CADalyst articles from May 2000

CADalyst archives from May 2000

Any portal in a storm.(Editorial)
May 1, 2000... You may notice something missing from Editor's Window this month. After four years as CADALYST's editor-in-chief, Gene Smarte has moved on to join Advanstar.com, the Internet branch of CADALYST's parent company. We'll miss his many...

Dialog Box : Thoughts from our readers.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2000... Mr. Nice Guy The biggest problem that I have as a CAD manager is disciplining my coworkers. It is very hard to work next to your friends and then have to ask them to cut down on their socializing. You can put up with what you think should...

Autodesk inks in details of Internet strategy.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 1, 2000... At the NDES show in March, Autodesk fleshed out the details on its change in strategic direction. It plans to focus on Internet-based productivity and connectivity solutions by Internet-enabling core desktop applications, creating new...

FTC drops Autodesk investigation.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Autodesk announced that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) ended its nonpublic investigation of Autodesk business practices after concluding that no additional action is warranted at this time.

Developers earn Windows 2000 kudos.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Microsoft honored SolidWorks, Motiva, and PTC for their efforts in gaining Windows 2000 certification. AutoCAD 2000 is Windows 2000 ready, and the next version should meet requirements for Windows 2000 certification. Inventor R2 will also go...

Processors top 1GHz.(850- and 866MHz Pentium III models from Intel)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... On March 6, AMD began shipping its 1GHz Athlon processor. Intel announced shipment of its 1GHz Pentium III processor a scant two days later. On March 20, Intel filled in the gap between the 1GHz chip and its previous top model, the 833MHz chip,...

Gusmer acquires NC Microproducts.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Gusmer Machinery Group acquired machine tool software developer NC Microproducts and will strategically realign it with two of its other companies, CAD/CAM software developer CIM-TECH and CNC machine tool builder Komo Machine. CIM-TECH and NC...

Another file translation site debuts.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Translation Technologies, Inc., launched a service that translates native file formats to different native file formats, bypassing the need for neutral formats such as IGES and STEP. Current formats supported are Pro/ENGINEER 20 and 2000i,...

Alliances.
May 1, 2000... CoCreate Software will integrate its OneSpace engineering collaboration product with SDRC's Metaphase product data management software. ANSYS and Mechanical Dynamics will broaden their alliance to combine ANSYS/DesignSpace and Dynamic...

BUSINESS.
May 1, 2000... EAI (Engineering Animation, Inc.) sold EAI-DELTA GmbH to Dassault Systemes for $31 million in cash. EAI-DELTA develops software that simulates manufacturing activities on a factory floor. Israel-based R&B Mold opened an office in Arizona....

HARDWARE : 733MHz workstations.(Acer America Corp's Aspire 6400)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Acer America Corp. announced the Aspire 6400 series (starting at $1,299) with Pentium III processors running at up to 733MHz and a 133MHz front side bus. Features include a TnT2 chipset with accelerated graphics port technology (43 AGP),...

HARDWARE : Dual-input LCD monitor.(800Pro+ LCD display from Nokia)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Nokia introduced the 800Pro+ 180 flat-panel LCD monitor ($2,999.99) that accepts both analog and digital signal inputs. You can connect two signal sources to the display and work with two systems at once. The display supports P&D, DVI, and DFP...

HARDWARE : 190 monitor.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Optiquest unveiled the Optiquest Q95 190 monitor ($419). Features of the Q95 include a maximum resolution of 160031200, refresh rate of 80Hz at 128031024 resolution, 0.23mm horizontal dot pitch, and antireflective/antiglare coating. Optiquest's...

HARDWARE : 850MHz systems.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Pionex announced AMD Athlon processor-based Pionex Elite commercial desktop systems (prices range from $1,069-$1,999) and Pionex Elite Professional workstations (prices range from $1,999-$5,399) with Athlon processors running at 600MHz, 700MHz,...

HARDWARE : Color inkjet.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Hewlett-Packard Company released the HP DeskJet 1220C wide-format color inkjet printer ($499). The DeskJet 1220C incorporates HP PhotoREt III color-layering technology that uses up to 29 drops of ink for each dot in a printed image and HP...

HARDWARE : 190 and 200 CRT monitors.(Cornerstone Peripherals Technology Inc's c901 and c1025)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Cornerstone Peripherals Technology, Inc., announced the c901 190 monitor ($349) and c1025 210 monitor ($639). The c901 offers a 128031024 resolution at 85Hz, an 180 viewable area, on-screen imaging, 0.22mm horizontal dot pitch, and TCO...

HARDWARE : Color printer.(Tektronix Phaser 850 from Xerox)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Xerox Corp. announced the Tektronix Phaser 850 color printer ($2,495). The printer offers a 200MHz RISC processor, solid-ink technology, and ColorStix toners for on-the-fly replacement. It achieves a maximum color speed of 14 pages per minute,...

HARDWARE : 190 flat monitor.(Princeton Graphics Systems, Inc's AGF900)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Princeton Graphics Systems, Inc., introduced the AGF900 ($499), a 190 DIAMONDTRON NF monitor. The AGF900 features a 0.26mm dot pitch, 30-96KHz horizontal scanning range, and 160031200 maximum resolution at 76Hz. The monitor also features a...

HARDWARE : 180 TFT monitor.(NL128 102AC28-04 18.10 from NEC)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... NEC Corp. introduced its NL128 102AC28-04 18.10 TFT LCD monitor (call for pricing). It offers 8-bit RGB in 256 steps for 16.7 million colors at a resolution of up to 128031024. It provides a 1708 horizontal and vertical viewing angle, 0.28mm...

On the Job: World's youngest mechanical designer.(Product Information)
May 1, 2000... While most kids were writing wishlists to Santa Claus this past Christmas, 8-year-old Aaron Ream from Wichita, Kansas, was designing toys for himself using skills he learned playing his favorite intergalactic 3D video game, The Monkey Wrench...

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE : Digital printing system.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Oce-USA announced the Oce 9400-II (starting at $15,995), a digital printing, copying, and scanning system. The 9400-II features an EPC (embedded power controller) and expandable memory up to 256MB. It can print up to two E-size documents per...

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE : NT-based workstation.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... IBM announced its IntelliStation NT-based workstations. The IntelliStation Z Pro ($3,999) features a Pentium III Xeon processor at speeds of 667-800MHz, a 133MHz front-side bus, and up to 2GB of RAMBUS EEC memory. Other features include a SCSI...

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE : DVD-RAM libraries.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... JVC Professional Computer Products Division introduced the MC-7000 series (prices start at $14,495) of DVD-RAM libraries. The MC-7000 series consists of three models that have 260GB (100 disks), 520GB (200 disks), and 1.6TB (600 disks) of data...

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE : 3D CAD software.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... CoCreate Software Inc. announced Solid Designer 2000 (prices start at $7,200) for collaboration between product development teams in process-centric environments. A new collaboration module extends support to 3D process models and allows...

SOFTWARE : Quality control for CAD files.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... GDM Software announced RESYMBOL, QA_Input, and QuikChek for AutoCAD and MicroStation (call for pricing). QA_Input is a rule-based menu system for drawing production. You can assign rules in hierarchical menus to create drawings and set active...

SOFTWARE : AutoCAD guide.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... CADDcetera introduced Civil CADD Solution ($59), an AutoCAD 2000-compatible technical guide that outlines AutoCAD principles and techniques. The guide covers AutoCAD main file and breakout sheet file setup (xref, layer, and color manipulation),...

SOFTWARE : Quick tool design.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Cimatron Ltd. introduced Quick-Split ($3,000) for tool design. The product contains interactive mold analysis tools that generate parting lines and parting direction analysis. Different-colored 3D parts provide a dynamic view of core and cavity...

SOFTWARE : Plant modeler.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Design Power, Inc., released PlantWise ($6,000-$57,500), a knowledge-based suite of software tools to create complex process plants. It features user-defined inlines, which let you create pipeline components when using the AutoRouter...

GENERAL SOFTWARE : Wire harness design.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Linius Technologies Inc. shipped EMbassy v2.5 (price starts at $6,000) for wire harness design. EMbassy combines electrical connectivity with a 3D model to create an electromechanical design environment. Features include user-defined custom...

GENERAL SOFTWARE : Parametric capabilities.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... CADKEY Corp. announced CADKEY Parametrics ($1,195 for CADKEY 99 users) to its range of freeform automation tools that include advanced wire frame and surface modeling. CADKEY Parametrics combines feature-based solid modeling and freeform hybrid...

GENERAL SOFTWARE : FEA software.(InCad DesignPak from Algor Inc)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Algor, Inc., announced InCad DesignPak ($975), which works from within CAD programs such as Mechanical Desktop, Pro/ENGINEER, Solid Edge, and SolidWorks to provide access to FEA tools. Features include a solid tetrahedral mesh engine for solid...

MARK YOUR CALENDAR.
May 1, 2000... Architects Technology Summit May 2-3 Westin Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 703.845.1751 asfaginco@earthlink.net www.atsummit.com AIA 2000 National Convention & Expo May 4-6 Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia, PA...

Language translator - held over from April.(CR/LF Corp's AnnotationTranslator)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... CR/LF Corp. Essen/Germany introduced AnnotationTranslator ($50) to translate AutoCAD text strings and annotation blocks into French, German, and Japanese. AnnotationTranslator exchanges one phrase with another and does not modify phrases,...

Space management solution.(CADD Automation Tools Boundary Utilities Application)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... CADD Automation Tools, LLC., introduced the Boundary Utilities Application ($1,599). You can predefine boundary types, which are composed of a boundary line, attributes, and text. Simple attribute tags can be alpha or numeric. Location...

Product specs.(Thomas Register intros PartSpec 3.0 and PlantSpec 3.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Thomas Register introduced its latest PartSpec and PlantSpec CD-ROM CAD titles. Edition 3.0 offers engineers and designers product information from 224 manufacturers (PartSpec 170, PlantSpec 54). Features include applications to improve...

Plant design -OK.(AutoPLANT Plant Design Workgroup 1.5 from Rebis)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Rebis released AutoPLANT Plant Design Workgroup v1.5 (contact Rebis for pricing), an ObjectARX-based plant design and modeling software that supports AutoCAD 2000. AutoPLANT v1.5 features AutoPLANT Explorer/ID V6.0 for faster and more effective...

Landscaping software HOLD FOR JUNE.(Eagle Point Software's LANDCADD 2000 Suite)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Eagle Point announced LANDCADD 2000 (price please?), landscaping and irrigation design software. New features include label previews, drafting proposed or existing contours in 3D, an intersecting pipe option in the Irrigation Design module,...

GIS: Paper-less field mapping.(AvaStrand from Avatech Solutions)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Avatech Solutions Inc. announced AvaStrand (price please?) to facilitate paperless field mapping and inventory on a pen-based, hand-held PC. You can save the maps in AutoCAD DWG format. The product aids telecommunications, cable, and utility...

MCAD: Mold designer HOLD FOR JUNE.(Cimatron Ltd's MoldBase 3D)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Cimatron Ltd. introduced MoldBase 3D (price please?). MoldBase 3D supports tools and components such as guide pins, leader pins, screws, ejectors, spacers, and cooling channels. The software simplifies the process of creating an assembly or...

NDES 2000 Show Report.
May 1, 2000... So much software, so little time--here's a brief look at what we saw at this year's National Design Engineering Show in Chicago's McCormick Place this March 13-16. 2D to 3D Don't call think3 a midrange CAD company, at least not to CEO...

Piranesi 2 : Postrendering visualization tool.(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... It's always interesting to see what the second release of a product is like, especially when the initial release is particularly successful in both concept and execution. Will the essence of the initial release remain, or will that original...

IntelliMouse : Reinventing the mouse.(IntelliMouse and IntelliMouse Explorer from Microsoft)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... Ever since its introduction, the basic design of the mouse hasn't changed. There's the mouse ball, rollers, and a few miscellaneous mechanical parts. The mechanical design has always had limitations--it requires frequent cleaning and a special...

Poly 850K7 Athlon : AMD keeps the competition hot.(Product Information)
May 1, 2000... The battle is heating up between Intel and AMD for bragging rights to the world's fastest PC processor. Our March review of workstations included 733MHz Pentium IIIs (Intel) and 750MHz Athlons (AMD). This month we look at the Poly 850K7 Athlon...

3DPowerTools v1.01 : 3D add-on for AutoCAD 2000.(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2000... 3DPowerTools v1.01 is a new third-party add-on for AutoCAD 2000. Its complement of 3D editing and visualization tools take advantage of the new release's 3D graphics system. The add-on also works with Mechanical Desktop v4 and Architectural...

Consensus anyone?(Product Information)
May 1, 2000... Anyone who has ever attended a public meeting knows how long it takes to get a consensus on policy or a development project. The citizenry has as many opinions as hairs on a dog. But what if you could visually represent and manipulate each...

Bricsnet takes on the e-market.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 1, 2000... Bricsnet offers Bricsnet.com, a comprehensive global e-marketplace for the building industry. According to Chris Silva, e-commerce analyst at IDC, "Bricsnet.com emerges as a true end-to-end solution for the AEC market, not only incorporating...

ArchiTECH.PC v3.0 joins the object revolution : A simple interface provides access to a wealth of tools for AEC design.(Evaluation)
May 1, 2000... CAD is undergoing a revolution, and it's called intelligent objects. Until recently, CAD has meant computer-aided drafting--electronic drawing with vectors or lines. Now it's evolving into true computer-aided design. This means that you no...

Work with people who work with CAD.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 1, 2000... The English word "manage" comes from the Italian maneggiare--to handle horses. While one can muse on the Dilbertian implications of treating the people one manages like horses, I like to view this etymology in a less pejorative light. Before...

Survey of geometric modeling kernels : What's inside your 3D solid modeler?(Product Information)
May 1, 2000... What does every commercially available solid modeling system today have in common? They all contain a geometric modeling kernel (also referred to as a modeling engine or geometry library). This is the library of core mathematical functions that...

TEN TOP MONITORS ON DISPLAY.
May 1, 2000... Certainly the most popular monitor size among CAD and visualization professionals, the 210 monitor provides enough visual real estate to really see what you're doing without completely dominating the desktop. How we tested The primary...

Automatically wrap mtext within blocks.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 1, 2000... Autodesk provided a simple way to create and edit multiline text when it introduced mtext. You can specify a width for the text, and if the text becomes longer than this width, it automatically wraps to another line. Attributes let you insert a...

Add a new dimension to your AutoCAD text.(Product Support)
May 1, 2000... Several readers inquired about the possibilities and procedures for making 3D text in AutoCAD. Usually they are designing a casting or an injection molding, and the casting needs some lettering built into it. You can turn regular text objects...

Questions answered and third-party add-ons.
May 1, 2000... I receive a lot of e-mail with questions about Architectural Desktop R2. I try to answer them, but like most architects, I'm very busy. This month I want to answer some of the questions, as well as introduce new third-party plug-ins and...

Change multiple attributes.
May 1, 2000... Laurie McGaw has a facilities planning drawing with tag information for each room at four different sizes for plotting at various scales. The attributes are shown in figure 1 superimposed on each other. She requested a routine to update the...

Tips from our readers.
May 1, 2000... $50 BONUS WINNER Curved Text Tip #1613 [CTEXT.LSP] This routine provides four options to create clockwise and counterclockwise circular text: Start, End, Fit, and Center. It's similar to AutoCAD's Arctext command. You indicate the...

Pipe puzzle.(Technology Tutorial)
May 1, 2000... I teach fire protection design courses using AutoCAD Release 14 on Windows NT 4.0. Using Release 12, I created blocks for piping information tags that have two attributes. I defined the first attribute, which is placed above the piping, as Tag:...

Autodesk Inventor R2 adds solid new features : Sheet-metal tools, automatic ballooning, and exploded views lead the parade of new capabilities.(Autodesk's Autodesk Inventor 2.0)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 2000... The first time I saw Inventor R1, I was more than a little impressed. Its only shortcomings related to the fact that as release one it lacked many of the productivity features of a more mature product. Autodesk obviously chose to focus on the...