The AutoCAD 2014 and the AutoCAD LT 2014 Preview Guides in PDF format are a nice highlight of the new releases written by Autodesk’s very own Heidi Hewett. The Preview Guide is like an exceptionally nice cliff notes guide for the new product releases under 30 pages, but not a 700+ page complete how to use the product.
We are excited to let you know about a mid-year update to the online Help for AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD LT 2013, and AutoCAD Mechanical 2013.
These updates just went live today September 12, 2012 in both the product and online.
The updates include new content, as well as search enhancements, Help filters, the new Hitchhiker’s Guide to AutoCAD, additional reference links for Command and System Variables, and more.
Many of the features we’ve added are a direct response to your feedback and some may be English only.
Cheers,
Shaan
We released AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2013 Service Pack 1 recently. Unfortunately a limited install crash issue was found in the original Service Pack 1 after release, so we recalled it. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
There is a new AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2013 Service Pack 1.1 with the issue resolved and will install on any AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2013 with or without the original Service Pack 1 installed.
AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1
AutoCAD LT 2013 Service Pack 1.1
More from the AutoCAD Support blog “Without a Net”
The Return of SP1 for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2013
Another successful Technology Preview has graduated from Autodesk Labs. Project Spark has been a technology preview since August 30, 2011 gathering your feedback you sent in and now has become Autodesk Revit LT 2013.
Revit LT is a simplified 3D building information modeling (BIM) solution. Using Project Spark aka Revit LT, building professionals can create designs efficiently with real-world building objects, produce more reliable documentation faster, and share files with consultants using Revit or AutoCAD-based products.
Revit LT should be available within a month for download of the trial or purchase separately or in the AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2013 suite with AutoCAD LT.
Update: The old Project Spark Technology Preview (pre-Revit LT) is still available on Autodesk Labs at:
http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/spark
Read more in the press release: Autodesk Announces Autodesk Revit LT
Keep checking our our posted technology previews on Autodesk Labs, and provide your feedback to make more technology previews graduate to full Autodesk products you like. Your feedback is vital to whether the previews graduate, or are retired. There are many projects posted each month so check Autodesk Labs often. If you have never been there, please take a minute and see all the FREE preview technologies now available, perhaps one may be what you have been looking for to help and speed your design and visualization workflows. Also be sure to sign up for the newsletter.
Thank you for all your feedback on Project Spark and playing a critical role in it graduating and becoming a real Autodesk BIM product.
Cheers,
Shaan
In a continuing effort to improve customer experience and product quality we have released a Service Pack for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013.
This Service Pack was created as a direct result of detailed information and feedback from customers who used the CER Customer Error Reporting Utility or who reported issues to their reseller, in the Autodesk discussion groups, on social media like Twitter, or Subscription Support.
Keep the feedback and CER reports coming!
Check out all the details and download links at AutoCAD Updates and Service Pack Page
Also check out the security we have implemented in the SP1. Tom has blogged about them on his blog
The explanation about new security controls are at: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=20327810&linkID=9240617
Update: The service packs have been pulled due to an issue found after release.
It’s Facecast time again!
On Thursday, July 26 at 11:30 Eastern, I’ll be hosting a Facecast on AutoCAD LT 2013.
Join me to hear about the fun new features in this year’s version, as well as some of my favorite tips and tricks that you can use for older releases too. We’ll also have Q&A time, so think up your questions to ask on Thursday or email them to me in advance.
This should be a must attend for AutoCAD LT users! Bring your questions.
On Thursday, July 26 at 11:30 Eastern, The Facecast AutoCAD LT 2013.
Click here event page.
-Shaan
In a continuing effort to improve customer experience and product quality we released a Service Pack 2 for AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012.
AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 2
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL19500680
AutoCAD LT 2012 Service Pack 2
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL19501802
Please make sure to read the important details in the ReadMe document about what has been addressed and important installation notes.
Every time you experience an “unplanned exit” from AutoCAD please make sure to send in a CER report as this is where we get a great deal of clues on the problems details and possible methods to fix it in a hotfix or service pack.
Cheers,
Shaan
Some great news (as usual) was found in the April Edition of Autodesk Labs Innovation Edge newsletter. http://labs.blogs.com/apr2012/innovation_edge.htm
You can try the brand spanking new AutoCAD LT 2013 Online Trial without having to download or installing anything. No, this is not a late April Fools joke. The AutoCAD LT 2013 is running on our servers allowing you a fast, free, and effortless way to check out the new release. You may only see the download trial option if the online trial is too popular or your connection is not fast enough.
You should Subscribe to Innovation Edge and stay on top of all the latest in technology from Autodesk Labs.
Cheers,
Shaan
In a continuing effort to improve our products and address customer feedback and CER reports we have released the AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 Service Pack 1 for download. One highlight is the pre-AutoCAD 2012 Classic Array behavior now as the ARRAYCLASSIC command.
We wish to sincerely thank the many customer beta testers that provided feedback during the beta cycles of this Service Pack. Their feedback and CER reports are critical to shipping the best product quality we possibly can.
AutoCAD 2012 SP1 http://bit.ly/qYEa3k
AutoCAD LT 2012 SP1 http://bit.ly/otx1KO
AutoCAD WS is now shipping free as a commercial product after having graduated from Autodesk Labs as Project Butterfly. Project Butterfly now known as AutoCAD WS has been evolving over time since appearing in the Labs with more functionality and performance along with getting great feedback from users. AutoCAD WS requires only a browser such as Safari, IE, Chrome or Firefox with Flash installed. Now in addition being able to upload, edit, markup, and share in real-time with DWG files, you can also upload other file types like ZIP, Doc, and PDF files as a file storage solution.
AutoCAD WS is a quick & free signup but if you already have an Autodesk single sign-on account like the Autodesk forums you can use that.
AutoCAD WS Video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cchyCLeTRbY
AutoCAD WS Video for those without access to YouTube Download AutoCAD WS Video
| AutoCAD WS showing some of the File Save options DWG, DXF,JPG PNG, and a ZIP archive with Xrefs. | AutoCAD 2011 Uploading a DWG to AutoCAD WS for sharing in a markup session. |
| Sending a share invitation to Kate to markup a drawing in AutoCAD WS. | AutoCAD WS - Kate joining the AutoCAD WS session |
| AutoCAD WS - Two people marking up a drawing in real-time. | AutoCAD 2011 showing markups from shared AutoCAD WS session |
There is also AutoCAD WS Mobile from the Apple iTunes Store http://www.itunes.com/app/autocad-ws. With AutoCAD WS Mobile you can use the native iOS based AutoCAD WS Mobile to view, markup, and edit DWG files uploaded to your AutoCAD WS space.
| AutoCAD WS Mobile being used on an Apple iPad at a design & construction meeting. |
| Measuring a DWG object with AutoCAD WS Mobile on an Apple iPad. | In Grayscale mode in AutoCAD WS Mobile on an Apple iPhone |
| Drawing Management in AutoCAD WS Mobile on an Apple iPhone | Invitation to share in AutoCAD WS Mobile on an Apple iPhone |
Also released are plugins for several AutoCAD based products to add the ability to upload and manage files in AutoCAD WS. This new plug-in is available for everyone to download from http://www.autocadws.com/downloads, or as part of the Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD 2011.
| AutoCAD WS Plugin Toolbar |
| AutoCAD WS Plugin Ribbon |
AutoCAD WS Plug-in for AutoCAD 2011 is currently available for the following English only products:
For more info:
Did I mention these are FREE?
Get out of the office, Go Mobile with AutoCAD WS!
Shaan
The Update 1 (aka Service Pack) to AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011 are now available for download. This update addresses several defects and issues reported by customers, product support, and Customer Error Reporting “CER” data.
AutoCAD 2011 Update 1.1
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15569492
AutoCAD LT 2011 Update 1.1
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15569738
Please review the ReadMe document prior to installation.
Best Regards,
Shaan
UPDATE August 26th, 2010 ` AutoCAD 2011 Update 1 Removed from Download
On August 23, 2010, Autodesk released Update 1 for AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011. Unfortunately, Update 1 introduced an issue when conducting certain operations that may cause AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT to shut down. This issue affects a small number of users. We have removed Update 1 and will reintroduce it in the near future when the issue has been resolved. For customers who have already installed Update 1, a hot fix will be posted shortly. Please be assured that Autodesk is wholly committed to the quality of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, and regrets this error.
UPDATE August 27th, 2010- AutoCAD 2011 Update 1 Update Hotfix Released
Here is the hotfix for the Update 1 and a updated Update 1 to be released soon.
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15629571
UPDATE September 7th, 2010- AutoCAD 2011 Update 1.1 Released
AutoCAD 2011 Update 1.1
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15569492
AutoCAD LT 2011 Update 1.1
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL15569738
Continue reading "AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011 Update 1 Available for Download" »
I received a question on Twitter today asking how to change the AutoCAD 2011 background color of the Layout.
The default color of the paper in a Layout is white, but perhaps you would like it to blue or maybe black.
If you want to change you AutoCAD background colors from the defaults go to Options>Display> then select the Color button.
In the Drawing Window Color dialog you have complete control over the color settings of most everything in AutoCAD. For the Layout paper background select Sheet/Layout > Uniform Background and then set the color you want.
from the default white.
Slightly related: If you want the old AutoCAD classic icons instead of the ribbon, change your Workspace to the AutoCAD Classic Workspace.
You can even get your AutoCAD to look like it did back in AutoCAD R14 and earlier. AutoCAD UI ~ Best of Both Worlds is Flexible with Traditional Menus or New Ribbon +Plus+ AutoCAD UI Retro Mod’ing Fun
Cheers,
Shaan
Chances are you own a mobile phone or smartphone in this age of mobile technology. One thing I have been doing on both my Blackberry and iPhone is taking the AutoCAD documentation with me on my mobile devices so I can access them from anywhere. It is a a cool trick to appear to known each and every system variable and command during a conversation with someone, as long as they don't realize you have the documentation on your phone and you really don't know everything AutoCAD.
What I want to do in this post is to give you the AutoCAD documentation in the palm of your hand. AutoCAD documentation is available now online as well as in PDF format (see below). With both those options you should be able to view AutoCAD documentation from almost any smartphone. I use both formats, I place the PDF documents local on my device and bookmark the URL to the online documentation in my mobile browser.
As an example here is how I have my personal iPhone setup. I open the Safari browser and then navigate to the AutoCAD 2011 online Help (http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU/landing.html) or the link to many other Autodesk product online Help links. I then select the option to bookmark the link as well I also select the option to save to Add to Home Screen. Adding to the Home Screen creates an icon on your iPhone screen you can quickly access and launch to get to the online documentation.
You could also add a link to the new AutoCAD Wiki Help Beta.
The other option is download the AutoCAD 2011 Help in PDF format and then just view them on your mobile device even without a cell signal like when you are camping and need that nagging AutoCAD command option question answered or bet a beer with a buddy that you know what command does what. Personally I use GoodReader for large PDF file reading on my iPhone.
For those that prefer the Windows compiled HTML files CHM “Chum” files you can grab those for your Windows device.
AutoCAD 2011 CHM Based Help Files Available for Download
You certainly cannot memorize all the product documentation, commands, or system variables or even options, but if you have them handy you can be the life of the CAD Geek party.
Cheers,
Shaan
Had a great week with Lynn Allen, Heather, Lisa, many Autodesk partners, and hundreds of customers last week on the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour. We were in Orlando, Atlanta, and San Diego. I met a great amount of customers from single person design firms to some major cruise lines and movie studios using Autodesk products and looking to learn more. I covered a wide array of Autodesk products in the AutoCAD Family including AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD Architecture 2010, AutoCAD MEP 2010, AutoCAD Mechanical 2010, AutoCAD Plant 3D, and some future cool things like the upcoming Alias Sketch for AutoCAD.
The travel schedule was a little tight with the three events one after the other but we made it.
Sign up to attend the free events. Lynn Allen and myself will be winging around the North American continent in October.
I am posting photos of the events.
See The Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour 2009 Photo Gallery
Tomorrow I take off for this weeks leg of the tour in Columbus, Montreal, and Edmonton. I hope to see you at the events!
Cheers,
Shaan
For those social media butterflies on Twitter you can follow me at @mrcadman or now on the new Google Wave at 3dhurley@googlewave.com
The first Update (aka Service Pack) to AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 are now available for download. This update addresses over 160defects and issues reported by customers, product support, and Customer Error Reporting “CER” data, One of the highlight fixes is the fixing of attaching multiple Xrefs at one time.
There is a new change for Autodesk Subscription customers in this Update 1. If you are a subscription customer a balloon notification periodically displays in the InfoCenter making you aware of how much time remains before your subscription expires. The Updates for AutoCAD Architecture 2010, AutoCAD MEP 2010, and AutoCAD Mechanical are currently undergoing pre-release beta testing on http://beta.autodesk.com.
AutoCAD Updates and Service Packs Updates & Service Packs
Tom Stoeckel has also blogged about this Update 1 for AutoCAD 2010 on the AutoCAD Support blog Without a net ~ Update 1 Released for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2010
Cheers,
Shaan
Continue reading "AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 Update 1 (SP1) Available for Download" »
In AutoCAD 2010 products there is now a new ribbon option we call sticky panels. You can now tear off a ribbon panel to the drawing area. It will remain on your drawing area modeless much like a toolbar would.
In this quick bite size example I want to take the Action Recorder off the ribbon to my drawing area for easier access as I want to record and test some macros.
I simply select the panel on the lower panel description name and then hold the left mouse button and drag it off the ribbon. You could do this for other panels you frequently use perhaps the new Mesh panel or the Modify panel.
There is are option available on the sticky panel such as the ability to change the orientation of the panel from vertical to horizontal. I can also drag the sticky panel back onto the ribbon in a location I would prefer or select the option to return it to the ribbon which places it back where it came from.
Cheers,
Shaan
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
In an effort to continue to improve the quality of our products we are releasing a free AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 after it has completed customer beta testing. This update (Service Pack) includes both AutoCAD Update 1 & Update 2.
Who Should Install This Update?
Downloads
ReadMe Document
Fixes Include:
AutoCAD customers have been asking for the option to rotate the view with their associated viewport. This was a top item in the AUGI AutoCAD Wish List June 2007 submitted by Bill N. (link).
With the AutoCAD 2010 based products we have added the ability to rotate objects in a viewport with the viewport easily without having to become a UCS ninja master.
You can select the viewport and when you rotate it the view rotates with the Viewport. There is a new AutoCAD System Variable VPROTATEASSOC which is set to a value of 1 by default and will rotate the view with the viewport. You can set VPROTATEASSOC=0 to have the Viewport rotate with the Viewport.
Viewport before rotating. You can use the command ROTATE and select the viewport boundary, or select the viewport boundary and then use the grips to rotate.
When you rotated the viewport in past releases of AutoCAD it resulted in the following result.
The default in AutoCAD 2010 rotates the view with the viewport.
Keep the wish List items coming!
AutoCAD Wish List Submission Form
Cheers,
Shaan
I was doing some planning work for a new pond in my backyard and thought I would share a cool AutoCAD tip.
When drawing a 2D layout drawing of my yard’s landscaping I was presented with the problem of duplicating the flowerbeds border with the grass regions. Instead of copying and drawing outlines which could cause problems with the splines I used for the curved shapes, I used the trick of creating a new boundary polyline with a Hatch. Below is a tutorial on how you can do the same trick and as a bonus showed my design styled in Autodesk Impression.
So in this image you see the 6 regions I want defined for a polyline on a separate layer, but the boundaries of these objects is not drawn yet.
What I did was hatched the 6 regions I wanted to create a boundary for using the AutoCAD command BHATCH.
I then double-clicked on the new Hatch which brings up the Hatch Edit dialog. I then selected the option to “Recreate Boundary” then accepted the default option to create a Polyline and boundary not Reassociate the Hatch to the new boundary.
Now delete the Hatch object and you are left with a polyline boundary of the regions you hatched. This is much faster than other methods to create the new boundary layer. I could also just keep the Hatch objects on a separate layer and even use AutoCAD Fields to display the square footage of my grass covered areas. In a past popular blog post “StarBacks BBQ Floor Space Planning with AutoCAD FIELDS” I showed how to show a hatch objects area and even use that area value for an AutoCAD or Excel table and calculations. As Matt Murphy would say “ That’s Wicked Cool”.
To make the design nice and visually pleasing instead of just a collection of lines, I styled my design using Autodesk Impression. Below are the hand rendering styled images created with Autodesk Impression 3 in less than five minutes.
The best part is the rendering is vector based drawing and if I update the DWG file I can simply update the rendering in Impression instead of starting back from scratch in a raster editing program or using traditional pens, markers or watercolor. In less than five minutes I imported the DWG and styled it in a colored pencil then changed my mind and in less than one minute changed to an overlapping marker style.
Autodesk Impression is a free download for many Autodesk Subscription customers.
Update 5/11/09
Tom Kelly pointed out another excellent method to create the outline of a region in the comments to this post. Use the Boundary command “BO”. So many commands, so little time. Thanks Tom.
Cheers,
Shaan
In past releases of AutoCAD you could develop a nice Dynamic Block but had to save it to see if it worked and then re-enter the Block Editor (BEDIT command) to tweak and tune it, and repeat.
Now with AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 in the Block Editor there is the ability to test your block speeding up the creation of powerful Dynamic Blocks.
You can access this new Test Block option from the Block Edit ribbon or using the AutoCAD command BTESTBLOCK when in the Block Editor.
Cheers,
Shaan
