InformationWeek

Windows-Based CAD

By Karen M. Carrillo

isio Corp. is almost ready to put its $6.7 million technology acquisition from Boomerang Technologies to the test. In the fourth quarter, the company will roll out a Windows-based computer aided design system that it says will compete head on with Autodesk Inc.'s leading AutoCAD system.

While it plans to compete aggressively with Autodesk, Visio says its system will be compatible with AutoCAD, supporting its native file format .DWG.

Early testers like what they've seen. Rod Blum, CEO of Eagle Point Software, a CAD application developer in Dubuque, Iowa, says, "We feel Phoenix has better Windows- based integration than Autodesk's Release 14. Phoenix has excellent file and application compatibility with Autodesk, and we are going to be porting Autodesk applications to Visio's Phoenix technology."

The Visio system is expected to sell for $695, compared to $3,750 for Autodesk's AutoCAD system.

Autodesk feels it has a secure position in the CAD market. "We believe that our object-oriented technology is far superior to anything our competitors have," says Chris Bradshaw, director of product marketing and design at Autodesk, in San Rafael, Calif.

Bruce Jenkins, VP at Daratech, a CAD/CAM research firm in Cambridge, Mass., says, "To succeed, Visio will have to convince the marketplace of Phoenix's functions and performance and at least run on par with AutoCAD's Release 14."

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