Cadalyst - February 2008 - (Page 12)

cadcentral Macbook on Thin Air The scene stealer at the latest Macworld Conference and Expo (January 14–18, Moscone Center, San Francisco) was the Macbook Air, a 3-lb notebook that’s so slim you can easily slip it into an interoffice mail envelope. Although the chassis may be thin, its track pad is bigger and broader. Many of the fingertip computing capabilities in iPod Touch are making their ways into the Macbook Air. For instance, you can rotate an image, resize an application window, dock a view, or activate the secondary menu items by dragging, moving, and tapping your fingers on the notebook’s track pad. Mac’s steady penetration into the PC-dominated CAD market is represented by the popularity of dual-platform software packages, such as auto•des•sys’ form•Z, Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD, and Nemetschek North America’s VectorWorks Architect. Like Microsoft’s Surface Computer (see “Microsoft Gets Touchy,” CAD Central, Cadalyst, July 2007, p. 12), Macbook Air may inspire some innovative software vendors to redesign their user interfaces. By incorporating the latest devices’ responsiveness to touch, vendors might be able to provide better ways to examine CAD models in virtual environments. Weighing 3 lbs and measuring less than 1-inch thick, the wafer-thin Macbook Air was the superstar of Macworld 2008. In addition to portability and lightness, Macbook offers a wide track pad that responds to touch. The Society Page Do you know someone who has made a remarkable contribution to the CAD community? If so, now is the time to speak up. The CAD Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes camaraderie among those who make their living in the CAD community, is seeking nominees for its 2008 CAD Society Awards. “The three awards the CAD Society present every year is its way of recognizing those who have contributed to the CAD/CAM industry in various ways,” said Mike McGrath, president of the CAD Society. The organization seeks nominees for the Leadership Award, the Joe Greco Community Award (named after the late CAD writer Joe Greco, 1963–2004), and the Lifetime Award. CAD Society board members will review all nominations on March 1, 2008 and will determine the award winners for each of the three categories. Nominations should be e-mailed to mmcgrath@mines.edu by February 28. The recipients of the awards will be announced on the CAD Society Web site before the Congress on the Future of Engineering Software meeting (COFES 2008). The awards will be presented at COFES 2008, held April 10–13, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Previous award recipients include Chris Yessios, founder of auto•des•sys (2006 Joe Greco Award); Stephen Wolfe, a veteran CAD journalist and consultant (2004 Lifetime Award); and Dana K. “Deke” Smith, who worked towards establishing a national BIM standard (2006 Leadership Award). c Cadalyst contributing editor Kenneth Wong explores innovative use of technology. More News Find breaking and current news at www.cadalyst.com/news. 12 February 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://www.cadalyst.com/news http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - February 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends More than Meets the Eye — A Look at Today's CAD Viewers IronCAD v10 — 3D Modeling Software AcceliArch with AcceliCAD — Add-In Architectural Drawing and Modeling Software CAD Manager MCAD Modeling AEC Insight CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - February 2008

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