CADKEY is a 2D/3D mechanical CAD (computer aided design or computer aided drafting)

software application Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

released for various DOS, Solaris, and Microsoft Windows operating systems. Originally released for DOS in 1984, CADKEY was among the first CAD programs with 3D capabilities for

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...

History

Peter Smith and Livingston Davies founded Micro Control Systems (MCS) in 1981. MCS released CADKEY in 1984, the first 3D PC CAD product. After the success of the product the company took the name CADKEY, Inc. and set up headquarters in Windsor, Connecticut. CADKEY won editor's choice and CAD product of the year awards from PC Magazine in 1986 and 1988. In June 1989, Cadkey, Inc. purchased the rights to DataCAD from Microtecture Inc. In September 1992, Dr. Malcolm Davies (no relation to Livingston Davies) was elected president/CEO of Cadkey, Inc. Dr. Davies joined Cadkey, Inc. from

Autodesk Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartered ...

where from 1988 to 1992 he was V.P. marketing and sales. As part of a strategic shift to direct mail-based sales, Malcolm Davies reduced the price of the flagship CADKEY product from US $3,500 to $495. By 1995, a Microsoft Windows version named CADKEY for Windows was introduced. Around this time CADKEY claimed 240,000 users. In June 1996, Baystate Technologies of Marlborough, Massachusetts, purchased the rights to the CADKEY product. Previous to the CADKEY acquisition Baystate Technologies had developed third-party software component modules for CADKEY,

AutoCAD AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. ...

, Ashlar-Vellum, and

Microstation MicroStation is a CAD software platform for two- and three-dimensional design and drafting, developed and sold by Bentley Systems and used in the architectural and engineering industries. It generates 2D/3D vector graphics objects and elements ...

. By 1999, Baystate Technologies was

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

CADKEY Corporation, had added significant history-free

solid modeling Solid modeling (or solid modelling) is a consistent set of principles for mathematical and computer modeling of three-dimensional shapes '' (solids)''. Solid modeling is distinguished from related areas of geometric modeling and computer graphi ...

and

freeform surface modeling Freeform surface modelling is a technique for engineering freeform surfaces with a CAD or CAID system. The technology has encompassed two main fields. Either creating aesthetic surfaces (class A surfaces) that also perform a function; for examp ...

capabilities to the product. A CADKEY variant without any solid or surface modeling capabilities was sold under the name CADKEY Wireframe. In October 2003 Kubotek Corporation of Osaka, Japan, acquired Baystate Technologies. Kubotek formed Kubotek USA, Inc. based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and continues development under the name KeyCreator. The first version of KeyCreator was shipped in early 2004.

References

External links

kubotekusa.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadkey Computer-aided design software Computer-aided design software for Windows Computer-aided design software for Linux