Do we have licenses for any “fancy” software (like Sketchup Pro, Autocad, etc . . )?
I was going to layout the CNC area for our vision but I didn’t know if there was a preferred package to do it in.
Also, Coy found a layout of the the Hive floorplan but it was a PNG. Does anyone know where the original file is?
Thanks,
Brad
There are several “fancy” vendor CAD packages in the market. A big distinction up front is whether it is 2D or 3D focused. For 20+ years the gold-standard 2D package has been AutoDesk’s AutoCAD, but you had to purchase it. It’s transition to 3D has been bloated, complicated, and still expensive. A few years ago, competitor Dassault Systems released a lightweight 2D AutoCAD clone called DraftSight. Dassault Systems is a French company that makes super-high-end Catia that is almost exclusively the gold standard for 3D in the aerospace market. The best part about DraftSight is it shares the legacy AutoCAD user interface for basic 2D work and it is a free download. I’ve been using it for several years. Using any software is like riding a bike. Once you get over the hump, you know the keystrokes to quickly do what you want to do and can build from there. I did a Hive laser class in the past and introduced DraftSight then, and there may still be a copy loaded on the laser PC.
BTW, I did the original Hive 2D floor plan way back using a pre-DraftSight tool, 2D Drafix WindowsCAD. It has a default proprietary format, but can export ancient cranky versions of AutoCAD *.DWG and *.DXF file formats that will import into DraftSight. I’ll root around and see what I can come up with for tonight’s meeting.
If there is interest, I can do a DraftSight get started tutorial as an upcoming 2nd Tuesday topic.
JimD
Cool.
Dassault systems donated a solidworks license for us a few years back…no one favorite for everyone though, I tend to use inventor (free student download)
Mike
Brad,
I think that the wealth of free or open source options makes “fancy” packages a poor investment for us. We have had Solidworks for years now, but few people use it due to the steep learning curve and the fact that nobody has a copy at home to learn on.
That said, I did bring in that workstation I put together for my students’ collaborations and exploration at Hive. I will be putting a number of proprietary programs on there with UC licenses, however, it is important that I state the following:
Although this computer will be available to the hive, according to licenses and policy, it is a UC asset (specifically, my lab’s & UC forward). I will not prioritize UC usage over members’, but just know this.
That said, it will have Fusion, Inventor, MotionBuilder, 3DS, and various other packages.
Regarding your questions about Autodesk’s game plan – they are making far more money from creative customers now. The animation, gaming, and film industry is completely dominated by packages like MAYA, 3DS, and other packages. Having worked in the film industry, I can assure you that they can charge whatever they want for their pro VFX suites. I have seen ledgers allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars for MAYA purchases alone…
Lorin
Lorin,
No worries. I wasn’t thinking of getting anything new. Just checking if we had something existing.
I’m probably going to do the layout stuff in Sketchup anyway. Haven’t used it in a while. I was able to bring the existing floorpan image in and scale it up to the correct scale. Now I can just trace it. 
I’m also going to chirp National Instruments for Labview for the Hive. We use it at work a lot and it is very powerful. I think they have a maker program.
Brad
That would be great. I’ve never been able to talk NI into that in the past, but that was before this shift in ethos we are seeing (I even knew people who worked there, but alas). It would be GREAT if you could also ask for a copy of Multisim as well. It integrates with labview, and is a very intuitive and useful spice tool. I don’t push it on people, as LTSpice and others can do as much, but multisim is much easier to approach for the beginner.
Lorin
I just shot NI a quick question email (I used my “new” Hive email). I BCC’d Lorin on it.
I’m guessing we could use the LabVIEW student edition at the Hive. It is available for around $50. I think the rules are just that it is not for commercial use.
I’m not sure of the hardware side. I know the myDAQ is pretty cool, the myRIO is very cool for fast stuff and the VirtualBench is awesome for electronic work. Each item I listed gets more and more expensive. VirtualBench is about $2K but has lots of cool electronic development stuff onboard (DMM, oscilloscope, function generator, digital I/O, power supply)
http://www.ni.com/virtualbench/
Muitisim is available for students for $40. Not sure how that applies for nonprofits. I sent Studica an email about how they handle non profits. I think NI is a bit casual about the student edition of stuff. They track the activations but don’t get excited unless they see a great deal of them or it is used for profit.
Do we have some kind of letter/document that shows our non profit status? I think they list it as a:
501c3 IRS determination letter
Thanks,
Brad
I’m assuming that we have something else but here is a link you can have people look at directly from the IRS website. Our actual company name is Sad Bee Inc
https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/pub78Search.do?ein1=27-0353686&names=&city=&state=All…&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchCharities&submitName=Search
Thanks.
Kind of a sad name . . . . .
Traced out the floorplan Dustin game me in Google Sketchup. Looks pretty good. Need to verify some of the measurements.
Brad
Hive13 Floorplan 03.skp (210 KB)