progeCAD 2021 Release with Improved GPU Graphics

 Sydney, Australia 20 October - CADDIT Announces the release of progeCAD 2021 on CADDIT.net for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in Australia, New Zealand and surrounds for more than twelve years. progeCAD is a powerful general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package which offers very similar work environment as AutoCAD, with additional tools and  lower price. progeCAD 2021 offers multiple improvements in areas of graphics performance, interface handling and file format support. After several months of per-release field testing, CADDIT is pleased to follow our global partners with the release of this version.

progeCAD, like most CAD systems, offers both simple software CPU-driven graphics and much faster hardware GPU-driven graphics. The hardware graphics offered in progeCAD uses the common OPENGL graphics language, supported at least in part by most modern graphics cards. OPENGL compatible graphics are offered by a variety of NVIDIA and Intel GPU like NVIDIA QUADRO, NVIDIA GTX and even on-board "business graphics" offered by Intel. There are different versions of OpenGL and most modern requirements call for at least OpenGL version 4 supported by Intel HD (since Haswell, excluding older Intel "Ivy Bridge" drivers which only supported OpenGL 3). "Software" graphics on the other hand, do not use any GPU, but emulate 3D graphics instructions to the main CPU. This is an even slower than Intel HD "on board" graphics, but also a bit cheaper (although most modern PCs/laptops at least offer Intel Graphics). Which graphics are most suitable depends on job size and user situation.

Details of the updated "Graphics Performance Panel" with (1) Option to use hardware or software graphics (2) Optimization options new in progeCAD 2021  (3) Installed GPU list

 

Two new GPU optimization options are shown in 2021 Performance Options panel:

Hide small entity in block: This saves GPU bandwidth by masking the most insignificant features of block instances, hiding them as invisible. NOTE this does not affect printing, block printing is still in full detail. The job of this option is strictly to increase display efficiency.

Use Frame buffer object display system: Also new in progeCAD 2021 - this introduces dedicated memory for GPU temporary display storage as another method of optimization, commonly known as a frame buffer. As most NVIDIA cards include their own graphics memory, this option is mainly for lower-cost Intel on-board graphics which actually use system RAM for frame buffering. This will be especially useful option to enable on lower-cost laptops, Microsoft Surface Pro, etc without NVIDIA graphics but having something like the Intel UHD 5000 GPU.

progeCAD 2021 also has included a number of other new graphics optimizations for cropped and large size XREFS handling, improved realtime CONCEPTUAL and REALISTIC rendering performance, better ISOLINE display as well as optimizations for drawings with active shading. Note that a number of third party hardware options have been specifically discussed in this article to assist users with the general principles to make the best decision for their own choice of CAD hardware. A final note especially about Intel on-board "business" graphics: we have found significant performance improvement simply by updating to the latest driver version for the GPU.

progeCAD 2021 is now available for free download on CADDIT.net. CADDIT re-affirms their commitment to perpetual non-rental licensing for all progeCAD license types including simple single stand-alone PC licenses, portable USB licenses and floating network NLM licenses. We encourage users to consider the new options discussed in this article to help them in their choice to use progeCAD. Contact CADDIT Australia for more information about progeCAD or new features offered in progeCAD 2021.

AutoCAD Compatibility Improves with progeCAD 9.0.28.10 Product Release from CADDIT.net

Sydney, Australia - CADDIT announced today the Australia / New Zealand international release of progeCAD Professional 2009 9.0.28. This important upgrade offers several requested performance, reliability and DWG-compatibility enhancements. Over two months in development and testing has been invested in the release of 9.0.28. This upgrade is free to all progeCAD Professional 2009 stand-alone, network, USB and office license customers.

progeCAD is CAD design software offering many features found in Autodesk AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, at much lower cost. This includes AutoCAD DWG™ / DXF™ / DWF™ 2009 editing, 3D Google Earth Export, Spell Checker, Quick Dimension, Polar Tracking, eSnap (like oSnap™), PDF import / export, ACIS 3D solid modeling, raster to vector conversion and advanced hatching using a similar interface to AutoCAD. progeCAD has become very popular in Australia as one of the most reliable alternatives to AutoCAD for small to medium business - especially in the Australian architectural design and large mining industries.

CADDIT offers IT professionals optional direct access to local installation and technical support for their design CAD software from their Liverpool-Sydney offices in New South Wales. The latest free update for current progeCAD users was over two months in development, and includes many enhancements requested locally in Australia, including:

• Improved SAVE performances
• Fixed Text Style combo
• Fixed Layout print settings recording
• TRIM options selection fixed
• Fixed CopyClip and PasteClip between progeCAD<->AutoCAD
• Fixed block insertion point set in the BLOCK dialog
• Disabled BLOCK command during REFEDIT mode
• Fixed UNDO option in TRIM and EXTEND command, used after FENCE and CROSSING option

progeCAD 2009 users who have direct internet access and the progeSOFT autoupdate feature enabled should be notified of the upgrade automatically. progeCAD users with limited or no direct internet access to their progeCAD workstation can download the new version and install it directly over their existing 2009 installation.

Previous version IntelliCAD and AutoCAD LT users are also encouraged to try the latest progeCAD 9.0.28 release free for 30 days in full-function trial mode. German progeCAD users can visit progeCAD Deutschland for information about the latest version.

International users may download progeCAD directly from CADDIT.net and many other sites.

Chief Architect Software Shafts Resellers as "Thank You"

I have been working in CAD support for over a decade. But it's not often that I read a CAD homepage like these quotes, as of 04.10.2009, from what was once Chief Architect in Australia (original misspelling included):

"Chief Architect Inc's USA short sighted management has made the decision that in an effort to support all Chief Architect users 'more efficiently' (?) they will totally eliminate the middle men.. i.e. their remaining commercial Chief Architect dealers acoss the world, before the end of the year.. and have started the ball rolling by terminating the contracts of Gordon McDermott and his dedicated team at BayCAD in New Zealand.. and of course ourselves here at Chief Australia.

May we however suggest that you read between the lines, and instead of the words 'more efficently' substitute.. 'now we'll be able to have ALL of the income from sales and support internationally.. not just the major portion of it'.

From a personal point of view.. we have spent thirteen years building up this business, and dedicated it almost exclusively to the sale and support of Chief Architect software. It has now just been totally destroyed by Chief Architect Inc with only 60 days notice.. notice initally delivered by email no less! So now we're all unemployed!...

Interestingly, there has been no contact with us at all from Greg Wells, the President of Chief Architect.. not a quick phone call offering a word of thanks, no golden handshake (God forbid).. or even so much a letter of appreciation for our years of hard work in establishing and building Chief Architect's user base here in Australia.. just a single sentence in an email that they sent out to our customers.

So on behalf of our loyal Australian users we'd just like to say..

Thanks for nothing Chief Architect!"

WOW.

I wasn't actually surprised by the story, had already heard it from another former reseller. And although this kind of disloyalty disgusts me, it doesn't necessarily surprise me either. I find the apparent ingratitude from Chief Architect USA somewhat bold. But I would be surprised if a seasoned mid range CAD developer would really be so out of touch and so naive to believe that many will continue paying an Aussie-four-grand for an engineering package that doesn't offer local support. I guess time will tell what they really have in mind...

Free Machinists CNC Training Videos for PartMaster

Dolphin PartMaster is low cost CNC machinists software for milling, lathe turning and wire EDM which is supported and sold by CADDIT. This web page includes a number of video CAD CAM tutorials from the manufacturer.

Industry CNC machinists, educators and universities alike will now benefit from a completely new manufacturer CNC information website from PartMaster for training. The site includes new videos demonstrating CAD, CAM CNC milling tutorials, lathe, wire EDM and 3D CAM. Full personal online training will also be offered shortly.

The new videos include numerous practical examples of using PartMaster Level 1 2 and 3 software to create Text Engraving, Face Milling , Thread milling, Contouring and more. PartMaster has a variety of applications for tooling, CNC water jet, flame and laser cutting, wood and furniture manufacturing and electronics.

CADDIT continues to support and sell PartMaster at a special price to the Asia Pacific region. For AutoCAD users, CADDIT has also developed a live interface between progeCAD advanced IntelliCAD and PartMaster. Users can select entities to be machined from any AutoCAD DWG or DXF file and choose to import those directly into either PartMaster CAD for further preprocessing or PartMaster CAM mill lathe or EDM. There is also a video tutorial of our progeCAM bundle on YouTube.

VariCAD 2008 3.0 3D Mechanical Design CAD Released

The cross-platform Windows-Linux CAD for 3D mechanical design has released 2008 version 3.0. VariCAD is ideal for machine, jig, fixture and small project design.

New Features Include:
- Implementation of Unicode. The new version supports using fonts from anotherlanguages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Russian etc.) and special characters.
- Improved DWG/DXF file compatibility
- More convenient system settings
- Improvements in BOM
- and more

VariCAD can be downloaded an used free for 30 days before buying a license HERE. Please contact CADDIT with questions regarding this CAD program.

T-FLEX Educational CAD CAM and Free Student Software Program

T-FLEX CAD CAM is a PLM software solution for industry, machinists, marine and vehicle system product design. T-FLEX offers integrated free-form/parametric modelling, FEA, kinematics simulation and CNC manufacturing for mult-axis milling, lathe, wire EDM, flame- and laser-cutting, punching, drilling and more. It also features a full set of sheet metal tools and an large 2D and 3D standard parts library of nuts and bolts, etc. Users can create their own custom part templates and feature definition windows to increase engineering efficiency even more. Functionality of the T-FLEX CAD system rivals far more expensive platforms like Pro Engineer, Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, and Solid Edge.

This impressive suite of integrated CAD CAM solutions is available to schools and universities even lower cost than its already-affordable commercial price. This program allows schools, TAFE and universities to bring innovative parametric 2D drafting and 3D modeling technology directly into their classrooms. Applicants should send CADDIT a message HERE with description of their engineering, engineering technology, or design program and an overview of how they will use T-FLEX CAD in their curriculum. We will reply with further details.

CADDIT is also very pleased to remind individual student users of our FREE 3D CAD STUDENT VERSION. Of course, it is illegal to use T-FLEX CAD Student Edition or Educational license for commercial purposes. When you download and install T-FLEX CAD Student Edition you have 30 days to register the product, for free! After that there is no time limit on its usage. Technical support on the product is not provided. Students wanting T-FLEX student version may download CAD software HERE.

Limitations of the T-FLEX CAD student version (important):

• File format is incompatible with the commercial release. Files saved in T-FLEX CAD Student Edition cannot be opened in commercial T-FLEX CAD with the exception of special Academic license provided only to the certified academic institutions. Academic license allows opening documents from T-FLEX CAD Student Edition but cannot convert them to the format of commercial T-FLEX CAD.
• Printing capabilities are limited. Most of customizations options are not available, printing page size is limited to A4 format, special text is printed on the border.
• Limited export/import functions. Export is limited to bitmap formats; import of Parasolid format is not available.
• BOM is not supported.
• Document protection control functionality is not accessible.
• Integration with T-FLEX DOCs software is not supported.
• Finite Elements Analysis results are limited.
• Parasolid models insertion is disabled.
• External add-on applications based on T-FLEX Open API are not supported.
• "Technical Support" command is not available.
• Fragments "detailing" feature is disabled.
• Animation screen play command is switched off.

More information about how T-FLEX CAD CAM can work for business, schools or students is available on our CAD software website or by contacting:

Will Autodesk Moldflow Merger Help Plastic Simulation Software Users?

On June 25 2008 Autodesk, Inc.(Nasdaq: ADSK) completed its acquisition of Moldflow Corporation, partly made possible by means of "Autodesk's existing revolving credit facility with Citibank N.A." What the press release didn't mention was the removal of several directors from the Moldflow board. Not Autodesk's. Of course not. And now I am guessing that "merger" is the psychologically-correct way of saying "takeover"... a way that doesn't make end users want to run away quite so fast. Like the "merger" of Cimmatron and GibbsCAM, right?

Autodesk mentions a "Safe Harbour" statement as part of their press release concerning "the impact of the acquisition on Autodesk's earnings per share, business performance and product offerings; Autodesk's commitments to Moldflow customers; and the impact of the combined product capabilities." One always wonders if and how the working class end user will benefit. On one positive side, it could result in some free version release similar to Maya. No doubt Inventor will enjoy enhanced integration, but will other platform users (i.e. SolidWorks) continue to enjoy the same benefit?

VariCAD 2008 2.0 3D CAD Design Software Released

Today VariCAD announced the release of VariCAD 2008 2.0. Here is what is new in this release:

- It is available in both 32 and 64-bit versions
- 2D drawing editor works also in 3D space, which is especially important for editing solid profiles and creation of new solids using profile rotation, extrusion, etc.
- 2D drawing in 3D works also with access to 3D solids
- Improvements in 2D drawing
- Improvements in working with colors and color settings
- Improvements in 3D display and objects selection
- And more

VariCAD can also be downloaded free from CADDIT. Linux and Windows versions may be purchased from the CADDIT CADstore.

T-FLEX CAD CAM Short Solid Modeling Demo

T-FLEX hybrid freeform parametric 3D product and assembly design software offers maximum flexibility with an easy-to-use interface. This is our first in an upcoming series of T-FLEX CAD CAM Introductory design videos on YouTube. 8 minutes. More information about T-FLEX CAD CAM is available from CADDIT.

T-FLEX CAD CAM Requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 Runtime

It is possible after installing T-FLEX CAD CAM to experience the error when starting T-FLEX that the application has "terminated unexpectedly". One reason this could occur is if the computer is missing the Microsoft .NET 2.0 runtime.

The .NET framework is not a T-FLEX specific program. It is an optional (and commonly used) part of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The CADDIT T-FLEX CAD installer doesn't actually install this runtime automatically because most users probably already have it installed. But they must install it if they don't already have it.

Here is one trick to get it. The .NET 2.0 installer is actually included in the CADDIT T-FLEX installer's download package. Look for the "NetfxSetup" folder inside the temporary directory into which the CADDIT installer unpacks itself and then runs. Run "dotnetfx20.exe" for 32-bit XP or "NetFx64.exe" for 64 bit machines.

Alternatively, you can always download it direct from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856EACB-4362-4B0D-8EDD-AAB15C5E04F5&displaylang=en

Once more: users are reminded to have the Microsoft .NET 2.0 runtime installed before installing T-FLEX CAD CAM 11.x.

CADDIT Marketing Receives Praise from a Competitor

We don't normally do this. But I had to laugh when I saw the newest content ad from ailing Chinese IntelliCAD vendor, ZWCAD. Maybe because they targeted a market outside Australia, they thought we wouldn't see it here in Sydney?

Some background: CADDIT Asia-Pacific has been successfully raising awareness about a robust, low-cost AutoCAD Clone Software called progeCAD. One of the messages they have been doing this with for several months now is a paid image ad. This is our ad in question:

They say that imitation is the greatest flattery? Well, here is the new ad from Chinese competitor ZWCAD (RM stands for Malaysian Ringgit, btw):

We first saw this ad at http://www.neofame.com.my/store291007/index.php . It looks like movies, software and patents aren't the the only thing the Chinese like to pirate :). Judge for yourself.

T-Flex CAD CAM Software Launched in Australia

The rumours are true. T-Flex is finally here.

What is T-Flex? High-end hybrid parametric solid and surface modeling CAD CAM software. Many of the features somewhat resemble Pro Engineer. T-Flex CAD comes bundled with basic FEA and motion simulation and kinematic study for assemblies. Sketches are defined by either outlining or hatching vector construction entities, much the way a board draftsman darkens (HB) lines from his much lighter draft strokes (6H).

But don't let the simplicity fool you! T-Flex CAD CAM has been used to develop entire factories and transport systems. It's hybrid modeling abilities allow free-form changes to be made on parametric solids or surfaces, and these free-form changes can then themselves be changed parametrically from the model history. Coupled with an extensive standard parts library and included simulation and FEA, T-Flex is a complete engineering platform.

T-Flex CAD costs a fraction of what competitive systems do. CADDIT as further reduced the T-Flex price for a limited time as part of the product launch in Australia and New Zealand. It can be downloaded and tested free from the CADDIT T-Flex Page.


Read the entire CADDIT T-Flex press release here.

2008 CAD Software Market Still Hot, Innovation Continues

15% seems to be the magic number for the CAD software industry this year. Jon Peddie Reseach, a US based research group, predicts 15% growth in the CAD software market for 2008. This is due partially to changing technologies and a continued shift toward mid-range systems.

Cambashi engineering and enterprise IT applications market research and analysis consultants in the UK confirm the 15% for 2008 but predict a slowdown thereafter.

The job market for the same sector is not so strong, but this is nothing new. Concerns about finding emloyement as a draftsman or design engineer recycle themselves every seven years or so. But new International and Asian service competition adds to the uncertainty. Engineering students are thus being encouraged to fortify their skillset with related qualifications in manufacturing and applied sciences.

See http://www.jonpeddie.com/about/press/2008/CAD-industry-to-maintain-growth.shtml
See http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BLL/is_8_21/ai_n9484078