tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52895356845542815162024-03-06T10:25:25.484+02:00Linux Aided DesignSpyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-72243033913292636282014-10-14T10:58:00.004+03:002014-10-14T10:58:58.624+03:00DraftSight 2015 is out with a 64bit only version for Linux.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
DraftSight 2015 is out and Linux users can now install it without problems on a 64bit distro because this version is 64 bit only.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I downloaded and tested the new DraftSight on an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit machine.<br />
DraftSight installed with GDebi without errors so no more hacks or tweaks needed for use it on a 64bit machine.<br />
With ldd DraftSight's executable seems to load only 64 bit libraries without any kind of 32 bit dependencies so it's a full 64 bit release.<br />
Also DraftSight now uses Qt 5 as its GUI toolkit. <br />
When I started it for first time a window appeared with the option to migrate my settings from the previous version. This option doesn't seem to work well so you have to use new settings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMuL64CQ4CVSbcW_GZ914vzdS274a4oozDlVqk9P5mEPm-xGNFyRgeRPd5k2hEkqfglTYI0XuRgKkDdWy0AT_HSVIN4VX17MCn7jQDYcL4yc5cvK1qQVXV9JA9oNKMakqO6JaP2LSj00/s1600/ds64migration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMuL64CQ4CVSbcW_GZ914vzdS274a4oozDlVqk9P5mEPm-xGNFyRgeRPd5k2hEkqfglTYI0XuRgKkDdWy0AT_HSVIN4VX17MCn7jQDYcL4yc5cvK1qQVXV9JA9oNKMakqO6JaP2LSj00/s1600/ds64migration.png" height="320" width="263" /></a></div>
<br />
The performance (especially in Sheets) wasn't great and there where many GUI glitches probably related to the new GUI toolkit. I will test it and on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64bit in order to investigate further these issues.<br />
<br />
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<br />
DraftSight 2015 64bit for Linux is great as idea but needs much more love in order to be great and as implementation.<br />
You can download DraftSight 2015 from <a href="http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/download-draftsight/">here</a></div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-44896749481091541352014-09-30T21:52:00.002+03:002014-09-30T21:52:56.052+03:00DraftSight Linux goes 64 bit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to official sources, the next (V1R6) release of DraftSight for Linux will be 64bit instead of the 32bit older releases. This will make many Linux users happy because a native 64bit DraftSight version was a very popular demand. Unfortunately for users with older machines the 32bit version will be dropped. </div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-54352659885978697662014-08-22T21:34:00.000+03:002014-08-22T21:34:35.810+03:00A user's perspective on Linux CAD programs.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }</style>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BricsCAD
V14 versus DraftSight V1R5 comparison</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For a long time, CAD users were bind to Windows
platform, because there was no Linux or Mac alternative CAD software
to AutoCAD or other windows CAD programs. In recent years the
situation has changed a lot on Linux platform with the rise of
DraftSight, BricsCAD and ARES CE.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When I started my freelance work as a 3D artist and
draftsman 3 years ago I didn't have money to spare so I looked into
the software situation under Linux when building my workstation. I've
been using AutoCAD in my previous job, so open source programs like
QCAD or LibreCAD seemed like a too much hustle to get used to plus
they were not as feature full, as I needed for production work. When
I tried DraftSight, I immediately knew that I could use this software
for production work. It was not as feature full as AutoCAD LT, but
it's tools and work flow were very similar to to that of AutoCAD, so
I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time to learning a new work flow.
The bonus thing for me was that it was a freeware.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After 3 years of using DraftSight in production, it
serves me well. But from time to time I miss more advanced features
and also 3D functionality, both of which DraftSight lacks. That's why
I took a look at BricsCAD. At first I was discouraged by some bugs in
version V13, but after V14 came out I decided to purchase the Pro
version, which includes 3D capabilities. I'd like to share my
comparison of these two programs. I am still getting used to
BricsCAD, but I already used it in few projects, so I think I know it
well enough to post this write up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Even though I use the Pro version of BricsCAD, I'll try
to compare it to DraftSight as if I was using the Classic version.
The reason for this is that DraftSight offers no tools for 3D
modeling, so it's counterpart is the Classic version of BricsCAD,
which lacks 3D capabilities. DraftSight on Linux is for free, single
license of BricsCAD Classic costs 485 USD.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Installation</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">BricsCAD is the first CAD Linux program which runs
natively on 64bit systems. The installation was trouble free on my
Fedora system. DraftSight is only 32bit application (native 64bit
version is expected to be released in Autumn 2014) , so when
installing it on 64bit system, you have to manually install few 32bit
libraries. On Fedora, you also have to force the installation with
rpm tool, due to some package collision (this happens even on 32bit
systems). Even though I ran into licensing problems with BricsCAD and
had to activate my license manually, BricsCAD has better installation
process in my opinion.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>GUI</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Both applications have similar interface with model
space, re-positionable toolbars, menu bar at the top and command and
status bar at the bottom. BricsCAD's workspace is harder to set up
and buggier though. I think this comes from the toolkits used –
DraftSight uses Qt, whereas BricsCAD uses wxWidgets, which seems to
pose more problems in Linux. For instance positioning toolbars is
much less irritating in DraftSight. In BricsCAD you can sometimes
even move toolbar out of your monitor with no easy way to get it
back. When customizing .cui file (editing aliases or other GUI
stuff), all toolbars are reset to their original positions in
BricsCAD. There are lots of small glitches here and there all around
BricsCAD's user interface. DraftSight's interface is not bug free,
but it's much more polished than BricsCAD's.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tZ1r0Hf3OxXahjCZvSSZZMqcro6m8aM7Ow7iESXWYyvzy_M1CSDY-ADagpd_57KoSut_-bM0dpHjVPSQ5uXuHWTfrUIMxx7ca51jragrgjnr8f8t7CQPqMAJUv6r4Ugd1IvVINP6jU8/s1600/bricscad_UI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tZ1r0Hf3OxXahjCZvSSZZMqcro6m8aM7Ow7iESXWYyvzy_M1CSDY-ADagpd_57KoSut_-bM0dpHjVPSQ5uXuHWTfrUIMxx7ca51jragrgjnr8f8t7CQPqMAJUv6r4Ugd1IvVINP6jU8/s1600/bricscad_UI.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">BricsCAD's UI</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW_4xt6yqCYCFjz-4vtnFAT2eCC1UupclwZB73YwgzFMnmNmTRXo4Sy_li0HaFkGbc1MuziZg0IS-Txn6TmLQN7qIKYyGl_utKNiIuXKX98IlV_mf_AN5TzUWBDAgLLJhdu3CRMsgPGo/s1600/draftsight_UI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW_4xt6yqCYCFjz-4vtnFAT2eCC1UupclwZB73YwgzFMnmNmTRXo4Sy_li0HaFkGbc1MuziZg0IS-Txn6TmLQN7qIKYyGl_utKNiIuXKX98IlV_mf_AN5TzUWBDAgLLJhdu3CRMsgPGo/s1600/draftsight_UI.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">DraftSight's UI</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Viewport
performance</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is where BricsCAD is clear winner. It's viewport
performance is superior to DraftSight and it can handle larger files
without slowing down. My old laptop (Core 2 Duo with NVIDIA 8600M GS
graphics card) was not good enough to handle some of my larger
projects – the viewport was so laggy, that it was too irritating to
work on those projects. With BricsCAD I can now work on those
projects even on my laptop, since the viewport performance is much
smoother. The only downside of BricsCAD's viewport performance is
the cursor behavior. Sometimes two cursors appear in the viewport,
which is very distracting.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tools</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">BricsCAD is more feature-rich. All of the tools that
DraftSight has, BricsCAD has them too (with small exceptions like layer
preview) and it has much more. Don't take me wrong, DraftSight has
enough tools to use it as production drafting application, but some
more advanced are missing. To name a few: batch printing, toolbox,
multileader, layer state manager, layer filters, annotative text,
dimensions and blocks, command line autocomplete, dynamic input, PDF
underlay, eTransmit, parametric modeling – all of these tools are
not available in DraftSight.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Printing</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I don't print on paper straight from CAD application, I
create PDFs. With DraftSight I use CUPS-PDF virtual printer without
any problems. The native PDF export doesn't work for me – it
freezes when exporting bigger projects and exports solid hatches
incorrectly. The situation is reversed in BricsCAD. I use native PDF
export which works fine. When using CUPS-PDF, few bugs occur – text
gets jagged and some colors are exported incorrectly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Support,
forums</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Since DraftSight is freeware and has more users thanks
to that fact, the forum is more lively, but there's also more noise –
threads with no reply, questions which make no sense or newbie
questions repeated. Most of the people in BricsCAD's forum seem to be
seasoned users who know a lot about the software.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I filed a few bugs in both applications. The response
from BricsCAD's developers was always fast and professional so far.
This didn't always happen with DraftSight. For instance once after
filing a Linux bug, I was advised to use Windows Update and the bug
was closed without me having any way to respond. Most of my
DraftSight bugs were processed properly though.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Both of these applications are good. If you need a solid 2D
drafting, AutoCAD – like software, DraftSight and BricsCAD can serve
you well. DraftSight is free, works with .dwg files natively and
offers enough functionality to use it as production grade 2D drafting
software. BricsCAD offers more functionality and better viewport
performance. </span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">From my point of view DraftSight has served me well over
the past 3 years. I am happy with my switch to BricsCAD, because I am
using some of it's more advanced tool, which make me more productive.
I got around or got used to some of BricsCAD's glitches. The main
advantage of BricsCAD for me is the 3D functionality, which
DraftSight cannot offer.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><i><b>Article written by Tom Polak</b></i></u></div>
</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-34761584713466977162014-07-12T11:40:00.003+03:002014-07-12T11:41:46.959+03:00DraftSight V1R5.2 fixes localization bug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
DraftSight V1R5.2 is out and the important news are that now Linux users can open their files normally without worrying if the path contains any non-English characters. Finally after six months of waiting, DraftSight Linux users can expect normal functionality when they try to open their files.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mTR2eQoiLWJd4wmlFJ3Ll-Rj0Ma0ZuLbEBbaUM2fx6CL7lGa42gNiDSp6WhWYDGX2snVBSSzun6XP66UimUHG-8fq2KWVhhZnpVhf6txlJfoz7d3gDubvqljP8FB9Ll9eSPvh1D2KtE/s1600/dsv1r5.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mTR2eQoiLWJd4wmlFJ3Ll-Rj0Ma0ZuLbEBbaUM2fx6CL7lGa42gNiDSp6WhWYDGX2snVBSSzun6XP66UimUHG-8fq2KWVhhZnpVhf6txlJfoz7d3gDubvqljP8FB9Ll9eSPvh1D2KtE/s1600/dsv1r5.2.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
You can download DraftSight V1R5.2 from <a href="http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/download-draftsight/">here</a>. As usually 32 bit .deb and .rpm files are available.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-5148265766180744192014-06-16T10:18:00.003+03:002014-06-16T10:18:28.971+03:00Teigha Viewer and Teigha File Converter have been upated to v4.00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Teigha Viewer an Teigha File Converter the official tools from ODA for viewing and converting dwg files have been updated to v4.00. The big news for this release is the availability of these two interesting apps for android devices. As usual ODA provides 32bit-only .deb and .rpm packages but you can easily install them without modifications on a 64bit system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS0A22w4hP-kyoSecA8CbI-PAgZtv28_Z5j-onNhCt4Z7Uzatu3IWso6cIdE8jJ6W8XdkRPQt2vqmzIwpii8OvsJARPAdKyq0L9v1KXA9nTliL-962Yy8GGeF49QyeL_KGaKrVkWEhYw/s1600/teighafileconverter4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS0A22w4hP-kyoSecA8CbI-PAgZtv28_Z5j-onNhCt4Z7Uzatu3IWso6cIdE8jJ6W8XdkRPQt2vqmzIwpii8OvsJARPAdKyq0L9v1KXA9nTliL-962Yy8GGeF49QyeL_KGaKrVkWEhYw/s1600/teighafileconverter4.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd8XHQQFTXa1iONEE0dzg6JMCs62inrVQcoq4AgFbHcvNOIMohmicK6rk6oxn-MqaGMXiA4mIUWiGfqNf8EW6bnu_1j6F5_cwgmgEzNi9IGhMlyKsO-h5rhGaAN-l2E4Pzk4g6grgJ-E/s1600/teighaviewer4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd8XHQQFTXa1iONEE0dzg6JMCs62inrVQcoq4AgFbHcvNOIMohmicK6rk6oxn-MqaGMXiA4mIUWiGfqNf8EW6bnu_1j6F5_cwgmgEzNi9IGhMlyKsO-h5rhGaAN-l2E4Pzk4g6grgJ-E/s1600/teighaviewer4.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
You can download them from <a href="http://www.opendesign.com/guestfiles">ODA's website</a>. Both applications are available without any charge.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-6874260426418907092014-05-06T11:51:00.001+03:002014-05-06T11:51:42.498+03:00How to make DraftSight look native on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here is a workaround to make DraftSight to use your desktop theme on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64bit. <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Create a new file named .gtkrc-2.0 inside your home folder</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Add the following line and save it. </li>
</ul>
<span style="color: purple;">gtk-theme-name="Ambiance"</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Edit your .profile file. It is inside your home folder and it's hidden so you have to hit Ctrl+H in order to make it visible.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Add the following line at the end of this file and save it.</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: purple;">export GTK2_RC_FILES="$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0"</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Install gtk2-engines-murrine:i386</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Logout and then Login back in order to apply the changes</li>
</ul>
Now DraftSight will use the default desktop theme on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-60647593757397139662014-04-10T20:52:00.001+03:002014-04-10T20:52:10.435+03:00DraftSight and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the new LTS version of Ubuntu and it will be available on its final state later this month. 64-bit LTS versions are ideal for someone who wants to built a modern CAD workstation but unfortunately DraftSight comes on a 32-bit version only. Ubuntu provides support for running 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS but DraftSight's installer doesn't support this functionality which is known as multiarch support. However the installation of DraftSight on a 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04 LTS system is possible with a few tweaks.<br />
<a name='more'></a>DraftSight actually needs some 32bit libraries to be installed as well, in order to install and run it successfully. This was easy in older versions of Ubuntu. You only had to install ia32-libs with your package manager. However, ia32-libs are no longer available on Ubuntu. So you need to determine which 32bit libraries you need and install them manually. This happens because DraftSight's installer doesn't come with a complete list of dependencies. If its dependencies list was complete you would be able to install it without problems on a 64bit Ubuntu system (that's the point of multiarch support).<br />
<br />
<u>So in order to install DraftSight on 64 bit Ubuntu 14.04 LTS you have to do the following: </u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Install Synaptic and GDebi:</li>
</ul>
</div>
This step is optional but these two programs will make your life easier. Synaptic is an advanced package manager and GDebi is an application for the installation of standalone .deb files.<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Install the necessary 32bit libraries:</li>
</ul>
DraftSight needs some 32bit libraries in order to run the installer. That's why you need to install some packages <u>before</u> you run the installer. So open Synaptic and install the following packages. <br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;">libgtk2.0-0:i386</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">libcanberra-gtk-module:i386 </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">libaudio2:i386</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">libstdc++6:i386</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">libglu1-mesa:i386</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">libgl1-mesa-glx:i386</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">Without some extra 32bit libraries DraftSight will fail to install</span></span></span></div>
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Of course DraftSight needs more 32bit libraries in order to run but these will be installed automatically by installing the above packages. In order to install these libraries with Synaptic you have to use its search tool to find the above packages. Then you have to right click on the package you want to install and select the option "Mark for Installation". Once you have complete this process for all the above packages click on Apply button to proceed with the installation of all the necessary libraries.<br />
<u>Notice for users of binary graphics drivers:</u><br />
If you install the drivers provided by the official Ubuntu repositories you will not face any problems. However, if you are used to install these drivers manually by downloading them from vendor's website don''t forget to install also the 32-bit compatibility drivers. Usually the installer asks about installing these drivers (This affects mainly Nvidia users).<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Modify DraftSight's installer:</li>
</ul>
</div>
Now you have to remove xdg-utils from the list of DraftSight's dependencies because it causes an error during the installation. Before you start, move draftSight.deb into your Home folder. So you have to:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li> Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)</li>
<li>Execute <span style="color: purple;">ar x draftSight.deb control.tar.gz</span></li>
<li>Unzip the control.tar.gz compressed archive</li>
<li>Move into the control folder and open control file</li>
<li>Delete xdg-utils and save the file. <u>Be careful with the syntax of this file. If you don't know how to keep the correct syntax of this file visit this <a href="http://linuxaideddesign.blogspot.gr/2012/03/draftsight-and-ubuntu-1204-lts-64bit.html">link</a></u>.</li>
<li>Ctrl+A to select all the files inside the control file</li>
<li>Right click and select Compress</li>
<li>Compress the selected files as control.tar.gz and choose to save it inside your Home folder. You will be prompted to overwrite the existing archive.</li>
<li>Go back to the terminal and execute <span style="color: purple;">ar r draftSight.deb control.tar.gz</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: purple;">
</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Modifying DraftSight's installer</span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Install DraftSight</li>
</ul>
Now you are ready to install DraftSight on your Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit system. You have to use GDebi or the terminal in order to install DraftSight correctly.</div>
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Enjoy!!!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Finally it works with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">With a few tweaks you can apply the default desktop's theme.</span></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-44783020448450196852014-04-10T20:41:00.002+03:002014-04-10T20:53:19.293+03:00Migration Assistant: Intro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While Microsoft's support for Windows XP has officially ended since April 8th, many users are about to examine the migration to a different free OS instead of upgrading to a new version of Windows and/or buying new hardware. Linux migration can save a lot of money especially for small offices. However, a successful migration is a demanding process and it isn't possible for all users. Before you migrate to a different OS you have to be a 100% sure that your new configuration can satisfy all your needs. Having tested the new environment before is necessary.<br />
This series of posts will provide you helpful instructions about how to test the possibility of migrating your CAD-related working environment to Linux.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><u>Some basic guidelines for a successful migration:</u></span><br />
<br />
<u>Linux is a different OS:</u><br />
This is the most important thing that you must keep in mind while you are trying to migrate to Linux. Some things are similar or even same but there are some significant differences between Linux and Windows.<br />
<br />
<u>CAD users mainly need good and powerful CAD applications and not necessarily a good OS:</u><br />
Even if you are familiar with Linux there is a possibility that the available applications cannot satisfy your needs. Linux has some great choices for CAD applications and most users may find these alternatives very capable. But since not all the CAD applications are available for Linux some users simply cannot migrate.<br />
<br />
<u>Linux is not only for older PCs:</u><br />
Linux runs great on newer computers too. Even if you believe that you have to buy new hardware, Linux can be your choice for a powerful CAD workstation.<br />
<br />
<u>Older Hardware vs Capable hardware: </u><br />
Linux is less resource hungry than Windows and it can be customized in order to have even less hardware requirements but this doesn't mean that it will magically make modern CAD applications run smoothly on ancient hardware.<br />
<br />
<u>Combine and use many different applications:</u><br />
Instead of using one application for all the things you do, you may find useful combining different applications. Typically they can give you better results. And do not ignore FOSS applications. They can be useful and adequate for many people. <br />
<br />
This series of posts will help you to:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Choose the appropriate distro/DE based on several software/hardware configurations.</li>
<li>Choose compatible hardware in case you need to buy new hardware.</li>
<li>Examine the possibility to migrate on an alternative Linux-based configuration.</li>
<li>Create Multi-OS configurations.</li>
<li>Getting familiar with the new environment.</li>
<li>Troubleshooting common problems.</li>
</ul>
You can find all the future posts of this series under the new tag <a href="http://linuxaideddesign.blogspot.gr/search/label/Migration%20Assistant">Migration Assistant</a>.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-18875549728388597552014-03-27T10:31:00.002+02:002014-03-27T10:31:22.282+02:00DraftSight V1R5.1 is out.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An update for DraftSight, the popular free DWG based CAD from Dassault Systemes, is now available. V1R5.1 comes with no major changes and unfortunately doesn't fix the bug with non-English characters.<br />
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-68423887833124860112014-02-13T16:14:00.001+02:002014-02-13T16:14:01.545+02:00BricsCAD V14 for Linux is out !!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today Bricsys <a href="http://bricsys.com/common/news.jsp?item=981">announced</a> the availability of BricsCAD V14 for Linux. This new release has a lot of new features and improvements.<br />
<a name='more'></a>- Bricsys is now the <u>first</u> CAD vendor that provides a <u>native</u> 64bit dwg-based CAD for Linux. 32bit versions are available too.<br />
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- Major UI changes that include new icons, new quad cursor with many new feature and new library browser.<br />
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<br />
- It's possible now to try BricsCAD for Linux in different versions modes.<br />
<br />
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<br />
- New commands for creating Sheet Metal objects.<br />
- New commands for generating automatically 2D Views and sections from 3D entities.<br />
- Helix and Sweep commands for 3D modeling.<br />
- New licensing engine for stand-alone, network, and volume licenses.<br />
<br />
30-days Trial versions are available for free at Bricsys <a href="http://bricsys.com/en_INTL/">website</a>.<br />
<br />
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-46339965193284473272014-01-21T15:32:00.001+02:002014-01-21T15:46:11.583+02:00DraftSight V1R5 is out with a lot of changes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/download-draftsight/">DraftSight V1R5</a> has been released and its Linux version has some significant changes.<br />
Most important of all is the change of the package name and the new locations of files and folders.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
- This version installs in different location and with different name. So if you want to upgrade a current installation you have to remove with your package manager the dassault-systemes-draftsight package otherwise you will have both versions installed concurrently. The new version's package name is " draftsight" or "draftsight:i386" if you use it on a 64bit system.<br />
<br />
- The new directory for DraftSight's installation is /opt/dassault-systemes/DraftSight<br />
<br />
-The new path for DraftSight's executable is /opt/dassault-systemes/DraftSight/Linux/DraftSight. The /usr/bin/draftsight link has been removed so if you want to launch it from terminal you have to type the full path to the executable.<br />
<br />
- User Settings are now under the ~/.config/DraftSight directory so the program cannot detect automatically your previous settings.<br />
<br />
- New conflict in dependencies on a 64bit Ubuntu system. In order to install it successfully on a 64 bit Ubuntu system you have to edit the installer and remove xdg-utils from the list of dependencies. The problem with libdirectfb no longer exists. If you don't edit the installer the package will be marked as broken and it will cause problems to your package manager.<br />
<br />
- This new version much more smaller than the previous versions. Installed requires only 298Mb of disk space instead of 789Mb for the previous version. The .deb installer is smaller too (only 107Mb instead of 289Mb).<br />
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- Mouse Gestures now work on Linux too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mouse Gestures in action.</span></div>
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- Support for .dws (standards) files has been added.<br />
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- Extrude is no longer broken.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8b9pR8vSPO3X_-Hp62-g9Z0HS-DFs9e1zRLXJlPbp3m7Dt9_6c4fDS5JIWzHmu1Q0EWHvkbrePfbcrK7ewi73nlx42AMk1F8gOo0c9hcYKYApK4zKBSj8OKykd8OWdDkn-ondg75kjHY/s1600/dsv1r5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8b9pR8vSPO3X_-Hp62-g9Z0HS-DFs9e1zRLXJlPbp3m7Dt9_6c4fDS5JIWzHmu1Q0EWHvkbrePfbcrK7ewi73nlx42AMk1F8gOo0c9hcYKYApK4zKBSj8OKykd8OWdDkn-ondg75kjHY/s1600/dsv1r5.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">DraftSight V1R5 installed on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit.</span></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-86311778890459274862013-12-25T07:00:00.000+02:002013-12-25T07:00:07.184+02:00Merry Christmas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Merry Christmas to all!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_9McZpNBcPCDbni9TFhOd3LfH-d6stdVVaoRvJEorCECLeXwd_qxplVFnxEG4I9fblw1KYsiPJLLgMAPeOE8Qlialz7R3VAj5f7p-_lROHjqGosPBQvD3UZ4urilFjEtp-fhJvfY71A/s1600/merryxmaslibrecad2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_9McZpNBcPCDbni9TFhOd3LfH-d6stdVVaoRvJEorCECLeXwd_qxplVFnxEG4I9fblw1KYsiPJLLgMAPeOE8Qlialz7R3VAj5f7p-_lROHjqGosPBQvD3UZ4urilFjEtp-fhJvfY71A/s1600/merryxmaslibrecad2.png" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFt_XoyVyjGD7JIKwKwhjAc7HzSUuy4dZgRsL_iOh8CN2ML-AGrcPjxXaExRVii2I4_nl5SaF1Q2dHhKyrjoWc68dRHeI3TxlpAPjFJ0ExIN6MyblHskCdHlNWm9K676FtLauUdCvsg_A/s1600/xmasblender.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFt_XoyVyjGD7JIKwKwhjAc7HzSUuy4dZgRsL_iOh8CN2ML-AGrcPjxXaExRVii2I4_nl5SaF1Q2dHhKyrjoWc68dRHeI3TxlpAPjFJ0ExIN6MyblHskCdHlNWm9K676FtLauUdCvsg_A/s1600/xmasblender.png" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-87424537810011657762013-11-30T18:29:00.000+02:002013-11-30T18:29:05.529+02:00ARES CE gets a new major upgrade but...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Graebert released a new major upgrade for the ARES CE dwg-based CAD program. This new version comes with <a href="http://www.graebert.com/arescommanderedition/arescommanderfeaturesnew2014?lang=en">major changes</a> and as the company claims it also has performance improvements. Unfortunately, the Linux version is garbage. It's impossible to run the software under Linux and in some cases even the installation isn't possible . I spent a lot of time trying different combinations of software and hardware. I tried Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit and 13.10 32bit with both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, with or without proprietary drivers, without any success at all. I also tried various workarounds but probably this is a problematic Linux release of ARES CE. It seems that Linux users have to wait for a fixed version in order to run the new release and test its new features under their favorite OS.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-82397915302203617792013-10-26T18:32:00.003+03:002013-10-26T18:32:19.481+03:00RibbonSoft released QCAD 3.4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A new version of QCAD has been released a few days ago. This new version contains some new features, like a new view mode and support for custom properties. Any Linux users that are interested in trying this CAD application, can download QCAD <a href="http://qcad.org/en/qcad-downloads-trial">here</a>. QCAD 3.4 will work just fine in any modern Linux distro.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgff0C1Qv24MN_eXVdJW2ePZjKTYSe-lMYr-TdYg71qWIbWtkn0qqEa5DENR2LWnTZNSZW20FLvcFjThcnhogW1v3_5R0kstTSWIqSUW6ZhbvjiORKH_YyeuTxesXh_YNpstjD6ej7ijN4/s1600/qcad3.4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgff0C1Qv24MN_eXVdJW2ePZjKTYSe-lMYr-TdYg71qWIbWtkn0qqEa5DENR2LWnTZNSZW20FLvcFjThcnhogW1v3_5R0kstTSWIqSUW6ZhbvjiORKH_YyeuTxesXh_YNpstjD6ej7ijN4/s320/qcad3.4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-79187441867610379792013-09-18T20:21:00.001+03:002013-09-18T20:21:08.770+03:00Updated DraftSight V1R4 is available for download<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The new release of DraftSight is now available for download.<br />
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DraftSight V1R4 comes with the already known features but with nothing new and exciting, for Linux users at least. <br />
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As usual 32bit .deb and .rpm installers are available for Linux users.<br />
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You can download DraftSight for Linux for absolutely free <a href="http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/download-draftsight/">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5MX17PShyphenhypheniEzxqLnsVM9zYrBC_MVJRMbGacro_cbuBPnvIBzCGuLWE84rf9oqH_Gzvdk9NtCTBGgUFm8xDWQJa11zn4fY6dW8KggLTzfEGOe2MzZeccNChqsZIJwBh0bjvbXQR3fDsM/s1600/dsv1r4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5MX17PShyphenhypheniEzxqLnsVM9zYrBC_MVJRMbGacro_cbuBPnvIBzCGuLWE84rf9oqH_Gzvdk9NtCTBGgUFm8xDWQJa11zn4fY6dW8KggLTzfEGOe2MzZeccNChqsZIJwBh0bjvbXQR3fDsM/s320/dsv1r4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-23109221118914352462013-08-03T19:45:00.001+03:002013-08-03T19:45:30.785+03:00How to create layered PDFs with DraftSight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We frequently export our DWGs in PDF format in order to share them or open them with another program. However, these PDFs have the disadvantage to merge the layers of our drawing. Exporting layered PDFs appears to be more useful in sharing because they are kind of editable, with visible structure and also we can further work them out by other programs easier.<br />
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Let's see how to create a layered PDF with DraftSight:<br />
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In your drawing at DraftSight open File --> Export --> PDF Export.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRio9sMbFaNlEjBO2V5S3waABOlXM5hfdA2zSFAd4caLZARWxB9wb-X5wVosgf6hIr39IU1AtuoF-HBcGBvCkL_5lcEvj9fgAExbPSYa1dFWySQcBT1RDHS6d5sIwOVV18Lz3yq_1_NY/s1600/File+Export.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRio9sMbFaNlEjBO2V5S3waABOlXM5hfdA2zSFAd4caLZARWxB9wb-X5wVosgf6hIr39IU1AtuoF-HBcGBvCkL_5lcEvj9fgAExbPSYa1dFWySQcBT1RDHS6d5sIwOVV18Lz3yq_1_NY/s320/File+Export.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the PDF Export dialogue box that appears you are able to choose where to save your PDF, the paper size and the Sheets you want to export: the whole drawing (Model) or a part of it already set in a layout (Layout), or both. Also make sure that 'Use layers in PDF file' under Options is checked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3EM1_ET7AkjdMakSKRhXSh8gXnA7sF2dG2bR7L3jm_9XAirZjoGZwGadgVaDFqgk0kKqnlvTEuOF3gSeKG0cVN_40g8RJAtFBLRdtOInaTMIaeIJm3oaE53wlQaDyaeDv77IjJGqKBQ/s1600/pdf+dialogue+box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3EM1_ET7AkjdMakSKRhXSh8gXnA7sF2dG2bR7L3jm_9XAirZjoGZwGadgVaDFqgk0kKqnlvTEuOF3gSeKG0cVN_40g8RJAtFBLRdtOInaTMIaeIJm3oaE53wlQaDyaeDv77IjJGqKBQ/s320/pdf+dialogue+box.png" width="320" /> </a></div>
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Then open the PDF with Evince (or alternative you can use Adobe Reader) and from the side bar at the left choose Layers. And here they are! You can see them and turn them on and off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3d_OLUkeEEHoUGuhJ5TRz-fHTjtOv81IxxH3joX64VfIk6TARcN9m-AiLwzQQ6xSuJ5jtD-zRdbTTbUbKvHMc5SpdSIWEyEfYkC_yu3GclYS-g8nWbA7w6W1x99WU7Nx7apH20vrnh64/s1600/pdf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3d_OLUkeEEHoUGuhJ5TRz-fHTjtOv81IxxH3joX64VfIk6TARcN9m-AiLwzQQ6xSuJ5jtD-zRdbTTbUbKvHMc5SpdSIWEyEfYkC_yu3GclYS-g8nWbA7w6W1x99WU7Nx7apH20vrnh64/s320/pdf.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Danae K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10397477617968099031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-81039385469511059712013-07-12T21:31:00.002+03:002013-07-12T21:31:39.460+03:00DraftSight V1R3.2 is available for download!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last few days a new release of DraftSight has been available for download.<br />
V1R3.2 doesn't introduce any new features. It's a quality, bug-fixing release only.<br />
You can download it for <a href="http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight/download-draftsight/">free</a> and use it for free after a simple registration.<br />
As usual, only 32bit installers are available for Linux users (both .deb and .rpm).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffQZOI8gS4z1YA1Yi9S9PD1SN_8i4nxdCBplR8pzVW5Bk3rYAnBGDJOvpSfnVPdnEE04qLn-m6k9_OGZo5S8EwGgakukkllAGj3oROvX5T56Y5nxhPyuQ1m-le_jSmytCv3UnUAtjjz8/s1600/dsv1r3-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffQZOI8gS4z1YA1Yi9S9PD1SN_8i4nxdCBplR8pzVW5Bk3rYAnBGDJOvpSfnVPdnEE04qLn-m6k9_OGZo5S8EwGgakukkllAGj3oROvX5T56Y5nxhPyuQ1m-le_jSmytCv3UnUAtjjz8/s320/dsv1r3-2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-47124860246028417892013-06-29T21:40:00.002+03:002013-06-29T21:40:58.108+03:00Lost in Support: VariCAD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.varicad.com/en/home/">VariCAD</a> is a general purpose 2D/3D Mechanical CAD. It already has a native Linux port for many years and it's very popular between Linux users.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">export SUPPORTED_ENVIRONMENT= <span style="color: black;">Any .rpm or .deb based distro, both 32 and 64bit. Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE are recommended. VariCAD is the only CAD program for Linux that is available for both 32bit and 64bit architectures.</span></span><br />
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<b>Installation/Installation Instructions: </b>VariCAD can be installed without problems on a supported Linux distro. Typically no workarounds/hacks are needed for a successful installation.<br />
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<b><b>Active Bugs/Bug Fixes: </b></b>Typically VariCAD provides 3-4 bug fix releases during its annual major releases. VariCAD, due to its long time Linux support, is the most reliable CAD application on Linux right now.<br />
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<b><b><b>Linux Related Answers: </b></b></b>The VariCAD team has long-time Linux experience and is able to answer correctly any question related to your favorite OS.<br />
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<b><b><b><b>Help/Command Reference: </b></b></b></b>VariCAD provides several built-in help resources accessible from the "Help" pull-down menu. Context sensitive help, a quick demonstration guide and flash-based tutorials are some of them. A <a href="http://www.varicad.com/en/home/support/discussion-forum/">discussion forum </a>and a <a href="http://www.varicad.com/en/home/support/questions/">contact form</a> are also places where you can ask for help the VariCAD team directly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6QraUBiOb4X86gBLvoXvJ-BHj7RvtQJgClAd8LohQMxSPlI-hOVBLjEzUbmi9TBYnXs0oOvwTRvKD9cGpi_YgzFB3Bky4_rKQAxO02mHCUE7i0MsLQPmGb5KmPeBycspk7jYvV6koSs/s1600/varicadcontexthelp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6QraUBiOb4X86gBLvoXvJ-BHj7RvtQJgClAd8LohQMxSPlI-hOVBLjEzUbmi9TBYnXs0oOvwTRvKD9cGpi_YgzFB3Bky4_rKQAxO02mHCUE7i0MsLQPmGb5KmPeBycspk7jYvV6koSs/s320/varicadcontexthelp.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The context-sensitive html-based help</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pGspMxSpk4m2IiwsVjzzMypRnioUYueyXCK_aPEBxOVVHmSOnAIjpJHMj5n6DXMZZvEeG4tlfXwegyIR6qCK57QD4Ni5mc__1HlJQ1TvtlzV64ptynU1ULsCvVF-9_D0Cmukp8yhp3Q/s1600/varicadquickdemo2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pGspMxSpk4m2IiwsVjzzMypRnioUYueyXCK_aPEBxOVVHmSOnAIjpJHMj5n6DXMZZvEeG4tlfXwegyIR6qCK57QD4Ni5mc__1HlJQ1TvtlzV64ptynU1ULsCvVF-9_D0Cmukp8yhp3Q/s320/varicadquickdemo2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A quick-demo example</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN88ew_1oVerEk2UXLaF1JqNcLj4frJUyrq4TppDd-NkBBU5PC-ybdNRaiYr6uLl8FWJ6wKxbewjSGNmwdHVQjbhDP3rLz7jMR3JFopufQIg8l7qZEEzdyNaIt2MSzFDpeJn5wZMWQfc/s1600/varicadquickdemo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN88ew_1oVerEk2UXLaF1JqNcLj4frJUyrq4TppDd-NkBBU5PC-ybdNRaiYr6uLl8FWJ6wKxbewjSGNmwdHVQjbhDP3rLz7jMR3JFopufQIg8l7qZEEzdyNaIt2MSzFDpeJn5wZMWQfc/s320/varicadquickdemo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The quick demonstration window</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxI82NYw0mr9iO3TclH3uxLd8Rs10Efmn0ceSfrRs2XRxyhsVynWcMjZqLZQvTCrQA7L4i3s53dnGjkA5-s2dNc8IPJAG0MwUAoQtxpJXn5WI_qQBksvJZVd3qqjEJmY5i-alesM5sRU/s1600/varicadtut.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxI82NYw0mr9iO3TclH3uxLd8Rs10Efmn0ceSfrRs2XRxyhsVynWcMjZqLZQvTCrQA7L4i3s53dnGjkA5-s2dNc8IPJAG0MwUAoQtxpJXn5WI_qQBksvJZVd3qqjEJmY5i-alesM5sRU/s320/varicadtut.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The tutorial section of VariCAD's html help</span></div>
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Development/Improvements/New Features: </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>VariCAD adds periodically some new functionality. The good news here are that the VariCAD team provides detailed <a href="http://www.varicad.com/en/home/products/news/">release notes</a> for every new VariCAD release.<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Summary:</b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b> VariCAD is a program with Linux support for over a decade. It's a stable, well documented, reliable and affordable solution for a Linux-based MCAD workstation.<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b>Rate: 5/5</b></b></b></b></b><br />
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<i>This post is a part of the Lost in Support series. My main goal is to
evaluate, compare and rate the provided support of all the available
Linux CAD applications</i>. <i>A new tag named <a href="http://linuxaideddesign.blogspot.com/search/label/LiS">LiS </a>will indicate all the posts of these series</i>.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-38659439567843842382013-05-28T20:28:00.004+03:002013-05-28T20:28:38.062+03:00Teigha Viewer and Teigha File Converter 3.09 have been released.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Newer versions of ODA's products are available for download. <a href="http://opendesign.com/guestfiles/teigha_viewer">Teigha Viewer </a>and <a href="http://opendesign.com/guestfiles/TeighaFileConverter">Teigha File Converter</a> have been updated to version 3.09. Both programs are available as 32bit .deb and .rpm files. 64bit Ubuntu users can install successfully these useful programs with the installation of ia32-libs package.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnHmAsovxYYMaLV_C8KuxnJyT9TOtrwFxir20eIwXsktQc_s9l7KDOKtjZFBAtV_KV1aLEyMi2RDBwHAbccQKvwFLLUtQPP7UqKV2HReQPzatlkcsWJXMQOcYt0RBP0hboD3f3TAjPvs/s1600/teighafileconverter309.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnHmAsovxYYMaLV_C8KuxnJyT9TOtrwFxir20eIwXsktQc_s9l7KDOKtjZFBAtV_KV1aLEyMi2RDBwHAbccQKvwFLLUtQPP7UqKV2HReQPzatlkcsWJXMQOcYt0RBP0hboD3f3TAjPvs/s320/teighafileconverter309.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTqQN5wPN-yAtsF3rmF2eTAELh4H780n25XugYlY-AHBLA4KAvEGXt_5t5Wq2EEwr8znfBMdgtDO5OLBtr3FZmThCYfp9ZuxF4o7b3JGVNMX6j_dR-xpvMRiBkZI_CVjpxjLTfXK5dBI/s1600/teighaviewer309.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTqQN5wPN-yAtsF3rmF2eTAELh4H780n25XugYlY-AHBLA4KAvEGXt_5t5Wq2EEwr8znfBMdgtDO5OLBtr3FZmThCYfp9ZuxF4o7b3JGVNMX6j_dR-xpvMRiBkZI_CVjpxjLTfXK5dBI/s320/teighaviewer309.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-41132299267989793532013-05-25T12:54:00.000+03:002013-05-25T12:54:09.652+03:00QCAD/CAM adds CAM functionality to QCAD 3 pro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
RibbonSoft announced the availability of <a href="http://qcad.org/en/129-a-cam-add-on-for-qcad">QCAD/CAM</a> an add-on for QCAD 3 pro that adds CAM functionality on the existing CAD application.<br />
QCAD/CAM allows you to export your drawings to the popular gcode format that can be used to control several types of CNC machines.<br />
QCAD/CAM is available for Linux and you can download a free trial from <a href="http://qcad.org/en/qcad-cam-downloads-trial">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2huoYa82IXvVuJEnzXozV7TX92mguB3l4T_nvDTfO-I5vp-ES5-IZFArDAo74foaz13bZnVC5ZAKTk0V3JGdc1twwK10OcRvKnJkiy8RDJX5LjoJQlSGVcdtwKp4202V4Lz6fUdv_xs/s1600/qcadcam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2huoYa82IXvVuJEnzXozV7TX92mguB3l4T_nvDTfO-I5vp-ES5-IZFArDAo74foaz13bZnVC5ZAKTk0V3JGdc1twwK10OcRvKnJkiy8RDJX5LjoJQlSGVcdtwKp4202V4Lz6fUdv_xs/s320/qcadcam.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">CAM Export Configuration Dialog Box</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYFGJFdosHrh08klxXQogCgIYovqzP2PD7HB1XeFESdNW5mbeIUv-EfP1uSIMfdSPX1MKTUZPYL8DJoInL9aDk-g63hfqyonj4wtjBLAjIW2e6sX0iHoV2t2hDaqqh_ZEQ6ARaptIr2g/s1600/qcadcam2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYFGJFdosHrh08klxXQogCgIYovqzP2PD7HB1XeFESdNW5mbeIUv-EfP1uSIMfdSPX1MKTUZPYL8DJoInL9aDk-g63hfqyonj4wtjBLAjIW2e6sX0iHoV2t2hDaqqh_ZEQ6ARaptIr2g/s320/qcadcam2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The CAM pull-down menu</span></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-19322913766279431422013-05-20T19:16:00.002+03:002013-05-20T19:16:34.649+03:00Lost in Support: QCAD pro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">QCAD pro is a 2D CAD program that has Linux support for years.</span></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"> Its relevance for Linux users is very high since not only it had long been the unique reliable 2D CAD solution but also its GPL Community Edition is the base for LibreCAD.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">QCAD pro</span></span> comes in its latest version 3 with significant </span></span><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;">new functionality added, such as .dwg support, new script engine, .svg support and more.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;">export SUPPORTED_ENVIRONMENT= <span style="color: black;">Most of 32bit Linux distros. QCAD pro works well on 64bit environments too.</span></span><br />
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<b>Installation/Installation Instructions: </b>QCAD pro provides 2 different kinds of packages. A universal installer suitable for most of Linux distros and a compressed package that allows you to run QCAD pro without installation. The universal installer, although it is suitable for most of Linux distros it isnot the easiest available way to install/uninstall applications on a Linux machine especially for newcomers.<br />
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<b><b>Active Bugs/Bug Fixes: </b></b>According to its <a href="http://qcad.org/bugtracker/">bug tracker</a>, QCAD pro solves rapidly most of the reported problems.<br />
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<b><b><b>Linux Related Answers: </b></b></b>Ribbonsoft has enough Linux experience to answer correctly any question related to your favorite OS.<br />
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<b><b><b><b>Help/Command Reference: </b></b></b></b>QCAD users have several options to learn how to use this application: A <a href="http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/">Forum</a> ,the official <a href="http://qcad.org/en/qcad-book">Book</a> available for purchase, the built-in manual and the <a href="http://qcad.org/en/qcad-documentation">On-line Documentation</a>. These resources are also available in several different languages.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifL0Bbm6-386GOkePxM0oGinw2ESPE34gvtMa6Ppo30VhTA8fFMfiSfCUCv7S9LFboLGodX2gcYQpOzsi9JpqwsBRo1xe9DaY4nt9XAev_gcG7XddHZeHhOzlLuemDu2jiF4-6d3d4zL0/s1600/qcadprohelp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifL0Bbm6-386GOkePxM0oGinw2ESPE34gvtMa6Ppo30VhTA8fFMfiSfCUCv7S9LFboLGodX2gcYQpOzsi9JpqwsBRo1xe9DaY4nt9XAev_gcG7XddHZeHhOzlLuemDu2jiF4-6d3d4zL0/s320/qcadprohelp.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Development/Improvements/New Features: </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>QCAD pro doesn't release major upgrades often, but version 3 has a lot of useful new features in comparison with the previous version.<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Summary: </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>QCAD pro is a nice and well documented solution. Several learning resources, detailed answers and very good Linux support. But an easier installation method (.deb and .rpm installers) is a necessary feature that has to be implemented in order to help users with limited Linux experience.<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b>Rate: 4.5/5</b></b></b></b></b><br />
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<i>This post is a part of the Lost in Support series. My main goal is to
evaluate, compare and rate the provided support of all the available
Linux CAD applications</i>. <i>A new tag named <a href="http://linuxaideddesign.blogspot.com/search/label/LiS">LiS </a>will indicate all the posts of these series</i>.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-32383823556341523232013-04-16T20:19:00.000+03:002013-04-16T20:19:21.141+03:00Teigha Viewer and Teigha File Converter 3.08.2 are available for download<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A new version of <a href="http://opendesign.com/guestfiles/teigha_viewer">Teigha Viewer</a>, the free .dwg .dxf and .dgn viewer provided by ODA, is available for download. The most exciting thing of this release is the availability of <a href="http://opendesign.com/guestfiles/TeighaFileConverter">Teigha File Converter</a> for Linux, a formerly Windows-only application, for rapid massive conversion of files to different versions of .dwg and .dxf formats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CWpZg36RwdDUlo8Xyn0kkoeiv5PF1NOVWvX_gl0x7GcqrR9TvqMIuBu7qmAojrmP4nEdCqSrtAmkH0EARFjp00UE0NqQ-ehQUjnXtmW9glnHQf8-wdcsFJSvSXRTnMXhqyWmi8bcI0I/s1600/teighafileconverter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CWpZg36RwdDUlo8Xyn0kkoeiv5PF1NOVWvX_gl0x7GcqrR9TvqMIuBu7qmAojrmP4nEdCqSrtAmkH0EARFjp00UE0NqQ-ehQUjnXtmW9glnHQf8-wdcsFJSvSXRTnMXhqyWmi8bcI0I/s320/teighafileconverter.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Teigha <span style="font-size: x-small;">File Converter on Ubuntu</span></span></div>
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-82601037680736115482013-04-02T10:00:00.000+03:002013-04-02T10:00:08.181+03:00Lost in Support: DraftSight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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DraftSight, the free 2D dwg-based solution by Dassault Systemes, is an interesting choice for everybody.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="color: purple;">export SUPPORTED_ENVIRONMENT= <span style="color: black;">32bit Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE are the supported distros for DraftSight. Unfortunately Dassault doesn't provide any official workarounds or instructions for installation on unsupported environments like 64bit versions and/or other distros.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_Junql-1blkh2K1QBRaiRDhvQa75qnr5EZyb_3KhqlJKmlgieaMGR4bCI2Oe_yddULh9zwqAKDwJFLZC8DVH5d3YR1ljjCJYKSOu2JvBEivzaKvxDbknwtK7TxF38i9QaI25Pqjle2w/s1600/dslinux1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_Junql-1blkh2K1QBRaiRDhvQa75qnr5EZyb_3KhqlJKmlgieaMGR4bCI2Oe_yddULh9zwqAKDwJFLZC8DVH5d3YR1ljjCJYKSOu2JvBEivzaKvxDbknwtK7TxF38i9QaI25Pqjle2w/s320/dslinux1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<b>Installation/Installation Instructions:</b> Even on a supported environment the installation of DraftSight needs some tricks in order to complete it successfully.<br />
On Ubuntu you have to perform the installation via gdebi and on OpenSUSE you need to enable the Packman repository.<br />
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<b><b>Active Bugs/Bug Fixes: </b></b>DraftSight regularly provides 3-4 new versions each year. Many problems have been fixed with these releases but unfortunately some new ones appear at every new release even on previously well-working features.<br />
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<b><b><b>Linux Related Answers: </b></b></b>Don't expect miracles or detailed technical answers but usually you will get the correct answer at your Linux questions.<br />
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<b><b><b><b>Help/Command Reference: </b></b></b></b>Many tutorials, videos, webinars, troubleshooting tips are provided. <a href="https://iam.3ds.com/service/social/">DraftSight's online community</a> and the built-in manual are the perfect places to start learning about DraftSight's functionality. Also some help resources are available on YouTube and Facebook<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Development/Improvements/New Features: </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>DraftSight's goal is to provide a complete but not bloated 2D CAD solution highly compatible with AutoCAD. So it adds periodically some new functionality in order to satisfy the users' wishes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWZgas9_WsSN_tvEgMukC02b2tV-g_hUxZWwlD9h0Zu3yM53gWNyFJltYhV0gu3vZCi3gv-Q_Uraz9a1GePbYkp47_440L8hSrodDzgqZfurzzUhB7MbCJ0ltyyVF-IoPZRYVtSaQjls/s1600/dslinux2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWZgas9_WsSN_tvEgMukC02b2tV-g_hUxZWwlD9h0Zu3yM53gWNyFJltYhV0gu3vZCi3gv-Q_Uraz9a1GePbYkp47_440L8hSrodDzgqZfurzzUhB7MbCJ0ltyyVF-IoPZRYVtSaQjls/s320/dslinux2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Revision Cloud, one of the newest available commands in DraftSight</span></div>
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<b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b>Summary: </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>Dassault really tries hard to provide quality support for DraftSight.<br />
Linux version needs definitely some extra love with the installers and generally DraftSight needs to be more careful with its upgrades.<br />
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<b><b><b><b><b>Rate: 4/5</b></b></b></b></b><br />
<br />
<i>This post is a part of the Lost in Support series. My main goal is to
evaluate, compare and rate the provided support of all the available
Linux CAD applications</i>. <i>A new tag named <a href="http://linuxaideddesign.blogspot.com/search/label/LiS">LiS </a>will indicate all the posts of these series</i>.</div>
</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-36532056975961901282013-03-09T21:17:00.002+02:002013-03-09T21:17:43.090+02:00New online part library for DraftSight users <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
TraceParts with <a href="http://www.traceparts.com/news/press-releases/2013/PR05032013.asp">this press release</a> announced the availability of a new service exclusively for DraftSight users.<br />
From now DraftSight users have access to millions of 2D drawings for standard parts from a variety of supplier catalogs.<br />
After a simple registration DraftSight users can navigate to the <a href="http://www.tracepartsonline.net/ws/draftsight">online library</a> and download any of the available drawings for free.</div>
Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289535684554281516.post-44514398362930101742013-02-13T11:31:00.001+02:002013-02-13T11:31:14.525+02:00FreeCAD 0.13 is now stable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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FreeCAD 0.13 is now the latest stable release of FreeCAD. This version has a lot of improvements and a new Ubuntu PPA for stable releases.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/free-cad/index.php?title=Release_notes_013">Release Notes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sourceforge.net/apps/mantisbt/free-cad/changelog_page.php">Complete changelog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://launchpad.net/~freecad-maintainers/+archive/freecad-stable">Ubuntu Stable PPA</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://free-cad.sourceforge.net/">FreeCAD</a> is an Open Source Parametric Solid Modeler. It has excellent community support, modular architecture and it's fully programmable via Python.<br />
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Spyros M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08381662194718592482noreply@blogger.com0