WorldCAD Access

Linux Grows as Free CAD Platform

News from Gudrun Tebart A press release from CAD Schroer of Germany says that downloads of the Linux version of their free MEDUSA4 Personal MCAD software nearly doubled, from 14% of downloads in 2013 to 26% in 2014. Linux users among the Top 10 download countries are... Switzerland up 48% France up 39% United States up 36% Germany up 18% Russia up 18% Canada up 16% Brazil up 12% The CAD Schroer press release is lacking in two ares: it does not provide absolute numbers, and because percentages are relative, we don't what it means for Russia to be up... Read more →

Ten things to know about AutoCAD 360 for Windows 8

1. It's free. AutoCAD 360 for Windows 8 running on Windows 10 Preview 2. The free version has fewer functions, reduced file size limits, and cannot start new (blank) drawings. To get more functions, you pay Autodesk $50 or $100 a year. 3. It is meant to view and markup DWG drawing files on the go, but could also be used as a simple 2D drafting system. 4. It operates only in Microsoft 8's metro (aka modern) mode, so cannot work in Windows 7 or earlier. 5. As a Windows 8 app, AutoCAD 360 must be downloaded from the Microsoft... Read more →

95% of apps are free; why not MCAD?

By charging developers 30% to host their iOS apps at the iPhone/iPad online store, Apple drove down the prices. In days of the nearest equivalent, apps for Palm Pilots were priced typically $10 to $25 under a 0% service fee; with the 30% charge, Apple drove down prices to a tenth of the former level. (There is the myth that iOS apps are more profitable than Android ones. A recent analysis shows, however, that the number of free apps at Apple's online store rose over the years, and now is at 95% as developers look for revenue sources that avoid... Read more →

Autodesk could adopt The Adobe Plan to crush Bricsys/Graebert/ITC once and for all

Autodesk ceo Carl Bass is admirer of Adobe's way of doing things, so much so that he has remarked numerous times that he bundled his company's software just like Adobe did. Yesterday Adobe halted the license servers for its CS2 bundle of software, which includes the following programs for Windows or OS X: Acrobat 3D 1.0, Acrobat Standard 7.0, Acrobat Pro 8.0, Audition 3.0, GoLive CS2, Illustrator CS2, InCopy CS2, InDesign CS2, Photoshop CS2, Photoshop Elements 4.0/5.0, and Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0. You can download them from here. Adobe came out with this software in 2005, and when I read... Read more →

Here's why Google got rid of SketchUp

We were surprised when non-CAD-vendor Google bought SketchUp, but then learned they wanted it to populate Map and Earth with 3D buildings, first as simple extrusions and then with bitmaps pasted on the sides. The problem was that it involved manual labour and so coverage was spotty. We were then even more surprised when Google sold SketchUp to Trimble, known more for professional GPS systems than for CAD software. Today, we learned why: Google no longer needs SketchUp for its intended purpose. Instead, Google is using a new technology to automatically generate 3D buildings from 45-degree angle aerial photography made... Read more →

IronCAD Compose is free -- free, as in Internet

IronCAD is a rarity in our biz, a dual-kernel, dual-mode CAD package. It is based on Parasolid and ACIS; it does history-based and direct editing. It ought to be really popular, but it isn't. (Probably because it didn't have the marketing budgets that Dassault Systemes and Autodesk could plough into SolidWorks and Inventor.) What would it take for you to use IronCAD, instead of another MCAD package? You probably wouldn't, but the folks at IronCAD think you should try it out, anyhow. Like any other CAD vendor, they had their 30-day free trial version, but now they are throwing out... Read more →

A user reviews DraftSight, the free and pro versions

by Bill Tybring DraftSight, Free Version 5 Stars: awesome free program Pros Fast. Lightweight, both in terms of footprint and system resources. Clean interface. Easy to use and understand, especially for those with past CAD experience. Full 2D feature set. Customizable interface, and has the ability to run simple script macros (such as a one-button print). Dassault and Graebert continue to improve the product with each new release. Cons Minor inconveniences persist uncorrected. For example, setting the Library Files Location setting in Tools > Options has no impact on the default directory location when browsing to insert block files. Faulty... Read more →

Nanosoft = DraftSight + APIs (and it's free)

A couple of years back, I visited the offices of Nanosoft in Moscow. There Dmitry Popov and his team showed me their dream for a free AutoCAD workalike. The money would be made through selling add-on applications. Some initial excitement greeted my report, and then interest faded. Russians are lousy at marketing. Then earlier this week, I heard from Mr Popov, who wrote me: It was long time ago you have visited our office and got pre-alfa version of nanoCAD. We promised you that nanoCAD will be available soon. Well, not soon, but the waiting is over. We just released... Read more →

Low-cost CAD has innovative in-drawing UI elements, too, just like the big boys

It's not just the monster* CAD vendors with their millions in R&D spending who come up with new ways of interacting with our beloved software. Sub-$1000 and even free CAD systems are doing their own thing, even as they avoid the Microsoftian-view of how a UI should operate (that is, ignoring the awful ribbon interface). Bricsys Invents the Quad Cursor Last fall, I reported on the new in-drawing interface Bricsys added to the 3D direct modeling component of Bricscad V12. They call it the "quad cursor," because it displays five buttons. Well, before competitors of Bricsys start guffawing, it starts... Read more →

More free Creo software from PTC

First PTC released Creo Sketch 1.0 as free software, and yesterday Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express 4.0 followed. Now, this is not exactly new-new, because this software always has been free -- it was previously known as "CoCreate Personal Edition." Now it's been Creo-ized, and you can download it from www.ptc.com/products/creo-elements-direct/modeling-express/. This page has some tutorials, and lists the differences with the paid version. Ken Wong has a good review of the software over at www.deskeng.com/virtual_desktop/?p=4238 . Not mentioned in his report is that you need to activate the software before you can use it at all; before you can activate... Read more →

That free DraftSight keeps getting better

Dassault Systemes didn't just license Graebert's ARES, and then dump it out there as DraftSight for free. They've gotten Graebert to add features, making DraftSight more and more viable as an AutoCAD alternative. Well, of course, that's was the master plan all along -- displacing AutoCAD, I mean. It now runs more more operating systems than does AutoCAD, and last week's update adds a few more keen features to catch up a bit more with AutoCAD: One command to place every kind of dimension: linear, aligned, radial, diametrical, arc length, and angular. Now, the interface is a bit awkward, since... Read more →

Free DWG API in development

ODA and Bricsys form their own ITC, and now ODA gets a second competitor (after Autodesk): HT to Normand Chamberland to alerting us about the free DWG API project, GNU LibreDWG at www.gnu.org/software/libredwg GNU LibreDWG is a free C library to handle DWG files. It aims to be a free replacement for the OpenDWG libraries. GNU LibreDWG is based on LibDWG, originally written by Felipe Castro. LibreDWG is in alpha development stage. There are no binary releases yet. GNU LibreDWG is currently being maintained by Rodrigo Rodrigues da Silva and Felipe Correa da Silva Sanches. DWG R13, R14 and 2000... Read more →

AutoSolids shut down its business; makes all products free

Scott Slavik writes me of this sad news: You can also add AutoSolid to upFront.eZine's Unhappy New Years list. Partly the economy, but also partly due to Autodesk improving AutoCAD's solid modeling ability. They haven't brought it up to par with AutoSolids, but it's been enough to reduce our profits to an unacceptable level. We feel bad for our previously-very-happy customers, many of whom have told us that they can't/won't upgrade their AutoCAD if it doesn't have AutoSolids. We can't help that one, but to help other AutoCAD users we've made all of our products free to download (http://www.autosolids.com/downloads.htm), no... Read more →

Tip: Block Collection

Looking for a basic set of drawing symbols (blocks, cells, parts)? CAD Corner Canada has a nice selection available free from http://www.cadcorner.ca/archblocks.php Nothing fancy, no dynamic blocks, but these basic blocks will probably do well for architectural and office drawings. Each collection is in a single AutoCAD 2005 DWG file, ranging from Awning Windows EV.dwg and Wall Shelves.dwg. Also includes vehicles, some electrical and piping, and foundation details. (Two other pages of mechanical and miscellaneous details don't seem to be working.) Read more →

Autodesk Introduces AutoSketch Cooper

From Autodesk Labs comes "simple, hassle-free 2D drawing software" named Cooper, that reminds me of the marketing that surrounded AutoSketch back in 1987. The big difference? AutoSketch used its own SKD file format, while Cooper uses "one of the most widely used design format" -- I wonder what that might be? (Hint: The program's .exe file is named DWGEDITR; will SolidWorks sue?) From the specs, it looks like the software was designed to run on netbooks. Free (for a limited time, to cost in the future?) download from usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=14039474&siteID=123112. This beta software stops working at the end of April next... Read more →

To Google, Architecture is Mapping

Google's new Building Maker software is designed to turn you into willing slave labour, and turn flat Google Earth towns into 3D models. Your pay is the admiration of your peers, or as the Google video says, "millions of people around the world" will see your work. Yah, as if they care about you. Google has prepped 50 cities with six views of each building. Apply cubes to the building, using the six views to ensure the corners of the cubes match the building's corners. Submit to Google Warehouse, and then someone checks your work. Can you imagine that job?... Read more →

Alibre V11 $99 V12 Free (Not Really)

The item in today's Tenlink.com Daily makes one sit up: CADDIT Offers Alibre v12 for Free in Australia Well, not really. In that this is the same Alibre offer as before: download the current version of Design (now V12), run it free for 30 days -- after which it reverts to Alibre Xpress, which offers these limitations, as explained by CADDIT: ● 3D models only; no 2D drawings from 3D parts. ● Assemblies limited to five unique parts. ● No Boolean operations, like Union and Subtract. ● No shelling, lofting, 3D sketching, helixes, sweeps, and so on. ● No 3D... Read more →

Making Euros From Free

Many CAD vendors have a free version of their software that expires after 30 days, or student versions that adds watermarks to prevent commercial use. CAD Schroer is no different, offering its free MEDUSA4 Personal 2D/3D CAD software for Linux and that other operating system at www.cad-schroer.com/index.php?&ziel=Products-MEDUSA-M4Personal&ref=pr0908_eserv All CAD vendors offer trial and free versions as at tease, of course, hoping the customer will pay for the full experience (and then keep paying, year after yea)r. CAD Schroer is no different, but they have a very different twist on the money-making side. I'll let Michael Schroer explain it: Many MEDUSA4... Read more →

Mint: A Linux I Can Live With (Finally)

Over on my Gizmos Grabowski weblog, I've been describing my most recent experiences with Linux, first Presto (promising, then a fail), and now Mint. For nearly ten years, I've been playing around with Linux, and now the Ubuntu-based Linux Mint seems to be The One. No surprise, since the Mint distribution places its emphasis on improving the user experience. I now have Mint running on both my netbook computers, the original Asus EEE 701 4G and a more recent LG X110 (dual-boot with Windows 7). Read more →

Alibre Design Xpress Withered?

Reader fremont_bubba noticed that Alibre's free Design Xpress has gone 404 on us. Searching for it on Google gets us... Alibre, Inc. - Page not found Oops, we can't find that page. This page has moved or no longer exists. We apologize for the inconvenience. Were you looking for... ...as the top-ranked search item. And the newly redesigned Alibre.com Web site eliminates all mention of it from its product listings and product comparison tables. Fortunately for the rest of us, it is still available through CNET's Download.com service. Get it free while you can! Read more →

Autodesk Embraces Rhino

Autodesk Labs has a no-info posting for a Rhino -> Inventor translator up this afternoon. No details, so maybe this page got posted too soon. This sort of xlator is "easy," because Robert McNeel & Assoc has an open file format for its CAD software. Next up: SketchUp translator? Read more →

Animator to be Opensourced?

Breton Slivka of Busting at the Seams blog says he has obtained the source code of the software that eventually became Autodesk Animator Pro -- a 256-color pixel animation program that was very popular in the early 1990s. The original author, Jim Kent, wrote it for the Amiga home computer; when he licensed it to others, he kept the copyright to the source code. Now that he has the source code, Mr Slivka wants to create an open source version. But he lists these problems: Some material in zip files might not have been written by Mr Kent. Documentation is... Read more →

Free Medusa Downloads Incr. by 100%; Linux Popular

CAD Schroer says its free MEDUSA4 Personal 2D/3D CAD software was downloaded 2x as often in Q1 as a year ago. More interesting to managing director Michael Schroer is how popular the Linux version is proving with downloaders in some of the 109 countries: Italy -- 75% choose Linux. Average -- 35% choose Linux Germany -- 13% choose Linux. CentOS, Fedora, Mandriva, RedHat, SuSE, and Ubuntu users get smart editing, basic 3D, parametrics, and a sheet metal design module. To download, you have to register and then provide the Physical Address of your computer's ethernet adapter. Following installation, the software... Read more →

slash.dot Comments on CAD Software for the Unemployed

avishere of Design Engineering magazine posted the story on slash.dot of Autodesk and SolidWorks who... ...latched onto the worst-economic-disaster-since-the-Great-Depression meme and released free versions of their flagship computer-aided-design brands before their potential users are forced to sell their laptops on Craigslist. The slash.dot crowd makes these observations: These software firms are worried the unemployed will turn to free CAD software. "Not all Solidworks' customers want a hand out. I actually want to pay them for a full license for an Ubuntu port. But they'd rather hand them out to Windows users for free than take my money." "...a portion of... Read more →

SolidWorks: We Also Love the Unemployed

Following Autodesk's early morning press release, SolidWorks was quick to re-issue their's from February. Their offer to the unemployed engineer is less -- and more -- tantalizing: Free student version of SolidWorks (includes COSMOS) for 3 months; Autodesk's is 13 months. Free certification testing; Autodesk charges. Online portal with links for training; as has Autodesk. The SolidWorks Engineering Stimulus Package is at www.solidworks.com/ESP. Read more →

Autodesk Software Now Free to All (Unemployed)

Students and faculty have been able to get free 13-month licences of selected Autodesk software titles for several years, and now the company expands the program to the unemployed in the fields of architecture, engineering, design, and manufacturing. From the newly created Autodesk Assistance Program portal, you can download any of the following: AutoCAD Inventor Professional Revit Architecture Civil 3D The portal has links to free online training, as well as the opportunity to write certification exams at a discount. So how does Autodesk tell if you really are unemployed? You have to hand over the names of your former... Read more →

Bob Mayer Likes Autodesk's New Upgrade Pricing

Ralph, DoubleCAD XT -- our AutoCAD LT work-alike -- is free for personal and commercial use. We think that's a pretty good upgrade price. : ) Also, if you want more power (like the geometric constraints included in the $4,000 version of AutoCAD 2010), we're honoring AutoCAD LT's upgrade price of $575 for DoubleCAD XT PRO for the next two months -- and we're honoring this for *any* version of AutoCAD LT (not just three versions back). Bob [IMSI/design] P.S. Here is a link to the press release we sent out last week on this: finance.yahoo.com/news/IMSIDesign-Matches-AutoCAD-LT-iw-14733364.html In addition, I'd note... Read more →

Google's Vector Drawing subPackage

Google slid a vector drawing add-on to Google Docs yesterday. It's more like a Visio than a CAD package. But it is semi-intelligent, with things definable arrowheads, vector text, and editable splines. There is an animation option I haven't figured out yet. "Sketchy" is based on SVG for most Web browsers and VML for IE. You access it with the Insert | Drawing menu item. I must've stumbled on it early, because this morning I found articles announcing the add-on at Techmeme. Read more →

Free Add-ons for SketchUp

RenderPlus is a company staffed by some of the people who used to make Aritek (purchased by Softdesk 12 years ago), and they have a list of add-ons for SketchUp that you can download for free from here: RpWallMaker creates wide walls and cut openings. RpTreeMaker create custom tree components. RpEdits lays out your 3D components and ones from the 3D Warehouse. ProjectSketch selects and places commercial office furniture. The site also has non-free add-ons, such as for rendering, generating BOMs, and editing 3D components. Read more →

Free MEDUSA4 CAD for Linux

Merry Christmas: CAD Schroer Group updates its free-for-personal-use version of MEDUSA4 2D & 3D CAD software. It's available in six distributions of Linux and three of Windows. You'll need to register before getting your free copy. Pay-for verticals include Parametrics, Sheet Metal Design, and Med2SAP. Read more →

Waiting on A/CAD

IMSI/design showed off its provocatively-named A/CAD software during Autodesk University (note that I wrote during, not at). And now it's no longer named A/CAD. Reader N.C. is keen on checking out this free, AutoCAD-like software, but this week discovered the name's been changed to DoubleCAD. In addition, the marketing acadnow.com URL points to firstlook.imsidesign.com -- which promises to save the global economy in December. Barely a week left to go. Code faster, boys! Read more →

Inventor Reads Catia; Why Doesn't SolidWorks

Autodesk Labs is making a beta of its Catia Import Translator available. It directly imports Dassault Systemes' Catia V5 R6-R18 files into its costly Inventor 2009 and free Inventor LT 2009 software: Reads CATPart and CATProduct files. Imports solids, surfaces, wires, and points. Does not write to Catia. Inventor needs SP1 to accommodate the translator. The translator was developed by Autodesk in its Shanghai offices. If Autodesk can do it, why not Dassault Systemes SolidWorks? Download from labs.autodesk.com/utilities/catia_translator. Read more →

Trying Out the BIM Experience

The Graphisoft division of Nemetschek has put together a package to entice users from CAD to BIM (building information modeling). It seems like a good idea, so I thought I'd check it out at trialregistration.graphisoft.com. The Experience includes the following items: A fully working version of ArchiCAD. Free. Sort of: for 30 days, and it saves files in an indeterminate "trial" format that I am guessing is incompatible with the paid version, because the site warns, "Saves TRIAL files that automatically upgrade to FULL files upon purchase of a commercial license." I wonder if the time limit is 30 days... Read more →

Edit SolidWorks in Alibre Xpress

It's not enough that Autodesk be suing SolidWorks. Now Alibre is attacking from the other side by making its free Design Xpress software SolidWorks-compatible. Ya, so it directly reads SolidWorks files. Then you get to edit the 3D models, make 2D drawings from them, and export to STEP, IGES, DWG, and a few other formats. www.alibre.com/xpress Read more →

SketchUp Goes Parametric

A Russian software company, LEDAS of Novosibirsk, has figured out how to make SketchUp do parametric editing. Driving Dimensions plug-in gives Google SketchUp users a unique combination of wide capabilities with an easy-to-use tool for parametric editing of 3D models. At this point, the plug-in is limited to driving two types of dimensions: linear (changing the lengths of lines) and radial (changing the radius of circles and arcs). Future releases are planned for adding distances, angles, geometric constraints (parallelism and perpendicularity, among others), and dynamic reconciliation of constraints of moved model elements. And the company plans to make their Driving... Read more →

Solid Edge 2D Updated

Solid Edge 2D Drafting is the free CAD software from Siemens PLM, and now it's been updated with parametric 2D sketching (reusable in the 3D version of Solid Edge) and the MS Office GUI (ugh). Siemens sez this software's been downloaded 180,000 times from www.solidedge.com/free2d PS: Siemens calls the 3D version of Solid Edge "the industry’s first 3D history-free, feature-based CAD system." Read more →

Adobe: $699; QuadriSpace: $95

To create 3D PDFs with software from Adobe, you pay $699 for Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. Or, $95 from QuadriSpace. I'll let QuadriSpace prez Brian Roberts explain the difference: Unlike Acrobat Professional Extended, which merely allows users to add 3D to existing PDF documents, QuadriSpace's patented approach allows users to author documents from scratch and share these as 3D PDF documents complete with text, tables, multiple pages, markups and clickable bookmarks that animate between 3D views. In addition, Acrobat requires the use of an external program to edit the 3D; QuadriSpace provides an integrated environment that lets users edit the... Read more →

Free Rapid Prototyping Plug-ins for MCAD

If your MCAD software of choice is Inventor, Solid Edge, SpaceClaim, or Alibre Design, then SYCODE has a free OpenRP [rapid prototyping] plug-in for you. I'll let SYCODE describe them: The free software offered by SYCODE under the OpenRP Initiative is designed to help the RP industry overcome the limitations of the STL file format - large file size and zero security. Using this software CAD software developers can add RP file support to their CAD systems, end users can exchange their designs quickly and securely and service bureaus can accept RP files from end users to quote and build... Read more →

IMSI Cuts Price of Renditioner Express to Free

Renditioner is a rendering plug-in for SketchUp. Now there is a free version from IMSI/Design, albeit limited to images of 640x480. There’s also an Express version (1024x768) and the $200 full version (4096x4096 and multi-threaded). IMSI/Design’s Bob Mayer says, “Google set the standard with their free version of SketchUp. Following their example, we wanted to make the first easy one-click rendering solution available to everyone for free.” It's either that or the competition – fact is that there are lots of rendering plugins for SketchUp, and there is a need to distinguish oneself from the others. Download from www.idx-renditioner.com. Mac... Read more →

No SynchTech in Free Solid Edge

The Solid Edge team tells me: Synchronous Technology applies to 3D modeling only. Therefore, this technology is not included in Solid Edge 2D Drafting. On another note, however, the user interface for all Solid Edge products (including Solid Edge 2D Drafting) has been brought up to the latest, taking advantage of the Office 2007 look and feel. Note also that Solid Edge 2D Drafting still includes parametric sketching, Goal Seek, and support for developing layouts that can be used in 3D. Solid Edge 2D Drafting V20 is available from here. Read more →

Who Needs MicroStation?

Chris Hannukainen of Pangaea CAD Solutions reminds me about their free DualCAD editor that reads and writes design files in MicroStation format. It views, draws and edits elements, measures, and prints V7 and V8 DGN files in 2D. The included PDL lets you write macros. (It used to also handle DWG files, hence the "dual cad" name, but Pangaea found the ODA libraries too cumbersome, and dropped DWG. As a result, the size of Dual CAD fell from 10MB to 2MB. With Dual CAD no longer dual-CAD, what to do about the name? Keep it, for it refers now to... Read more →

Free CAD Files from Via

Via is a Taiwanese chipmaker that today unveiled its OpenDesign site, where you can download the CAD files for a notebook computer. Powered by the VIA C7-M ULV processor, the Windows Vista-capable VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design is a small, 1kg, 8.9" Mini-Notebook form factor design that supports screen resolutions of up to 1024x600. To download the CAD files, you need to register at the site. I did, as much as I get r-e-a-l-l-y tired of Web site registrations. But then it got worse when the picture code is nearly unreadable and so I had to enter it in numerous... Read more →

Free: CoCreate PE 2.0

PTC has updated its free CoCreate Modeling Personal Edition to 2.0 with these improved features: -- Select and move faces and parts by windowed selection. -- Mirror complete assemblies, and create symmetric parts. -- Blend with new options. -- New Annotation default settings browser. -- Works with Vista, XP, and Windows 2000. Available in English, German, Italian, and Japanese. Register here to download. PTC reports that version 1.0 of this software has been downloaded 80,000 times. Read more →

Free Alibre CAM, For the Elect

Alibre is giving away its new CAM Xpress free, but only to a selected group of users. In Google GMail fashion, the Elect will be permitted to invite others (the Sub Elect) to also get their free copy of CAM Xpress (formerly Alibre CAM). The related Web page is vague as to how one qualifies, other than to leave one's email address. What do you get for free? Not a lot, obviously: * Profiling (2.5 axis). * Horizontal roughing and parallel finishing (3 axis). * Drilling, including user-defined drill cycles. * Hole sorting. * Some post-processing. * Tool path and... Read more →

KOMPAS-3D LT

ASCON offers a free version of its professional MCAD solution, KOMPAS-3D LT. Its 3D portion is functionally-reduced, 'natch, but includes 2D Drafting and Design and 12 lessons; all that's lacking is 3D assembly modeling. (Commercial use is prohibited.) To download KOMPAS-3D LT, register at ascon.net/download.php?dl=305. Read more →

Autodesk Keeps Inventor LT Free

Autodesk released a reduced-function edition of Inventor last year in preview mode. The plan was to decide what to do with the product this time this year. They've decided to keep it free (for at least another year), as well as update some of its features to match Inventor 2009 in some ways. Inventor LT Technology Preview 2009 will become available before the current one expires May 1, 2008; it'll be free, but will stop working roughly a year later. (It's not yet available.) Read more →

Adobe Updates 3D Xlation

Adobe has a free download for its Acrobat 3D V8 software that updates its translators to the latest versions of: -- CoCreate OneSpace Designer -- I-deas -- Inventor -- JT -- NX -- SolidWorks Download here. Read more →

Beta-test IFC Plugin for SketchUp

Cadalog has a beta of an IFC plugin fore SketchUp 6. It directly imports IFC-formatted models and their BIOM data into SketchUp, such as from Revit, ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, MicroStation, and AutoCAD Architectural. The research department of Secom and Cadalog are looking for beta testers, particularly those using Revit, ArchiCAD, Microstation, or Architectural. You can download the free IFC2SKP beta from ohyeahcad.com/ifc2skp. Read more →

Free Sheet Metal Design for Linux

CAD Schroer Group adds a Sheet Metal Design module to the free Personal version of MEDUSA4 2D/3D CAD software. It runs on six Linux variants -- CentOS, Fedora, Mandriva, RedHat, SuSE and Ubuntu -- as well as two varients of Windows, 2000 and XP. The Personal version has these limitations: -- different sheet file format. -- watermarked print output. -- import DXF/DWG but not export. -- no customization. Start the process here for downloading.The software is locked to your computer's MAC [media access control] address, which means it has to have a network adapter, either wired or wiresless. Read more →

SharePoint Free EditionSometime Next Year

Several CAD packages work with SharePoint, a piece of Microsoft software that searches through data. Solid Edge has been a big proponent of it, and more recently Inventor noted that it will be getting onto that particular bandwagon. The problem for the CAD user is that SharePoint isn't free. But soon a stripped-down version will be. Search Server 2008 Express returns search results from multiple databases, local computers, and Microsoft's sad Live.com Internet presence. The free version is limited to running on a single server; the non-free one allows the software to run on multiple server. In beta soon, shipping... Read more →