In a presentation tonight at Autodesk University, Microsoft demonstrated the use of Autodesk DWF design viewing technology as a native Windows Vista feature. “DWFx,” as it was called in the demonstration, will be included when Windows Vista starts shipping tomorrow.
Autodesk is making no comment tonight about the technology demonstration or the statements about "DWFx" by the Microsoft representative, but there are a flurry of press releases expected from Autodesk tomorrow. Perhaps we'll get the official explanation from Autodesk then. AECnews has learned that only 2D representation is supported. The embedded DWF technology supports Microsoft's new XPS print specification, which is also 2D-only.
In the demonstration, the Windows Vista user was looking for a specific file from an architectural project created in Autodesk Revit which had been saved as a DWF file. When the thumbnail representation of the needed file was found, the user double-clicked on the file and it immediately opened for viewing in Windows Vista. “No software, no viewer,” said Microsoft's Eddie Amos, a senior platform evangelist.
DWF technology was also at use in a demonstration that linked Microsoft SharePoint with Autodesk Productstream and a web services view of Microsoft Excel. Product data was transferred between the three applications, with changes made in each application. A DWF-based view of a part created in Autodesk Inventor appeared in SharePoint, Microsoft's new front-end for product data management applications.
Autodesk has scored a coup by becoming the native design file technology in Windows Vista. This puts 2D DWF on a part with JPG or TIFF or the other graphics file formats supported by Windows. This move was hinted at in late 2005 when Autodesk and Microsoft announced a broadening of their existing strategic alliance. Here's a quote from their December 13, 2005 announcement: “As a part of the expanded alliance, the companies also agreed to further align their respective technologies, including expanded Microsoft support for Autodesk’s DWF functionality and plans for Autodesk to support Microsoft XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language).”
This development gives DWF a big boost in its rivalry with Adobe PDF. With no need for a downloaded viewer or driver, it becomes much simpler to share drawings and models saved to the DWF format. But it doesn't need to stop with designs. DWF can store text documents as well as graphics. Microsoft now has a digital publishing technology inside Windows that can—to some degree—replace Adobe PDF. But a shot across the bow is not the same as winning a battle.
—RSN