IMSI/Design is definitely out to prove it takes this mobile app thing seriously. The developer of TurboCAD, a popular retail CAD tool, was one of the first out of the gate with a free mobile viewing app for the iPhone, only to follow up with a professional version for both smartphones and tablets. Now, less than six months after that introduction, it's back in the ring with a second release of TurboViewer Pro, which ups the number of CAD file formats it supports to nearly two dozen.
TurboViewer Pro v2 now includes support for nearly two dozen CAD file formats.
TurboViewer Pro v2, which IMSI/Design differentiates from other CAD viewing apps in that it delivers both 2D and 3D viewing capabilities, now offers support for 23 industry-standard CAD file formats, including .DWG, .DWF, .DXF, .SKP, and PDF in both single- and multi-page formats. The company has tossed in a few professional-level enhancements, such as layout support for viewing both model and paper layouts, in addition to some performance and memory tweaks so the app runs optimally on the latest Apple iOS platforms. In the fun or feel-good enhancement category, the new release now supports tactile sound feedback so you get some confirmation when you press a button, in addition to AutoCAD SHX font support and True Type support for improved visual fidelity for viewing purposes.
While the upgrade's new features aren't any great shakes on their own, what is more interesting is IMSI/Design's dogged efforts to stay on top of new mobile app releases. Most of the CAD vendors have launched exploratory apps, but none, other than Autodesk, have gone as far as IMSI/Design in terms of vocalizing its intent to carve out a stake in the mobile apps market.
While many engineers still remain skeptical about what kind of real design and CAD work can actually be done on mobile platforms like smartphones and tablets, IMSI/Design's Chief Technology Officer Doug Cochran says there's a clear use case. "Mobile devices will mainly be used for the consumption of information, not for the creation of 3D data," he told us.
I think that's where a lot of engineers are getting tripped up. They assume the new design apps will just be scaled down -- that is, throwaway versions of their existing CAD tools -- and that the mobile platforms aren't well-suited for handling complex 3D modeling. They're probably right. But Cochran says that's not where the opportunity lies. Rather, the opportunity is in tapping the unique capabilities of mobile platforms -- their GPS functions, for example, or the cameras -- and leveraging them to change the way engineers work in the field, unencumbered from a laptop.
This is a trend that is important. Years ago I worked with a company that was creating a mobile viewing application for their CAD tools that leveraged cellular networks. They had provision for annotation and for continuing to work on downloaded content while disconnected from the network. Much of this had to be developed by the CAD vendor and partners. Today, much of that is included in the tablets and smart phones available today. So, while those applications were useful, a tablet with the ability to view design artifacts is going to prove more useful, and will perhaps take this to the next level. In addition, the tablets introduce new user interface possibilities that might prove useful.
I admit my first impression was exactly that which you covered in the article, being that design engineers are skeptical about the quality and functionality of a tablet-based design application.But if I can reasonable think beyond that obvious shortcoming, and clearly see the value of taking "read-only" , or perhaps "red-line" version of layouts into the field or manufacturing floors, the benefits are obvious.
I think back to countless times when I was hovering over an assembly station in a manufacturing environment, trying to clarify the design intent of a prototype for the factory assembly personnel.Sometimes, there was a network based monitor nearby, and the effort was easier; but more often, there was no access to databases at all and the explanations were difficult. Having access to the databases to explain design intent is so helpful to clarify and educate for production.Manufacturing ramp-ups will get faster and easier.Further, going wireless and taking it outdoors, I would expect the construction industry to see increased adoption of the practice as well.
Jim, I totally understand your first impression and I think that's the barrier for most people who try to consider mobile design apps at first blush. But the idea is to see past a direct port of a traditional CAD or any other design tool to that new mobile platform and see a modified capability that meets a particular use case--as you well noted, taking the design outdoors or directly to the manufacturing site for explanation and markup. Not, as some are getting stuff on, doing full CAD creation on a somewhat limited mobile platform.
I think the functionality issue is, different strokes for different folks. A tablet-based app is not going to have, nor should it have, the same functionality or purpose as a laptop app. We see this outside of CAD, so why shouldn't it obtain in CAD, too. Tablets are great for taking drawings into the field, but they're not so good for heavy data input and creating stuff from scratch. But that's not a negative; just that they're appropriate for different uses than laptops.
Well said, Alex. In one of our mobile posts recently, there was lots of discussion about consolidation and replacement--that is, any one computing paradigm (i.e., tablet, smart phone, laptop) replacing everything and be the singlely used, go-to computing tool. I think we're realizing that that won't be the case. That people will have mulitple computing devices for multiple use cases and that's fine with them. Therefore, as you say, there will be a variety of tools, in all shapes and sizes, that are right-sized for each platform.
The 3D printing revolution seems to have a knack for quickly moving technology ahead by way of collaborative effort and even a little friendly competition -- all of course in the name of scientific advancement.
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