Cadalyst - January 2008 - (Page 23)

cadlabsreview IntelliCAD is available as a standalone package but is often integrated with applications serving the various needs of the engineering market. bers. The members can add and offer options, including VBA, rendering, ACIS solid modeling, and raster image display and can add their own improvements or applications. No single IntelliCAD product exists; rather, a variety of products are based on IntelliCAD technology. IntelliCAD is an open-source CAD engine upon which hundreds of engineering applications are based. In addition to the v6.4 release, ITC has been working on a complete rearchitecture of the IntelliCAD engine using DWGdirect from the Open Design Alliance as its internal database. DWGdirect provides read/write compatibility with the DWG format and an applicationprogramming interface (API) similar to Autodesk’s ObjectARX. An alpha version of this new IntelliCAD was released to ITC members in November. Using the various APIs, IntelliCAD end users have several avenues for customization, including ASCII scripts, LISP, SDS (C/C++), and ActiveX/COM (C++, C#, VB, and VBA). In addition to these APIs, commercial members have full access to the IntelliCAD source and can change the core engine when developing their vertical applications. The pricing for IntelliCAD 6.4 ranges from $199 to $799, depending upon what additions and modifications the individual vendor makes to the base application. For a full list of the IntelliCAD Consortium members and their products, please visit www.intellicad.org/members/index.php. IntelliCAD 6.4 runs on Windows 2000, XP (Pro, x64, and Home versions), and Vista. The consortium provides the base engine as a platform for software development for members. Members focus their applications for specific markets whose needs and features can vary greatly. Members such as Autodsys, Bricsys, Cadian, 4M, and Microsurvey provide complete vertical applications for civil survey, forensic mapping, or architecture. These programs provide much additional functionality, including landscaping symbol libraries and layer controls. Not everyone needs visualization features such as refraction for their work, but Adeko offers this capability in their version of IntelliCAD. Whatever your needs, you’ll likely find a variant of IntelliCAD that fits your specific needs — and it will provide a solid underlying structure that is both speedy and reliable. For additional information about the ITC and its members, please visit the consortium’s Web site at www. intellicad.org. Solid Edge 2D Drafting provides a production-proven set of capabilities for creating 2D designs and documentation, including drawing layout, diagramming, annotation, and dimensioning controls that automatically comply with drafting standards. Solid Edge 2D Drafting Siemens PLM Software 800.498.5351 www.solidedge.com Price: Free The recently released Solid Edge 2D Drafting program differs from the others in this article because it is completely free. There is no cost to download or license the software. However, optional support and automatic upgrades are available for nominal fees. Siemens PLM Software, formerly UGS, feels that 2D software is a commodity and places its emphasis on transitioning to a managed 3D model, and, of course, the company happens to make one of the premier 3D design applications currently available. Many are familiar with Solid Edge as a 3D product, but few are aware that the company offers a 2D drafting package that is updated and improved periodically. Solid Edge 2D Drafting offers excellent drawing layout, diagramming, annotation, and dimensioning controls that automatically comply with a wide array of drafting standards. As might be expected, given the company’s focus on 3D design, Solid Edge 2D Drafting offers an abundance of tools designed to ease the transition of 2D AutoCAD and other design application users who are updating to Solid Edge. These tools include various import wizards and WYSIWYG of imported files (for example, AutoCAD fonts and color schemes are matched). Solid Edge 2D Drafting has a builtin AutoCAD translator. AutoCAD files (DWG and DXF) can be opened by selecting files in the Open File dialog. Options can be set with the AutoCAD to Solid Edge Translation Wizard, which controls how the AutoCAD file is opened in Solid Edge 2D Drafting. The latest release, which became available just as I began preparing this article, adds improved translator capabilities for AutoCAD 2D data supporting Color 7, xrefs, model space, and paper space drawing scales. An import wizard shows a preview with any option changes. This new release also includes goal seek functionality that helps solve complex 2D engineering scenarios with free-body diagrams. It lets users set certain parameters, while the syswww.cadalyst.com | cadalyst | January 2008 23 http://www.intellicad.org http://www.intellicad.org http://www.solidedge.com http://www.intellicad.org/members/index.php 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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