Free CAD Files from Via

Via is a Taiwanese chipmaker that today unveiled its OpenDesign site, where you can download the CAD files for a notebook computer.

Powered by the VIA C7-M ULV processor, the Windows Vista-capable VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design is a small, 1kg, 8.9" Mini-Notebook form factor design that supports screen resolutions of up to 1024x600.

To download the CAD files, you need to register at the site. I did, as much as I get r-e-a-l-l-y tired of Web site registrations. But then it got worse when the picture code is nearly unreadable and so I had to enter it in numerous times before getting it right. Once registration was finished, I was prevented from entering the CAD download site for the following reason:

Your login has been blocked. Please contact the administrator.

At this point I gave up. The only thing I was interested in was learning the format of the CAD files.

Update

The CAD files are in prt.n format, ie prt.1, prt.2, and so on. I assume that these are Pro/Engineer part files.

Comments

[Normand C]

It's ironic that for a reference design which calls itself OpenSource, they choose to supply files in a proprietary format. They could have offered a neutral file format like STEP...

[MeMyselfAndI]

File Information says "Pro/ENGINEER TM Wildfire 2.0", the file-set includes 4 parts from the housing. The parts history is cut off.