Between the Lines

For AutoCAD Geeks - Command and System Variables Map and Trivia

A question in a private myfeedback.autodesk.com discussion forum (we have over 90 projects ongoing during this busiest of season for betas, sign up) I had a question that reminded me about a great resource I helped start but had not looked at in a awhile. It is the Command and System Variable Map for AutoCAD. Impress fellow CAD geeks with the knowledge and if you can try to memorize all the commands...no no no!

     I can remember coming up with the list when I first started with Autodesk 10 years ago fresh out of the mechanical designers world to the software industry which was a cultural shock and also during R14.01 code named "Pinetop" and it was like a speeding train passing and me reaching out and grabbing hold of it. I thought naively that there would be a be all end all list of Commands and System Variables, surely there was a master list with a chronological history of new, removed and changed commands. Well there wasn't and so I set out in the wee hours over the course of a month or two and came up with a AutoCAD R12 to AutoCAD R14 Map in a spreadsheet showing Commands and System Variables in a red, green and yellow color scheme indicating removed, added and changed. In its first year which was 1998 it was being downloaded tens of thousands of times and authors and teachers were always asking to use it which of course is why I created it.

     After a few years I met a guy Lee Ambrosius who had more energy than me and new AutoCAD inside and out and so I gave him the data and the Map lives on and much more robust and improved from a database thanks to Lee's excellent efforts. Now since late in 2007 Lee too works at Autodesk and works the long hours with little spare time but he has to find another energetic person to keep the Map going or keep doing it himself. ;-)

 

AutoCAD Command Map AutoCAD R12 to AutoCAD 2008: Command Reference

AutoCAD System Variables Map AutoCAD R12 to AutoCAD 2008: System Variables

 

AutoCAD Trivia : How many officially documented AutoCAD commands and System Variables "sysvars" when I started the Maps for AutoCAD R12?
Answer: In AutoCAD R12 there were 875 documented Commands and 757 System Variables. There are some Commands and System Variables that were not documented on purpose as they were for internal use only and never intended or supported to be used otherwise. Also there are a couple that may only be in the UI. The count water can get muddied that's for sure but this is the official Autodesk documented numbers.

AutoCAD Trivia : How many documented Commands and System Variables for AutoCAD 2008?
Answer: In AutoCAD 2008 there were 876 documented Commands and 767 System Variables. Yes only one new Command since AutoCAD R12, OK not really as there were many old retired Commands and many new that took their places like ASCTEXT which was retired and remapped in AutoCAD R13 to MTEXT not too mention the changed Command count.

I will be turning my AutoCAD History site into a nice new blog when I get a chance so that it is all indexed nicely and can be searched, indexed and maintained more easily. Shaan's Unofficial AutoCAD History Site I am also considering localized language version of the commands as well and perhaps someday vertical products but that all depends on time. Maybe a wiki someday to manage it in the public domain so people can add, edit or update it for a single list that everyone agrees on.

AutoCAD Trivia : I mentioned AutoCAD R14.01 was code named Pinetop, what was this reference to and why?
Answer: post your answer to this blog post. :-)

Cheers,
Shaan

 

Technorati Tags: AutoCAD, AutoCAD R12, AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD Commands, AutoCAD System Variables, AutoCAD Command Map, AutoCAD System Variable Map, AutoCAD History, AutoCAD R14, Pinetop, AutoCAD R13, AutoCAD Trivia, Autodesk, Autodesk History, Lee Ambrosius, Shaan Hurley, AutoCAD Unofficial History

Autodesk Impression e-Learning Courses Published

Membership in the Autodesk Impression Community is free and has plenty to offer including galleries, discussions, tips and tricks, styles, entourage, content exchange, and now free e-Learning content. Throw away those markers or be rid of critical time eating processes or wasted editing in other products and then when the design changes you have to do it all over again. With Autodesk Impression you can import your DWF or DWG and style the file and can update when the DWG file changes. It is also a lot of fun.

Autodesk Impression Community

Autodesk Impression e-Learning Content

Multileaders in AutoCAD 2008

In the past many had custom routines and blocks to create multiple point leader but the objects were normally not associative to the objects or a single AutoCAD object so that they could be easily updated or edited. In AutoCAD 2008 a new object the Multileader was added to solve this request and need. You can create, update associate and even edit with grips the new Multileader. The command to create a Multileader is MLEADER.

 

For example you may want to use a Multileader to indicate multiple areas for a specific note such as surface finish or callout items with bubbles for materials.

Google Desktop Sharing Concerns

I have been researching some reported items showing on Google and found what I believe to be a concern for people with private data, private feeds, files, or private pages viewed. Users that install the Google Desktop client could unknowingly be sharing content with Google and thus revealing information on Google search results of chats, private web pages and such on their machines if they have the sharing option enabled. While the person with the machine may be willing to share the administrators of the web sites with private login requirements may not prefer their content to be shared. Now I can see why many companies including Autodesk IT groups forbid Google Desktop to be installed in their group policies. Those with web sites can possibly limit this indexing and sharing by making sure you have a tough robots.txt file in the root as well as the NO FOLLOW , NO INDEX and also noarchive attributes in the header section of all pages.

I shared the following yesterday in my Google Reader Feedlist They are available as a page at http://www.google.com/reader/shared/07276097266275194453(and there's a feed too)

This is somewhat related and funny.
Wrong Turn Down Google StreetView (from Gearthblog.com)

 

-Shaan

Amazing Technology to Resize Photos

The new smart image resizing, retargeting, and cropping technology for images and photos called seam carving is amazing and downright brilliant. This was an algorithm developed invented by Dr. Ariel Shamir and Dr. Shai Avidan. This is really cool and helpful to do instead of resizing an image with a focal area that gets distorted this method starts by letting you mark the important target to keep then in simple terms starts by removing parts of the photo or adding based on priority of the calculated horizontal and vertical seams.

Check out the Youtube video recording of a presentation at SIGGRAPH 2007 showing the pure magic and application of seam carving.

 

There is now a web 2.0 online free version. Check out a photo and resizing it and you can also carve someone out of a photo.

http://rsizr.com/

There was also a free plugin that added seam carving for Photoshop but it appears Adobe hired the person and then removed the free plugin download.

Cheers,
Shaan

Long Live AutoCAD!

Autodesk also has many other top notch products that I get to work with and have the luxury in my position to work with all Autodesk product teams. It always amazes me at the level of expertise of people around the Autodesk family and the products they produce.

I received an email recently by someone that was told by someone that Autodesk was planning to stop AutoCAD development. This pops up from time to time and is usually the result of someone starting the rumor for their own benefit. This rumor is simply not true and there are no plans I am aware of. The next time someone tries to pass this rumor on tell them "you're full of rubish". The AutoCAD Team is still going full steam and planning releases many years into the future and certainly AutoCAD will be around for many many years as millions rely on AutoCAD daily for both 2D and 3D designs.

We have the height of our pre-release beta season going on keeping me from getting any sleep or a clean email inbox. It is better to be busy, than not. If you are intersted in helping shape the future of Autodesk products please sign up at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com

Cheers,
Shaan

19-Jan-2008 Ten Years at Autodesk

I just looked at my company calendar and low and behold tomorrow is my 10th year anniversary working at Autodesk. I thought it was actually Monday but was wrong.

I started 19-Jan-1998. I moved from Portland Oregon where I was a mechanical designer down to the San Francisco Bay area until about 2 years ago when I moved to Northern Utah.

Time flies fast, too fast.

Shaan

AutoCAD 2008 Tip Adjust the Dimension Spacing

You know you have seen them before, a series of baseline dimensions with differing spaces or adjusted manually until they look fine. You can use the DIMSPACE command to adjust the space to a set distance between them or use the default automatic. So I put together a quick example of using DIMSPACE.

 

Autodesk Labs Project Draw 0.7 Uses Google Gears for Offline Mode

It is always pretty cool to watch the evolution of a idea or software. The Autodesk Labs Team has now released an updated Project Draw which allows the web based application to run in the offline mode and synch files later when you re-connect. It is like having a web 2.0 and a desktop application rolled into one. That has always been my concern is getting used to an application that is web based then not being able to use it when on a long flight or when my Internet connection is unavailable but Google Gears solves this concern for now. Now you can use Project draw on the plane to do simple diagrams and synch back up with the web app when you reconnect and imagine the possibilities with other web based apps in the future with no reliance on a specific machines operating system.

Project Draw 0.7 Now Available

http://draw.labs.autodesk.com

FeedDemon RSS Reader, Now Free!

FeedDemon is an excellent and powerful full featured RSS Feed reading product and I was a paying customer but a few months ago got hooked on Google Reader. Now Nick Bradbury mentions they have gone free. I am switching back to FeedDemon due to it being a more powerful RSS Feed reader and managing your feeds not just because it is free. They also released a few other tools as free.

FREE Demon? Yes, FeedDemon is Now Free!

 

Technorati Tags: RSS, FeedDemon, RSS Feed Reader:RSS Aggregator, Nick Bradbury, Free RSS Reader

Autodesk University 2007: General Session Behind the Scenes Video

Here is a quick video clip recorded behind the scenes of the general session where 7600 attendees (room limit) were to attend the following day. I grabbed two of the main people for quick comments on what was driving the general session as they were in final countdown mode and had thousands of feet of cable, many developers, high end machines and technology to drive the HD Projectors to 20 - 20 foot tall HD screens for an immersive presentation.

7600 AU attendees would either be impressed or bear witness to one very huge technical problem in 360 degrees around them and in HD no less. Luckily they pulled it off, so well in fact a few people complained that the live Metropolis 3D environment that bathed attendees in a 3D World down to a city with BIM models and categorized trees made them motion sick when it was demonstrated live. If I could have only snuck in and played an Xbox on the 360 degree surrounding HD screens...ahhhh now that would be awesome. Can you imagine using this as your desktop just to check email or to impress geek friends?

I only had a brief moment with Jonathan Knowles and Brian Mathews of Autodesk for this impromptu behind the scenes tour that literally blew me away and reduced me to giddy geek on a HD cloud immersed in a 3D world of pure pixel-icious pleasure. This was even better than being onstage the year before in front of 4000 people with the Blue Man Group, and I did not get any blue makeup on me this time.

I can't wait to see what they will do next year to top this, perhaps teleport me to another planet or time? They better get that project going faster to make AU 2008. :-)

Helge Brettschneider of WWW.MCDCAD.DE videotaped this as well as more video segments to be posted later.

I am no Oprah when it comes to interviewing, but it sure was fun.

Technorati Tags: Autodesk, Autodesk University, Autodesk University 2007, Video, High Definition, Behind the Scenes, 3D, Metropolis, Shaan Hurley, Jonathan Knowles, Brian Mathews, Immersive, Autodesk University 2007 General Session Behind the Scenes Video

Lookout Seattle Washington, here I come again for AUGI CAD Camp 2008

You cant say you were not warned first. ;-)
This will be my 3rd year presenting at the Seattle AUGI CAD Camp. Seattle CAD Camp will be February 21st, 2008. I am planning something special (not Irish riverdancing) since this is also the week of my birthday and I also want to be invited again in 2009. What can I say, I love Seattle, good coffee, good seafood, AUGI, and of course the local Autodesk user group PSAUG. The bonus is I won't get lost finding the location and have to call Alex, Jamie, or Crystal (that is if it is once again at the Renton Community College). I am hoping (hint hint Jamie Thomas) PSAUG will be holding a meeting around the date so I can attend and chat with the group. I have lived all over and still I call the Northwest home, even though I don't live there anymore. People in the Northwest don't tan, they rust, ok sorry for the old and poor rain joke.

I just uploaded some pictures from last years event as they were on my old photo gallery and I had just not moved them over to my Flickr gallery. I also found a photo of Robert Bell at Pikes Market on the big brass pig in the image search. Sorry Robert...

 

Too bad there wont be the shirts like in 2005/2006
“Faster, Smarter, More Attractive
…and you should see my CAD designs”

Perhaps I will bring along the infamous AU 2007 Matt Murphy Clay Head Sculpture if I can sneak it on the plane. Many Seattle AU 2007 PSAUG attendees were fond of the Matt Head and Crystal won the grand prize Apple iTouch with her own clay sculpture.
  

AUGI CAD Camp offers: Convenience. AUGI CAD Camp brings the experts to you. In just one day, get the most up-to-date tips and techniques to work smarter and solve your most pressing design challenges. Expertise. Top industry experts from architecture, civil engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media & entertainment bring you real-world solutions and insights on the latest technology. Insights. Experience the future of design and engineering technology with exclusive advance previews of new software by Autodesk product experts. You'll also see short-cuts and tools you didn't even know existed. Connections. Meet and share ideas with skilled instructors and other design and engineering professionals to expand your professional network. When you join us, you'll also get other great benefits, including free giveaways, breakfast and lunch. We also provide you with a $150 coupon towards your next Autodesk University admission!

Happy weekend,
Shaan

Technorati Tags: AUGI, CAD Camp, Puget Sound Autodesk User Group, AutoCAD, Autodesk, PSAUG, Shaan Hurley, Seattle, Matt Murphy, Matt Murphy Clay Head Sculpture, Renton

2007 Stats for this Blog

I want to thank everyone for all the emails and visiting this blog. It has really grown from a geekish hobby to a full blown blog and started many other blogs in the process. I still feel the same passion for the blog and read about 300 feeds a day in my RSS feed reader which is something you could not do just browsing updated pages as the feed reader allows me to read the feeds a few times a day and scan for articles that interest me much like a newspaper as nobody really reads each article of the newspaper heck not many read newspapers today come to think of it.

2007 Stats (just this blog not photo galleries)
RSS: 25,946 average per day subscribers high point 43,278 RSS subscribers in one day.
Browsers HTML 473,060 absolute unique visitors from 177 countries.

Cheers,
Shaan

Designers, I have a site for you

If you are like me and been a designer or you have a passion for design you will love this web site http://www.oobject.com/ full of photos of vintage objects, current gadgets, DIY items, or designs. For me seeing old designs or objects is like a child in a candy shop. From futuristic items, Frankenstein like pieces, blimps, televisions, skyscrapers, to vintage children toys it has enough objects to keep you entertained or reminiscing for awhile. The objects are ranked each day with new additions. Sometimes it is funny at some of the designs that were actually manufactured and thought of as cutting edge for their days and some are simply timeless design works of art.

Some of the latest item collection charts added:

• ferocious oil drill bits
• inappropriate rocket powered items
• giant airship hangars
• peoples choice gadget of 2007
• arabian mega skyscrapers
• classic microphones
• amazing atomic clocks
• monster 80s boomboxes
• best pet poop gadgets
• abandoned technology
• incredible listening devices
• beautiful wind turbines
• best concept laptops
• crazy tesla coils
• radioactive products
• mechanical planetary models
• best keyboards
• fantastic vintage tvs
• macys parade ideas
• top supercomputers
• best concept cellphones
• beautiful lighthouse lights
• 3d printed products
• most wonderful telescopes
• all time worst apple products

Happy Friday (Saturday for some like the Aussies and Kiwis)

Shaan

Free Lynn Allen AutoCAD Tip of the Week Videos

Lynn Allen announced on her blog that she has a new weekly video series in the Cadalyst CAD Video Gallery titled Lynn Allen's Tips And Tricks starting as a video channel on the Cadalyst magazine website. There are currently 2 videos posted (but 3 in the RSS feed although 1 is broken) in the Cadalyst -- CAD Video Gallery: Lynn Allen's Tips And Tricks

http://video.cadalyst.com/  RSS Feed Lynn Allen's Tips and Tricks 

• Use the F1 Key to Escape - Don't remove that F1 key; make it work to your advantage
• Key Combinations - These key combinations will help you quickly get to the drawings, viewports, and snaps you want.

Go check the videos out or subscribe to the RSS feed and then you will get notification of new videos as they are posted.

Cheers,
Shaan

Drawing Cleanup Utility Now Available on Autodesk Labs

A new version of this tool to clean up drawings has been updated for the timeout and is now available. I would post screen shots but unfortunately it only works on Windows XP and I am happily on Windows Vista with most of my machines.

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/drawingcleanup/

Regards,
Shaan

Happy New Years

I hope every had a safe and great holidays and Happy New Years. The infamous Matt Murphy Clay Head Sculpture from Autodesk University 2007 is still safe and ready for action in 2008.

The past two days I have spent up in Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood canyons here in Utah in the 5 feet of powder snow sledding and snowshoeing with my children. Tonight after sledding in the Jordan Pines area we ended up at the Silver Fork Lodge for dinner and hot chocolate with my 6 year old daughter. The place and food is awesome and at the end my daughter said "I feel like a princess".

Cheers,
Shaan