upFront.eZine 1,086: CAD Trends as Real Changes -- or Marketing Hype
Ken Versprille's opinions on CAD trends
The Business of CAD | 8 March 2021
Recorded by Ralph Grabowski
CIMdata held an online seminar to talk about CAD trends in 2021. At least, that's what I signed up for. The subtitle has been "Real Change or Marketing Hype?"
By the day the seminar began, however, the title had changed to “A Totally Subjective View of CAD Technology Trends.” That was okay, because we still got to hear Ken Versprille’s opinions on CAD trends, and whether they really are trends in CAD.
Understanding CAD trends is important today, because they will affect most CAD systems into the future.
- - -
Ken Versprille distinguishes between trends in CAD by asking, “Is it a CAD trend, or a software trend in general?” To be a legitimate trend, it should last more than a year, and it should change the internals of CAD, such as its file format or technology, or how the operator interacts with the software.
A search of the Internet showed Mr Versprille a half-dozen topics considered by other commentators to be CAD trends as shown in the figure below. The white box lists the trends that he discussed in the seminar.
Generative Design
A maybe-trend. On the one hand, it is not a trend because it simply automates the loop of how CAD has always operated: design -> analyze -> design -> analyze. On the other hand, it is a trend, because of the way it allows mesh and solid geometry to work together, which is a CAD trend being worked on by Spatial in ACIS and Siemens in ParaSolids.
CAD on the Cloud
No, not a trend: it is more of a software trend than a CAD-specific one.
SaaS
No. Software as a service is just like desktop CAD but with subscription fees; it is a software trend.
MobileCAD
No, for the same reason as SaaS: it is a software trend.
IoT
No. Internet of things is more of a PLM [product lifecycle management] trend than a CAD trend, but this may change in the future if IoT were to be integrated into CAD.
Model-based Definition
Yes: while MBD can be seen as simply applying GT&D [geometric tolerance and dimensioning] to 3D models (so as to annotate 3D models instead of 2D drawings), it does change how designers interact with CAD models, and it causes the internal CAD data structures to change.
AI/Machine Learning
Yes. Artificial intelligence is logic added to CAD, such as improved feature recognition, prediction of next steps, and predictive selection.
Integrated Development Platform
No, because it is a PLM trend. There is no change in the way CAD works when part of an IDP system. See figure below.
Visualization, VR, AR
Maybe. There was a massive focus on the three ever since covid began. They do change the way the operator interacts with CAD software, but they do not change the way CAD itself operates.
Functional Geometry
Yes, because it creates model geometry from equations and logic.
Q&A
Q: I don’t think we should lump mobileCAD with cloudCAD, because mobileCAD works offline.
Ken Versprille: To me, mobile and cloud CAD are technologies which are the same at their foundation, whether on desktop, cloud, or mobile. It is a technology-shift, not a CAD-shift.
Q: Is cloudCAD scalable?
Versprille: Definitely, although it may become cost-prohibitive, such as paying for going from ten CPUs to 20,000 CPUs.
Ralph Grabowski: CloudCAD is more difficult to implement than other kinds of software.
Versprille: I don’t think so, although CAD has some unique challenges that are different from regular software. Programmers of regular cloud software would have problems switching to programming cloudCAD, but programmers steeped in CAD would not. They have to pay attention to multi-threading and so on.
Q: SaaS for CAD is probably early days, with limited numbers of users.
Versprille: Autodesk and PTC are leaders in it, and actually are doing very well with SaaS. You can blame Microsoft for it!
Q: Does the definition of generative design include convergent modeling?
Versprille: Yes. I see a lot of possibilities for convergent modeling [where the software arrives at a design solution thru iterations], more so than for generative design [which optimizes a design for maximum strength and minimum material].
Q: IoT and AM have been trending on CAD for some time.
Versprille: I have not seen IoT on CAD.
Every example of additive manufacturing (AM) is coming out of generative design, which creates designs that cannot be made by subtractive manufacturing. This is why generative design is popular again after having been invented 30 years ago.
Grabowski: Functional geometry has been around a long time, such as with Grasshopper.
Versprille: That is something outside of CAD, just as there is a lot of math software that can be used with CAD.
Q: How is functional geometry different from knowledge templates?
Versprille: It comes down to ease of use. Vendors who had it ten years ago never saw a big up-take in knowledge applications. What is new is the way it is being implemented [by firms like Siemens and Dassault], in being able to program it by putting together logic blocks, without having to know how to program.
Q: What do you think about integrating simulation with CAD?
Versprille: I think it is great! Simulation should drive CAD modeling, not the other way around. It was not possible in the past, but now it is starting to happen.
Q: Is PLM dead? Will CAD survive?
Versprille: I don’t know that PLM is dead, but CAD will survive. I learned 2D drafting and it will survive for another couple of centuries!
Q: Will we continue with a hybrid system of desktop and cloudCAD?
Versprille: We will, for quite a while. With the pandemic, cloudCAD has come into play due to working from home. People get around it by creating private clouds, but we have to solve the security problem.
Q: Is shape-search a CAD trend?
Versprille: No.I think it is a CAD application. It is an add-on to CAD, and does not change CAD per se. (I define CAD as authoring 3D models.)
Q: What about integrating PLM with CAD on the cloud?
Versprille: What about it? PLM is on the cloud, and it is integrated with CAD.
Q: Any trends specific to ECAD?
Versprille: No really, but I am not an expert in ECAD [electrical design CAD].
Q: Why do companies pay for [externally-developed] CAD? Do you see any other business models out there?
Versprille: Not right now, other than SaaS, such as some airlines no longer buying jet engines but paying for their use.
It is very difficult for a company to develop its own CAD system [so as to not pay for CAD]. We see spin-offs concentrating on one area, like shoe design and clothes design -- they are trying to narrow the demands that are pulling them in different directions. It can be difficult to find programmers who know how to write a certain kind of CAD function, and then they might not be able to sell enough to pay for the effort.
Q: What is the distinguishing factor for CAD systems that follow trends?
Versprille: They all follow trends, so the factor is in how they implement them. All CAD systems have a common base; it is the unique differences that make a CAD product stand out. There are different types of customers -- large, small -- to whom CAD vendors cater to, for either better or worse.
Q: Is there something that you see as a future CAD trend?
Versprille: We are constantly looking out there for something that is coming. Things are swirling around with the cloud and other things, but nothing is jumping out at me that is revolutionary. We’ll keep looking for it.
- - -
The slide deck (PDF) of this talk is available from cimdata.com/images/Webinars/CIMdata_Webinar_CAD_Trends_2021.pdf
The seminar can be replayed from register.gotowebinar.com/recording/2252568784946569743 (registration required).
- - -
Ken Versprille is with CIMdata, was formerly with ComputerVision, and was the first to publish a description of NURBS — the non-uniform rational b-spline used by most CAD systems today.
== 3D Conversion of Ultra-Massive 3D Models
via DWF-3D & Okino’s PolyTrans|CAD ==
One of the most refined aspects of Okino’s PolyTrans|CAD software is in transforming ultra-massive MCAD models of oil and gas rigs, LNG processing plants, 3D factories, and other unwieldy datasets into Cinema-4D, 3ds Max, Maya, and Unity (among others).
What often takes days using blindly incorrect methods takes minutes or an hour with Okino’s well-defined optimization and compression methods using its DWF-3D conversion system.
Popular CAD data sources include SolidWorks, ProE/Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, DGN, IGES, STEP, Parasolid, and JT. DCC data sources are Cinema-4D, 3ds Max, Maya, FBX/Collada, and many more.
Perfected over three decades, we know 3D data translation intimately, providing you with highly personalized solutions, education, and communication. Contact CTO Robert Lansdale at lansd@okino.com.
And in Other News
The Maxon division of Nemetschek Group acquires forger 3D sculpting app, which runs only Apple’s portable devices. “We look forward to exploring what more it can bring to our users,” the company said. forger.app/features/
- - -
Design Master Software celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. The firm, launched by three brothers, focuses on electrical and HVAC design add-ons for Revit. During the 2010s, the firm ran an annual survey of users that found MEP use in Revit did not increase during the decade, confounding experts. designmaster.biz/blog/2021/03/design-master-software-celebrates-20-years/
- - -
Enscape 3.0 from Enscape renders CAD models in real-time. New functions include access to commands in full-screen mode, timeline view for the video editor, more accurate mirror materials, and better support for Vectorworks and other CAD programs.
The 14-day demo version can be downloaded from enscape3d.com/latest-version (after registration). By subscription only; free for students.
- - -
Here are some posts that appeared on my WorldCAD Access blog:
Tutorial: Upgrading an old PC to the HDMI era
Them good ol’ days: Worst hardware design ever
You can subscribe to the WorldCAD Access blog’s RSS feed through Feed Burner at feeds.feedburner.com/WorldcadAccess.
Letters to the Editor
You might want to fix ‘upFront.eZine Archvies’ on your Web site:
- Dik Coates
The editor replies: Thank you for catching that. It should read ‘Anchovies’.
Re: Autodesk Wants to Kill the File
Take a look at the isicad.ru cover for February; it corresponds to your article about Autodesk killing files.
The cover’s Russian title translates something like “Files -- Into the Furnace!”
- David Levin, isicad
- - -
You have gotten loads of emails regarding Autodesk’s desire to “kill the file.” Astonishingly, almost all of them completely miss the point. My thoughts on Autodesk’s wish to kill off discrete files: GOOD, and it’s about freakin’ time!
What they are envisioning is a standard client-server solution, which is nothing new; it’s just driven by Forge, which kinda is. But the concept is tried and true: the database backend feeds the light and heavy apps to the client end.
Anyone who has used Outlook fed from an Exchange Server stuck in the IT closet is intimately familiar with the concept, even if they don’t know it. I would hope Autodesk is moving to something similar.
However, instead of making it completely cloud-based, it does need a purely locally-hosted option, or one where data can be freely segregated and assigned to the combination of cloud and local servers. Revizto follows this model pretty well.
Cloud-only solutions will kill the initiative for organizations who cannot use cloud-based solutions (for whatever reason) or who simply opt not to do so. As we have recently witnessed with Parler, it can be a losing proposition having your entire company’s livelihood dependent on the pleasure of Amazon, Microsoft, or whoever is hosting it.
Contrary to popular belief, there are folks who want and/or need to truly own their own data, and not be beholden to a dopey Internet connection to keep their business alive. They understand that hosting the heavy data usage requirements associated with AEC and other design markets on the cloud is like sucking the ocean through a straw.
Ask any cryptocurrency miner: building out a decent localized data center to process and host server data is relatively cheap and has been done well for a long time now. There are plenty of specialized server tools which can really accelerate data-crunching roles. Just like the Bitcoin guys, one can easily envision BIM-centric ASICs [application specific integrated circuits] built by Intel, nVidia, AMD, and so on.
The benefits of getting rid of files are many, but one that never gets talked about is simple data assurance. Solutions like Microsoft Exchange are transactional in nature. As you make changes at the client end, those transactions are recorded, registered, and threaded at the server to be merged into the central database as load allows.
Databases are constantly fed, maintained, and cleaned by the server. If a server or client crashes, the database transaction logs are simply played back to make the database whole again. Apply this concept to any Autodesk solution: you don’t have to save “files,” because the changes are always being recorded and committed. You never have to worry about having an app crash and losing potentially hours of work. This, after all, is Autodesk, so app crashes will still happen, they will just be a lot more benign.
But more importantly, client apps are decoupled from the data itself, so innovative apps on any platform can present data in various ways and provide specialized clarity. Or course, the data can always be exported to old-skool files for those still living in the 18th century.
To everyone who says, “Even though Autodesk isn’t using files, they’re still using files!” it’s time to grow up. Of course, as with email, you still have files that are created, consumed, and leveraged by the database. The difference is that you don’t have to worry about where they physically are, or whether IT has installed the correct client software (and version!) to interact with them, permissions, corruption, etc. They simply live within the database and are fed to the client(s) as required.
The nice thing is that multiple people can now interact with these beloved “files” at the same time, thus improving collaboration. They are stored only once, instead of having disparate copies strewn about the Wild West that is the dozens of workstation silos that stretch across your organization. Which do not get backed up.
- Matt Stachoni
Re: What BricsCAD Offers MCAD Users
You state that a user needs a BricsCAD Pro version first and only then they can buy a BIM or a Mechanical “module.” This is incorrect. BricsCAD Mechanical can be bought stand-alone. In fact the verticals BIM and Mechanical can be bought as stand alone, see bricsys.com/en-intl/store/bricscad.
Only Communicator requires a BricsCAD license as this is an add-on.
-Sander Scheiris, global marketing director
Bricsys
Re: Why Apple is taking on Facebook
I have always disliked Apple with its exclusive environment and very pricey products, but when it came to migrate from my Blackberry Z10 (which is still working as a second phone line!) I chose Apple over Android simply because of Apple’s commitment to privacy and vetted apps vs. Google’s data-sucking industrial soul.
- Dairobi Paul (via WorldCAD Access)
Spin Doctor of the Moment
“Together, we expect these actions will help us to optimize the business by reducing the number of unprofitable customers.”
- Enrique Lores, ceo, HP
Thank You, Readers
Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine:
R&B (Models) Ltd., Israel: “Thanks for the weekly updates.”
To support upFront.eZine through PayPal.me, then I suggest the following amounts:
$25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25
$150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150
$750 for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/750
Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, go to www.paypal.com and then use the account of grabowski@telus.net.
Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.
Contact!
upFront.eZine is published most Mondays. This newsletter is read by 4,700 subscribers in 70 countries. Read our back issues at www.upfrontezine.com.
Editor: Ralph Grabowski
Copy editor: Heather MacKenzie
Letter the editor are welcome at grabowski@telus.net. All letters sent to the editor are subject to publication, and may be edited for clarity and brevity.
Advertising starts at US$340 per two weeks. Download the media kit from upFront-Media-Kit.pdf. Contact grabowski@telus.net to discuss advertising.
To subscribe, click this link to sign up with with our mailer, Substack.
To change your address, send both your old and new email addresses to me at grabowski@telus.net.
To unsubscribe, click the Unsubscribe link at the end of this newsletter.
*4758
About
Copyright © 2021 by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Legal. All trademarks belong to their respective holders. “upFront.eZine,” “The Business of CAD,” “WorldCAD Access,” and “eBooks.onLine” are trademarks of upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. Translations and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. By accessing this newsletter in any manner, you agree to settle disputes by arbitration within the city limits of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada with the arbitrator selected by upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd.
Our mailing address:
upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd.
34486 Donlyn Avenue
Abbotsford BC
V2S 4W7