SCOTTSDALE, AZ, USA, Oct 5, 2022 – Open Design Alliance (ODA), provider of complete interoperability solutions for CAD and BIM, announced a new initiative to develop MCAD SDK, the industry’s first open exchange framework for 3D mechanical CAD.
MCAD SDK will provide open access to all major proprietary 3D mechanical formats including Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS and CATIA, Siemens Solid Edge, PTC Creo and more. MCAD SDK will support geometry and PMI (Product Manufacturing Information) data through a common interface, for all supported mechanical formats. Universal visualization for all major desktop and web platforms will be included as well.
“ODA MCAD SDK offers several advantages over other exchange frameworks,” said Neil Peterson, ODA President. “First, the companies funding the MCAD SDK project will control priorities, fees and licensing terms for the developed software. As a non-profit, ODA is developing MCAD SDK at cost, as a service to the industry—that means all licensing fees are invested back into product development, instead of being diverted off to shareholders, management or unrelated acquisitions.
“Second, ODA is committed to this technology for the long term. As the CAD market consolidates, smaller companies are being acquired and products are being retired, to eliminate competition or to maximize return on investment. ODA has a laser-like focus on development and isn’t distracted by venture-capital-inspired market activity.
“Finally, we frequently hear complaints from our members about the opaque and unfair licensing terms, often enforced by NDAs, offered by commercial component vendors. ODA has fair and transparent pricing—everyone licensing our software at a particular level pays the same fees, and all fees are published on our website.”
Availability and Pricing
MCAD SDK is being developed under the ODA Strategic Interoperability Group (SIG) program and is open to any ODA member of Sustaining level or higher. More information can be found at opendesign.com/products/mcad-sdk.
Pricing for ODA memberships and components can be found at opendesign.com/pricing.
About Open Design Alliance
ODA develops complete interoperability solutions for CAD and BIM. Our SDKs provide data access, creation, visualization, web collaboration and publishing for a wide range of engineering file formats. ODA is supported by more than 1200 member companies, including software developers, manufacturers, government entities, AEC firms, major retailers and other organizations spread across every engineering discipline. For more information, visit https://www.opendesign.com
