Welcome to the second edition of our quarterly newsletter. Our goal is to provide you with interesting news about the CAD market in general as well as the BricsCAD platform and the solutions from our Third Party development partners. Feedback welcome!
Our goal is to make this a quarterly newsletter to provide you with interesting news about the CAD market in general as well as the BricsCAD platform and the solutions from our Third Party development partners.
BricsCAD software provides practical solutions to today’s challenges. Let us now consider the first of several key functions, which positively differentiate BricsCAD from existing MCAD products, making it a game changer for millions of mechanical engineers worldwide.
Powerful 2D sketching key to success in 3D modeling
A 3D model is the primary data of any mechanical design. It is used not only to visualize the future product, but also to validate the design, simulate the behavior under different conditions, optimize the product, plan manufacturing processes (including CNC code generation), and create 2D drawings and other technical documentation. However, many 3D design operations start with a 2D profile. The profile can be extruded, revolved, or swept to define a 3D volume that will be added or subtracted to the solid model under design. Sketching 2D profiles is an important part of any MCAD system. How can BricsCAD help engineers to speed up this routine process?
Bricsys Strategy for Mechanical Design By Dmitry Ushakov
BricsCAD implements the full set of 2D geometric entities: lines (including rays and infinite lines), circles, ellipses, and their arcs, polylines composed of linear and arc segment, splines. Users can easily maintain their sizes and positions using geometric and dimensional constraints.
Constraints play a fundamental role in engineering software. They are used to specify and keep interrelations between geometric elements of any 2D/3D CAD model, and thus allow users not only to significantly reduce design time, but also to express their design intent, vastly simplifying future changes in geometry.
BricsCAD supports a rich set of geometric constraints in 2D: coincidence, concentricity, collinearity, parallelism, perpendicularity, tangency and other geometric relations between two or more geometric entities. Dimensional constraints are intended to specify required values for distances, angles, and radii measured as standard .dwg dimensions. Parameters of dimensional constraints can be linked with formulas, allowing BricsCAD users to define sophisticated engineering relations between geometric entities.
When the user defines constraints, BricsCAD automatically moves, rotates and reshapes geometric objects to such positions where all the constraints are satisfied, taking care to minimize the number and the value of transformations from the initial configuration. Constraints are persistent
entities of the geometric model – they are used not only to position geometric entities when applied, but also to keep the same interrelations for any future changes.
Technological leader
BricsCAD uses mature constraint solving technology, developed since 2001 by Russian mathematicians of LEDAS Ltd. In 2011 Bricsys acquired not only the IP (Intellectual Property) rights to this technology but also the development team who are now part of the Bricsys R&D department in Novosibirsk. This extended team is now in charge of the further development of this technology and of the implementation of end-user functions on top of it. Very few companies possess their own constraint solving technology, and it is a serious competitive advantage for Bricsys to be a technological leader in this important field.
The Bricscad® V13.2 major upgrade includes more than 20 new and improved features and also incorporates some 50 fixes for support requests, both from users and application developers.
64-bit version
Version 13.2 introduces a native 64-bit version that provides for flexible handling of large drawings and the rendering of complex designs through maximum memory usage.
Improved cloud connectivity
BricsCAD V13.2 integrates a smart connection with the cloud-based Chapoo Free or Premium Services. The Chapoo connection tool automatically recognizes xrefs and keeps track of them in the cloud.
See video
Support for 2013 .dwg format
BricsCAD V13.2 now also supports the latest .dwg format as used by AutoCAD® 2014.
“I have used BricsCAD since V7 and have seen it change from a slightly rough AutoCAD substitute to a product that surpasses AutoCAD in some ways, while remaining at a very good price. The problems that I have found in new releases are usually corrected very quickly. The ongoing dialog that Sander and many others maintain through the website is also exceptional; it tells the customers that someone is listening.”
James Matthew - Mechanical Designer, Mobile Medical Int’l Corp.
BricsCAD BIM Module beta
On June 19th we announced the beta version of the BricsCAD BIM Module, an add-on module for Building Information Modeling available for free to users of the BricsCAD V13.2 (Windows, 32-bit) Pro or Platinum Editions. With this release Bricsys is extending its core philosophy of “Unified CAD”, allowing users and developers to remain within their familiar .dwg environment without the need for annoying conversions or separate companion products, whether working on 2D drafting, 3D direct modeling or building information modeling.
From March 22th to 24th our channel partner in Poland – Grupa Vector Software – exhibited at Tarbud 2013, an international construction conference. The exhibition was held in Lower Silecia’s capital cty of Wroclaw, in the beautiful Centennial Hall, a Unesco World Heritage site.
In addition to meetings with customers and prospects at the exhibition stand and training sessions, our Sales Point also organized a giveaway of a BricsCAD Pro license.
COFES Russia 2013
Erik de Keyser and Mark Van Den Bergh, Bricsys CEO & COO, as well as Dmitry Ushakov, CEO Bricsys Technologies Russia, and Alexander Maltsev, CEO Sabit Co, Bricsys partner for Russia, participated to the COFES Russia 2013 Conference held in St. Petersburg from May 30th to June 1st. The conference focus was on global trends and their impact on the future of engineering software in Russia.
BricsCAD Tutorial Movies
Direct modeling basics This tutorial shows how you can create complex solid parts using powerful variational direct modeling technology that combines the best of two worlds: parametric and direct modeling.
Assembly modeling overview
BricsCAD V13 software represents another leap for 3D direct modeling within the dwg environment by adding powerful assembly modeling.
Kinematic analysis overviewTake a look at some 3D functionality never before performed by a .dwg based CAD software: kinematic analysis.
Assembly modeling basicsThis tutorial shows you how to start working with assemblies in the BricsCAD V13 -- Platinum Edition. You will learn how to assemble different parts in a 3D model, which lets you control the final result.
With today’s tough economic circumstances throughout the developed world, we see more and more enterprises reluctant to submit to the expensive subscription cycle they are forced into by the market leader for keeping their CAD software up to date.
Moving to BricsCAD provides them with more functionality such as e.g. direct modeling, and can not only save them a bundle, but also allow them to provide access to CAD software to many more people in their organization. More often than not the main inhibiting factor is the transition of the existing arrangement/set-up, across to the new BricsCAD environment.
That’s where the Transitioning Services from CAD Concepts Ltd, the New-Zealand based partner of Bricsys, come into play. At the heart of the offering is an online training course called “Deploying BricsCAD in a Multi-user Environment”.
For more information contact Jason Bourhill.
By Jason Bourhill
Deploying BricsCAD in a Multi-user Environment
Detailed information on how to install and configure BricsCAD for multiple users.
For people migrating across from AutoCAD®, as well as for existing BricsCAD users that are growing their user base, or looking to improve on their current management processes.
Participants are provided with access to written material, and a series of on-line videos that work through each of the course topics in detail.
A sample CAD library is provided to allow participants to undertake the exercises on their own machine, and to use as a basis in developing their own setup.
Mention code “BricsCAD–NewsQ2” when contacting CAD Concepts for a 10% discount on any transitioning services acquired before the end of August 2013.DISCOUNT
NewsThe release of the V13.2 update of the BricsCAD software in early May received quite a bit of attention from the CAD press, analyst community and customers:
“Bricsys keeps putting out frequent, significant updates of
BricsCAD, and today they began shipping V13.2. Well, not
so much “shipping” as making available for download.”
Ralph Grabowski - upFront.eZine Publishing
“The day many BricsCAD users have been waiting for has arrived!
BricsCAD V 13.2 is a major release that now has a 64-bit (X64) download,
separate from its 32-bit (X86) counterpart. Support for .dwg 2013
(used by AutoCAD 2014) and better Chapoo integration are other features
in this version.”
Rakesh Rao - CAD/GIS Developer
“Bricsys is doing well by offering not just low-cost 2D CAD but an alternative platform for third-party developers.
A copy of AutoCAD retails (depending on locale) for around $4,195; a copy of basic BricsCAD is around $500.
Third-party application developers can add $1,000 or more to the price with their custom application and still
undercut the competition by thousands. From Turkish architectural software to civil engineering software for
Poland, there are a wide variety of custom applications in small markets running custom software based on
BricsCAD.”
Randall Newton – Managing Editor at GraphicSpeak
“This can correctly be described as a customer oriented response. In less than
4 weeks the correction for the problem identified in the support request was
incorporated into the product.” Describes the experience of IBB with a support
request to Bricsys when a DXF file didn’t open with BricsCAD V13.1.18.
Ingenieurbüro Battefeld (IBB) - GIS und BricsCAD Blog
“A worldwide network of more than eight hundred software
development entities use the standard API’s of BricsCAD to
develop applications for specific industries and markets.
This doesn’t mean however that the developers of BricsCAD
BrazilDuring the month of June a team of Bricsys execs visited Brazil, following up on the strategy to further expand business in Latin America. The visit was an excellent opportunity for direct contacts with important customers and to better understand the real needs of the local market. Another focus of the trip was meeting with existing and prospective Application Developers and Sales Points.
The BricsCAD community is growing quickly in Brazil, with many applications for the AEC market developed in Portuguese and soon to be available on the Catalog of the Bricsys eStore. Given the vibrant local economy and huge potential, future
plans for Brazil include an annual conference in Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to application developers, Sales Points and BricsCAD users.
With a population of 193 million, Brazil is one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world, growing on average 5% a year. By the end of 2013 Brazil is expected to become the world’s sixth largest economy.
Federative Republic of BrazilCapital: BrasíliaOfficial language: PortuguesePopulation: 193,946,886 Area: 8,514,877 km2 3,287,597 sq mi Currency: Real
