Model hosting and one-click-upload

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TT-RS
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by TT-RS »

There are tools (add-ins) to upload CAD files to TracePartOnline or GrabCAD (from Solid Edge or KeyShot and other tools). It would be nice to have something similar in FreeCAD.
jreinhardt
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by jreinhardt »

That is exactly what I am working on. But instead of commercial hosting websites I am building a free and open one. It will also run on a PaaS, so that it is (relatively) easly to run your own hosting platform. On the other hand, the uploaded designs will be published through the Thingtracker Network, so that they can be found easily.
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TT-RS
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by TT-RS »

I know what you are trying to make (I have read it ;) ). Uploading to commercial sites (additionaly) I think would be also good as they have huge traffic (many visitors).

Some of on-line functionalities ofcourse are always welcome, but I hope that FreeCAD will never be "FreeCAD 360" :) (I mean cloud based). Software should work off-line and extra functionalities should be always optional.
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shoogen
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by shoogen »

TT-RS wrote:Uploading to commercial sites (additionaly) I think would be also good as they have huge traffic (many visitors)
Do they want it?
jreinhardt
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by jreinhardt »

I am not interested in supporting closed model hosters. But feel free to do it yourself.
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TT-RS
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by TT-RS »

jreinhardt wrote:I am not interested in supporting closed model hosters. But feel free to do it yourself.
I see, but for example GrabCAD (private, commercial website) have many visitors and your CAD files bring much attention (I think people upload files for this reason). It is good also for FreeCAD community, because it is some kind of free "advertisment" for FreeCAD.
jmaustpc
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by jmaustpc »

TT-RS wrote:
jreinhardt wrote:I am not interested in supporting closed model hosters. But feel free to do it yourself.
I see, but for example GrabCAD (private, commercial website) have many visitors and your CAD files bring much attention (I think people upload files for this reason). It is good also for FreeCAD community, because it is some kind of free "advertisment" for FreeCAD.
Those ******** make you sign up and log in just to download an otherwise free file.

I would rather ignore them, do something better, ....and one day jreinhardt's idea will be the "Linux" of the CAD file download world. :)
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TT-RS
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by TT-RS »

jmaustpc wrote:
TT-RS wrote: Those ******** make you sign up and log in just to download an otherwise free file.

I would rather ignore them, do something better, ....and one day jreinhardt's idea will be the "Linux" of the CAD file download world. :)
Maybe you are right, I wish you success in this project!

If we are talking about CAD and open source,... in CAELinux.com forum, 8 years ago, JMB started idea to make one universal file format based on XML. Such format should be used for all free&open source CAx applications (mainly FEA/CFD, but also CAD/CAM). It would be great, if we could use universal format among (most) of FOSS apps. It would possible to interchange files between apps without any conversion. Maybe someday this will happen.

Here is link to this very interesting thread:

http://www.caelinux.com/CMS/index.php?o ... mid=300025
jmaustpc
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by jmaustpc »

An open common file format makes sense for an exchange format like STEP, but a native file format between different applications is not likely to make sense unless the CAD applications work almost identically.

Think of Libre CAD ...its 2d so none of the 3d stuff would make any sense.

Think of a solid, say in one application it is made by starting with a round profile and extruded and made a solid. The other application could have used Booleans, or rotated a profile, or it could be that the profile must first be made into a face and then extruded to create a solid rather than a shell, as was the case with FreeCAD along time ago. In all of these cases the native file data is completely different, yet the exchange format file (like STEP) would be identical.

These are just a few examples.

The other problem is that at this time FreeCAD is the only advanced, modern, GUI based, multi platform, open source 3d modelling CAD application out there.

But where it does make any sense it would be a good idea, and where it doesn't make sense then import export filters and exchange formats are a good idea.
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NormandC
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Re: Model hosting and one-click-upload

Post by NormandC »

There is really nothing preventing users to share FreeCAD files on GrabCAD. Anyone who wishes should not hesitate to do so.

But as Jim, I will not because it forces registration for downloads. I also do not trust websites such as these, GrabCAD was recently bought by Stratasys, which also owns Makerbot (a hated company in the RepRap community). They're all about monetizing, return on the investment. How goes the saying? When a service is free, it's because you're the product. ;)

I fully support Johannes' efforts to bring open source solutions to model hosting. It's not about being the most popular, it's about being free of commercial interests. :)
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