Cadalyst - February 2008 - (Page 19)

cadlabsreview CAD DWG files. I ended up trying a variety of file formats with each of the nine viewers that Cadalyst received for evaluation. I was impressed with the viewers and their ability to accurately view a wide range of file formats. With the continued evolution of major design applications, file formats also evolve, making them somewhat of a moving target. Note the number of changes that have taken place in the DWG format over the years. Because you may need to work with DWG files that go back a number of years, you’ll want to be sure that your chosen viewer supports them. Obviously, DWG files are not the only ones whose formats changed over time, so sometimes it’s remarkable that viewers work as well as they do with the number of file formats they support. In the two years since Cadalyst last did a viewer roundup, a number of changes have occurred in the industry itself. Some viewers no longer exist, and some company names have changed — Cyco is now BlueCielo ECM Solutions, for example, and Oracle purchased the parent company of Cimmetry Systems, making AutoVue an Oracle product. Autodesk, which typically would be represented in this roundup, is absent this time because it has a viewer product in beta that is not yet ready for evaluation. Look for a new Autodesk release later in 2008. With the popularity of this segment of the software industry, we’re beginning to see more innovation and greatly improved usability within the individual applications. Although simple viewers still exist and fill the needs of many users, other applications are adding features that were undreamed of only a few years ago. As vendors strive to distinguish their product from others, this trend is likely to continue, and it will benefit end users with products that are more capable and easier to use. For more information about these products, see the online feature table at www.cadalyst.com/0208viewertable. DWGSee DWG Viewer Pro supports DWG-to-image (JPG, TIFF, GIF), DWG-to-PDF conversion, and advanced mark up with the ability to publish mark ups in PDF or image format. DWGSee Pro v2.63 AutoDWG’s DWGSee Pro 859.648.0106 v2.63 is a comwww.autodwg.com/dwg-viewer pact and speedy Price: $98 DWG viewer with support for DWG, DXF, and DWF file formats. AutoCAD drawings from release 2.5 through AutoCAD 2008 are supported by this viewer. AutoDWG’s DWGSee lets you quickly view, browse, measure, and print files, and the DWGSee Pro version that I evaluated adds additional features. DWGSee Pro is but one of several products from AutoDWG — others convert DWG to PDF, PDF to DWG, and DWG to Flash and include batch-conversion utilities. In addition to its viewing capabilities, DWGSee Pro also supports DWG-to-image (JPG, TIFF, GIF) and DWG-to-PDF AutoDWG.com conversions. Additionally, DWGSee Pro supports advanced mark-up features and allows you to publish the mark ups in PDF or image-file formats. A variety of mark-up options are available from the Markup pull-down menu, including redlining and rectangle, ellipse, and cloud markups. You also can measure length and area using the product’s Smart Snap feature. Although I didn’t evaluate it, an ActiveX component is available for download. The Windows interface of DWGSee Pro is clean and uncluttered and is both easy to use and understand. The application presents a single toolbar across the top of the viewing area, along with several pull-down menus. By keeping its focus narrowed to AutoCAD-centric file formats, AutoDWG has produced a speedy and simple viewer that will fulfill the needs of many users. For those who need the conversion capabilities for repurposing their work for the Web or producing compact graphics for transmission, these features will be a welcome bonus. Reasonably priced at $98 (the same as it was two years ago), DWGSee Pro is a good deal. The product is available in several foreign languages, including German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Japanese. A time-limited demo version of DWGSee Pro v2.63 is available from the AutoDWG Web site for evaluation. InnoCielo View 2008 Many will be unfamiliar with 800.323.2926 BlueCielo ECM www.bluecieloecm.com Solutions and its Price: $249 InnoCielo View 2008 product, at least by those names. The company formerly was Cyco Software, and InnoCielo View 2008 formerly was Auto- BlueCielo ECM Solutions www.cadalyst.com | cadalyst | February 2008 19 http://www.cadalyst.com/0208viewertable http://www.AutoDWG.com http://www.autodwg.com/dwg-viewer http://www.bluecieloecm.com 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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