CADalyst articles from January 2004

CADalyst archives from January 2004

The new Cadalyst.(Dialog box: readers talk to us)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I was a subscriber to Cadence and found the Solid Edge and Solid Works how-to articles useful. Will you include them in the "new" Cadalyst? Gary Clark, via Internet You can find these how-to columns at www.cadalyst.com.--Eds. FIX...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2004... In December 2003's Hot Tip Harry, the code and the instructions for GROUP 'EM (December 2003) should be as follows: (defun c: ZX (/ zx) (setq zx (ssget)) (princ) ) Load and run ZX at the Command prompt, select objects to group them,...

Efficiency experts: the productivity numbers tell us that organizations have squeezed most of the inefficiencies out of their current processes.(Editor's Window)
January 1, 2004... Early indications show that 2004 is shaping up to be a good year--the U.S. stock market is up, and the economy recently posted its strongest growth in nearly two decades. Instead of a corresponding increase in jobs, the growth has been in...

How it all started.(Cadalyst Celebrates 20 Years)
January 1, 2004... This year Cadalyst celebrates our 20th anniversary as a print publication. Each month during 2004, we'll revisit some part of our past. This month, a brief history of how and when it all started. Founded in Nelson, B.C., by Lionel Johnston,...

HP Pioneers 64-bit computing: HP itanium 2 benefits mechanical CAD.(Tech Trends)
January 1, 2004... When the South African design firm EPAQ (www.epaq.co.za) began to stake out the kind of computing resources it needed to design an eleven-story, fully automated parking garage, it ran up against the limitations of its 32-bit workstations. The...

CAD on a Budget: great tools at a fantastic price: not every firm or individual needs or can afford a major design application, regardless of whether the economy is booming or depressed. Justifying the cost of an AutoCAD license can often be difficult, particularly if your needs are modest. Fortunately there are alternatives that are not only less expensive, but also quite capable.(Cadalyst Labs Review)
January 1, 2004... It should come as no surprise, but somehow it always does, just how capable and sophisticated the low-cost CAD applications on the market are. You expect that applications that cost several thousand dollars, such as AutoCAD, would offer a broad...

ConceptDraw V Professional.(Cadalyst Lab Review)
January 1, 2004... ConceptDraw V Professional Computer Systems Odessa of the Ukraine www.conceptdraw.com Price: $349 Computer Systems Odessa of the Ukraine contributed ConceptDraw V Professional for this review, a major upgrade of its...

General CADD Pro v2.1.04.(Cadalyst Lab Review)
January 1, 2004... General CADD Products www.generalcadd.com Price: $499 After Autodesk purchased Generic CADD and stopped software production in November 1996 and technical support on May 1, 1997, I never expected to review Generic CADD again. ...

DesignCAD 3D Max 14.(Cadalyst Lab Review)
January 1, 2004... DesignCAD 3D Max 14 IMSI 800.833.8082 www.imsisoft.com Price: $79.95 DesignCAD 3D Max 14 is a flexible and capable design tool that is also available in a Plus version for $299.95. The Plus version bundles add-ons such as...

TurboCAD Deluxe v9.2.(Cadalyst Lab Review)
January 1, 2004... TurboCAD Deluxe v9.2 IMSI 800.833.8082 www.imsisoft.com Price: $99.95 TurboCAD Deluxe is a 2D and 3D basic design tool suitable for professional and casual users who want to create home plans, technical drawings, or artistic...

TurboCAD Professional Competitive Upgrade v9.2.(Cadalyst Labs Review)
January 1, 2004... TurboCAD Professional Competitive Upgrade v9.2 IMSI 800.833.8082 www.imsisoft.com Price: $595/$295 TurboCAD Professional is a suite of applications that, in addition to TurboCAD Professional, includes FloorPlan 3D,...

VDraft v2.22.(Cadalyst Labs Review)
January 1, 2004... VDraft v2.22 SoftSource 800.877.1875 www.softsource.com Price: $250 VDraft, short for Virtual Drafter, offers a wealth of features for drafting and design as well as support for AutoCAD files from Release 2.5 through 2002....

SolidWorks 2004: strong CAD program offers features that help you switch to 3D.(Cadalyst Labs Review)
January 1, 2004... SolidWorks 2004, the twelfth release of this 3D solid modeling product, implements new features that should appeal to a whole new group of potential users who have been on the fence about moving to 3D. It also caters to those with specialized...

Discreet 3ds max 6: 3D modeling, rendering, visualization.(Firts Look Reviews)
January 1, 2004... 3ds max 6 is the latest iteration of Discreet's popular 3D modeling, rendering, and visualization application. Examination of the details reveals the depth of this release. Features for All Along with many under-the-hood developments...

CAD management forecast: look to the past to predict the future.(CAD Manager)
January 1, 2004... Another new year is here and, as has been my custom for the last four years, I'm going to look at the past year to help chart a CAD management course for 2004. My conclusions are based on the CAD manager survey data I've collected over the past...

When surfaces and solids collide: hybrid modelers overcome the limitations of other modelers.(MCAD Modeling Methods)
January 1, 2004... Welcome to my updated column, Modeling Methods. Each month I'll dig deeper into the methods that today's mechanical CAD applications use to help product designers be more creative and productive in what they do best. This month, I'm...

The architect's answer: SketchUp 3--an elegant AEC and multimedia solution.(AEC From The Ground Up)
January 1, 2004... ONLY A FEW AEC AND multimedia software programs are elegant--they perform as advertised, are easy to learn, and have a good price point. SketchUp 3.0 from @Last Software is one of these programs. It's been at the top of my annual "Essential...

10 express tools conquer text: express tool exploration continues.(Circles And Lines)
January 1, 2004... I've been besieged with e-mails requesting that I finish what I began a few months ago when I started to cover the ever-popular Express Tools. Worry not! I interrupted the series with my introductory article for Cadalyst, but this month I...

Best of both worlds: bringing AutoCAD and MicroStation together.(From The Trenches)
January 1, 2004... Unless AutoCAD and MicroStation merge, there will always be times when you must move drawings from one to the other. In the past, if a client wanted drawings in AutoCAD, we had to convert the drawing from MicroStation. At first this was...

Workspaces, linework, text: create a workspace, select more than one line, and clean up text.(CAD Clinic)
January 1, 2004... In AutoCAD 2002, I want to create a workspace where if I have three drawings to open, I can open the workspace and all the drawings load at the same time. I don't want to search and open them individually, although I want to save them...

Tips from our readers: tips to break lines, draw shadow boxes, break objects, and more.(Hot Tip Harry)
January 1, 2004... Break and Hide Tip #1919 [bkh.lsp] Use bkh.lsp to break lines, polylines, circles, and arcs at selected points and then automatically transfer the breakout to a layer with hidden-line linetype. Remember that AutoCAD handles break points in...