Available as a free upgrade to 3D PDF, the translators are a part of the acquisition of TTF last April, a company which specialized in 3D CAD translation tools.
Please note, this only seems to produce one-way interoperability for 3D into PDF. Supported formats include: CATIA, PTC Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, and UGS NX and I-deas. But implies bi-directionality into STEP, IGES and Parasolid.
Just today, 3D Systems announced the V-Flash™ Desktop Modeler which will allow "ready-to-use, three-dimensional models within hours' at the home, school or office. The system will be available in the summer of 07 and measures 25-by-26-by-27 inches. It will weigh about 100 pounds and have a maximum build volume of 7 by 9 inches and 8 inches tall.
As importantly, it will be priced at $9,900 so it is targeted at hobbyists, students and schools. Coupled with Tormach's $7k milling machine, it won't be long before we can all have a short-run production line at home.
Again, this hobbyist market is gaining ground and building attention from vendors. It is a market with a lot of potential and something that the bigger (i.e. more costly) vendors need to look at.
After several months of bad news for Dassault with regard to Airbus blaming its delayed production on its software, Dassault must have breathed a sigh of relief when it announced "a new era" in aerospace engineering, production planning and assembly simulation with the virtual roll out of the 787 Dreamliner. According to the December press release,"This first-ever virtual rollout, and the PLM technology underlying it, is not simply an animation of the completed airplane, but a virtual simulation and validation of the entire manufacturing process."
The press release tends towards exuberant, but does impart some interesting ideas about the ability to create an entire aircraft in virtual space, prior to it being manufactured. Rather than just simulating the aircraft, Boeing is now using Dassault's software to simulate the production lines and processes: "Such a digital manufacturing environment creates a communication “loop back” between 787 design and manufacturing engineers, no matter where they are, eliminating the risk of committing to a design change only to discover it cannot be manufactured, or that it requires costly changes to other components."
The press release does not deliver any demos of this, but it would be cool to see quite how it works.
Alright, so Punch Software makes a whole series of 'home design' products which we all see at CompUSA, Walmart etc. But today, they announced full 3D software for a simple $99. Now, back in November 2006, they acquired CADSoft Solutions Inc (CSI) and, we believe, acquired Tim Olson with it. CSI used to develop 'conceptual design software' much of which was used by other vendors. Indeed, IMSI's TurboCAD for MAC product is reportedly built on CSI's code.
ViaCAD, as the Punch product is known, is a Windows and Mac-based product, that claims that it makes 2D and 3D design easy and fun. The image (below) of things that have been created in ViaCAD are surprisingly complex, so we would be interested to see just how 'easy' they are to create.
Industry commentary: Will $99 3D CAD software actually be any good? Well, we already have free 3D from Alibre Design Xpress which according to its many users is well-received, usable and functional (if slightly limited in assembly size.) We have affordable 3D software from Rhino, FreeDesign, IMSI and Alibre, and all of these kick butt in terms of creating in 3D. And despite all of that, any article you read has the mid-range CEOs being entirely dismissive...we suggest that they should, perhaps, try some of this stuff out.
Yesterday, Cocreate released its Mid-range 3D CAD software for free for a limited time. (The download is for a limited time, not using the software which is for as long as you want.)
The ViaCAD software seems good and has a pedigreed background - developer Tim Olson is not in the habit of developing crap software. We are sure he has not done that in this case either!
For $99 can we really go wrong? The software won't be out until March 07, but I have a feeling I'll be buying it at CompUSA even if just to try it out.
Cocreate announced just this morning that it releasing OneSpace Designer modeling (it's mid range 3D product) for free for 2 months. Calling it Personal Edition, the features and functions are not restricted, except for only being able to draw or load up to 60 parts.
The product is available for free, (for ever we think) if you download it between today and March 31, 2007. It means that you can experience the 'Cocreate way' - that is Dynamic Modeling, as opposed to history-based modeling. Having eschwed history-trees, OneSpace Designer Modeling purports more flexibility in design by not having the restriction of history-based 3D. It can be a pretty cool product and well worth a try.
However, whatever marketing idiot formed the name of...OneSpace Designer Modeling...for a CAD package should be shot. The name has been around some 5-6 years and is the biggest turn-off of them all...no wonder Cocreate has had challengesin sales! It is nothing to do with the functionality (good) and all to do with marketing.
The free download is available at: http://www.cocreate.com/free
If the high-end CAD products (CATIA, UG) are the Lexuses of the CAD industry, so we can regard the mid-range CAD - SolidWorks, Inventor, Cocreate etc - as the BMWs and Audis, then the 'affordable' CAD (Alibre, Rhino, TurboCAD etc) are about to become the Toyota Camrys and Honda Civics of the world - used by the 'everyman' who needs to get around in 3D.
There is a documented, growing market in what we can call the 'hobbyist' market - people who don't just want to dream about designing a product in their basement, but now actually want to design and build it. And with sub-$1,000 products available, which have growing sophistication, these hobbyists are increasingly able to do exactly that. These people who used to aspire to eventually buying AutoCAD, maybe after a rare, hefty tax refund, find themselves able to afford 3D design without much thought!
Coupled with this is the rising availability of 'home' milling machines - Tormach, with its sub-$7k CNC machine, is a prime example. So now for less than $10k total, these people can go home, create an idea in 3D and then simply machine it in their garage...pretty cool. Even better, the Tormach systems do not need any additional electrical supply, and can be delivered on a truck with a hand-held forklift for placement.
While I have always been advised not to make predictions, well, here goes...Affordable 3D CAD is perfectly placed to undermine the traditional individual user-base of the mid-range CAD vendors, and this will only continue. The 'low-end' 3D CAD market has seen such an increase in sophisticated tools, functions and abilities, that the trend is already occuring under our noses. The low-end 3D CAD is rapidly catching up to the features and functions in mid-range 3D, and is blessed (most of them anyway) with newer kernels, less legacy development data and not hindered by legacy formats that can stymie new development. Their progress has been very rapid. And this will only continue. Mid-range vendors need to beware.
So, you may think there are multiple blogs covering this area...in fact there are not! Oh yeah, we have a few 3D AutoCAD blogs, and the odd 3D SolidWorks blog, plus a few of the pundits mention 3D CAD from time to time... but in terms of a blog all about industry-wide 3D CAD, well, there's not much to read.
We aim to change things. "We" are a team of 3D CAD users, pundits, and people with educated opinions. Some want to remain anonymous. Others don't mind revealing their names. Some want to write it up straight, some want to present the news with a bit of attitude.
We want you to comment, discuss, and help us promote 3D CAD in all its forms. Please feel welcome to do so, although editing may be performed for decency.
-- Regards, The 3D CAD Team
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