"Foreign DWG File" Scare Tactic from Autodesk?

AutoCAD 2010 users might see this "Trusted DWG" message box when opening DWG file created in progeCAD:

See it? Looking scary ..almost like an anti-virus warning? But read closer: "This file was saved by an application that was not developed or licensed by Autodesk." Well, duh... We knew that already. So why the big warning? Have a wild guess, then read here.

Now our concern changes from what was "bad file warning" to "how do I stop this idiot box from opening every time I open a file from progeCAD?" The answer in AutoCAD 2010 is simple: either click the little check box at the bottom which says "Always open DWG files regardless of origin" or disable "Open - Foreign DWG file" in the System "Hidden Message Settings" - it amounts to the same thing.

progeCAD is a low-cost compliment for AutoCAD users to reliably create, edit and print AutoCAD files without the high cost of AutoCAD software. A free 30 trial of progeCAD may be downloaded HERE.

Free Fonts for CAD and Graphic Design

Wikipedia defines font (also fount) as "traditionally defined as a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface". Good use of fonts can help accomplish goals like making ideas stand out tastefully, making content clear and easy to read or translating information in another language. There are three major font categories: bitmap, outline and stroked. TrueType fonts (originally developed by Apple) and Postscript Type 1 (developed earlier by Adobe) are examples of bézier vector outline type fonts.

Scalable vector outline and stroked fonts usually offer the best results in modern design. During the mid 90s fonts cost about $40 for a single face, but needed to be purchased in packages. Today there are many sources where usable fonts can be downloaded for free. Here is a list of some links for these...

Showfont.net is a site written in frames offering free TrueType fonts and previews, organized alphabetically and downloaded free after verifying the captcha image. Handy for some unusual themes and logos.

http://www.betterfonts.com/ offers many of the same fonts, presented differently with no captcha check. http://www.creamundo.com/en/ is similar but also offers web pages in Spanish.
http://www.searchfreefonts.com/ has a large collection including many varieties of standard typefaces like Swiss 721 and Arial.

Specific to CAD, there are several sites for downloading AutoCAD SHX fonts:

• CRCweb/RAND still hosts several free SHX fonts and hatch patterns HERE.
• There are a few AutoCAD fonts on cadforum.cz HERE
• FreeCADapps still hosts the 19-font pack acadfont.zip HERE
• CBEN.net has a small selection of free CAD fonts.

These are just a few of the resources available, we are sure there is more. Feel free to add you favorite site to the list in the comments below.

Does Google Abuse Position to Promote Their "CAD" Software?

I am not sure how many follow the PageRank™ system that Google uses for 'assigning a numerical weight (of importance) to a web page'. For some time now Google has been assigning Sketchup.com a higher PageRank(PR 8) than Autodesk.com(PR 7). Could Sketchup.com possibly be a more important resource on the web than Autodesk.com?

According to most web traffic indexes, Sketchup.com doesn't receive a small fraction of the traffic which autodesk.com gets. Autodesk.com is also a much older site than sketchup.com. By Google's own index, Autodesk product names are searched several times more than "Sketchup" as a key word. Most of those searches are strictly related to Google free version of Sketchup. Sales of Professional version of Sketchup don't actually surpass Autodesk - not by a long shot. But Google does happen to own Sketchup.

Here's the problem. I think Google doesn't actually know much (or care) about CAD software, much less the needs of engineers and architects who use it. Some people (like myself) wouldn't even consider the free version of Sketchup to actually be a true CAD program. Yet Google PageRank seems to assume the position that this brand is arbitrarily more important, somehow more significant, more useful than any other CAD resource on the web. This artificial manipulation of "significance" influences the results people see when they search for terms like "CAD".

Is this what happens when a large company in control of a large infrastructure uses that position to cross-promote unrelated products from other sectors? Google could just as easily buy an accounting package tomorrow, brand it as Google something and suddenly their site has PR 8. Just like that.

It's probably true that Sketchup is a significant product, as many use the free version for creating buildings and other features in Google Earth. Other CAD programs, including AutoCAD and progeCAD can do this as well BTW. But would anyone besides Google consider the site (and by natural connection, the product) more significant than ALL other CAD software sites?