GNU/Linux based CAD Environment; Was: (Off-topic) Software Information: "AutoCad for linux"

[email.listen at googlemail.com]

@mark, the last two paragraphs may be of interest to you?

Am Wed, 10. January 2007 05:34 schrieb Yagnesh Desai:
> Friends;
>
> First thing first
> What Microsoft Windows is to OS
> AutoDesk Autocad is to CAD.
May be if you are talking of market shares in a few fields / countries as 
architecture in the US.
But you are right, MS Windows is to OS, in the meaning that it lacks a lot and 
is only poor and limitated in it's functionality compared to other OS's.
And so is AutoCAD to CAD, it also lacks a lot and also is only poor and 
limitated to what we know in the CAD field.
 
> Rather reframing it AutoCAD is worst than M$ in this.
>
> Why ?
>
> They also practice locking the user's inforamtion in
> a "Great" propritary format.
I agree 100% on your arguments regarding the dwg file format.

> Well there is this .dwg format of data files which it generates
> and Autodesk keeps on changing the file format every new release
> for reason better known to everyone.
>
> We can find lot many cad software on linux as we can find lot many
> distros of linux. But the problem is that each is made for different
> purpose and few of them are autocad immitations.
Hhm, very optimistic in my eyes. ;-)

QCad compared to what I would call a CAD application lacks the support of a 
scripting  language (?programming API,  in the moment I don't know if  QCad 
offers a programming support / API?), it has mo database capabilities, not 
even limitated 3D support, no support for automated libraries, no parametric 
support, ..., ... (Just to make clear what makes a CAD application in my 
eyes. 

Only producing black lines on a white sheet of paper is not CAD, we call 
it "malen nach Zahlen" may be translated as 'painting along numbers' (a quiz 
known in kindergarden where you have to draw lines along numbers from 1 
to ... to get the painting) or copycat / counterdraw.
 
I have to say that I'm using QCad from time to time as a technical sketching 
tool. And it is pretty good for such tasks, much better than a lot of others 
I had to use in the past. So talking of QCad is more what AutoSketch is in 
the Autodesk world. In my eyes it's not fair to compare QCad with AutoCAD.

> I found QCAD as good imitation of AutoCAD (with only 2D supports)
> While the BricsCAD is not OpenSource as I know.
>
> Simmilarly there is free2Design (2D but too good for
> AutoCAD refuge) have found works on only Windows XP.
>
> I suggest all of interested cad users can request the
> distributor to provide the free2Design on Linux. I already have
> requested.

Articulating the need for GNU/Linux support and by this generating awareness 
amongst vendors is always a good thing. But I'm not shure if requesting for 
this will bring a solution in an acceptable time.

With Varkon we have a free software solution which has most of what is known 
from mature CAD Environments. So I would say a more effective way, also for 
creating awareness and presure to proprietary CAD vendors might be to offer a 
Distribution which is taylored around Varkon. In the same way as there is a 
Linux Distribution around VoIP, precisely Asterisk at Home a Linux distribution 
for Asterisk*. (so Varkon might be a hammer hitting Autodesk's thumb :-))


While writing this I'm asking myself why the people involved in Varkon didn't 
have the idea to bundle their application with a distribution. May be it is 
time starting to discuss if Ubuntu may be a good starting point / partner for 
the Varkon community to launch such a distro?

regards,
thomas