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ARES Commander Edition
17 Jun, 2010 By: R.K. McSwainCadalyst Labs Review: Low-cost 2D/3D CAD software holds promise as an AutoCAD replacement for some, including Mac, Linux, and mobile device users down the road.
When I first heard about a new, low-cost 2D and 3D CAD application that is DWG-compatible and supports LISP, I was pretty excited. ARES Commander Edition from Graebert is all that and more. Could this be a replacement or supplement for AutoCAD in your office — or mine? Let's find out.
Berlin, Germany–based Graebert (formerly known as GiveMePower) announced ARES at Macworld in February. Macworld, you ask? That's right. The buzz about this brand-new software is partly due to the fact that soon it will be offered for the Mac as well as Linux, and eventually for Microsoft Windows Mobile devices too.
The software is available in two versions: ARES ($495) and ARES Commander Edition ($995), both of which support 13 languages. For this review, I looked at ARES Commander Edition, which offers the complete 2D CAD functionality of ARES (similar in form and function to AutoCAD LT), plus support for ACIS-based 3D solid modeling and for LISP and other custom programming add-ons.
User Interface
When you launch ARES, it greets you with a familiar interface that includes standard pull-down menus, toolbars, palettes, and a command window. These features remind me very much of AutoCAD a few versions ago, before the ribbon was introduced. If you are accustomed to AutoCAD, you should feel right at home; the only appreciable difference is that the toolbar buttons are slightly larger in ARES. The pulldown menus are thorough without being cluttered with too many submenu fly-outs. The Properties and External References palettes are easy to navigate. The Command line is, well, the Command line. Old-timers like me will appreciate the familiarity of this tool.
The UI in ARES Commander Edition will look very familiar to pre-ribbon AutoCAD users.
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