progeCAD 2011 Released

Portland, Oregon, USA, 25 July 2011 - progeCAD USA, (www.progecad.us), a leader in 2D/3D CAD software, has announced the release of progeCAD® 2011 Professional, the next major release of the proven AutoCAD® replacement Computer Aided Design software.


progeCAD 2011 Professional, an alternative to high priced CAD systems such as AutoCAD®, allows designers to become productive immediately using a similar menu structure, similar commands, and the same DWG drawing file format as AutoCAD®, at 1/10th the price, and with little or no learning curve for former AutoCAD® users.

progeCAD 2011 Professional has been optimized for Microsoft Windows® 7, taking advantage of the special features included and achieving full compatibility with the preferred Windows Operating System. progeCAD is poised to not only dominate the low cost CAD market but also to meet the demands of customers whose use of Computer Aided Design spans many industries and domains.

Designers, drafters, engineers, architects and other professionals will be able to speed up the drawing process thanks to over a million ready-to-use blocks, included through a special agreement with TraceParts, an online repository of CAD blocks, symbols, and models available in most cases at no charge.

New Block Manager

Those familiar with progeCAD have most likely used the A.L.E. Block Manager and can testify to its somewhat dated interface. The progeSOFT team went to work on a completely new and different Block Manager called iCADLib. The iCADLib Module enables intuitive and seamless work when creating, saving, inserting, and working with blocks in your drawings.

The new Block Manager contains over 20.000 2D/3D ready-to use blocks for various industries such as Construction, Architecture, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Kitchens, and others.

EasyArch for 2D Architecture

The new progeCAD 2011 version includes a plug-in for architects at no extra charge called Easy-Arch, an automated building tool designed to increase productivity in architectural, interior design, and renovation. The Easy-Arch tool is designed to facilitate architectural and interior design providing parametric elements to quickly and easily create such building elements as walls, roofs, openings, stairs and many other architectural objects.

Over 100 Million Choices.

progeCAD 2011 Professional has added integration of the TraceParts online content library. This feature is of particular interest and usefulness for Mechanical Designers and Engineers. TraceParts also includes electric, electronic, agricultural, furniture and many other parts libraries to satisfy the professional needs of CAD professionals from a wide range of sectors.

The TraceParts portal is one of the biggest parts libraries in the world offering over 100 million 2D and 3D CAD models. The new progeCAD 2011 Professional version provides personalized and exclusive access to the TraceParts library with unlimited and free download of any elements from the catalogues as well as different parts complying with the following international standards: ANSI, ASME, BS, JIS, DIN, ISO and UNI.


The downloaded components are seamlessly integrated in the iCADLib blocks libraries and can be quickly inserted into your drawings exactly the same way you work with the other iCADLib blocks.

iCARE Subscription and Support

Introduced with version 2011 is the iCARE Subscription service. The new iCARE Subscription maintenance and support program offers a variety of benefits to help customers get the most out of their progeCAD software. It enables the Customer to cut down upgrade costs and receive comprehensive technical assistance via the web within the new help desk service. The progeSOFT developers can organize, track, measure, and respond through ticket, email, live chat and remote support.

Current progeCAD users can upgrade to the latest version at a significant discount to the already-low price of the full version. progeCAD 2011 Professional proposes very flexible licensing: Single Plus licenses allowing for desktop and laptop install, Network NLM licenses with a Take-Away technology for remote work, a USB portable license allowing you to work on any computer with progeCAD installed by plugging in the USB dongle, and Corporate licenses with unlimited installations at an unrivaled price.

Free 30-day Trial

The new version of progeCAD is available for immediate download at the progeCAD USA website.
For more information about the latest version of progeCAD, follow this link: Learn More

About progeCAD USA

progeCAD USA (www.progecad.us), the North American progeCAD representatives, offer progeCAD shipping with several different options including NLM Network, USB Mobile, and affordable Site Licensing. progeCAD Add-on products in land design, architecture and mechanical are also available. Download the Free Full 30 day trial versions of our software when you visit our website.

progeCAD is either a registered trademark or trademark of ProgeSOFT, in the USA and/or other countries. progeADD-on, progeBILLD, progeEARTH, progeOFFICE, progeTABLE, progeDATA, progeWORD are registered trademarks or trademarks of progeSOFT North America in the USA and/or other countries. IntelliCAD is a registered trademark or trademark of the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium in the USA and/or other countries. AutoCAD, and AutoLISP are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact Information

progeCAD USA
12042 SE Sunnyside Rd.
Suite 591
Clackamas, OR 97015
USA
Email: info@progecad.us
1-800-975-iCAD (4223)



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USPTO Says to Autodesk: DWG not only for Thee...

So, as an Autodesk stockholder you are by now used to the company using their billions of dollars of income to legally pick on others and to attempt to corner the market through legally snowballing anyone who dares get in their way.

With the new "A corporation has the same voice as a human" supreme court flub where they dropped the regulatory ball and showed the american public just how corrupted our government has become by ruling the corporations of the world had as much right to dump unrestricted money (bribes) into the hands of our
"best and brightest" and most easily swayed legislators to help them get "re-elected" in return for "political favors", as an individual american citizen's rights, it was a surprising development to see that the USPTO, short for the United States Patent and Trademark Office, rebuffed yet another attempt by the Sausalito Sandbaggers (Autodesk) to confiscate yet another all encompassing trademark, the file extension DWG.

That run-on sentence was intended specifically to show the length of time that the corporation has been using their thug lawyers to drown out the efforts of the masses to throw off the tyranny of the oppressed. 


According to Ralph over at WorldCAD Access (http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/), the issue has a ruling, but is still not over.


DWG is merely descriptive of applicant’s goods under Section 2(e)(1) of the Trademark Act for two reasons: (1) DWG is a recognized abbreviation for “drawing," and (2) .dwg is a file format used for computer-aided design (CAD) drawings made both with applicant’s CAD software and others’ CAD software.

The legal issue that takes a licking but keeps on ticking is still up for one more college try by LegalDesk as noted below:


Now, Autodesk does have six months to respond in a way that fully satisfies the problems addressed in last month's decision. Otherwise, the decision is FINAL.

Among the noted uses of DWG in everyday use was one particular interesting acronym, "Dead White Guy" which will be what most likely happens to us before the perpetual corporation is finished killing a particular horse that refuses to kick the bucket.


At least they are persistent. How do you feel about the company everyone loves to hate being involved with one more legal issue, let us know in the comments below...
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Architectural 3D Projection Mapping, a new art medium to astound

Image via Wikipedia

I swear, sometimes I feel like I must be living in a container where no new information enters, and obviously, due to that, no new information leaves. I gave up watching television years ago and therefore I don't have some big pipeline dumping into my brain every day. However, not being on the cutting edge of what is cool, now, and happening all the time makes some things very cool, very now, very happening for me. Like when I discover something new that begs the questions, how in the hell did they do that? and who thought of doing that?. Almost the same question I suppose.

There is a new... for lack of a better word medium for, well, for artistic enjoyment in it's pure form, and a whole advertising industry, if we take to it's logical monetary end. It's called Architectural 3D Projection Mapping and I am quite positive some of you will really appreciate the possibilities.

If you've ever had the chance to see any of the works by Environmental Artists named Christo and Jean Claude you have an understanding of pushing the definition of "Art" beyond the closed in spaces of galleries or even the statue depicting this or that great hero, used as a temporary resting point for pigeons in the park.

Image via Wikipedia

I was never a fan of the large expanses of pink plastic they wrapped around some islands in Miami, or the Umbrellas stretching from Japan to California. I just felt like it was simply so easy for anyone to do it that it was not really artistic talent, but a need to be famous. Artist's to me at that point so many years ago when I was exposed to their type of art was performed by people who were talented in things I was not talented in, such as, well, artistic things, heheh. I can appreciate others views and it was their label and who am I to disagree.

The talent level between one of their "spectacles" and what I discovered recently is the talent that must have been developed not only by the creators of the actual scenes, but the programmers and other "artists" who made the hardware that creates these fantastic shows must be simply tremendous, beyond what is considered normal, and unique as well. 3D Projection Mapping, is, well, think of it as holograms on steroids. It's taking an Architectural landmark, or even just any old building, and mapping special effects on to the features of the building. That probably is not very clear, and you will have to see it to believe it.

  and it has to be one of the most impressive things I have ever seen...


I am sure some of you have seen this new medium before, but even if you have you will probably enjoy seeing it again, and again... I know I will, it is, well, one of the coolest and most impressive things I have ever seen... so without further speech, as it just does not do it just, please take a moment and watch this Architectural 3D projection "concert" for lack of a better term. Let me know what you think in the comments below, I hope it's not just me who is totally amazed by this... Enjoy!
Architectural 3D Projection Mapping Video



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CAD & 3D: iCADMac : OSX version of progeCAD

CAD & 3D: iCADMac : OSX version of progeCAD



Free 30-day trial of progeCAD 2009 Professional: Click Here to download...

How to Determine Scale Factors in a Paper Space/Model Space World

This artical was originally published in 2004

A user entered a question into our forum that is quite common for those who are new to CAD or new to progeCAD's interface...

"how does one set up dimensioning to properly display the underlying scale of the viewport?"

As for your question, it is probably the most asked question of all we receive from customers. The entire viewport, mviews, paper space and model space was confusing to every one when it first was displayed within AutoCAD back in the early 90s. We had been used to nothing but model space, drawing everything at full scale, and then applying a scale factor to our text and dimensions to get them to be the correct size.

Even after paper space and model space came out we continued to apply our dimensions and text to the entities in model space and gave it a scale factor so that when it was viewed in the "paper" it displayed properly.

In those days it would have been insane to put your dimentions into paper space since there was no way to ensure the model would not be moved underneath the paper, although now we have the ability to lock the mview. Although now that I think about it that would not stop someone from moving the model underneath, but I digress...

So the answer to your question of where to put your dimensions is not a straightforward answer unfortunately. There are those who will argue one method or the other is better, and there are probably some who advocate both methods.

So lets look at both methods. The easiest way I found to understand the whole idea of ps/ms is to think the other paper space on your screen as a sheet of paper (obviously), but not just paper, but a special magical type of paper that can fly through the air and precisely focus on a particular object moving in closer or farther away to get precisely the scale of the object it needs to display correctly for a designer or engineer. See, this is magical paper!

So, you take this paper and you cut a hole in it (an Mview?) and look through, and focus on the object you wish to display. Perhaps you look at the top, or you fly around to the side and look through, move farther back to make the object fit in, or up close to see the "details".

Once you have the proper view scale to see the entire object within your viewport you know the scale factor that the object is displayed at. Actually you go at it the opposite way providing scale factors to the MS viewport until the object is zoomed correctly at the scale factor you need. We would use the "xp" option for the zoom command to zoom "times (x) (p)aper space".

On a sidenote, you

Image via Wikipedia

can really tell the age of an AutoCAD junky when they start talking about zooming to scale factors and such. I believe it is much easier now to simply apply a scale factor to your viewpoint using the progeCAD properties panel. Click on the mview viewport and and look at the properties panel, one of the options is scale. In this case enter 48 and you are set.

Once we know the MS scale factor we can apply this scale factor to any text or dimension we put inside model space referencing the object. So 1/8" text on a 1/4"=1' drawing would be 1/8" x 48 (48 being the size you would have to scale that building you shrunk down to get it on the paper back to it's original size). You can find the scale factor by dividing 12 inches (ie. 1 foot) by the left part of the scale above (1/4") which equals 48. So the result is that we put our text in at 12" high.

Remember to place these on different layers dependent on the view you are working with and you can then control their display dependent on the view you are looking at. When you plot, simply changeover to paper space and plot your drawing at 1:1 and the dimensions and text will be the correct size on paper.

So, thats how to put them into model space, how do we put them into paper space. The answer to that is easy. Whenever you plot in paper space you plot one to one, so you simply place text and dimensions the same size as you want to see them on paper. You still have to scale the objects within the mview but the magical paper should help you with that!

Hopefully this clears up more than it confuses and allows you to go forward with successful scaling and mviewing!

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