Despite the steady stream of mobile design apps announced and shipped over these last few months, a lot of Design News readers remain unconvinced that any CAD or design tool worth its salt can translate optimally to a mobile platform.
Security remains a concern for engineers, who have serious doubts about sending their prized design intellectual property back and forth over the Internet, despite vendor assurances that Web-based services can be just as secure (if not more secure, in some cases) than corporate networks locked down with VPNs and firewalls. The still-limited horsepower of smartphones and tablets for processing heavy-duty graphics like 3D CAD files compared to supercharged engineering workstations is another longstanding hurdle, as are concerns about the limited real estate for viewing complex geometry and assemblies.
eDrawings supports the multitouch gesture features of the iPad, allowing users to pan, zoom, and rotate models easily. (Source: SolidWorks)
All these concerns (some justified and some not, in my opinion) are hardly stopping leading CAD and design tool vendors from pulling out the stops and rolling out new offerings. SolidWorks is the latest to jump on the bandwagon with the release of an iPad version of eDrawings, its collaboration tool that lets users share 2D and 3D files.
eDrawings lets anyone involved in product development (not just CAD users) load and send 2D and 3D designs via email. The viewing tool essentially creates a lightweight representation of 3D models or 2D drawings created by SolidWorks and other widely used CAD systems, opening the door for anyone with a PC to examine and provide input on design data. With the iPad version, anyone with that device can view, interpret, and peruse the design data, making it a viable option at client sites, in the field at a sales meeting, or at home.
The iPad edition of eDrawings leverages Tech Soft 3D's HOOPS Visualize platform to power its graphics with advanced file compression, real-time collaboration, and 2D, 3D, text, and hard copy capabilities. It has also been fully tuned to support the multi-touch gesture features of the iPad, so users can pan, zoom, and rotate models easily. This version supports the viewing of DWG and DXF files.
SolidWorks is hardly the only player offering 3D file viewing on tablets. We reported previously on the Autodesk Design Review Mobile app for Apple iOS and Android, as well as IMSI/Design's TurboViewer app, which is available in both free and professional $9.99 versions. In fact, some in the blogosphere were chiding SolidWorks, not just for being slightly behind in terms of releasing a mobile version of eDrawings, but also for initially supporting only the iPad, as opposed to Android tablets.
Critics say Android tablets offer more real estate than Apple offerings, thus providing a more effective platform for visualizing robust graphics. SolidWorks, among other developers, typically targets Apple iOS for initial mobile app deliverables because there is one API, compared with multiple APIs for the Android platform, thus making the development effort far less complex.
Beth, this is an easy application for any of the current crop of tablets. The 3D features are well established. One thing I am not sure of is the statement about Android having multiple APIs. Like iOS, Android is an operating system. As such, it is the same on many platforms. When developing for Android one may test on a couple of phones or tablets, but that generally is not necessary. In the tablet market, Apple has the lead in installed units at present. That may not be the case among engineering users, who like to get more involved with their equipment. On the other hand, with new tablets from many vendors (including Google) coming out with features and performance equal to the iPad, I expect this market will evolve to be more like the PC market. Apple will have a slice (ha ha), but people will get tired of paying the high price for a basically limited device.
@Naperlou: Actually from what I hear, developing for Android right now is far more difficult than iOS/Apple because there are variances between the different Android flavors. They may not be huge discrepancies, but they are discrepancies so you need to go back and modify code to support the different platforms. That's why when you look at most mobile app providers' strategies, they do Apple first and Android next. At least, that's what the providers are telling me.
eDrawings for the iPad isn't going to break your bank, Dozer789. It's a mere $1.99, and most design tools apps are offered any where from free of charge to up to $20 for some of the more full blown, pricier offerings. It's the iPad you need to save for.
The problem with writing apps for Android is that not all apps will work on all devices. I know of several apps that look fine on a phone, but get wonky when used on a tablet, and vice versa. That's the main reason I dropped my Android tablet and went to an iPad. It was nice and I could do some stuff on it, but I couldn't run everything I wanted to. I haven't had that problem with the iPad.
I am very excited about the upcoming Microsoft Surface(Pro version) with its I5 processor and 128 gig of storage. This could very well be a viable way to use an MCAD program like Alibre - something no iPad could even begin to do.
And at just 2 lbs with built-in keyboard and stylus support, traveling with some super-lightweight firepower will finally be possible.
I haven't heard anything about being able to update artwork on ipads yet. I may be out of the loop because I don't have an ipad.
I use Creative Suite more often than anything. Apple and Adobe said their feud ended last year but I'm still waiting to see real resutls. Being able to show a CAD in a meeting on an ipad and make minor changes in real time would be impressive. Something lighter and more portable than a laptop for meetings would be nice but it has to be more than a picture frame.
How can they make money sellling it that cheap? Are they selling the app that cheap so that a lot of people will buy it? and do you just buy the app or do you just buy a subscription? Because if you buy the app if you had a jailbroken ipad you could get the app free but if it is only $2 it would hardly be worth your time.
It's not surprising that security is a concern among readers -- that often seems to be the case with new Internet-based technologies, whether they're for consumers or professionals. If past performance is an indicator, though, the security concerns will shrink or disappear, and the apps will gain momentum.
I agree Nadine. It doesn't even need to be all that much - just the ability to change some text / dimensions or even annotate the drawing so you can make the real changes back in the office. Sort of like a number of PDF viewers have out there where you can add notes and mark-ups.
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