Alibre Inc. has developed a new solid-modeling MCAD system and is attempting to revolutionize product development, making it more collaborative by enabling engineers to create, modify, and store their CAD files via the Internet.
A take-off on so-called Web-computing, in which ASPs remotely host applications for users who pay a monthly fee for access, the Alibre system gets CAD files out of the workstations of individual engineers and onto a centralized server. That makes them more accessible to collaborators, explains Greg Milliken, Alibre marketing vice president.
Alibre is targeting engineers still stuck with 2-D CAD tools. The company is shopping for beta testers. When the service launches next year, Alibre plans to charge a flat $100-per-user-per-month fee to connect to its CAD server.