Since its inception, the CAD Society Awards have highlighted the invaluable contributions made by those who have dramatically altered the landscape of computer-aided design, engineering, manufacturing and architectural software. Although there have been numerous individuals who have reshaped the software that defines how creative people work, only the most influential are recognized with a CAD Society Award. So, without further ado, here are the first three winners of the CAD Society Awards for 2016:
Peter Marks Pioneer Award – Blake Z. Courter, Stratasys
First established in 2010, the Peter Marks Pioneer Award acknowledges visionary leaders in the industry. While the Peter Marks Pioneer Award has only been awarded twice over the past six years, its two previous recipients, Peter Marks and Alan Kay, have left sizable impressions on the CAD landscape. This year’s recipient is no different.
Blake Courter has been a champion of direct modeling for years. His courageous examinations of common practices have led to greater insight into the many aspects of CAD. Courter has also been known for his curiousness and his willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Joe Greco Community Award – David Cohn, 4D Technologies
David Cohn is recipient of the annual Joe Greco Community Award for his steadfast support of user groups and his leadership for those communities. Throughout his career, Cohn has championed the opinions of users through his work as a speaker, author, editor and publisher.
Leadership Award – Peter Schroer, ARAS Corp
Peter Schroer, the 2016 recipient of the CAD Society Leadership Award, has displayed wisdom in his insistence that open-source PLM was the right move for an increasingly diversified market. While many in the PLM market insisted that the open-source idea was foolhardy, Schroer bucked conventional wisdom and came out a winner and a leader who redefined product development software.
While three of this year’s winners have been selected, the fourth and final winner will be announced at the annual Congress on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) being held in Scottsdale, Arizona April 7–10. The CAD Society’s final prize will be its Lifetime Achievement award, which will honor an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of remarkable technical and business contributions to the world of CAD.
Have any good ideas on who the fourth winner might be? If so, leave your pick in the comments below.