WorldCAD Access

My life with an $80 Android tablet

This tablet is named simply "MID" (short for "mobile internet device") and is based on the WM8650 chip from VIA Technologies, who designed it specifically for building the lowest-priced tablets on the market. There are a number of vendors --  Elonex, FlyTouch, HTC, SmartQ, MayLong, EPad, TomTech, InnovTek, and ViaPad -- producing tablets using this chip and they all have the same look (roughly).  In fact, I wonder if the new $100 tablet from Archos is based on this design. I have no idea who made mine.

;

The specs for this CPU include the following:

• 800MHz CPU.
• Android 2.2 OS.
• Floating point calcs 45% faster and power consumption 20% lower than the predecessor CPU (VM8505).
• Supports AVI format up tp 720P video; Flash 10 playback; supports HTML5 video online.
  
  

First, the bad news. As expected for $80, there are problems with the build quality:

- The touchscreen does not always respond as I expect. For example, I'll swipe down to scroll, but the nearest item is selected instead.

- When I plug in an audio cord, I have to jiggle it to hear both channels.

- I haven't got the USB ports working, but files can be exchanged through Dropbox, GMail, or through a microSD card.

- It looks like an iPad, complete with "Home" button. But this button actually performs the Back function; useful in most cases, but not when using full-screen apps, like Angry Birds. On the edge is a Menu button, puzzlingly enough. (Other buttons: power and volume.) I haven't found where the buttons can be reassigned.

- The power connector is a standard round pin, rather today's more common microUSB. Not a big deal, but it can't use the microUSB chargers I have around the house and car. (Other connectors: microSD slot and proprietary connector for USB-and-ethernet dongle.)

- Not all Android apps work with this tablet. For example, the HMV music apps runs, but won't download the music I've purchased. I haven't been able to install AutoCAD WS, but there are a few more workarounds I need to test. OTOH, Kobo works, and downloads the ebooks I've purchased. Sketchbook Mobile works.

Now, the good news. For an $80 device, this thing does a lot:

- While its USB ports don't work for file transfer, they do work as ADB (Apple device bus). I have attached the wireless transmitter for an external keyboard that has an integrated touch pad. This lets me type more quickly, but -- more important -- overcomes the touchscreen quirks.

TIP: On the touch pad, scroll handles left-right and up-down swipes: I hold down the first button, and then scroll sideways or up-and-down.

The special keys work, as follows:

Home - takes the tablet to its home screen; press Home a second time to see all screens.
Cursor keys - move between icons on the screen.
Enter - runs the app associated with the currently highlighted icon.
Esc - acts like the Back button.
Windows key - brings up the current app's menu
Windows Shortcut Menu key - brings up Google Search.

F1 -  opens the browser 
F2 - Music app
F3 - Video app
F4 - Photo app
F5 - Calculator app
F6 - Weather app
F7 - Sound recorder app
F8 - Clock app
F9 - Calendar app
F10 - File Browser
F11 - Task manager
F12 - USB settings
(You can change the meaning of the function keys in Settings.)

ScrollLock - Settings
PrintScreen - nothing, although a dedicated button on the status bar takes screen grabs.
Pause - nothing
PageUp and PageDown - nothing
Insert and Delete - nothing
End - hibernates device and locks screen
Ctrl+Alt+Del - reboots the device

 - While some apps don't work, and Google's official Apps Store won't let me access some apps, there are work-arounds. For apps that don't work, I can usually find a substitute, or just live without. For apps blocked by Google's store, there are plenty of other sites that allow side-loading. I found that Opera Mini browser makes it really easy to sideload apps.

- The screen's coating successfully resists finger smudges, unlike the glossy screen of the iPad.  The thicker body, smaller size, lighter weight, and rounded back make the MID easier to hold than an iPad.

- There is  a community dedicated to customizing the OS on this device. One of the best is at TechKnow, which has a replacement version of Android 2.2. This Uberoid ROM roots the devices, installs some HoneyComb-like UI changes, and so on.

TIP:  When installing Uberoid WM8650 HYBRiD HoneyCombMOD ROM at step 7, try a different number for CHANGER.BAT until the OS successfully boots on the MID. I found that #8 worked best for mine.

In summary. This device is great for seeing if a 7" tablet is right for you, and is cheap enough to experiment with custom ROMs. With the Uberoid ROM it runs faster, and with the external keyboard-touchpad, it runs more smoothly.

TIP: Getting the full list of + commands in AutoCAD 2012

AutoCAD has a number of commands that begin with the + character. These are usually commands that open multi-tabbed dialog boxes. By prefixing the command name with the +, AutoCAD then prompts you for the tab number, which begins with 0 for the first tab. These are primarily meant for macros and LISP routines.

For example:

Command: +options 
Tab index <0>: (Enter an integer.)

AutoCAD 2012's new command interface lists all commands starting with the same letter. Normally, I find this a pain, since it will tend to list a closing command before an opening one. For instance, it lists MatBrowswerClose before MataBrowserOpen, since it works in alphabetical order. But how often do you need to know the name of the command for closing a palette? (Just click the X.)

Anyhow, this new command interface lists for us all command names that start with +:

+ConstraintSettings
+DSettings
+Layer 
+Options
+Publish
+Ribbon
+SaveAs
+UcsMan
+VPorts

Of the commands on this list, three do not display tabbed dialog boxes. They react differently:

Command: +SaveAs
Input save format [dwG/dwT/dwS/dwF/Other]:

+SaveAs lets you specify the file format; the Other option lets you specify the version number, ranging from 0 = AutoCAD 2010/1/2 DWG, down to 11 = AutoCAD R12 DXF.

Command: +Ribbon
Enter <menugroup name>,<element id> of the tab to make active (e.g. ACAD_Tabhome):

The +Ribbon command opens a specific tab in the ribbon.

Command: +Layer 
Specify filter [All/All Used Layers/Unreconciled New Layers/Viewport Overrides] <All>:

 The +Layer command lets you specify layer filters.

 

 

After Voyager exited the solar system, Solid Edge goes about reviving its partner program

by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com

On the Internet, no one knows you are a dog. Or you can be a cool dude who wears dark shades at all hours. Meet Mark Burhop, who, unlike his avatar persona, is in real life is a down-to-earth CAD guy, nice enough to have as many friends in real life friends as he has followers in his virtual one.

But Mark needs help. He has been plucked from his comfort zone of Femap (Siemen PLM's FEA software) and put in charge of creating a “app ecosystem” for Solid Edge -- in other words, reviving a partner program so that users can have choices in 3rd party programs. He may have to curtail his time on social media.

As Solid Edge gathers momentum, its executives must have noticed that ecosystems over on the competitive MCAD products (namely Inventor and SolidWorks) are extensive. In fact, the ubiquitous AutoCAD has so many 3rd party programs -- from LISP routines to full heavy apps -- that the program is often referred to as a "design operating system." SolidWorks has a half-dozen CAM programs alone that work happily inside its environment.

Meanwhile, the Solid Edge 3rd party program, previously known as Voyager, simply lapsed into oblivion. I am told it has been folded into the broader Siemens PLM partner program. According to one faithful Edger, “There were a few years where Solid Edge was in the doldrums,” a condition which no doubt had a lethal effect on Voyager.

But all of that is about to change. Siemens PLM states that there is “renewed vigor” in its Solid Edge business. Its new partner initiative is intended to create a streamlined environment, intended to make it easy for partners to participate and be available to the Solid Edge user base.

If I were a vendor, should I be worried that the Solid Edge population is small?

“Solid Edge licenses grew by 50 percent globally last year,” says Mark. “As for the vendors in our ecosystem, my goal is also to look for those with new and innovative ideas that address our customers' technology needs. We want to build a strong community that benefits our partners and customers in a better way than the traditional partner programs in the CAD industry. ”

Mark’s been at his new job for three months. The hallway at the ST4 Launch was crowded with a dozen vendors who Mark probably has on the hook. Already, he has signed up CADENAS, who does parts management and electronic product catalogs, and Striker Systems, whose sheet metal apps handle nesting, CNC punching, and profile cutting machines.

[Reprinted with permission from CAD Insider.]

In upFront.eZine this week: what does the EU think is anti-trust-ful of CAD?

This week, upFront.eZine has for your reading pleasure:

1. Where is the Anti-Trust in CAD?
    - The Problem is Not Pricing, It's...

2. Autodesk Consumer Group
    - 123D

3. Out of the Inbox and other regular columns

You can read all about this week's business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com

 

Customizing AutoCAD's user interface

Tailoring CUI for AutoCAD

Now updated for AutoCAD 2011 and 2012

194 pages  //  5th edition  //  $29.10

Table of Contents

1. Working with CUI
2. Tailoring Workspaces
3. Toolbars and Quick Access Toolbar 
4. Ribbon part i: Tabs
5. Ribbon part ii: Panels
6. Ribbon part iii: Contextual Tabs
7. Menu Bar
8. Quick Properties
9. Rollover Tooltips 
10. Shortcut Menus 
11. Keyboard Shortcuts and Temporary Override Keys 
12. Double Click Actions 
13. Mouse Buttons 
14. Loading LISP Files 
15. Legacy Section

www.upfrontezine.com/cui12

Delivered as a PDF file by email or Dropbox
Also available through Web portals and Autodesk Express Apps store 
- - -
Published by eBooks.onLine, an imprint of upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd.

EFF cranks Vernor v. Autodesk up to Supreme Court level

The Electronic Frontier Foundation very clearly explains what is at stake in Vernor vs. Autodesk:

Under the first sale doctrine, once a copyright owner sells or gives you a copy of her work, she gives up control of that particular copy. You buy it, you own it. This principle is extraordinarily important for consumers, as it makes it legal for you to resell, lend, or give away the books, CDs, DVDs, and software that you purchase.

Many copyright owners don’t like these limits; they’d rather be able to completely control the market for their products, including any secondary markets. Thus, in an effort to duck the first sale doctrine, companies increasingly claim that they are "licensing" products to consumers, instead of selling them.

The story so far:

1. Tim Vernor buy copies of AutoCAD at a garage sale, and lists them for resale on eBay.

2. Autodesk gets eBay to shut down his sales.

3. He sues Autodesk, and lawyers from Public Citizen pitch in to help him out.

4. District court of Seattle agrees with Vernor.

5. Autodesk appeals to 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and wins.

So today the EFF announces that a coalition of public interest, consumer, and library groups are appealing to the US Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court decision.

Source.

In upFront.eZine this week: from a centimeter away, we critique TurboViewer

This week, upFront.eZine has for your reading pleasure:

1. IMSI/Design Launches iApps for iTablets
    - TurboViewer for iOS
    - iOS Development Challenges
    - Upcoming Software for Portable Devices

2. How to Use Dropbox with AutoCAD WS and TurboViewer  
    - How to Use iTunes with TurboViewer

3. Out of the Inbox and other regular columns

You can read all about this week's business of CAD at www.upfrontezine.com/2011/upf-696.htm

 

With last week's SE4 launch event, Solid Edge came out from under the NX shadow

By Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com

The enhancements are coming fast and furious at the launch of Solid Edge ST4 Launch event. I cannot keep up. (Get all that I missed through the What’s New in Solid Edge ST4 PDF by Siemens PLM.)

I’m catching a few highlights, especially ones that are applauded by the attendees. Like:

• Range Offset Value
• No more picking on empty space
• Prevention of assembly relationship loops
• Shadows that appear correctly, even on photo backgrounds (done with an invisible plane)

The cynical, and those with the competition, might say some enhancements are fixes for problems Solid Edge itself had created. Yeah, that happens. But many are bona fide, and are welcome improvements. If I was a Solid Edge customer, I’d be doing cartwheels.

As Dan Staples, director of Solid Edge development (aka "Papa Edge"), lists even more improvements, I realize am witnessing a genuine and concerted effort to improve the product – an effort contrary to the growing belief in the industry that design software is as good as it can be, that all CAD software can basically do everything, that all the features needed have already been added, that CAD software has have achieved parity, and that it is more or less a commodity.

Thank you, Solid Edge, for not giving up; for recognizing that, yes, even with one of the most robust and easy to use MCAD software applications in existence, there is still room for improvement; that users’ lives can still be made easier; and there are still customers to be won.

At 250, the attendance at the ST4 Launch is small compared to the big annual CAD conferences; Autodesk and SolidWorks measure attendance at their annual events by the thousands. Nevertheless, this “launch” is significant in other ways.

A gathering of Solid Edge users is a break from the mother ship. For several years, Siemens PLM Systems had attempted to lump Solid Edge users with NX users under the "PLM World" umbrella. There was only one problem: Solid Edge users stayed away in droves. The few who did attend PLM World regretted it, telling tales of snooty NX users, of being unable to find others like themselves (often cited as the single most valuable benefit of user conferences), and of a conference program that was almost completely filled with NX classes. “We were the red-headed step child,” said one Solid Edge user.

Insiders I spoke with credit Karsten Newberry, senior vp of Solid Edge for Siemens PLM, as the main reason why Solid Edge came out from the shadows. Only a few months ago, Mr Newberry gave the job of creating the ST4 launch to John Fox, formerly from PTC. With a small but hardworking staff, Mr Fox engineered the entire show, complete with keynotes, a dual track of classes, meals, social events, and even 3rd party vendors. (My favorite: a cappuccino machine that dispensed coffee -- for free!)

Though the event was small in scale, Solid Edge now has a scalable template for future events – something that "Edgers" (as Solid Edge users are often referred) will welcome.

[Reprinted with permission from CAD Insider.]

With Creo, PTC's Heppelmann Made a Gutsy Move

by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com

A chance to address your top customers is not an opportunity to be missed. CEO Jim Heppelmann has taken the main stage during the annual PTC user group meeting. He wastes no time. He talks fast.

“I’m an engineer,” Heppelmann tells us. He has already been introduced as a tinkerer, someone with a “big workshop” who “loves to visit customers.” It’s a tough sell. The crowd has been rather reserved. It is their second or third day in Las Vegas. By now people are moving a bit slower in hallways of the mega-complex that is Caesar’s Palace casino. I’ve had to go around them. I guess even engineers just wanna have fun. It is Las Vegas, after all. Don’t ask; don’t tell. During breakfast, the coffee runs out.

Heppelmann has been in the top position for nine months. He replaced long-time Dick Harrison, who is nowhere to be seen. 

So what does Heppelmann bring to the show, his first big public gig as CEO in front of users? Boundless energy, for one thing. His words come quick, like a machine gun. Only once did he stumble and that was over which one of the new PTC products does what. But who isn’t confused?

PTC has blown up the old brands Pro/E and CoCreate in favor of a myriad of Creo products. Why would PTC throw a grenade into its own house? One might argue CoCreate, a MCAD also-ran, might have needed a boost. But why mess with the venerable Pro/ENGINEER? Why “abandon a name that's synonymous with 3D?” [Sean Dotson on Twitter]. If anything, change the company name. The “Parametric” in PTC no longer tells the whole story.

Heppelmann tells how sales had been stagnant for years. A high level meeting was called. Hard questions were asked. Some suggested the status quo was due to a mature market; they were challenged with the question, “Have all the problems been solved?”

But it was a rhetorical question. A trap.

“No, they have not,” he answers himself. “These products are fundamentally hard to use! It was the elephant in the room.”

He is not done. The problem was deeper.

“Once upon a time, we were the innovators. We had a great product. We had the only product. [PTC invented parametric CAD.] Somewhere along the way we became complacent."

“We have the best parametric modeler in Pro/E,” he said. “We have CoCreate.” He lists other PTC applications. “Why don’t we think outside the box, put all them in the blender and see what frappe comes out?”

Those that didn’t share the vision may no longer be in PTC’s employ. Heppelmann had not climbed to the vaunted position to wait for consensus. “Only two of our executive staff were there two years ago.” I'm thinking if you don’t agree with Heppelmann, you don’t stick get to stick around for too long.

Heppelmann is on a roll. He is taking a shot at the term 'CAD' itself.

“We don’t call it 'CAD' anymore. I think we can assume that all design is now computer aided. It’s not 1970.”

Elephants. Frappes. Questioning “CAD” itself. Amidst the distraction of wildly clashing metaphors, a lapse into subjects that usually put me to sleep (PDM, ERP), shaking the bedrock of TenLinks (a CAD site), and typical CEO bombast (“We are the leader and we’re opening our lead”), I have to mentally withdraw to preserve my sanity. But I think I’ve got what I need.

Basically, PTC, under Heppelmann, has put all its wood behind the new products. For better or worse, the old brands are gone. The new programs (apps) are smaller, lighter... modern! It’s a move that ought to be applauded. Sure, the hard core Pro/E users will complain.

Most CAD insiders, however, have been saying for many years that PTC needed to wake up and react to its shrinking influence in the market it once owned. PTC was the frog in the pot of water slowly heating, never summoning the will to jump.

Well, the frog has now jumped. We can only guess how it will land, to be sure, but credit must go to Jim Heppelmann for not only recognizing the need to adjust his company's course, but also being able to push it through the organization.

[Reprinted with permission from CAD Insider.] 

Tablet vs. Tablet: 7" Android ($80) vs 10" iOS ($500)

Much to my surprise, I now have two tablets -- that, after some weeks ago writing a screed about how there was no way I would buy any tablet, especially not this year.

Then the 1-2 punch knocked out my anti-tablet stance:

1.  A month ago, I fell for a 7" Android v2.2 tablet listed on eBay for $80, shipping from China included. (I can't tell you the brand or model, other than "MID WM8650": link.) I justified it as my Father's Day present, and last week it arrived. At $80, even my wife approved.

2. Last week, a CAD software vendor asked if I had an iPad with which I could test his upcoming iOS software. When I replied in the negatory, he offered to loan me one, and on Monday it arrived. Free. This time, my wife lost interest.

Now that I've had the two for a few days, here's my reaction:

Size and Shapes

The MID 7" tablet is a nice size, and I can see why many Androids come in that size -- provided you don't intend to type with the on-screen keyboard. The rounded, plastic back makes it easy to hold.

The Apple 10" size is a little too large to hold comfortably, and the sharp edges with the aluminum back make it hard to hold for more than short periods.

Weight

 The 7" is all-plastic, including the screen, with a battery that lasts just 2-3 hours. This makes for a lightweight tablet, and one that feels cheap.

The 10" is all glass and aluminum with a 10-hour battery. That makes it heavy, and it feels even heavier than it looks -- making it feel expensive.

Ports

The 7" has headphone, power, microSD slot (I inserted a spare 2GB card), and a proprietary port. It includes the dongle with 2 USB ports and an ethernet port. (Naturally, it has WiFi, but no Bluetooth or GPS.) A nice touch is that the USB ports can be toggled to act like ADB (Apple device bus) ports, making it a snap to use the tablet with external keyboard and mouse. There are two small speakers and apparently there is a mic built-in, but I have not yet tested it.

The 10" has a headphone and a proprietary port. The proprietary port handles power, USB, and other interfaces, but Apple only includes the power cable. It also has Bluetooth, GPS, Wifi, a speaker, and a mic.

OSes

The 7" runs Android v2.2, which includes means it runs Flash 10.1. It does not have official Google support, so Google's market is missing. Using a Web browser like Opera Mini, however, it is trivial to sideload (download and install) any Android app from sites like freewarelovers.com/android.

In addition, it is trivial to root the device -- trivial compared to Android phones -- to install better versions of Android, such as HYBRiD WM8650 HoneyCombMOD  (registration required). TIP: I found this mod installed best on this model when I specified 8 in changer.bat.

The 10" runs  iOS and I had to suffer through a surprising large number of authentication and registration steps to get onto the App Store, even though I already have an Apple ID. Apps cannot be sideloaded, which makes me wonder how the CAD software vendor will get me access to their still-confidential app.

At this point, I gotta say that I just don't like the iOS and OS X interfaces. I avoid using Apple products, except when I have to for work reasons. Android is just more me.

Interfaces and Operation

I find it interesting that the 7" runs Android 2.2 (meant for cell phones) on its screen like a tablet. I am guessing that some Android apps are already tablet-aware, meaning they take advantage of the larger screen area. This cheap tablet's screen has the same resolution as my 4" Android cell phone (800x480), but it does not look coarse. It's as if there is some anti-aliasing going on.

As you would expect, this 7" is not the smoothest performer. When you start using it, keep in mind it costs $80, and then you'll be impressed by its performance.  For the most part, it runs as well as the iPad. Where it falls down is with the screen, because it is resistive. The pro is that you can use a finger or a stylus; the con is that it is not as sensitive as a capacitive screen, and so sometimes I have to swipe or pick more than once to get a reaction.

The 10" runs many iOS apps in tablet mode, which means that apps tend to split the screen, with a selection area on the left, and the larger work area on the right. The resolution is 1024-by-768, exactly 2x in area as the Android. Being a capacitive screen, it is very responsive, but can only be used with a finger.

Cameras

I mention cameras, because this is the weakest point on each.

The 7" has one front-facing camera, VGA resolution and, if you can believe it, 256 colors. It takes stills and video clips, but poorly.

The 10" has a front- and a rear-facing camera. The front one is as bad as on the Android tablet, but captures more colors. The rear one has such an embarrassing spec that Apple does not list its still resolution. The images made with the 0.7 megapixel camera are noticeably grainy.

Summary

The 7" Android is cheap, is built cheap, has no vendor support, but is fun for playing around with, like rooting, using as an ebook reader, or running as a music player (which is what I do with it). As a result, it is a pleasant but sometimes frustrating surprise.

The 10" Apple is well-built and well-supported, but is large and heavy, and surprisingly lacks in a few areas.

Neither is perfect, confirming my earlier anti-tablet column.