CAD

[Ivor Hewitt]

Brian wrote:
> 
> Not subscribed.
> 
> Currently using Konq 3.5 on Suse 9.2 and 10
> 
> My thoughts on CAD on the Linux Platform.
> 
> The CAD industry is stuck with it's head up its collective backside. 
> What more can you say ? They have incredible beligerence in supporting 
> alternative platforms and seem to be colluding to keep others out. Why 
> else is it so difficult to view our CAD files on our Linux boxen ?
> 
> Is it possible for us to improve Knoquerors handling of CAD files ? For 
> example could we develop a series of good icons to represent established 
> file formats like Autocad, Solid Works, IGES, STEP, ..... and others. 
> This would enable us to quickly identify CAD files and display them in a 
> nice konqueror window.
> 
> The Open DWG Alliance does have a linux product to view CAD files. It 
> has a very onerous membership, requiring signed documents etc, before 
> members can download libraries for their lx-viewer. Does KDE or Konq 
> have any incorporated bodies that could apply for and use these 
> libraries to display Autocad files ? Membership is free.
> 
> CAD is only on of several big software industries that Konqueror will 
> encounter. Needless to say they have thousands of lisences generating 
> many thousands of files daily. It would be an important step for 
> Konqueror to incorporate some ideas for recognising CAD files in a more 
> formal way.

Perhaps the bigger problem is lack of open source CAD software for Linux 
in general.

Onto your specific points the OpenDWG alliance seems pointless for 
opensource projects and seems like quite a strange beast.
Reading the terms you are correct it's free to join but you can't 
distribute any software you develop... there are higher levels of 
membership but these imply that you can only produce "commercial" 
software and the more copies you distribute the more you pay.
Doesn't seem particularly "Open", just another example of tacking the 
word open onto a name for positive spin?

On the other hand producing a DXF viewer isn't hard (I wrote one already 
about 10 years ago), there must be a decent one for KDE somewhere?
and that would fulfill the requirements of being able to view CAD 
drawing produced by governments or distributed by firms.. after all 
people rarely distribute DWG files, for the simple reason that no-one 
can read them.

What is needed for the longer term is an initiative to produce a quality 
  open-source CAD system, a much larger task that would probably require 
the backing of someone with a vested interest in such a goal - such as 
from a  government or large manufacturer.

Regards,
-- 
Ivor
http://www.ivor.it