Forty Years On, CAD Journalist Ralph Grabowski Still Serves the Reader

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. 

“You’ve got to decide from the start: Are you there to make money, or are you there to serve the reader?” 

– Ralph Grabowski

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. 

”Ralph has always been keenly observant of the CAD and tech industry with sharp critical observations that most others miss…”

– Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP, founder, publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Architosh.com.

“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.” 

”Ralph was always straightforward and published his opinion, and not what the supplier wanted him to publish.”

Wilfried Graebert, CEO and founder of Graebert

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.”

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.

”Ralph’s career has been defined by integrity: he told the truth about CAD, respected his readers, and held the industry accountable.”

Randall Newton, Principal Analyst at Consilia Vektor

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.” 

[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.

Al Dean, currently the Content Manager, Global Brand & Communications for Siemens Digital Industries Software

(This interview with Ralph Grabowski was conducted by Cyrena Respini, Brand Ambassador at Graebert GmbH.)

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