FOR YEARS NOW ARCHITOSH has been writing about the cloud-native MCAD application Onshape. Recently we visited the Cambridge, Massachusetts, offices of Onshape and spoke to them about their latest update on design data management 2.0. (see: Architosh, “Onshape Takes MCAD to Era of Design Data Management 2.0,” 20 March 2018). In our post article commentary, we noted there are 47 applications fully integrated into the popular Onshape cloud application, apps that add structural analysis, FEA, parametrics for manufacturing, 3D printing and more.
However, one of the most important partnerships Onshape has had is with Berlin-based Graebert. Onshape Drawings is an environment running inside Onshape for 2D drawings and is powered by Graebert’s ARES Kudo technology. While that environment was an extension 2D drawing space inside Onshape (and still is) Graebert has now officially released a true “embedded component” for Onshape that links the Onshape cloud with the Graebert cloud—specifically its existing ARES Kudo cloud-native DWG application.
01 – ARES Kudo running inside the Onshape cloud-native MCAD environment.
The context of this shift in developing a link between Onshape and ARES Kudo is that Onshape customers are doing more with DWG files. “What they [Onshape] were seeing is that a lot of people were uploading DWG files (out of the Onshape Drawing space) because you can export DWG files out of the existing drawing space,” says Dr. Robert Graebert, “for a variety of reasons—to send over to contract manufacturers, to be used for CAM, or a variety of reasons. But one of the things they found is that people like to keep those with the [Onshape] documents.”
As recently covered here on Architosh about Onshape, the cloud-native MCAD tool is more than just a CAD application for engineers and product designers. “It is about all the data and management around that project data,” adds Dr. Graebert, “so it was decided with Onshape that a more dedicated DWG environment is what was needed and what we provide with ARES Kudo.”
The Link Between Onshape and ARES Kudo
For current and future Onshape users, they will now notice that ARES Kudo is the default “partner app” for viewing DXF or DWG files. ARES Kudo will load into your Onshape document project space in your browser. (see image 01 – 02). In order to have full file modification capabilities, an Onshape user would need to have a subscription to ARES Kudo. Without a subscription, ARES Kudo in Onshape provides viewing capabilities and property querying features. You can also use ARES Kudo to measure the distance between two points or to export these DWG or DXF files to Adobe PDF format.
02 – The paper space sheets area inside Kudo. Users can print to PDF from inside ARES Kudo inside Onshape.
To tap the full power of ARES Kudo you become a subscriber. Once subscribed—and there is a 30-day free trial—you “link” your Onshape account to ARES Kudo exactly like you would link any other cloud storage account to ARES Kudo, such as BOX, Dropbox, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.
It’s important to note how partner apps work in Onshape. Not all of them, but those like ARES Kudo load into the Onshape documents space in the web browser. The entire ARES Kudo UX (user-experience) and UI are loaded giving the subscription-based user access to native DWG viewing, editing, and creation. Model space and paper space live under the Onshape menu bar as seen in this image here (see image 01 – 02).
Bringing KUDO to the Users
One of the main thrusts behind this strategy was made clear in a call with Cedric Desbordes, chief marketing director behind Graebert and Dr. Robert Greabert. As they relayed to Architosh, they really want to bring ARES Kudo to where the user is.
It is about all the data and management around that project data, so it was decided with Onshape that a more dedicated DWG environment is what was needed and what we provide with ARES Kudo.
“Onshape users are already early adopters of the cloud,” says Cedric Desbordes, noting that is easier to convert Onshape users to ARES Kudo in the cloud because they are already smitten with the benefits of working in a cloud-native application.
Getting back to the subscriber benefits for Onshape users. Once subscribed an Onshape user will then have all the features of ARES Kudo within their Onshape documents environment. And with that same subscription license, they gain access to ARES Commander on three operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and ARES Touch on iOS and Android. ARES Kudo will package up DWG files into multi-page PDF files with the paper-space to PDF features. Sheets go to PDF.
And Bringing Cloud Apps like Onshape to ARES Users
When an Onshape user utilizes ARES Commander they are able to have full synchronization to their Onshape documents, meaning they can see from within Commander DWG files and choose to work on them in Commander. Saved data syncs back to the Onshape cloud. Onshape fundamentally works like any cloud storage option from within the trinity of ARES solutions, on desktop, mobile and in the cloud with Kudo.
Closing Comments
Dr. Robert Graebert says giving access to ARES Kudo for multi-faceted DWG viewing for free is a brand recognition exercise. Also, being integrated as a partner app inside Onshape gives Graebert some high-level access to how Onshape users are utilizing DWG files in their workflows and how often they access DWG and DXF files via the ARES Kudo app.
Onshape Drawings is already Graebert’s technology but this new app version of ARES Kudo will bring further recognition and specificity around DWG to the German software company, now with a branded app experience that offers substantial benefits for Onshape users to become subscribers.
To learn more about Onshape visit here. To learn more about ARES Kudo for Onshape or simply ARES Kudo visit here or check out the video below.
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