CADalyst articles from September 2002

CADalyst archives from September 2002

1.5 million CAD seats ... and counting. (Editor's window: opinions, comments, and predictions).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... We just completed our annual editorial survey of readers. We use the survey to get the current pulse of the CAD industry directly from CAD managers and users. This helps us fine-tune the content of the magazine today, as well as anticipate...

Dialog box: readers talk to us.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2002... Help for sore hands I just read the August 2002 letter from David Kay about his mousing problems. I have used a trackball of one type or another for most of my CAD lifetime (longer than I care to remember) and have had problems only on...

Correction.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2002... The correct name of the author for Tip #1799 (June) is Vladimir Mednik.

High-definition plotter. (hardware).(KIP America's KIP Starprint 2001, 2002, 2003)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... KIP America unveiled the KIP Starprint 2000 Series (call for pricing) digital plotters. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 models feature toner efficiency, extended print length, a small footprint, and environmentally friendly operation. The plotters'...

Rapid prototyping. (hardware).(Cubic Technologies' LOM-1015Plus)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Cubic Technologies introduced the LOM-1015Plus ($69,000) rapid prototyping system. The system offers a maximum part envelope size of 150 3 120 3 100 (l3w3h) and supports a maximum part weight up to 70lb. LOM (laminated object manufacturing)...

Color scanning. (hardware).(Xerox Engineering Systems' XEScan Solution)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... XEScan Solution (contact company for pricing) from Xerox Engineering Systems provides monochrome and color scanning and copying for wide-format documents. The solution supports XES' Synergix 8825, 8830, and 8850 printers. The color XEScan...

Flat-panel display. (hardware).(Planar Systems' 23.10 flat-panel desktop monitor )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Planar Systems' new 23.10 flat-panel desktop monitor ($3,600) is suited for applications such as CAD/CAM that require extra screen area. The monitor enables fine editing on complex graphics and blueprints without zooming. It features both...

Chillin' workstation. (hardware).(Asetek's VapoChill workstations )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The CPU cooling systems of VapoChill workstations use vapor phase technology to chill a microprocessor to subzero temperatures (Celsius) and ensure stable, optimal performance. In workstation configuration, the proprietary VapoChill CPU cooling...

Architectural design. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(Graphisoft's ArchiCAD 8.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Graphisoft will release its ArchiCAD 8 ($3,950; upgrades from v7, $475; discounts for 5 or more licenses) architectural CAD software this fall. The software provides easy access to all documents stored in the project file. You can group...

Piping design and modeling. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(Intuitive CAD's Intuitive CAD Piping)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Intuitive CAD released the metric version of Intuitive CAD Piping design and modeling software (call for pricing). The software runs with AutoCAD 2000 and greater. Intuitive CAD Piping features design functions for all types of pipe materials...

Civil engineering tool. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(CAiCE Software's Visual PE Suite)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... CAiCE Software Corp.'s Visual PE offers tools for survey, design, and construction projects. Three new solutions joined the Visual PE suite: Visual Drainage, Visual Bridge, and Visual Landscape (call for pricing). Visual Drainage expedites...

Point import plug-in. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(Ransen Software's Pointor)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Pointor ($29.95) from Ransen Software is an AutoCAD plug-in for importing lists of point coordinates from external text files or from the Windows clipboard. The program gives you both a textual and graphical preview of the points you plan to...

Trim add-on for ADT. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(Ameri-CAD's VisionTrim for AutoCAD Architectural Desktop)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... VisionTrim for AutoCAD Architectural Desktop ($89) is now available from Ameri-CAD, Inc. This add-on lets you define trim components and shapes that you then apply to windows, doors, and openings. You can also define and apply muntin systems...

Virtual tree creation. (Software: aec/civil/visualization).(Digimation's SpeedTreeMAX)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Digimation Inc.'s SpeedTreeMAX ($395) is a virtual tree plug-in developed by Interactive Data Visualization for use with Discreet's 3ds max 4.x. The software offers wind effects based on 3ds max Wind Space Warps, a tree library that features...

Tolerance analysis. (Software: mcad/cae/manufacturing).(Sigmetrix' CETOL Six Sigma 6.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... CETOL Six Sigma v6 (call for pricing) tolerance analysis software from Sigmetrix LLC analyzes 3D solid models created in Pro/ENGINEER or imported into Pro/E from other solid modeling systems. The software guides you toward design revisions that...

Product change control. (Software: mcad/cae/manufacturing).(Bom.com's PCM module)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Bom.com unveiled its PCM (product change management) module ($9,995). The module generates change orders in the bom.com environment and automates time-consuming tasks involved in routing ECOs (engineering change orders). It provides real-time...

3D data healing. (Software: mcad/cae/manufacturing).(TransMagic's TransMagic data translator)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... TransMagic ($1,995 per seat) 3D data translator from TransMagic, Inc., is a Windows-based application developed with 3D interoperability components from Spatial Corp. and Tech Soft America. You can open, heal, repair, translate, and view 3D...

Inspection, measurement, and reverse engineering. (Software: mcad/cae/manufacturing).(Leica Industrial Measurement Systems' Horizon)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Leica Industrial Measurement Systems, a division of Leica Geosystems, released Horizon (call company for pricing), a software suite that lets you perform reverse engineering and 3D build-and-inspection applications within one standard platform....

Autodesk inventor goes to seed. (on the job).(Pioneer Hi-Bred uses Autodesk Inventor)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPoint company, adopted Autodesk Inventor (www.autodesk.com) as its CAD software for design and adaptation of automation equipment for seed research and production. The company develops seeds through advanced plant genetics....

Multiple document tabs. (Software: general).(Design Automation's AcadXTabs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... AcadXTabs is Design Automation's free, tabbed multiple document interface for AutoCAD 2000-2002. It displays tabs across the top or bottom of the AutoCAD window, one for each open document. Download at www.caddzone.com.

New LT commands. (Software: general).(drcauto's !SlingShot)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... !SlingShot, a free utility from drcauto, adds these commands to AutoCAD LT 2000-2002: Image Adjust, Image Attach, Image Clip, Image Frame, Image Quality, Viewport Clip, and Xref Clip. www.drcauto.com.

3D modeling. (Software: general).(TekStar's TekCAD 2002)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... TekCAD 2002 ($925) lets you design sophisticated 3D structures and then construct them with TekStar's model-building products. You create and manipulate geometric forms in a multiwindowed environment. TekCAD generates many different geometric...

Collaborative workspace. (Software: general).(NetVendor's E.MBRACE Collaborative Workspace 4.3)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... NetVendor unveiled E.MBRACE Collaborative Workspace 4.3 for engineers and engineering departments. Pricing is based on business unit and runs between $50,000 and $150,000 depending on size of deployment. This Web-based solution combines a...

3D solid modeler. (Software: mcad/manufacturing).(EDS' Solid Edge 12.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... EDS released Solid Edge v12 ($4,995), its 3D solid modeling application. The new version includes Insight .NET Web services for collaboration. Insight .NET extends document management capabilies across the enterprise through Web viewing...

3D product design. (Software: mcad/manufacturing).(IBM, Dassault Systemes' CATIA V5R9 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... IBM and Dassault Systemes introduced CATIA V5R9 (call for pricing) for 3D product design, creation, simulation, and optimization. The software offers enhancements to 87 products for design and manufacturing process definition in areas such as...

Collaboration solution. (Software: mcad/manufacturing).(Infovision/VirtualE3D's vCollab VRML viewer)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The vCollab (call for pricing) VRML viewer from Infovision/VirtualE3D reads any kind of data created in VRML format. vCollab takes dynamic cross sections and measures distances, which you can then export in DXF format. The tool sets any custom...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2002... IMTS September 4-11 McCormick Place, Chicago, IL www.imts.com National Collegiate CADD Conference October 8-10 University of Washington, Seattle, WA www.nccconf.org/nccc02/nccc02.htm GIS in the Rockies October 8-10...

Electronic signatures. (Software: general).(Communication Intelligence's SignIt for AutoCAD)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... SignIt for AutoCAD ($99 single user license) from CIC (Communication Intelligence Corp.) is an electronic signature application that verifies the validity and integrity of electronically signed drawings, diagrams, and designs using CIC's...

Monitor toolkit. (Software: general).(Cornerstone Peripherals Technology's MonitorsDirect Toolkit)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Cornerstone Peripherals Technology released the MonitorsDirect Toolkit, a free tool that evaluates monitor quality, diagnoses problems, and helps adjust display images. It includes a series of test patterns with instructions on how to evaluate...

Free autocad utility. (Software: general).(ASUNI CAD's Bubble 2.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Bubble 2.0, a free AutoCAD utility from ASUNI CAD, displays an object's properties when you move your cursor over an object. www.bubblecad.com Compiled by Vi Paynich * vpaynich@advanstar.com

Viewing software. (Software: general).(Informative Graphics' MYRIAD 6.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Informative Graphics Corp.'s MYRIAD 6 ($195) view and redline desktop software includes document and drawing support for AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Inventor, MicroStation, and other formats. The program features native file support for...

Desktop publishing. (Software: general).(Corporate Montage's CADscript 10.0 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Corporate Montage announced that CADscript v10 (call for pricing) WYSIWYG presentation and publication software for MicroStation is now available. CADscript v10 includes new image compression options and desktop publishing tools. The program's...

Linking and formatting. (Software: general).(Axiom's Microsoft Office Importer for V8)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Microsoft Office Importer for V8 (call for pricing) from Axiom imports and links large amounts of data from Microsoft Office documents to Bentley's MicroStation V8 files. The program lets you format the spreadsheet and word processing data you...

Detail, symbol management. (Software: general).(ArchMedia's AutoLib, AutoLayer, AutoErase)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... ArchMedia Inc. introduced productivity tools for tasks ranging from back-end file maintenance to drawing creation. The AutoLib ($199) detail and symbol management utility features keyword search, thumbnail and enlarged view capabilities, and...

Utilities for AutoCad. (Software: general).(DotSoft's ToolPac 6.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... DotSoft offers ToolPac 6.0 ($195), a collection of more than 600 productivity tools for AutoCAD, including an attribute grid editor, keynote dialog box, attribute string find and replace, block editor, and symbol manager. It runs in AutoCAD...

Raster conversion. (Software: general).(Graphikon's VECTORY 5.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Graphikon released v5 of its VECTORY raster-to-vector conversion program (known as I/VECTOR in the U.S.). Several versions are available, including VECTORY-AS for vectorization inside AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT; G/RASTER, a stand-alone raster...

Document management. (Software: general).(Maxim I/T's FindViewPROFESSIONAL 3.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Maxim I/T Inc. introduced FindViewPROFESSIONAL v3 (starts at $284 per user), digital asset retrieval software that provides secure access to corporate data from any repository on the network regardless of the authoring application. FindView's...

3Dconnexion Spacemouse helps Toyota join the formula one racing circuit. (on the job).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... To realize its goal of competing in the 2002 Formula One racing series, Toyota Motorsports (Germany) left itself a little more than two years to build a race car starting from what the design team calls "a clean sheet of paper." Toyota also...

2D design. (Software: general).(Microspot's Microspot PC Draft 5.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Microspot PC Draft 5 ($349), a 2D design, drafting, and technical illustration tool from Microspot Ltd., features a full complement of drawing tools. The software offers improved open DWG toolkit libraries to support DWG and DXF file formats...

4 civil packages do it all.
September 1, 2002... Today's powerful civil engineering applications cover all major aspects of the industry, from initial field survey to site and road design back to construction staking. You can build bridges, design sewer and water systems, and optimize...

Designer 9 delivers strong 2D tools: Corel continues tradition of great import and export capabilities. (cadalyst labs review).(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2002... What happens when one supplier of excellent vector-based drawing software acquires another? In this case, Corel acquired Micrografx and its Designer package last fall. Designer doesn't perform all the tricks that make Corel's own DRAW program...

Western Graphtec CS1000 scanner: large-format scanner handles color and monochrome. (First look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2002... Western Graphtec's CS1000 scanner, one of the company's first entries in the large-format scanning space, complements its rich tradition of solid printers, plotters, and cutters. Competitively priced at $12,955, the CS1000 offers a range of...

Piranesi 3: postrendering software. (First look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(from Informatix Software International)(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2002... Since the original release of Piranesi, we've watched this remarkable postrendering application chart a course that has both refined and broadened its applicability and usability, all without adding a bewildering array of features with limited...

REALVIZ AEC Studio: a trio of tools for manipulating digital photo images. (First look reviews: brief hands-on product reviews).(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2002... REALVIZ AEC Studio is a package of tools for working with digital photo images, primarily for use in rendered video animation output. The AEC Studio bundle comprises three programs that are also available separately: Stitcher 3.5 ($499),...

Working on a WAN: one firm's solution for sharing CAD files over a wide-area network. (From the trenches: practical solutions to real-world problems).
September 1, 2002... With the speed and low cost of new broadband technologies, the Internet is giving small- and medium-sized multioffice firms a cost-effective new way to link up their locations using VPN (virtual private network) techniques. However, such firms...

Practical portals for AEC pros: AEC Web sites collect and present industry information for easy reference. (i-collaboration: tools and technologies for collaborative design).(architecture, engineering, construction portals)
September 1, 2002... Many architects, engineers, and designers face the day-to-day challenge of finding pertinent information to help them in their design process. It's not that there's no information available. The amount of news, articles, reviews, and white...

AEC estimating tools: estimating software taps into CAD building model data. (AEC tools: master the architect's desktop).(Timberline, WinEstimator)
September 1, 2002... The next productivity-increasing challenge facing software developers is culling and codifying information from the electronic data in the drawing files so that it can be used downstream for estimation and construction. Estimation software has...

Pick a standard, any standard ... AutoCAD's new Layer Translation command helps enforce your standards. (Learning curve: strengthen your knowledge of AutoCAD commands).
September 1, 2002... Captain LearnCurve tightened the last nut on the left-hand cylinder head of the V12 engine in his 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III limousine. The head nuts have no factory-specified standard torque--a good fitter just knows when they feel right....

Layer filter overload revisited: new options to solve previous problems. (AutoCAD clinic: autoCAD helpline answers your support questions).
September 1, 2002... Last month (August 2002), Pierre Robert wanted to remove multiple layer filters from the Layer Properties Manager en masse instead of one by one. The recommended solution, Robert Bell's AutoLISP routine LayerFiltersDelete, removes all layer...

Tips from our readers. (hot tip harry).
September 1, 2002... $50 BONUS WINNER HOLES IN PLAN Tip #1818 [DDHOLPLN.LSP] and [DDHOLPLN.DCL] This routine draws a hole and then offers an option to copy it as a polar or rectangular array. It annotates the holes with the number of holes,...