Shoemaker -- PTC vp of PLM marketing -- and Chris Bergquist -- director of PLM solutions -- talk to upfront.eZine about the Web-based PLM newly offered by PTC. (PLM is short for "product lifecycle management.") You can read about the business of CAD at www.worldcadaccess.com/upfrontezine/2015/02/ptcs-plm-cloud.html. Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: we test DWGs displayed by AutoCAD 360

Issue #842 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter, we have for you: Can We Trust DWGs Displayed by AutoCAD 360? Ralph Grabowski checks how well the newly-released AutoCAD 360 for Windows 8 displays DWG files created by desktop AutoCAD. Drawing credit: Budweiser2010.dwg from CAD Studio http://www.cadstudio.cz/budweiser You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2015/upf-842.htm. Read more →

New this week in upFront.eZine: Kevin Schneider on the future of Fusion 360

Issue #841 Welcome back to another year of upFront.eZine. It's hard to believe that our newsletter is turning 20 this year, what with the first issue that was emailed out on 1 May 1995. In this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter, we have for you: About Fusion 360 Ralph Grabowski interviews Autodesk director of Fusion 360 Kevin Schneider about the software he oversees. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2015/upf-841.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: it's our annual book review (revived)

Issue #840 Some subscribers noted that I haven't kept up with an annual feature in which I wrote about the books I've read. Here we return with this year's list. "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom" by Evgeny Morozov "The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty" by Nina Munk "Is Reality Secular? Testing the Assumptions of Four Global Worldviews" by Mary Poplin "Resolve and Fortitude: Microsoft's Secret Power Broker Breaks his Silence" by Joachim Kempin "Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution" by Fred Vogelstein "Ex Friends: Falling Out... Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: readers respond

Issue #838 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter, readers respond to last week's article on user interfaces: Readers Write about User Interfaces You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-838.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: what we can learn from UI limitations

Issue #837 This week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter feature article is an excerpt from my talk at the Bricsys International Conference 2014 in Barcelona, Spain: User Interfaces (And What We Can Learn from their Limitations) by Ralph Grabowski You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-837.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: Autodesk loses in the courts

Issue #836 This week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter reports on the ongoing failure by Autodesk toregister DWG as a trademark in the United States: DWG Stays Free of Autodesk by Ralph Grabowski You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-836.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: We analyze what Bricsys and Graebert are doing right

Issue #834 Back from Europe and the 2014 Graebert Annual Meeting in Berlin and Bricsys International Conference in Barcelona, and so this week's issue of upFront.eZine newsletter reports on how the two CAD vendors are similar and different: Twin Peas of Different Pods by Ralph Grabowski You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-834.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: 2D electrical design on Visio

Issue #832 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine, we learn about how Malaysia's Radica Software has 2D electrical schematics running on Visio. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-832.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: Early insights into Vectorworks 2015

Issue #831 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine, we learn about some of the new CAD functions in Vectorworks 2015, which don't becomes public until tomorrow. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-831.htm. Read more →

This week on upFront.eZine: How Dassault Systemes Achieved Success

Issue #828 In this week's issue of upFront.eZine, Dassault Systemes co-founder Francis Bernard describes how in the early 1980s the young company developed the top-down approach to selling the brand-new 3D CAD software, CATIA. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-828.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: Running IntelliCAD 8 on Mainframe2

Issue #325 "This is one of the most interesting times in CAD. Mobile is part of that. We want to bring technology to screens wherever people are." That is what the chief technology officer told me in a recent conference call. Last week I held interviews with two companies who are taking CAD software in different directions. This week, I report on IntelliCAD 8 running with Mainframe2; next week, ARES on Android. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-825.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: Welcome to the future from 1996

Issue #324 My readers had a lot to say about HP and their printers -- complaints, largely. Also this week I have for you my notes from 1996-7 and what was considered important in CAD in those days. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-824.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: HP's New Large-format PageWide InkJet Printer Not Due Until Late ...2015

Issue #323 HP's page-wide large-format printer spitting out D-size sheets a last week's launch event It was hard writing and editing this week's upFront.eZine AND be watching the Germany-Portugal World Cup game. But I did it, and I incorporated a mild redesign of the newsletter to boot. Last week I was in San Diego (CA, USA) for HP's unveiling of its newest large-format printers, and so this week I have for you my technical report on their new modular, page-wide printhead for large-format printers. You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-823.htm. Read more →

WorldCAD Access and its 12,000 readers

Thanks for reading! In checking the stats today, I see that WorldCAD Access has around 12,000 readers: 10,767 through RSS feeds, according to Feedburner 800 to 1,600 each day visit this blog directly, according to TypePad Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: we ponder what full CAD on Android means to the industry

Issue #822 This week I am travelling to San Diego (CA USA) for HP's unveiling of its newest large-format printers. In the meantime, this week in upFront.eZine I have for you: 1. Greabert's CAD Software First to Run on Four OSes Full 2D-3D CAD due on Android in October 2. Letters to the Editor Re: Switching from History to ST Modeling You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-822.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: the process of moving from history to ST modeling

Issue #821 From my time at Solid Edge University 2014 last month, here is a report on how a machine designer handled the transition from history-based modeling to direct (Sychronous Technology): 1. Switching from History to ST Modeling Case study from Solid Edge Universtiy 2014 2. Letters to the Editor Cloud vendor refunds for service outages You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-821.htm. Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: what we learned from Solid Edge University 2014

Issue #819 Last week I was at Solid Edge University 2014 in Atlanta GA, and so here in this week's upFront.eZine is a report on what Siemens PLM Systems showed off: 1. What I Learned at Solid Edge University 2014 Powerful Solid Edge SE7 functions kept quiet 2. Noteable Quotable Learning the lesson You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-819.htm. Read more →

Tell Jon Peddie Research about your DWG habits

Answer! And win a tablet, maybe Jon Peddie Research is conducting a survey to better understand how people work in multi-CAD environments. They would like to know how you work with DWG files and the issues you encounter preserving data integrity. Can you take ten minutes to fill in their survey with your experiences? Here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZF77QT8. (I answered it, and it took like 4 minutes.) This will help them understand how yuo and others work with DWG data. (Your answers remain confidential, and are seen publically only as part of compiled responses to the survey.) At the... Read more →

This week in upFront.eZine: Japan's largest architectural design firm answers questions

Issue #818 Tuesday I will be at Solid Edge University 2014 in Atlanta GA. In the meantime, here is what we for your reading pleasure in this week's upFront.eZine: 1. Q&As from the Nikken Sekkei Visit ArchiCAD the core for 1,200 architects 2. Letters to the Editor What IntelliCAD 8 consist of, actually You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-818.htm. Read more →

This week, we celebrate the 19th anniversary of upFront.eZine!

May 1 is the anniversary of the launch of upFront.eZine in 1995, when it was the first independent email newsletter in the CAD world. After 19 years, readers still like to support it through their donations, and so once a year remind you. A donation is completely voluntary! There is never any obligation to pay to read upFront.eZine. Should you be able to support upFront.eZine, then the amounts I suggest are For individuals $25 For companies $500 Donating by PayPal: Click this link http://www.upfrontezine.com and then choose the Donate $25 or Donate $500 button. Donating by mail: cash, cheques, or... Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: what I learned at COFES 2014

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. What I Learned at COFES 2014 Techno-optimists clashing with techno-pessimists 2. Letters to the Editor What Duff Kurland actually said You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-816.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: more on DataCAD's history

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. 30 Years of DataCAD: A Tumultuous History Part 2 2. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog Managementspeak You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-814.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: 30 years of DataCAD history

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. 30 Years of DataCAD: A Tumultuous History Part 1 2. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog The secret trial of Autodesk vs ZWSOFT You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-813.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: all about BIMcloud and how Graphisoft is getting over its Revit-envy

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Graphisoft Readies ArchiCAD for the Enterprise Travelogue Report: Tripping to Tokyo 2. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog AutoCAD 2015 misspells spelling function name You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-812.htm. Plus, here is a bonus picutre of architecture in Tokyo: Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: What virtualization will mean for you (or not)

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Virtualization, and What You Can Expect from It Pushing a lot of raster images really quickly 2. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog 3D Systems share price falls on warning from Barron's 3. Letters to the Editor Russian readers appreciate being differentiated from their leaders You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-810.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: the brand-new kernel that's 19 years young

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. About Version 15 of the C3D Kernel Exclusive coverage of a brand-new kernel that's 19 years young 2. Upcoming Events for upFront.eZine Soon, we'll be in Round Rock, Austin, Tokyo, and Scottsdale 3. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog As the economy recovers, Autodesk revenues fall 4. Letters to the Editor Readers print us their thoughts about The End of Print You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-809.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: what a freelancer does for profit

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. The End of Print Paper books dying, ebooks too 2. Heard on Twitter and on the Blog Autodesk replaces Bentley at SmartGeometry 3. Letters to the Editor Readers approve of Ron Powell's standing workstation You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-808.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: Scenarios for Autodesk's Core kernel

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Autodesk Core 1.0: Successor of ShapeManager or a Toy for Enthusiasts? Guest editorial by Nikolay Snytnikov 2. Heard on Twitter Siemens launches $100 million innovation fund 3. Letters to the Editor What will happen to Autodesk's Parasolid license? You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-807.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: We query Autodesk about the Delcam acquistion

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Autodesk Completely Acquires Delcam ...and so becomes the newest licensee of Siemens PLM's Parasolid kernel 2. Why is TinkerCAD So Slow? Infinite computing on the wrong side of infinity 3. Letters to the Editor Our readers write You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-806.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: all about Autodesk's other solid modeling kernel

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Introducing Core, Autodesk's Other Solid Modeling Kernel PADL-2, ACIS, ShapeManager, Gen6, and now Core 2. Heard In Twitter and On the Blog Lawyers outraged at Dassault's cheap price for Accelrys 3. Letters to the Editor Our readers write You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-805.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: Nanosoft of Russia lands in America

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Write Once, Run on Many CAD Platforms Exclusive interview with Evan Yares of Nanosoft America 2. Heard In Twitter and On the Blog Dassault says Solidworks is growing faster than the industry 3. Letters to the Editor Our readers explain the cloud to CAD executives You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-804.htm Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: Dassault puts 3Dexperience on the internal cloud, and we try to explain it

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Dassault Moves to the Internal Cloud External cloud fails at latency and security, so go on indoors 2. Heard in Twitter and On the Blog Delcam shareholders approve Autodesk's takeover 3. Letters to the Editor Our readers and their cloud politics You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-803.htm Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: Kenesto tells us how it reinvented itself

In this week's upFront.eZine we have for your reading pleasure: 1. Kenesto on Reinventing Itself Steve Bodnar tells us what's going on behind the scenes 2. Heard in Twitter Carl Bass on Twitter swears off Facebook and LinkedIn 3. Letters to the Editor Our readers and their love-hate relationship with the cloud You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2014/upf-802.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: the world's first independent CAD e-newsletter turns 800 issues old today

From the editor: This is the 800th issue, counting back to the first issue back in 1995 when upFront.eZine launched as the very first indepdent CAD newsletter distributed by email. Now I take my annual break for Christmas, so see you again on January 7. In the meantime, we have in this week's upFront.eZine for your reading pleasure: 1. Open SimScale Takes on Proprietary SIM 2. Heard in Twitter 3. Letters to the Editor You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2013/upf-800.htm. Read more →

In upFront.eZine this week: we report on the state of portableCAD in 2013

We have in this week's upFront.eZine for your reading pleasure: 1. The State of portableCAD in 2013 - State of CAD on Portable Devices - Actual Download Statistics and Prices - Alternative Pricing Plans - Tied to Desktop Software 2. In Twitter You can read all about the business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2013/upf-799. Read more →