Tom Stoeckel of Autodesk Product Support has detailed on the Without a Net blog a bogus AutoCAD ObjectARX application causing some problems for a few Chinese AutoCAD users. Malicious code writers are nothing new but just be cautious about the ObjectARX applications you download or use as well as most anything you download or install on your computers.
New and exciting changes have been introduced to Autodesk’s Beta Program where we invite customers to test and provide feedback on pre—release product so that we ship the highest quality of product possible.
The Autodesk MyFeedback Beta platform was retired by May 31st, 2009 at which point the new Autodesk Community officially came to life at http://beta.autodesk.com.
Autodesk beta participation has grown considerably since we started our online beta communities in 1999. I joined Autodesk in 1998 on the Beta Team back when we still shipped CD and printed guides. I had been an Autodesk customer and involved in multiple Autodesk betas. I knew I could make a difference for customers and loved a good challenge. We went from a small email lists and doing a couple products to well over 30,000 participants in over 140 countries using over 60 Autodesk products. It is time to upsize again to a new Autodesk Beta Community.
Make sure to sign up for the new Autodesk Feedback Community site before the busy beta release season in the fall. The sign up takes only a few minutes to enter the information about your Autodesk product use and hardware you intend to use to test the pre-release beta software. We need you to provide the critical customer feedback which is vital to shape the future of all Autodesk products.
http://beta.autodesk.com –> New User Signup
Cheers,
Shaan
I want to thank AUGI’s President Mark Kiker, the dedicated and hard working AUGI AutoCAD Wish List volunteer Brenda Richardson, and the AUGI membership for another great cycle of nomination and voting for the AutoCAD Wish List. While I cannot provide details on future development publicly, I can say you will be pleased at our listening and knocking more items off the Wish List. You, the user of our products are vital to defining the direction and future functionality of our products. We at Autodesk sincerely appreciate your helping shape the future of Autodesk products!
OK so I added number 11 myself but the remaining 10 are great wish list items for AutoCAD.
Detailed Voting List for 2009 Cycle One http://www.augi.com/autocad/results.asp?cycle=ACAD010
AUGI membership is free and there are many many benefits to the membership. Get involved and network, Share and Learn. Don't just sit on the sidelines, make a difference.
Your Wish, Is Our Command!
Shaan Hurley
Autodesk Platform Technology Evangelist
In June I will begin to focus on my Autodesk Platform Technology Evangelist position and less on managing all Autodesk product betas. I will be the mouth and ears for customers, the design and development, and product management teams.
I am adding 3 more great products to my hat for my position as Autodesk Technology Evangelist. In addition to AutoCAD, I am now involved with AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, and AutoCAD Mechanical and what I call the AutoCAD Fantastic Four. I am truly excited for having the cross discipline focus. These products are used by millions and relied upon and Autodesk is continuing to improve them based on customer feedback. They are not going anywhere or being retired they are being focused together with the same AutoCAD DNA they share which will result in a much more consistent and powerful features using more coordinated team resources.
I will continue same as always on this blog Between the Lines the same as I have the past 6 years but will have more time to dedicate to writing more tips and tricks and cover more products, user groups, and great customers as well as traveling for events and speaking engagements.
Before coming to Autodesk, I was a mechanical designer involved in a wide variety of large projects from process equipment, pressure vessels, shell & tube heat exchangers, large bridges, hydroelectric and navigational locks, nuclear steam generators,and military watercraft. Having been involved in a wide variety of projects gives me a diverse background of project experience and disciplines to draw upon in my jobs at Autodesk.
Please let me know how I am doing or what you would like to see in the blog. If you want a very large audience for AutoCAD tips, I would be happy to publish your tips and give you a very visible credit and potentially get you fame and fortune, ok maybe not fortune but thousands read this blog daily.
Sincerely,
Shaan Hurley MoMH (Man of Many Hats)
Autodesk Platform Technology Evangelist
Find out how to turn "What if" into reality & Why Design Matters
The Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event is an online live event with interactive chat sessions included.
Tuesday May 19, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT
7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
Agenda
The Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event Agenda May 19, 2009
10:00am–5:00pm EDT / 7:00am–2:00pm PDT
11:30–12:00pm EDT / 8:30–9:00am PDT
12:00–12:30pm EDT / 9:00–9:30am PDT
12:30–1:00pm EDT / 9:30–10:00am PDT
1:00–1:30pm EDT / 10:00–10:30am PDT
Scheduled Chat Sessions:
1:30–2:00pm EDT / 10:30–11:00am PDT
2:30–3:00pm EDT / 11:30–12:00pm PDT
3:00–3:30pm EDT / 12:00–12:30pm PDT
Scheduled Chat Sessions:
4:00–4:30pm EDT / 1:00–1:30pm PDT
Scheduled Chat Session:
I hope to see you there as I will be participating in the chat sessions such as “Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits“.
Cheers,
Shaan
Our current MyFeedback platform used for running Autodesk product betas has grown way beyond its originally designed structure and we are looking to introduce you to a new Autodesk Feedback Community over the next few month. We are also reorganizing the management of Autodesk betas. Beta projects will be managed individually on this new community by each of the four Autodesk Divisions.
We will be retiring MyFeedback on May 30th 2009. We will be moving future betas to our new Autodesk Feedback Community server.
Q&A
Q: Where is this new Autodesk Feedback Community?
A: The new Autodesk Feedback Community is located at http://beta.autodesk.com . You can sign up at http://beta.autodesk.com/signup now.
Q: Will my account be automatically migrated to the new Autodesk Feedback Community?
A: No, you will need to sign up on this new Autodesk Feedback Community at http://beta.autodesk.com/signup
Q: Will I need to sign up again or can I use my old MyFeedback login?
A: With this new Community you will need to sign up for a new account.
Q: What does this mean for non-beta related forums?
A: The new Autodesk Feedback Community will only support active beta projects. There will not be futures or miscellaneous discussion forums hosted.
Q: What will happen with existing forum posts, will they be available after May 30th?
A: The server will be offline and access to content and posts will be unavailable. You can keep a local archive on your machine by following the instructions
Q: Will there be NNTP access in the new Autodesk Feedback Community?
A: Yes, in the beta projects in this new community you will have the choice of HTTP:, SMTP email, and NNTP to participate in the discussion forums.
Want to archive discussion newsgroup content offline?
Many people choose a NNTP newsreader because you can use them to download newsgroup content and work with it while you aren’t connected to the Internet. You can download the forum posts to your Outlook Express or Windows Mail in Vista, and FreeAgent for later review.
NDA Reminder
All content from the MyFeedback website and discussion forums are considered confidential and not to be disclosed or publicly published.
Remember May 30th 2009 MyFeedback will be redirected to http://beta.autodesk.com and you will need to sign up to continue Autodesk beta testing of products at http://beta.autodesk.com.
We appreciate your past participation and hope you will join the new Autodesk Feedback Community. Things will be different but give it some time to adjust to all the changes. After signing up and your account is approved on the new Autodesk Community you will receive an email. You will then be able to login and see if there are any beta projects you would like to be considered for. You may also receive an email invitation to a specific beta asked on your profile. Most Autodesk beta projects start in the Fall so some may not get into a new beta for a few months.
Sincerely,
Shaan Hurley
The Autodesk Professional Certification program is pleased to announce the release of the 2010 beta exams for AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D.
The beta period is open for a 2 week period for each exam,ending on May 20 & 22nd, depending on which exam. We encourage you to take advantage of this period so that you can update any existing certification or earn your first certification at a low cost.
Why do we beta test our exams?
Whenever a new exam is created, the exam items need to be calibrated and tried out within a testing situation. In order to do this, exams are made available in a Beta format. After the items are tested within the Beta setting, each item is analyzed statistically and reanalyzed for technical accuracy, appropriateness, and readability.
What customers should expect when participating in Beta testing?
How can you participate?
Beta Program Information
May 5 – May 20
May 7 – May 22
Access to Training Guides and Exam Objectives
If you have any questions about the Beta testing program, contact certification@autodesk.com.
Best of luck in your certification challenge!
Shaan
There is a new hotfix in response to Customer Error Reporting (CER) reports we have received from customers. This solution applies to all AutoCAD 2010 based products such as AutoCAD 2010,AutoCAD LT 2010, AutoCAD Architecture 2010, AutoCAD Mechanical 2010, DWG TrueView 2010, and more listed in the ReadMe.
MEASUREGEOM is a command that was released to AutoCAD 2009 Subscription customers last fall in the AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Bonus Pack 1 and was also included in the AutoCAD 2010 based products. It added new measurement capabilities such as measuring the distance, radius, angle, area, and volume of selected objects or a sequence of points.
If you entered your email into the CER dialog and hit this issue you should receive an email from Autodesk alerting you to a fix in the near future.
If you crash an Autodesk product (hopefully not), please make sure to send in the CER report with details and your email with each and every incident so we can research the problem.
Cheers,
Shaan
I am re-releasing the Drawing Tabs Bonus Tool. We have fixed some bugs identified in CER reports and recompiled the much beloved free Drawing Tabs MDITabs.ARX application for both 32bit and 64bit versions of AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2009, and AutoCAD 2007/2008/2009. Yes AutoCAD 2009 and 2008 64bit version due to customer request. MDITabs allows you to see and quickly navigate open drawings in a series of tabs along the top of the drawing window.For those that installed the AutoCAD 2010 versions posted March 29 2009 this is the same released build no need to replace.
Your wish is our command!
AutoCAD 2010 2007/2008/2009 versions in one Zip archive file
Download AutoCAD MDITabs ARX
To install you simply place the appropriate ARX for your version of AutoCAD 2010 such as 32-bit or 64-bit in your support path. Now use the AutoCAD command APPLOAD to load it, and then add it to your start up suite so it loads each time you start AutoCAD 2010. Huge kudos to the many AutoCAD Team members that helped get this accomplished such as Kurt Chase, Mike Dickason, Misha Belilovskiy, Debashis Dhar, Elishba Joseph, Suresh Kumar, Ravi Pothineni, Eileen Sinnott, Kathy O'Connell, Karen Mason, Gagandeep Singh, and Pam Brenner that fit this into their schedules and a special thank you to software developer Alagappan Annamalai. Please note this tool is unsupported and provided as-is.
Is this something we should consider adding to the base AutoCAD in the future, let me know in the comments to this post.
Cheers,
Shaan
The Autodesk University 2009 (http://au.autodesk.com/) class proposals submission deadline is end of the month April 30th, 2009, so you had better hurry. There is not only the benefit of getting exposure to your peers as a AU speaker but you get paid. Autodesk University 2009 will be held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay December 1-4th 2009.
The Autodesk Student Engineering & Design Community has posted AutoCAD 2010 English 32 bit and 64 bit on the http://students.autodesk.com.
Students and faculty, the registration is free! All you need is a valid, school-issued email address or an invitation from a faculty member. Join thousands in this community with Autodesk software downloads, tutorials projects, show of your work, network with others and experts, and explore industry careers.
Students worldwide hold our future in their hands. Help encourage a young person to consider Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Environmental, Science, and Math fields of study.
Cheers,
Shaan
AutoCAD ScriptPro has updated for AutoCAD 2010 32bit and released for free download at http://www.autodesk.com/migrationtools
Select > Autodesk Customization Conversion Tools
ScriptPro takes AutoCAD scripting to a new level with an easy-to-use interface, logging, reusable project files, enhanced scripting with new keywords and utilities, and robust error recovery. Using ScriptPro, you can apply a set of commands to multiple drawings by simply specifying a script file and the list of drawings that you would like to apply the script to.
ScriptPro is a VB based application and as such is only released for 32bit.
Cheers,
Shaan
Join the PSEB User Research Group in the Autodesk San Francisco Design Gallery for a behind-the-scenes look at how Autodesk designs the software you use. Sip a drink. Browse the gallery. Learn how Architecture, Design and Engineering professionals like you improve Autodesk products through usability studies and focus groups.
When: Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Where: Autodesk Gallery, One Market Street, Floor 2. San Francisco CA, 94105. Map
Admission is free. RSVP online to add your name to the guest list. Your name must be on the list to enter the building.
Event highlights:
The gallery is a very cool location with many interesting displays.
More of my photos of the Autodesk Gallery are located on my Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/btl/ or Autodesk Gallery tagged photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/btl/tags/autodeskgallery/
For more information about the Autodesk Gallery, visit http://www.autodesk.com/thegallery.
Cheers,
Shaan
Guillermo will be blogging in English and Spanish about AutoCAD 3D and AutoCAD workflows. The blogs name, What a Mesh http://whatamesh.typepad.com/
If you have seen AutoCAD 2010 and all the cool new 3D features such as the new mesh object then you will now know the person behind that as well as responsible for the nice AutoCAD 2010 building design on the product literature and packaging.
Here is a previous post about Guillermo and his bio which will explain a great deal about his focus, background, and his efforts around 3D.
Between the Lines: AutoCAD 2010 and 3D
Please join me in welcoming Guillermo to the CAD Blogosphere. I hope you will be bookmarking his blog as well as following his RSS feed as he is sure to have some great topics in his blog.
Cheers,
Shaan
There is a new Autodesk blog in the CAD Blogosphere Without a Net. Tom Stoeckel, global technical lead for AutoCAD product support will be the main host and joined by Tom Bradley, division manager for Autodesk product support, and Dan Scales, an AutoCAD product support specialist.
I have personally known Tom for many many years as both a coworker and friend back when he was a developer of the much beloved AutoCAD Express Tools and then later in AutoCAD core programming teams and now as the Global Technical Lead for AutoCAD Product Support. This blog should be one on your regular reading list and RSS feeds as well Tom has a Twitter account.
Tom is also a Mac user and I am sure interested in the Mac Survey I posted which has been hit by over 1000 people an hour beating up my poor little server today.
“The purpose of "Without a Net" is to provide the latest information on support issues, technical solutions, fixes, and tips for AutoCAD. This blog is not intended to replace the usual AutoCAD technical support, Knowledge Base, or Web Support; these are still your best avenue for getting quick resolution to your support issues. "Without a Net" is intended to supplement those sources by providing up-to-the-minute information on new issues and trends that we are seeing in AutoCAD product support. Followers of this blog may find a safety net, if you will, for support issues that are affecting them right now. We'll also toss in a few AutoCAD tips and tricks along the way.”
http://withoutanet.typepad.com
You can stay current with our posts by following us on Twitter and subscribing to our RSS feed.
I also have a Twitter and Facebook feed
Facebook
Twitter http://twitter.com/mrcadman
Cheers,
Shaan
I just found Autodesk Impression 3 on the Autodesk Subscription Center for download by Autodesk Subscription customers. Autodesk Impression 3 beta testers for project Corradino on Autodesk MyFeedback will receive a copy of it as thanks for their feedback and participation.
I mentioned Autodesk Impression 3 not too long ago showing off my simple Koi pond design.
Blog Post Autodesk Impression 3 Details
Below is my simple koi pond design in Autodesk Impression 3. I was able to import the pond layout from a DWG file from AutoCAD 2010. One of the time savers is the DWG file for the pond I used changes (we all know projects change several times) all I do is select Update and my 2D rendering is updated to reflect the changes with the styles applied. It does not force you to start from scratch again like a photo raster editing application would.
Some of the high level improvements in this new release:
So Autodesk Subscription customers can go download Autodesk Impression 3 now!
For those interested in Autodesk trivia for project codenames, Corradino was named after Corradino D'Ascanio who invented the first helicopter.
I love Autodesk Impression and have shown it around the world and heard many ooohs and ahhhs. Many I spoke with stated they can get their individual style back into the project design phase and provide an alternative look to a photo realistic rendering. In many cases you cannot distinguish a hand rendering from one in Autodesk Impression unless of course you are looking at the billable hours to create it as Autodesk Impressions' goal was to take a several day process and reduce it to around 20 minutes.
Cheers,
Shaan
AutoCAD 2010 Help is now available in HTML online as well as many other AutoCAD 2010 learning and training resources free. I believe this is just one step towards something even more exciting in the future for documentation, but more on that if and when it materializes.
http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-help
More resources
Web-based Training and Help for AutoCAD 2010 can be accessed from the following resources
Learning Path.
Cheers,
Shaan
The worlds best manufacturing industry design applications are shipping!
If you are a customer on Autodesk Subscription.check out your Subscription Center for a download “electronic fulfillment” option.
If not the box is on its way all over the world.
I have used all of these products in production at some point or another except one as I am no electrical engineer. Digital Prototyping is not just a word, it is a competitive advantage in mechanical design.
Cheers,
Shaan
We have recompiled the much beloved Drawing Tabs MDITabs.ARX application for both 32bit and 64bit versions of AutoCAD 2010. MDITabs allows you to see and quickly navigate open drawings in a series of tabs along the top of the drawing window.
AutoCAD 2010 version Download AutoCAD 2010 MDITabs ARX
AutoCAD 2007/2008/2009 version Download Here
To install you simply place the appropriate ARX for your version of AutoCAD 2010 such as 32-bit or 64-bit in your support path. Now use the AutoCAD command APPLOAD to load it, and then add it to your start up suite so it loads each time you start AutoCAD 2010.
Please note this tool is unsupported and provided as-is.
Cheers,
Shaan
March 24th 2009 is the magic day for many Autodesk Products to start shipping and a few others a little bit beyond that day. AutoCAD 2010 is the 24th release of AutoCAD.
Press Release: Autodesk 2010 Design and Engineering Software Product Line Now Available
If you are an Autodesk Subscription customer and have download permissions from your Autodesk Subscription listed contract admin then you can go get many products by download instead of waiting for the delivery person to knock on your door.
AutoCAD History Page updated
AutoCAD 2010 (24) March 2009
Autodesk and AutoCAD History Image Gallery
AutoCAD 2010 Information http://www.autodesk.com/autocad
There is a new free online community for AutoCAD users named AutoCAD Exchange http://autocad.autodesk.com
This new site by Autodesk will feature many videos, Ask the Expert sessions, featured customers like Hollywood's Eddie Paul. There will also be some fun content like The TeknoChronicles of Z series, and even Roger Penwill CAD related cartoons. There is also the ability for members to share content and AutoCAD tips.
It should be another great resource for all AutoCAD users to bookmark and join.
There is also a CAD Management series I filmed in February with CAD Management guru Robert Green. It is amazing how they say the camera adds ten pounds to you, but I see it can also make me look hair challenged especially when appearing with Robert Green's healthy full head of hair. ;-)
Quite a bit in the AutoCAD Exchange community, and more as it begins to grow.
Cheers,
Shaan
With many of the new 2010 based products Autodesk is releasing, there is the new ability to share content with Autodesk’s Seek free online content service.
In AutoCAD 2010 on the Output ribbon tab I selected the Share with Autodesk Seek and then selected a block I wanted to share. The block was When Ice Cream Goes Bad” from coworker Cliff Young.
It is a simple process where I upload and then I am presented with a page to add a content description, tags, etc. You do need to register for a new and FREE Autodesk Seek account.
So…
Share and Share alike, and Seek and you shall find!
Cheers,
Shaan
Did you know this ability to download Autodesk products (electronic fulfillment) Autodesk by Autodesk Subscription customers already exists? I just found out about it and Autodesk Subscription customers should have received an email around February 24th on this. Autodesk Subscription Software Coordinators, Contract Managers and users with approved download rights can download Autodesk 2009 products in multiple languages now from the Subscription Center.
When the 2010 products begin shipping your Autodesk Subscription Software Coordinator for your Autodesk Subscription should receive an email containing your serial and product key and details on download or requesting a DVD.
You have the option to download and select DVD media. when you request the physical DVD media you get the full shipping product package not just a plain DVD in a envelope.
Where can you find these electronic fulfillment downloads? Go to the Subscription Center and login.You must have permissions for downloads from your Autodesk Subscription Software Coordinator who manages Autodesk Subscription for your company. When logged in select the Downloads menu item and then Launch Electronic Fulfillment.
That's it, instant product upgrade gratification without the need for waiting on a delivery person and box to arrive at your door.
Cheers,
Shaan
The AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Bonus Pack for PDF enhancements and PDF Underlay is now available to AutoCAD Civil 3D Subscription members to install on AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009. This nice enhanced PDF functionality as well as the other AutoCAD Subscription Bonus Packs are built into the AutoCAD 2010 products.
You can download this Bonus Pack on the Subscription Center.
Cheers,
Shaan
If you want to teach a class or lab session on any Autodesk product at Autodesk University 2009, now is your time to get your overview paper on your proposed class submitted.
Call for AU 2009 Proposals Open until April 30, 2009. Submit today!
Yes it is time to begin thinking about AU again and this year it will be held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay. This is the top multi industry design professional training and networking event! In addition to great classes and meeting top peers in your industry there is quite a bit of fun to balance out things out.There is a photo gallery from Autodesk University 2008 Flickr photo set to see some of the fun and photos of this large event.
I hope to see you at AU!
Shaan
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