DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JULY 14, 2003; VOL. 2 NO. 28    ( Table of Contents )

Breaking News - Operating Systems & Middleware:

CoCreate Launches OneSpace.net

CoCreate Software Inc, a leading provider of collaborative product development software, has announced the launch of OneSpace.net software. This complete engineering collaboration tool allows project team members to conveniently manage projects, share ideas and communicate effectively among diverse product development teams and outsourcing partners.

Built on Microsoft .NET technology, OneSpace.net is available via either a hosted service or traditional licensing structure. The hosted service is priced at $120 per user per month, and the licensed version is $995 per user. OneSpace.net is designed for small- and medium-size businesses and workgroups where cost sensitivity has prevented them from evaluating traditional higher priced collaboration solutions. These organizations may also be questioning the payback of existing enterprise collaboration applications.

The key features of OneSpace.net include:

• Secure project workspace
• Integrated meeting center for conducting Web-based meetings
• Unique application sharing and instant messenger utility optimized for engineering data and project teams
• Markup tools
• Decision and task tracker
• 3D model explorer for dynamically evaluating product design alternatives

Designed for Project Teams

OneSpace.net is designed for product development teams and their contributors-such as marketing, sales, supply-chain partners, experts, and customers. Using OneSpace.net, project team members can work independently on their desktop or share their workspace with others online in real-time, using familiar tools and paradigms. The OneSpace.net tool provides:

• A secure project workspace to set up projects; find and store project documents, drawings, models and data; track team assignments; set subscription and change notifications; initiate and respond to threaded discussions; and access all project-related information. The workspace provides pre-defined roles and access privileges for project managers, team members, and guests such as suppliers, executives or customers.
• A meeting center to schedule meetings, share engineering applications (such as MCAD, ECAD and CAE analysis, as well as Microsoft Office applications), create markups, and document decisions. Meeting results are stored automatically in the project workspace as Adobe PDF documents. Individual tasks can be stored to Microsoft Outlook for tracking, and assignment and meeting information can be passed to any other application able to utilize XML Web services. The unique application sharing and instant messaging technology is designed for project teams with 2-10 members.
• A 3D model explorer to view, inspect, measure, modify, and markup 3D models with complete accuracy. OneSpace.net users can import files using the following formats: IGES, STEP, PKG, ACIS, DXF and DWG. Models can be exported as VRML and STL. Users can also view 2D drawings.
• Optional converters may be purchased for moving 3D CAD models from popular MCAD systems into the OneSpace.net environment. Supported formats include: IDEAS, Pro/Engineer, Unigraphics, CATIA, and SolidWorks.

Analysts who have previewed OneSpace.net agree that this tool is ideal for diverse project teams. "OneSpace.net from CoCreate Software provides a complete solution for collaborative product design among multi-discipline project teams. The product includes a secure project workspace, optimized application sharing technology in support of engineering requirements, Web-based meetings, instant messaging, knowledge capture and a 3D model explorer -- all built on the Microsoft .NET framework," stated Ken Versprille, Research Director, D.H. Brown Associates, Inc.

"It is easily deployed, simple to use and is tuned for the needs of product development teams. With a list price of only $995 U.S. for a licensed version or $120/month U.S. for a hosted version, CoCreate is set to disrupt the price point for this type of solution. If your company is serious about improving their competitive advantage outsourcing design work or working with geographically dispersed project teams, you should give OneSpace.net from CoCreate strong consideration," he added.

Outsourcing Is In

According to a March 2003 Desktop Engineering survey, some 66% of companies in the U.S. plan to outsource some part of their design process in 2003. While outsourcing offers numerous business advantages, it can also lead to effective communication issues among an extended and often geographically diverse project team.

Integrated Tool for Managing Projects, Meetings, Decisions and Tasks

Previously, product development teams would integrate in-house and vendor-supplied technology to accommodate the many types of disciplines, locations and tools used in today's globally dispersed design environment. Frequently, general-purpose tools, such as Web conferencing, fall short when it comes to the heavy graphics burden placed on them by complex engineering applications such as MCAD. Keeping track of decisions, mark-ups, and tasks was a separate, and often impossible, task.

"At CDI Engineering Solutions-Aerospace Technologies, we work with a variety of distributed teams representing a multitude of different disciplines and CAD systems. In order to satisfy the needs of our customers, we've had to create our own custom solution for project management, Web conferencing, document management, discussion boards and design collaboration by pulling together a mix of both vendor-supplied and in-house developed software," stated Chuck Jonkosky, e-business director for CDI Engineering Solutions.

Jonkosky added, "OneSpace.net provided us a complete, integrated solution for our project teams, allowing us to eliminate all of the integration headache and expense associated with custom solutions for managing the design of complex products. It also provides our customers with real-time visibility into the status of their engineering projects -- regardless of discipline, CAD system or location. And because OneSpace.net is a Microsoft.NET-connected application, it easily interoperates with other applications across the design and supply chain regardless of platform or programming language."

Affordable, Convenient and Easy to Deploy

As an early pioneer in the collaboration software arena, CoCreate has learned how project teams use collaborative technologies. CoCreate also has developed a deep understanding of the barriers to adoption that have prevented widespread use within the product development space.

By providing the convenience of either an ASP or traditional licensing structure, CoCreate has opened the market for OneSpace.net to more than just the enterprise customer. With a hosted service price of $120 per user per month, small- and medium-size businesses and workgroups can create collaborative solutions without the upfront investment of server equipment. It also allows these organizations to evaluate how this solution best fits their needs without addressing high initial systems costs. The $995 per user licensed version price allows companies the flexibility of hosting their own projects on their own equipment.

"OneSpace.net can be installed in minutes and provides immediate time to value. Unlike competing products, usage is not restricted to the CAD/CAM group," stated William Gascoigne, CoCreate CEO. "Any member of the design and supply chain familiar with a Microsoft desktop environment will be able to take advantage of the benefits of OneSpace.net. Our new product has a unique ability to effectively connect everyone involved in a typical collaborative product development program. We fully expect the price/performance of OneSpace.net to disrupt the collaborative product development market."

Built on the Microsoft .NET Framework

OneSpace.net has been awarded the Microsoft .NET Connected Logo, making it easy for customers to recognize that the product is designed to interoperate across platforms, programming languages and applications through the use of XML Web services. Because it uses the Microsoft .NET Framework, it has the extra performance and security of Microsoft .NET.

"The high cost and complexity of existing IT solutions, especially in the engineering community, continues to plague the industry," stated John Alpine, Chief Technology Officer of CoCreate Software. "By developing OneSpace.net around Web services built from Microsoft .NET components, we feel confident that customers can integrate OneSpace.net with their existing PLM, ERP or data management applications in a robust and cost effective manner."

Packaging and Availability

CoCreate will be providing beta versions of OneSpace.net in mid-summer 2003. Customers can purchase either licensed or hosted versions of OneSpace.net beginning in September 2003. More detailed information, including product demonstrations, is available by visiting CoCreate's Web site at www.onespace.net.