Comments on: A Sense Of Desperation???

By: solidworks 2d editor…what you need to know « rocksolid perspective – jason raak

Tue, 04 May 2010 10:57:26 +0000

[...] SolidWorks and Autodesk over the use of the DWG. You can see more about what that was about here if you are interested. Anyways, there are some things that you need to know when making the [...]

By: Michal

Michal — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:20:45 +0000

Here is another list of applications which are used .dwg file extension. Michal

By: JBM

JBM — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:12:59 +0000

Here’s a question for thought; if you go to the following link http://www.opendesign.com/member_list you will see a list of the members of The Open Design Alliance of which SolidWorks® is a member per the site. You can read further in the history of OpenDWG that “Visio Corporation (now part of Microsoft® Corporation)” ” determined that the DWG format should become an open standard, with multiple vendors able to read and write these files without fear of data loss.” So why then is SolidWorks® being singled out? Does this mean that Autodesk is afraid of ALL OF THE OTHER DOGS IN THE POUND? Perhaps they should have started with Microsoft? BILLY WOULD NOT BE SO HAPPY, ME THINKS! Or is it that SolidWorks® just scares them? It is getting near HOLLOWEEN.

JBM

By: Darin

Darin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:56:30 +0000

As fruitless at this is, I don’t think it is wise for AutoDesk to get SolidWorks angry. The DWG Series is a group of tools made by SolidWorks that SHOULD have been made by AutoDesk. They are tools provided to SolidWorks and AutoDesk customers alike that AutoDesk either can’t or won’t provide to their customers themselves.

Besides, doesn’t every CAD company realize that US Patent #5,815,154 owned by SolidWorks Corporation is their patent for the Feature Manager….which is something that EVERY 3D CAD system currently employs and is, to date, a technology patent that SolidWorks has not legally enforced?

Sueing SW over the use of a universal abbreviation and the way SolidWorks uses ‘similar colors’ on their website and literature certainly falls in the ‘desparation’ catagory. AutoDesk better hope they didn’t just wake the sleeping beast…..otherwise THEY might actually have to invent some new technology for once.

By: Court Is In Session! « RockSolid Perspective

Court Is In Session! « RockSolid Perspective — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:37:20 +0000

[...] by Jason on October 16, 2008 A while ago I posted on the suit that Autodesk filed against SolidWorks about the rights to use the DWG name. It seemed to get a lot of attention in the CAD industry so I [...]

By: Evan Yares

Evan Yares — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:23:36 +0000

When I asked what “DWG” means, I was being serious. DWG is, at least according to ASME Y14.38 and BS 8888, the abbreviation for “drawing”.

Autodesk claims, to the USPTO and the European trademark agency, that DWG does not mean drawing. This despite the fact that in the file/open dialog of most all Autodesk programs the “file of type:” pulldown menu lists “Drawing (*.DWG)”

Why say that DWG doesn’t mean drawing? Because Autodesk is claiming that the term has gained a secondary meaning — which is the only basis under which the authorities will let them register it as a trademark, as its primary meaning is generic (and generic terms can’t be trademarks.)

If someone knows of another meaning for DWG (in the context of CAD), I’d be really interested to hear it.

Incidentally, DGN, ICD, IDW, MDF, SLDDRW, TCW, DFT, and, for that matter, DWF, all differ from DWG in that none of them are generic abbreviations. (This is also the reason why abbreviations such as DOC, TXT, EXE, and DLL can’t be registered as trademarks — because they are generic abbreviations.)

By: MDB

MDB — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:39:06 +0000

Native Pro/E drawings carry a DRW extension. I saw the extension at http://www.filext.com as well. My only thought on the reason it was there was because Pro/E like SoliWorks, SolidEdge and Inventor can open DWG files.

Notice how easy it is to “drawing” with both DWG and DRW?

Mike

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:25:33 +0000

MDB,

I don’t know for sure if DWG means drawing but it would seem like the logical choice, does it not??? I am just saying that this whole deal is kind of ridiculous.

According to http://www.filext.com here are the programs that use DWG file extensions

AutoCAD Drawing Database
2D Graphic
BravoDRAFT, Detailer
Drafix Drawing
Older Generic CADD Drawing Format
Pro/ENGINEER Drawing

If this is all true why is it OK for Pro/ENGINEER to use this file extension and not have a problem with SolidWorks having a program called DWGeditor. Maybe SolidWorks is targeting Pro/ENGINEER drawings. I am just questioning this and I am looking for an unbiased answer.

By: MDB

MDB — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:18:47 +0000

Now are you sure that DWG means drawing?

If so, what do these extensions mean?

DGN
ICD
IDW
MDF
SLDDRW
TCW
DFT

It’s product recognition in the simplest form. If Autodesk was touting a new reader called “SLDDRW Annihilator” do you think SW would sit back or go tease their lawyers with bags of money and stir them up into a drooling, snarling, panting pack of dogs then go open the doors to so they can head East. As they leave the building Ray hollers at them “You avenge us boys, bring back them letters”.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:23:16 +0000

My point exactly! If it means drawing (the obvious I would think) then don’t all CAD platforms have a tool to create drawings.

Like I said, PETTY NONSENSE!