Software
Choosing the Correct CAD Software
Traditional designing is done with the trusted pen and paper. Today however, the majority of designs are done in specialist computer applications which allow designers to model complex structures at ease. There are numerous industrial software applications designed to assist with structural design and project management. Complexity varies with some lending themselves to particular industries. The main purpose of such software is to design the structure virtually to exact specifications and to analyse the feasibility of the project. Modern software can also include project management tools to improve and record communications between the different departments involved with the build. A number of CAD software options have been summarised below.
Autodesk AutoCAD
AutoCAD was one of the 1st CAD programs to run on a PC back in 1982 and is the leading 2D and 3D rendering software today, creating industry standards. The standard comes at a price however as it is one of the most expensive options mentioned in this article.
Structures designed within AutoCAD can be exported and printed via a 3D printer for creating affordable 3D prototypes.
In 2010 a sophisticated mobile application was launched allowing users to view, edit and share designs on the move.
Autodesk Inventor
Inventor is 3D CAD software designed for structure prototyping and simulation. It lets users accurately analyse how parts and structures perform under user defined loads. It is clear that a lot of time and budget was spent on Inventor. In fact, they applied for 17 patents whilst developing the technology used within the initial build of Inventor launched in 1999.
Formfinder
Formfinder is a relatively new piece of software which combines project management with a membrane design structure database to assist architects and project managers.
It is designed to improve communication flow between staff within the design project. The database gives project managers and architects alike to view similar structures and projects around the world to judge if it is commercially viable.
For those familiar with Google Maps, Formfinder have launched an app allowing tensile structures to be found using an interactive map with quick link access to open up the structure within their database for more detail.
Alphacam
Designed for the woodwork, metal & stone industries, Alphacam is CAD software which a number of applications including doors, windows and panels.
To summarise, choosing the correct CAD software is down to personal preference and the building sector you are in. The majority of software mentioned in this article is available on a trial basis in order to help you decide whether it is right for you or your company.
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The Debate Over The Legality of DRM Removal
Digital Rights Management or DRM has helped digital publishing companies to a large extent. Earlier, the fear of digital piracy kept a number of companies producing different kinds of content from using the Internet to publish their content. Most of the music and entertainment content was available only on tapes, CDs and DVDs. Today, much of this kind of content is available for download on the Internet for a certain fee. Companies are now able to use DRM to protect their content from being illegally copied.
While the technology has helped publishing companies a lot, many consumers feel let down by the restrictions placed upon them. For instance, when buyers purchases a song file from a digital library like the iTunes store which is protected by DRM, they might want to play the song on a number of devices like their iPod or even a Windows PC. But unfortunately, DRM would prevent them from doing so. In effect, users would not be able to listen to the song in the playback device of their choice, even though they had paid for downloading it. This has become a contentious issue and rightly so.
Some people are of the opinion that as long as a person has paid for the content, they have the right to remove the DRM from the content. In other words, they feel that owners of a particular content are justified in DRM removal. They argue that it constitutes fair use, which in a way is true. If you had paid for listening to a song, then you must have the right to listen to that song in a player of your choice. DRM removal seems justified in this case. In fact, most people did this even before the advent of the digital era. Back in the old days of the cassette player, people used to record songs from their gramophone record and listen to them on their cassette player without any problem. As far as we know, there were probably no legal restrictions for doing so.
However, without proper DRM removal software, such issues debates would be pointless. However, there are a number of efficient DRM removal software available today, which make it possible to efficiently remove DRM from digital files. So the debate is very much on as to whether or not DRM removal is legal, even if it was used by people who had paid for the content.
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