Microsoft launched its third version of Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio on Monday, with improvements to performance and the developer environment.
Microsoft Robotics Devloper Studio 2008 Standard Edition is available for $499.95 from Microsoft's Web site, the same site the free Express Edition is available from for students.
Microsoft said that the new edition offers 1.5 to three times the performance of the previous edition, with services loading three times faster. Microsoft also improved the Visual Programming Language drag-and-drop tool for defining distributed applications, and added playback and a floor-plan editor for better simulation capabilities. Designers can also import content from DS SolidWorks' CAD program. The new version also includes support for both Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008.
Robotics supplier ABB said that it had created a plug-in for university students to create their own virtual robot controller.
Google released this morning its seventh edition of SketchUp for Windows and Mac systems, the free 3D modeling tool that topped our list of Top 10 Google products you forgot all about. New to this edition are tools for collaborating and sharing models and objects through the 3D Warehouse, automatic tools for beginners, and lots of other tweaks.
Most relevant for Google Earth users is the much tighter integration with the Google 3D Warehouse: You can search the warehouse from within SketchUp and import models directly. Sharing and and giving credit for your work is now also much more granular. SketchUp 7 also introduces Dynamic Components, objects which can be given dynamic attributes and simple physics. For example, you can stretch a table and its legs won't deform but instead will become a longer table. Doors can be made to open and close in a model. And if your objects have metadata, like part numbers or color options, you can track these as well in an associated spreadsheet.
The free version of SketchUp 7 can use premade Dynamic Components (Google has some ready in its 3D Warehouse), but to make them yourself you'll need SketchUp Pro 7, which costs $495.
Now we all love anything to do with One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) because it is all about charity at the end of the day, even though the price is double the $100 target. Europeans will be happy to know that they can have a slice of the pie as well because Amazon say that they will ship outside the U.S.
You can choose from two options, which are “Give one” and “Give One. Get one”, basically you can buy one or you can but one and the second one goes to charity, which is good in my eyes.
27 EU nations and a couple of non-EU countries are now included in this give One, Get One (G1G1) scheme. OLPC and its partnership with Amazon is a great idea. Visit Amazon Site for More Information Amazon.
