Cadalyst - June 2008 - (Page 12)

cadcentral Adobe 9 Is Ready for Collaboration among other things, features for comparing seemingly identical 3D files to single out the topological differences, much in the same way Microsoft Word allows users to compare one document against another to identify the disparities between them. For some users, Adobe' s Digital Rights Management (DRM) features may prove a valuable way to control how the intellectual property is disseminated. With it, users can limit access, set an expiration date, or disable certain commands (for example, Copy or Print). Adobe anticipates DRM will appeal to those who are seeking ways to add security measures in their collaborative workflow but don' t want additional IT overhead. PTC' s Pro/ ENGINEER is one of the CAD products that integrate Adobe' s DRM technology in its toolset. Those contemplating using Adobe as the standard for supplier communication (for example, publishing requests for quotes as PDF) may find Acrobat' s automatic field detection a handy way to turn an existing document into a template for new forms. The new release comes in three configurations: Adobe 9 Standard (full $299, upgrade $99); Adobe 9 Pro (full $449, upgrade $159); and Adobe 9 Pro Extended, formerly Acrobat 3D (full $699, Acrobat 9 features the ability to single out topology upgrade $229). differences by comparing two models. With each new release of Acrobat, Adobe Systems advances the campaign to promote PDF as the de facto standard for product data exchange. Previous releases let Acrobat users quickly and easily convert CAD parts and assemblies into 3D PDF files with embedded intelligence. The latest version, Acrobat 9, casts the net wider by enabling Acrobat users to collaborate with those using the ubiquitous Ð and free Ð A crobat Reader. With tools for embedding video clips and inserting 3D PDF modules in Office documents, Acrobat 9 facilitates the easy distribution of CAD data to the rest of the enterprise Ð such as marketing, sales, and sourcing Ð that don' t traditionally operate CAD software. With version 9, users can include manufacturing information (such as dimensions and tolerances) in their PDF documents. The new version includes, Mass Translation Alex Tsechansky, vice-president of research and development at Proficiency Software, believes his product can automatically accomplish the kind of manual translation tasks some companies have been outsourcing to overseas CAD technicians. Proficiency' s patented technology, marketed under the name Proficiency' s Collaboration Gateway, ª extracts explicit and implicit product knowledge from a source system, such as a 3D CAD system, and converts the model to the Universal Product Representation (UPR). This extensible format represents . . . features, parameters, history, manufacturing attributes, and associative properties. Once stored in the UPR format, the product knowledge can be extracted into a diverse set of other formatsº namely CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, I-DEAS, JT, STEP, and IGES. Speaking to Cadalyst at the 2008 CATIA Operator Exchange conference (April 2008, Orlando, Florida), Tsechansky pointed out, ª The advantage of automating the translation is, you cut down on human errors, and we can process the conversion in large volume, so we can offer competitive pricing.º Is it competitive enough to rival the hourly rates of a CAD drafter manually tackling the model one feature at a time in Bangalore or Singapore? You can ask Tsechansky yourself. He' s scheduled to be at UGS Connection Americas 2008 Users Conference (June 1± 5, 2008, Orlando, Florida). Cadalyst contributing editor Kenneth Wong explores the innovative use of technology. NC on the Rise People are spending more money to control their machines Ð that is, computer numerical-controlled (CNC) machines. Analyst firm CIMdata recently revealed, ª NC (numerical control) software and related services market grew by 7.2% in 2007 to reach a level of $1.4 billion. Moreover, CIMdata estimates that in 2008 these payments will further increase by 7.8% to reach a level of $1.5 billion. If so, this will be five consecutive years with a growth rate of 5% or more.º (ª CIMdata NC Software and Related Services Market Assessment,º V ersion 17). Alan Christman, CIMdata' s chairman and primary author of the report, noted, ª Some software vendors have had annual revenue growth rates of over 30% per year, a number of significant acquisitions or mergers have been made, integration with other elements of manufacturing software is occurring, new manufacturing areas such as China are emerging, corporations are placing greater emphasis on streamlining manufacturing operations, and the underlying CAM [computer-aided manufacturing] software technology continues to evolve.º More News Find breaking and current news at www.cadalyst.com/news. 12 www.cadalyst.com cadalyst June 2008 http://www.cadalyst.com/news http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - June 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Community Building in Progress A Quarter Century of Cadalyst Tracking a CAD Giant The Highs and Lows of CAD Hardware Industry Insights — Looking Ahead Cadalyst Lab Reviews: HP xw4600 Workstation with LP3065 30” LCD Monitor NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700 — Graphics Card LaCie 324 — LCD Monitor CAD Manager: Making Standards Stick MCAD Modeling: Rational vs. Irrational Decisions AEC Insight: Data Collection in AEC CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Just a Few CAD Renovations

Cadalyst - June 2008

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