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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:The Digital way of working
Moderator:QUARK::LIONELON
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5321
Total number of notes:139771

228.0. "DECSketch ?" by EUCLID::PAULHUS (Chris @ MLO 8-3/T13 DTN 223-6871) Thu Dec 04 1986 15:03

	I am currently involved in 7 or 8 hardware projects.  Most of them
  require a transfer of ideas/concept in sketch form between me and others.
  Right now, I take a quad-ruled pad and draw the thing. I either put a
  copy of my sketch in to mail to Colorado Springs, or set up an appointment
  with the recipient in Littleton, Marlboro, Acton, or wherever nearby, to
  talk about the design.  
	I have a personal computer at home.  For under $200, I can buy
  programs that give me a quasi CAD drawing capability.  If I had something
  similar here, I could save a lot of inefficient traveling around, time, 
  etc.   I am familiar with DECSlide. It is not suitable for engineering
  sketches.  Is there anything available that would give me the capability
  to make/send/display sketches?  I should think that there are a few 
  thousand other DEC engineers that would like this capability. - Chris
  
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228.1More info neededDSSDEV::ALDENKen AldenThu Dec 04 1986 17:589
    What (minimum) type of hardware are you planning to use?
    
    When you say SEND sketches, do you mean MAIL them, or just copy
    them?
    
    There are all sorts of sketching programs running on the VWS but
    most of them you can't mail the resultant file.
    
    -Ken
228.2Simple!DSTAR::STEVENSONSteve StevensonFri Dec 05 1986 09:092
    
    If they are JUST sketches.......ever hear of FAX???
228.3goal = avoid hardcopyEUCLID::PAULHUSChris @ MLO 8-3/T13 DTN 223-6871Fri Dec 05 1986 10:569
    
    To expand:  I'd like to generate a sketch here at my VT 125 and
    send/mail/electronically move it to a terminal in a remote location.
    I do not want to mess with hard copies, FAX, etc.  We are heading
    in the direction of the paperless office - we need this as an element
    of that progression.  [FAX makes me laugh: having to turn a file
    into a hard copy on a plotter, then bring it to a device that turns
    it into an electronic signal, which transfers it to a device that
    turns it back into hard copy. Yeech!] - Chris
228.4COVERT::COVERTJohn CovertFri Dec 05 1986 11:1714
"We are heading in the direction of the paperless office."

HAH!

We are converting much of our formal engineering specification writing process
from tools such as Runoff, whose output can be viewed on terminals, to new
tools such as LaTex, whose output cannot be *properly* viewed on any currently
available display.  (At least 300 pixels/inch is required for reasonable
resolution.)

Thus these documents, though we can move them around easily on the network,
must be converted to paper to be read.

/john
228.5can't we already do that?EXODUS::SEGERthis space intentionally left blankFri Dec 05 1986 12:519
maybe we need a little more of a definition of a sketch.  are you 
talking about the kind of real fancy stuff one can do with MacPaint?
I thought I had heard that there was something that ran on VAXstations
that did similar things.  Couldn't you simply draw it on a workstation 
and copy the file over to a remote workstation?

have I missed something?

-mark
228.6brief digression...RHEA::JOHNSSONSun Dec 07 1986 20:174
    Re: .4
    
    There is a 300 pixel per inch display available from Megascan in
    a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. They're not cheap.
228.7PRO/SIGHTGOBLIN::MCVAYPete McVay, VRO (Telecomm)Mon Dec 08 1986 10:543
    Wioth a bitpad, this product is fairly easy to use--and is a darn
    sight lot easier than DECslide/DECgraph!  The files are printable
    and covertable.  The resolution is only medium, though.
228.8need a workstation ?EUCLID::PAULHUSChris @ MLO 8-3/T13 DTN 223-6871Mon Dec 08 1986 11:246
    
    Do I gather correctly that you need a workstation (VAXStation) to
    be able to use these products?  In other conversations, I hear that
    certain groups are switching to workstations en mass. If I had access
    to a workstation, could I send the sketch to someone with a standard
    terminal (VT 125, 220, 240)?  - Chris
228.9Might work, though...JOET::JOETThu Dec 11 1986 15:115
    Asking for help on RENDER, the program which formats the UIS files
    produced by SIGHT and GRED for viewing on various devices, I find
    VT240 and VT241 listed as valid output types.  No mention of VT125.
    
    -joet
228.10Sight or Autocad..JAWS::DAVISGil Davis @UPO1-4 DTN 296-4559Mon Dec 15 1986 15:5517
    Pro sight is probably the best bet.  We have found it to be excellent
    for creating pictures (accepts bit-pad or mouse) printing them
    (la50, lvp16,lcp01) making slides of them (polariod palette  --
    at your desk yet!) and sending them over the network (.gid files).
    
    Needs a pro at each end for both to be able to manipulate the drawing.
    Not high resolution, but much easier to use than the Vax-based 
    vt241 products (OK...I'm biased). And last I heard, there is a 
    Vaxstation version available...)
    
    *Not* exactly what you want for engineering drawings. I would
    suggest Autocad on a VAXmate. (for  low cost)
    
    Cheers,
    
    Gil