Graebert GmbH Announces ARES Cross-platform CAD Solution

By DE Editors

Graebert GmbH has announced ARES, a native cross-platform CAD solution. It uses a common design interface and runs natively across Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux, while also being optimized for specific operating system features and capabilities.

Upcoming versions of ARES will be available for Microsoft Windows Mobile devices. Both the Apple iPad and the Google Android operating system are under active evaluation for porting as well.  ARES will be initially available in 13 languages.

ARES development has focused on a number of core benchmarks, including performance. The company says ARES is typically 3-5 times faster in operations such as open and save than other CAD packages on any platform. It has undergone more than a year of beta testing by more than 100 corporations and CAD users.  

“Several Fortune 500 companies have been using ARES as part of our intensive beta test—to them, ARES really does represent the next-generation of CAD solution,” says Wilfried Graebert, founder and CEO of Graebert, GmbH. “Using ARES, they have been able to create designs in far less time than with competitive solutions—the feedback has been identical—ARES is an impressive product that lived up to their demanding expectations.”

Features of ARES include:

• DWG native format—Graebert is a founding member of the Open Design Alliance and sits on its Board of Directors.  ARES supports DWG Import (2.x, 2009), Export (12, 2009) and DWG 2009 Native format. DWG 2010 support is coming in the second quarter of 2010, according to the company.
• AutoCAD-compatible command line and scripts.
• More than 400 new commands.
• Drawing recovery.
• Latest ACIS 3D modeling support.
• I/O Support for DWG 2.5, 2009, DWF, SAT, WMF, SLD, ESRI, and SHP.
• Print capabilities that include PDF, Raster, and SVG.
• The user interface is optimized for each native operating system as well as an XML-based, customizable UI with a built-in designer.
• Programming I/O support includes Lisp, C, Delphi, COM, .net (C#, VB.net), C++, and VSTA
• Built-in VoiceNotes for created files.

ARES will ship in two different price configurations: ARES ($495) and ARES Commander Edition ($995).  The two products are identical with the exception of programmability and 3D support, which are found only in ARES Commander Edition.  

For more information, visit Graebert and see DE’s video preview of ARES here by contributing editor Kenneth Wong.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.