CAD chronology
before 1970
1970-1980
1980-1989
1990-1991
1992-1993
1994 1995
1996 1997
1998 1999
2000
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AutoCAD LT 97 |
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Autodesk provides World Creation Toolkit which is a collection of 500 MB of prebuilt objects, meshes, fonts and animation. |
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Autodesk ships 3D Studio MAX release 2 and a cut-down version called 3D Studio Viz. |
| Autodesk Walk Through 1.1, an animation program for AutoCAD modules. |
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Autodesk ships AEC Professional Suite 2, an integrated package of AutoCAD 14, AEC AutoCAD utilities, Autodesk Walk Through, Design Blocks, Autodesk View and 2000 architectural symbols. |
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Autodesk ships AutoCAD 13 Internet Publishing Kit, a program used for view, access and sharing drawings on the Internet. It compress the drawings in DWF (Drawing Web Format) a new compressed file format designed specifically for the Internet. |
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Bentley ships MicroStation Modeler version 5.5 (based on ACIS 2.1 modeling Kernel) |
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Bentley starts engineering back office and ModelServer product line. Daratech lists Bentley as fastest-growing in CAD/CAM/CAE |
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CAS.CADE is a new modeling Kernel developed in 1997 by Matra Datavision. |
| The
Canvas 5 USA Tour kicks off. This coast-to-coast seminar series offers
Canvas enthusiasts a chance to get up close and personal with their
favorite graphics application and Deneba's in-house artists. Deneba introduces Colada, a Java-based web sharing technology for Canvas 5. Canvas is used to design many of the computer screen shots in Steven Spielberg's Hollywood blockbuster The Lost World. NASA uses Canvas to illustrate the Mars Pathfinder. DenebaCAD for Macintosh is introduced. Focusing on the needs of professional architects and engineers, the program integrates 2D drafting, 3D modeling, and photo-realistic rendering in one application. |
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Dassault
Systems S.A. acquires Deneb, the recognized provider of leading
digital manufacturing solutions. |
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Dassault Systems S.A. and SolidWorks Corporation announce in June the signing of a definitive agreement whereby the privately-held SolidWorks, a leading provider of mechanical design software products for Windows, is acquired by Dassault Systems in a stock transaction. |
| In July, Delcam plc was floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). In preparation for this, Delcam UK was established to spearhead UK sales and customer support. Coinciding with the floatation, Delcam opened a northern sales office in Bolton, Lancashire. Overseas activities continued to develop, with strong emphasis on joint ventures, especially in the Americas, Europe and the Far East. Delcam now has more that seventy sales offices worldwide and has a wholly owned subsidiary in the USA, exploiting the country's massive complex manufacturing market. |
| In 1997, MCS took the next step forward by releasing the first CADD-through-CAM system for the 21st Century, ANVIL EXPRESS. |
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EDS introduces a number of new industry-leading capabilities with its new version of Unigraphics, including WAVE - which will enable the definition, control and evaluation of product templates - considered the most important new technology affecting the CAD/CAM/CAE industry in the next five years. |
| AIA CAD Layer Guidelines, Second Edition - Second edition published to improve on original version |
| CSI Uniform Drafting System (UDS) Modules 1-3, - Separate effort focused on drawing. Ultimately 8 modules |
| ISO 13567 - Standard for Structuring Layers in CABD - International effort to structure layer naming for translation between various languages and vendors |
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First version of IDEAS Artisan Series from SDRC, fully compatible with Master Series, priced at ~ USD 5,000. |
| Revit Technology Corporation is revolutionizing building design with Revit - the world's first parametric building modeler developed for the AEC industry. |
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Form Z, a solid and surface modeler, first available only for Mac platforms, debuts on Windows market. |
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Helix Design System from Cadcam System Company, version 4, based on DesignBase modeling Kernel with CAM facilities. |
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Imagineer Technical version 2, fully compatible with Microsoft Office and AutoCAD. |
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AutoCAD Release 14 for Windows is proved to be the best and more stabile version ever. It comes with a lot of improvements in both 2D and 3D. Includes ObjectARX 2.0, ActiveX Automation Interface which allows Visual Basic for Application to drive AutoCAD or to write a single application that integrates AutoCAD with other ActiveX Automation compliant application, AutoVision is included. |
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In October EDS and Intergraph announces plans to pool the assets of their CAD software (Unigraphics and Solid Edge) in a joint venture. |
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Matra Datavision ships Euclid Quantum version 1, based on CAS.CADE geometry modeling Kernel. Over 47,000 copies will be sold in one year. |
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Matra Datavision ships STRIM, a CAD/CAM package. |
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MiniCAD version 7 for Mac and Windows. |
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Parametric Technology ships PT/Modeler, a CAD/CAM package based on a proprietary modeling engine. |
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Pro/E version 18 with over 50 integrated modules. The price starts at 26,000 USD for 13 modules. |
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SoftSource ships V/Draft, a 2D CAD program for Windows with AutoCAD interface, support for Visual Basic, C++ and ActiveX programming. |
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Solid Works 97 with 65 new capabilities like support for Visual Basic for Applications, Visual C++ and HTML. |
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SurfCAM version 7 with support for AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop files. |
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TurboCAD Professional version 4 from IMSI. |
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Unigraphics version 12 from EDS with over 30 integrated modules. Price started at USD 17,000. |
| In November Autodesk ships Mechanical Desktop version 2 integrated with AutoCAD 14. Uses the new ACIS 3.0 modeling Kernel, support AutoLisp and C languages and includes ANSYS Design Space 3.0 Stress Wizard. |
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VGX technology from SDRC provides intuitive interaction for the design and modification of parametric feature - based solids. It will be used first in I-DEAS Master Series 5. |
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Visionary Design Systems took over 3D Eye Systems. |
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XCAD version 4 and XCAD LT from Xitron Software Corporation. |
| CINEMA 4D XL version 5.0 launch in December. |
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40,000 copies of ArchiCAD sold worldwide to date. |
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Spatial Technology announced that it has over 350 licensees and an estimated 600,000 end-users of its ACIS modeling Kernel. |
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CAD/CAM market worldwide: 1. Parametric
Technology |
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In 1997, AutoCAD pass 1.5 million copies sold worldwide and AutoCAD LT pass half million copies sold. |
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Intergraph announced that 6250 copies of its Solid Edge program has been sold worldwide. Solid Works Corp. announced that has sold 3000 of its 3D solid model worldwide, including companies such AT & T, Boeing, General Motors, Sharp, Siemens and Mitsubishi. IMSI announced that has been sold over 600,000 copies of TurboCAD to date. Parametric Technology announces 105,000 seats installed of Pro/E |