3D CAD NEWS

Day 3 of Autodesk University was marked by the amiable groaning of people who were again walking the endless halls and floors that comprise the Venetian Hotel and the Sands Expo center. AU actually continues into Friday but Day 3 is always punctuated by the closing of the show floor and a corresponding high speed exodus by the exhibitors.

CCNtv, our online video broadcast, has issued three broadcasts directly from AU this week, where the lovely Amy Adams, our TV host, has charmed attendees and exhibitors alike. The team covered a lot of ground, finding and reporting on new products that include HP’s Blade Workstations, Adapx’ digital pen and digital paper, 2Bot’s Modelmaker product, NextEngine’s pretty neat little 3d scanner which costs just $2499, and much more.

Autodesk has basked in the glory of doing just about everything right. The show floor was well subscribed by exhibitors, the event attracted more than 9,000 attendees, the keynotes were creative, confident and bright. People were telling me that the software training they get at AU is ‘beyond good.’ Autodesk should be getting a nod from the industry for this one.

Adapting to Adapx
Image - Jeff Drust, a strategy consultant with Adapx, proudly displays the new Capturx digital pen - a product I hope might soon change the way I work.

Adapx is a newcomer to the industry, with a product which looks and acts like a pen, except that your handwritten notes can be immediately loaded into the corresponding documents on your computer. This is cool for many reasons, and the application of the technology makes some sense. For example when you are out in the field surveying a building site, or checking as-built details, instead of having to manually transpose the notes you made into the CAD file, it does it for you, instantly. It currently supports AutoCAD, ArcGIS and Microsoft OneNote. But indications are that it will soon support lots of other stuff. I spent the entire event trying to persuade them to support Microsoft Word, so that whenever I do a manual edit on an article, it can be immediately uploaded into the Word document.

The product technology is based on a dissertation undertaken by David McGee, the founder and CTO of Adapx, who is a man with a vision. It turns out that while the company has a fledgling ‘rocking’ product, he has his eye on the future: he believes that writing as a form of communication is not about to disappear. It will continue because using our hands, fingers and thumbs to write is inherent to our nature. However, he believes that the media we use to write on will absolutely change, has to. That we will probably end up using super-thin panels that will probably have a zero carbon footprint and immediate recyclability. They will fold into the size of a postage stamp and fold out to the size of a dining room table. And we will write on them, as well as view images, TV shows, play video games (there’s a dated term eh?) and so on. He is planning on Adapx’ technology being a part of that vision of the future.

You can view a more detailed article on Adapx at our sister publication, CADCAMNet, at this link (free trial or paid subscription required)
http://www.newslettersonline.com/user/user.fas/s=63/fp=3/tp=47?T=open_article,963664&P=article

CCNtv Gets Out in Public at AU
Some nutter allowed our entire CCNtv crew to spend the week at AU. Our host for the week was Amy Adams, and we did three broadcasts directly from the event, providing coverage of the keynotes, hot new products and attendees.

Image: the more diminutive of our two cameramen, JT, gets demo footage from Spheron for the CCNtv broadcasts.

Spheron was demonstrating an absolutely eye-popping 360 degree, high def scanner/camera, that can provide some incredibly detailed images of a space, and also delivers photogrammetry tools for 3D measurement of said space. It is way cool, but does not yet carry a published price, which therefore means it costs a lot. But that’s not a problem really - if the need for this technology is there, people will inevitably pay the price.

Spheron is based in Waldfischbach, Germany which is somewhere on the western border, not far from France.

2Bot also got noticed by a lot of attendees for its very interesting CNC machine for architects. By focusing on taking away the problems inherent with CNC machines - mostly the need to do G-code programming, 2BOt turns out to be incredibly easy to use. Paul Nye, founder and CEO of 2Bot, claims that the receptionist could learn to use it in an hour. Having seen the product, I believe him! 2Bot has a few aspects to it that are not quite ready like the size of the material, but, rather than dwelling on the small details that will resolve themselves in time and in a similar attitude to Adapx, 2Bot rather is focused on its strong vision for the future. This involves a future where any and every kind of model, part, or product, can be made using this machine, and that eventually every home will have a 2Bot. Interesting idea.

Don’t Press
In an effort to consolidate many of its press efforts, Autodesk has decided that press will be given the VIP treatment only at its separate press events, such as the recent Paris Summit, rather than host the press at AU as it has typically done before. It did invite a small amount of editors, but not to the extent that we have become used to. On the first day of AU, the MCAD press were given a lavish lunch (see photo) but no lectures. It was a really fun little interlude between lengthy walks.

Image: Brad Holtz (left) and Roopinder Tara compete for best-dressed CAD editor, although there’s not much competition when you put them up against the ‘down-and-out’ look preferred by editors such as Martyn Day and Al Dean (pictured below).

I am now headed for home, and about to board my flight for denver. Will be checking in with you soon.

r

While at AU I have the unusual priveledge of staying at the Venetian Hotel, where, like it or not, you can only close the curtains using a remote control.

Something Carl Bass commented upon in this morning’s keynote is about the digitalization of everything. Like it or not, our children will find friends online in their chosen social networks, communicate via blog, and think email is incredibly outdated. While the 40-year pluses here at AU expect to be able to close the curtains manually, the kids we have currently living in our houses will probably grow up to expect the curtains to close at a pre-planned specific time, or via voice command. I remain confident that my PS2-obsessed 9 year old will happily find a respectable job in the Air Force due to his long, hard training with video game consoles. Is this something to be proud of? I remain unsure and simply hope I am preparing the poor child for an uncertain future.

Why does closing the curtains by remote control bother me so? First, I am of an older generation even while I am ever so slightly under 40. I don’t need the constant nagging of the TV to make me obsess about germs, gun control and voting. I can obsess just fine on my own, thank you. I find that the incessant minor keys on the various alarms of the microwave, oven, water softener, and heating system in the house are a negative and destructive backdrop to life. My alarm clock chimes in at a loud A Minor note that is highly effective at waking me up in a bad mood. I might be old, but I don’t even mind shutting the curtains manually! What I do object to, however, is having technology shoved at me. The damn curtains in this room won’t move without the remote: I cannot close them myself without a Duracell battery in the remote. What happens when the battery dies? Daylight… when all I wanted to do was move the curtains to a closed position, using my arm, you know…manually.

(The image shows the remote control gauranteed purely for closing my curtains, and blinds.)

The problem with it is that it uses energy that, as individuals, we do not make ourselves. It simply adds to the burden of electric power that is made using coal… with some hydroelectricity here in Las Vegas, of course. Carl Bass is a vocal supporter of sustainability in all areas, and that includes leaving enough natural resources for our kids to be able to simply breathe. And live. And if we continue to waste it on crap like remote-controlled curtains, there simply won’t be anything left, right?

So, rant over. Let us have some balance in our lives. Let’s find a compromise between utter waste and extreme self-sufficiency that allows us to close our own damn curtains, not rely on electricity to do it, and to use whatever energy we have - personal and corporate - on things that matter.

r xx

At a crowded kick-off keynote session today at Autodesk University, Lynn Allen and then Carl Bass wowed a crowd of almost 10,000 attendees.

Using a new stage set that was in the middle of the room, with the audience surrounding the stage, the company presented itself, and its products, across an hour and a half general session. A number of key points were made.

8 million users
A long-debated number, the amount of users of AutoCAD, which has been prominently described as 6 million in the company’s press releases this year, was amended to 8 million registered users during Lynn Allen’s ice breaker presentation this morning.

Carl Bass Takes Control
In a relaxed, confident style, Carl Bass gave the keynote address, presenting his views about what the future holds – globalization, competition, energy issues and climate change – and how engineers of every kind can address the problem. Interestingly, his keynote did not simply talk about Autodesk software. It talked to issues and problems that we are all somewhat aware of, but maybe don’t really want to admit. Things like the explosion in global population, the corresponding increase in energy use, and the need for yet more infrastructure as developing countries develop into advanced countries.

An interesting statistic, according to Bass, is that apparently half of the buildings we will work in within 25 years have yet to be built. This means continued huge growth in construction and infrastructure.

Bass also noted that we can design more cleverly, using ingenuity to protect infrastructure, for example with sensors to detect structural issues in bridges, and so on.

Bass’ biggest issue is with sustainability of the world in which we live. He made the point that there are intelligent ways that energy can be conserved, that designs can be environmentally friendly, and that the 10,000 people sat in that auditorium are the ones who will make the difference. It was a point well-taken.

Carl Bass comes across as confident and intelligent – sometimes a surprise with a CEO of any company. He didn’t obsess about AutoCAD software. Instead he obsessed about how we can all make a difference… and that Autodesk will be there to help. It makes sense for many of the attendees who simply want to use software better, and in the process not adversely affect the world in which we live.
(Image courtesy: David Cohn)

Highlights from Carl Bass’ keynote are available at CADCAMNETtv tonight.

For once I have arrived early to Autodesk University, and have spent some of the afternoon hiding behind fake Italian Renaissance columns, spending time watching out for AU attendees at the beautiful Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

They start off not that easy to spot, looking like any other business traveller arriving at a destination. But soon it becomes obvious: between the flocks of Asian tourists all dressed in black, the feathers of cocktail waitresses, and the baseball hats of 23 year-olds who flew here to get married but prefer hanging out at the Craps table, you can see them start to appear. The button-down shirts are the first giveaway. The odd bowtie appears and flits off (an architect more easily scared by the crowd), the sensible shoes also start to make an appearance, a determined walk towards the poker room, and the glimpse of thousands of red name badges… yes. We have not just infiltrated a busy and attractive public place. The AutoCAD users are starting to take it over.

An anticipated crowd of more than 8,000 is gathering, and becoming evident. Rumor has it they have filled the host hotel and also taken over four more along the Vegas strip. Boasting the biggest user base, and user event, in the CAD industry, Autodesk is poised and ready to wow the crowd with a strong message about environmental sustainability and how its software can help.

Tuesday kicks off with the keynote by Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, followed by classes and the much anticipatd AUGI beer bust. By Tuesday evening, you will be able to view video highlights at CADCAMNETtv, sponsored by G10, as well as follow up posts on this blog.

Don’t miss out!

R

Last week during the heavily-attended Oracle OpenWorld User event in San Francisco, Oracle Company President Charles Phillips, (who is also total ‘keynote candy’ according to some of the team), introduced the new Oracle Agile PLM applications.

As reported by Randall Newton in this week’s issue of CADCAMNet (subscription or free trial registration required), Oracle Agile PLM will be a CAD-neutral platform that integrates completely with Oracle’s other business applications such as CRM, ERP, and SCM.

Oracle’s aim, writes Newton, is “to simplify what have become complex IT environments. Oracle wants to rid corporate culture of a tool-based approach to problem solving, replacing a fragmented IT environment with a unifying middleware stack that allows the various tools to be united by a common dashboard interface.”

But, while CAD vendors can probably leverage the software giant’s move into PLM, Newton predicts that PLM vendors will have more to worry about: “Five years from now, the Oracle Agile line will have a PLM market share that surpasses at least one, if not two, of the Big Three CAD-centric PLM vendors” he writes.

You can also view a video news report of Oracle’s PLM announcement at www.cadcamnet.tv

Video of the keynote at Oracle OpenWorld, featuring Charles Phillips who, simply put, could be Central Casting’s answer to Barack Obama, can also be viewed here:
http://www.oracle.com/openworld/2007/keynotes.html

3D CAD News learned today that SpaceClaim Corporation has been delisted as an exhibitor at the upcoming Autodesk University 2007, Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas.

Every year some one or some company gets booted from Autodesk University at the last minute. The line employees — who don’t know one person or company from another — sign up anybody willing to pay the fee. Then eventually, somebody more senior at Autodesk starts going over the list of attendees and exhibitors and sooner or later gets the “oh-oh” feeling. Meetings are called, people yell and wring their hands, and eventually a line employee is told to make the call.

More than once the left foot of disfellowship has been extended toward industry gadfly Evan Yares, who until a year ago was Executive Director of the Open Design Alliance. One year he was so bold as to hang around the host hotel as a registered guest but not a registered attendee, striking up conversations with anybody who would listen. One Autodesk VP asked me after a brief conversation with him, “Was that really Evan Yares?” It seems they had never met.
I doubt Mike Payne, co-founder of SpaceClaim (also co-founder of PTC and SolidWorks) will pull a Yares and show up at The Venetian Hotel next week, but you never know. If he already has the plane ticket and the hotel room, might as well enjoy Vegas.

Part of the marketing line at SpaceClaim Corp. is that the product is not a competitor to existing CAD programs, but should be viewed as complimentary, thus the rationale for trying to become an AU exhibitor. To that we say, yuk yuk yuk.

Being kicked out of Autodesk University is a rare and exceptional accomplishment — more people have won an Oscar than have been given the boot from AU, even though similar talents are required. We think such status deserves acknowledgement. So, on behalf of the staff and management of 3D CAD Blog, we award SpaceClaim Corporation our new trophy, which we will refer to from now on as The Yares Cup. We will award it when needed, not just for AU but for other industry events or when somebody really does a stellar job of outraging a CAD vendor. (For the record, we were the first winners of our own trophy. We still get anonymous phone calls late at night about the Bernard Charles Head Fake article. Especially from crabby English teachers who remind us the correct tern is “head feint.” To which we say, blow it out your Funk & Wagnalls. On the basketball court, it is a head FAKE.)

The Yares Cup, awarded for exceptional performance in outraging a CAD vendor.

This week at CADCAMNETtv, Greg Smith, our Big Mac Guy (you’ll understand the double meaning when you watch) gives an overview of both Parallels and VMwareFusion running Windows XP, with AutoCAD and Rhino software, on a Macintosh.

If you’ve ever been curious about whether you can run your CAD system on a Mac, well this might give you pointers. However, be warned that only a select few Windows CAD products will actually run on the virtual machine, but at least it opens up the options a little more from what we have now for CAD on the Mac.

To watch the review, go to www.cadcamnet.tv; Greg’s review is about half way through the broadcast. If anyone knows of any other CAD products that work on the virtual machine, please do share!

r