Vellum in virtual Mac environment Archives

Comments

by toniwonkanobi - 2020, May 26 - 5:41pm

New by MikeTomTom - 2020, May 25 - 3:36pm

the Ti book. I have had trouble with system sleep with mine…

Perhaps with the G4 Titanium Book, it’s necessary to follow the hints in the post down below, made by “Doodle D Day” back in November, 2014. With regards to replacing the ROM file by using a more recent version of the ROM file which would have come with the Ti-book.

Fortunately since that post, we now have the full original install sets for the following Ti models:

The G4 Titanium DVI 667/800 and the G4 Titanium 867MHz/1GHz full install sets.

So depending on your model, you can either grab and replace the ROM file from the correct set for your Ti, or do a clean install of Mac OS 9 using the original Ti-books OS install sets.

And hopefully, this would fix any sleep problems noticed with the Ti and Mac OS 9.2.2.

I have tried two methods of restoring my PowerBook G4 Titanium (), and both resulted with an inability to wake from sleep:

1. Using the aforementioned “full install set” for the 867MHz/1GHz: Mac OS 9.2.2 & X 10.2.1 (PowerBook G4 Titanium 867MHz/1GHz)
2. Using an extracted System folder from the restore DVD, found here: Mac OS 9.2.2 System Folders

With both of these methods, I still have this annoying wake from sleep problem on 9.2.2. (I have no problems waking from sleep on Mac OS X, be it 10.2.1, as was the case for method 1 described previously, or with 10.4.11, as was the case for method 2 described previously.)

Sometimes, when I wake from sleep, I get a blank gray screen unresponsive to keyboard and mouse input. Other times, I see my desktop as it existed before entering sleep, with the cursor appearing as a wristwatch, and the control strip is just a blank white blob (with no responses to keyboard and mouse input).

I considered hardware issues, as I’ve installed new RAM from OWC, as well as an IDE to mSATAadapter drive thing, but since there are no sleep issues in Mac OS X, I’ve ruled those out. (Should I not rule out hardware issues?)

Update

Okay, so I answered my own question. I decided to try and determine if the SSD was the problem.

Turns Out™ it was (sort of)!

The IDE to mSATA adapter I used comes from the factory in “Cable Select mode,” with Pin47-Pin48 jumped together. I needed the adapter to be in “Master mode,” with the jumper removed from the adapter altogether.

(As an aside: I figured there must be something wonky with either the adapter or the mSATA drive itself, because when I swapped in the old spinning HDD from a different PowerBook and did a clean install of 9.2.2, this PowerBook woke from sleep without issue.)

by MikeTomTom - 2020, April 8 - 7:59am

There is no burn button on my Disk Utility. That option is, I just found out, in a drop down list under "Image". Is there any way to get those buttons to display on my disk utility window? And how do I send a screen shot and attach it to show you what my Disk Utility window looks like?

The Disk Utility toolbar (which houses the buttons) must have been toggled to off, somehow. Under Tiger 10.4.x in Disk Utility, this is accessed under the "Window" menu as "Show Toolbar" or "Hide Toolbar" depending on which mode has been toggled on or off. In your case it will have "Show Toolbar" visible under the Window menu.

Likely not needed for that particular screenshot now, but you can upload pics at any time to the Mac Garden's Image Hosting site. You can then place links to them into any post you make here or elsewhere, to have them display in your posts.

You burned the CD successfully at last, under OS 9.2.2 and using Toast? Well that's just as good an alternative approach and I'm glad that it worked OK for you too.

That it boots up your AGP G4 with a Sonnet upgrade, that's very good to know. I wasn't aware that it it would be suitable for 3rd party cards, too, so it's great to hear of that, thanks.

Anyway, your modded G4 sounds very nice indeed and I hope you get many more good years out of it.

by wnlewis - 2020, April 7 - 9:26pm

@MikeTomTom,

First, I really like your System 7 logo, that you, and others, use. Way cool!

You said, "4). Once you see it's name arrive into Disk Utility's window, click it, to highlight the name, then click the "Burn" button in the top left corner of the Disk Utility's window. Insert a blank disk (or CD-RW) when requested and wait for it to complete the burn."

There is no burn button on my Disk Utility. That option is, I just found out, in a drop down list under "Image". Is there any way to get those buttons to display on my disk utility window? And how do I send a screen shot and attach it to show you what my Disk Utility window looks like?

I did get a CD successfully burned, but I went back to a drive with 9.2.2 as the OS, used Classilla to download the .zip file and then used Toast 5.2.3 to burn the CD - after properly locking the .iso file. Hooray!

The disk does boot my Sawtooth AGP G4. It will not boot on any system below 9.2. The Sawtooth G4's are somewhat twitchy beasts.

Details: It has been upgraded with a Sonnet 1 GHz processor. The motherboard has been upgraded to a Uni North = 7 so that when I find a Newer Technology MaxPower 7448 I will be able to use it.

It has a Firmtek/Seritek 4 port PCI card that provides SATA capability on the PCI bus. By going in through the PCI bus and by having ATA to SATA adapters, the LBA limitation on large IDE drives on Sawtooth Macs does not apply. They show up as SCSI drives and OS 9.2.2 can use the drives quite nicely.

The computer uses a Radeon ATI 9600 Mac Pro Edition video card. This allow two screens, and again, OS 9.2.2. and all of the PowerPC versions of X can use it.

I've gone to this trouble because I am running Ashlar Vellum Cobalt for OS 9 that I got for $300 - instead of $3,500 - when I was working as the Apple Sales Manager in a company in Wichita.

Cobalt is a full-up parametric solid modelling CAD program and still compares very well with SolidWorks and the best programs from AutoDesk. The new versions of those programs, and current Cobalt, is over $3,000; plus you rent them instead of owning them.

So, the decisions to spend a few hundred here and a few hundred there on what seems like an ancient system seems fairly logical; especially given the "pop" that Cobalt has with a 1 GHz processor and a good video card on a large, "gasp" ViewSonic monitor cast off from the place where I used to work.

Right now I am attempting to load MintPPC.

I have had Ubuntu successfully installed on this machine. That gives me access to current FireFox, current Libre Office, and access to a perfectly good HP 1510 that never worked, even though HP supposedly made software for it. They bungled the USB interface for the Mac and the printer driver cannot connect with the printer under Macintosh, plus HP has removed all such drivers and the necessary update that did fix the USB interface.

Linux does not support the scan function - I don't think. But I can now print from my Linux/Mac.

Probably "too much information", but I get yelled at for insisting on hanging on to an "ancient computer", when "you should just go out and buy a new computer", or "someone will just give you a computer". I've not yet found a "give away" CAD workstation.

by MikeTomTom - 2020, April 7 - 3:18am

@wnlewis: Hi, and sorry: ".zip", quite right.

It's not the downloaded ".zip" file that needs to be locked. Rather, it is the ".iso" file, once extracted that must be locked, before you do anything else with it (such as double-click and mount it on the desktop). This is to prevent the Finder from making any changes to this ".iso". Which it would do, if you double-clicked and mounted it on the desktop unlocked - doing so would render the ".iso" as being unable to create a bootable CD from that point onwards.

Disk Utility retains a list of disk image names that it has mounted previously, in the lower left portion of it's window, which is why you may see it's name subsequently (or if you have mounted it onto the desktop before starting Disk Utility, it's name would appear in the upper left portion on the disk's pane as a mounted disk).

You can remove old names of unmounted disks from the lower part of the list, simply by dragging them out away from Disk Utility's window then releasing the mouse.

Anyway:

1). Start with a fresh ".iso" by extracting "macos-922-uni.iso" once again, from the ".zip" file.

2). Lock the freshly extracted ".iso". Do not allow it to be mounted nor double-click it's icon.

3). Start up Disk Utility, clear the old name if it's there and drag the unmounted, locked .iso's icon into that lower left area of Disk Utility's window where unmounted filenames appear.

4). Once you see it's name arrive into Disk Utility's window, click it, to highlight the name, then click the "Burn" button in the top left corner of the Disk Utility's window. Insert a blank disk (or CD-RW) when requested and wait for it to complete the burn.

Because of your post, I downloaded the "macos-922-uni.zip" file from the above link, to test that it was still OK and working.

Following those 4 steps outlined above and using a G4 running Mac OS X 10.4.11, I burned the ".iso" to a blank CD-RW (to save on potential coasters) which resulted in a bootable CD that I was able to start up a G4 eMac (1GHz ATI) with. - It works fine. I've previously used this CD as a bootable OS 9.2.2 install disk on Macs such as the beige G3 thru to the G4 eMac ATI. So anything in-between, like your Sawtooth, should not be a problem.

This also gave me an opportunity to take a few screenshots during this process, which I've included below.
These may be of use to you. So see how it goes.

Click this image for a short slideshow:

by wnlewis - 2020, April 6 - 5:30pm

"Start up "Disk Utility" and drag the extracted unmounted .iso image file over into the lower left section of the Disk Utility's window. You will see it's name appear there. Select it's name and then click Burn."

@MikeTomTom: Thank you for your reply. My first problem is that BOMArchiveHelper open on download is the default option. So I changed that to "save file" (not open on DL).

The universal 9.2.2 file is not a .sit but a .zip - not much difference but just a note.

I locked the file that was downloaded and then double clicked it. It opened and gave me a .iso file. The .iso file was in the disk utility window, in the lower left pane, when I opened the disk utility.

Note: No dragging of the .iso file to the lower left pane is required. The lower left pane populates with any image that could be (or is) mounted or copied, but that is not currently an active drive).

I selected the .iso file and selected "restore" (not burn, since burn has never been an option). The options for the .iso file when right clicked are: information, first aid, and restore.

I put in a blank CD. A dialogue box popped up and asked if I wanted to open Finder, Disk Utility, Ignore, or some other action.

The only response that shows the blank CD on the desktop is "Finder". If I select any other option, the disk and the DVD Super Drive do not show in the upper half of the left pane of the Disk Utility Window.

I can drag the .iso file to the source box. But the blank CD does not show on the left pane of the Disk Utility window (and never has).

I have tried dragging the image of the DVD drive to the destination box, but no image of the blank CD shows. It is not possible to drag the image of the blank CD from the desktop to the destination box.

Until I can get the blank CD into the destination box I cannot do "restore". And as I said previously, "burn" is not an option. I have tried blank DVD's with the same result.

I am running 10.4.11.

Thank you for your help and patience.

by Doodle D Day - 2014, November 3 - 3:02pm

Gary-
I just bought a TiBook 1.0ghz too and am having the same problems: it's mainly the peripherals that don't work, particularly AV (Monitors and Sound), but also DVD drive, and putting the computer to sleep. I have found that all 9.2.2 disks will install on any Mac if you can fool the installer, by way of Open Firmware and the BootX file (like XPostFacto does) or modifying the IncompatHW file in the Upgrader Files folder on the Install DVD.

The key to getting OS 9 running properly on any particular Mac model, however, is the versions of the System Folder files you have installed, mostly Extensions, but a few Control Panels, and ESPECIALLY the Mac OS ROM file. The way Apple has modified the various versions of the OS for particular models started with those old System Enablers, but continued with a package called Mac OS CPU Software. Each install disk (or restore disk) that came with each new Mac model had a newer version of the Mac OS CPU Software package. The latest I've heard of (probably the last) was version 5.9. If we could find a complete set of the files in that package for version 5.9 (or even whatever earlier version came on the original 9.2.2 Install disk with the Titanium PowerBook G4 1.0ghz A1025), all that would be needed is to copy just those files over into their proper places in the System Folder.

From what I understand, the Universal 9.2.2 Install CD here has Mac OS CPU Software 4.9 (which includes the Mac OS ROM file v9.2.1), which is too old for a TiBook. I am currently attempting to find various later versions of the CPU Software and try them out on my TiBook. So far I have even found a Mac OS ROM file version 10.2.1 which was part of CPU Software 5.8 (I believe there is even a later ROM file in 5.9). I note that the Mac OS ROM file which came with the 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 upgrader installers from Apple was v.8.7, so that's one reason why my TiBook isn't functioning properly.

All the files we're looking for in the Mac OS CPU Software package are simply later versions (and a few new files) of the ones in the standard OS 9.2.2 Install: Extensions and suchlike for monitors, video, sound, DVD, keyboard, and a few other things, and the Mac OS ROM file of course. If you find any later versions, copy them into your System Folder and see if that solves any problems.

The hardest part is that the images or stuffed files on The Garden are so large to download, when all we need are a few files from the right CPU Software package. I don't have the bandwidth to d/l even a 400meg image, let alone several just to see what version files or package is on it.

But it may be worth it, considering I only paid $65 for my TiBook and I'm just thrilled about my upgrade from the PB G3 Lombard I've had for 8 years. Finally a new toy! Wanna watch DVDs but something is missing...

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

The DesignExplorer

The Ashlar-Vellum User Newsletter

Third Quarter 2005

Ashlar-Vellum Releases Cobalt, Xenon and Argon v7

Ashlar-Vellum is proud to have released

version 7 for Cobalt, Xenon

and Argon on August 25, 2005.

Says Robert Bou, president of

Ashlar-Vellum, “Version 7 provides

significant improvements over

version 6 in both stability and

speed. It just simply works better.

We’ve also added a few interface

enhancements that people will be

delighted with. Customers upgrading

to the new release will be

pleased.”

In addition to a seriously reworked

infrastructure, v7 also

includes the updated ACIS 12

modeling kernel and Lightworks

7.4 rendering engine. Improved

translators for IGES, STEP, CATIA

and Rhino are incorporated, along

with improvements to theDesign

Explorer Feature Tree. Support for

3dconnexion’s motion controllers

Camera designed by

Nelson Au

Creative Intuition

Powered by Vellum TM

has also been added for Windows

users.

“We’ve listened to our customers

who have told us over and over,

‘Make it rock solid,’” stated Greg

Morgan, product manager. “That’s

exactly what we’ve done.”

On the following page is a chart

showing the major feature enhancements

of this version. There

are also some boxes showing the

feature enhancements added in

versions 5 and 6. If you’re still

using an older version of our software

take a look at what you’re

missing.

To upgrade to version 7, see your

Value Added Reseller, contact

Ashlar-Vellum directly at

1-800-877-2745

or see our web store at

www.ashlar-vellum.com.

Initial feedback for

Version 7 of Cobalt,

Xenon and Argon:

“I really do like the selection

thickening/transparency. You

CAN do things in v7 that v6

didn’t! The solid loft tools now

work with guides.”—Kevin

Quigley, Quigley Design,

United Kingdom.

“The DesignExplorer is now

well improved. It seems more

reliable, the features are

reordered and it carries the

material description. Very

good. Shelling and blends

are way better then before,

especially shelling: faster and

more reliable. Great!”—Celso

Santos, Rio 21 Design, Brazil.

“V7 seems to be well born,

and I hope will be a great

success. Everything is fast,

and begins to work the way I

think. Even the render library

opens more quickly.”—Alain

Brux, Brux Concept, France.

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Features and Benefits of Cobalt, Xenon and Argon v7

Below is a chart showing the

major feature enhancements

over the past several releases. Of

course, if you’re still using Vellum

98, 99 or 2000, your benefits will

be even greater. If you haven’t

Feature

ordered your upgrade, contact

your Ashlar-Vellum Value Added

Reseller today or call us directly at

+1 800 887 2745.

Benefit

Cobalt, Xenon and

Argon v6, 2003

Features:

Support for native Mac OS X

and Updated ACIS 8 Kernel.

Reworked Infrastructure

Enhanced Undo Feature

Enhanced Visual Selection Tools

Updated ACIS 12 Kernel

Enhanced DesignExplorer Feature Tree

Updated NURBS to v3.0

Support for 3D Connexion’s SpaceMouse

(Windows only v7 Mac coming in v8)

Updated Lightworks to 7.4

Automatic Crash Catcher

(Windows only v7 Mac coming in v8)

Enhanced Drafting Assistant

Bug Fixes

• Significantly improved stability.

• Improved reliability and speed, often

instantaneous on complex parts.

• Better visual selection and manipulation of

objects with less confusion

• Improved translations for STEP, IGES,

CATIA v4 and InterOp.

• Improved blending.

• Improved shelling.

• Faster modeling operations.

• Simplified to streamline model management

and convey design intent to collaborators

and clients (does not apply to Argon).

• Shows material and decal names when

accessories are installed.

• Improved Rhino translations.

• Enhanced productivity and comfort for

3D modeling with this high performance

motion controller.

• Implemented bug fixes.

• Saves file and operating state before

shutting down.

• Allows user to send an automatic email to

Ashlar-Vellum support department

reporting the problem and last

operating state for diagnosis and help from

our support team.

• Eliminates annoying drop-outs.

• Over 100 aggravations exterminated.

Benefits:

• Improved speed, stability,

user interface, and compatibility

within the new OS.

• Improved blending.

• Improved shelling.

• Improved Booleans, espe

cially coincident faces.

• Improved faceting.

• Improved translators for

IGES, STEP & Catia.

• Bug fixes from customers.

Cobalt, Xenon and

Argon v5, 2002

Features:

• Dimensionally Constrained

• Parametrics

• Bill of Materials

• Improved Sweep and Loft

• Dynamic Pen Styles

• Multi-line Text Boxes

• Floating Layer Manager

• Transparent Objects while

• Faster Editing

• 100 other Changes

Creative Intuition

Powered by Vellum TM

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 2

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

A Hot Response

Shortly after releasing Cobalt,

Xenon and Argon v7 last month,

we were alerted to a problem with

the software causing the registration

code to expire almost

immediately. Within 30 minutes

we had an email out to v7 customers

alerting them to the problem

and offering a temporary workaround.

In less than 12 hours the

problem was solved, a hot fix

posted to the website and another

email sent to our users telling

them how to download the fix. At

Ashlar-Vellum we are committed

to being immediately responsive

to our customers’ needs.

Ashlar-Vellum Brings on New Head of Development

We’re pleased to announce that

we have a new Vice President of

Software Development at Ashlar-

Vellum. Christopher Griffin started

Monday, May 23rd in our offices

in Austin, Texas. Christopher will

spearhead our development

process, building and coordinating

the work of our programmers

both here and in the Ukraine.

Christopher has previously

worked with Ashlar-Vellum as a

EDU & STU Combine to STU

Previously Ashlar-Vellum had two

different pricing categories for

Educational and Student users.

Educational (EDU) was for instructors

actively using Ashlar-Vellum

products in the classroom or lab.

Student (STU) was for students

with current proof of enrolment.

We’ve merged these two categories

into one, calling it a

Creative Intuition

Powered by Vellum TM

contractor on a special project

incorporating the haptic feedback

device into Cobalt, so he is

already familiar with our code and

our team. Christopher brings not

only exceptional programming

experience, but also management

experience coordinating teams

and projects on a large scale.

Student/Teacher Unit (STU). If

you’re an instructor at one of the

many fine institutions of design

using Ashlar-Vellum products and

you notice that the prefix in your

serial number changed with v7,

don’t be alarmed. You’re still as important

to us as you always were.

Your STU version is correct.

Christopher Griffin, new VP of Software

Development at Ashlar-Vellum.

The Language of

Graphite

The Ashlar-Vellum development

team has just finished

translating Graphite into

Japanese with the help of our

Japanese reseller, Comnet.

Graphite uses the ShiftJIS

character set. This brings us

to the grand total of nine

languages supported within

Graphite including German,

Portuguese, Italian, Swedish,

French, Spanish, and both

British and American English.

We’ll soon make that an even

10 by adding Russian.

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 3

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Steering the Vehicular Design Add-on Specification

Ashlar-Vellum is in the beginning

stages of developing a specification

for a new Vehicular Design

add-on for the aerospace, marine,

automotive and related industries.

If you would like to be part of this

team (as much as we like puns, we

hesitate to call it a “steering committee”)

and have your input

included with others like Jim

Tighe, Design News Magazine’s

Engineer of the Year, please

contact Robert Bou at robert.

bou@ashlar.com.

Meet our Staff

Jimmy Mills has

recently rejoined

Ashlar-Vellum

and we’re

pleased to have

him back. Jimmy is a wizard at

our marketing database and will

be working as our new Channel

Partner facilitator. Jimmy is also a

full-time student studying business.

Pam Whaley

works part time

as our bookkeeper.

She’s a

5th generation

native Texan—a very rare breed.

As a country girl she loves antiques,

horses, and says her two

granddaughters are her life.

Ross Brown is

part of our tech

support team.

Previously a 3D

animator, Ross

is an artist and has a passion for

vintage Stingray bicycles with banana

seats and sissy bars. He’s also

the most camera-shy member of

our staff, so don’t expect to see

another picture of him anytime

soon.

Victoria Roik

is our newest

graphic and web

designer in our

Kiev, Ukraine

office. She’s tackling

a new project now to get all

of our graphical assets cataloged

in a database. She speaks four languages

and spends her free time

painting or enjoying music.

Vladimir Karpenko

is the

managing director

of our office

in Kiev, where

we have software development,

quality assurance and web development

support. Russian by birth,

Vladimir finished graduate school

in the US and has most recently

worked for HP in Houston, Texas

before joining us. In July he became

a US citizen and married a

lovely Ukrainian girl.

Architosh Represents Ashlar-Vellum

Ashlar-Vellum is proud to be

represented by Architosh, the Macintosh-based

website dedicated

Creative Intuition

Powered by Vellum TM

to architects and CAD/3D professionals

worldwide. Ashlar-Vellum

products will be listed as an Architosh

Store with this growing retail

establishment, featuring Graphite,

Cobalt, Xenon and Argon.

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 4

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Accessory Feature

Vellum:tracks

http://www.ashlar.com/sections/products/vellum-tracks/images/Track-01.mp3

Click on the link above and listen.

Do you hear that That’s a sample

of “E Song,” one of 13 royalty-free

instrumentals on theVellum:tracks

CD. These great cuts are designed

specifically to give 3D modeling

movies a higher level of polish

and professionalism—without

having to steal music from those

who work as hard as you do to

create fine intellectual property.

Vellum:tracks include a variety of

styles and sounds. Edit them to

any length using standard music

editing software. Segue from one

song to another to match the

mood and flow of any presentation.

Developed by Devolver Music, a

Creative Intuition

Powered by Vellum TM

soundtrack production company

and band here in Austin, Texas,

Vellum:tracks includes cuts

specially designed to be both listenable

as an album and workable

as support for CAD movies. Says

John Schussler of Bose, “The music

is cutting edge with an edge, well

suited to complimenting modern

3D CAD designs. I appreciate

having such royalty-free tracks on

hand to augment CAD presentations.”

To listen to a sample of all 13

tracks visit theAshlar-Vellum

website at:

http://www.ashlar-vellum.com/

sections/products/vellum-tracks/

vellum-tracks.html.

Vellum:tracks CD US $100.00.

Vellum:tracks e-only download US $92.81.

Vellum:tracks site license CD US$200.00

Vellum:tracks site license e-only download

US$192.81.

CAD movies have never looked so good.

Free viewer for

your clients and

collaborators.

Share

Ashlar-Vellum Files

Do you need to share Ashlar-

Vellum files with clients and

collaborators who don’t own

Ashlar-Vellum software Try

one of our free Share utility

products.

Share is a set of utilities that

allow others to open, view,

print and export Ashlar-Vellum

files from their own Windows

or Mac desktop. Share displays

exactly what you intended, not

some translation that might

be just a little different. It’s

especially helpful for interacting

with clients or production

people using:

• AutoCAD

• SolidWorks

• Solid Edge

• Pro/E

• CATIA

Share comes in three versions

for Mac or Windows:

• Graphite Share, which also

views old Vellum 2D/3D file.

• Cobalt Share, which also

views Xenon, Argon and old

Vellum Solids files.

• Vellum Share 99, which

opens old VLM files.

These powerful tools are free

from Ashlar-Vellum for the

download at:

http://www.ashlar-vellum.com/

sections/products/accessories/

accessories.html.

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 5

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Accessory Feature

Vellum:environments

Have you taken a look at our

newest addition to theVellum

accessories, Vellum:environments

Graeme MacDonald and Nick

Slaughter teamed up to create

this great new product that works

as an easy starting point to speed

renderings in Cobalt, Xenon or

Argon.

Vellum:environments contains 15

virtual photography studios with

large, smooth surfaces that are

pre-lit for easy modification. There

are five sizes each of the Universal

Studio, Chrome Studio and Infinite

Studio.

Just follow the step-by-step

instructions for the best results,

including:

• Preparing a model for rendering.

• Applying and modifying

materials and decals.

• Applying a wrapped image.

• Mixing custom materials.

• Placing and manipulating lights.

• Working with shadows.

• Analyzing material settings in an

example rendering.

The Universal studios can be colored and

changed to accommodate many styles, with

backdrops facilitating wide viewing angles.

The Chrome studios provide reflective backdrops

that mimic the real world, and are great

for polished metal objects.

One example of the valuable tools

included in theVellum:environments

book is the illustrated

examples of the shader classes

seen below.

Color: plane, pattern or image, including

wood and tile.

Displacement: 3d surface texture, regular,

organic or image-based.

Reflectance: how light is reflected including

matte, mirror, glass and even chrome.

Also included are:

• Illustrated explanations of the

five shader classes.

• Illustrated explanations of the main

reflectivity controls.

• Trouble-shooting guide.

• Thumbnail guide to built-in materials.

Transparency: applied evenly or as a pattern,

including transmission of light through a part.

Pricing: US$100.00 for CD & Book,

US$38.54 e-only,

US$60.00 Book only. Site licenses

available.

Creative Intuition

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The Infinite studios allow models to cast a

ground shadow within an infinite backdrop.

Texture Space: maps a texture onto a part,

wrapping and scaling as desired.

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 6

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

File Translation Tutorial for 3D Modeling

The importing and exporting of

3D modeling files is a challenging

issue across the entire industry.

Ashlar-Vellum is committed to

providing the greatest compatibility,

allowing you to collaborate

with other designers, engineers,

clients and manufacturers. It is

important to remember, however,

that a file translation is just that—

a translation—and just as in

translating between foreign languages,

slight subtleties may be

lost in the process if you are not

careful.

We’d like to take this opportunity

to discuss some of the issues that

commonly occur when translating

files into and out of Cobalt, Xenon

or Argon to help you get the best

possible result for the greatest

collaborative effect. In the upcoming

December issue of The Design

Explorer we will discuss issues

relating to Graphite translations.

Before You Begin

Before beginning, it is important

to establish a clear purpose for

any particular translation. Are you

showing a client a new design

idea Are you sending a file to a

collaborating engineer for FEA

analysis Are you sending the files

out for rapid prototyping If you’re

trying to accomplish more than

one goal, consider two or more

translations.

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For 3D modeling files it is best

to avoid generic options such as

DXF or IGES whenever possible.

Always consider all of the options

available from the import and

export lists within Ashlar-Vellum

products and those of the target

application. Often a better choice

is available. We’ll discuss how to

determine the best choice as we

continue.

3DSolid & Surface Translation Effectiveness

Most Effective

Least Effective

Native (Cobalt)

> > > >

Native Kernel (ACIS.SAT)

Kernel (.SAT)

>

>

Solids-aware neutral (STEP)

Surface Neutral (IGES)

Native (Xenon)

Kernel (Parasolid)

Consider first if the translated data

must be edited or just viewed

and/or printed. If it is just viewed

or printed, use one of the free Ashlar-Vellum

Share utilities talked

about on page 5.

If it is 3D solid and surface

modeling data and it must be

manipulated and saved, what

is the target application and is

that target application based on

a kernel technology By far and

away, the most important advice

we can give is to always stay

within the native kernel whenever

possible. For Cobalt, Xenon and

Argon, this means the ACIS kernel,

which has been used by a number

of other industry leaders. Many

other products which are not ACIS

kernel-based, such as PTC’s Pro/E

and Dassault’s SolidWorks provide

an SAT translator module for good

results.

cont. on pg 8

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 7

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Before You Begin cont. from Pg. 7

If you can’t stay within the same

kernel, then it’s best to go kernelto-kernel

with the Parasolid .X_T

or .X_B. This provides the exact

solid and surface modeling data

embedded in the file for reliable

results.

Further down the ladder of

choices would be a solids-aware

neutral file format such as STEP.

While it’s more reliable than using

IGES, it’s less so than any kernelbased

translator.

Finally, the last choice to use is a

surface-aware neutral file format

like IGES. IGES has a whole set

of idiosyncrasies and is best left

alone as much as possible.

Before exporting, make sure that

the target application can handle

multiple bodies in one file. If not,

use the “Selected Only” option to

export an isolated part in a file.

Before importing or exporting

3D modeling data, use the “Check

Object” function in Ashlar-Vellum

software to verify sound geometry.

This prevents a good deal of

trouble down the line.

It is a general fallacy that re-importing

a file successfully proves

translation accuracy. Re-importing

is not a guarantee of success nor is

it an indication of failure.

Use Zip or Stuff-it to compress

files before emailing. Using an

email program’s built-in compression

has unreliable results on

graphics, often converting them

to text files.

Specific Translation Advice for Cobalt, Xenon & Argon

Below are some specific points

regarding individual file formats

with which you might be trying to

communicate your 3D solid and

surface modeling data. Following

this is some advise regarding specific

products to which you might

be importing and exporting.

File Format Information

ACIS SAT

Cobalt, Xenon and Argon are

based on the ACIS kernel from

Spatial. If the target application is

also ACIS-based or has a historical

tie to ACIS, such as Autodesk

Inventor, use the .SAT file format

for the very best possible result.

SolidWorks also has a built-in .SAT

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translator. This is the BEST way of

translating files to and from Cobalt,

Xenon or Argon.

Parasolid (Windows Only)

This is another popular kernel for

such applications as Solid Edge.

Cobalt, Xenon and Argon will

translate to Parasolid versions

7-12 in both .X_T and .X_B file

formats. Be sure to determine the

correct version and format before

translating.

Pro/E

The Pro/E format was removed

from Cobalt, Xenon and Argon v7

because Pro/E contains support

for .SAT files, the preferred method

of translating files between Pro/E

and Ashlar-Vellum 3D Modeling

files. If you previously relied on the

Granite translator in v5 or v6, you

can continue to use these versions

with your old serial number.

CATIA

Ashlar-Vellum 3D modeling programs

have a built-in CATIA v4

import and export option that’s

been enhanced in v7.

IGES

This is a very old standard that is

best described as a can of worms.

Ashlar-Vellum tech support recommends

using it only as a last

resort. If you’re having trouble

with IGES files, it is best to find

another format, preferably at the

kernel-level.

cont. pg 9

Ashlar-Vellum Newsletter The DesignExplorer Third Quarter 2005 8

1-(800) 877-2745 | www.Ashlar-Vellum.com

Specific Translation Advice for Cobalt, Xenon & Argon cont. from pg 8

STEP

This is the ISO standard acronym

for STandard for the Exchange of

Product Data. It was designed to

replace the IGES format and carry

more data. Again, we would advise

using a kernel-level translator if it

is available before trying STEP.

STL

You will need to make a mesh

prior to exporting to STL for stereo

lithography. Check the STL facets

to eliminate any rectangular

facets which are not supported by

some rapid prototyping machines.

QuickTime Movies

These have good rendering quality

and support walk-throughs and

fly-bys of object and panoramic

Virtual Realities created in Cobalt,

Xenon and Argon.

Adobe Illustrator

The built-in translator within Cobalt,

Xenon or Argon works well.

Remember that the Adobe Illustrator

exports at the current zoom

level, so be sure to set it to 1 for a

1:1 scaled export.

Rhino 3DM

Version 7 of Cobalt, Xenon and

Argon now imports 3DM 2.0 and

3.0 files. To export to Rhino 3.0, use

.SAT for be results. While IGES will

work to export to Rhino 2.0, it is

best to use Rhino 3.0 to revert to

Rhino 2.0.

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PDF

While support for PDF is not built

into Ashlar-Vellum software, it is

readily available. Use Adobe Acrobat

or Distiller for the best quality

PDFs. PDF files made through the

operating system are often less

accurate.

DXF/DWG

Please remember that DXF and

DWG are NOT published “standards.”

They are file formats invented

and encoded by Autodesk.

There are several challenges

inherent with DXF/DWG files. First,

they contain no units. Be sure to

identify metric or English units

upon import. Second, because

individual users customize their

systems, there is often difficultly

in translating fonts, line weights

and patterns, dimensioning styles,

hatch patterns and custom symbols.

The resulting visual fidelity

of these is moderate in Cobalt,

Xenon and Argon.

When importing and exporting

3D solids and surfaces it is usually

much more effective to use

something other than DWF/DWG.

We recommend using ACIS .SAT

whenever possible. Another option

is to use Parasolid .X_T. These

are both kernel-level translators

and provide the best possible

results. Before going to DXF/DWG

for 3D models we would recommend

trying STEP, or as a last

resort, IGES.

On the other hand, for 2D data,

DXF or DWG work very well. All

Ashlar-Vellum programs import

and export exact 2D/3D wireframe

geometry using the DXF or DWG

file translators. Also be aware that

DXF and DWG are different and

may provide very different results.

We often recommend trying them

both to see which provides the

best result for your file.

If the goal is to import or export

archive drawings and it’s

important to preserve text and dimensions,

we would recommend

using a free copy of Ashlar-Vellum

Share or buying Adobe Acrobat.

Ashlar-Vellum has been asked

about support for the DXF

2005/2006 standard. While the

encryption on this system has

been broken, it requires changes

to our file structure and will not

be incorporated until version 8. If

you need to convert to this

newest format, we recommend

purchasing Any DWG DXF Converter

2005 for about $75 from

The following is a list of Macintoshsoftware—notable computer applications for current macOS systems. For software designed for the classic Mac OS, see List of old Macintosh software.

Audio[edit]

CD and DVD authoring[edit]

Chat (text, voice, video)[edit]

Children's software[edit]

Developer tools and IDEs[edit]

• Apache Web Server
• AppCode - an Objective-C IDE by JetBrains for macOS and iOS development
• Aptana – an open sourceintegrated development environment (IDE) for building Ajax web applications
• Clozure CL - an open sourceintegrated development environment (IDE) for building Common Lisp applications
• Code::Blocks – open source IDE for C++
• CodeWarrior – development environment, framework
• Coldstone game engine
• Dylan
• Eclipse – open source Java-based IDE for developing rich-client applications, includes SWT library, replaces Swing by using underlying OS native windowing abilities
• Fink – Debian package manager for portedUnix software
• Free Pascal – Object Pascal compiler, XCode plugin available
• GNU Compiler Collection
• Glasgow Haskell Compiler
• Helix – relational database IDE
• HotSpot – Sun's Java Virtual Machine
• HyperNext – freeware software development
• IntelliJ IDEA - a JAVA IDE by JetBrains (free limited community edition)
• Komodo – commercial multi-language IDE from ActiveState
• Lazarus – cross-platform IDE to develop software with Free Pascal, specialized in graphical software
• LiveCode – high-level cross-platform IDE
• MacApp – application development framework Pascal and C++
• Macintosh Programmer's Workshop (MPW)
• Macports – a package management system that simplifies the installation of free/open source software on the macOS.
• Macromedia Authorware – application (CBT, eLearning) development, no Mac development environment since version 4, though can still package applications with the 'Mac Packager' for OS 8 through 10 playback
• Mono – open source implementation of Microsoft .NET Framework with a C# compiler
• NetBeans – modular, open source, multi-language platform and IDE for Java written in pure Java
• Omnis Studio – cross-platform development environment for creating enterprise and web applications for macOS, Windows, Linux, Solaris
• Panorama
• Perl
• PHP
• Python
• Qt Creator – an IDE for C++ GUI applications, by Trolltech
• Real Studio – cross-platform compiled REALbasicBASIC programming language IDE
• ResEdit – resource editor
• Script Debugger – an AppleScript and Open Scripting Architecture IDE
• SuperCard – high-level IDE
• Tcl/tk – scripting shell & GUI utility that allows cross platform development. Included With macOS.
• TextMate – multipurpose text editor that supports Ruby, PHP, and Python
• Torque (game engine) – game creation software
• WebKit – open source application framework for Safari (web browser)
• WebObjects
• wxPython – API merging Python and wxWidgets
• Xcode – IDE made by Apple, which comes as a part of macOS and is available as a download, was called Project Builder

Email[edit]

Email clients[edit]

Other email software[edit]

FTP clients[edit]

Games[edit]

• Steam – digital distribution software for video games and related media

Graphics, layout, and desktop publishing[edit]

CAD, 3D graphics[edit]

Distributed document authoring[edit]

Icon editors, viewers[edit]

File conversion and management[edit]

• Adobe Bridge — digital asset management app
• BibDesk — free bibliographic database app that organizes linked files
• Font Book – font management tool
• GraphicConverter – graphics editor, open/converts a wide range of file formats
• iPhoto – photo management application

Layout and desktop publishing[edit]

Raster and vector graphics[edit]

Integrated software technologies[edit]

Language and reference tools[edit]

Mathematics software[edit]

Media center[edit]

Multimedia authoring[edit]

Networking and telecommunications[edit]

News aggregators[edit]

• Feedly – news aggregator, and news aggregator reading application
• NetNewsWire – news aggregator reading application
• NewsFire – news aggregator reading application
• RSSOwl – news aggregator reading application
• Safari (web browser) - news aggregation via built-in RSS support
• Apple Mail – news aggregation via (discontinued) built-in RSS support

Office and productivity[edit]

Operating systems[edit]

• Darwin – the BSD-licensed core of macOS
• macOS – originally named "Mac OS X" until 2012 and then "OS X" until 2016
• macOS Server – the server computing variant of macOS

Outliners and mind-mapping[edit]

Peer-to-peer file sharing[edit]

Science[edit]

Text editors[edit]

Utilities[edit]

• Activity Monitor – default system monitor for hardware and software
• AppZapper – uninstaller (shareware)
• Automator – built-in, utility to automate repetitive tasks
• Backup – built-in
• BitDefender Antivirus 2009 for Mac OS – antivirus software
• Butler – free, launcher and utility to automate repetitive tasks
• CleanGenius – free system optimization tool for Mac OS X, disk cleaner, uninstaller, device ejector, disk monitor. (freeware)
• CandyBar – system customization software (commercial)
• CDFinder – disk cataloging software (commercial)
• Compact Pro – data compression
• DaisyDisk – disk visualization tool
• Dashboard – built-in Mac OS X widgets
• Disk Drill Basic – data recovery software for Mac OS X
• Grab (software) – built-in Mac OS X screenshot utility
• Growl – global notifications system, free
• iArchiver – handles archives, commercial
• Intego VirusBarrier – antivirus software
• iSync – syncing software, bundled with OS X
• LaunchBar – provides instant access to local data, search engines and more by entering abbreviations of search item names, commercial
• Little Snitch – network monitor and outgoing connection firewall
• MacScan – malware removal program
• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing – proprietary, typing tutor
• Norton Antivirus for Mac – an antivirus program specially made for Mac
• OnyX – a freeware system maintenance and optimization tool for Mac OS X
• Quicksilver – a framework for accessing and manipulating many forms of data
• Screen Sharing
• SheepShaver – PowerPC emulator, allows, among other things, running Mac OS 9 on Intel Macs
• Sherlock – file searching (version 2), web services (version 3)
• Sophos - antivirus software
• Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery - Data Recovery Software for Mac Computers
• Stuffit – data compression
• Stickies – put Post-It Note-like notes on the desktop
• System Preferences – default Mac system option application
• The Tilery - application switcher
• Time Machine (Apple software) – built-in backup software
• UUTool – uuencoded/uudecode and other transcoding
• Stellar Phoenix Video Repair – Repair corrupt of damaged videos
• VirusScan – antivirus software
• [[Intego VirusBarrier]] – antivirus software
• BetterZip - file archiver and compressor utility
• WinZip – file archiver and compressor utility
• Xsan – storage network utility
• Yahoo! Widget Engine – JavaScript-based widget system

Support for non-Macintosh software[edit]

Video[edit]

Web browsers[edit]

• Amaya – free
• Camino – open source
• Flock – free, Mozilla Firefox based
• Google Chrome – free, proprietary
• iCab – free
• Konqueror – open source
• Lynx – free
• Mozilla – open source, combines browser, email client, WYSIWYG editor
• Mozilla Firefox – open source
• Microsoft Edge – free
• Netscape Navigator – free, proprietary
• OmniWeb – free, proprietary
• Opera – free
• Safari (web browser) – built-in from Mac OS X 10.3, available as a separate download for Mac OS X 10.2
• SeaMonkey – open source Internet application suite
• Shiira – open source
• Sleipnir – free, by Fenrir Inc
• Tor (anonymity network) - free, open source
• Torch (web browser) - free, by Torch Media Inc.
• Internet Explorer for Mac – free, by Microsoft
• WebKit – Safari application framework, also in the form of an application

Web design and content management[edit]

Weblog clients[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]