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It absolutely is something that companies want (not necessarily individual people). After a certain scale the biggest problem in CAD is not the actual 2D or 3D

It absolutely is something that companies want (not necessarily individual people). After a certain scale the biggest problem in CAD is not the actual 2D or 3D drawing, its file and data management. Most of the CAD industry is actually more focused on this as a problem to solve, businesses will spend fortunes on it. In the product design world its called PLM (Product lifecycle management) and in the Architectural wold its called BIM (Building information management). You can think of it as being similar to a combination of software version control, documentation systems, bug databases, specification systems, and even continuous integration systems. Almost every CAD package has its own PLM/BIM system and some are very powerful. The move to browser-based CAD enables you to build PLM and BIM systems that aren't file based, but are backed by a database and have versioning inherently built in. CAD parts or drawings are no longer discreet files but objects in a DB. My background is in product design and SolidWorks (dating from the 90's) and Creo (can be traced back to the 80s as Pro/E). Both of these feel very dated now. The new kids on the block are AutoDesk Fusion 360 (cloud-based, using a DB, but with a native front end) and OnShape (Fully Cloud/Browser based, original Solidworks team, https://www.onshape.com/ https://www.onshape.com/). Take a look at OnShape if you want to be amazed at what is possible in the browser! The 3D rendering is all done client side but with a live WebSocket connection to their servers for the Parametric Kernal and Constraint Solving, it's very clever.

rjsw 8y ago
Someone using a PLM system may not need to view every detail of the design, so being able to create lightweight clients in a browser is helpful. I have been involved in STEP [1] for quite a long time, there has always been the expectation that it could be implemented as a database. I'm currently on the fringes of the work to map the PLM standards onto RDF/OWL/SKOS. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_10303 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_10303
andyjohnson0 8y ago
Thanks, thats an aspect that didn't occur to me. I have some experience with EDA (Electronic Design Automation) systems at the hobbyist level, and managing/versioning even simple design artefacts can be a pain. I can see how pro-level CAD would present considerable challenges. That said, there is obvious scope for vendor lock-in when designs are cloud hosted.
- samwillis 8y ago
  There is unfortunatly vendor lock in with all “pro” cad. It’s a bit like Photoshop, you can take the output jpeg or bmp, even the layers and use it else where but no other software has full comparability with the psd format. Vendor lock-in is just the cost of doing business.

rjsw 8y ago

Someone using a PLM system may not need to view every detail of the design, so being able to create lightweight clients in a browser is helpful. I have been involved in STEP [1] for quite a long time, there has always been the expectation that it could be implemented as a database. I'm currently on the fringes of the work to map the PLM standards onto RDF/OWL/SKOS. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_10303 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_10303

andyjohnson0 8y ago

Thanks, thats an aspect that didn't occur to me. I have some experience with EDA (Electronic Design Automation) systems at the hobbyist level, and managing/versioning even simple design artefacts can be a pain. I can see how pro-level CAD would present considerable challenges. That said, there is obvious scope for vendor lock-in when designs are cloud hosted.

samwillis 8y ago
There is unfortunatly vendor lock in with all “pro” cad. It’s a bit like Photoshop, you can take the output jpeg or bmp, even the layers and use it else where but no other software has full comparability with the psd format. Vendor lock-in is just the cost of doing business.