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Length: 704 pages 
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Is it Time to Overhaul Your CAD -
Computer Aided Design - Software?
By Tek Lentine
The necessity for CAD (Computer Aided Design) software is in little question by most companies today.
The
answer is, of course, heavily dependent on your industry and your customers'
needs, but many businesses overlook just how much time and money investing in
new technology or upgrading their existing technology can save them.
For many businesses, simply
upgrading the software that they currently own can create a significant boost
in productivity. Consider this, Cambashi Limited, and independent technology
research company, conducted a study in which they measured the drafting times
of designers at a leading architectural firm using both AutoCAD 2005 and
AutoCAD 2008 for identical tasks.
It was found that, on the average, tasks were performed 26% faster using AutoCAD 2008.
The ability to use digital
representations of completed parts and assemblies to validate designs can
represent a huge cost savings in both design times and quality for many
companies. Technology is the catalyst that spurs the growth and success of most
of today's best-in-class manufacturers.
CAD Drafting Software and AutoCAD -
Strange Writing on the Wall
For many years now, the CAD drafting software industry has been dominated by the a single piece of outstanding software: AutoCAD.
AutoCAD is a CAD platform
designed by Autodesk, Inc, and arguably the most-used (and most respected)
program of its kind. ~~~ AutoCAD and Competition ~~~
Rival programs have less than
50% of its drafting commands. Most importantly, competing platforms hang when
file size exceeds a few megabytes, often corrupting the data file in the
process.
For many years, Autodesk
exploited the technical superiority of AutoCAD by charging in excess of $3,000
for a single-seat license. ~~~ Recent Events ~~~
(1) Autodesk purchased Alias, a
company specialized in, among other things, high-end animation software, 'Maya'
being its flagship platform in that area
(2) Autodesk crashed the price
of AutoCAD by EIGHTY PERCENT in Asia
(3) AutoCAD has begun
downplaying AutoCAD 2D usage in its press releases
We strongly believe that AutoCAD will lower the priority of its 2D CAD drafting software development.
Animation
is used by two main market segments: their existing architectural/engineering customer
base and the media/entertainment segment.