Open source / Open Standard CAD development?

[Marc Verwerft]

Hello,

On Wed, Mar 5, 2008 at 10:36 PM, Mats Eriksson <datorfixarn at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
>  My first post here :)
Welcome ;-)

>
>  I am seeing the OpenMoko project as the first serious project to develop
>  hardware in "bazaar-style" fashion. A personal dream would like to build
>  a "OpenCar" in "bazaar-style" fashion in the future.
Like http://www.theoscarproject.org/ and
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/12/open_source_at.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
?

>
>  The reason why I joined list is that I found the CAD files of the
>  Neo1973 at the openmoko.com site. It is great that these files are
>  available, even if they are in a proprietary data format (the ProE, not
>  the STEP one), and very likely developed using a proprietary CAD
>  application.
>
You can find a whole thread about the CAD files and CAD programs here:
http://lists.openmoko.org/pipermail/community/2008-January/012595.html

>  Personally, I have a software development company, in which I have
>  been developing tailored software for my clients, mostly with open
>  source technologies, and sometimes with, at least well known, closed
>  source techs like .NET . Therefore, it was a shockening moment when I
>  during 2007 did a consultancy project for an industrial company
>  producing water taps. It meant going back at least ten years in time,
>  back into proprietary hell! Proprietary systems (including proprietary
>  interfaces between systems) and proprietary data. CAD was done with
>  proprietary software, often with more than one CAD system, resulting in
>  incompatible, binary-only data.
>
>  So my questions for the OpenMoko community are:
>
>  * Does there exist any "usable" open source CAD systems? (Is perhaps
>  Open CASCAE a viable semi-open http://www.opencascade.org/ option?)
I've used QCAD before (2D) and like it for most of my projects.

>
>  * Is it possible to use a human readable format for CAD data? (Is
>  perhaps STEP enough for development, or just a format for interchange
>  between different CAD applications?)
Don't know.

>
>  And the most important question:
>
>  * Is the OpenMoko community interested in  using open source tools
>  (possibly together with a human readable format) for developing
>  "non-software" parts?
>
Just guessing from the number of reactions to 'free' the CAD files: yes.

>  Best regards
>  Mats Eriksson
>
>
>
>
>
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>

Regards,

Marc.