Claris CAD
Encyclopedia
Claris CAD is a two-dimensional computer-aided design
program for Apple Inc. Macintosh
.
Corporation in a joint effort with Craig S. Young of Computer Aided Systems for Engineering (CASE). It was based on MacDraw II and Young's earlier CAD application, EZ-Draft. Version 1 was released in 1989 for Macintosh computers running System Software 6 or later. The initial releases were plagued with bugs, especially with the bundled plotter driver. Development halted in June 1991 with the release of version 2.0.3. Currently, Claris CAD can run on any Macintosh using the "Classic" operating system (not Mac OS X
).
Some notable tool functions include: walls, arcs, chamfers, fillets
, spline curves, perpendiculars, and tangents. Dimensioning tools can create point-to-point, chain, datum, angle, radius, diameter, and circle-center dimensions.
Predefined ANSI
Y14.5, ISO
, DIN
, JIS
, and BS
-308 drawing standards templates are also included with the software.
A special Claris version of Microspot Ltd.'s MacPlot plotter driver was also part of the package, allowing Claris CAD to plot to Hewlett-Packard
and Houston Instruments plotter
s. A utility called MacPlot Configure also lets the user specify a plotter model and assign pen colors to carousel positions.
The physical software package provides a reference, tutorial, and a videotape tutorial.
s and manual orthographic projection
s, many users require three-dimensional capability. Most users have abandoned it because it can no longer run natively on modern machines.
Among its other anomalies, the limited accuracy QuickDraw
routines were not sufficient for direct use with highly-accurate applications such as computer numerical control
(CNC) machines.
Some versions of the program (including 2.0 v3) have a bug where users are unable to save their work, encountering an error stating that an additional 1k of disk space is required. This is due to a limitation of saving to large size, HFS+ formatted disks. One can save to a floppy disk or small RAM disk as a workaround, or use the "Save As..." command, renaming the file in the process.
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
program for Apple Inc. Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
.
History
Claris CAD was developed in 1988 by ClarisClaris
Claris was a computer software developer formed as a spin-off from Apple Computer in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several programs that were owned by Apple, notably MacWrite and MacPaint, in order to separate Apple's application software activities from its hardware and...
Corporation in a joint effort with Craig S. Young of Computer Aided Systems for Engineering (CASE). It was based on MacDraw II and Young's earlier CAD application, EZ-Draft. Version 1 was released in 1989 for Macintosh computers running System Software 6 or later. The initial releases were plagued with bugs, especially with the bundled plotter driver. Development halted in June 1991 with the release of version 2.0.3. Currently, Claris CAD can run on any Macintosh using the "Classic" operating system (not Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
).
Features
Claris CAD uses a drawing system defined by Tools, Methods, and Modifiers. Tools draw objects, methods allow different ways of drawing with the tools, and modifiers help to position objects.Some notable tool functions include: walls, arcs, chamfers, fillets
Fillet (mechanics)
In mechanical engineering, a fillet is a concave easing of an interior corner of a part design. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "chamfer".-Applications:...
, spline curves, perpendiculars, and tangents. Dimensioning tools can create point-to-point, chain, datum, angle, radius, diameter, and circle-center dimensions.
Predefined ANSI
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
Y14.5, ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
, DIN
Deutsches Institut für Normung
is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body. DIN is a Registered German Association headquartered in Berlin...
, JIS
Japanese Industrial Standards
Japanese Industrial Standards specifies the standards used for industrial activities in Japan.The standardization process is coordinated by Japanese Industrial Standards Committee and published through Japanese Standards Association.-History:...
, and BS
British Standards
British Standards are the standards produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter...
-308 drawing standards templates are also included with the software.
A special Claris version of Microspot Ltd.'s MacPlot plotter driver was also part of the package, allowing Claris CAD to plot to Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
and Houston Instruments plotter
Plotter
A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers...
s. A utility called MacPlot Configure also lets the user specify a plotter model and assign pen colors to carousel positions.
The physical software package provides a reference, tutorial, and a videotape tutorial.
Limitations
Though Claris CAD is sufficient for creating floor planFloor plan
In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan, or floorplan, is a diagram, usually to scale, showing a view from above of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure....
s and manual orthographic projection
Orthographic projection
Orthographic projection is a means of representing a three-dimensional object in two dimensions. It is a form of parallel projection, where all the projection lines are orthogonal to the projection plane, resulting in every plane of the scene appearing in affine transformation on the viewing surface...
s, many users require three-dimensional capability. Most users have abandoned it because it can no longer run natively on modern machines.
Among its other anomalies, the limited accuracy QuickDraw
QuickDraw
QuickDraw is the 2D graphics library and associated Application Programming Interface which is a core part of the classic Apple Macintosh operating system. It was initially written by Bill Atkinson and Andy Hertzfeld. QuickDraw still exists as part of the libraries of Mac OS X, but has been...
routines were not sufficient for direct use with highly-accurate applications such as computer numerical control
Numerical control
Numerical control refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to controlled manually via handwheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone...
(CNC) machines.
Some versions of the program (including 2.0 v3) have a bug where users are unable to save their work, encountering an error stating that an additional 1k of disk space is required. This is due to a limitation of saving to large size, HFS+ formatted disks. One can save to a floppy disk or small RAM disk as a workaround, or use the "Save As..." command, renaming the file in the process.
Interoperability
- Claris Graphics Translator by Claris Corp. converts drawings to IGESIGESThe Initial Graphics Exchange Specification is a file format which defines a vendor neutral data format that allows the digital exchange of information among Computer-aided design systems....
and AutoCADAutoCADAutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...
DXF formats. - Cadmover by Kandu Software translates drawings many formats, including IGES and DXF formats.
- PowerDraw Translator by Engineered Software converts drawings to DXF and EPSF/Illustrator formats.
- Three-dimensional modeling:
- ModelShop by Paracomp
- MacConcept by Klex Software
- MacBRAVO! by Schlumberger
Replacements
- Arcad by Arcad Systemhaus
- ArchiCADArchiCADArchiCAD is an architectural BIM CAD software for Macintosh and Windows developed by the Hungarian company Graphisoft. ArchiCAD offers specialized solutions for handling all common aspects of aesthetics and engineering during the whole design process of the built environment — buildings, interiors,...
by GraphisoftGraphisoftGraphisoft SE develops Building Information Modeling software products for architects, interior designers and planners. The company is headquartered in Graphisoft Park Budapest, Hungary. Graphisoft has subsidiaries in Germany, USA, UK, Spain, Japan and representative offices in Russia and Singapore...
(NemetschekNemetschekThe Nemetschek group is world leading vendor of software for architects, engineers and the construction industry. The company develops and distributes solutions for designing, building and managing buildings and real estate as well as multimedia. According to Nemetschek, the company with all of...
) - Ashlar-VellumAshlar-VellumAshlar-Vellum, a dba of Ashlar Incorporated, is a developer of Computer-aided design and 3D modeling software for both the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows platforms. Ashlar-Vellum’s interface, designed in 1988 by Dr...
Graphite (Mac OS X PPC/Intel & Windows hybrid license), includes Claris CAD file import. - CADintosh by Lemke software gmbh
- DesignWorkshop, by Artifice inc.
- Domus.Cad by Interstudio
- MacDraftMacDraftMacDraft is a computer-aided design program for Mac OS X, which can be used to create drafts, illustrations and architectural plans. MacDraft was first released in 1984 by Innovative Data design,. The program was later acquired by Microspot, an English software company, and its latest version is 5.6...
by Microspot Ltd. - PowerCADDPowerCADDPowerCADD is a computer-aided design and drafting software program for the Apple Macintosh platform developed from out of the PowerDraw platform of the mid 1980s by Greensboro, North Carolina-based Engineered Software....
by Engineered Software - VectorWorksVectorWorksVectorworks is a computer-aided design and Building Information Modeling software program developed by Nemetschek Vectorworks that is used for drafting, technical drawing and 3D modeling. Vectorworks offers 2D, 3D, production management, and presentation capabilities for all phases of the design...
(formerly MiniCAD) by NemetschekNemetschekThe Nemetschek group is world leading vendor of software for architects, engineers and the construction industry. The company develops and distributes solutions for designing, building and managing buildings and real estate as well as multimedia. According to Nemetschek, the company with all of...