MEDUSA

MEDUSA is a CAD program, used in the areas of machine and plant engineering and the automotive and components industry.

MEDUSA is based on a core platform that, combined with a platform-independent interface (XML configurations for the administration, Web-based client-server communications) allow a high flexibility in data management strategy is the operating system. The software is on both Microsoft Windows and on Sun Solaris and HP-UX. A Linux version has been released early September 2005.

The 4th Generation of the MEDUSA 2D and 3D CAD product family has been in the summer of 2004 released by the company CAD Schroer. MEDUSA4 Drafting Plus is a 2D CAD program with all the standard and automation tools for drawing.

History

MEDUSA has had a checkered history in the CAD world. As one of the early systems, it was already too widespread in the early 1980s when acquiring computer vision, were on the then newly published 32bit so-called super-mini computers, whose most prominent representatives of the providers DEC (VAX) and PR1ME. As of 1984 there was a fork of the MEDUSA, as with the acquisition of a portion of the rights and the code of computer vendors PR1ME with the software in their own further development was to correct within a very short time, only ran on PR1ME computers. However, the users of a DEC-VAX were not entirely abandoned; PR1ME away from the original software in computer vision has been well developed, both for the DEC-users as well as for the PR1ME customers. Thus, there were over a few years PR1ME computers auseinanderentwickelnde MEDUSA first two versions: PR1ME-Medusa Medusa and CV.

Mid-1980s cost a CV-color graphics terminal equipment for a MEDUSA workplace with a 19-inch Farbgrafikschirm including the workstation licenses approximately 145,000 DM Realistic calculations also saw proportionately again stuck in an equal amount of Zentralrechnerausrüstung. With such costs of a job was in many companies that use CAD, again, shift employees made in the area to utilize the CAD equipment well: the first layer as from six in the morning until noon at two clock clock, and the second layer of two to approximately ten clock clock in the evening.

The split MEDUSA development should be re-merged as PR1ME finally bought computer vision, with the promise of the CV-customers, not VAX users want to switch to the hardware necessary to PR1ME. Many users, however, does not trust the siren songs and changed their CAD system, at a time when the success of the PC-based AutoCAD was big, very quickly the basic functionalities of the 2-D engineering design and on the PC became available, and at a fraction the cost per workstation, as one of the Super Mini and also was used by SUN networks. In the longer term, only the users in the PR1ME-CV remained rod that had their application MEDUSA 2D well integrated via the use of addition.

Also, the incipient separation of the central super-minis with remote workstations were still accompanied by MEDUSA software, were very popular in the early 1990s, the UNIX workstations from Sun for the use of the CAD package.

Prime was divided into the two pillars of Prime Hardware, which was responsible for proprietary computer, and Prime Computer Vision, which was responsible for the CAD / CAM business with MEDUSA and CADDS. After adjustment of the proprietary PRIMOS computer production and delivery of maintenance obligations to another company came to concentrate on the CADCAM software business with renaming of Prime Computer Vision in computer vision.

1998 CV was eventually taken over by the Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). The stagnant for years developing MEDUSA NG (Next Generation) was again forced. MEDUSA NG previously used in the operation was replaced by a new one on the tray icon and menu-based interface. Nevertheless, it was still possible to operate on MEDUSA tablet.

Under the wings of PTC, a new project, code-named "Pegasus" was launched. This should serve as MEDUSA 2D Detaillierprogramm for Pro / E drawings.

In 2001, the Company sold to PTC MEDUSA CAD Schroer. Thus MEDUSA was owned by a company that had grown up with the product. Under CAD Schroer, the project under the name Pegasus Stheno was brought to the market and accepted the user interface in the new version MEDUSA4. The latest version is MEDUSA4 V3.

MEDUSA4 Personal

MEDUSA4 Personal is a free 2D/3D CAD software for purely private use. CAD users can use MEDUSA4 Personal free for personal use. This fully functional version includes many features of the MEDUSA4 ADVANCED package (e.g. SMART Edit, basic 3D, parametrics or Sheet Metal Design). MEDUSA4 Personal is a powerful, multi-platform structural system which stands out by combining the latest design tools, easy handling, 2D to 3D functionality and innovative data management and administration tools. Limitations: Print with watermark, Independent leaf format, requires registration (free license is limited to 6 months) - possible extension, request a license.

Users' Association MED-USER

In the 1980s, there was also a very active community of MEDUSA users in Germany. This was based user-USER-MED Association, developed the issues of software use, development, CAD-CAM data generation, database connectivity, some concepts and this demanded against Systemanabietern for integration and implementation. Even today there is a hard core of MEDUSA users, who have the system now in use for over two decades.

External links

• MEDUSA4 - Website of Fa. Schroer
• Medusa-Application under Windows - Website of Fa. COMSA GmbH
• Userforum for MEDUSA products - User forum
• M4 Personal registration - Geeting Personal license