CADalyst articles from March 2005

CADalyst archives from March 2005

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... The January issue listed an incorrect Web address for LightWork Design. The URL is www.lightworkdesign.com. In the February issue we placed the wrong image with Samsung's LCD monitor review. The correct images are online at...

Communication breakdown: striking a balance between sharing and security.(production management of software industry)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... THE INDUSTRY ANALYSTS FROM CYON RESEARCH recently sent a list of what they expect to be hot topics for discussion at this year's edition of COFES (Congress on the Future of Engineering Software; www.cofes.com). Part think tank, part conference,...

PLM is here to stay, so get ready.(EVENT REPORT: DARATECH SUMMIT 2005)(product lifecycle management)
March 1, 2005... Most manufacturers have heard the buzz about PLM (product lifecycle management). But is PLM for you? If so, then what? Those were the questions on the table at daratechSUMMIT2005 in Boston on February 14-16. What is PLM? Vendors often...

Paper persists in AEC project workflows.(architecture, engineering and construction)(survey about document exchanging)
March 1, 2005... Paper is still the preferred way of sharing documents on AEC projects, according to a recent survey done by Harris Interactive for Adobe of architects, engineers, construction project managers, owners and others involved in the building...

SolidWorks 2006 debuts.(EVENT REPORT: SOLIDWORKS WORLD 2005)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Quality and performance are the focus in SolidWorks 2006, which SolidWorks previewed at SolidWorks World 2005 in January. Among the new features are a spell-checker, drag-and-drop decals, 3D annotation views and a rip feature and closed corners...

Developers fill holes through acquisitions.(Autodesk Inc. acquires COMPASS systems GmbH and Agile Software Corp. acquires Cimmetry Systems Inc.)(product lifecycle management)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Autodesk and Agile Software, a developer of PLM software, both recently announced acquisitions aimed to add missing technology pieces to their product lineups. Recognizing that product data visualization is critical to successful PLM...

Autodesk unveils planned product upgrades.(CAD CENTRAL)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Autodesk is about to deliver its annual round of product upgrades. AutoCAD users who want to upgrade should benefit from a new Autodesk initiative that aims to ease the transition to new releases, including easier installation and improved...

Flying high: PTC helps Airbus megajet take off.(TECH TRENDS)
March 1, 2005... This past January 18 witnessed quite a commotion at an aircraft assembly plant in the southern French city of Toulouse. The event--the unveiling of the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380--drew more than 5,000 people, including the...

Punch up your CAD power: new Athlon, Pentium systems pay off with performance.
March 1, 2005... This workstation review produced record performance numbers, with scores well above 160 on our C2001 Cadalyst Labs benchmark--this just after the 150 barrier was broken in the November 2004 roundup. In terms of price and performance, a number...

Xi MTower 64SLI.(new computer system)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... @Xi Computer www.xicomputer.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $4,399 The Xi MTower 64SLI system from @Xi Computer posted the fastest scores ever on the Cadalyst C2001 Benchmark test, breaking the record that @Xi previously...

MJ-12 5500.(new computer system)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... Alienware www.alienware.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $4,399 The Alienware MJ-12 5500 is the second system that we've tested from Alienware, and it delivered great performance at a moderate price--proving that sometimes...

3DBOXX 3206.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... BOXX Technologies www.boxxtech.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $4,944.50 For this roundup, BOXX Technologies submitted the 3DBOXX 3206, a new system from its 3200 series of high-performance workstations based on AMD Athlon...

Dell Precision 370.(new computer)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... Dell www.dell.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $3,631 The Dell Precision 370 was one of the more compact systems in this roundup, measuring only 7.1" X 16.7" X 17.6" (wXhXd). As it turned out, good things do come in small...

IntelliStation MPro 6225.(new computer system)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... IBM www.ibm.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $3,955 For this roundup, IBM sent an IntelliStation MPro 6225 system, a compact and solidly built workstation that measured 19.4" X 6.9" X 17.7" (wXhXd). The system demonstrates...

Poly 939N4-4400FX.(new AMD Athlon FX55 based computer)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... Polywell Computers www.polywell.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $4,199 Polywell Computers sent us a Poly 939N4-4400FX system, which proved to be one of the speediest systems we've ever received from the company. The Poly...

StarStation.(new computer system)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... TriStar Corp. www.tristar.com Cadalyst Labs Grade: A Price: $3,048 The TriStar StarStation system tested here was based on an Intel 3.4GHz Pentium 4 microprocessor seated in an Intel D915PBL motherboard based on the Intel...

OneSpace Designer Modeling 2005: intuitive modeler offers alternative to parametrics.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... TODAY, MOST MECHANICAL CAD products are parametric, history-based applications. There are, however, some exceptions--IronCAD, ImpactXoft and CoCreate's OneSpace Designer Modeling 2005. Designer Modeling is a 3D CAD tool based on a dynamic...

Autodesk Civil 3D: model-based civil design improves efficiency.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS looking for a glimpse of the future would be wise to brush up on one key topic: intelligent objects. Just as architectural CAD software has largely abandoned generic CAD entities such as lines, arcs and polygons...

Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional: Adobe introduces 3D PDFs.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... SO MUCH IS NEW AND improved in this release of Adobe Acrobat, and there's certainly a lot to like. We generally don't think of PDF files created by Adobe Acrobat to be a vehicle for viewing 3D models, so the first time you see an animation...

Canvas 9 Professional Edition: multifaceted design illustration.(first look reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... IT'S DIFFICULT TO KNOW where to begin when describing the features and capabilities of Canvas 9 Professional. It's a dual-platform application that incorporates image editing, page layout, Web graphics and presentation features. Though this is...

Effective training programs: how to design in-house training on a limited budget.(CAD MANAGER)
March 1, 2005... MOST CAD MANAGERS FUNCTION as a corporate CAD training department while at the same time keeping the CAD department running. Although training remains on the CAD manager's plate, funding and resources for it have declined noticeably in recent...

Do you need PLM? Smart drawings need organization.(product lifecycle management)
March 1, 2005... If you're on a multiyear product design team in aerospace and automotive engineering, then you likely have little choice in the matter--the enterprise often dictates that internal departments take part in a company's PLM (product lifecycle...

Software strategy: civil engineering options: the latest in transportation and land development software.(product details of software industry)
March 1, 2005... IN TODAY'S HIGHLY competitive and responsive engineering environment, civil engineering depends on sophisticated computerized design software. Generally, civil design and engineering can be divided into several areas, the two most important of...

Software strategy: going mobile: mobile GIS brings instantaneous information to users in the field.(geographic information system)
March 1, 2005... Traditionally, GIS maps had to be printed in order to be carried out into the field. In addition, the process of collecting data in the field was time-consuming and prone to error because we were limited to writing notes on paper maps that had...

Top dog.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... UGS bills itself as the first PLM (product lifecycle management) company to break $1 billion in revenue, with an FY2004 total of $1.018 billion, up 14% over the previous year. Revenue for what it calls its cPDm (collaborative product...

Quick poll.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... How old is your workstation? 0-6 months (89) 17% 6-12 months (102) 20% 1-2 years (128) 25% ...

More on money.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Though Autodesk doesn't call itself a PLM company, it also passed the billion-dollar revenue mark for the first time with $1.234 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2005. In keeping with its push toward a subscription sales model, Autodesk...

Backing its BIM.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bentley is providing templates, examples and other material to help firms document their use of BIM technology based on IFC data exchange standards for the GSA (General Services Administration). Deadline for documentation is March 15. In July,...

Just trying to help?(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... To help AutoCAD users with version compatibility, SolidWorks released DWGgateway. The free AutoCAD add-on enables earlier versions of AutoCAD (starting with Release 14) to open, edit and save DWG and DXF files created by more recent AutoCAD...

Alternate take.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Autodesk blogger and technical marketing manager for the AutoCAD group Shaan Hurley greeted DWGgateway with this dire warning: "Using products such as the recently announced DWGgateway, which are not created or supported by Autodesk, puts...

Giving it away.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... There's no shortage of free PLM samples these days. Qualified small businesses can sample Agile's OnDemand PLM Small Business Startup Pack at no charge for up to eight user licenses. And Arena Solutions offers the first year free for its PLM...

Worth the wait.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Service Pack 1.1)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Despite customer grumblings about the holdup, SolidWorks CEO John McEleney said delaying release of Service Pack 1.1 for SolidWorks 2005 was the right thing to do because of issues with Windows Installer. The good news is that the patch is now...

Search success.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(research grants)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Imaginestics landed a half-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an "engineering advisory system for early product design" based on the company's 3D shape search engine. Such technology will help engineers...

Head out on the highway.(CADFIDENTIAL: BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... How much did SolidWorks pay for its custom chopper (p. 14) from Orange County Choppers (www.orangecountychoppers .com)? "A lot," said COO Jeff Ray. Though he wouldn't disclose the exact figure, he did say that standard, noncustom choppers from...

Software strategy: midrange modelers II: more options for mechanical designers.(product details of software industry)(mechanical computer aided design)
March 1, 2005... THIS SECOND INSTALLMENT OF Cadalyst's MCAD software strategy series continues to focus on midrange solid modeling products. As noted in the first installment (January 2005), virtually all products available today provide competent core tools...