By Elvis Sverko
People have been using CAD for years, decades even. And for the most part, it’s been on desktop computers and laptops all this time. And most people were trained that way. And it’s still the mainstay.
But today, most people who need to use CAD, or just need CAD models, aren’t tied to their desk, or like to carry laptops around anymore either. And with today’s proliferation of smartphones and tablets, these people need something better.
A few CAD software packages have recently started to make their way to these devices, including the newly launched Autodesk Inventor Publisher free mobile app which helps you create and view 3D interactive product documentation. There’s also the AutoCAD WS mobile app by Autodesk that let’s you view, edit, and share DWG drawings. And like Inventor Publisher, Dassault has 3DVIA Mobile which allows you to view and publish 3D models in various formats. But while the Autodesk products are available as both an iPhone/iPad and Android App, the Dassault product is currently only available as an iPhone/iPad App.
So what does all this mean? Other than a fantastic step forward in technology and the way people create and share model information, it also means that we’ll need to find the best way to train everyone on these apps and devices.
I recently purchased the new HTC Thunderbolt smartphone and started playing with some of these apps, and I got to say, they are awesome! It took me some time at first to get comfortable with the Android operating system, and then another few tries playing with the CAD softwares, (as I really only played with them for a few minutes a day for a few days). But all in all it was pretty simple. But when others tried to explain to me at first how to navigate through everything, they made it sound very complicated. And now that I understand it, I wonder why they didn’t just explain it to me in the simplest of terms. I don’t think they really understood it.
So as simple as it was for me to learn all this, these packages don’t do as much yet as their PC counterparts. But when they do, people will need to be trained properly on it. We might have some time, but we’ll need to be ready when the old desktop computers and laptops go way of the dinosaurs.
If you have any thoughts on training people for mobile apps, especially CAD, please forward them to me. It would be interesting to hear everyone’s thoughts. Thanks.
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