Topic: iPad & AutoCAD?

[craigr]

I just bought an iPad the other night, (it's REALLY COOL!).

Showing it off at work and playing with it, it occurred to me that this would be AWSOME with an AutoCAD viewer on it while installing in the field.

Does one exist?

If not, Autodesk should be working on it. This WILL happen at some time in the future.

craig

[David Hall]

Dont hold your breath.  As cool as the Ipad is, I dont see Autodesk reopening that can of worms.  But I could be wrong

[JCTER]

Isn't there a web based viewer already in the works?

I don't know how compatible it is with Opera, but you could go that route, whenever they finish it.  IIRC they are developing a DWG Viewer that works in your internet browser.  I just don't know about compatibility.

That's why I'd like to get a Tablet that can run Windows 7 rather than an Apple product.  More versatility.

[New Shooz]

Didn't EDrawings used to have the facility to view dwg files ?

[TimSpangler]

I wouldn't totally count it out.......

[Mark]

They have SketchBook Pro for iPad. *shrug*

[sinc]

Autodesk keeps making noises about Mac Autocad.

However, it seems at odds with some of the other things they're doing.  For example, they're pushing everyone very strongly to a .NET API, but .NET is Microsoft-only.  I kind of get the impression that Autodesk doesn't know what Autodesk wants to do in this regard.

They are working toward that "drawing viewer in a browser" thing, I forget what they call it.  So it seems like there's a good chance of being able to view drawings on an iPad through a browser, or something like that, in the not-too-distant future.

[JCTER]

It had some name like Dragonfly or something like that, but I can't recall 100%

But if they had something working in a common browser, then I think that would basically solve it.

Of course, you could always just buy a laptop or a tablet PC of some kind that's already out there, and more geared towards contractors, and then install the regular DWG True View software.  TBH, if I were thinking about a company tool for contractors to use... that'd be the better money spent.

If I -had- an iPad already, and was thinking "Gee, I wonder if I could find a way to..." then yea, that'd be cool.  However, if I was starting with nothing... yea... I'd go the laptop route likely.

[deegeecees]

It had some name like Dragonfly or something like that, but I can't recall 100%

But if they had something working in a common browser, then I think that would basically solve it.

Of course, you could always just buy a laptop or a tablet PC of some kind that's already out there, and more geared towards contractors, and then install the regular DWG True View software.  TBH, if I were thinking about a company tool for contractors to use... that'd be the better money spent.

If I -had- an iPad already, and was thinking "Gee, I wonder if I could find a way to..." then yea, that'd be cool.  However, if I was starting with nothing... yea... I'd go the laptop route likely.

It's now called Homestyler:
http://www.homestyler.com/

[JCTER]

Oh, neat.  I see Dragonfly isn't the project I was thinking of... but it was some project "code name" that's equally as ambiguous    but then again, I guess having an ambiguous name is "appropriate" for a beta... or... something...  I know they do it often, but I don't know why they can't just say "Homestyler beta" instead of dragonfly..

Oh, and btw, I was thinking of BUTTERFLY... my bad... Dragonfly.. Butterfly... now I see why I got mixed up.
http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/butterfly/

Overview

Project Butterfly is an Autodesk Technology Preview that enables AutoCAD® users to edit and collaborate on AutoCAD drawings through a Web browser. With Project Butterfly, AutoCAD users can share and work on DWGTM files with colleagues and clients from any computer with an Internet connection.

    *Share drawings with other people. View and edit DWGs without downloading any software, using just a Web browser.
    *Invite your project team to an online meeting where all sides can discuss and co-edit a drawing in real-time. Or browse through comments and changes on your own time.
    *Use Project Butterfly to collaborate with colleagues and clients. Anyone can access Project Butterfly, even if they don't have AutoCAD installed, and even if they don’t have a Project Butterfly account.

So it's actually a DWG -editor- and not just a viewer... but assumingly, if they release a web based EDITOR, they could theoretically create a 'viewer only' version quite easily and surely there would be equal market for that as well, I guess.  Then again, I guess that's what PDF/DWFs are for?

[Crank]

Dont hold your breath.  As cool as the Ipad is, I dont see Autodesk reopening that can of worms.  But I could be wrong

Looks like they are already working on it

[Matt__W]

Dont hold your breath.  As cool as the Ipad is, I dont see Autodesk reopening that can of worms.  But I could be wrong

Looks like they are already working on it

I'm guessing those are just "regular" DWGs and not ones with AEC objects.

[jonesy]

Dont hold your breath.  As cool as the Ipad is, I dont see Autodesk reopening that can of worms.  But I could be wrong

Looks like they are already working on it

I'm guessing those are just "regular" DWGs and not ones with AEC objects.

Go take a look, but the samples on "my" page were of AEC objects... (however from what I could see its a markup tool, not a cad tool)
http://butterfly.autodesk.com/

[craigr]

Having 'played' with mine for a while now, I don't see that it could ever be used to produce a CAD file.

It's interface is way to clumsy for that. I think it would work very well for a mark-up tool.

The one from India may be more in line for this use though. It is MUCH cheaper and doesn't have all of the other 'goodies' that the iPad has, that aren't needed for CAD Mark-ups.

craigr