Nov 8, 2011 1:14:53 PM
AutoCAD WS is a versatile app for viewing, editing and sharing CAD designs whether you’re in the office, at a construction site or anywhere in between. The barriers to entry for this Autodesk product are minimal as it is available for free as a browser-based web app and as a mobile app for iOS and Android.
Topics: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Mobile Workstations, Connectivity, CAD
Nov 3, 2011 3:58:19 PM
Price and performance generally increase as you climb the workstation ladder, and so do heat, nose and power consumption. These metrics, which were of low or no concern years ago, are top of mind today.
Topics: Workstations, Hardware, Processors, Graphics Cards, Sustainability, CAD
Nov 1, 2011 1:59:49 PM
Autodesk has released it's juicy new 2012 software upgrades, and you finally have that software license in your hand. Here's a few tips from the Autodesk folks on preparing your system before installing Autodesk software.
Topics: Workstations, Autodesk, RAM, Hardware, Graphics Card, Hard Drive, AutoCAD, Processors, Operating Systems, GPU, Memory, Graphics Cards, Upgrade, Video Cards, Operating System, Windows, CAD
Oct 27, 2011 1:10:21 PM
In September we announced the release of the 2012 version of Vectorworks® software. The release contains more than 100 performance and usability improvements to help users save time and increase their productivity. If you’re thinking about trying one of the Vectorworks design series programs, or if you’re ready for an upgrade, you may have some questions about hardware selection. Here is a brief overview to get you started.
Topics: RAM, Hardware, Hard Drive, Processors, SSD Drive, Memory, Video Cards, Vectorworks, CAD
Oct 24, 2011 2:47:03 PM
In this series, I discussed ways to determine your needs and the different types of wide-format printers. Now let’s talk about setting it up.
Topics: Accessories, Hardware, Wide-Format Printers, Printers, Plotting, Large Format Printers, CAD
Oct 22, 2011 1:32:27 PM
Hello,
I run an IT Management firm and am implementing new hardware / software for an engineering client. We just updated 4 w/s to Dell T3500 w/quadro 2000 cards and I am pricing out a server for the office. This new server will run a hypervisor w/ 2 vm servers. One will be the DC / file server etc.
The other I am planning to have as a xenApp Citrix box. This is where I am looking for help. Not to setup but for advice.
The company has up to 5 people using autoCAD. One individual does 3D work. Each drafter / eng will have their Dell W/S for heavy work in office. I would like the Virtualized Citrix box to be able to run 1-3 instances of AutoCAD remotely or on site. 1 user would use it regularly in office on a GB connection and this would be his primary CAD solution but his tasks are not graphic intensive... they are more long calculation projects that we would like the huge processor/RAM of the VM to take care of.
The other employees would run CAD remotely but sparingly.
We definitely want the Terminal Server solution but do not need the CAD option. It would be very handy though.
1. Is this something that can be implemented the way I outlined above? Is it worthwhile for a small office? Around 10 staff total.
2. What Dell server setup / options would you recommend, most importantly what video card / cards should I use to implement this properly? I am planning a 4-5k solution with 2 x 6 core xeon.
(My understanding is that I can plug any engineering quality video card/s into the server, dedicate them to the citrix vm, and each would cover up to 4 users. I also read about Remote video cards, my understanding is that these are used to send the video stream out via cat5e cabling and not remotely.)
3. What software combination would you recommend to use for this purpose if I am off track?
Thank you for your time,
Clayton Shaw
itevo corp
780.241.3335
Oct 17, 2011 11:47:40 PM
In part one of this series, I discussed ways to determine your needs. This is the most important step. It won’t matter what printer is purchased if it can’t do what you need it to do. This post will cover the different types of large format printers.
Topics: Accessories, Hardware, Wide-Format Printers, Printers, Plotting, Large Format Printers, CAD
Oct 13, 2011 2:27:57 PM
Before CAD became our main design tool, we drew our creations on “the board.” Once drawings were complete, there was a physical product -- the drawing itself. It was very likely a piece of vellum or mylar or perhaps just a simple sheet of bond paper. I have even worked with drawings on linen. These drawings could be presented to a client, approval board or municipality. All you needed were copies. That was easy -- fire up the diazo and try not to inhale too many fumes.
Topics: Accessories, Hardware, Wide-Format Printers, Printers, Plotting, Large Format Printers, CAD
Oct 11, 2011 3:05:43 PM
We're talking about remote graphics in this series. We've outlined the potential benefits for CAD users, the reduced hardware costs and the security advantages. This post will wrap up this discussion with some details about sustainability as well as some final comments.
Topics: Workstations, Hardware, Graphics Card, Remote Graphics, GPU, Graphics Cards, AMD, Connectivity, Upgrade, CAD
Oct 6, 2011 8:56:16 PM
CADspeed editors would like to pay tribute to Apple cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs, who passed away on Wednesday. Although PC users outnumber Mac users in our field, often it was technology conceived by Jobs and developed by Apple that influenced and even transformed the CAD world over the years.
Topics: Workstations, Apple, ArchiCAD, Hardware, AutoCAD, Vectorworks, CAD
