How about 5.2?

[cborer]

Update of kernel & translators & Windows, cleaning bugs, some nice little features.

All that is useful and important, so far IC made a good work.

What really starts to make me nervous is the fact that there is no real new tool invented in the last 2-3 years! ( 3d line is still to rigid, freeform face is just a joke).

There is Teamvault that gives no sense for use to me ( I think it bound IC resources for the last 2-3 years). As I bought Trispectives about 5 years ago they told me that it was made for creative (and it is still pure fun to work with IC!). Then IC made good advance until the Alventive debacle ( = the start of Teamvault, which is more for officers than for creative). Since that time I am missing the big steps!

IC please stop working on Teamvault! Please develop the new tools that many of us are waiting so long for.

Samples:

3d curve: Loft along 3d curve, 3d curve bound on face, face from two 3d curve, edit absolute length of a 3d curve,

Faces: Expand or connect faces with tangential control, face from 3d curve

Construction: Theoretical face unfolder for cones and loft shapes (thickness = O), Freeform and deform points or net;

Triball: : Advanced options like: Copy with rotation and distance along rotation axis. Copy along 2/3D curve, Copy and scale,

Cross section: Clean double lines, Heal lines, make vectors or simplify lines, connect all points, import of .ai (Photoshop)

Dxf: much better .dxf ex/ import, better control of .dxf export

3d free viewer

Rendering: preview picture, more than one decal to set on a face, tutorials, more photo realistic options.

Explorer: preview picture at open file

Better measuring on drawings: More points or lines to measure; absolute distances

Catalogs: Cut out hole connected with part (for architects)

 

I know: all this must be a lot of work!

 

I still believe IC can be the best, and I still love to work with it, and IC is still the most intuitive CAD. All that is great!

But I hope 6.0 will have some real new tools for us.

Best regards

Carlo

 

 

 

[Guest Werner Schappacher]

Hello Carlo

 

I havent seen IC5.2 until now, but I agree with you 95%

There is realy time for more ironcad functionallity.

A few weeks ago I installed my old TriSpectives 2.0 from 1998. It still look very similar to IC5.0

(Yes Im one of the old ones)

 

There can only be 2 Answers to this.

1. TriSpectives was very inovative 1998

2. Time goes by and IC makes only small steps.....

 

There are of course much enhancements since TS2.0.

I couldnt do with TriSpectives what I do today with IC5.0.

But thats something each customer expects from a new release.

And whats much more importent to me, is stability. Too much enhancements often results in more bugs

My job is to develop technical products (very fast). A product like IC should be a tool which supports the user and dont make him a slave. Thats why I like IronCADs and its flexibility.

 

Some words to Teamvault:

The new developed Teamvault is a need for many companies.

I work with 7 colleges. Meanwhile we have thousands of drawings (mostly ACAD dwgs)

I wouldnt say that I want work without a PDM System. Each year we have 50% new and 50% old products, where we only make small changes. There are thousands of drawings which have to be handled.

Easy use, is a must. I hope IC had this in mind with there product.

 

A few weeks ago we updated to AC2K2 and a new release of our PDM System.

The only thing I say abaout the new PDM System is: Nightmare!!!!

After 6 weeks we have 80% of our old productivity.

A new way to torture a mechanical engineer. What took 2 klicks on the old release, takes now 10 klicks.

I hate wasted klicks. Meanwhile we got some changes, but we are still far away from old productivity.

 

Today I would say, that the PDM system is as much important than the CAD system.

And the 2D part of the CAD system is as much important than the 3D part of the CAD system.

 

I made the experience that it makes no sence if you can fast create 3D parts, assamblies ore complete machines and loose the spared time with 2D creation and working with a stupid PDM system.

Each part must work together.

Im far away of such a workaroud, but there is a dream about more productivity. And maybe one day......

 

If someone works with AM6PP and needs to import IC.icd, I can give you some tips about:

- cleaning up your drawings from double lines

- making thread views conform to DIN standard

- a.s.o.

I just updated my old lisp files form ACAD14 to ACAD2K2 and they work quite well.

Better would it be, if I could get the same results from IC without the need of additional work.

 

 

 

Best regards

 

Werner

 

[Guest Urban Olars]

Carlo, I can agree with you in your fear for the future of IronCAD, but I do think that a good PDM system like Team Vault is badly needed by most of us IronCAD users. When you are more than 2-3 people at the office, the handling of your files can be a real nightmare without a good PDM system. Team Vault is a very good product, and I think that it benefits IronCAD to have it onboard, so don't stop developing it!! Hire more programmers instead. There is sooooooooo much left to do in IronCAD! In my opinion, it is the parametric/constraint functions and the 2D drawing environment that most urgently needs improvements.

 

 

 

[Guest jkim522093]

I think IronCAD ahs the right direction with Teamvault.

Engineering dep't is not the isolated isalnd but the core of the

biz unit which could make the company good or bad.

Almost of 70 to 80% of the total cost of the product is rely on

the design stage, so engineering data should be shared for the

communication and collaboration while maintained and controled

in integrity of the data.

So PDM is essential, I think, and Teamvault is a good start the

PDM(more precisely speaking EDM). And it will surely boast the sales

of IronCAD.

 

But we really don't want IronCAD, LLC make the same mistake as Alventive.

Teamvault is good and essential solution, but it is not everything at all.

Without IronCAD, of course Teamvault could be sold in independent

EDM solution, but it will be really limited.

But if we have large customer basis for IronCAD, then it is quite easy

to sell Teamvault.

So IronCAD should be regarded as a basement of the pyramid, and the

features needed from the market should be added and refined asap to

make the basement of the pyramid wider and firmly.

As Urban Olars mentioned, 2D Drawing environment and parametric

function is mostly needed features to be added and improved shortly.

Especially for the 2D Drawing is still the basic communication tools between

the companies here.

 

 

JH.

 

 

 

[csteien]

I agree with you 100% Carlo. Within the last year our group had discussions with the people of IronCad over the Alventive debacle. We were paying thousands of dollars for the Armor Advantage program, and receiving very minor updates while programmers spent time on other software add-ons that were of no use to us. When IronCad broke from Alventive we were told this would not happen again. The feeling of deja vu is falling upon us. I'm sure that Innovation Suite is needed by some, and is very useful, but this product is of no use to us. We are paying armor advantage money for IronCad enhancements and upgrades. If one were to peruse this forum and decide where the most work is needed, it would probably be IronCad. 90% of the posts reflect enhancement requests or problems with IronCad. In these times of shrinking budgets our company, and I'm sure many others, will be looking close at the thousands spent on AA programs in the search for a reasonable return on investment.

 

 

[B. Ludin]

I'm relatively new to IC, so I don't know nothing about the "Alventive disaster". But, like Carlo and presumably the majority of the users, I'm mainly interested in seeing IronCAD developed and debugged. I certainly would not approve of our AA contract money being spent on the development of other products.

 

Beat

 

 

[Chris Lohman]

I am posting to clear up some of these assumptions.

 

We have two dev teams. One is for IronCAD, the other is for Teamvault. The IronCAD dev team is 3 times larger than the TV dev team.

 

We are not changing focus away from IronCAD development for Teamvault. The reason we broke off from Alventive was to get away from that poor business practise. Did anyone notice how attentive the IronCAD developers were after 5.0? We had major bug fixes turned around in a matter of hours just to insure that the customers had a usable product. There's no way this would have happened @ Alventive.

 

5.2 is a "point release" which means "no new major functionality". All point releases are bug fixes and very minor functionality improvements that are seen as bugs. You can't expect new functionality until a .0 release and then you can't expect it's bugs to be fixed until the next point release. (Yes, all new functionality with all applications has a few bugs. If you run a windows based PC you can expect bugs.)

 

A large piece of your AA contract is for the right to use these forums and call/email tech support as well as maintain the mechanisms that enable tech support such as the server that this community runs on.

 

All of the IronCAD LLC employees came from Alventive and we were all damaged by the Alventive course of events just as much as anyone else. We have determined to make our living by producing IronCAD. If IronCAD dies, we lose our jobs and the company folds: There is absolutely no way we would ever let that happen. We have based our futures on this product and will do everything in our powers to make it succeed.

 

As for the "major" new functionality. We are working on some big hitters in this area. I reiterate that teamvault development is not impacting IronCAD development at all. The IronCAD guys are working very hard for you and the list of things to add is a mile.5 long. Your voice in the community is heard and they are working on adding what -you- are asking for.

 

 

[Guest dlalonde]

IRONDUDES ROCK!

I would just curl up and die if I had to give up the triball and a dozen other fundamental Ironcad features.

I believe that the holy grail of solid modelling is in fact 'surface modelling'. Of course the solid modelling part of the software has to work extremely well, but it's complex surfaces that cause me the most pain. It's where there is great opportunity to create distinctive and attractive product designs. Just need great tools.

I think that the irondudes know this and are probably working on it. It's a huge undertaking (just look at how much there is in a simple surfacer like rhino). I like to think that these guys are unusually talented and that their solutions to surfacing (and other things) will be particularly good.

But it's going to cost some $$ for all the pizza that they'll eat while doin' it, so back them up, send in your AA along with all the requests for enhancement.

Dave

 

 

 

[Guest svangeldern]

Chris,

 

Thanks for the post.

 

In the Alventive days there would never have been a reponse such as yours,

we would have to continue to guess what they were doing.

 

Being up front, open and honest will put alot of your customers at ease.

 

Thanks again,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

[dhovatter]

Very true Steve

 

 

[dsulli]

quote:Originally posted by Chris Lohman:

I am posting to clear up some of these assumptions.

 

We have two dev teams. One is for IronCAD, the other is for Teamvault. The IronCAD dev team is 3 times larger than the TV dev team.

 

We are not changing focus away from IronCAD development for Teamvault. The reason we broke off from Alventive was to get away from that poor business practise. Did anyone notice how attentive the IronCAD developers were after 5.0? We had major bug fixes turned around in a matter of hours just to insure that the customers had a usable product. There's no way this would have happened @ Alventive.

 

5.2 is a "point release" which means "no new major functionality". All point releases are bug fixes and very minor functionality improvements that are seen as bugs. You can't expect new functionality until a .0 release and then you can't expect it's bugs to be fixed until the next point release. (Yes, all new functionality with all applications has a few bugs. If you run a windows based PC you can expect bugs.)

 

A large piece of your AA contract is for the right to use these forums and call/email tech support as well as maintain the mechanisms that enable tech support such as the server that this community runs on.

 

All of the IronCAD LLC employees came from Alventive and we were all damaged by the Alventive course of events just as much as anyone else. We have determined to make our living by producing IronCAD. If IronCAD dies, we lose our jobs and the company folds: There is absolutely no way we would ever let that happen. We have based our futures on this product and will do everything in our powers to make it succeed.

 

As for the "major" new functionality. We are working on some big hitters in this area. I reiterate that teamvault development is not impacting IronCAD development at all. The IronCAD guys are working very hard for you and the list of things to add is a mile.5 long. Your voice in the community is heard and they are working on adding what -you- are asking for.

 

 

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Good response, Chris!

 

 

[Guest Floris Stam]

CHRIS ROCKS!!!id=size6>