What's New? In CAD

Opinion

Google has put a million dollars into Things and its Rooms software, developed by former employees. Rooms isn’t CAD, but a Roboblox-like interactive environment that (I suppose) is fun to set up, edit, and share a room shown in isometric mode. You can also edit the underlaying source code that make the room-filling products.

Runs in Web browsers at?https://rooms.xyz/

Siemens announced a rash of new products and services at the Consumer Electronics Show:

• Designcenter software suite puts Solid Edge and NX in a single package?
• Teamcenter Digital Reality Viewer uses nVidia Omniverse to display large physically-based visualization to PLM systems
• Industrial Copilot will become part of its Industrial Edge system for managing AI models on the production floor
• Siemens for Startups program gives venture partnering, client services, and dramatically cheaper software to innovators of any size.
• Immersive Engineering toolset displays mixed reality in product engineering and manufacturing environments using headsets from Sony

The Solibri division of Nemetschek Group acquired Xinaps. and its software for detecting clashes and validating data in buildings designed by CDEs and Autodesk Revit. The software, named Verifi3D, is being renamed Solibri Checkpoint. https://verifi3d.xinaps.com

Hexagon continues to give away its free 3D solid architectural modeler, Shape, based on BricsCAD:

• Import DWG, DXF. Rhino, and SketchUp files
• 2D and 3D modeling and editing
• Includes parts library and rendering materials
• Export DWG, DXF, STL, FBX, and graphics formats

To download it, you have to download the entire BricsCAD Ultimate bundle, install the 2 GB, and then choose Shape from the starting menu.

Some years ago, I removed Google's Chrome from all my Windows computers (and replaced it with Opera and Vivaldi). Now I've removed all of Logitech's drivers for mice, because — bizarrely — they sometimes do not support the double-click action, the only action I need defined on all my mice. Also, they have three different drivers, depending on the age and market for the mice. There is no need to put up with those annoyances.

Solved: I've standardized on X-Mouse from https://x-mouse-button-control.en.softonic.com/?ex=RAMP-2639.2

X-Mouse initially looks overwhelming, so here is how to redefine a button (see figure above):

1. Press the mouse button you want to redefine.

2. Notice it lights up in yellow in X-Mouse (see figure above).

3. Select the new action from the dropdown list.

4. Click Apply.

"The temptation to overhype your AI products is irresistible and guarantees failure."

-Pedro Domingos