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AutoCAD

Autodesk Releases 2015 Design Suites

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This week Autodesk rolled out its new Autodesk 2015 Design Suites. What’s new? This release is said to be more tightly integrated with Autodesk cloud services, facilitating users’ ability to collaborate, simulate, analyze–all with just one click from within the suite. The company reports that the 2015 Design Suite includes the most advanced AutoCAD yet, which offers a new interface and better productivity tools.

Another newsworthy aspect of this announcement is the fact that Autodesk users can now purchase the software suite via pay-as-you-go subscriptions. Logic being that they can access the tools they need, when they need them without being locked into annual licensing agreements. Subscription customers will get frequent software updates, services and support. Customers going this route can choose from monthly, quarterly or annual options.

Autodesk's 2015 Design Suite includes what's said to be the most advanced version of AutoCAD yet and can now be purchased monthly via a subscription plan.
Autodesk’s 2015 Design Suite includes what’s said to be the most advanced version of AutoCAD yet and can now be purchased monthly via a subscription plan.

What’s new?

Here’s a quick run-down of the features and functionality that are new to this release.

* Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite offers a refined visual interface, better point cloud support to bring the real world into the AutoCAD canvas, and easier ways to work with online maps and other geographic location information.

* Autodesk Building Design Suite delivers better integration with BIM 360 cloud services, enhanced point cloud capabilities, and numerous customer requested improvements for Autodesk Revit, including a new sketchy lines feature, ability to include imagery in schedules, enhanced hidden lines capability and more.

* Autodesk Factory Design Suite introduces easier moves from 2D AutoCAD drawings to 3D factory layouts with streamlined transitions from legacy workflows; point cloud support for “as is” facility capture; extended use of Factory Design data; and enhancements to Factory Design Mobile app.

* Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite includes major enhancements to AutoCAD Civil 3D software, including improved user interface, greater flexibility for corridor modeling, more efficient creation of profiles layouts, better production drafting, and simpler ways to create custom subassemblies.

* Autodesk Plant Design Suite rolls out significant enhancements to AutoCAD Plant 3D software, including center of gravity, bill of materials (BOM), fixed length pipe modeling, piping and instrumentation drawing (P&ID), and isometric improvements.

* Autodesk Product Design Suite launches with exceptional modeling capabilities, a new user experience, and workflow enhancements. This software provides tools for 3D design, simulation, collaboration, and visualization.

Improvements in the cloud

Customers in the manufacturing industry will benefit from new offerings such as Process Analysis 360, a cloud-based service that helps engineers and system designers model, study and optimize manufacturing processes. This accessibility – combined with other feature enhancements and refinements – removes the barriers to entry so that everyone can design and engineer better products.

Autodesk 2015 Design Suites are available now. Check out the details here.

Barb Schmitz

AutoCAD worm stealing DWG files

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From threatpost.com:

Security researchers have come across a new worm that is meant specifically to steal blueprints, design documents and other files created with the AutoCAD software. The worm, known as ACAD/Medre.A, is spreading through infected AutoCAD templates and is sending tens of thousands of stolen documents to email addresses in China. However, experts say that the worm’s infection rates are dropping at this point and it doesn’t seem to be part of a targeted attack campaign.

Before you start panicking, you should know that most incidences of this worm have been found in Peru.

I’ve  heard about at least one AutoCAD worm in the past. It was a clumsy thing, not written by a serious black-hat.  This one was written in AutoLISP, with its functions wrtten with VisualBasic scripts. It seems to be intended as industrial espionage.

You can read more about this worm in Richard Zwienenberg’s ESET threat blog entry, and get technical details at Robert Lipovsky’s entry.  ESET has made a free stand-alone cleaner, which you may download here.

 

 

AutoCAD’s ancestor

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As of the end of last month, Autodesk is 30 years old.

What’s little known in the CAD industry, and rarely mentioned today, is that AutoCAD had an ancestor that predated the founding of Autodesk. A product called INTERACT.

This is a photo of the INTERACT CAD system, circa 1978. The hardware is an S-100 computer with dual 8″ floppy drives, and a 640×480 pixel graphics board.  Input is through a Houston Instruments digitizer and a Televideo terminal.

INTERACT was the first CAD system to run on mainstream microcomputer hardware. (Other contemporary systems ran on mainframes or minicomputers.) Its first commercial customer was Atlantic Richfield, which used the system to plan deep dives for offshore oil rigs.

INTERACT was written by Mike Riddle. He had previously worked on a ComputerVision CADDS3 system, which was used by his employer, Marathon Steel, to detail the structural steel used in the Palo Verde nuclear power plant, west of Phoenix. With the self assurance that many hackers have, Riddle figured he could do better than CADDS3.

He wrote INTERACT in his spare time, starting in 1977. He was slowed down by the state of hardware at the time — he had to write the program in pieces, and assemble it as larger memory boards became available. Ultimately, he decided he needed a processor that could support hardware multiply. Marinchip Systems, owned by John Walker and Dan Drake, made an S-100 main board with a TI TMS-9900 processor that fit the bill.

When Walker saw INTERACT running on the Marinchip Systems computer, he was impressed enough to become a dealer for the software.

In late 1981,Walker, Drake, Riddle, and about a dozen other people, came together to co-found what, in January 1982, would become Marinchip Software Partners, and shortly thereafter, Autodesk. INTERACT was rewritten in the C language, to run on the new IBM PC, and was rechristened–first as MicroCAD, and then (when the MicroCAD name was sniped by another company) as AutoCAD.

Today’s AutoCAD bears little resemblance to INTERACT.  Yet most of the original INTERACT commands still work in AutoCAD 2012.

Guitar maker speeds design process

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Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is a leading manufacturer of stringed instruments, including electric, acoustic, and bass guitars as well as guitar amplifiers. While the company handcrafted guitars and used 2D AutoCAD design tools for many years, the 2002 acquisition of the JACKSON guitar brand brought more complex geometry challenges that required 3D design technology to drive manufacturing.

Fender chose SolidWorks CAD software – first deployed on the JACKSON and FENDER STRATOCASTER lines and now used companywide – because it is easy to use, includes advanced surfacing capabilities, and integrates well with CAM applications. By deploying SolidWorks, Fender cut production time by 20% across the board, reduced the time required to shape guitar necks by 30%, eliminated many secondary operations, and increased production throughput with improved tooling.

 

SolidWorks

www.solidworks.com

New software slated to change the workplace

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CAD software vendors have touted product usability for a long time. However, they haven’t really delivered on that promise until recently. There were a few software debuts in 2011 that changed that premise. True user usability could lead to a broader CAD audience and a bigger market share.

The product development team at PTC came up with the idea of a creating single program that does everything versus offering diverse programs with no connectedness. The strategy addresses its customer base and the trend toward solid modeling for the masses. Creo 1.0 is the result of that concept. The software currently has nine applications including Creo Parametric, Direct, Illustrate, Schematics, View MCAD, View ECAD, Sketch, and Layout.

The company focused on a group of traditional user problems and applied a core of technologies against them, specific roles having options for modeling modes with the click of an app. Simplifying a process that has plagued engineers and designers for decades makes using the software and being productive all the difference. The Creo GUI is much cleaner than the Pro/E GUI. According to those who have used the new product, the GUI strategy is most evident in Creo Parametric and Creo Direct. PTC leveraged the best features from CoCreate and made it easier to use. The company added features to Creo Parametric that will make Pro/E seem like ancient technology. Creo proves that a feature can live in a history-based and history-free environment keeping the parametric relation to features within each if needed.

Another 2011 debut was SolidWorks 2012 that also sports new features to help a more diverse audience. The software has improvements in assembly and drawing capabilities, built-in simulation, design costing, routing, image and animation creation, and product data management. Dassault Systemes says SolidWorks 2012 will help automate design functions, change product development processes, and extend support for collaboration and connectivity. This technology could change how the software is marketed and sold. The product helps users streamline design processes by removing traditional steps.

Autodesk’s AutoCAD 2012 and Design Suite 2012 series are available in a range of offerings including web and mobile applications. Thus more users have access to the technology and can stay connected to their work no matter where they are.  In addition, AutoCAD 2012 and Design Suite 201212 are directly connected to the free AutoCAD WS web and mobility application.

With CAD pretty much saturating the engineering and manufacturing arena, CAD vendors are realizing that pumping out a redressed version of what went out the door at the last launch is not going to work much longer. They have to offer tools that appeal to other audiences. We have seen that starting to happen in the retail, hobby, and jewelry industries where non-engineering types are using 3D programs to crank out new products.

PTC
www.ptc.com

Dassault Systemes
www.3ds.com

Autodesk
www.autodesk.com

Analysis linked to CAD

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Comsol’s latest update to its flagship multiphysics software Comsol 4.2a includes enhanced LiveLink capability. The new associativity to between Comsol and Creo packages means any changes to a feature in the Creo CAD model automatically updates the geometry in Comsol Multiphysics while retaining physics settings.

All parameters specified in Creo can be interactively linked with your simulation geometry which enables multiphysics simulations involving parametric sweeps and design optimization to sync up with the CAD program. The LiveLink for Creo includes all the capabilities of the Comsol CAD Import module and enables import and defeaturing of CAD files from all major CAD packages.

In addition, the Parasolid geometry kernel from Siemens PLM Software is now the default geometry kernel for those who use the CAD Import module and the LiveLink products for CAD. Parasolid enables the handling of more advanced geometry objects for any of the LiveLiink products, including versions for AutoCAD, Inventor, Creo Parametric, Pro/E, SolidWorks, and SpaceClaim.

Comsol

www.comsol.com

Colossal 400-ft truck completely designed in CAD

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Perkins Specialized Transportation Contracting (Perkins) provides highway transportation services for long, heavy, and oversized objects. Its engineers recently used Autodesk Simulation software for the custom design of a 400-ft long truck specifically created to transport nuclear generators.

The truck took almost three years to design and gives a safe and efficient way to transport enormous and often radioactive components that were once considered immovable. The truck successfully carried four steam generators from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in southern California to a disposal site in Clive, Utah.

The vehicle is longer than a football field, has 192 wheels and 48 axles, each of which can be turned independently. The truck can effectively navigate sharp turns and different road grades. Autodesk Digital Prototyping software helped Perkins engineers use a 100% digital approach to create a truck capable of carrying a 400-ton payload over 750 miles.

The engineering team started with 2D sketches of the transporter created in AutoCAD. Then, they imported the files into Inventor to model them in 3D. The software helped Perkins engineers perform motion analysis and check for interferences throughout a full range of motion as the various axles turned and rotated.

The team also used Autodesk Simulation software to optimize its designs, ensuring that the transporter had only the support beams necessary to successfully distribute weight among the various axles. The stress analysis ensured that no axles were overloaded and that the truck was as strong and light as possible.

Autodesk, Inc.

www.autodesk.com

Autodesk launches AutoCAD products for the Mac OS X Lion

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Autodesk debuted three products for the Mac operating environment: AutoCAD 2012, AutoCAD LT 2012, and AutoCAD WS.

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac includes 2D and 3D tools, 3D free-form modeling, 3D visualization and rendering, network licensing, advanced customization of menus, and support for LISP, ObjectARX, and ObjectDBX.

AutoCAD LT for Mac follows common Mac application UI guidelines with an Apple menu bar with workflow-based palettes. The software supports native Mac OS X behavior including Cover Flow navigation and Multi-Touch gestures.

AutoCAD WS for Mac is a free app that provides basic tools for viewing, editing,a nd sharing designs. Through its synchronous coediting feature, uou can collaborate on designs across multiple platforms —  desktop, mobile, and web.

AutoCAD for Mac 2012 is free to students and educators through the Autodesk Education Community where more than 25 Autodesk software products are available for download.

AutoCAD for Mac 2012 and AutoCAD WS for Mac will be available worldwide August 19, 2011. AutoCAD LT for Mac will only be available in the U.S. and Canada on August 16, 2011. AutoCAD LT for Mac and AutoCAD WS for Mac will be delivered exclusively as apps on the Mac App Store.

Autodesk

www.autodesk.com

Autodesk Brings AutoCAD WS Mobile App to Android

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AutoCAD WS for Android enables an expanded group of users to enjoy the benefits of collaboration with architects, designers, and engineers from anywhere in the world and experience the freedom of taking designs with them.

Product users will experience a simplified, intuitive set of viewing, editing, and markup tools to work on designs while on the go. You can open drawings from email attachments, sync files from the web, or upload drawings directly from AutoCAD software through the integrated online tab. Drawings can also be saved locally for use in the field when an Internet connection is unavailable.

One feature is the text annotation tool that supports integrated voice commands available on devices running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or above. Now Android users can insert comments and notations on a drawing simply by speaking rather than typing them into the text edit box.

Additional feature enhancements that are available with this release include: 

  • Plot to PDF (web app only): Users can publish their DWG drawing to PDF using the free AutoCAD WS web application just as they would with AutoCAD software.
  • Anywhere Storage (web and mobile apps): In addition to the AutoCAD WS cloud, customers can now connect directly to alternate storage folders from their Android, iPad and iPhone devices, as well as through the AutoCAD WS web application. This currently includes: the Autodesk Buzzsaw service, Dropbox (through DropDAV), Microsoft SharePoint, Windows Server 2008, Box.net, MobileMe, and Egnyte, and other cloud storage providers who support the WebDAV protocol.

 

Availability: AutoCAD WS for Android will be available for download on the Android Market beginning April 20, 2011. Register and find out as soon as the download is available.

 

Autodesk

www.autodesk.com

Autodesk unveils 2012 Manufacturing software portfolio

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Autodesk, Inc. introduced its new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, including the new Autodesk Product Design Suite that makes design, visualization, and simulation software easier to adopt, use, and maintain. The complete Autodesk Digital Prototyping software portfolio helps manufacturers to design and build better, more sustainable products, reduce development costs and get to market faster.

Autodesk offers three editions of the Product Design Suite:

Product Design Suite Standard ¾ Foundational product design tools for conceptual design,  intuitive 3D surface and solid modeling, drafting and presentations, featuring AutoCAD Mechanical with Inventor Fusion, Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk SketchBook Designer, Autodesk Vault and Autodesk Mudbox software.

Product Design Suite Premium ¾ Optimized Digital Prototyping and visualization tools for maximum performance that features Standard edition tools along with Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk 3ds Max Designsoftware.

Product Design Suite Ultimate ¾ Advanced surfacing, simulation and tooling for unbeatable design quality, featuring the same tools as the Premium edition along with Autodesk Inventor Professional and Autodesk Alias Design software.

Launched in 2010 and updated this year, Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2012 is a factory layout and optimization solution that helps manufacturers make better layout decisions through the creation of a digital factory model, helping save time and money. It offers factory specific functionality in both AutoCAD Architecture and Autodesk Inventor, combined with Autodesk Navisworks’ visualization and analysis and Autodesk Vault to improve collaboration. New additions to the suite in 2012 include AutoCAD Mechanical for automating mechanical CAD tasks and 3ds Max Design and Showcase for enhancing communication and bids.

 

As a result of the strategic partnership announced in Oct. 2010, Autodesk and Granta Design Ltd. have built new design methods into Autodesk Inventor 2012 software that help designers estimate a product’s environmental impact and make more sustainable design decisions. The new Eco Materials Adviser in Inventor 2012 addresses sustainable design requirements early in the design process — when it matters most — enabling manufacturers to choose materials that minimize environmental impact without compromising on cost and performance. Powered by Granta’s expert materials database and proven sustainable design methodology, Eco Materials Adviser helps guide material selection and generates eco-impact reports so engineers can record and communicate the benefits of their sustainable design decisions.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion makes its commercial debut following its popular technology preview on Autodesk Labs. It is now included at no extra cost as a companion application to Autodesk Alias Design and Alias Automotive, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Moldflow, Autodesk Simulation and AutoCAD products. Inventor Fusion provide robust 3D modeling ease-of-use and direct modeling for rapid design changes. It also unites direct and parametric workflows within a single digital model created in Autodesk Inventor.

Along with the Autodesk Product Design Suite, each product in the Autodesk Manufacturing portfolio offers  new capabilities, spanning conceptual design, engineering, manufacturing, and technical documentation.

AutoCAD Electrical 2012 software expands its support for international standards and     now allows electrical controls designers to view, edit and share their DWG files on web browsers or mobile devices through AutoCAD WS .

AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 software now enables editing 3D models from any source with   Inventor Fusion and intelligent drawing view creation with a new model documentation feature. Also new is mobile and web viewing and editing through AutoCAD WS, so mechanical engineers can spend more time innovating.

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 visualization software enables you to demonstrate the operation of designs in real-world settings, providing seamless aggregation of CAD data and transforming digital prototypes into high-quality visuals with “push-button” rendering, cinematic-quality animation and effects and an extensive material and texture library.

Autodesk Alias 2012 products ― Alias Design, Alias Surface and Alias Automotive software ― make it easier to create accurate 3D models with Class-A surfaces and feature improvements to the technical surfacing process with modeling tools that are dramatically easier to use.

Autodesk Inventor 2012 software provides easier ways to interact with 3D mechanical design data; new opportunities for sharing, accepting and updating CAD data regardless of source and complexity; and high-impact performance and productivity improvements for both users and IT departments.

Autodesk Inventor Publisher 2012 software makes it easy to create highly visual and interactive assembly instructions, operating procedures and technical documentation from 2D and 3D CAD data. Users can publish interactive, 3D instructions in multiple formats directly to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch mobile devices.

Autodesk Moldflow 2012 software introduces new real-time injection-molding simulation functionality, enabling dynamic evaluation of a range of plastic part design alternatives in a fraction of the time it takes to perform a standard simulation, helping to pinpoint the best design more quickly.

 

Autodesk Showcase 2012 visualization software is a key element of the Product Design Suite, transforming CAD data into compelling imagery, movies, and interactive presentations to improve the design review process, secure internal buy-in and win competitive bids.

Autodesk Simulation 2012 software, previously known as Autodesk Algor Simulation, offers an all-new user interface as well as Autodesk Vault integration, introducing new revision management capabilities for easier management of design and engineering information.

Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2012 software provides digital sketching and illustration to enhance the creative process. Design professionals can export vector artwork from SketchBook Designer and bring it into Alias as curve data, transforming 2D concept sketches directly into 3D product designs.

Autodesk Vault 2012 product data management software gives workgroups across multiple locations more control over engineering data and documents from design through manufacturing, expanding its integration to additional Autodesk applications, including Navisworks, Inventor Publisher and Autodesk Simulation.

Autodesk, Inc.

www.autodesk.com