CADalyst articles from June 2002

CADalyst archives from June 2002

Editor's window : Opinions, comments, and predictions.(Editorial)
June 1, 2002... What to look for in your next CAD package I don't believe I'm going out on a limb when I state that AutoCAD dominates the CAD world today. (As for tomorrow, who knows?) Since its inception 20 years ago, Autodesk has sold more than 2.2...

Dialog Box : Readers talk to us.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2002... Send in the clones Art Liddle's editorial "CAD... gobbling up jobs, one at a time (May 2002, p. 6)," reminded me of an engineering professor I had in 1954. He predicted that in ten years grass would be growing in the cracks of the new...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2002... Several readers pointed out that Tip #1793 (stl.lsp) from our March Hot Tip Harry column does not always create accurately dimensioned steel shapes. The tip was published as a routine for "graphically representing" steel shapes and was never...

HARDWARE : WIDE-FORMAT PRINTER.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Xerox's MAX 200 Network Printer ($95,000) produces wide-format prints at 80 per second in black, black with red highlights, or red, according to the company. Designed to handle up to 500,000 square feet per month, the MAX 200 can connect to a...

HARDWARE : REMOTE PRINTING SERVICE.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... HP Remote Printing for AEC ($360/year), a new printing service from Hewlett-Packard, provides secure distribution of documents to multiple destinations in one transaction. You can send prints from any Windows CAD application to remote HP...

HARDWARE : WORKSTATIONS.(BOXX Technologies 3DBOXX)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... BOXX Technologies released its 3DBOXX R1 series of high-performance workstations (starting at $2,500) and RenderBOXX R series of rendering systems (starting at $2,100). Both series feature the AMD Athlon MP 20001 processor, which has...

HARDWARE : COLOR COPIER, SCANNER, AND PRINTER.(HP DesignJet Copier cc800ps)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard introduced the Designjet Copier cc800ps ($19,995), the company's first large-format color copier, scanner, and printer. It offers scanning and copying up to 2,400dpi scaled resolution and 420 maximum for originals with 400...

HARDWARE : PLASTIC LASER SINTERING.(EOS EOSINT P 380)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... EOS unveiled the EOSINT P 380 (call for pricing) plastic laser-sintering system for direct manufacture of design models and functional prototypes, end products, and spare parts. EOSINT P380 builds plastic parts from polyamide or polystyrene...

RP REPLICATES VIRGINIA STATE CAPITOL MODEL.
June 1, 2002... In 1999, after years of preliminary research, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation forged ahead with the Capitol of Virginia replica conservation project. The plan, which became a three-year endeavor, started as a one-to-one replication of the...

SOFTWARE : DESIGN/ENGINEERING TOOLS.(Caligari dePak)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Caligari Corp. unveiled dePak ($99 introductory price; $199 regular price), which includes 31 tools for trueSpace design and engineering applications. trueSpace is a 3D modeling and animation program that offers polygon and NURBS-based modeling...

SOFTWARE : VIEW AND REDLINE.(C4W ModelView)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... ModelView ($500 basic module, plus $400 native file format) from C4W is a 3D collaboration solution that lets all participants, from the quotation office to the shop floor, analyze, print, and mark up the geometry of any CAD file without the...

SOFTWARE : WEB-BASED 3D VIEWING.(Cimmetry Systems AutoVue 16)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Cimmetry Systems released AutoVue 16 ($395-$1,495) 3D visualization and collaboration software that supports native viewing and markup of 200 formats. The Web-based solution features AutoVue SolidModel for Java that lets you view and...

SOFTWARE : PHOTOREALISTIC LANDSCAPE VISUALIZATION.(Visual Nature Studio 1.1 from 3D Nature)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Visual Nature Studio 1.1 ($2,475) from 3D Nature LLC is a photorealistic landscape visualization solution that now imports ESRI .E00 raster DEM, ESRI ADF raster DEM, and United Kingdom Ordnance Survey NTF DTM (land-form panorama and profile DTM...

SOFTWARE : TOOLKIT FOR AUTOCAD LT.(LT Toolkit Max 2002 from drcauto)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... LT Toolkit Max 2002 ($395) is now available from drcauto. The new extended version lets you extend your AutoCAD LT 2002 with development tools that support ObjectARX, ObjectDBX, and AutoLISP. LT Toolkit Max 2002 features easy layer control...

SOFTWARE : LAND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Eagle Point released Eagle Point 2002 (call for pricing) land development software that includes 72 enhancements. New features include an open database format to save external node databases as Microsoft Access files, LandXML file format, and...

SOFTWARE : CAD TRANSLATOR.(CAD2PDF Translator from Layton Graphics)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... The CAD2PDF Translator (pricing starts at $19,999) from Layton Graphics, Inc., plots native AutoCAD (DWG) and MicroStation (DGN) files to fully functional PDF files that can be read by the free Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat 5. These...

SOFTWARE : 3D RENDERING.(Informatix Software International Piranesi 3.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Informatix Software International Ltd. debuted Piranesi v3 ($750) design software that includes 3D painting technology for photorealistic detailing and hand-drawn effects. With Piranesi you can place cutouts and scenery elements into a scene....

SOFTWARE : DOCUMENT CONTROL.(MASTERControl 3D for SolidWorks from Document Control Systems)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... MASTERControl 3D for SolidWorks (call for pricing) is now available from Document Control Systems. This document control software manages any electronic document regardless of the application in which it was created--such as word processing,...

SOFTWARE : DIAGRAMMING TOOL.(PTC Pro/ENGINEER RSD 3)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... PTC announced the release of Pro/ENGINEER RSD (Routed Systems Designer) 3 ($4,995), a diagramming tool for systems designers and manufacturers. RSD creates a wide range of diagram types, such as wiring, P&ID (process and instrumentation),...

SOFTWARE : TOLERANCE ANALYSIS.(TASysWorks Tolerance Solutions from C4 Advanced Engineering Services)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... TASysWorks Tolerance Solutions ($995) from C4 Advanced Engineering Services determines the crucial dimensions that affect analyzed problems and assigns tolerances to the dimensions. TASysWorks Tolerance Solutions are fully integrated with...

SOFTWARE : SOLID RENDERING MODULE.(Geopath 4.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Geopath v4 (starts at $4,995) from Solutionware is a 3D module for solids rendering. You can convert a 3D surface wire frame CAD drawing to a rendered solid image for a more realistic view of a part. You can also experience faster 3D...

SOFTWARE : MACHINING METHODS.(SURFCAM 2002 )(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Surfware, Inc., announced SURFCAM 2002 (call for pricing) CAM solution. It offers new two-axis associative functionality, an advanced toolpath smoothing algorithm, and an automatic depth-of-cut feature. The operations manager display option...

SOFTWARE : CAE SIMULATION PROGRAM.(Dynamic Designer Motion for CATIA 5.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Mechanical Dynamics released Dynamic Designer Motion for CATIA v5 (call for pricing). The simulation program investigates the form, fit, and function of a product design. It is powered by the company's ADAMS solver technology and is embedded...

COFES 2002--CONGRESS ON THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING SOFTWARE.
June 1, 2002... COFES convened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in early May to define and discuss issues facing developers and users of design and engineering software. Topics range from trendy concepts, such as PLM (product lifecycle management), collaboration, and...

Calendar.
June 1, 2002... ESRI Int'l User Conference 2002 July 8-12 Technical workshops, map gallery, exhibit pavilion, ESRI showcase, user presentations, with an emphasis on the role of GIS in sustainable development and disaster management. San Diego...

We're doing things a little differently.
June 1, 2002... We're doing things a little differently this year for our semiannual All-star awards. In the past, we limited eligibility to products that we reviewed and awarded our Five Star Highly Recommended rating. We decided this restriction kept too...

Autodesk Inventor 5.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Autodesk Inventor 5 Reviewed 01.02, p. 36 Autodesk Inventor v5 offers unmatched support for legacy 2D data in DWG files. It easily handles very large assemblies, allows constraints between different parts, and adds new tools for...

Contex Cougar 360 scanner.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Contex Cougar 360 scanner First Look, 06.02, p. 46 The Cougar 36" color scanner from Contex USA makes scanning large documents a breeze with improved ease-of-use functionality and automatic calibration. Its 425dpi optical resolution...

Dell 2000FP flat-panel monitor.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Dell 2000FP flat-panel monitor Reviewed 04.02, p. 29 Dell definitely hit the sweet spot with its 2000FP flat-panel display, combining a 20.10 (diagonal) screen with a manufacturer's suggested price of only $1,599. Dell's Web site is...

Solid Edge v11.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Solid Edge v11 Reviewed 02.02, p. 42 EDS PLM Solutions integrated a solid, entry-level PDM solution within Solid Edge v11 using Insight document technology. Insight runs on Microsoft's SharePoint server technology, which customers must...

Mathcad 2001i.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Mathcad 2001i Product showcase, 03.02, p. 15 Mathsoft's Mathcad 2001i offers an extensive assortment of numerical and symbolic calculation tools in a scratchpad-like interface that's familiar to all engineers. There are also tools to...

Quadro4 900 XGL graphics card.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Quadro4 900 XGL graphics card First Look, 05.02, p. 54 NVIDIA's Quadro4 900 XGL graphics card is the new leader in professional 3D OpenGL performance. It obliterated the all-time record for each of the three benchmarks that make up...

Rhino 2.0.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Rhino 2.0 Product showcase, 02.02, p. 14 Robert McNeel & Associates' Rhino 2.0 is a powerful freeform NURBS modeling application that costs only $895. Its diverse user-base includes industrial designers, jewelry designers, marine...

Syncmaster 240T 240 flat-panel monitor.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Syncmaster 240T 240 flat-panel monitor Reviewed 04.02, p. 32 Samsung's Syncmaster 240T digital flat-panel LCD display is gargantuan, measuring 240 (diagonal) in a 16:10 aspect ratio and offering 35% more display real estate than a...

SolidWorks 2001Plus.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... SolidWorks 2001Plus Reviewed 04.02, p. 42 SolidWorks beefed up support for large assemblies and added a host of user-requested features to SolidWorks 2001Plus, the tenth release of its flagship program introduced in 1995. SolidWorks'...

Dimension 3D printer.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Dimension 3D printer Product showcase 05.02, p. 14 Stratasys' Dimension 3D Printer (270 3 360 3 410) brings rapid prototyping capabilities to the desktops of the masses with an attractive price of only $29,900. The 3D Printer builds ABS...

Cad Integrator v6.2.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Cad Integrator v6.2 Product Showcase, 05.02, p. 20 Timberline's CAD Integrator is the first construction-estimating package to use the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standard. It reads IFC data (available from any IFC 2.0- compliant...

Xi 4240 MTower SP workstation.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... Xi 4240 MTower SP workstation Reviewed 06.02, p. 41 Configured with an Intel 2.4GHz Pentium 4 processor and NVIDIA Quadro4 900 XGL graphics card, the Xi 4240 MTower SP turned in top scores for our suite of performance benchmark tests in...

Coming up in the Cadalyst July issue...
June 1, 2002... Feature: MCAD analysis tools Thanks to advances in computer power, analysis tools are becoming an integral part of the designer's desktop. Cadalyst Labs reviews 210 CRT monitors Get the big picture on the latest large...

New digital design tools spark your creativity.
June 1, 2002... Humans have designed structures from the beginning of time, probably starting with tracings in the sand and models of clay and stone. During the Renaissance, Michaelangelo built large wooden models of the proposed St. Peter's dome for the...

Best work$tation buy$ for CAD users.(evaluation of seven workstations)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... It's time again to look at the latest, greatest, and fastest workstations. This roundup includes the first 2.4GHz Pentium 4 chips, the first NVIDIA Quadro4 graphics cards, and the first systems with 533MHz front bus speed. Though each iteration...

Compaq Computer Corp.(Compaq Evo Workstation w4000)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Compaq Computer Corp. Evo Workstation w4000 4.5 stars out of 5 Housed in a compact, stylish black-and-silver case, the Compaq Evo Workstation W4000 is both attractive and quiet, though not the fastest system in this review. As is...

Dell Computer Corp.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Dell Computer Corp. Precision 340MT Workstation 4.5 stars out of 5 The design and engineering of the Dell Precision 340MT Workstation are superb, and the quality of the components is excellent. Each iteration of Dell Precision...

Hewlett-Packard.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard HP Workstation X2100 4 stars out of 5 It's been more than a year since we last reviewed a Hewlett-Packard workstation. During that time, the company replaced its venerable Kayak line of workstations with the "x"...

IBM.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... IBM IBM IntelliStation M Pro 4.5 stars out of 5 During the past five years, Cadalyst has reviewed twelve workstations from IBM, all bearing the IntelliStation "x" Pro designation. That breaks down into two IntelliStation E Pros (entry...

Polywell.(Polywell Poly 880NF-2200)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Polywell Poly 880NF-2200 4.5 stars out of 5 Polywell submitted the lone Athlon-based workstation for our roundup. This is a little unusual because four of the sixteen systems in our previous three workstation reviews (April, August,...

SYS Technology, Inc.(SYS Technology PowerHouse D2400)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... SYS Technology, Inc. PowerHouse D2400 4 stars out of 5 Housed in a compact, solid, and quiet case of rather sedate design, the Sys Technology PowerHouse D2400 is based on an Intel Xeon processor running at 2.4GHz. Sys offers systems...

Xi Computer Corp.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Xi Computer Corp. 4240 MTower SP 5 stars out of 5 Xi's 4240 MTower SP arrived in a stylish metal and blue "retro" case that proved quiet and attractive, with many drive bays and room for expansion despite its small size. The new case...

Revit rolls on after Autodesk acquisition : Revit 4.5 adds new tools for construction and design-build.
June 1, 2002... The big news in architectural CAD is Autodesk's acquisition of Revit Technology Corp. Many industry commentaries speculate about Autodesk's plans for Revit. According to Autodesk, Revit complements its existing suite of building industry...

Contex Cougar : 360 wide-format scanner.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... Scanning large documents can be labor intensive: calibration is tedious, the software can be difficult to use, and the act of scanning can take some time. To reduce this burden, Contex has made significant improvements to calibration, scanner...

WiseImage Pro : Raster-to-vector tools.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2002... WiseImage for Windows v5 (v4 and earlier were called SpotlightCS) is a stand-alone raster editing and raster-to-vector conversion program, and a very accomplished one. Marketed by IDEAL.com (also known as IDEAL Scanners & Systems, Inc.), it's...

Quality assurance in AEC design : CAD is changing how we handle this essential building design phase.
June 1, 2002... CAD automation in the AEC drawing production process is changing some of the fundamental processes and aspects of professional practice, and not necessarily for the better. One such area is quality assurance checking and coordinating of...

CAD for the field : New hardware and software options support mobile computing.(Buyers Guide)
June 1, 2002... Third-generation wireless (3G) is on the horizon, attracting attention to mobile computing devices such as PDAs (personal digital assistants) and tablet PCs. Although already implemented in Japan and parts of Europe, 3G has yet to become...

Draw 3D screw threads : helix.lsp creates wire frame helical screw threads for 3D drawings.(Tutorial)
June 1, 2002... Benny (no last name supplied) e-mailed a request to draw 3D screw threads in AutoCAD. helix.lsp creates a helical screw thread in the form of a surface model. The user supplies the thread pitch or the number of threads per inch, the outside...

Banish your least Favorites : Also, how to work in both metric and Imperial units.
June 1, 2002... In January 2002, you discussed how to add items to your Favorites list in AutoCAD 2000i. I want the Favorites list to include only items on our network, such as standards and blocks. How do I remove unwanted folders from this list without...

Tips from our readers.
June 1, 2002... $50 BONUS WINNER eLEVEN WAYS TO EDIT BLOCKS Tip #1799 [BLKEDIT.LSP] blkedit.lsp is a set of eleven functions for editing regular blocks--blocks without attributes: Eb (edit block), Lp (redefine insertion point), Ab (add entities...