# Forty Years On, CAD Journalist Ralph Grabowski Still Serves the Reader
# Forty Years On, CAD Journalist Ralph Grabowski Still Serves the Reader
* __02/10/2025
* Posted by: Graebert
* Category: Press Articles
__No Comments
_Known for his candid CAD coverage since 1985, the editor of WorldCAD Access remains committed to telling his readers what they need to know, whether vendors like it or not._
It wasn’t Ralph Grabowski’s intention to become a CAD journalist. Sure, he had always enjoyed writing, but he was happy working as a transportation engineer. A layoff changed things abruptly. “I loved it, but I’m glad I got kicked out,” he chuckled. “I would have gotten bored after a few years.” While searching for a new job, he “fell into CAD by accident,” becoming the Technical Editor of _Cadalyst —_ the first independent magazine for CAD software and hardware.
Now, 40 years after that serendipitous career change, Grabowski is one of the best-known names in his field, with thousands of magazine and newsletter articles, product reviews, video tutorials, whitepapers, and blog posts to his credit. In addition, he has worked on nearly 250 books and e-books, with a focus on CAD, computer graphics, and the Internet. And he has been part of many conferences and conventions around the globe, as a speaker as well as a journalist.
As impressive as that list is, Grabowski is perhaps best known for something less visible: his backbone. In an industry whose trade publications have sometimes put the needs of CAD advertisers ahead of CAD users, he has built his reputation on doing just the opposite. As he sees it, “You’ve got to decide from the start: Are you there to make money, or are you there to serve the reader?”
Fellow CAD journalist Randall Newton, Principal Analyst at Consilia Vektor, said, “Ralph’s career has been defined by integrity: he told the truth about CAD, respected his readers, and held the industry accountable. His voice set a standard for independence and honesty, and his example will continue to influence all of us who work in this field.”
## **Going Solo**
Grabowski’s stubborn commitment to being on the side of the reader stems partly from a “strong sense of justice,” he believes. He was also inspired by the integrity of _Stereo Review_ magazine, which he began reading as a teenager; its editor maintained a “very rigorous” review process despite advertisers’ objections and threats to quit.
His distaste for that conflict of interest in trade publications ultimately spurred Grabowski to leave _Cadalyst_. Although he had become Senior Editor by that point, Grabowski felt the pressure to comply with advertisers’ desires was increasing: “It just became too much.” So in 1991, he struck out on his own.
Fortunately, Grabowski’s CAD writing had made him known in the industry, so the transition to freelance writer was “shockingly smooth,” he said. And he didn’t need a boss looking over his shoulder; his ferocious work ethic equipped him well for the independent life. He worked long hours, read widely, and wrote prodigious amounts of material, very quickly — typos be damned.
As Grabowski’s pile of published work grew, so did his reputation. His loyal readers loved his blunt candor, in-depth analyses, and fearless approach to questioning — and criticizing — CAD vendors.
His peers, for their part, took notice of Grabowski’s incisive intellect and wide-ranging curiosity. “I first met Ralph in late 2008 at the event where Vectorworks announced it was adopting the Parasolid modeling kernel,” recalled Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP, who is the founder, publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Architosh.com. “Ralph was fascinated (maybe skeptical) by Architosh’s Mac focus back then, so we struck up an engaging set of conversations about that.
“Unknown to both of us at the time, Graebert was secretly working on bringing a Mac-native AutoCAD-compatible CAD program to the market by 2010. Ralph has always been keenly observant of the CAD and tech industry with sharp critical observations that most others miss, including that no matter how big and successful Apple gets, it was always going to be difficult for the Mac to reach parity with Windows in the CAD market. His early views were mostly correct.”
## **Advertisers or Adversaries?**
Being up front with readers became Grabowski’s brand, literally: he was the editor of _upFront.eZine_ — the first independent weekly e-newsletter that reported on CAD — for 26 years. While the readership may have approved of his straight-shooter style, CAD vendors were not always charmed. Wilfried Graebert, CEO and founder of Graebert, recalled that Ralph “was always straightforward and published his opinion, and not what the supplier wanted him to publish. That was sometimes hard for him, as some CAD companies no longer invited him to their trade shows or events.”
A few companies went further in expressing their displeasure, even threatening him with lawsuits, Grabowski has reported. Fortunately, most of his relationships with vendors have been more collegial in tone. That includes Graebert, which he had kind words for: “I’ve always been so impressed that they were able to build their own DWG engine — that’s an amazing feat.” In addition, he gave a nod to the company’s “smart” strategy to target well-defined aspects of the CAD market. “They’re not trying to take over the entire world,” he noted approvingly.
And likewise, many on the vendor side have appreciated Grabowski’s approach. “In these 40 years, Ralph kept informing his readers about new products from Graebert and others, regardless of the advertising budgets he may win or lose because of his opinions,” said Wilfried Graebert. “For me, Ralph has always been an independent warrior in the CAD industry. I want to thank him for his 40 years of dedicated service to our industry.”
_Ralph Grabowski has been “spilling the tea” on the CAD industry since 1985. Here, he enjoys a cup at the 2017 Graebert Annual Meeting in Berlin._
## **Adapting to Retirements, Partial and Permanent**
In 2022, Grabowski retired the _upFront.eZine_ newsletter — the “longest-running newsletter in the CAD industry edited by a single person.” The man himself, however, is not exactly retired: “It’s a transition; I still love to write,” he noted. And he continues to do so regularly, for the WorldCAD Access blog, which he began in 2003, and for _Design Engineering_ magazine. That’s on top of his busy schedule as a committed volunteer and grandfather.
True to form, Grabowski responded quickly (with only minor grumbling) to the news that Typepad, his longtime blogging platform of choice, is being discontinued. He has already moved WorldCAD Access to the popular media platform Substack, where it has gained thousands of subscribers. Now, Grabowski just has to migrate the older blog entries — more than 5,000 of them — and the _upFront.eZine_ newsletter archives as well. (Doubtless, he’ll find a quick and easy way to do so. “That’s what I’ve always been about: how to minimize effort,” he said dryly. “I’m lazy, but I’m also smart.”)
Grabowski appreciates the Substack model, which tends to foster in-depth commentary instead of quick surface-level reporting. “There’s a ton of good stuff on there: deep, thoughtful writing that I really enjoy,” he commented. “I call it the new Renaissance.” It also supports more writer–reader interaction, which means he spends lots of time answering readers’ emails.
## **The Future of CAD Writing**
While all this sounds like good news for readers and the authors they follow, it doesn’t bode well for old-guard publications. “There is this revolution happening, but the magazines and newspapers don’t understand it,” Grabowski observed. “[At one time,] it was the advertisers fleeing — now it’s the writers.”
What does this changing media landscape mean for someone who wants to enter CAD journalism today? It might mean they should look for a different job. “I was very fortunate, in that people were willing to pay me money for books and magazines,” Grabowski observed. “I don’t know if there’s a place for that anymore.”
But whatever path a would-be writer might take, he is certain about the prerequisites for success: “You need passion and ability — those are the keys.” In this case, “passion” means a compulsion to research and write, to look into things deeply, to indulge an endless curiosity about the world. As a career-long keyholder, Grabowski is a rare gift to readers, and the CAD industry as a whole.
Al Dean, currently the Content Manager, Global Brand & Communications for Siemens Digital Industries Software, and previously the Editor-in-Chief of _DEVELOP3D_ , had this to say: “I entered the world of technical journalism in the late 1900s, and Ralph was there. I bailed out nearly a quarter of a century later and Ralph is still there, tutoring us in the ways of righteousness. Some may say ‘curmudgeon,’ some may say he’s an advocate for the users of CAD, some may say he’s a massive thorn in their side. Me? I’d say that [Ralph] has done more [to help] designers, engineers, and everyone else to put their work in the context of a wider technology industry than almost anyone. The world needs more Ralph Grabowskis. Are we going to get them? Probably not, and that, my friends, is a damn shame.”
## See the Next Generation of DWG Editing
Try ARES Commaner CAD Software
ARES Commander ARES Kudo ARES Touch
__
## STAY TUNED!
Subscribe to our newsletter and get the 600+ pages eBook Inside ARES:
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
##### BROWSE THE BLOG BY CATEGORY
* Customer Stories
* Events
* Featured
* General News
* OEM Partners
* Press Articles
* Product News
* Tips & Tricks
* Videos
* White papers
##### OR BY TAG
ARES Commander ARES Kudo ARES Touch BIM SiteMaster BIM ARES Mechanical ARES Map DraftSight Plugins Graebert iSurvey OnShape Annual Meeting AWS Interior Design Architecture SiteMaster Building ARES Electrical Online CAD Cloud Solidworks SiteMaster Kitchen Powered by ARES
##### Archive
Archive Select Month October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 January 2025 December 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 September 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 September 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 May 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 November 2012 May 2011 August 2010 February 2010
Forty Years On, CAD Journalist Ralph Grabowski Still Serves the Reader Known for his candid CAD coverage since 1985, the editor of WorldCAD Access has built a reputation for telling readers what th...
#Press #Articles #ARES #Commander #ARES #Kudo #ARES #Touch
Origin | Interest | Match
