ARES, ARES Commander promise cross-platform CAD
updated 01:30 pm EST, Tue February 9, 2010
Mac, iPad versions still in development
Germany's Graebert has formally announced ARES, a new CAD tool. The software is touted mainly as cross-platform, able to run natively on Windows, Mac and Linux systems. Mobile versions are planned for Android, Windows Mobile and the iPad.
Some features include drawing recovery, plus support for the DWG format and ACIS 3D modeling. Compatible import/export standards include DWF, SAT, WMF, SLD, ESRI and SHP, while programming standards incorporate the likes of C, C++ and .NET. User interfaces for each platform are said to be XML-based but optimized for their OS.
Two different desktop editions of ARES exist. The standard one costs $495, and handles most operations. 3D and programming functions are restricted to the Commander Edition, priced at $995. Only the Windows version is shipping today; the Mac and Linux programs are still in a closed beta, and should ship in the second quarter of 2010.
