Autodesk Announces Beta Version of New Internet Viewer; Internet Format Approved by International Standards Board

Business Wire, Sept 30, 1997

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1997--Committed to bringing faster, more accurate Internet capabilities to designers, clients, and work groups worldwide, Autodesk today announced that WHIP! 3.0 beta can be downloaded for free beginning this Saturday, Oct. 4, 1997.

WHIP! 3.0, the latest version of Autodesk's popular Internet viewer, provides AutoCAD(R) Release 14 and non-CAD users with new and enhanced publishing features and ActiveX(R) enhancements for creating, viewing and sharing vector-based drawings over the Internet and intranets. The drawing Web format (DWF) used by WHIP! 3.0 passed rigorous technical requirements set by the prominent Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). DWF is now an official international Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type, which lets Web site administrators more easily configure servers to use DWF.

"Autodesk's WHIP! 3.0 is a blast of fresh air," said Charles Foundyller, CEO of Daratech, Inc., a leading technology and market assessment firm in the CAD/CAM/CAE industry. "It has great viewing functionality, it's easy to use, a snap to install, and the plug-in is free. I fully expect WHIP! to become yet another Autodesk-driven de facto standard for designers worldwide."

Superior Data Publishing and Access for Internet Users

The third release of WHIP! is the best tool for accessing and viewing vector-based DWF drawings over networks and the Internet. DWF is a highly compressed vector graphics format that supports complex data types (ex: URLs and TrueType fonts). DWF users gain fast access to high-precision drawings due to the advanced compression technology of the DWF graphics format. DWF lets users send and receive drawings quickly and easily with fidelity intact. Using the DWF graphics format over the Internet and intranets, users can access drawing data and view up-to-date representations of a firm's CAD data while avoiding the security risks inherent in posting original CAD data on Web servers.

Using the same high-performance graphic display technology found in AutoCAD Release 14, WHIP! 3.0 users can dynamically pan and zoom through drawings and control drawing attributes such as layers and views. WHIP! 3.0 now reads text (ASCII) DWF files, letting users and developers create DWF files using simple scripts or text editors.

Together, DWF and WHIP! 3.0 comprise a low-cost, secure, platform-independent, easy-to-use solution for designers who want to archive, distribute, and share their CAD data over networks including the Internet.

Full ActiveX interoperability lets users embed "live" drawings into presentations, word processor documents, and spreadsheets. High-performance viewing capabilities, such as fast pan and zoom, can now be controlled using the ActiveX Automation application programming interface (API). This widely accepted API includes Visual Basic for Applications, Visual Basic, and VBScript.

Those interested in participating in the WHIP! 3.0 beta program can simply point their Web browsers to http://www.autodesk.com/whip/b eta3/. Beta testers will have an opportunity to enhance their current design practices and provide feedback on WHIP! 3.0 to Autodesk, which will impact the development of the final product.

Benefits of WHIP! 3.0

Compression: WHIP! 3.0 views the highly-compressed DWF graphics format, so transmission times over the Internet are typically seven times faster than the transmission of DWG data (based on a typical user's experience).

Speed and Accuracy: WHIP! 3.0 is the fastest, most accurate viewer available for viewing vector DWF drawings over networks and the Internet. The graphics engine that runs WHIP! 3.0 is based on the same high-performance technology found in AutoCAD Release 14, which means that it is fully tested and is already working in demanding production environments by over 125,000 design professionals worldwide.

Low Cost: WHIP! 3.0 is freely available for download from www.autodesk.com/whip/beta3/. AutoCAD Internet Utilities 3.0, the companion software for AutoCAD WHIP! 3.0, is also available for free on the Web (an upgrade to AutoCAD Internet Utilities Release 2, which is included with AutoCAD Release 14).

Internet Connectivity: WHIP! 3.0 recognizes hyperlinks and URLs, allowing drawings to be linked with other data. For example, information in a drawing can be linked to a bill of materials and the components of a building can be linked to a manufacturer's database.

AutoCAD R14 Compatibility: AutoCAD Release 14 users will find a high degree of compatibility between their DWG files and the DWF vector representations. And, more AutoCAD features, such as paperspace and layers, are now supported in WHIP! 3.0.

Enhance Navigation: Leveraging the Microsoft Windows platform, WHIP! 3.0 includes support for the Microsoft IntelliMouse. WHIP! 3.0 also includes new keyboard and mouse-based pan and zoom controls, allowing users to more easily navigate through drawings.

WHIP! 3.0 requires Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0, and Netscape Navigator 3.0 or higher, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.2 or higher. WHIP! 3.0 requires 16 MB of RAM and a 486/66 processor.