Group talk: OpenDWG Replacement

This is a rough list of thoughts we still need to discuss, before moving them to the front page:

Mailing lists

• http://www.freelists.org/archives/cad-linux/ - people annouce various activities around "open" cad systems.
• Open CAD format people discuss over Open CAD Format. (We would be interested in FREE CAD format accepted as standard)

We need to have a mailing list for "Free" CAD system so that we can invite more people and have faster interactions.

• ask on the cad-linux mailing list, if we can discuss matter there?
• once we now where & what to head for, there should be a project with related mail list

Getting up to speed

At the moment this "Priority" project is not gathering momentum as interested people are more of users than developers. This is a general problem, since cad software is not used by developers. Free Software so far is often started, because software folks scratch there own itch. How can we motivate developers to contribute to this kind of software? In return mechanical, architecture and design engineers can start free design projects and build something software folks may like :-)

I do see many developers working on various GPL licensed CAD software we need to bring them on one platform to drive this project. Lets create an invitation mail which can be sent to these groups of developers/users so that they can visit FSF priority project

About open CAD formats...

This google group has already started generating an open CAD format as it seems.

I also thought that collecting the information on KNOWN CAD FILE FORMATS will also help us understand how vivid these formats are hence created one section in the main wiki.

¿what about this format? IFC http://www.buildingsmart.com/bim. It is a free standard for BIM(Building Information Models) Used as a 3D model of an architectural design by several proprietary applications such as Revit, Allplan and Archicad.

DRAFT INVITATION to existing projects

Here is draft of the invitation which we may send out to people known to have interest or are already developing a CAD solution under GPL.

Quote:

We understand that you are (actively involved/interested) in CAD format freedom.

Free Software Foundation is popularly known as FSF and a foundation spearheading the Free Software Movement under the GNU GLP license. They identified the need of a Free CAD Format as a High priority project.

Please check out FSF High Priority Project list at http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html for more information.

FSF also created a wiki for project coordination at http://groups.fsf.org/index.php/OpenDWG_Replacement The goal is to have a free CAD format and to concentrate activities in order to develop a free, portable, 3D CAD software.

We have checked and found that there are various groups working on Free & Open CAD formats and software.

In an effort to converge all efforts to the creation of a widely accepted standard for CAD and a software along with it, we invite you to register and participate in this "FSF High Priority Project".

Any support would be of greatly appreciated.

UnQuote

Taking it as "High Priority" we must finalize this draft by 14th Feb and start sending them.

Questionnaire

Dear visitor, please leave some insight to help this project! Feel free to add important questions, and leave some answers in between them.

• Is there a free 3D CAD project, we don't know about, but which looks promising?

• An open CAD file format, worth looking at?

If you are developing a free 3D CAD Software:

• why did you not contribute to other, existing projects?

• What is needed to get the development of a free 3D CAD Software up to speed?

General Observations

What is noticed that people using Closed source software and formats are totally ignorant about the possibility of CAD as "Free Software". For these people the proprietary software is the ONLY way of life.

Even making an effort to enroll people who are ignorant on "Freedom" would help this project.