Category Archives: News

eDrawing Viewer

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If you need to send a *.dwg file to someone who doesn’t have AutoCAD loaded on their system, you can download the bloated, official, DWG TrueView from AutoDesk which weighs in at 109 Megabytes. Or, you could go and get eDrawingsViewer which may not have such a wonderful interface but will get your work done perfectly well. It reads almost any version of *.dwg files and supports paper-space too.

Like [[drawing gateway]], this product too is created by SolidWorks who seem to be targeting the leader’s high-priced software in their quest for a share of the market.
http://www.edrawingsviewer.com/
~6 Megabytes

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IrfanView

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I’ve been using this simple and straightforward viewer for as long as I can remember and it just keeps getting better. It can open and print almost any image file I throw at it – and I’ve thrown quite a few over the years. As if that’s not enough, it has a plugin system to extend it’s capabilities (some of the plugins are not free).

« Must Have »

http://www.irfanview.com/
~900 kilobytes

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Drawing Gateway

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If you’re using a slightly old version of AutoCAD, you’ll find yourself cursing those who send you drawings in the latest format because they won’t open properly on your system. Clean up your language – DwgGateway is here to help. It can open and save-as from and to just about any version of *.dwg files.

Lest you think this is the work of some frustrated guy who can’t afford the latest from AutoDesk, think again. DwgGateway comes to you from SolidWorks who probably feel that if you can’t beat the giants, you can at least be a thorn in their flesh.

Oh, and while this is a Must Have software, please don’t get excited about its PDF writing capabilities – they’re nothing to write home about.
http://www.dwggateway.com/

EDIT: This software seems no longer available from SolidWorks although there seems to be a similar download available here that claims to have been recently updated.

Alternatively, you might want to download DraftSight which is a free 2D CAD software for Windows, Mac and Linux and can save further back than AutoCAD itself.

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Sketchup – Along Came a Spider

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We all know (didn’t you?) that Google had quietly bought Sketchup just over month ago. What we didn’t know was how soon they would come up with a free version of the $500 software.

Answer: They released it today without any fanfare or announcement – at least that I have seen! What’s more, they’ve come up with this thing called 3D warehouse which is a place you can share your creations with the rest of the world. Get ready for a lot of junk, of course as everyone and his uncle decides to get altruistic. Still, there’s bound to be two grains of wheat in two bushels of chaff and since it uses tags and there’s a search engine built-in, I guess, we won’t find it that tough.

http://sketchup.google.com/
~19 Megabytes

:: Full Announcement ::

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ProgeCAD

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This is a freeware and light version of the software based on IntelliCAD. It reads and writes *.dwg files natively and has no file-size limitations like some other packages. The Pro version naturally has more features and the handling of paperspace leaves something to be desired, but all in all, you can’t complain at this price.

http://www.progecad.com/
~60 Megabytes

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Loading Archicad

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After being chased by the vendors, I finally bit the bullet and purchased Archicad 9.0 from Adroitec almost a year after seeing the demo. If it makes as much difference to my productivity as I hope it will, then it’s definitely worth the price. Graphisoft’s agents are selling it at a lower rate in India because the purchasing power of the rupee doesn’t exactly match the dollar or the euro.

Next up I have to start looking at plugins and GDL objects. Goodbye 2D CAD.

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Greenwashing

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More and more people both, architects and material suppliers, are jumping onto the “green architecture” bandwagon but how many practices really follow any sort of eco-principles. Just calling something green doesn’t necessarily make it so.

The term “greenwashing” has entered the lexicon to mean giving the appearance of being green without providing substantive environmental benefit.

Full Article from ArchitectureWeek

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