All About Telecommuting with 3D CAD

With the world's new situation suggesting we stay at home; we are finding ourselves with some free. This is a great time to investigate a new CAD system.

I have been providing design and drafting services remotely for years. If you need some help setting it up or if you have some design or drafting needs please feel free to give me a call

Joe Brouwer
206-842-0360

When the job has to get done!

You would think with the congested freeways and the concern for the environment, there would be a dedicated movement to make telecommuting a reality. It has been available for over 33 years for engineering alone and very little has been done.

All About Telecommuting

Over 35 years ago I was introduced to 3D CAD, the system was Computervision.  You designed in 3D wireframe creating each entity separately. It had one color, green, oh and it had the ability to highlight some of the green so you could differentiate lines, arcs, splines, etc.  Try this on your screen and then you will quickly realize how wonderful it is to have color. This system cost $250,000.00 per seat with a minimum of 3 seats. It came with a mainframe computer, temperature controlled room and a Versatec printer. I worked for five years on this system.

The 1980's - 3D CAD - The Beginning

I took a job at Boeing in 1986.  It was on the board (drafting board, hmm I am sure that many of you have never even seen one). One day I was told that there was a 3D PC based CAD system on two Compaq 286's, it was CADKEY.  After about 2 weeks of lunch hours I was familiar enough to do a project. We were sending files back and forth between CADKEY and Catia 3 with ease using IGES. Catia could do rudimentary surfacing and we would get the wireframe models from Catia to work with.  By the time I left this group they had 25 seats of CADKEY and within a few months they had 45 seats and had gotten rid of 1 seat of Catia.  

I saw that CADKEY was comparable to Computervision and Catia and it could effectively replace the high end systems. I quickly became a dealer. I took a job at Square D in Lincoln, NE, working on Computervision. I showed Square D the advantages of this new 3D PC based CAD system. They were very impressed and bought 3 systems. After the contract ended I took a Computervision job at Ford Aerospace in Newport Beach, CA and I continued to work for Square D, sending files back and forth using a phone modem (very very slow).  I soon realized that anyone could afford a PC based system with CADKEY approximately $7,000.00, the software then was $3,995.00, the computers systems came with a beautiful 19 inch colored monitor. I started Technical Networking Incorporated, TECH-NET, Inc. for short.  Now you look at the name and say it had something to do with computers. That was the farthest thing from my mind. 

What was apparent was that with the new Personal Computer and an inexpensive PC based 3D CAD system, telecommuting would be thriving in a few years. Well, of course, that never happened and even today we are not taking advantage of this incredible opportunity as much as we should. But now it is a total reality, allowing even the most insecure manager, certainty that their designers are working, even when they are not sitting in front of him or her.

I looked at the tools that were needed to allow telecommuting to occur.  The last one was the introduction of gotomeeting.com this is the most incredible telecommuting break through. Now with Teamviewer you can have webinars or coordinate with multiple people for no cost. Skype also offers one on one presentations and collaboration.

The 1990's - 3D CAD/CAM Moves to the PC!!

Here are a few of the tools that allow us to work together in real time:

IM’S - Instant messaging

This was the first of the real time internet communication devices, giving us the ability to be in constant real time communication.   Yahoo, MSN & AOL offer this service across the internet.

SKYPE - Everyone should have an account!

With SKYPE you can have a phone on line and can be contacted by any other person with SKYPE and talk for free, IM, video or share your screen.  You can now set up a meeting where you can share your screen with another person with just one button. So easy, So fast.

gotomeeting.com and others.

These products basically close the door on the problems of telecommuting.  It offers the ability to share your computer screen with many people.  It allows any attendee to take control of the screen or become the presenter.  With these programs you can work with multiple associates, fellow workers, supervisors, etc to make sure the work is being done in a timely manner. 

gotomypc.com

Free Service: teamviewer.com
I am now using this service.

Now with broadband internet you can actually do work across the internet. You can log on to your computer from anywhere and actually work in your 3D CAD system and any other programs. I have used this on business trips and vacations. Luckily or sadly, you don't ever have to be away from work.

Now what I have told you here is just a small bit of what is available on line.  If any of you have any other suggestions send them to me and I will publish them here. 

This is what I wanted Technical Networking, Inc. to become, a place where we could work together from our home offices, satellite offices or from work.  Working across the internet (which wasn’t even on the horizon when I when I founded TECH-NET) to get our jobs done effectively.  This is what I consider a solution for the grid lock on the highways.  I have offered seminars and meetings at my office in the past and got very low attendance, but now we can have meetings and enjoy the camaraderie of sharing with others without getting out on the road. Now we can all meet with anyone not only locally but almost any where on the planet.