Mar 19 - Alibre Design v9.2 Supports Windows Vista, PDF Publishing

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Alibre Design v9.2 Supports Windows Vista, PDF Publishing

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RICHARDSON, Texas, March 19, 2007 - Alibre, Inc. today unveiled the newest release of its award winning 3D parametric CAD software, Alibre Design 9.2, and also announced plans to expand its Reseller Program to further promote 3D CAD worldwide. Among the major enhancements in version 9.2 are compatibility with the new Windows Vista operating platform and an expansion of Adobe Acrobat PDF publishing capabilities for 3D mechanical design projects.

Support for Vista ensures that Alibre Design is readily accessible to everyone, including those with the latest computer hardware and software. A major aspect of Vista support in Alibre Design 9.2 is the recently released operating system's use of DirectX for real-time accelerated graphics, a function crucial to rendering models in 3D CAD. Alibre Design has always employed DirectX, while most other 3D CAD applications rely on OpenGL-based graphics. Previous versions of Microsoft operating systems directly supported OpenGL whereas in Vista, OpenGL is layered on top of DirectX which can significantly degrade graphics performance in OpenGL-based applications.

"We've based our graphics pipeline on DirectX from the beginning and we took a lot of shots for it from CAD vendors and insiders in the beginning," says Greg Milliken, President and CEO of Alibre, Inc. "I suppose they're thinking twice about that decision now. When you couple position in the market as the most affordable 3D CAD product on the market with our new position as a performance leader for Vista, you've got a pretty tough value proposition to beat."

Alibre Design 9.2 also boasts expanded PDF publishing that will build upon Alibre's commitment to Adobe's rapidly expanding 3D PDF strategy including support for 3D PDF in all versions of Alibre Design along with a bundle consisting of Alibre Design Expert and Adobe Acrobat 3D. The pending release of Acrobat 3D 8.0 will include the ability to interoperate with the native file formats of virtually every major CAD system, dramatically expanding Alibre Design customers' ability to import, edit and augment 3D designs from much more expensive CAD systems including SolidWorks, Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, CATIA and Autodesk Inventor. Instead of having to purchase costly translators or multiple 3D CAD programs, users can now take different 3D file formats, edit them or create related parts and then publish them in PDF files that can be opened, commented on and marked up using Adobe's free Acrobat Reader. This will allow companies of all sizes to empower more designers while continuing to use the CAD systems they currently use.

"This is another step in opening up 3D CAD to more people," says Milliken. "We're bringing together elements that used to require several purchases, a good deal of money and lots of training and offering them in one affordable and easy to use bundle that is accessible by anyone."

Internationally, Alibre announced plans to expand its global reach. Alibre molds its support and sales to provide easy access around the world where CAD systems are even more expensive than in the US. Alibre Design 9.2 will ship with support for a total of 17 languages across the globe. A cornerstone in making 3D CAD globally available is Alibre's International Reseller program, which provides direct sales and marketing support to distribution partners in over 67 countries. The program gives resellers sales assistance and commissions while giving customers in the area responsive support and service. Due to the success of this approach, Alibre is expanding the program and looking for new participants.

"Our resellers are an extension of the Alibre business and we work closely together to provide customers with an exceptional level of service and a local presence," says Scott Erickson, Vice President of International Sales at Alibre. "We have honed our business model to cost effectively bring professional parametric 3D CAD to the global market at unbeatable prices."

About Alibre

Alibre Inc. develops and markets Alibre Design, the fastest growing parametric 3D solid modeling software for mechanical design and manufacturing. One-fifth the cost of comparable software, Alibre Design delivers quick ROI, ease-of-use, rich functionality and unique real-time support, and is enabling small and medium-sized businesses and workgroups to put 3D CAD on every engineer's desk, similar to utilities like Word or Excel. Alibre also delivers Alibre Design Xpress, the industry's only true 3D parametric modeler available free of charge. Alibre Design is available in thirteen languages and distributed worldwide. Founded in 1997, Alibre Inc. is privately funded and based in Richardson, Texas. For more information and for a free trial of Alibre Design, please visit www.alibre.com.

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