A collection of notes, ideas, and pictures
Let's be honest: the CAD world is boring. I read CAD blogs and news every single day (using Novedge Pulse), and I rarely find something really exciting. In this market, technological improvements are very gradual and real breakthroughs happen only once in a decade. Also, the adoption of new technologies in the design and manufacturing process is... Continue Reading →
Novedge recently added a section at the bottom of each page of its website providing a space where visitors and customers can leave comments sharing their opinions and experiences. The tools that allowed us to implement this service are provided by Disqus, a new startup located in San Francisco, just a few blocks from Novedge headquarters. Disqus has... Continue Reading →
When buying a CAD product most of us consider many factors, such as the list of features, the price, the platform, the level of integration between programs our clients and customers are already using, and so on. While we may not realize it, many times we are also looking for something that feels or looks... Continue Reading →
It is difficult for me to write an introduction for Al Dean. On one hand I have read several articles and blog posts by Al, but on the other hand I've never had the opportunity to meet him personally (this interview was done by e-mail). What I like the most about Al and what keeps... Continue Reading →
Direct-modeling is the new trend in CAD. No doubt about it! Some call it Synchronous Technology, some Interactive Solid Modeling, and some direct-editing. All of these approaches differ, but all are trying to overcome the limitations of existing parametric systems. If we were to identify one original source that started this trend, we would certainly have to recognize that SpaceClaim was... Continue Reading →
With the recent release of Vectorworks 2009, Nemetschek NA made an important change in the product architecture with implications that are expected to extend well beyond this release. They replaced their obsolete geometric software library with a powerful and reliable state-of-the-art geometric engine: Parasolid. While geometric engines have been widely used in mechanical CAD for at least two... Continue Reading →
Siemens NX, with various names and affiliations, has been around for several years. Nobody would really expect a well establish CAD system to become the lead innovator of a new technology. Usually those kinds of CAD systems invest in maintaining their user base rather than trying to acquire new users and push technological limits. For these... Continue Reading →
When Solidworks was first released in 1995 it changed forever the way design and manufacturing companies approach CAD software. Compared to the contemporary 3D modeling systems, Solidworks had a significantly lower price and was much easier to learn and use, with almost no compromise on features. This was a clear call for a new generation of PDM... Continue Reading →
Blog posted on the BAIA official blog on September 2006. Internship in the US is for many people a life-changing experience; usually a very positive one. When young European men and women return home after a few months spent working in an American company they are changed. It's a difference many of them carry with... Continue Reading →
Creative professionals have always had a fascination with Apple products and the Mac personal computer in particular. While Mac was one of the first personal computers to have a graphic user-interface, the connection seems to goes beyond that -- and to continue even after the GUI became a standard. One of the first websites who endorsed the... Continue Reading →
The relatively short story of CAD visualization is paved with big ambitions and small results. No company has been able to escape this spell. Looking at the target market the opportunities for a CAD visualization system seem huge, with potential users by the millions including entire departments outside the design and manufacturing areas. Here's the... Continue Reading →
Articolo pubblicato nell'agosto 2007 sul blog di BAIA. In a tall building in downtown San Francisco, facing the crowds on Market Street, there is a small but notable Italian school. Every day in the classrooms of this school passionate teachers engage students in the culture and language of Italy. The school's name is ItaLingua, and it... Continue Reading →
Current CAD systems are all based on only a few core geometric engines. Among those software engines, the ones that integrate solid modeling with free-form surfaces can be counted on one hand. One of those few engines is made by Think3, an Italian company that has been trying for several years to enter the US market... Continue Reading →
It's part of my daily job to stay in touch with new technologies and systems by reading CAD news and playing with trial versions. Over the years I've become immunized to most of the CAD marketing buzz. Despite the grand announcements, the CAD world evolves at a slow pace with few real advancements each year.... Continue Reading →
Articolo pubblicato nel giugno 2008 sul blog di BAIA. A couple of months ago I received an e-mail from Roberto Bonzio, asking for an interview. Roberto told me he was here in Silicon Valley for a few months on a project about Italians. After a few e-mails, we set up an appointment and a few... Continue Reading →
Articolo pubblicato nel giugno 2008 sul blog di BAIA. Last week I received an e-mail from the Italian Consulate asking for my availability to answer a set of questions from a questionnaire. The questions were part of a survey of Italian companies in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. I was pleasantly surprised. This was the first... Continue Reading →
Evan C. Yares is a well-known figure in the CAD world. He has the drive and vision to put himself in the right spot in order to maximize his influence on the CAD community and its products. He has opinions and is not afraid to share them, even when this means taking the risk of making... Continue Reading →
Article posted on the Official BAIA Blog on May 14, 2008 A few weeks ago the first edition of "Mind-the-Bridge" final event was held here in San Francisco. Thanks to the determination of Marco Marinucci, the extensive support of BAIA, and the hard work of the businessmen involved in the selection and tutoring process, the the entire... Continue Reading →
Articolo pubblicato il 27 marzo 2008 su Italini di Frontiera da Roberto Bonzio Roberto Bonzio arriva negli uffici di Novedge, si siede com me per intervistarmi. Mi fa un sacco di domande, rispondo con lunghe e dettagliate risposte aspettandomi che, come spesso accade, la complessità delle situazioni e dei modelli di business e marketing che... Continue Reading →
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002V9JFBI?ie=UTF8&tag=ffbooks-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B002V9JFBI The Naming of Names: The Search for Order in the World of Plants by Anna Pavord is a great book with amazing illustrations.The author is very good at telling the long history of over 2000 years on how the modern standard taxonomy was created for all plants and all living things. For some reason,... Continue Reading →
Franco Folini Blog 