Submitted by Finally Bricsys has released the official version of Bricscad V10 for Linux. Linux users now have very capable desktop CAD software able to handle the DWG file format. From Bricscad website: “Bricsys is the first to release a .dwg based CAD software for Linux users. Bricsys NV, the developer of Bricscad, announced today that Bricscad V10 for Linux is now available. Bricscad V10 is the first .dwg based CAD platform available for the Linux Operating System. Bricscad V10, the leading alternative CAD platform for the .dwg file format, continues to offer freedom of choice to the CAD and Engineering community.”
anyone used this? If this turns out to be a good piece of software that will be one less thing i have to use windows for.
how can an autocad-clone be a good pice of software?
autocad was already out-dated 15 years ago
Given the rather limited *cough* amount of CAD applications available for Linux I really wouldn’t complain :S
And being a standard is sadly more important than being a good piece of software. Some industry-standard software exist only to prove this sentence right everyday (everyone will have some names in mind, sadly I can’t reveal those in my own mind without being flagged as troll
).
Edited 2010-09-07 20:30 UTC
autocad has lost it’s standard-position long ago
there isn’t much left of the autocad-kingdom besides architecture
everything else has moved on to 3d a decade ago
AutoCAD does 3D, their market share is over 55% of the CAD market. The closest competitor is at 15%.
http://frombulator.com/2009/10/cad-marketshare-bim-marketshare-inst…
Edited 2010-09-07 21:38 UTC
Autocad isn’t the standard that Briscad implement. DWG format files is the (defacto) standard, not Autocad.
Read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Design_Alliance
and here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dwg
Bricscad uses the IntelliCAD engine. Bricscad is therefore a variant of IntelliCAD.
The DWG file format itself is the critical issue. Because many companies have existing large libraries of DWG-format files, the IP of those engineering companies is dependent on, and tied up in, the DWG format.
Autodesk (Autocad vendors) have for many years tried to use the DWG file format as a form of lock-in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dwg#Legal_issues
Ultimately they did not succeed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricscad
The DWG file format is the native file format of the Bricscad CAD software package.
Edited 2010-09-08 05:12 UTC
Well, at least on civil engineering they are thriving (actually, is really hard to see something else being used) and still is used on mechanical and electrical ones, specially inside the structural design. For the last two it was really not the best fit to design parts, even if I saw sometimes it being used.
VariCAD for Windows and Linux can handle DWG/DXF/STEP/IGES/etc.
http://www.varicad.com/en/home/
The VariCAD website says it only does 2D DWG import/export. The Bricsys website says it “offers full-function 2D/3D DWG-based CAD …”
I’ve worked in institutions that remain WAYYYY behind in software (including OS) versions. If there is no immediate need or compelling reason to upgrade their software, they simply don’t.
Banking institutions are pretty notorious for not wanting to change once some framework is in place. They only upgrade when they are told the software they are running will no longer be supported by the company who made it. And even then they will resort to in-house support (at least they used to, I’ve been out of that industry for awhile now).
[edit]
My point being any apps that support older formats would be welcomed I am sure.
Edited 2010-09-08 00:41 UTC
Sometimes, it’s a healthy approach to take. An old software has been tested and patched several for several years, there are no surprise bugs that could affect the daily operation of the company.
Look at the feature to feature comparison:
http://www.bricsys.com/en_INTL/bricscad/comparison.jsp
While the featureset looks quite impressive, especially given the price (which is tiny by CAD standards), for the average Linux user, this is still an expensive piece of software. Given that most desktop Linux users are looking for free stuff, I suspect that this will go over worse than a lead balloon in the market.
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/08/linapp-website-provides-an-aweso…
http://lin-app.com/
Edited 2010-09-09 11:20 UTC