CADalyst articles from November 1999

CADalyst archives from November 1999

Architectural Desktop boasts new features : Architectural design and drafting continues to get easier.
November 1, 1999... For the uninitiated, Architectural Desktop Release 2 is a pseudonym for AutoCAD 2000 optimized for architects and building design professionals. When you buy Architectural Desktop 2, you get AutoCAD 2000 integrated into the program. All your...

ArchiCAD 6.5 gives architects super tools : New version focuses on 3D and production.
November 1, 1999... ArchiCAD is a high-end architectural modeling, drawing, and drafting package at a high-end price. Many will find the $4,295 price tag worth it, however. With each new release, ArchiCAD adds more production CAD and workgroup features. Although...

Design for the New Millennium.
November 1, 1999... The CEOs and top executives of CAD companies have a lot to say about CAD technology in the new millennium. Increased bandwidth, the acceptance of 3D modeling, virtual reality, and the Internet are hot topics-and software must become easier to...

Internet killed the dealer-chain star?
November 1, 1999... How many of you depend on your dealer when you buy products and get training? We've noticed a trend that seems to indicate that the human- staffed VAR/dealer chain may be replaced with-or at least rivaled by-URLs. Today many of us shop on-line...

AcceleraPCI.
November 1, 1999... The next best thing to a full system upgrade. In a nutshell, Evergreen Technologies' AcceleraPCI is a CPU and memory upgrade that fits in a single PCI slot. As an added bonus, it ensures that the host system is Y2K (Year 2000) compliant at...

CAD Overlay 2000.
November 1, 1999... Autodesk revs up its raster-to-vector product. Autodesk is making it clear that it's back in the raster-to-vector business with the release of its CAD Overlay 2000 package, the latest in a very long line of raster-supporting add-ons for...

Canoma 1.0.
November 1, 1999... Generate 3D models from photographs. Canoma is designed to quickly create realistic 3D models from photographs or other flat art, even for those with limited (or nonexistent) 3D modeling skills. Canoma automates much of the time-consuming...

Parametric ANSI Fasteners.
November 1, 1999... Assortment of fasteners for use with Mechanical Desktop. Parametric ANSI Fasteners is an add-on for Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop R2 and R3. The program is very small and uses a quick and simple installation routine. Once installed, it is...

AutoCAD LT 2000 makes the grade : For an inexpensive, AutoCAD-compatible adjacent 2D drafting seat, look no further.
November 1, 1999... The first version of AutoCAD LT (the scaled-down version of big brother AutoCAD) first appeared in late 1993. It found immediate success in several CAD market segments, including new CAD users, the 2D-only drafting population, and those who...

Microsoft to pay $1.3 billion for Visio.
November 1, 1999... Microsoft plans to acquire Visio, developer of Visio diagramming and technical drawing software, in a stock swap valued at $1.3 billion. Visio will operate as a division of Microsoft's Business Productivity Group, and Visio products will remain...

Intergraph sells scanner unit.
November 1, 1999... Intergraph sold its ANAtech Imaging Division to Colortrac Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Colortrac Ltd. of Great Britain. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Colortrac in turn formed ACTion Imaging Solutions, a new company that combines...

Diehl adopts solid modeling library.
November 1, 1999... Diehl Graphsoft licensed the SMLib advanced geometry and topology library from Solid Modeling Solutions. The company will incorporate the library, an alternative to the ACIS and Parasolid modeling kernels, into VectorWorks as soon as the next...

Windows 2000 looks like a costly upgrade.
November 1, 1999... The Gartner Group predicts that Windows 2000 will bring with it steep upgrade costs. The market research firm estimates that moving from NT 4.0 to 2000 can cost from $1,250 to $2,050 per desktop, and moving from Windows 9x can run $2,015 to...

ENCAD suit moves ahead.
November 1, 1999... ENCAD won a preliminary injunction that enjoins Hewlett-Packard from selling its large-format printers at below cost worldwide. ENCAD claims that Hewlett-Packard offers trade-in rebates for ENCAD plotters that often exceed the cost of the new...

2D drawing exchange.
November 1, 1999... SolidWorks developed the eDrawing file format as a tool for 2D mechanical drawing exchange. It compresses files and includes a viewer so recipients can open drawings without a CAD system. Handy tools help with navigating various views....

Release Watch.
November 1, 1999... Visionary Design Systems shipped v3 of its IronCAD solid modeling software. Its Unified Modeling Kernel incorporates both ACIS and Parasolid. You can select either for file import and export, and switch parts within IronCAD from one to the...

3D printer.
November 1, 1999... 3D Systems unveiled the ThermoJet Solid Object printer ($49,995) with FreeForm modeling capabilities by SensAble Technologies (www.sensable.com). The FreeForm system uses a touch-based interface that lets you digitally sculpt a design, complete...

Wide-format printers.
November 1, 1999... ENCAD, Inc., introduced three new NovaJet printers in 420 and 600 configurations. All printers come with software, inks, media, training, and technical support. All printers also offer media tracking systems, optional networking, and 500mL...

Entry-level scanner.
November 1, 1999... Epson America Inc. released the EPSON Perfection 610 scanner ($149) with Micro Step Drive technology that achieves a maximum hardware resolution of 6003 2400dpi. It offers 36-bit color depth and maximum software resolution of 960039600. Epson's...

Graphics card.
November 1, 1999... Intense3D unveiled its Wildcat 4110 (call for pricing) graphics card with 128MB on-board memory. It delivers a sustained six million triangles per second, according to the company. SuperScene antialiasing technology delivers improved image...

Storage server.
November 1, 1999... Ringdale Data Storage Server released the Data Storage Server, a scalable, CD-ROM-based integrated network data storage system in compact, entry- level, and high-end configurations (prices start at $48,000 for a turnkey compact system). It...

190 monitors.
November 1, 1999... MGC Technologies, Inc., announced the MGC-9107 190 monitor ($389, pictured) with 0.26mm dot pitch, 160031200 pixel at 85Hz maximum resolution, and Toshiba Microfilter CRT. The MGC-9107 connects to USB peripherals that allow up to 127 devices to...

Celerons and Pentiums.
November 1, 1999... Acer America Corp. announced its Aspire line of computers (call for pricing) with Pentium III processors running at 450-600MHz and Celeron processors running at 400-500MHz. These Aspires come with 128-512KB cache, 4.3-13GB hard disk drives,...

RASTER-EDITING SOFTWARE.
November 1, 1999... Raster-to-vector conversion Abakos Digital Images introduced ProVec 3.5 raster-to-vector software ($2,500) with a new optical character recognition suite of tools. ProVec 3.5 has a built-in parameter setting assistant that guides you...

P&ID and piping for Actrix.
November 1, 1999... Rebis announced two Autodesk Actrix Technical add-ons. Personal P&ID (introductory price, $445) creates piping and instrumentation diagrams and provides a comprehensive library of P&ID symbols for equipment, valves, and lines with properties to...

Visio to 3D.
November 1, 1999... Lomasoft Corp. released 3D ShapeView ($295) that automatically converts Visio 2D drawings to 3D. You can drag and drop items from Visio, add drag- and-drop textures, and set colors and views. You can use your 3D scene on the Web. A free 30-day...

Plotting support.
November 1, 1999... IT-BASE introduced NORMICA V2000 ($395) to view, present, analyze, edit, and correct HPGL/2 plot files (includes HP RTL, HPGL, and partial PCL5 files). You can print and plot, edit plotter settings, line widths, colors, numbers, and bit-map...

AutoCAD command support.
November 1, 1999... FelixCAD 4.01 ($449; upgrades $295) from FCAD North America Inc. offers user-transparent support for AutoCAD commands and direct operation with native AutoCAD files. It ships with a standard or AutoCAD desktop and you can add optional AutoCAD...

Actrix add-on.
November 1, 1999... ECT International announced Promis-e Diagrams Plus ($495), an add-on to Autodesk's Actrix Technical. Promis-e Diagrams Plus helps you design and document industrial control systems. New diagramming features break and heal wires when you place...

3D development.
November 1, 1999... OpenSpace 3D Author (call for pricing) from Virtus Corp. turns static 3D content into interactive 3D applications. Authoring features let you animate with slides, hinges, rolls, moves, and spins. Lighting features include ambient, point, spot,...

MicroStation quality assurance.
November 1, 1999... SpecEnforcer 2.0 (call for pricing) from Axiom International loads automatically on MicroStation startup and uses rules to prevent users from placing drawing objects that violate company standards. Only the system administrator can unload...

On-line service.
November 1, 1999... McGraw-Hill Construction Information Group and Marshall & Swift launched their new on-line Commercial Construction Cost Estimator at www.construction.com. This on-line service lets construction professionals calculate quick cost estimates for...

Web collaboration.
November 1, 1999... Blueline Online, Inc., released ProjectNet 3.0 ($1,500 for unlimited users) for Web collaboration in designing and building a project. You can access ProjectNet files through Windows Explorer and upload and download files from the Windows...

Welding software.
November 1, 1999... Computer Engineering, Inc., announced AWS Welding (call for pricing) welder management software. It creates welding procedure specifications for AWS section D1.3 and D9.1, procedure qualifications records for D1.3 and D9.1, and prequalified...

Architectural sourcebook.
November 1, 1999... Construction Market Data introduced an interactive electronic version of ProFile The Architects Sourcebook, ProFile on CD, that lets you search and select information on more than 20,000 architectural firms. You can use the CD-ROM's search...

NC programming.
November 1, 1999... TekSoft, Inc., announced CAMWorks 99 (call for pricing) with an improved Turning Module that reduces time to generate NC programming code. CAMWorks 99 offers toolpath simulation for new play control bar options, thread milling for hole and boss...

Mechanical suite.
November 1, 1999... SofTech released its Cadra v11 suite of CAD/CAM/PDM modules (call for pricing). CadraPDM provides secure vaulting, check-in and check-out, revision and version control, and configuration management. Cadra ViewCheck is an intelligent viewer of...

Assembly analysis.
November 1, 1999... ANSYS, Inc., unveiled DesignSpace v5 ($6,000-$8,000) for assembly design using automatic contact detection and automatic surface-to-surface contact element creation. DesignSpace lets you solve real world assemblies efficiently by using the...

Design automation.
November 1, 1999... Pro/MECHANICA 2000i ($12,995) is the newest member of the PTC i-Series mechanical design automation suite of products. The software uses adaption algorithms to automatically build a simulation that precisely models the design geometry. As the...

FEA software.
November 1, 1999... Algor, Inc., introduced its Release 12 FEA (finite-element analysis) software that includes a Material Library Manager to store default and customized material property information. The Material Library Manager's default library includes values...

Solid modeler.
November 1, 1999... Ashlar, Inc., released Vellum Solids 99 (call for pricing), the latest version of its surface and solid modeler with more than 225 enhancements. Advanced rendering capabilities include ray-trace rendering with and without antialiasing and an...

On the Job: Hurray for the home team.
November 1, 1999... In the San Francisco Bay area, Kinetix visual simulation tools enabled San Francisco Giants fans to virtually participate in the construction of the new Pacific Bell Park, scheduled to open in April 2000. In an animated simulation created by...

Midrange and high-end merge in thinkdesign 3.0 : CAD system integrates surface and solid modeling.
November 1, 1999... thinkdesign by think3 is a parametric, feature-based CAD system that provides a variety of modeling techniques (2D, wire frame, solids, and surfaces) in one integrated environment. By comparison, competing programs typically require you to...

Amazing 2D Workstations : AMD's Athlon chip powers past Intel's Pentium III processor.
November 1, 1999... Athough many CAD users are moving toward the world of 3D design, most still spend the bulk of their time working with 2D drawings. No doubt this will change, but probably slower than most of us think. We invited fifteen companies to send us...

Professional AP200.
November 1, 1999... Compaq Computer Corporation Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 To CAD users, the Compaq AP200's appearance and performance aren't likely to inspire awe. However, CAD department managers and IS personnel will fawn over just about every...

PhEnix 600/III Duo.
November 1, 1999... Core Microsystems Star rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 The PhEnix 600 from Core Microsystems makes a fine 2D workstation today, with plenty of potential for the future. Unlike most systems in this group, the PhEnix 600 uses Intel's 440GX...

Notes from CADALYST Labs.
November 1, 1999... At the beginning of the year, SGI entered the Windows NT market with a bang. In our February workstation review, the SGI 320 outperformed the next fastest NT workstation by nearly 30% on our C99-3D benchmark test. As the year ends, AMD is...

Dell Precision 210.
November 1, 1999... Dell Computer Corp. Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 Dell's Precision 210 is one of the few systems in this review with a socket for a second CPU and the only one with a single ISA slot. This combination isn't as curious as it seems. More...

IntelliStation E Pro.
November 1, 1999... IBM Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 The E Pro series of IntelliStations are basically high-performance corporate desktop PCs. More than any other system in this group, the E Pro is designed as a workstation that can be used as is and...

Poly 800K7-650.
November 1, 1999... Polywell Computers Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 Polywell was one of three companies to send an AMD Athlon-based workstation for this review, and one of only two that finagled a 650MHz version of AMD's latest processor in time to meet...

Sys Performance 600A.
November 1, 1999... Sys Computer Corp. Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 If any questions existed about the performance capabilities of AMD's new Athlon CPU, Sys's 600MHz workstation emphatically answers them. Even with an average 2D graphics subindex score,...

Tekgraf TSC600E.
November 1, 1999... Tekgraf Star rating: 4 stars out of 5 A good price, excellent finish, and a strong specification list don't always translate into a shootout winner, as TekGraf's TSC600E illustrates. The price is aggressive, and the system arrived in...

Xi 650K MTower SP.
November 1, 1999... Xi Computer Corp. Star rating: 5 stars out of 5 Aggressive price and extreme performance make Xi's AMD Athlon-based system an excellent choice. The fancy new tool-free case is compact, easy to open, and features an attractive front...

Xi's Pentium III option.
November 1, 1999... Xi's 600 PIII MTower SP Pentium III-based workstation is a near twin to its Athlon offering. The motherboard, chipset, and BIOS are different to accommodate the Intel CPU, but nearly everything else is the same. A fancy new case, a good...

Hi-tech two-wheeler.
November 1, 1999... You may not know it, but bicycle manufacturers are a lot like car companies. They have distribution problems, they worry about sales, and they consistently turn out new models in an effort to bring a better product to market. To showcase its...

NC programming(1).
November 1, 1999... Olmsted Engineering Co. announced ACUoCARV 2000 NC programming system ($3,995) to machine solids, surfaces, plan view, and section view within CADKEY 98. The software accepts DXF, DWG, IGES, STEP, SAT, STL, and SRF files. ACUoCARV also offers a...