Cadalyst - November/December 2008 - (Page 12)

cadcentral Joel Harris Wins Hot Tip Harry Challenge 2008 Cadalyst has awarded a trip to Autodesk University 2008 to AutoCAD tip contributor Joel Harris. The trip is the grand prize in Cadalyst’s year-long Hot Tip Harry Challenge 2008 contest. Harris was selected in a random drawing of all authors of tips published this year in Cadalyst’s popular “Hot Tip Harry” column of AutoCAD customization tips. He will receive airfare, lodging, and a full pass to Autodesk University 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, held December 2–5. Harris has worked for Anvil Corporation in Bellingham, Washington, for 18 years as a piping designer and technology specialist. “I love reading the ‘Hot Tip Harry’ tips to see if there is anything that would be of use to our AutoCAD users, or any new way of optimizing Joel Harris AutoCAD,” he said. Autodesk Fights SolidWorks over DWG Autodesk has unleashed its legal eagles against SolidWorks for what it considers unfair use of the DWG file extension. In the complaint Autodesk filed in September (viewable at www.autodesk.com/ solidworks), the AutoCAD guardian accused SolidWorks of “unfair competition, false designation of origin, false advertising, trademark dress infringement, unfair business practices, deceptive business practices, unlawful business practices, misleading advertising.” The company feels, “through a variety of improper tactics designed to mislead consumers and undermine the value of the Autodesk and DWG brand and technology, DS [Dassault Systemes] SolidWorks is unfairly competing with Autodesk.” Among evidence cited was SolidWorks’ use of “a product naming strategy for certain [SolidWorks] CAD software products that use the DWG name . . . DWGeditor, DWGgateway, DWGseries, DWGviewer, and DWGnavigator.” Furthermore, Autodesk is also trying to block SolidWorks from using a yellow border around its Real Solutions logo, a design that, in its view, “combines the ‘real’ element of Autodesk’s RealDWG program and tagline with the distinctive trade dress found on the Autodesk Inventor packaging.” Online discussions of the topic reveal many CAD users don’t find this argument convincing. Paul Waddington, a frequent contributor to CAD-related forums, observed, “First and foremost, here in Australia, DWG and DRG were recognized by design professionals as abbreviations for the word drawing loooong before Autodesk existed and used .DWG as a file extension in its products.” For more, read “Autodesk to SolidWorks: Play Fair,” at my blog, Kenneth Wong on CAD (www. cadalyst.com/kw). New Objet 3D Printer Fits on a Desk or Tabletop Objet Geometries, headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, recently launched what it describes as a new “officefriendly 3D printer.” Measuring 34.25” x 33.85” x 40.94”, the unit can fit on a desk or tabletop. With a reported accuracy of 0.1–0.2 mm (0.0039– 0.0078”), the Alaris30 is designed to produce prototypes with small, moving parts; text; Objet Geometries describes its Alaris30 desktop 3D printer and fine, smooth, as office friendly. detailed surfaces. Explaining its technology, Objet wrote, “Similar to a line Previously, Objet and Stratasys printer, the jetting head slides back had an agreement whereby Stratasys and forth along the x-axis, depositing held exclusive rights to distribute a single layer of photopolymer onto Objet’s Eden333 system in North the build tray. Each layer is immediAmerica. Since the dissolution of ately cured and hardened by UV light, this partnership in late 2006, Objet producing fully cured models that has been selling its units through a can be handled immediately without direct sales team. With the launch additional postcuring.” of the Alaris30, Objet is expecting The Alaris30 uses VeroWhite an increase in sales volume, so the FullCure830, an opaque, nontoxic company has assembled an indirect material that is monochrome but can reseller network to tackle global be painted. CAD users can export sales on its behalf. Objet revealed STL files to the Objet Studio software plans to sell the Alaris30 for less than to produce prototypes. The unit can $40,000, a price that could bring it print multiple parts simultaneously. into competition with products in Stratasys’ Dimension line. 12 www.cadalyst.com cadalyst November/December 2008 http://www.autodesk.com/solidworks http://www.autodesk.com/solidworks http://www.cadalyst.com/kw http://www.cadalyst.com/kw http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - November 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Designed after Our Own Image Budget-Conscious Workstations — 64-Bit CAD Power for Less than $2,500 Cadalyst All-Star Awards 2008 SolidWorks 2009 — 3D MCAD Software IES Virtual Environment 5.9 — Building Performance Analysis Software View Point: A Design with Teeth CAD Manager: CAD Manager’s Survey 2008 MCAD Modeling: Ask for What You Want AEC Insight: AEC Software by the Clock CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Hot Tips for Cold Days

Cadalyst - November 2008

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