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CAD upgrades, new hardware, and more
By Deborah Snoonian, P.E.

BOA
BOA Research Corporation
www.boaresearch.com
(for Windows and Macintosh)

BOA’s 3D CAD is targeted to the AEC market.

Originally developed on the Macintosh platform, this 3D CAD package is now compatible with Windows-based computers, in a likely attempt to snare a portion of the AEC market dominated by software made by Autodesk and Bentley Systems.

Like most object-based CAD, BOA lets designers model their buildings directly in 3D, from which they can extract 2D plans, elevations, and sections as needed.

A designer can define two object types within BOA: blocks and frames. Blocks are user-defined volumetric building components, such as walls, columns, and beams; frames are inserted into blocks to represent openings in the blocks, such as doors and windows. This is a departure from other 3D CAD programs that have an array of
predefined objects corresponding directly to building components.

BOA’s blocks are generic until a designer assigns them data and properties to make them behave like the components they represent, and they remain editable throughout the design process. BOA’s workplane, which corresponds to the reference plane found in other 3D software, can be manipulated easily so that the user can view a model from any angle or zoom position, and allows easy switching between 3D views and plans or sectional cuts.

ZiPCAD
123-D Software
www.zipcad.com
(for Palm and Palm-compatible handheld organizers)

ZiPCAD is the first CAD tool made only for Palm-compatible handheld devices.

Users of Palm handheld organizers, take note: This design software won’t replace your desktop CAD system, but it’s a handy tool for marking up existing drawings and creating on-the-fly as-builts. The company was founded by a computer guru-turned-architect who saw a niche market for designers in need of a simple, mobile CAD program. ZiPCAD allows import and export of DXF files from and to compatible desktop programs. Users will recognize common CAD functions like layers and line types, as well as drawing and editing tools like offsets, trims, and grouping functions. It’s a useful tool for those who don’t mind working on a small screen.

SpaceNavigator and SpaceTraveler
3D Connexion
www.3dconnexion.com
(for Windows only)

3D Connexion’s input devices win points for user comfort.

3D Connexion aims to make designers more comfortable at their desks by giving them ergonomically correct input devices. The company’s research indicates that repetitive tasks are minimized by as much as half and productivity increases up to 30 percent when using two hands rather than one for design tasks.

The SpaceNavigator keyboard, released last spring, has a trackball-like device built into its left side. Users can scroll through Web pages and zoom in on document details with the left hand, freeing the right hand for using the mouse to select and modify text or elements of a CAD model.

For designers on the go, the SpaceTraveler works with portable computers. It comes bundled with a Logitech-brand travel-size mouse as well as the left-handed navigator for panning, zooming, and rotating.

Both tools allow users to program the navigator’s buttons for different software applications.

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