CADalyst articles from December 2002

CADalyst archives from December 2002

What's on your mind? (Editor's window: opinions, comments, and predictions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Every magazine editor wants to know the concerns of his or her readers. Will you indulge me? Check off the topics below that occupy your thoughts of late, and fill in the spaces with the concerns I haven't guessed at. Then fax this page back to...

Flat-panel display. (hardware).(AG Neovo's X-174 )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... AG Neovo's X-174 ($949) is a 17.40 flat-panel display housed in an all-metal casing. It features a NeoV optic glass filter, a formulated optical glass that the company says is designed to deliver true colors and clear image definition for more...

Advanced color calibration. (hardware).(NEC Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America 190 Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 930 SB, 220 NEC MultiSync FP2141 SB, Mitsubishi Diamond Pro DP2070 SB)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... NEC Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America, Inc., has enhanced three SuperBright Diamondtron flat aperture grille CRT monitors with an advanced SpectraView Color Calibration Solution that delivers more accurate, consistent, and repeatable...

GIS scanning system. (hardware).(Ideal.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... IDEAL.com introduced its Scan-to-GIS system (priced from $9,800 to $14,600 depending on scanner chosen) for scanning and editing large-format maps. The system pairs an IDEAL 360 or 400 color scanner with scanning and raster editing software....

3D image viewing. (hardware).(StereoGraphics CrystalEyes Workstation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... StereoGraphics Corp. released the CrystalEyes Workstation ($995) liquid crystal shuttering eyewear, designed for visualizing complex 3D images. CrystalEyes uses Stereo3D technology, which mimics stereoscopic viewing--the way we use both eyes,...

Graphics tablet. (hardware).(Wacom USB Graphire2)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Wacom released the USB Graphire2 ($100) graphics tablet for Macintosh and PC users. The tablet includes a cordless, pressure-sensitive pen with a cordless mouse (no batteries needed with either) and an array of free software for photographers...

Hybrid CAD/CAM system. (Software: mcad).(OneCNC)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... OneCNC's XP series Mill Professional hybrid CAM/CAD system ($4,500) helps you design, import, and machine 3D NURBS surfaces and solid models. Built around OneCNC's SMT (solids machining technology) for designing and programming IGES, STEP,...

Design optimization. (Software: mcad).(Engineous Software iSIGHT 7.0)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Engineous Software announced the release of iSIGHT 7.0 (call for price), the latest release of the company's design optimization software. Enhancements include an exploratory optimization technique, a multi-island genetic algorithm, an updated...

Inventor for Productivity. (Software: mcad).(IMAGINiT Technologies )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... IMAGINiT Technologies announced the Productivity Pack ($500) for Autodesk's Inventor. It embeds mechanical physics, theory, and calculations into wizards that help you create mechanically correct models by entering engineering or geometric data...

Tolerance analysis wizard. (Software: mcad).(Geomate ToleranceCalc)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Geomate Corp. announced ToleranceCalc ($395), an automated tolerance analysis wizard created to assist CAD users in conducting tolerance studies of parts and assemblies without performing any calculations. An important feature of ToleranceCalc...

Mold engineering solution. (Software: mcad).(IMOLD for SolidWorks from Manusoft Technologies)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... IMOLD for SolidWorks ($6,000, including three vendor libraries; $1,200 annual subscription; additional vendor libraries available) takes you through the complete process of mold design, including core/cavity separation, mold layout, gating and...

CAD/CAM. (Software: mcad).(IMSI's TurboCADCAM )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... IMSI's TurboCADCAM software ($995) represents a vertical, industry-specific application based on the TurboCAD Professional engine. TurboCADCAM is fully integrated with TurboCAD Professional and creates 2D drawings, 3D surface and solid models,...

Inspection and project management. (Software: aec/general).(Arc Second PunchList Add-In for PocketCAD PRO 4.0)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Arc Second, Inc., introduced its PunchList Add-In for PocketCAD PRO 4.0 ($59) for the architectural, engineering, and construction markets. PunchList Add-In helps you catalog critical inspection information and notations. It works through...

Desert trees for design visualization. (Software: aec/general).(Realworld Imagery)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... A CD-ROM collection of photorealistic Desert Trees ($199) for computer graphics and design visualization from Realworld Imagery, Inc., offers 100 images of the most popular trees used in arid and subtropical landscape designs. One-third of the...

Photorealistic rendering. (Software: aec/general).(Studio 4d RenderingMaterials)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Studio 4d, inc., launched RENDERINGMATERIALS, a line of photorealistic entourage and texture libraries on CD-ROM for digital artists. These software libraries can be used in conjunction with 3D rendering software and 2D paint programs. The...

Design/drafting. (Software: aec/general).(General CADD Products General CADD Pro )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... General CADD Products released General CADD Pro ($499), which now offers batch file macro language improvements, an improved vector font creation utility, and a text editor with a new Quick Edit command. General CADD Pro imports GCD, DWG, DXF,...

Drawing management. (Software: aec/general).(Informative Graphics DrawBridge Central content management tool)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Informative Graphics Corp. introduced DrawBridge Central (call for pricing), a content management tool for design data that enables customers to rapidly build or extend Web sites so they can share drawing plans and related documents securely....

Document management. (Software: aec/general).(McLaren's kTransmit 1.1)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... McLaren's kTransmit 1.1 provides you with a configurable out-of-the-box software application that helps you distribute and track documents, consolidate feedback, and accept submittals and responses. KTransmit requires the purchase of the kVisia...

AIA discusses 3D modeling for AEC. (general software report).(American Institute of Architects)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Architects are beginning to pull themselves up the CAD/CAM learning curve by their own bootstraps. A fall seminar hosted by the American Institute of Architect's Seattle chapter indicates that members of the profession realize the need to learn...

Real-world lessons. (general software report).
December 1, 2002... Seattle-based architect NBBJ, one of the seminar sponsors, provided a wealth of case studies and experience related to incorporating new software and processes in its practice. Other architects and engineers participating in the seminar...

The technology is here. (general software report).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Patrick Mays, NBBJ principal and a key member of the seminar organizing committee, concluded the two-day seminar by saying, "It is clear that the technology is there and the costs are down. I don't think architects should wait any longer to...

StudioTools 10. (cadalyst Labs 2002 All Stars).(Alias/Wavefront)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... Reviewed 10.02, p. 36 Alias|Wavefront's StudioTools 10 appeals to industrial designers. It helps communication between engineering and the industrial design studio by reading and writing files from most common MCAD programs. Reviewer Bill...

ViewSonic P225F. (cadalyst Labs 2002 All Stars).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... Reviewed 07.02, p. 40 The ViewSonic P225F PerfectFlat aperture-grille monitor combines top-of-the-line technology with an excellent estimated street price of $699. "Using tinted glass and antireflective, antiglare coatings, the P225's CRT...

ATI & NVIDIA mobile graphics chips. (cadalyst Labs 2002 All Stars).(ATI Mobility Fire GL 7800 and NVIDIA Quadro4 500 Go GL GPU )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Reviewed 08.02, p. 44 Two new portable graphics processors, one from ATI Technologies and the other from NVIDIA, double your options when you need a laptop computer that provides reasonable performance for CAD and visualization programs....

VX CAD/CAM. (cadalyst Labs 2002 All Stars).(version 6.5 of modeler)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Reviewed 08.02, p. 36 VX CAD/CAM v6.5 from VX Corp. is a third-generation parametric, feature-based surface and solid modeler that boasts integrated modeling, assembly, drafting, and CAM applications. Since its introduction in 1999, VX...

Reliable CAD workhorses: five systems deliver top performance for engineering applications. (cadalyst labs feature review).(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... Speed always tops the list of what's new in CAD workstations, as Intel and AMD continually produce ever-faster processors. CAD/CAM, engineering software, and certain graphics applications are among the reasons that faster processors are still...

Precision 350 Workstation. (cadalyst labs feature review).(Dell Computer)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... PRECISION 350 WORKSTATION DELL COMPUTER CORP. www.dell.com 4.5 stars out of 5 The new Dell Precision 350 Workstation we tested here in a configuration with an Intel 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor will shortly ship with a 3.06GHz Intel...

Verona Workstation. (cadalyst labs feature review).(Pogo Linux)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... VERONA WORKSTATION POGO LINUX, INC. www.pogolinux.com 4.5 stars out of 5 The Verona Workstation from Pogo Linux, Inc., differs from the other workstations reviewed here in several ways, the most obvious being the compact 16.250 3 7.750...

SYS Technologies, Inc. (cadalyst labs feature review).(PowerHouse 2800)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... SYS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. PowerHouse 2800 www.sys.com 5 stars out of 5 The PowerHouse 2800 system from Sys Technologies was certainly one of the most rugged systems in this roundup. Its slightly squat case is incredibly well-built,...

Tri CAD/CAM Systems. (cadalyst labs feature review).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... TRI CAD/CAM SYSTEMS STARSTATION SS530 www.tristar.com 5 stars out of 5 The Tri-Star StarStation SS530 workstation is the lowest-priced system we reviewed, but economy did not come at the cost of performance. Though the StarStation is...

Xi Computer Corp. (cadalyst labs feature review).(XI 4286 MTOWER SP)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... XI COMPUTER CORP. XI 4286 MTOWER SP www.xicomputer.com 5 stars out of 5 Workstations from Xi Computer consistently place at or near the top in our benchmark performance tests, and the Xi 4286 MTower SP is no exception. Though not the...

Solid Edge v12 adds surfaces: EDS PLM Solutions improves on a solid program. (cadalyst labs review).(Software Review)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... EDS PLM Solutions brushes up Solid Edge with many enhancements and a few new functions in v12. Although v12 doesn't offer a lot of major new functionality, it does merit some discussion. Insight, a free PDM (product data management) tool...

NEC MultiSync FP2141SB: 220 high-end monitor. (first look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2002... Mention the name NEC to anyone who has been around the computer industry for a few years, and its rugged and dependable line of MultiSync monitors is sure to come to mind. NEC has produced outstanding displays since before the PC was a business...

Today's plant and piping programs: options for P&ID and 3D plant design. (AEC tools: master the architect's desktop).
December 1, 2002... Process plant design software is used in any industry that moves or manufactures liquids and gases. Plant piping software aids in the design of piping systems on oil platforms, in atomic energy plants, and in the food and beverage industries....

Export point coordinates: create a comma-delimited text file of polyline and point coordinates. (AutoLISP solutions: reader-requested AutoLISP routines).
December 1, 2002... Pedro Gerstberger e-mailed a request to export x, y, z points from either polylines or AutoCAD point entities. The AutoLISP solution PLIST.LSP lets you select lightweight polylines, 2D polylines, or point objects, then makes a comma-delimited...

Explode blocks: but keep the attribute values. (AutoCAD clinic: AutoCAD Helpline answers your support questions).
December 1, 2002... We use a block that contains attributes and now need to change a company logo in this block. AutoCAD Release 14 had a bonus program that exploded the block, but left the attribute values as is. We now use AutoCAD 2002. Can we explode a block...

Tips from our readers. (hot tip harry).
December 1, 2002... $50 BONUS WINNER CONVERT UNITS Tip #1839 [CONVERT.LSP] and [CONVERT.DCL] CONVERT.LSP is a routine that uses a dialog box to convert between different units of measurement (feet to meters, days to minutes, and so forth). It...