Cadalyst - March 2008 - (Page 35)

cadmanager appear more complicated than it is. Not everybody needs multilayered security; most of us just need the basics. To that end, a very commonly used product — WinZip Pro — combined with your CAD application or Adobe Acrobat can create a very secure control methodology. Never send native files out if you don’t have to. Instead, use your CAD application to create DWF (Autodesk users) or eDrawings (SolidWorks users). For written documentation, use Adobe’s Acrobat. When you’ve compiled your file set, use WinZip to create a password-encoded ZIP file and send the ZIP file to the recipient. Send the password in a separate e-mail message, and your ZIP file can be opened by only those who know the password. This method also works great for those who retrieve ZIP files from FTP drop boxes or collaborative Web sites. Acrobat 8 is approximately $250, and WinZip Pro is $49. tions that any CAD manager should be able to convince his or her management to buy without much effort. The applications are GoToMeeting and BeamYourScreen. GoToMeeting is a Citrix-based solution that has an entry-level price of $49 per month for as many as 15 conference attendees. BeamYourScreen’s entry-level price is $40 per month for as many as five attendees. Both applications include a toll-based phone-conferencing solution. I find GoToMeeting’s setup to be a little more complex for both host and attendee, and BeamYourScreen is more Web based. Both tools work well and enable remote control of users’ desktops for CAD-support applications. Summing Up I hope you’ll find some of these utilities and Web resources useful in reducing the drudgery of your day-to-day CAD management workload. If you know of any other cool utilities, please e-mail me and tell me about them. c Robert Green performs CAD programming and consulting throughout the United States and Canada. His new book, Expert CAD Management: The Complete Guide is now available. Reach him via his Web site at www.cad-manager.com. Web Conferencing If you’ve ever attended a Web meeting session, then you’ve likely experienced tools such as LiveMeeting or Webex. But what if you’d like to host those sorts of meetings and don’t want to pay a fortune to do so? I’ve pondered the same question and have found two viable solu- No design challenge too big. No company too small. Pro/ENGINEER ® Wildfire ® 4.0 Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 is the perfect ﬁt for any size design organization and every design process. It accelerates the product development process by automating key processes for increased efﬁciency and repeatability. Providing a complete set of integrated 3D CAD capabilities on one platform, it’s helping organizations of every size create cost-effective, cutting-edge products. Pro/ENGINEER will help you grow and will grow with you, making it the ideal solution for small, medium and large organizations. Starting at just $4995, it’s affordable, yet it has the power to handle the biggest design challenges. O N E P L AT F O R M . M A X I M U M P O W E R . A N Y S I Z E C O M P A N Y. PTC/USER World Event 2008 • Long Beach, CA • June 1-4 ptcuser.org/2008 Take the Interactive Tour! ptc.com/go/anysize ©2008 Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). PTC, the PTC logo, Pro/ENGINEER and Wildﬁre are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC. www.cadalyst.com | cadalyst | March 2008 35 http://www.cad-manager.com http://ptcuser.org http://ptc.com/go/anysize http://ptcuser.org http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - March 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Thicker than Water Safe Keeping — Backup Software Secures Your Designs AMD’s ATI FireGL Graphics Cards AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 — Surveying, Civil Engineering, and Land Development Software Cool Software Utilities for Your Job History, Nonhistory, or Both? In the Eye of the Storm Builders’ Information Modeling CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes CAD from the Streets

Cadalyst - March 2008

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