One of the things that I enjoyed with PunchCAD from way back when was the broad-access WIP policy. It was like a peek into the skunk works when WIPs with two weeks' access were available to trial that had new features to tease. I'm a Rhino user as well these days. McNeel used to distribute Rhino with 25 saves rather than a time period, so if you didn't save, you could use it indefinitely (I still have a very old unsaved, still dabble-able Rhino V4 with T-Splines on a museum-piece Win XP PC). Nowadays, they have a more standard time period trial, but IMO the Rhino license terms once you've bought in make pretty much everyone else look Sad!, in the Donald Trump idiom. I can use Rhino on anything, but they've got what they call the "Zoo", a digital licensing arrangement that signs each device in or out as needed and only the one may be active at one time. If I'm not going have 'net access for a period, the last device used remains activated. McNeel are like PunchCAD used to be in offering WIPs for the next release, and while the current V7 has subdivision modelling and a SubDtoNurbs feature that works sort of mid-way between PowerPack/NPower's subd2nurbs method in that it uses subD's grid as nurb CVs, but doesn't convert tri-dominant meshes to quad-dominant, V8 has a so-called "shrink wrap" retopology tool as NPower's own Cyborg has and other subD modellers like 3DCoat, ZBrush and even Blender, although the mesh modellers don't use it for nurb conversion. Moment of Inspiration's Michael Gibson offers similar WIP access for current licensees. I think that IMSI ought to consider similar licensing and WIP conditions, because it makes users feel pretty good about their purchasing decision, and more inclined to tell everyone else about the developer's, and their own, confidence in the products and the sensibleness of buying in...

Calm down. We don't live in a perfect world. I don't believe, that MoI can replace Shark. I will make a Test again, but my last Test was negative. I also don't believe that a upgrade to v. 14 will be useful. It seems Tim have some problems. The beta forum is hidden, but mac ventura users get v. 14 versions for use..... this is not a good sign.

Thanks for the freedom of speech in this forum. I guess Tim Olson is sometimes angry about what we say. But he respect the freedom of speech. Thats also the reason why i stay, and maybe v. 16 is the next CAD-Software.

Edited by user Sunday, November 27, 2022 3:00:47 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I'm interested to see how it plays out, IMSI have done the same thing with TurboCAD, which historically had the same sort of flexible license that you could install on many devices, but they didn't have enforcement signing like Rhino, they moved to one install with an ambiguous purported second "backup" install, that they ultimately wouldn't enable unless you approached them. Which is arbitrary and dishonest IMO. That might be due to the Dassault Systemes and Siemens licenses for translators and constraints. If it is, that would open up new debates about whether or not it's worth it. I don't know the current situation, but there's a post from about six years ago that specifies that the CATIA, NX and other translators don't work in MacOS, and no telling what's going to happen with Windows on ARM, although that might even be something to do with the restricted V14 malarkey. Some time ago, I suggested on TurboCAD's "wish list" suggestion thrad that secondary installations should be offered as opeions, even if it's at some extra cost. They have done that, and I took it up but it's not great value: the second install is 50% of the cost of the first, I don't think I'll take that again. Another thing that IMSI's done is restrict the "save back to" version of TC, too. For years it was only one version back, then between V21 and 2017/2018 it was extended to save back five versions, but recently only one or two again, so it wouldn't surprise me to see PunchCAD being limited like that. The "new rendering engine" in PunchCAD V14 is probably LuxCoreRender, TurboCAD has also abandoned Lightworks for Lux, the results look good but it might not be easy to use to get those. However, if IMSI's prepared to go to open-source for rendering, they could do worse than looking at FreeCAD's constraints. They're 2D, like the Siemens/D-Cubed constraints used in PunchCAD and TurboCAD, but I find them more informative and again, perhaps easier to use than IMSI's implementations.
A couple of years ago, I had some conversation with a guy named Steven Hollister. He wrote a boat modeller program called ProSurf, and its slightly-less-full-featured relative Pilot3D. In recent times, he's been working on a framework for program interaction, not in the traditional CAD interop sense, but from what I understood, an environment that multiple programs could work together within, perhaps something like the connections between 3DSMax and its plugins, or perhaps Keyshot with CAD apps, some sort of live linking. The theory is that the best tools of various apps could be used in some conjunction, instead of the proprietary jealousy that drives a lot of stuff now. Perhaps that's just starry-eyed idealism, but given the maturity of most CAD apps today, where else are they going to go? Ending up like Ashlar and seeming to be in its twilight, or trying to extract every cent from the asset until everything that's currently proprietary can be done by open-source SW anyway? That proposition looked a little absurb a decade ago, not now. Why am I still using PunchCAD and TurboCAD? GUIs that are easier to use and more convenient than FreeCAD. Rhino's still doing novel stuff with NURBS, but until I see what's in V14, I think that recent new versions of Punch and TC are cleaning up utility rather than blazing new trails - some missteps bug-wise aside.

Edited by user Wednesday, November 30, 2022 8:02:58 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Tim is one of the best MCAD programmers. I've been on the forum for years and remember getting a special request for software development and getting the integration the next day. With Tim while he was at Ashlar, I contributed with Tim to the mass of the materials for the calculation of the weight of the parts and the centers of gravity of it. Rare to be able to be involved in this way as a user. The problem is that he is practically alone for the development and he must be able to repeat the bugs in order to be able to correct them. Remember he develops for Pc and Mac !!...with a new macOS per year !!

It's overdue already! The current restrictive licensing makes dongles look like a fine idea. Darcorp's brochure still claims flex licensing with V12. Special case?

Related note: I took up TC 2022 through Mindscape, Australian agents. Their sales people were as bewildered about license conditions and permissions as everyone else (the UK agent indicated initially that he'd drop the agency..), but they went into bat for me and I took four seats because I wanted to use it on multiple PCs. But that means that it's now squarely in Fusion360 territory, which is pretty nice and pretty flexible, and viewed through the licensing lens, equivalent value. CAD art and passion aside, we're here for business.

Edited by user Thursday, December 1, 2022 7:56:37 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

>>> Flex license (multiple installs, no simultaneous use) especially as our environment has changed to more remote work locations.

FYI: Looking good to get some form of a remote/flex license included as part of SharkCAD 14 and TurboCAD Platinum 2023.


Tim

Edited by user Monday, December 12, 2022 11:03:35 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I really enjoy reading all these conversations. I had to mention this, Just because I am just so amazed with Moi3d. It has so much more than people realize. You have to dig a little to find out what it really can do. Search for the Moi3D wiki. It has a node editor, Gui builder, so many scripts and add on features. The most amazing lighting options, The best snapping functions. The ObJ import is another add on that has to be set up. It loads OBJ files and turns the polygons into the finest nurbs models.It has an amazing Stl converter. Moi3D usually gets most fillets. But if not ViaCad will nail those fillets. Two other programs that are free and absolutely blow my mind are Rocket 3f and Wings 3d. If you create a polygon model and send it to Moi3d's Obj converter it is just so beautiful. Made me so unhappy that ViaCad removed this functionality. No subD to nurbs. Well remove it from your advertising. Remove those tutorials that show Subd to nurbs conversions. Don't advertise items that ViaCAD removed. And Tim you have to see the problems with the symmetry function's in your polygon modeler. Wings and Rocket are completely free and just work so well. As soon as you start pulling the mesh like Silo, It will blow your mind. If anyone tries Rocket3F go check the gemstone render colors, I will be buying the Rocket3f pro version for 80 dollars as soon as possible. I really admire ViaCAD but you guys need to fix a few items. P.S. So many times I snap with construction lines in ViaCAD and they look straight and accurate. Then zoom out and rotate, And they all are crooked and angled. That is lame. When I right click and set the construction line horizontal or vertical it nails it. Or if I set points everywhere It will nail it. Never once has the snapping in Moi3D upset me. It snap's everytime right where I want it. I use ViaCAD with many other programs so I see these specific items quite often. I personally think Moi3d is the finest Cad program out there. I also have Rhino 5 trial no save. And I will absolutely have to buy that as soon as possible.

Awesome tips UG Mental case... You said you are not using Shark at the moment. Curious what other programs you are using? Thanks for those little tips on Moi. I think using multiple different programs. It always helps me understand ViaCad even better. I really dig seeing models I create in the Iso lines in ViaCAD. Just got a download of Rhino 7 but just in trial mode. I really like Rhino. Stoked to be reading posts from Tim. Thanks Tim for all you do. Happy New year's Everybody. 2023 is here.