Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!brolga!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!lance!kirk!cameron
From: cameron@kirk.nmg.bu.oz (Cameron Stevenson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Cad??
Message-ID: <2657@kirk.nmg.bu.oz>
Date: 3 Dec 90 23:58:50 GMT
References: <4613@disk.UUCP>
Organization: Network Management Group, Bond University, Australia
Lines: 67

From article <4613@disk.UUCP>, by specter@disk.UUCP (Byron Max Guernsey):
> I am currently attempting to convince a friend with ample fund that he needs
> to purchase an amiga 2000 or 3000. (he already has a 25 mghtz 386 ibm and a
> huge plotter...plos on big cardboard things). He uses his IBM for autocad.
[........]
> .......... Anybody out there use amiga for cad?
> 
> Byron Guernsey

Well Bryon, I am going to stick my neck out a little here.....

I don't believe there is a CAD package for the Amiga that comes near AutoCAD
(and I don't even LIKE AutoCAD). I have used a number of packages on a number
of hardware platforms, and run a business consulting in CAD systems. I would
dearly love to see two more application areas addressed on the Amiga, namely
RDBMS, and CAD. Alas these areas are the ones that seem to take the most
number of man-years to develop (hence, I guess the reluctance to develop them)

To be fair to software devlopers, there are a few lingering problems with the
Amiga that need to resolved before it would make a successful platform for 
these applications. As is continuously debated in this newsgroup, better
screen display/resolution is needed. The acceptable minimum nowadays is about
1000x800x32 on a 15" screen. Obviously (as with most things in life) the more
the better....

The other problem is that the hardware/OS is not considered stable enough for
these serious type applications. This is not to say that it is flakey, just
people I have spoken to don't THINK it is stable enough.

I have looked at some of the CAD packages that are considered good on the
Amiga, and the overriding impression I get is that they are up to the standard
of PC based CAD packages of 3-5 years ago. They are certainly usable, but the
current crop of PC based packages offer so much more. 

Now I throw down the
gauntlet and challenge someone to develop a REALLY good CAD package for the
Amiga. The hardware is certainly fast enough, the OS is stable enough, and
the display issues will be resolved. Come on guys, how good are you? Here
are some of the features that should be included:

1. full 3D, with the ability to define 2D specific view information (most real
world objects are 3D, but require 2D drawing representations of the object to
be built. The CAD system should be able to maintain the linkage between this
3D/2D data.)

2. user modifiable interface (for that matter, user modifiable everything. 
Perhaps a full C development environment built in, which gives access to the
supplied graphics primitives and user interface, but also allows extensions
to these for applications development - after all, I will want to use my CAD
package for totally different purposes than other people.)

3. links to non-graphic data (maybe a relational database, maybe the whole
system is object-oriented. Either way, graphics alone are not enough to fully
describe objects.)

4. translators to get data into/out of other systems. At the very least DXF and
IGES.

I recently posted a request for information about whether a development system
was avaliable that might be a good springboard for such a system, and have
got minimal response. I think there is a glaring void in available Amiga
applications in the CAD and RDBMS areas, and potentially an eager ready market.
Come on, how about doing something about it?? Any thoughts?

Cameron Stephenson                         ph +61 75 951220
Bond University
Gold Coast    Australia