Novedge Pulse™ of Ralph Grabowski

Bricsys keeps putting out frequent, significant updates of BricsCAD, and today they began shipping V13.2. Well, not so much "shipping" as making available for download. Semantics aside, this free, point-2 update adds the following functions to the Windows version: Version [more...]

Autodesk adds a bi-directional integration between PLM 360 and NetSuite, which it calls the "world's #1 cloud ERP solution," and calls its own PLM 360 "the fastest growing in the market" -- a point that was repeated. Of course growth [more...]

In all modesty, upFront.eZine was going to be the first to announce what's new in ArchiCAD 17. We did the interview and demo last Friday, but logistics prevented the story running in yesterday's issue of the newsletter. Gosh, editors hate [more...]

PTC figures that the rough economy isn't going to pick up as they expected, and so they are lowering their revenue expectations for this year to $1.305 - $1.315 million -- down 3.3% from the earlier projection of $1.34 - [more...]

I've had access to tablets since 1991. Back in the early 1990s, Microsoft was pushing Windows for Pen Computing after companies like Grid and AT&T beat the convicted monopolist to the punch with operating systems that accepted input from pens [more...]

In upFront.eZine #755 this week, we have for you: 1. CAD Wars Erupt in China and Russia - Part 1: In China 2. Document Managers Need to be Vaulting, Says Synergis - Part 2 3. Out of the Inbox, and [more...]

Vectorworks last week released its Nomad app for Androids, and so I was curious to check it out. I read from the press release that it was only for people who pay into the subscription program run by Vectorworks. I [more...]

Randall Chase of Associated Press is reporting that software cracked by Chinese and Russians was used in part to design components of Patriot missiles and USA military helicopters.. Prosecutors said Wronald Best, 55, bought more than $600,000 pirated software programs [more...]

We show up at CAD marketing events and expect it to be interesting, worthwhile the trip. Some are not; many are. While we in the media show up on the day the event starts, others have been preparing and practicing [more...]

by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com In the wake of the GstarCAD8 launch last month in Beijing, to which three of us western journalists were invited, I reflect on the chances of success of a Chinese CAD company in the US and [more...]

Had you heard of SquareClock? Me, neither. First time was during Dassault's conference call last week with financial analysts, when he brought up SquareClock, first casually and then more intensely. But it's not for consumers. Here is what ceo Bernard [more...]

by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com Autodesk, the heavyweight champion of the world, is about to take on a contender. This one’s from China. Gstarsoft invited me to their 3rd annual conference in Beijing where, with great fanfare, introduced their contender GstarCAD [more...]

by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com Civil engineering firms work on the grandest scale. pushing back the sea, building dams, bridges, highways. Tristram Carfrae, structural engineer, director and Arup Fellow and keynote at Smart Geometry 2013, is used to overcoming the vast [more...]

IMSI/Design Releases TurboSite v1.2 Now Supports Video Chat and More TurboSite™ is the ultimate fieldwork and site visit app. View CAD drawings with your actual position synchronized with or without GPS. Record and document field information using photos, videos, and [more...]

In upFront.eZine #744 this week, we have for you: 1. Introducing Geomagic (nee Alibre) Design - Q&A - Software Demo 2. Document Managers Need to be Vaulting, Says Synergis - Part I 3. Out of the Inbox, and some of [more...]

My new Samsung EX2F point-and-shoot camera has seven ways it can communicate over WiFi. Some are direct WiFi links, some are indirect: Direct WiFi means that the camera communicates directly with another device, like an Android tablet or a smart [more...]

Samsung's EX2F offers many WiFi modes, but none of them work on the camera while taking pictures. (There is one exception.) It won't transmit photos to my nearby laptop computer as I take photos at a seminar, for instance. I [more...]

(I've merged the content from my Gizmos Grabowski blog into this one, and this is the first Gizmos Grabowski-style posting.) I've been spoiled by how well Dropbox integrates with my Android phone and tablet. I take any number of pictures [more...]

In upFront.eZine this week, we have for you: 1. Vendors React 2. Cmd Ref 2013, Rough eBook Edition 3. Out of the Inbox, and some of our other regular columns. From the editor: We know of two CAD editors who [more...]

This book was formerly known as The Illustrated AutoCAD Quick Reference 2013 and Beyond, a paper book printed by Cengage Delmar publishing company. They had added the "and Beyond," because to save money they wanted me to update the book [more...]

Regular updates are a good sign that a software company has staying power in the CAD industry, and my rather bland headline tells us that in the past month China's ZWSOFT has shipped updates to its ZWCAD+ AutoCAD work-alike and [more...]

In upFront.eZine this week, we have for your reading pleasure: 1. American CAD/CAM Software Secure Enough for Chinese Military 2. What Ralph Grabowski Thinks: The BricsCAD Mouse Steps Up Its Roaring - Architectural CAD - Two or Three OSes, One [more...]

Here's what's inside 2014 The cover image shows AutoCAD 2014 running on a Windows 8 touchscreen computer. Autodesk last week announced and/or shipped its "2014" branded line of software. Unfortunately for us, they chose to emphasize during their official launch [more...]

IMSI/Design keeps powering ahead with its mobile software for CAD users. It seems it me that a number of CAD vendors put out a mobileCAD program for Android and/or iOS for free, and then lost interest. Not all, of course [more...]

In a press release dated 1 April but slipped out on March 29, Vancouver's Transoft Solutions announced it was such an innovative leader that it was moving technology into the fifth dimension. As their subhead put it, "Vehicle Turning Simulations [more...]

Autodesk is this morning speaking to investors about building information modeling. We're listening in to hear what might be new or different. Us and 27 others are on the phone line. "Autodesk pioneered the concept," says Amar Hanspal, senior vice [more...]

Knowing that Android's market share is 2-3x larger than that of iOS, ASCON last month released their sub-division modeling software on Google Play store. It has the utilitarian name of SubDivFormer and can be accessed from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ascon.subdivformer The software runs [more...]

Autodesk is announcing their 2014 line of software this morning, and we are listening along to the Webinar. There are about 1,560 others watching at this point. First item up is an emphasis on you buying their suites of software [more...]

Readers write: It is that time again when I think you must have a What’s New book coming out shortly. Please let me know if this is the case this year and how soon before I can purchase a copy [more...]

In upFront.eZine this week, we have for your reading pleasure: 1. IDEA Architecture 11: Pushing IntelliCAD into BIM - IDEA Demo - FINE Demo 2. Out of the Inbox and our other regular columns. You can read all about the [more...]

It is common for CAD vendors to hold Web-based conference calls. Microsoft Office Live Meeting has a unnecessarily long name, and it works poorly compared to GoToMeeting or WebEx. Here is the actual transcript of a recent Webinar held using [more...]

For an editor like me, I see the purpose of press releases as a way of imparting information that a company deems important. Companies usually see it this way, as well. Sometimes, however, the press release is a way to [more...]

The entire world is holding its breath for this week's release of Autodesk's line of "2014" software (see http://www.autodesk.com/webcast ), and so there is nothing to write about in upFront.eZine #769. I fill in the space with letters from readers [more...]