CADalyst articles from November 2002

CADalyst archives from November 2002

Ooching toward 3D. (Editor's window: opinions, comments, and predictions).(Editorial)
November 1, 2002... If SolidWorks CEO John McEleney is right, that five years from now 90% of designers will use 3D CAD programs, then he and his competitors have their work cut out for them. If Cadalyst's recent survey is any indication (and it should be--it was...

Dialog box: readers talk to us.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2002... On the mark Michael Dakan's commentary is usually in line with what is discussed in our firm around the lunch table, and he clearly understands the reality of the use of CAD in architecture. Michael's October 2002 column (CAD Manager, p....

Large-format printer. (hardware).(Hewlett-Packard's D- and E-size DesignJet 5500 )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard's D- and E-size DesignJet 5500 (starting at $8,895) supports direct file submission via the Web in addition to photo-quality printing at resolutions as high as 12003 600dpi. Using HP Designjet WebAccess, you can submit up to...

Laser tracker. (hardware).(Leica Geosystems' LTD800 )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems offers the LTD800 laser tracker ($144,000), the latest addition to its family of metrology products designed for portable coordinate measurement. The LTD800 offers 3,000 points-per-second density and...

Workstation graphics board. (hardware).(ATI Technologies' FIRE GL X1)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... ATI Technologies' FIRE GL X1 workstation graphics board (call for pricing) is based on the new RADEON 9700 visual processing unit. Its programmable floating-point architecture supports OpenGL 2.0, Microsoft DirectX 9, and Linux. With its eight...

2D/3D workstations. (hardware).(IBM Intellistation E Pro 6216 and 6226)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... IBM redesigned and upgraded its IntelliStation E Pro 6216 and 6226 workstations (starting at $1,269), which feature 2D/3D dual-head displays for high-resolution graphics. The 6216 is a 4-slot/3-bay low-profile desktop model, and the 6226 is a...

Display, sensor, and calibration. (hardware).(Sony's Artisan Color Reference System)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Sony's Artisan CRS (Color Reference System; $1,800) is a three-part tool that includes a 210 (19.80 viewable) Sony GDM-C520K aperture-grille display, an attachable display hood, a USB color sensor, and calibration software. You physically apply...

190 and 20.10 LCD displays. (hardware).(Extending Planar Systems' SXGA 190, SXGA 20.10)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Extending Planar Systems's PL product family are two new large-format flat-panel LCDs, each of which includes analog and digital inputs for connection to a pair of PCs. Both feature a slim-bezel design that minimizes the desktop footprint. The...

230 LCD monitor. (hardware).(CTX International H2300)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... CTX International expanded its FlatView line of LCD monitors with the H2300 ($2,995), a 23.10 (viewable) display. The Macintosh- and PC-compatible H2300 provides 160031200 true resolution, a reduced footprint with VESA wall-mount capabilities,...

2D and 3D drawing. (Software: aec).(Nemetschek North America's VectorWorks 10.0)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Nemetschek North America released VectorWorks 10, which offers efficiency improvements such as dynamic zooming and scrolling, customizable context menus, a double-click to edit objects, more flexible keyboard shortcuts, and better palette...

Network rendering. (Software: aec).(Caligari's TSNet )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Caligari Corp. announced a network rendering plug-in for trueSpace users who want to use their computers in multimode rendering networks. TSNet is available in two configurations. A single-node batch renderer (starts at $49) renders multiple...

Water distribution modeling. (Software: aec).(Haestad Methods' WaterCAD 6.0)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... WaterCAD 6.0 ($195) water distribution modeling software from Haestad Methods offers open database architecture and an easy-to-use interface. This latest version offers GIS-style layer management, automatically computes detailed cost estimates...

Plug-in Booleans. (Software: aec).(nPower Software's Power Booleans)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... nPower Software announced Power Booleans for discreet's 3ds max and Autodesk's 3D Studio VIZ ($195, educational version $95), designed to simplify Boolean operations and generate meshes that are easier to work with. Advantages include improved...

Shop floor programming. (Software: mcad/cam).(Gibbs SFP 2002)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Gibbs and Associates announced the Gibbs SFP 2002 (call for pricing), an in-controller shop floor programming system. The company plans to release various flavors of Gibbs SFP to support specific controller and machine tool configurations later...

3D solid modeling. (Software: mcad/cam).(Aibre's Alibre Design 5.0)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Alibre launched Alibre Design 5.0 ($495), which offers 3D modeling, 2D associative drawing, and product data management. Alibre Design delivers secure, CAD-neutral data sharing and real-time team design. Alibre offers free support, live...

2D-to-3D portal. (Software: mcad/cam).(Imagecom)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Imagecom announced the addition of 3D feature-based translation services to its ASPire3D application service provider portal. Customers submit their 3D models for translation to a variety of native and neutral file formats. The parametric...

SolidWorks add-on. (Software: mcad/cam).(Capvidia FormatWorks)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Capvidia released its FormatWorks add-on for SolidWorks (call for price) to solve data incompatibility problems that occur when importing 3D models into SolidWorks. FormatWorks integrates with SolidWorks and features automatic repair and...

Design analysis. (Software: mcad/cam).(SolidWorks' COSMOSWorks 2003, COSMOSFloWorks 2003, and COSMOSMotion 2003 )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Designers and engineers can use COSMOSWorks 2003, COSMOSFloWorks 2003, and COSMOSMotion 2003 (call for prices) from SolidWorks Corp. to detect potential design problems and fix them before prototype production begins. These upgrades to the...

Document management. (Software: mcad/cam).(Cyco Software's AutoManager TeamWork)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Cyco Software introduced AutoManager TeamWork (call for price) for the Autodesk Inventor Series. It provides better control of Inventor 3D designs to boost design speed and enable efficient product lifecycle management, according to the...

Simple motion analysis aids equipment design. (on the job).
November 1, 2002... In the bad old days, high-end CAE applications required users to possess extensive knowledge of physics to perform analyses. This excluded many design engineers from the test process and forced them to come on bended knee to busy analysis...

Autodesk GIS Exposition 2002. (report).
November 1, 2002... The first week of October I found myself in San Francisco to attend Autodesk's GIS Exposition 2002. There I reacquainted myself with Autodesk's GIS programs and met some third-party developers who extend the base products. AUTODESK MAP...

CAD presentation. (Software: general).(CAD Graphics Solution World's Poly Designer 2002)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... CGS (CAD Graphics Solution) World introduced Poly Designer 2002, CAD graphics presentation software that supports AutoCAD 20001 and ADT 3.01. Poly Designer 2002 is an ObjectARX application that works within and alongside AutoCAD. It can quickly...

3D viewing and presentation. (Software: general).(DataCAD's o2c_Interactive!)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... DataCAD LLC launched o2c_Interactive! ($100), a 3D viewing and presentation program for designers and their clients. An abbreviation of Objects to See, o2c is a 3D file format optimized for Internet-based communication. It lets you edit...

Design management. (Software: general).(Autotask's Autotask Inside)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Autotask launched Autotask Inside (call for pricing) to manage people, process, time, and cost for design-centric organizations using AutoCAD. Autotask feels like a Windows application, similar to Microsoft Outlook. It features processes for...

Scanning, printing. (Software: general).(SCP Software GmbH's CopySystems 6.0, Colorado 6.0)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... SCP Software GmbH released CopySystems 6.0 and Colorado 6.0 (call for pricing), large-format scanning, archiving, copying, and printing software suites. The software offers drivers for VIDAR scanners and Canon BJ-W 7200 and 7250 large-format...

Solidworks 2003 preview. (report).
November 1, 2002... SolidWorks (www.solidworks.com) previewed the next version of its flagship product, SolidWorks 2003, at a mid-September press conference. SolidWorks CEO John McEleney prefaced the software debut with an overview of the state of the company...

Building design. (Software: aec/general).(GiveMePower's PowerCAD Architect )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... PowerCAD Architect ($995), from GiveMePower Corp., automates 2D and 3D residential building design and light commercial construction. Scheduled to ship this quarter, PowerCAD Architect targets users such as architects, drafters, developers,...

Project prep package. (Software: aec/general).(Reality Capture's ConstructSim)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... ConstructSim (call for pricing) helps you design, test, and generate optimal work packages for your project. The program lets you test drive a capital project by simulating and optimizing the schedule before you commit to it. ConstructSim...

Global File Changer. (Software: aec/general).(Axiom's Global File Changer for V8)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Axiom unveiled Global File Changer for V8 (call for pricing), the MicroStation V8 successor to Global File Changer, which you can use to make thousands of different types of element and settings changes to any group of MicroStation files. For...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2002... Autodesk University December 3-6 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV 888.370.1722 www.autodesk.com SolidWorks World 2003 January 19-22, 2003 Disney Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, FL www.solidworks.com/swworld/ Daratech PLANT 2003...

Tour Tokyo from Germany. (on the job).(Huber Roessler's Brigit Huber, Hannes Roessler)
November 1, 2002... Brigit Huber and Hannes Roessler, principals of the Huber Roessler architectural firm of Munich, Germany (www.huber-roessler.de), visited Japan to examine the work of young architects. There they discovered designs that "not only make very...

What's the payoff for online AEC design?(collaborative architecture/engineering/construction design)
November 1, 2002... Online project management and collaboration mean different things to different participants in different contexts. Cadalyst covered mechanical design online collaboration in the February 2002 issue, and much of that information and discussion...

thinkdesign 8 eases 3D transition: unique design package offers great 2D and 3D tools as well as built-in basic PDM. (cadalyst labs review).(think3's thinkdesign 8.0)(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... Do you consider yourself different? Do the CAD systems you've looked at leave you wanting more? Do your designs require a unique set of tools that just don't seem to be available? If this sounds like the challenge you face, thinkdesign from...

Digimation Light Galleries: create effective lighting scenes. (First look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... For many people, myself included, the process of placing lights in a scene to provide believable results can be frustrating and time-consuming. Light Galleries from Digimation is a unique plug-in for Autodesk 3D Studio VIZ (v2-4) and 3ds max...

Die professional: software for stamping dies. (First look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(Striker Systems' Die Professional)(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... Die Professional is a collection of six products from Striker Systems--SS-DESIGN, SS-UNFOLD, SS-STRIP, SS-DIE DESIGN, SS-WIRE, and SS-DRAW FORM--that together help you develop stamping dies. Die Professional is an AutoCAD add-on. SS-DESIGN...

Top mechanical design sites: web sites put mechanical engineering information at your fingertips. (i-collaboration: tools and technologies for collaborative design).(Directory)
November 1, 2002... This month I set out to find sites of interest to readers involved in mechanical engineering. Instead of looking at the unlimited supply of commercial sites, I decided to also consider engineering society pages, educational institution pages,...

Isn't that spatial? Explore AutoCAD's true associative dimensions. (Learning curve: strengthen your knowledge of AutoCAD commands).(Column)
November 1, 2002... These are the voyages of the cadship EnterGeek, Captain LearnCurve commanding. Her one-column mission: to explore new AutoCAD commands, to seek out new functionality, to boldly go where the documentation has never gone before. Captain's log...

Print grid: how to plot your background grid. (AutoCAD clinic: AutoCAD Helpline answers your support questions).
November 1, 2002... In AutoCAD 2000, can you plot your background grid once it's turned on? --Royal Peterson, via Internet No, not as geometry like arcs and circles. The simplest and most flexible method is to create a block that you can use for the grid...

Tips from our readers. (hot tip Harry).
November 1, 2002... $50 BONUS WINNER SQUARED STONE HATCH PATTERN Tip #1833 [SQRSTONE.PAT] Another useful hatch pattern from master hatch artist Watson Kilbourne. If you are an architect or builder who needs a hatch pattern that depicts squared stone...