I'm interested in hearing whether anyone thinks there is a market for engineering Internet products.
Saw this news release on the Autodesk page and thought this was an interesting use of the technology. Sounds like a good way to publish design drawings. They (Autodesk) seem to be approching it as a way to add features to their main product, but not a revenue producing produdct.
Any comments?
AUTODESK WHIP! PLUG-IN AND FILE FORMAT ALLOW
DISTRIBUTED DESIGNS OVER THE INTERNET
Fundamental Changes In The Way Design Professionals Distribute, View Drawings
New York, NY, April 10, 1996 -- Autodesk has introduced a new 2D vector file format for the Internet and free companion viewer, called the WHIP!Ô Plug-in, for use with Internet browsers. Designed to work together, the new WHIP! Plug-in and Drawing Web Format (.DWF) let users download design data efficiently over the Internet.
Users can view 2D vector data and use high speed pan and zoom capabilities to maneuver through complex and detailed drawings. In addition, support for embedded URLs allows direct links to other locations on the Internet. As a result, design professionals around the world will be able to collaborate on design projects over the Internet more easily, as well as share their work with their clients.
By creating this technology for users of design and engineering software, Autodesk will help eliminate the communication barriers between engineers, architects and other design professionals and increase the use of shared digital designs.
The DWF file format is more efficient than bitmaps or other file formats for storing and displaying design information -- bitmap file formats such as GIF and JPEG store data as individual pixels; vector data is stored as lines, arcs and circles. To further reduce download times, DWF files are transmitted in compressed form which is then decompressed by the WHIP! Plug-in. Since design files are frequently several megabytes in size, this performance gain is a critical factor for the design and engineering communities. Panning and zooming is virtually instantaneous as it is not necessary to reload or access the server.
"We are fundamentally changing the way design professionals distribute and view complex technical drawings," said Carol Bartz president and CEO of Autodesk. "The WHIP! Plug-in facilitates the communication process, making the Internet the ultimate collaborative platform for design."
Netscape and Microsoft each said the WHIP! Plug-in is a key milestone in addressing the needs of designers.
"By adding a plug-in for design professionals, Autodesk has taken the lead in bringing Internet access to the design community, said Jim Barksdale, president and chief executive officer at Netscape. No one else could bring Netscape client access to three million designers this quickly."
"Design professionals need an Internet champion, and Autodesk, as the industry leader, is an important company to watch," said Michael Ahern, Product Manager for Microsoft's Internet Platform and Tools Division. "With WHIP!, Autodesk has added powerful technology for distributing fast, accurate designs more broadly. This is a big step toward making the Internet more useful and accessible for design professionals."
DWF supports both secure and open data. For reasons of liability, electronic transfer of designs has been fairly limited to date. Since the WHIP Plug-In lacks editing tools, DWF is not readily altered in its binary form. However, the associated DWG file can be embedded into the DWF at the data owner’s option, allowing "drag and drop" of the source data file into an AutoCAD session. This provides a mechanism to showcase their designs, yet maintain ownership of their intellectual property.
In keeping with its history of open architecture, Autodesk is publishing the DWF file format. With over 1.4 million users and an estimated one billion DWG files in use today, the DWF file format, and its companion WHIP Plug In, are poised to become the Internet standard for 2D vector data. The DWF file format is currently in review by numerous software vendors and is being submitted to the appropriate consortiums.
Users can see a demo of the new WHIP! technology by downloading a preview version of the WHIP! Plug-in and viewing the sample web pages on the Autodesk website at www.autodesk.com. The preview version works with Netscape Navigator -- support for the Microsoft Internet Explorer will be added in the beta version of the WHIP! Plug-in.
The WHIP! technology was developed in-house using the same graphics technology employed by Autodesk’s new 3D Studio Max product and the WHIP driver for AutoCAD Release 13. Using an updated WHIP driver and a beta version of the WHIP! Plug-in, both scheduled for release over the Internet this summer, AutoCAD Release 13 users will be able to create DWF files of their own drawings. A stand-alone utility, planned for release in the fall, will allow users to convert legacy R12 DWG data or R12 DXF into the DWF file format.
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One of the first applications to leverage the new WHIP! Plug-in is Autodesk’s own Data Publishing Group, which will publish its Mechanical Library in DWF format so users can quickly browse content before purchasing and downloading drawings over the Internet.
About Autodesk
Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC -based design and GIS software. The company's 2D and 3D products and data management tools are used in many industries for architectural design, mechanical design, film-making, videography and geographic information systems. The fourth largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has three million customers in 126 countries. Autodesk products are sold through Autodesk Systems Centers, Dealers and Distributors worldwide.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including the timely development and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q filed in December 1995.
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Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, and AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. The WHIP Plug-in! and DWF are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. |
