Architosh Staff ([email protected])

21 May 2003

 

MacCAD: New Italian software company introduces brand new CAD application -- HighDesign -- exclusively for Macintosh

ilexsoft™ -- which is based in Rome, Italy -- has released its final version of HighDesign, an innovative and brand new CAD application exclusively created on and for the Macintosh platform. Founded in the spring of 2002, ilexsoft is a new Macintosh developer led by Andrea Suraci and his brothers, Vincenzo and Giovanni. Andrea and Giovanni are educated as architects with a focus and expertise in architectural history, historical restoration (a much larger subfield in architecture in much of Europe compared to the US) and projective geometry. All three of the brothers have a wide expertise in information technologies and computer programming dating back to 1986.

HighDesign - License To Create™

HighDesign is now at version 1.0 (1.0fc1) and can be downloaded from here. HighDesign comes in two flavors: HighDesign Standard and High Design Professional. The company does a very good job of showing off the application on its website (lots of nice clean screenshots) so we'll just summarize some of the more interesting features of the new CAD program.

First, in terms of generalities, HighDesign was written to take advantage of Apple's new UNIX-based OS X with full compliance to Aqua user interface guidelines. The application is quite attractive and clean and simple. Yet behind this easy and pretty interface are some innovative features including such items as:

• Unlimited Layers with 32-bit Color Capabilities
• Unique Sheets Technology with Write Protection Schema
• Photogrammetry with vector-based 64-bit Double Precision Accuracy
• Real Time Projection in Photogrammatical Views
• Built-in Image Editing (includes color correction, blur, sharpness and other functions)
• Image Transparency Support

HighDesign supports Apple's QuickTime Architecture and has support of Autocad compatibility via DXF r14, 2000 and HPGL. There is support for metric and imperial unit systems and support for ISO, ASME and custom page sizes. Additionally, you can download the application and purchase it from within the application later.

HighDesign sells for $149US for the Standard edition and $349 for the Professional version.

Architosh Analysis: Learning of this application really made our day several months ago when they contacted us. First off, it is always exciting to hear of real architects going out and building a CAD application that they think is needed. Nader Family of BOA Research is another architect turned CAD developer for the same reasons. Active professionals turned software developers often have a specific reason for rolling their own app. HighDesign appears to offer some unique combinations of features very useful to European architects working in historical cities.

What is so exciting is that this product addresses a market segment that has little if any native Mac offerings: the homeowner or builder/remodeler market. While Abracadata promised a new ultra affordable product more than a year ago, native on OS X, that product never quite seemed to get off the ground. HighDesign mixes some interesting features into the sub $500 CAD category such as its photogrammetry features and the native ability to edit images with standard image editing tools. This product could do very well inside Apple's retail stores as well as in the K-12 educational market.

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