A blog by Oleg Shilovitsky
Information & Comments about Engineering and Manufacturing Software

Open Source Threat for CAD

Open Source Threat for CAD
olegshilovitsky
olegshilovitsky
28 October, 2009 | 1 min for reading

Open Source and CAD. Do you think something is going on in this direction? I had chance to discuss Open Source topic several times in my previous posts. But, actually, I almost never took an angle of CAD and open source relationships. The following article drove my attention yesterday.

Picture 23
What is interesting is that Open Source CAD alternatives specifically focusing on AutoCAD space. It will be probably obvious to remind you that in the past Autodesk made a revolution change in the CAD software space by moving CAD from lucrative and exclusive high-end environments to PC. So, should current CAD software vendors worry about Open Source threat? I don’t think so – not yet. However, in my view open source will come to the space of CAD too, and I see initial signs of movements toward this. My expectation that open source CAD introduction will happen bottom up, first will come as a mix of graphic and drawing tool and future expand in the space of mid-range CAD packages.

I’d like to mention few projects and systems in this space that I tracked so far – Archimedes project, BRL-CAD project, K-3D.

Picture 25

Picture 24

Picture 27

Another interesting project is Russian Nanocad is promoting ideas of of Open Software.

Picture 28
Separate thinking should be done around Google Sketch-Up. The product is free is available from Google. With Google’s general interest and focus on Open Source, it can be considered as an interesting option too.

Picture 26

Just my thoughts. YMMV.
Best, Oleg

Recent Posts

Also on BeyondPLM

4 6
16 July, 2022

If you’re like many manufacturers, you’re probably still relying on legacy PLM systems to manage your product data. But as...

18 December, 2012

Our digital and real lives are getting more and more connected. Think about our web experience these days. Mobile devices,...

24 December, 2023

The 2023 is almost in the books and now it is a great time to share more about what I...

18 August, 2015

You might think “social trend” is over for enterprise product lifecycle management. PLM companies are not buzzing too much about...

17 June, 2018

Last week, I’ve got invited to join Hexagon Live event in Las Vegas. If you’re following my tweets, you probably...

5 January, 2021

Connected is such a powerful word. We are connected in so many ways these days. Think about transformations that happened...

6 August, 2009

I had chance to write about different aspects related to SharePoint and Product Lifecycle Management. Since many of the organization...

14 January, 2013

Last week, I started the conversation about Bill of Materials and modern challenges. BOM is a heavy topic. Previous blog...

22 October, 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of product lifecycle management (PLM), staying ahead of the curve is essential for businesses aiming to...

Blogroll

To the top