Between the Lines

TeknoChronicles of Z Does BIM

The TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 7 “Sweatin' the Details” is now available on the AutoCAD Exchange.

“Uh oh. The zipper on TJ's TeknoTard is stuck. But Z is more focused on designing cool skyboxes for a new stadium. So of course, he's implemented a BIM process with Autodesk Revit at the core, and he's using AutoCAD to extend the power of BIM. Good for the stadium design. Bad for TJ. “

 

http://autocad.autodesk.com/?nd=humor

Another great feature of the AutoCAD Exchange is the Ask an Expert where you can ask questions to the weeks expert.

July 13 – 17th the featured AutoCAD Expert on AutoCAD Exchange the Expert will be Robert Bell.  Robert will be taking your AutoCAD questions.

Free Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event Today

Tuesday May 19, 2009
10:00 AM. – 5:00 PM. EDT (7:00 AM – 2:00 PM. PDT)

There will be many presentations as well as Autodesk employees posted in the virtual booths to take your questions on the many new products.

I hope to “virtually” see you there as I will be participating in the chat sessions such as “Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits“.

Sign Up Now

Cheers,
Shaan

PS: Only 196 days until Autodesk University 2009!

Focusing on the AutoCAD Fantastic Four

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

Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event May 19th, 2009

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

Sign Up Now

Agenda

The Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event Agenda May 19, 2009

10:00am–5:00pm EDT / 7:00am–2:00pm PDT

• Exhibit Hall Open

11:30–12:00pm EDT / 8:30–9:00am PDT

• What's New in Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions for Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
• What's New in Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010
• What's New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• What's New in Autodesk Revit MEP 2010
• Infrastructure Modeling / Mapping and GIS
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: What's New in Maya 2009

12:00–12:30pm EDT / 9:00–9:30am PDT

• Take Design Further: Lynn Allen's AutoCAD 2010 Tips & Techniques

12:30–1:00pm EDT / 9:30–10:00am PDT

• Autodesk Solutions for the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

1:00–1:30pm EDT / 10:00–10:30am PDT

Scheduled Chat Sessions:

• AutoCAD LT 2010: PDF output and underlays
• What is Digital Prototyping and What's in it For Me?
• The Latest and Greatest in Autodesk Revit
• Infrastructure Modeling / Mapping and GIS
• Best Practices: Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment
• Autodesk Solutions for the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

1:30–2:00pm EDT / 10:30–11:00am PDT

• 3D Conceptual Design inside AutoCAD 2010

2:30–3:00pm EDT / 11:30–12:00pm PDT

• What's New in the Autodesk Vault Product Line for Data Management
• What's New in Autodesk Solutions for Industrial Design & Visualization
• What's New in Autodesk Revit Structure 2010
• What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010
• What's New in Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2010
• Join the Conversation: Design Matters – when managing utility networks
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: What's New In 3ds Max 2010

3:00–3:30pm EDT / 12:00–12:30pm PDT

Scheduled Chat Sessions:

• Autodesk Manufacturing Software Solutions – Indentifying the Right Products for You
• Rock & Road: Dig into AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• Design Matters: When Managing Utility Networks
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: Production Workflows

4:00–4:30pm EDT / 1:00–1:30pm PDT

Scheduled Chat Session:

• Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits

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

Autodesk MyFeedback Portal and Forums Closing May 30th 2009

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

Get Certified with the 2010 Beta Exams for AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D

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.

• Gain a competitive edge by getting 2010 Certified (you must take both the associate and professional level exams in a specific product if you are not a 2009 certified professional However if you are a 2009 Certified Professional you only need to take and pass the 2010 associate exam.)
• Customer cost $25 per test by using the consumer shopping cart.

The beta period is open for a 2 week period for each exam,ending on May 20 & 22^nd, 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?

• The exam may contain small errors (this beta is to catch and correct these any errors.)
• Exam questions may or may not be the same ones that appear on the final exam (this is why your feedback is important.)
• Scoring may not be immediate, but will most often take place 6 weeks after taking the exam (score reports will only be delivered directly to the test takers.)
• You will be asked to provide feedback on a short survey at the end of the test (thank you in advance.)
• Test takers will be notified via email when their score is ready so valid email addresses are important.
• You have the chance to provide feedback via a survey at the end of the test to help influence a better test.

How can you participate?

1. Purchase a 2010 exam using the consumer shopping cart at http://autodesk.starttest.com. Be sure to download exam objectives to help you better prepare for the exam.
2. Contact an Autodesk Certification Center near you by using the locator at www.autodesk.com/certification. Be sure to contact the Training Center to confirm they are participating and to schedule your beta exam.
3. Make sure sure to take the exam by May 20 or May 22 (to be valid for 2010 certification status.)

Beta Program Information

May 5 – May 20 

• AutoCAD 2010 Associate
• AutoCAD 2010 Professional
• Inventor 2010 Associate
• Inventor 2010 Professional

May 7 – May 22

• Revit Architecture 2010 Associate
• Revit Architecture 2010 Prof (imperial)
• Revit Architecture 2010 (metric)
• Civil 3D 2010 Associate
• Civil 3D 2010 Professional (imperial)
• Civil 3D 2010 Professional (metric)

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

AutoCAD Free Bonus Tool Drawing Tabs "MDITabs"

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

Revit Unleashed! Blog dedicated to the interoperability between Revit and 3dsMax design process

Juan Maschio from beautiful Argentina has started a new blog dedicated to using both Revit and 3ds Max in the design process. Juan will also be blogging some tips and tricks for other programs such as: AutoCAD , Autodesk Impression, Revit MEP, Revit Structure.

Please join me in welcoming Juan to the CAD Blogosphere and to your bookmarks and RSS feeds.

Welcome, Bienvenidos, Benvenuti Juan!

Revit Unleashed! (English and Spanish)
http://www.unleashrevit.blogspot.com/

Revit Unleashed Italia! (Italian)
http://www.revititalia.blogspot.com/

RSS Feed

Cheers,
Shaan

Unhandled exception Unhandled e0434f4dh exception at 7c81eb33h when using AutoCAD 2010-based product

The solution for this issue has been recently posted in the Autodesk Knowledge Base. ID TS1106848 2009-Apr-14

After installation, you were able to start the product, but when you tried to execute a command or select one of the UI items, the product crashed with the following error message:

Unhandled e0434f4dh exception at 7c81eb33h

This error is caused by Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 not being installed properly.  You can download and install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 directly from the Microsoft website here

Once you have installed .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, the product will work as expected.

AutoCAD 2010 Now Available on the Autodesk Student Engineering & Design Community

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

Autodesk Design Research Open House

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:

• Chat with Autodesk software designers and engineers. They’ll describe how they researched and built features in Autodesk's 2010 line of products including AutoCAD®, Revit® Architecture, Autodesk Inventor™, and Autodesk® Green Building Studio®.
• Browse the Autodesk design gallery. Peek behind the one-way-glass to watch a software usability session in action.
• Watch or join a 15-minute focus group or software usability session.
• Network with local professionals from organizations such as SEAONC-YMF, ASHRAE, AIA-BAYA, USGBC-Emerging Green Builders.
• Get informed as the US Green Building Council summarizes what you need to know about the June 2009 changes to the LEED accreditation.
• Chat with Aerotek representatives. Aerotek is an international recruiting and placement firm that is a recognized leader in staffing for the Architecture and Engineering industries.

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

DWG TrueView 2010 Available for Free Download

Yes Autodesk DWG TrueView 2010, the 100% DWG viewer build on AutoCAD is ready for download. Read DWG from 2.1 to AutoCAD 2010 and plots, measures, and more.

See Volker's Post on his blog Beyond the Paper :
DWG TrueView 2010 - Download Page

My post from earlier this week which also shows the batch DWG conversion tools built in.
AutoCAD DWG TrueView 2010, The Free 100% DWG Viewer

Go get Autodesk DWG TrueView http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview

Autodesk 2010 Product Codenames

For those interested in Autodesk trivia, this is for you. When software is being developed it does not have a formal name, and is often referred to as a codename project throughout development and beta testing. The names are selected by the teams and some take great liberty and humor in their selection while some may align with their products theme.

Below is the only complete listing of Autodesk internal codenames for 2010 projects thus far.

Architectural Flavored AutoCAD

For those using the Architectural flavored AutoCAD AutoCAD Architecture or considering it here is a nice 5 minute demonstration of the upcoming AutoCAD Architecture 2010 product by Autodesk’s ACA ninja Kelcey Lemon.

Autodesk Impression 3 Details

Autodesk Impression Release 3 will be available to Autodesk Subscription customers for download in the near future and is currently in beta testing with customers.

What is Autodesk Impression?
”Autodesk Impression converts precision drawings to visually attractive design illustrations by applying appearance styles that simulate everything from pencil-drawn sketches to hand-colored renderings.”

Some of the high level improvements coming in this new release:

Adaptive Gradients - Cool!

Layer Enhancements - Like the new drop-down list with layer tools added to the Layers palette toolbar.

Style Books

Color Books - RAL Added and Pantone updated.

Style Library Wizard

Global Style Controls - Like rotate

Block Improvements - Including the ability to create a new block from a selection by right-click. And you can use the ‘B’ key to create a new block. and being able to easily identify blocks.

2010 DWG file formats

And more.

Below is my simple koi pond design in Autodesk Impression 3. I was able to import the pond from a DWG file from AutoCAD. Now if the DWG file for the pond changes all I do is select Update and my 2D rendering is updated to reflect the changes with the styles applied without having to start from scratch.

I also used Impression for fun awhile back to create one of my blog banners complete with a coffee stain to look like an authentic blueprint.

New Blog Banner Done in Autodesk Impression

For some really great Autodesk Impression examples and content see the Autodesk Impression Community.

Cheers,
Shaan

Do you have a webcam, a microphone, and want virtual beer?

If you do, how about attending an   impromptu town hall meeting of AutoCAD based product users discussing various topics,exchanging ideas and tips and getting to know each other. Just an experiment to figure out the rough edges and what works.

Is anyone interested in seeing each others faces live in a webcam and hearing their voices in a virtual meeting of CAD and Design Professionals?Think of it as a live discussion group with faces and voices. Could be a great deal of fun, or a fun awkward bumpy experiment.

Of course time selection would be critical to allow for the most around the globe to participate so perhaps a Thursday mid morning.

One more clarification is that there will not be the ability to serve pizza and beer, so it will be a Bring Your Own.Virtual Refreshment And Virtual Pizza “BYOVRAVP”. I know someone will ask but please do not bring your Virtual Hookah pipe. Physical clothes not virtual are required.

Maybe this wild and crazy idea is all a result of being snowed in again and getting some cabin fever from being cooped up in the basement office far too long.

If you would be interested in participating and think I should go full steam ahead towards the first inaugural event, just reply with suggestions on format and topics in the comments to this post.

It does sound fun!

Cheers,
Shaan

Who is Using the Autodesk Network Licenses Now

I received a question from a large longtime customer in the Netherlands (Holland). He asked “how can I get a status inquiry of who is using a license of specific Autodesk products.”

Below is a script by Autodesk networking ninja Jerry Milana using the Autodesk license utility “LSMUTIL” and Grep for Windows.  There are several Windows ports of Grep available on the Internet, some are free. A copy of LSMUTL is installed in your Autodesk Network License Manager folder. You can get the product id from your network license files. In this example it returns the status of AutoCAD 2009, AutoCAD Architecture 2009, and AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 licenses in use. Script writing and testing does take some expertise as it is not for the faint of heart as you will need to modify for your use.

echo off echo Please wait .... Echo Server1 Acad 2009:>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt lmutil lmstat -c @servernamehere -f 57600ACD_2009_0F|grep -i start>>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt Echo Server2 Acad ACA 2009:>>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt lmutil lmstat -c @servernamehere -f 60100ARCHDESK_2009_0F|grep -i start>>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt Echo Server2 Acad_M 2009:>>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt lmutil lmstat -c @servernamehere -f 59200AMECH_PP_2009_0F|grep -i start>>%TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt cls more %TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt pause if "%1" == "" GOTO END copy %TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt %1.txt :END del %TEMP%\stat_tmp.txt

You can get more of Jerry Milana’s Autodesk product networking tips from his Autodesk University classes posted on AU Online (free).

• CM301-1 Networking AutoCAD® A to Z with Jerry Milana and Nate Bartley.
• CM305-2L Networking A to Z: A Hands-On Lab with AutoCAD®, Part I

  Highlights

  • Implementation roadmap
  • Network License Manager
  • Standalone activation
  • Deployment Wizard
  • Installation and configuration
  • Troubleshooting
  • Diagnostic Techniques

-Shaan

Did You Know You Can Download Autodesk Product Upgrades on the Autodesk Subscription Center

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

New Autodesk Blog Inside the Factory for Revit Users

I would like to welcome another Autodesk  blog to the CAD blogosphere.

Inside the Factory – a blog about designing the Revit user experience authored by 3 people in the Revit user experience team Erik Egbertson, Lilli Smith, AIA, LEED AP, and Tom Vollaro.

Download the Subscription PDF Bonus Pack for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009

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

Autodesk University 2009 Call for Class Proposals

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

3ds Max Design 2010 and AutoCAD 2010 DWG Interoperability

3ds Max Product Manager Ken Pimentel wrote a good blog post covering 3ds Max Design and AutoCAD 2010 DWG interoperability. The new subdivision meshes move easily between the two applications allowing greater collaboration with conceptual design and visualization team members.
Ken’s Blog Post: 3ds Max Design 2010: improved DWG interop

In addition to Ken’s post I created a quick AutoCAD 2010 new mesh object and subdivided it easily into an organic shape, then saved it as a DWG file. I was then able to import it into 3ds Max Design 2010 as a Subdivision Surface object. I can also use DWG to export back and forth and even to Revit as a Massing object.

There is also the new AutoCAD Visualization Suite which combines AutoCAD, 3ds Max Design, and Autodesk Showcase.

Now you can tickle vectors and excite pixels in your design flow!

Cheers,
Shaan

03 March 2009 New Feature Releases for Autodesk Subscription Customers

On March 3rd 2009, Autodesk Subscription members, as part of their benefits, can download the following new feature releases:

Product Downloads

• Inventor iLogic™ Extension for Autodesk© Inventor© 2009
• Revit^® Extensions for Revit^® Architecture 2009 –Updates
• Revit^® Extensions for Revit^® MEP 2009 –Updates
• Revit^® Extensions for Revit^® Structure 2009 –Updates
• Residential HVAC Load Calculation Extension for Revit^® MEP 2009 and AutoCAD^® MEP 2009
• Subscription Structural Library for Revit® Structure 2009

Training

• Autodesk® Moldflow® Downloadable Videos
  • Autodesk® Moldflow® Plastics Advisers Hardware Recommendations
  • What’s New in Autodesk® Moldflow® Plastics Advisers 8.1
  • Autodesk® Moldflow® Plastics Insight Hardware Recommendations
  • Prediction of Birefringence in Plastic Moldings
  • What's New in Moldflow Plastics Insight 6.2

Podcasts

• Autodesk® Maya® Podcast - Interview with David Lightbown 
• BIM with Revit® MEP 2009
• MEP Firm Designs with Revit® MEP 2009
• President Obama Recognizes MEP Contractor

What's New in AutoCAD MEP 2010

What’s MEP?
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing or as some have referred to it as the tin, copper, and brass of the building.  AutoCAD MEP 2010 is the better, faster AutoCAD software for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing system design.

There was three main thematic focus areas in AutoCAD MEP 2010 besides the obvious AutoCAD 2010 feature set included in this vertical AutoCAD based product for MEP users.

• Improved Usability and Performance
  • Improved Workspaces
  • Ribbon UI
  • Application Menu
  • Better Performance
  • Sloped Piping
  • Parallel Pipe Routing

• Comprehensive Design Content
  • New Additional Content
  • MvParts from Solids or Mass Elements
  • Import Parts from Autodesk® Inventor® 2010
  • Content Builder Enhancements
  • Migration Tools
  • Autodesk® Seek integration
• Better Construction Documents
  • Enhanced Panel Schedules
  • Enhanced Electrical Devices
  • Display by Elevation
  • Better Graphical Display
  • Publish Enhancements

Other highlights

• Import Parts from Autodesk® Inventor® 2010 using the ..ADSK file exchange format.
• Export to PDF and PDF Underlay
• Display MEP objects differently based on their elevation
• Convert Solids or Mass Elements to MvParts directly

 

AutoCAD MEP 2010, coming to a desktop near you soon!

Check out tips and tutorials from AutoCAD MEP expert Armundo Darling.

Cheers,
Shaan

AUGI Wish Lists Voting Period February 2009

It is that time again to vote on AUGI member nominations to the Autodesk product wish lists. If you want something to be considered in a future product version this is one of your chances to move it up the list in priority as Autodesk takes the wish list very seriously.

No excuses just go vote as it only takes seconds. If you are not an AUGI member yet, membership is free and many benefits come with membership. Join AUGI Now!

AUGI Wish List Page

• AutoCAD ballot
• AutoCAD Civil 3D ballot
• Autodesk Inventor ballot
• Autodesk Revit Architecture ballot

Cheers,
Shaan