Users can display their 3D object
precisely as they need to, using
both orthographic and perspective
views combined with a host of
render modes, including smooth,
outlines, wireframes, technical, at,
and silhouette. vectorise views with
Canvas X3
combines a rich
graphic toolset with the
ability to import and
handle 3D CAD models,
making it easy to
create powerfully
precise visual
documentation
unbeatable detail and quality and
export to a huge range of image and
vector formats.
In terms of its existing and potential
markets, Canvas’s current sweet
spot lies in high-value engineering.
Says Pat Hume: “We target a few
verticals where we have seen great
success. One is what I will call big
manufacturing. When we say big,
we’re talking about automotive, heavy
equipment, pharmaceutical medical
equipment, anything that has a lot of
parts. They are designing things that
have a lot of parts numbers. And our
product is suited to an audience that is
creating things that has a lot of parts
numbers.”
Academia is another area where
Canvas does well. “We have about
650 universities worldwide that
use Canvas,” says Hume. “These
tend to be schools that do medical
research and are very strong in the
engineering curriculum. Harvard
uses our product. Yale uses our
product. M.I.T. uses our product. We
just got an e-mail from a professor at
Columbia University that’s using it.”
However, Canvas also has
its place in the SME market –
something that has been facilitated
in part by an adjustment to its
pricing model. Pat Hume takes up
the story: “Certainly our product is
priced to be able to be placed in the
SME market. So we’re not priced
prohibitively for an SME. That may
be, for example, a sub-component
manufacturer to one of the larger,
big brand manufacturers. We moved
to a subscription based pricing
model back in October of last year.
So we moved away from perpetual
to subscription and we’re seeing
great success in the transition, which
allows us to be a bit more modern.”
But development is not stopping
yet. Communication with customers
has inspired more innovations to the
platform. “One thing that we hear,”
says Hume,” is the need to introduce
a visual collaboration capability into
the product (beyond the ability to
view from one workstation to another)
to actually allow teams of people to
collaborate in real time on whatever it
is that has been produced inside what
we call the Canvas creator.
“So here’s what we’re doing. We’re
taking the Canvas X3 product and
we’re building out a hybrid platform.
And the platform is composed of four
elements. Element 1 of the platform
is our workstation product, which is
the canvas X product. We’re going to
do some things to enhance the user
experience and to make it a bit more
intuitive.“ !
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