My Photo

Search

  • Search over 1500 posts

Latest Images

  • www.flickr.com
    S.Hurley's photos More of S.Hurley's photos

New AutoCAD Knowledge Base Articles

Feeds & Misc.

  • Add to Google
  • Over 8 million visitors since 2003!

Blog Tags

  • Read Between the Lines!

    Read -Between the Lines!

    Add a Between the Lines Image Badge to your site.
    Click Here

Blog powered by TypePad
Member since 08/2003

« January 2007 | Main | March 2007 »

29 posts from February 2007

28 February 2007

AutoCAD 2008: Cool Rendering Trick

Did you know you can change the order the tiles render in AutoCAD 2008? Of course on a single processor this is not really all that fun, but on a multi-core machine it can be cool and mesmerizing.
I have always wanted to say mesmerizing. ;-)

Perhaps you just assumed that the seemingly random order of the tiles was meant to be and never cared to explore and find the setting. I have my paranoid suspicions that the reason the tiling order was not set to spiral by default is that Autodesk was scared it could be contacted by many lawyers claiming their poor clients were hypnotized and fell off their chair or that their employees went into a non-productive trance when rendering so of course Autodesk took the safe route and set the default to the Hilbert tile order instead.

Ok now how to change from Hilbert to Spiral. Go into the Advanced Render Settings (RPREF) then scroll to the bottom of the palette to the processing section and change the setting of tile order to spiral.

 

Notice I am using a dual dual core (4 processor cores) when rendering. The tiles are actually each processor.

disclaimer: I am not liable for any hypnotic trances or injuries that arise from setting the tile order to Spiral. ;-)

27 February 2007

3ds Max 9 Extension Coming

When: Coming Soon!

What: 3ds Max 9 Extension: Productivity Booster

  • Updated DWG support for 2008 products such as AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD Architecture 2008, and Revit Architecture 2008. Added the Select Similar feature to select multiple imported objects based on similar attributes.
  • Memory management enhancement and optimization make performance much better especially for complex and object-heavy scenes.
  • Compatibility with Microsoft Vista (32 bit and 64 bit) and DirectX 10.
  • 30 additional productivity enhancements to animation, modelling, programming, textures, rendering, and more.

 

 

26 February 2007

Nice Impression

The site 3DAllusions.com published a nice detailed review of the upcoming Autodesk Impression by Russell Thomas. What I liked about the article is it is someone who uses design software in a real world environment.

Link to the Article

For more Impression info:
http://labs.autodesk.com/Impressionlanding.html

Product Manager Michael Perani explains the background behind this Autodesk Labs experiment.


Watch Video [High] [Low]

Autodesk Impression Community

 

Ted Boardman Announces New 3ds Max and Viz Training

Visualization master, author, trainer Ted Boardman

Author, Trainer, Visualization guru, and all around nice guy Ted Boardman has released over 7 hours of 3ds Max 9 and Viz training. Having learned from and assisted Ted in the past at AU classes his training style is easy. Ted also helps you avoid the bad habits which is a big plus.

For more information about Ted Boardman visit Ted’s website and blog at http://www.tbmax.com

New Video Tutorial Series Online: The 3ds Max and VIZ video tutorials series released online at CADLearning.com. DVD version will be released soon and Lighting/Materials and Animation/Scene Assembly modules are being developed.

A sample can be found on YouTube .

 

Technorati tags: , , ,

25 February 2007

Seattle CAD Camp Photos

Today I turn the big 40... I am not too sure how to feel about this milestone. In an effort to distract myself from the black balloon birthday, I posted more photos from Seattle CAD Camp 2007 into my Daily Grind III photo gallery.

Cad_camp_seattle_2007_033  Cad_camp_seattle_2007_027 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_024Cad_camp_seattle_2007_022 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_018 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_017

Cad_camp_seattle_2007_015 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_008 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_006

Cad_camp_seattle_2007_005 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_003 Cad_camp_seattle_2007_001_1

23 February 2007

Seattle CAD Camp

A huge THANK YOU for all that attended the Seattle CAD Camp and the excellent facility and hosts Renton Technical Community College and Mike, PSAUG and Jamie from Midpoint CAD, "wicked cool" Matt Murphy of ACAD Ventures, and Greg and Imaginit, and AUGI for making it a success.

I met many people I have known over the years as well as some new people. Being from the Pacific Northwest it was nice to be back in the region. This was my second Seattle CAD Camp and I look forward to next years scheduled for February 21st 2008.

I will be posting photos as well as some of the slides from my presentations once I get back from traveling this weekend.

Cheers,
Shaan

20 February 2007

AutoCAD 2008: Let there be Lights, and Materials Improvements!


In addition to the awesomely powerful mental ray renderer we added in AutoCAD 2007 we have added more control and features to allow you to create even more stunning renderings with AutoCAD 2008.

Photometric Lights
Photometric lights use “real-world” values for adjusting lighting. For example, if your scene requires you to use fixtures (luminaries) that contain a 75W bulb, you can select a bulb that is 75W from the tool palette. You can adjust the lamp intensity of the bulb in Candela, Lumen, or Lux units.

Luminaires
A luminary assembles a set of light objects into a light fixture. For example, you can create a set of lights to create a light over a dining area.

Sun and Sky
You can now simulate the effects of sunlight in your drawings by applying the new Sun and Sky background to a drawing view.

Procedural Maps:
Materials are improved with the addition of new procedural maps. You can even nest a procedural map within another procedural map.  

Advanced Lighting Override
With advanced lighting override at the material level, you can adjust aspects of the light emission, reflectance, and color bleeding to produce even more realistically rendered images than if you relied strictly on the light sources illuminating a scene.

Preview realistic Materials
Any change to a material updates the preview swatch. You can see what the material “really looks like” before you do the final render.

And more.

OK well I need to pack for my Seattle trip in the morning. I will be entertainment for the PSAUG users group tomorrow night then presenting at the Seattle AUGI CAD Camp. Should be interesting without a laptop (got stolen last week) otherwise I will stand in front of everyone and describe my presentation and make shadow puppets. :-)

Cheers,
Shaan

 

AutoCAD 2008 Compatibility

AutoCAD 2008 uses the same DWG format as AutoCAD 2007 and it can read all DWG files from AutoCAD 2 back in the early 1980's.

The API is binary compatible so 2007 applications should run fine or check with your 3rd party developer. 64bit is new so any ARX you want to run on the 64bit version of AutoCAD will require recompiling.

Here are some compatibility highlights from a AutoCAD 2008 Questions and Answers document.

Do AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006/2007 third-party applications work with AutoCAD 2008 32-bit?
Third-party add-on applications based on Visual LISP® or AutoLISP®, VBA, ActiveX® and ObjectARX® programming languages and developer tools for AutoCAD 2007 are compatible with AutoCAD 2008 32-bit. AutoCAD 2008 is binary compatible with 2007 and has the same DWG file format.
Third-party applications for AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006 based on Visual LISP or AutoLISP are also compatible with AutoCAD 2008. Third-party VBA based applications for AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006 are compatible with AutoCAD 2008 32-bit in some cases, but there are instances in which those applications will need to modified. For more details on AutoCAD 2005/2006 VBA-based application compatibility, please refer to www.autodesk.com/developautocad. Third-party applications for AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006 based on ActiveX and ObjectARX will need to be upgraded to be compatible with AutoCAD 2008. Check with your application developer/supplier regarding availability of applications built for AutoCAD 2008.

You can find additional details on migrating applications to AutoCAD 2008 in the Application Migration Guide that is included in the AutoCAD 2008 ObjectARX SDK. You can find the ObjectARX SDK and much more information on developing applications and customizing AutoCAD at www.autodesk.com/developautocad.

Do AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006/2007 third-party applications work with AutoCAD 2008 64-bit?
Third-party add-on applications based on Visual LISP or AutoLISP for AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006/2007 will work on AutoCAD 2008 64-bit. Autodesk has developed an out-of-process interim solution for customers who want to use VBA on 64-bit AutoCAD. Long-term customers will be required to port the VBA applications to VSTA when using 64-bit AutoCAD. Third-party add-on applications based on VBA for AutoCAD 2007 will run out of process on AutoCAD 2008 64-bit. VBA based applications for AutoCAD 2004/2006/2005 may run out of process in some instances but may need to be modified in other instances. For more details on AutoCAD 2005/2006 VBA compatibility, please refer to www.autodesk.com/developautocad.
Third-party applications for AutoCAD 2007 based on ActiveX and ObjectARX will need to be upgraded to work on AutoCAD 2008 64-bit. More information on migrating to AutoCAD 2008 64-bit can be located in the ObjectARX 64-bit Migration Guide included in the AutoCAD 2008 64-bit SDK or at www.autodesk.com/developautocad. Applications for AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006 based on ActiveX and ObjectARX will need to be upgraded to 2007 in addition to being made ready for 64-bit. Check with your application developer/supplier regarding availability of applications built for AutoCAD 2008 64-bit.

Can I run AutoCAD 2008 side-by-side with other AutoCAD platform–based applications?
Yes, AutoCAD 2008 can be installed side-by-side with any other AutoCAD or Autodesk vertical solution—including AutoCAD 2008–based products. These products include AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Mechanical , Autodesk® Inventor™ product families, AutoCAD® Revit® Suite products, Revit® Structure, AutoCAD® MEP, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® VIZ, and AutoCAD LT software applications.

Is AutoCAD 2008 compatible with AutoCAD LT?
Yes, AutoCAD 2008 is fully DWG-compatible with AutoCAD LT 2008. It can read files from all older versions of AutoCAD LT and can save to the AutoCAD LT 2007, 2004, 2000, and Release 14 DWG file formats for compatibility with older products.

System Requirements for AutoCAD 2008

The system requirements for 32-bit AutoCAD: 

  • Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, 2.2 GHz Recommended
  • Microsoft® Windows Vista™, Windows® XP Home and Professional (SP2), Windows® 2000 (SP4)
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 750 MB free disk space for installation
  • 1024x768 VGA with True Color
  • Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0 (SP1 or higher)
  • Available on CD (Worldwide) and DVD (select countries and languages)

Additional System Requirements for 64-bit AutoCAD

  • Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Vista 64-bit
  • AMD64 or Intel EM64T processor
  • 1GB RAM, 2GB for Windows Vista 64-bit
  • 750 MB free disk space for installation

AutoCAD 64-bit cannot be installed on a 32-bit Windows Operating System.

The System requirements for Windows Vista or 3D modeling (32 and 64-bit AutoCAD)

  • Intel® 3.0 GHz or greater
  • 2 GB RAM or greater
  • 2 GB free hard disk available not including installation
  • 1280 x 1024 32-bit color video display adapter (True Color) 128 MB or greater, OpenGL®, or Direct3D® capable workstation class graphics card. 
  • For Windows Vista, a Direct3D capable workstation class graphics card with 128 MB or greater is required.

19 February 2007

AutoCAD 2008 Dimensioning Enhancements

Several enhancements to dimensioning include automatic alignment options, dimension breaks, jogged dimensions, text placement, and tolerances.

Dimension Line Offset
You can adjust the spacing of dimension lines in existing dimensions automatically to a specified offset. This eliminates tedious manual procedures.

Dimension Breaks
You can break dimension or extension lines where they intersect geometric objects or other dimensions. While this is not a recommended drafting practice, it can become necessary in some circumstances.

Jogged Linear Dimensions
You can create linear dimensions with jogged dimension lines to represent measurements whose values are not the same length as the extension line. Jogged dimension lines are typically used when a sheet is too small to display the true length of a dimension line.

Inspection Dimensions
You can create inspection dimensions from existing dimension objects. Inspection dimensions are used with industrial machinery to indicate critical operating tolerances.

Dimension Tolerance Alignment
You can align stacked tolerances using either the operation symbol or decimal separator. Tolerance alignment is saved with the dimension style.

Angular Dimension Text
You can control the location of the text of angular dimensions outside the angle being measured. If the text is specified outside the angle, an extended dimension arc is created to the dimension text.

Arc Extension for Radial Dimensions
You can specify a text location for radius, diameter, and jogged radial dimensions that results in an arc extension line.

In German

Erweiterungen für Bemaßungen
Zu den Erweiterungen für Bemaßungen zählen Optionen zur automatischen Ausrichtung, Bemaßungsunterbrechungen, verkürzte Bemaßungen, Textplatzierung und Toleranzen.

Bemaßungslinienversatz
Sie können den Abstand zwischen Bemaßungslinien in vorhandenen Bemaßungen automatisch auf einen bestimmten Versatz festlegen. So werden mühselige manuelle Arbeitsschritte vermieden.

Bemaßungsunterbrechungen
Sie können Bemaßungs- oder Hilfslinien unterbrechen, wo sie geometrische Objekte oder andere Bemaßungen schneiden. Dies ist zwar keine empfohlene Entwurfspraxis, kann jedoch unter Umständen erforderlich sein.

Verkürzte lineare Bemaßungen
Sie können lineare Bemaßungen mit verkürzten Bemaßungslinien erstellen, um Maße darzustellen, deren Werte nicht dieselbe Länge aufweisen wie die Hilfslinie. Verkürzte Bemaßungslinien werden in der Regel verwendet, wenn ein Plan zur Anzeige der echten Länge einer Bemaßungslinie zu klein ist.

Kontrollmaße
Sie können Kontrollmaße auf der Basis vorhandener Bemaßungsobjekte erstellen. Kontrollmaße werden in Verbindung mit industriellen Anlagen zur Anzeige kritischer Betriebstoleranzen verwendet.

Ausrichtung von Bemaßungstoleranzen
Sie können gestapelte Toleranzen entweder mittels des Vorgangssymbols oder des Dezimaltrennzeichens ausrichten. Toleranzausrichtung wird mit dem Bemaßungsstil gespeichert.

Winkelbemaßungstext
Sie können die Position des Texts von Winkelbemaßungen außerhalb des gemessenen Winkels festlegen. Bei Angabe des Texts außerhalb des Winkels wird ein erweiterter Bemaßungsbogen für den Bemaßungstext erstellt.

Bogenhilfslinie für Radialbemaßungen
Sie können eine Textposition für Radius-, Durchmesser- und verkürzte Radialbemaßungen angeben, die eine Bogenhilfslinie entstehen lässt.

In Japanese

寸法機能の強化
自動位置合わせオプション、寸法分割、折り曲げ寸法、寸法値配置、寸法公差を含むいくつかの寸法機能が強化されました。

寸法線オフセット
既存の寸法オブジェクトの寸法線の間隔を指定したオフセット(間隔)に調整できます。この機能を使用すると、手動で行う作業が省略されます。

寸法分割
他のオブジェクトや寸法同士が交差する場合に、寸法線や寸法補助線を部分的に削除できます。これは推奨できる作図方法ではありませんが、状況によっては必要になる場合があります。

折り曲げ長さ寸法線
寸法補助線では不正確に表示されてしまう寸法でも、折り曲げ長さ寸法線で正確な寸法を表示することができます。折り曲げ長さ寸法線は、シートが小さいため寸法線を正しい位置に表示できない場合に使用します。

検査寸法
既存の寸法オブジェクトから検査寸法を作成できます。検査寸法は、製品検査で必要な計測寸法や公差を示すために工業用機械製図で使用されます。

寸法許容差の位置合わせ
十進数の区切りや演算記号を使用してスタック許容差を位置合わせできます。許容差の位置合わせは寸法スタイルに保存されます。

角度寸法値
角度寸法値を、計算した角度とは反対側に配置できます。寸法値が角度の外に配置される場合、寸法値に補助線円弧が作成されます。

半径寸法の円弧の延長
半径寸法、直径寸法、折り曲げ半径寸法の測定値に延長円弧を使用する場合、寸法値の位置を調整できます。

 

 

AutoCAD 2008 System Variable Changes

New System Variables

3DCONVERSIONMODE
Used to convert material and light definitions
3DSELECTIONMODE
Controls the selection precedence of visually overlapping objects when using 3D visual styles
ANNOALLVISIBLE
Hides or displays annotative objects that do not support the current annotation scale
ANNOAUTOSCALE
Updates annotative objects to support the annotation scale when the annotation scale is changed
ANNOTATIVEDWG
Specifies whether or not the drawing will behave as an annotative block when inserted into another drawing
ATTIPE
Controls the display of the in-place editor used to create multiline attributes
ATTMULTI
Controls whether multiline attributes can be created
AUTODWFPUBLISH
Controls whether the AutoPublish feature is on or off
CANNOSCALE
Sets the name of the current annotation scale for the current space
CANNOSCALEVALUE
Returns the value of the current annotation scale
CMLEADERSTYLE
Determines the current multileader style
COPYMODE
Controls whether the COPY command repeats automatically
DATALINKNOTIFY
Controls the notification for updated or missing data links
DGNFRAME
Determines whether DGN underlay frames are visible or plotted in the current drawing
DGNOSNAP
Controls object snapping for geometry in DGN underlays
DIMANNO
Indicates whether or not the current dimension style is annotative
DXEVAL
Controls when data extraction tables are compared against the data source, and if the data is not current, displays an update notification
HPMAXLINES
Controls the maximum number of hatch lines that will generate
LAYEREVAL
Controls when the Unreconciled New Layer filter list in the Layer Properties Manager is evaluated for new layers
LAYERNOTIFY
Specifies when an alert displays for new layers that have not yet been reconciled
LAYLOCKFADECTL
Controls the dimming for objects on locked layers
LIGHTINGUNITS
Controls whether generic or photometric lights are used, and indicates the current lighting units
LIGHTSINBLOCKS
Controls whether lights contained in blocks are used when rendering
LINEARBRIGHTNESS
Controls the global brightness level of the drawing when using default lighting or generic lights
LINEARCONTRAST
Controls the global contrast level of the drawing when using default lighting or generic lights
LOGEXPBRIGHTNESS
Controls the global brightness level of the drawing when using photometric lighting
LOGEXPCONTRAST
Controls the global contrast level of the drawing when using photometric lighting
LOGEXPDAYLIGHT
Controls if exterior daylight is used when using photometric lighting
LOGEXPMIDTONES
Controls the global mid tones level of the drawing when using photometric lighting
MSLTSCALE
Scales linetypes displayed on the model tab by the annotation scale
PERSPECTIVECLIP
Determines the location of eyepoint clipping
PUBLISHCOLLATE
Controls whether plotting a sheet set, multi-sheet plot file, or plot spool file can be interrupted by other plot jobs
RENDERUSERLIGHTS
Controls whether user lights are translated during rendering
SAVEFIDELITY
Controls whether the drawing is saved with visual fidelity
SELECTIONANNODISPLAY
Controls whether alternate scale representations are temporarily displayed in a dimmed state when an annotative object is selected
SETBYLAYERMODE
Controls which properties are selected for SETBYLAYER
TABLETOOLBAR
Controls the display of the Table toolbar
TEXTOUTPUTFILEFORMAT
Provides Unicode text file output options
VPLAYEROVERRIDES
Indicates if there are any layers with viewport (VP) property overrides for the current layout viewport
VPLAYEROVERRIDESMODE
Controls whether layer property overrides associated with layout viewports are displayed and plotted
VSFACEHIGHLIGHT
Controls whether layer property overrides associated with layout viewports are displayed and plotted

Changed System Variables

AFLAGS
Added a value for the new Multiple Lines mode
DCTMAIN
Displays the three letter keyword of the current main spelling dictionary
DIMSCALE
Automatically set to 0 when an annotative dimension style is made current

Removed or Obsolete

ASSISTSTATE Indicates whether the Info palette that displays Quick Help is active or not

 

 

AutoCAD 2008 Changed Commands

Below is the list of Changed or Removed commands in AutoCAD 2008.

3DCONFIG Added plot emulation and texture compression options
-3DCONFIG Added plot emulation and texture compression options (Command prompt version)
ATTDEF Added support for annotative scaling
-ATTDEF Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version)
ATTEDIT Multiple-line attribute support
BATTMAN Added support for annotative scaling
BLOCK Added support for annotative scaling
-BLOCK Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version)
CHPROP Added support for annotative scaling
CUI Added dashboard panel customization and some enhancements for customizing toolbars
DASHBOARD Added access to the Customize User Interface from the shortcut menu
DIMANGULAR Added the Quadrant option
DIMDIAMETER Added the Extension line option
DIMJOGGED Added the Extension line option
DIMRADIUS Added the Extension line option
DIMSTYLE Added new tolerance alignment option, size option for linear jog, and break spacing
-DIMSTYLE Command prompt version of DIMSTYLE (Command prompt version)
DISTANTLIGHT Modified to support entering photometric properties
EATTEXT Now activates the DATAEXTRACTION command rather than the Attribute Extraction wizard
-EATTEXT Command prompt version of the EATTEXT command (Command prompt version)
ETRANSMIT Added support for visual fidelity
HATCH Added support for annotative scaling
-HATCH Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version) HATCHEDIT  Added support for annotative scaling
-HATCHEDIT Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version) 
INSERT Added support for annotative scaling
-INSERT Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version)
-LAYER Added option to import layer states from drawings, the Edit option now includes Material and Description suboptions, the Import option now includes DWG/DWS/DWT formats, and the Export option includes the LAY file format (Command prompt version)
MATCHCELL Added support for double line borders, border linetypes, and new cell formats
MTEXT Added support for annotative scaling
-MTEXT Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version) MVIEW When used on a layout, a new option, Layer, removes all layer property override values and resets them back to their corresponding global properties
OPTIONS Added the Maintain Visual Fidelity check box to the Open and Save tab as well as the Display Drawing Status Bar check box to the Display tab
PASTESPEC Enhanced for pasting Microsoft Excel data from the clipboard to create a data link to this information immediately
PLOT Affected by the hardware configuration settings Plot Emulation and Texture Compression
POINTLIGHT Start and end limits for attenuation are supported with the Direct 3D driver; also added prompting for area-sampled shadow options and photometric prompting
QSELECT Added support for annotative scaling
SPELL Now checks words in dimensions, zooms into words being corrected; added option to ignore words with numbers or words with special characters
SPOTLIGHT Start and end limits for attenuation are supported with the Direct 3D driver; also added prompting for area-sampled shadow options and photometric prompting
STYLE Added support for annotative scaling
-STYLE Added support for annotative scaling (Command prompt version)
TABLE Added From Style and Data Link branches
-TABLE Added From Style and Data Link branches (Command prompt version)
TABLESTYLE Defines a new table style
TEXT Added support for annotative scaling
VIEW Modified to support the new sky background option, when applicable
-VPORTS Added option, Layer, removes all layer property override values and resets them back to their corresponding global properties (Command prompt version)
XCLIP Added the Invert option

 

Removed or Obsolete Commands

ASSIST Opens Quick Help in the Info palette, which provides context-sensitive information
ASSISTCLOSE Closes Quick Help and the Info palette

 

18 February 2007

Autodesk Impression Webcasts

Perhaps you have been curious about Autodesk Impression or have not heard of it yet and are one of the people that do not enjoy the smell of ink markers, or just need a simple way to create nice renderings of your designs and not be forced to redo in a photo editor each time the design changes, then you should take 45 minutes to see a demo by AEC design visualization guru Todd Hunter.

  • Tuesday, February 6, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
  • Tuesday, February 20, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
  • Tuesday, March 13, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
  • Tuesday, March 27, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
  • Tuesday, April 10, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
  • Tuesday, April 24, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)

Sign up here

Check out the Impression community to see what others have been creating with Autodesk Impression. http://impression.autodesk.com/gallery/

Get involved with future Autodesk Impression product and feature direction by signing up at Autodesk MyFeedback.

16 February 2007

AutoCAD 2008 New Commands

ANNORESET Resets the location of all scale representations for an annotative object to that of the current scale representation
ANNOUPDATE Updates existing annotative objects to match the current properties of their styles
ATTIPEDIT Changes the textual content of an attribute within a block
AUTOPUBLISH Publishes drawings to DWF files automatically
DGNADJUST Changes the display options of selected DGN underlays
DGNATTACH Attaches a DGN underlay to the current drawing
DGNCLIP Defines a clipping boundary for a selected DGN underlay
DGNEXPORT Creates one or more V8 DGN files from the current drawing
DGNIMPORT Imports the data from a V8 DGN file into a new DWG file
DIMBREAK Adds or removes a dimension break
DIMINSPECT Creates or removes inspection dimensions
-DIMINSPECT Creates or removes inspection dimensions
DIMJOGLINE Adds or removes a jag line to a linear or aligned dimension
DIMSPACE Adjusts the spacing equally between parallel linear and angular dimensions
DWFLAYERS Controls the display of layers in a DWF underlay
FREEPOINT Creates a target point light without a prompt for the target point
FREESPOT Creates a free spotlight, which is similar to a spotlight without a specified target
FREEWEB Creates a free weblight which is similar to a weblight without a specified target
LAYERSTATE Saves, restores, and manages named layer states
MLEADER Creates a line that connects annotation to a feature
MLEADERALIGN Organizes selected multileaders along a specified line
MLEADERCOLLECT Organizes selected multileaders containing blocks as content into a group attached to a single leader line
MLEADEREDIT Adds leader lines to, or removes leader lines from, a multileader object
MLEADERSTYLE Defines a new multileader style
NEWVIEW Expedites the creation of a new view
OBJECTSCALE Adds or deletes supported scales for annotative objects
QUICKCUI Displays the Customize User Interface dialog box in a collapsed state RECOVERALL Repairs a damaged drawing and xrefs
-RENDER Command prompt version of the RENDER command
RENDEREXPOSURE Provides settings to interactively adjust the lighting global for the most recent rendered output
TARGETPOINT Creates a target point light
TPNAVIGATE Displays a specified tool palette or palette group
WEBLIGHT Creates a weblight

 

Got a New Puppy, Rio

After losing my good friend Wyatt my golden lab less than a month ago, I found a new black lab puppy awaiting me when I returned from Costa Rica as a surprise. I named him Rio the Spanish word for River. He is going to be a big dog and quite a personality.

Rio
Rio and Goldie playing
Rio, My new Black Lab

It is a real downer that the Autodesk Labs logo with Wyatt has now been removed from the server. :-(

LISP Cartoon

I had this cartoon emailed to me from a coworker and thought I would share a quick chuckle for some of the LISP geek guru readers of this blog. It was from http://xkcd.com/c224.html.

 

Technorati tags:

Some of my AutoCAD 2008 Highlights

Here are a few of my AutoCAD 2008 favorites:

  • Windows Vista Support
  • Multiple Mtext Columns
  • Viewport Layer Freeze
  • Auto DWF Publish
  • Ability to change multiple copy default
  • Easier Way to add layouts to Sheet set manager
  • Manipulating Layout tabs
  • Publish and plotting - homogenous plot file
  • Tool Tips for Dynamic Block grips
  • Activate palette when object is hovering over a tab
  • Support overriding tool icons in Palettes
  • Ability to redefine blocks through tool palettes
  • Tool palettes command line access
  • Materials enhancements
  • Trim Fence Option changes
  • SSM reverse publishing order
  • Command line render support
  • Tool palettes: saving tool order
  • Osnap to 3D solid while it is dragged
  • DWF Underlay – Layer Support
  • Perspective horizon updates
  • Inverse Xclip
  • Layer Isolate Command by dimming
  • Recover for Xrefs RECOVERALL
  • Dimensions: multiline text and alternate units
  • Multiple Leaders
  • Table Enhancements
  • Insert blocks and text in the same table cell
  • Spell Check Improvements
  • Paragraph Spacing in Mtext
  • Independent LT scale per viewport
  • Leader text to scale when dimscale changes
  • Separate Ltscale control in layout
  • Layer states and viewports-display differently
  • Table formats: number, currency, excel formats
  • Autofill cells along rows or columns
  • Allow new layer notification in Xrefs
  • Spell check dimension
  • Automatic DIMDLI

:-)

 

Technorati tags: , , ,

15 February 2007

AutoCAD / AutoCAD LT and Microsoft Windows Vista Compatibility

With the recent release of Microsoft Windows Vista, many of our customers have inquired about our operating system support for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. 
Autodesk is pleased to announce that AutoCAD 2008 scheduled for a March release, is compatible with the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business and Enterprise.  AutoCAD LT also schedule for release in March is compatible with the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business and Enterprise.

In addition Autodesk will release an update for AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 in the coming months that will add support for Windows Vista 32-bit versions.  Please consult http://www.autodesk.com/support for future updates on Windows Vista support.

Updated: http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2007/04/autodesk_produc.html
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?id=9444794&siteID=123112

Autodesk Impression Preview 4 Released

www.autodesk.com/impression

Updates since Technical Preview 3

  • Stability and performance improvements. Work is ongoing to make Impression as fast and reliable as possible.
  • Quickstart Tour updated. Updated panels and animations give a quick preview of how to stylize your drawing.
  • Change Dashboard configuration quickly. Two new Palettes menu options give you quick access to expanded displays of the Layers and Styles palettes (in the Dashboard). Isolate Layers Section expands the Layers palette and closes the Styles palette. Isolate Styles Section expands the Styles palette and collapses the Layers palette.

 

Cheers,
Shaan

 

Technorati tags:

Back Home After Two Weeks of Hiking

I have been in Costa Rica Central America on vacation with a good friend for the last 2 weeks. I have some posts to make and photos to post but have to get back up to speed after having my luggage involuntarily donated while traveling and trying to catch up on email, and current events.

Img_5530 Img_5616

2007_costa_rica_42 2007_costa_rica_21 2007_costa_rica_10
2007_costa_rica_80 2007_costa_rica_63
Cheers,
Shaan

11 February 2007

Detail Bubble Dynamic Block from Learn AutoCAD

Just wanted to point out a good AutoCAD dynamic block tutorial and sample file to create a dynamic detail bubble callout is available from the Learn AutoCAD Blog.

http://learnacad.blogspot.com/2007/01/detail-bubble-dynamic-block.html

08 February 2007

Need to Search for DWG or DWF Files?

In addition to the other search engines there is one specific for DWG or DWF files.

http://cadbot.com/