TurboSketch is used with the award-winning Google SketchUp conceptual modeling application as well as tightly integrated lighting and photorealistic rendering controls from IMSI/Design.

An easy one click approach controls the same sophisticated lighting and rending technology that powers CAD packages costing thousands of dollars.

Mechdyne Corporation today announced that its VRCO software division has expanded the compatibility of its immersive visualization solution to support native display of both Autodesk ® Maya ® and Autodesk ® 3ds Max ® applications in a wide range of large scale virtual reality environments. With the enhanced Conduit™ package, designers may now display native Maya and 3ds Max models, in stereoscopic viewing modes, on large PowerWall™ and in walk-in immersive CAVE ® rooms driven by Windows ® and Linux ® PC clusters.

ESRI announced today the availability of ArcGIS for AutoCAD, a free AutoCAD application that allows CAD users to visualize and query geographic information system (GIS) data within the CAD environment without conversion. ArcGIS for AutoCAD accesses dynamic georeferenced ArcGIS Server map services and displays them in the AutoCAD drafting environment.

“For the first time, CAD users will have a simple way to connect to GIS enterprise data,” said Don Kuehne, ESRI product manager. “These users will benefit from the results of GIS analysis through georeferenced cartographic products inside AutoCAD's editing environment for context and reference without the complexities of conversion and translation.”

Cimmetry Systems, an Agile Software company and global leader in collaborative visualization solutions, today announced the immediate availability of AutoVue 3D Pro - SME, the latest addition to Cimmetry's AutoVue family of visualization solutions, targeting the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) market.

Strong demand for Cimmetry's native viewing technology has created the need to recognize the special requirements of small and medium sized enterprises and their tendency to work with the lower priced, mid-range 3D CAD packages. Cimmetry's new AutoVue 3D Pro - SME provides users of mid-range 3D CAD packages, such as SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD Mechanical and Solid Edge, with the freedom to choose their authoring tools and still work with different mid-range 3D formats from partners, customers or suppliers. Customers that require the ability to view the higher-end 3D CAD packages, such as CATIA, NX or Pro/Engineer, may upgrade to the AutoVue SolidModel Pro product.

Oce, a global leader in digital document management and delivery solutions, today announced the introduction of two new production-color printers for corporate print rooms and commercial printers. The Oce(R) Color System 620 (CS620) and Oce Color System 650 Pro (CS650 Pro) provide printing and copying at 65 pages per minute with a low cost of ownership maximizing budgets and productivity.

Matrox Graphics Inc., manufacturer of graphics solutions for professionals, unveils the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition, the latest addition to the Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM) line. This new external graphics upgrade device allows users to convert a dual-link DVI output into three standard DVI outputs. TripleHead2Go Digital Edition supports a stretched desktop of up to 3840x1024 (triple 1280x1024)1 across three monitors, allowing an easy multi-display upgrade path for compatible notebook, desktop or workstation systems. Users of the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition can also choose to operate in DualHead® mode with a combined resolution of up to 3840x1200 (dual 1920x1200)1.

Intergraph Corporation today announced the release of version 5.1 of the ImageStation® suite which drives higher productivity and throughput, and introduces ImageStation XE.

The ImageStation suite serves government, commercial photogrammetry and mapping agencies worldwide by enabling users to process digital photogrammetry workflows from project creation to orientation and triangulation, 3D feature collection and editing, Digital Terrain Model collection and editing, and orthophoto production using aerial and satellite sensors. This release makes orthophoto production more reliable and efficient, and several enhancements have been implemented to make the photogrammetric workflow more productive.

Around the Web

IN THE REGION/New Jersey; The Hanging Tower of Jersey City  , by Antoinette Martin, March 4, 2007, The New York Times (registration required) -- AFTER a wild development saga involving a dozen legal actions and the hiring of a mega-star architect, the design for a new tower to anchor this city's arts district emerged last week as, well, kind of wild.

Autodesk MyFeedback Web Portal Re-Design Project  (Between the Lines blog)

New Autodesk Public Discussion Groups for 2008 Products  (Between the Lines blog)

Study Says Computers Give Big Boosts to Productivity  by Steve Lohr, March 13, 2007, The New York Times (registration required) - Money spent on computing technology delivers gains in worker productivity that are three to five times those of other investments, according to a study being published today. But the study also concluded that the information technology industry itself was unlikely to be a big source of new jobs.

Upcoming Events

Deltek Insight 2007
Date:	March 15 - 18, 2007
Place:	Venetian Resort Hotel Las Vegas, NV USA
The name Deltek Insight conveys what this conference is all about – providing you with Insight into industry trends, best practices, what Deltek has planned for the future and how you can further leverage your investment in Deltek products to streamline operations, improve business performance and win new business.
World of Asphalt 2007 Show & Conference
Date:	March 19 - 22, 2007
Place:	Georgia International Convention Center Atlanta, GA USA
North America’s leading international exposition and education resource for the asphalt, highway maintenance and traffic safety industries.
LMS Conference 2007
Date:	March 20 - 21, 2007
Place:	Somerset Inn Troy, MI USA
The conference presents the work of technology leaders from the Test, CAE and CAD industries and is open to the entire engineering community. It offers an opportunity for attendees to gain additional knowledge and technical skill with the use of LMS systems and to discover new groundbreaking LMS products such as LMS Virtual.Lab and LMS Test.Lab.
88th Annual Convention & Constructor Exposition
Date:	March 21 - 24, 2007
Place:	San Antonio, TX USA
The convention is designed for anyone interested in the construction industry and is interested in improving their bottom line and expanding their markets. If you are serious about ‘Understanding the Owner’s Advantage,’ you can’t afford to miss this convention.
PORTS 2007
Date:	March 25 - 28, 2007
Place:	San Diego, CA USA
Port and harbor facilities development is undergoing exciting and significant challenges in response to the world's everchanging trade, economic, and political conditions. PORTS 2007 will offer an all-encompassing array of professional/technical papers pertinent to the progress of port and harbor facilities development. These papers are expected to address the complex, innovative, and state-of-the-art technical aspects associated with the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operations of worldwide port and harbor facilities. A diverse group of attendees involved in the successful development and operations of port and harbor facilities will attend this conference and hear presentations of these papers. Attendees will exchange ideas; debate points of view; discuss case studies, methods, procedures, standards, and techniques; and share experiences, innovative solutions, knowledge, and lessons learned. In the PORTS Conference traditions, special emphasis will be placed on providing a practical international and national forum for issues and ideas related to ports and harbors, inland waterways, and navigational improvements.
SPAR 2007
Date:	March 26 - 27, 2007
Place:	Sugar Land Marriott Town Square Sugar Land (Houston), TX USA
Please join COADE at booth # 5 for Spar Point Research's 4th annual conference on 3D laser scanning and active dimensional control. Discover the business case for using advanced dimensional control work processes enabled by new laser technologies such as COADE’s CADWorx fieldPipe for Leica fieldPro employing Direct-To-Model (DToM) Technology. Learn how laser precision technologies can help achieve significant safety, cost, schedule and quality values for capital projects

You can find the full AECCafe event calendar here.

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-- Susan Smith, AECCafe.com Managing Editor.