Cadalyst - January 2008 - (Page 12)

cadcentral By Kenneth Wong Autodesk Talks Turkey about Vista In December, nearly a full year after the release of Windows Vista, Autodesk issued a brochure that outlines how its products fare under the new operating system (OS). The emphasis of the 20-page document is this: Upgrade to the 2008 product line if you want to make the most of Vista. “Autodesk and Windows Vista” is downloadable at http://labs.blogs.com/articles/Autodesk_Vista_WP.pdf. The paper makes its case by pointing out that many of the 2008 products “take advantage of some new Vista capabilities. Specifically, Windows Vista offers thumbnail previews for DWG and DWF files in Windows Explorer, displays AutoCAD properties in the detail tab of Windows Explorer, and provides search tools that look for text strings in the drawing properties, text, and mtext of DWG files.” In the case of Autodesk Inventor, the paper stated, “Whether users choose to run [the software] on Windows XP or Windows Vista, they will experience the same great performance and workflows.” Of Revit Architecture 2008 and 3ds Max 2008, it similarly noted, “users should experience the same high performance” in both XP and Vista. For AutoCAD Mechanical, the paper acknowledged some “issues associated with the UAC [user access control]” For example, The new “Autodesk and Windows Vista” “the user account control in Vista will prevent document outlines Autodesk products’ nonadministrator users from accessing certain compatibility with Windows Vista. portions of the Vista OS such as the program files directory.” Autodesk also pointed out, “Map 3D 2008 was developed to run on 32-bit systems . . . but will not be able to take advantage of the Windows Vista 64-bit OS at this time.” No benchmark test scores are included in the brochure. Location Intelligence on SQL Microsoft SQL Server 2008, now available as a community technology preview download (www. microsoft.com/sql/2008), can quite literally put enterprise data on the map. By adding location-intelligence support, Microsoft is positioning SQL as a database application for those who want to incorporate consumer demographics, environmental information, economic information, market segments, and similar business drivers into a GIS environment. ESRI’s upcoming ArcGIS 9.3 software is expected to take full advantage of the new spatial components in SQL Server 2008. In its announcement to the press, ESRI stated, “This integration of ArcGIS 9.3 with SQL Server 2008 Spatial will benefit ESRI’s government customers who are using spatial technology to improve operational efficiency, data sharing, and public service. It will also benefit business customers who are using spatial technology to improve customer support, decision making, logistics, market analysis, and energy conservation.” c Cadalyst contributing editor Kenneth Wong explores innovative use of technology. think3 Unveils Two New Products EuroMold 2007 is an international fair for mold-making, tooling, and design. At the trade fair, industrial design software developer think3 (www.think3.com) previewed two new products: thinkreshape, a reverse-engineering system, and thinkmold, an automated injection-molding package. According to the company, thinkreshape is “recommended whenever it is necessary to start from a physical prototype in wood, resin . . . or from any real object that has to be reproduced in a 3D computer image to process or change it.” think3 touted its “optical triangularization technology,” which lets users capture 3D objects of different sizes as 3D digital models [comprising clouds] of triangularized points (mesh). Of thinkmold, the company stated, “One of [the software’s] most relevant features is the semantic split, which semantically automates and stabilizes the separation between punch and mold . . . For example, in case of substantial modifications of a 3D model, where it is necessary to separate punch and die, this separation is enabled by means of rules defined by the mold maker.” Both products are scheduled to appear alongside thinkdesign 2008, the company’s flagship mechanical design suite, in March 2008. Pricing is not available at this time. More News Find breaking and current news at www.cadalyst.com/news. 12 January 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://labs.blogs.com/articles/Autodesk_Vista_WP.pdf http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2008 http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2008 http://www.think3.com http://www.cadalyst.com/news http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - January 2008

Cadalyst - January 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Chasing the Dolphins CAD that Won’t Break the Bank AliasStudio 2008 — Design and Visualization Software VectorWorks 2008 — CAD/BIM Authoring Software Dell Precision M4300 — Mobile Workstation What’s in Store for 2008? Low- or No-Cost CAD Goliath Reinvented Doin’ the DEED Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes The Return of Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - January 2008

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