(Off-topic) Software Information: "AutoCad for linux"

[email.listen at googlemail.com]

Am Mon, 8. January 2007 21:17 schrieb Jeffrey F. Bloss:
> email.listen at googlemail.com wrote:
> > I have to say that I only used CAD Systems for mecanical / precission
> > engineering design not for architecture. But I may mention two
> > candidates which may fit your uncles needs. Both use ACAD's file
> > format or are able to import it.
>
> I have to say that I don't use any CAD software for anything more
> critical than installing it and poking around. I use to build/maintain
> a considerable number of machines used in tool shops and manufacturing
> environments so I guess having CAD software installed and knowing how
> to at least start it up and make a pretty picture appear on the screen
> is habit. Anyway, I ran across this the other day...
>
> http://www.tech.oru.se/cad/varkon/
>
> The screen shots look pretty spiffy. I have no clue what so ever
> about its suitability for a real designer, FOSS (whatever that
> is), compatibility with ACAD file formats, or even if you can get the
> beast in any language but Swedish (it seems the help and dialogs are
> English but the buttons and menus are in some Martian dialect). ;)

It's Swedish, so at least an Earthian language. ;-)

Varcon's stregth are it's customisation capabilities. It's one of the most 
flexible CAD Environments and to my opinion the most flexible one which is 
offered in the free software world.

A lot of modules can be found on the Varcon comunity site at 
http://www.varkon.org/.

Varcons roots are in the aeronautic design field so thats why Varcon is one of 
the most powerfull freeshape (Freiform in German) modellers. Such 
capabilities are a must for designing complex shapes e.g. an airplane-wing 
surface structure. You may see this in some of the examples given at the 
examples section on varkon.org.

Given that there is a proper customisation and configuration it will be very 
powerfull 3D designer for architecture.


BTW. I would be glad to see a CADUbuntu flavour based on tools like Varcon.
I will bet that this will bring at least as many new users than one of the 
other ubuntu flavours. But it also will need as many manpower than a 
K/X/ED/Ubuntu.

Under strategic aspects this may have the same impact on the CAD field than 
GNU/Linux has in the field of operating Systems in a long run. The CAD field 
has many technical and economical aspects as we know it from the field of 
database systems like postgresql and mysql.

regards,
thomas