Open DWG Alliance

From: Andrzejewski, Jan (jan_andrzejewski@peragroup.com)
Date: Thu Feb 12 1998 - 19:56:00 EET


I notice one important company is not included in the alliance, Autodesk
itself.

It was not long ago that an attempt to make DXF an international standard
but Autodesk rejected to loose their independence to change DXF for their
own benefit.

What's to stop them changing the DWG format with their next RADICAL version
of Autocad, with wonderful enhancements except of course a STEP compliant
data exchange interface or will they?

STEP data translation will focus on the limitations of the CAD packages that
are wanting to talk to each other ( ie single precision and double
precision, low polynomial surfaces and high polynomial surfaces, process
tolerances etc. ) so the trend so far is that CAD packages with very good
functionality
are developing STEP translators or even having a STEP compliant data base
and the cheap and cheerful packages are wanting something else. (bless em)

Could Autodesk users out there tell me when their software service
providers intend to develop a STEP export option.

It would help us with one of our projects if ALL CAD users out their in
RP-ML land could let me know when they intend to have STEP part 42
geometric and topological representation export capabilities.

a simple reply like the one below for what is available now and ( when it
may be )

Cad ? IGES yes STEP part 42 no ( yes qtr 3 1999 ) STL yes

summary of responses WILL be posted not like some user ( That'll be the
...'Some Car Company' )

The CAD vendors we use are committed to native STEP database implementation
and our goal is to utilise topologically correct and validated CAD geometry
in native STEP format together with a direct adaptive slicing algorithm to a
metal RM machine.

Jan Andrzejewski
RP Operations Manager
Pera

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



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