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Management

Dialog Box November 2007

31 Oct, 2007 By: Cadalyst Staff

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Readers have their say.

TALK TO US For your letter to be considered for publication, please include your full name and daytime telephone number. Letters are subject to editing for length and clarity. Send letters to: Cadalyst Dialog Box editors@cadalyst.com

More Perils of 3D Modeling
I read the article, "The Perils of 3D Modeling," in the October 2, 2007, GIS Tech News newsletter. The last paragraph is very true. Lack of knowledge with DTM building can cause erroneous data. Surveyors who didn't take the time to collect the right shots and new users who tried to show that they could complete a project without help have caused me a great deal of pain over the years. The bottom line is: review the surface. Does it look correct? Perhaps with more 3D capabilities, errors will become easier for inexperienced users to spot.

Keeping Files Clean
Thank you very much for following up on the "Keep Files Clean" tip in the Cadalyst Tips & Tools Weekly newsletter. Many thanks to Michael Cipolla, who reworked his AutoLISP code so that now it combines two steps (purge and delete filters) in just one step in response to my request in the August 20, 2007, issue.

Keep up the good work.

Editors Respond
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Horror-Free Service
This letter is in reply to "Customer Service Horror Stories" by Mike Hudspeth, which was published in Cadalyst's October 2007 issue. After such a downtrodden article pointing out many deficiencies of customer service, I thought it would be good to share a positive customer service experience I had recently.

My story begins with a corrupt part file I received from a vendor. I didn't have time to wait for the file to be sent again and hoped there was some workaround. I use IronCAD for all my modeling, so I dialed technical support. I was quickly connected to Kevin, a support specialist with the company. After describing my problem, he immediately connected with me via GoToMeeting and showed me how to switch the imported part's modeling kernel from Parasolid to ACIS. (IronCAD runs on two modeling kernels, so it's possible to switch between the two at any point in design.) I made the change, and -- voila -- it was repaired. Apparently, switching between kernels in IronCAD can heal errors in geometry caused by imprecision. All this took a matter of minutes to resolve. Mr. Hudspeth also claims companies give up when they ask for a file you're having problems with. Again, using IronCAD as an example, there have been many times where I send files and a resolution to my problem is delivered within the week, if not sooner.

I agree with Mr. Hudspeth that customer service in the CAD industry (and everywhere else) is an issue, but I would also like to remind readers that many companies still value customer satisfaction. I believe we should all hold companies to high standards when it comes to the dedication they have to paying customers. My experiences with IronCAD give me hope there is still some measure of interest in customer care. They don't rush my calls, they give me one-on-one attention, and they genuinely care about my problem.

Mike Hudspeth Responds
Right you are! Overall, my experiences with customer support have been satisfactory to good. But every so often, when you least expect it . . .