Between the Lines

TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 3 "Supply Chained"

A new episode of the TeknoChronicles of Z has been posted on the AutoCAD Exchange as well as YouTube. This is the third episode and titled “Supply Chained”. Take a break and watch this video to get a mid-week laugh.

TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 3 – Supply Chained

If you have not been following the funny series The TeknoChronicles of Z it might help to catch up on these short fun videos from Autodesk. Don't forget to enter the General ShadowFinger’s Benign Design contest in 3D for some great prizes but valid for US contestants most likely due to some evil TeknoLawyer.

You can follow The TeknoChronicles of Z at the AutoCAD Exchange Community (http://autocad.autodesk.com), http://www.teknochroniclesofz.com/, or even on YouTube.

Chronological list of webispodes of TeknoChronicles of Z:

• TeknoChronicles of Z Trailer
• The TeknoChronicles of Z - Episode 1: Z No Evil
• TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 2 - General Malaise
• TeknoChronicles of Z General ShadowFinger’s Benign Design in 3D Contest
• TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 3 – Supply Chained

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Design Review 2010 and Updated Web Browser Support

This has a been a longstanding customer request and now fulfilled with the upcoming FREE Autodesk Design Review 2010. Now you can view DWF files from Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and last but definitely not least Mozilla Firefox.

Check out more on Autodesk Design Review 2010 and browsers at Beyond the Paper DWF Blog: DWFs on the Web: Not just for Internet Explorer Anymore

Autodesk Design Review 2010 Details

This excellent robust tool for reviewing, printing, and marking up design files is FREE. It is expected to be shipping in about a month. On the Beyond the Paper blog by Volker Joseph there is a video posted showing some of the enhancements to the Autodesk Design Review 2010.

• Autodesk Design Review 2010 – Video

There is also a summary list of enhancements in another posting.

• Autodesk Design Review 2010 - New Features Overview

One Autodesk Design Review 2010 enhancement people have had questions on is “how do the new digital signatures help security”. That is quite simple, nothing is 100% secure not even paper drawings but digital signatures add one more level of security as well as help the user assure the design has not changed from when the design had the digital signature applied. This is extremely important for archived design documentation for safety and legal responsibilities.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD 2009 Bonus Pack 2 - PDF Output Quality Improvements and File Size Reductions

In addition to the ability to now use a PDF underlay in AutoCAD 2009 so that you can reference and snap to vector geometry there were other PDF enhancements. One of the big enhancements was PDF output quality and file size reductions.

File Size of PDFs Reduced:

Tests using the AutoCAD Sample DWG Willhome.dwg
AutoCAD 2009 PDF = 2.697 MB
AutoCAD 2009 with Bonus Pack 2 PDF = 249 KB 
90.8% reduction in size

Test using a gradient test drawing:
AutoCAD 2009 PDF = 31.697 MB
AutoCAD 2009 with Bonus Pack 2 PDF =867 KB
97.3% reduction in size

We were even smaller than the PDF solution AcroPlot and Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 without compromising quality! With the smaller file sizes you get much faster opening of the PDF files.

Some of the other enhancements:

• Exporting layers into PDF so they can be turned on or off in a PDF viewer.
• Embedding some fonts into the PDF so that you can search for text strings in a PDF viewer.
• Better quality and visual fidelity.
• Support line merging.

While PDF is still not as well suited for electronic vector based design documents as the DWF format is, PDF export in the AutoCAD Bonus Pack 2 has been substantially improved for those that must use the PDF format.

The Bonus Packs are planned to be incorporated into future releases of AutoCAD, but for the current time they are available and use by AutoCAD Subscription customers from the Autodesk Subscription website.

Cheers,
Shaan

Lazy Drafter – Is not Really Lazy

Josh Jones has a blog that I read in my RSS feeds named Lazy Drafter “AutoCAD tips for the lazy drafter.”. He writes often about how to make things easier with Autodesk products like AutoCAD.

He is not really lazy, just really smart.

Today’s post is about the “Wicked Cool” and also FREE Autodesk Design Review and the ability to compare changes between two DWF files. In case some were not aware, there is also an Autodesk blog by Autodesk “desker” Volker Joseph about DWF and Autodesk Design Review named Beyond the Paper.

Lazy Drafter Post:
Compare Design Changes in Autodesk Design Review

Thanks Josh for the treat, and Happy Halloween

Shaan

Link Excel and AutoCAD Without OLE and Win at the Blackjack Tables

OK the main point is not really winning at the card game Blackjack, but the table in this AutoCAD Tables in AutoCAD example does show the best moves when playing at the Blackjack card  table. Autodesk University 2008 is in Shanghai China, Yokohama Japan and Las Vegas Nevada. In Las Vegas there is gambling available should you choose to gamble. I don't gamble when in Las Vegas myself except maybe a couple quarters in a slot machine. OK Shaan get on with it…

I created a Microsoft Spreadsheet showing what to do when the dealer’s hand is showing and you have a certain pair of cards in yours. This table does even the odds a bit, but in most gambling the odds are in the casinos favor no matter the skill.

Now at this point I could copy the Excel cells and using Paste Special in AutoCAD paste as AutoCAD Entities and end up with a native AutoCAD Table with the formatting, values, and the underlying formulas but I am not. In this example I want to show a cool and time saving tip and new AutoCAD 2009 feature. I want to have the spreadsheet linked between AutoCAD and Excel so if I update either they are synched up. I don't want to use the paste OLE object into AutoCAD as OLE is one of those things in Windows that can be a real pain. So we will use the new AutoCAD 2009 ability to create a Table from a data link to Excel. Note you must have Excel installed.

So I use the DATALINK Command. You can also select the Data Link option from the Tools menu.

I will then use the Data Link Manager to give the Data Link a name and then browse for a Excel spreadsheet.

I then can preview the spreadsheet and use the path or a relative path. I also selected a range in the spreadsheet.

Now I use the AutoCAD TABLE Command and select the Insert option “From a data link” and select the Blackjack Table I linked to and you can preview the table.

Now place the Table in your drawing. You can now edit the formatting and as I mentioned update the table from Excel using DATALINKUPDATE command.  without having to resort to OLE which is a gamble itself. ;-)

That’s it!

I printed a DWF for reference and also placed one on the free Autodesk Freewheel where you can view a DWF without installing anything and works on any platform that can run JAVA in a browser.

Shaan’s Blackjack Table DWF Here

Or click the below image to see the DWF in Autodesk Freewheel.

 
Autodesk Freewheel is a free web service to share 3D and 2D designs without installing any software. You can also  use the Autodesk Labs Technology Preview 3D/2D ShareNow Add-in for AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, and Design Review

http://freewheel.autodesk.com/email.aspx?path=ADSKFW%3a%2f%2f60%5c99%5c06%5c44%5c29%5c63%5cd4%5c98%5ca2%5c58%5c5c%5c0c%5c76%5c40%5c22%5cc4%5c5c%5c86%5c2e%5ce0%5cBlackJackTableMapLinked%5b1%5d.dwf&sec=1&cx=0.5&cy=0.5&scale=1

http://freewheel.labs.autodesk.com/dwf_S.aspx?store=true&dwfkey=ADSKFW%3a%2f%2f1d%5c8e%5cd7%5cec%5cb1%5ca3%5c34%5cee%5c07%5c39%5cfc%5cc8%5c4a%5c11%5cf4%5ccf%5c6e%5c85%5ccc%5ce9%5ctmp0.dwf

All you need to do it ad your path to a DWF to the URL for Freewheel or upload your DWF to Freewheel either way it is free and results in a zero client DWF viewing.

All you need to do is point Freewheel at your DWF you have on the web
Now I need to get back to writing my many presentations and packing for travel to Istanbul Turkey this week.

Cheers and I hope to see you at one of the AU’s this year,
Shaan

The DWFCommunity Site is Updated

 

New content, tips and tricks, gallery, products, and Cliff’s Video Tips for the best format for your design data DWF.

Check out DWFCommunity

Technorati Tags: DWF,Autodesk,Design Web Format,DWFCommunity

Have you Seen CADoogle?

It’s birthday is this week if I am correct on my dates.

You can search and view DWF files on the web all without installing a single application. 2D or 3D does not matter as CADoogle uses Autodesk Freewheel to display the views of DWF files in any Java supporting browser. I even found my own neighborhood all detailed out in DWF format by the local county planning department.

http://www.cadoogle.com/

 

CADoogle Mobile
http://cadoogle.com/mobile/

Technorati Tags: DWF,CAD,View CAD,Search CAD,Freewheel,Search DWF,Autodesk,2D,3D,Design Files,Drawings,Design Web Format

Autodesk DWG TrueView 2009 Now Available for Free as a Download - Now Including Measure Objects

http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview

"Use the free* DWG TrueView™ to accurately view, plot, and publish authentic DWG™ and DWF™ files. And now, DWG TrueView™ incorporates all the functionality of DWG TrueConvert™. This means you can translate any AutoCAD® or AutoCAD-based drawing file for compatibility."

New Features in DWG TrueView Raptor Beta 4

• Enhanced UI with the addition of Ribbon Navigation
• Measure objects with these new commands: Distance, Area, List, Locate Point, Region/Mass properties, and Object Snaps
• Navigate drawings in 2D and 3D with SteeringWheel
• Enhanced 3D view selection with ViewCube
• Restore views and play new "animated" views with ShowMotion

System Requirement and Features of DWG TrueView
Frequently Asked Questions About DWG

All that is required is completing the download form. The file download is a whopping 193MB but to be able to have much of the functionality of AutoCAD for viewing, plotting, and file conversion it takes that much. So for free you get 100% DWG and the AutoCAD core you can rely and trust for those that don't need a full CAD to view or convert DWG files but want full data and visual fidelity and compatibility.

Cheers,
Shaan

AUGI HotNews - March 2008, No. 58 - AEC Edition Is Out!

Lots of great articles in this latest version and all for free just like AUGI membership and all the perks.

AUGI HotNews - March 15th, 2008

Some of the excellent articles:

The Price of "Free"
Studies have shown that people value what they pay for. But how do you reconcile that with the "free" nature of the Internet? Chris Lindner, AUGI President, ponders this in relation to AUGI.

Autodesk University 2008: Share Your Expertise

TIPniques: Design Review
Brian Benton reviews Autodesk's Design Review, a free, stand-alone product that can open, view, print, markup, and compare DWF files, and a lot more.

Your Toughest Users, Part 1
Every CAD manager must work with people. And sometimes, that's quite a challenge. Author Mark Kiker identifies some classic "troublesome" workers and offers advice on how to handle them.

AUGI CAD Camp - 2008 Events
The Spring/Summer AUGI CAD Camp schedule is set. Find out when this unique learning and networking event will come to your area.

AutoCAD 2008 Tips and Tricks by Lynn Allen

Local Flavor: Portland Revit User Group
Local Flavor interviews board members of the Portland Revit User Group. Here's what they do to engage local users and keep them coming back.

Free One Click 2D and 3D Design Collaboration - Updated ShareNow Utility from Autodesk Labs

This free utility from Autodesk Labs allows you to one click publish to the free hosted Project Freewheel from your AutoCAD based products as well as Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Inventor Autodesk Freewheel is for quick and easy sharing of designs online in the DWF format.

Scott provides a detailed list of the update on his Its Alive Autodesk Labs blog.

• 3D/2D ShareNow supports AutoCAD flavors - both 2008 and 2009

Here is the new floating toolbar after I installed the latest ShareNow on AutoCAD 2009 as I gave it a run through.

Figure 2 is my design published to Project Freewheel which is a hosted zero client viewing site meaning nothing is required to be installed to view 2D or 3D designs. No need to be clogging up emails with attached files or someone having to install something to view a design or be on a certain version of a viewing application.

You can use the Wheel to Zoom and Pan within the design.

There is the option to save your session and share your design with others using your free Autodesk Labs login and password protect your session sharing. Those with whom you share the session with do not have to install anything at all just use their browser. You can even share a drawing set or email others of the link to the design session.

 

When you invited guest views the link to your design shared in Project Freewheel they can markup and even view the markup list.

Download ShareNow

Documentation: http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/ShareNow/documentation/
Feedback email: Labs.Freewheel@autodesk.com.
Project Freewheel: http://freewheel.labs.autodesk.com/index.aspx

Cheers,
Shaan

I Better Get Busy, I made the Autodesk.com Home page ;-)

I have been swamped with the Autodesk 2009 product line launches, the beta projects wrapping up on many of the products, took a week off and went hiking and shutterbugging in Southern Utah, and then I got sick. No time for any of that now that I have hit the big time with my blog being on the main page of Autodesk.com.

I have a few blog posts in draft I will finish up and get them online like the updated ShareNow utility from the Autodesk Labs. As you may have noticed I have been adding some guest articles and tips from fellow AutoCAD users to add more perspective and knowledge like the Layer Isolate tip from Michael Beall and I have a few more guest authors. If anyone else has tips and tricks to share with Between the Lines all you have to do is email me at shaan@autodesk.com.

Cheers,
Shaan

DWFx and AutoCAD 2009

The DWFx format has been added to AutoCAD 2009. DWFx is based on the XML Paper Specification (XPS) format from Microsoft. You can view and print DWFx files using Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista and Windows XP (with latest updates for .NET). 

In AutoCAD 2009 You can plot or publish to DWFx, attach DWFx files as Underlays, and read DWFx files using Markup Set Manager. You can still and will continue to be able to plot the older DWF format as well.

The soon to be released FREE Autodesk DWG TrueView 2009 will provide the ability to open and view DWG or convert to DWF or DWFx as well as much more including the much requested measuring/inquiry capability. See the Beyond the Paper posting DWG TrueView 2009 is cool.

The soon to be released and FREE Autodesk Design Review 2009 supports viewing, some editing, and markup for both the DWF and DWFx formats.

 

The free web service for viewing your 2D and 3D files from any operating system through a browser Project Freewheel (http://freewheel.labs.autodesk.com) now supports DWFx and the official Autodesk Freewheel (http://freewheel.autodesk.com/) perhaps in the future.

Autodesk Design Review 2009 Beta 1

Volker has just announced that the future release of Autodesk Design Review code named "Colorado Project" is now open for beta testing. They are looking for your active participation and feedback on this pre-release product and features hosted on the Autodesk MyFeedback Community. See Volker's blog post for all the specific details.

Autodesk Design Review 2009 Beta 1 Live Now

 

Please Get Involved and Help Shape the Future of Autodesk Products

The Flying Spaghetti Monster in Freewheel

Longtime AutoCAD user Robert Grandmaison has snapped, I think. I noticed on Robin Capper's blog RobiNZ CAD Blog the "The Flying Spaghetti Monster meets Freewheel". Pretty amusing but shows about anything 2D or 3D can be hosted in Autodesk Freewheel straight from AutoCAD and many other Autodesk products with nothing for anyone to install to view your files.

Cheers,
Shaan

Wicked Cool - Freewheeling Freely

Collaborate in Freewheel

Swedish technical guru Jimmy Bergmark posted a nice overview of some of the changes in the free Autodesk  Freewheel project from Autodesk Labs. Note to Jimmy, lookout some have an issue with the "Collaboration" word but what other word would you use to describe it, perhaps "working-together mode"? :-)

Jimmy showed some examples of the sketching, Impression styles, navigation, and callouts. Pretty cool stuff for both 2D and 3D design data.

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Project Showroom- 3D Web Based Visualization is Live on Autodesk Labs

A new Autodesk Labs project named "Autodesk Project Showroom" has just gone live and is  3D web based design visualization with more possibilities in the future for this Autodesk technology project.

Autodesk Project Showroom Information Page: http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/showroom/

You can see Scott's announcement on this project at http://labs.autodesk.com/blogs/its_alive_in_the_lab/view/project-showroo/.

An example project http://showroom.dwfit.com Go ahead drag a few new items to this example project of a bathroom and see the results as well as change the view by orbiting or zooming.

 

It can also track costs of changes or other data based on the objects and changes. 

Looks like Freewheel is expanding the possibilities of design information on the web without the need to install software or use a specific single operating system. Imagine sending someone to configure a project by simply sending them an URL and not worrying about most compatibility issues  as this is about as easy as it can get just like viewing a 2D or 3D DWF in Freewheel.

Autodesk Project Showroom Feedback Email: Labs.Showroom@autodesk.com

Cheers,
Shaan

Have you Seen CADoogle?

You can search and view DWF files on the web all without installing a single application. 2D or 3D does not matter as CADoogle uses Autodesk Freewheel to display the views of DWF files in any Java supporting browser.

http://www.cadoogle.com/

CADoogle Feeds
http://cadoogle.com/feed/

CADoogle Mobile
http://cadoogle.com/mobile/

Schlitterbahn Waterpark and my Ramblings on Design

Saw this today on the travel channel while just relaxing and got hooked. They showed the South Padre Island Texas water park Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark (36 acres) and the water rides as well as behind the scenes. They also showed AutoCAD being used by the the company NBGS (Jeff and Gary Henry). The cable television program was 1 hour long and really was interesting not like a advertisement it was all about the rides, the design and stats.

The Schlitterbahn Boogie Bahn 2 sheet wave was amazing and said to be the largest manmade surf wave in the US and holds a competition of surfers each year. The sheet wave is a custom designed structure and uses technology from Autodesk Inventor using firm FlowRider by Wave Loch.There was also the Master Blaster which you ride in a inflatable raft vehicle down a large structure at almost 20 mph. They use an ingenious water jet system to propel you even uphill up to 50 feet.This is all tempting me to take a vacation down to South Padre as I just scheduled a sabbatical for this August and will be looking for fun distractions. I also saw that you don't have to stand in lines as most water feature lines are kept in the water to keep you cool. That sure would make for an awesome day but you may end up with pruned fingers and a sunburn.

DESIGN

You might be surprised to know many of the rides around the world such as water rides, roller coasters, ferris wheels, bungee towers, or other amusement and theme park ride and structures may have most likely been designed using Autodesk products such as AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Autodesk Inventor, Maya, etc. I have spoken with many designers over the past years including many designers that design coasters and waterparks around the world and use Autodesk products like AutoCAD. One of the worlds most famous and innovative coaster design firms (and featured an another TV channel I love to watch the Discovery Channel) is located here in Utah and designed one of the first roller coaster cork screw featuring rides. Although most old school coaster designers used string or wire to first model the features then a pencil, many today use software. There is also Water Technology of Beaver Dam Wisconsin (hi Joel)designing water parks with Autodesk products including the new Autodesk Impression. David Harrington a former Autodesk Users Group International "AUGI" Top DAUG and AUGI President worked on the design for the Disney MGM Studios Aerosmith themed coaster Rock 'n Roller Coaster in AutoCAD, see this in the Autodesk Freewheel Examples.

Check out the coaster and water park design related links

• Waterparks -Wikipedia
• Discovery Channel Build a Coaster
• The Ultimate Roller Coaster Contest--Physical Science/Mathematics
• Roller coasters - Wikipedia
• Dream Job: Roller Coaster Designer

This is not a marketing or sales advertisement, I am just a design junkie at heart, and appreciate and am passionate about design.

Many times I find myself missing being a full time mechanical designer like I was 10 years ago. There is nothing like designing a product and seeing it from conception to completion and functioning. I am so envious of Autodesk customers and the products they design and build every day in the world.

I may not always be an Autodesk employee, but I will always be a designer. - Shaan

Got a cool project or design that might spark a young person to choose a science or engineering career, please email me at shaan@autodesk.com. It is important to excite young people on how cool design and engineering careers are.

Autodesk Freewheel and Autodesk Freewheel... :-)

I said Autodesk Freewheel twice for a reason as there are now two locations and versions for viewing DWF files with no install of viewer software. There is a released version and an Autodesk Labs Technology Preview version and both are FREE.

What is Autodesk Freewheel?
In developer speak:
"Autodesk Freewheel is an Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) based web service/application built to provide CAD model viewing, printing and collaboration, through the dynamic rendering of DWF file data and graphics information. You can think of Freewheel as a set of componentized Web Services and JavaScript frameworks. Together these components make up the Interactive Ajax DWF Viewer."

In simple terms it allows you to view 2D and 3D DWF files on the web in your browser without installing anything at all on the local machine and platform independent as long as your browser supports Java. Upload, Share, View, and Print 2D and 3D rich design data with no hassle.

The released version of Autodesk Freewheel is located at: http://freewheel.autodesk.com/

The Autodesk Freewheel Technical Preview version that will evolve and may contain features that are being worked on for possible future versions is located at http://www.dwf.com and also mentioned on Autodesk Labs.

More on the two flavors and why at: http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/freewheel/documentation/

Want to know something cool? The raster images in this blog post is also a DWF, I mean still is a DWF rendered as an image by Autodesk Freewheel click on them. Learn more at http://freewheel.autodesk.com/developers.aspx.

I also posted a Highlights Page of Freewheel examples on the right side menu of this blog Autodesk Freewheel Examples.

Cheers,
Shaan

Related Autodesk Blogs
Beyond the Paper DWF Blog
It's Alive in the Lab

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Ajax, DWF, Autodesk Freewheel, 3D, Autodesk Labs, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, Services

Get your Popcorn and Perhaps Watch the Design Review Video

Autodesker Brian Pene created a video about the free Autodesk Design Review 2008 and even used the collaboration word. Brian posted it on Google as well Volker mentioned it in the Beyond the Paper DWF Blog in a post Autodesk Design Review Video .

"See how Autodesk Design Review goes beyond 2D markup and measure, allowing full connectivity and access to even the most complex 3D CAD models and designs. Collaboration and communication around CAD designs and data has never been easier!"

Autodesk Design Review 2008 Video 9 minutes

 

Technorati Tags: 3D, Navigation, Tool. Autodesk Design Review

A new Autodesk Blog "It's Alive in the Lab"

Scott Sheppard - the original author of the DWF blog, Beyond the Paper has launched a new Autodesk blog talking about Autodesk Labs named "It's Alive in the Lab". Volker Joseph has taken the reins of Beyond the Paper blog. The Autodesk Labs is near and dear to my heart as I remember when it was Eric Stover and myself and creating the pages together and going live off of our own server. Now Autodesk Labs is a grown up and on its own with its own team and many both exciting and interesting things planned for the future.

Cheers,
Shaan

 

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Blog, Autodesk Labs, DWF

del.icio.us tags: Autodesk, Blog, Autodesk Labs, DWF

Need to Search for DWG or DWF Files?

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

http://cadbot.com/

Technorati tags: Search, DWG, DWF

FREE FREE FREE... Autodesk?

Yes, Autodesk Design Review is now free to download.Now you can convert, markup, group, and more all for to your hearts content all for FREE.

From: Jason Pratt on the Connected Blog posting & http://www.autodesk.com/dwf

Design Review = FREE
Autodesk DWF Viewer = FREE
Autodesk DWF Writer = FREE

Design Review Feature Highlights:

Import DWG and DXF Files
Import AutoCAD® DWG™ and DXF™ files, including the latest 2007 format, directly into Design Review with full fidelity and accuracy.

Markup Enhancements: Rotate Objects and Symbols
Rotate text, rectangles, ellipses, and other symbols, including symbols containing raster images.

Combine 2D and 3D Designs
Share, review, and mark up both 2D drawings and 3D models in a single file. Design Review supports adding, deleting, reordering, and renaming sheets and models within the Navigator window.

Round-Trip Reviews
Increase team productivity with inline markup tools that enable you to round-trip designs quickly and easily back into Autodesk design software—without the need to reenter information ( now including Autodesk Inventor® 11 DWF Extension).

Batch Printing
Print multiple DWF files, customize print settings, and save batch printing configuration for later use with the Batch Print wizard.

Preview, Select Preferences, and Print
Select preferences, preview files before printing, and print files to scale or at another scale with the same high fidelity as in Autodesk design software, including the printing of 3D designs.

View Assembly Instructions
View animated assembly instructions and exploded views of complex designs to greatly simplify the work of downstream users.

View and Mark up Bill of Materials
Improve communication with suppliers and other departments by enabling secure review of designs and product definition data such as BOM information earlier in the process.

View and Print in Black and White or Grayscale
View or print color drawings and models as black and white or grayscale, providing more flexibility in printing and easier viewing of markups on drawings.

Combine 2D and 3D Designs
Share, review, and mark up both 2D drawings and 3D models in a single file. Design Review supports adding, deleting, reordering, and renaming sheets and models within the Navigator window.

Drag Project Data (from Microsoft Office and Others)
Drag project-related documents such as schedules or estimates published to DWF format directly from Microsoft® Office or other applications.

See the Full Building Feature Set (PDF - 2086 Kb)
See the Full Infrastructure Feature Set (PDF - 1871 Kb)
See the Full Manufacturing Feature Set (PDF - 3031 Kb)

Also with DWF you get a format designed for design data, the Freewheel online DWF viewing with no installation of a viewer. See http://labs.autodesk.com and soon DWFx viewing in Windows Vista.

Now what excuse do you have of using a text document format like PDF for design data? ;-)

OK now back to my pathetic working while vacation while sitting in the San Francisco International Airport Terminal awaiting my flight to Costa Rica via El Salvador.

Pura Vida!
Shaan

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Free, DWF, DWG, Design Review, 2D, 3D, Mark Up, Design Data, File Format, Design Web Format, Freewheel, AutoCAD, PDF, DWFx, Windows Vista, Autodesk Labs, Free Download

Autodesk Impression Technical Preview 3 Released to Autodesk Labs for Download

Autodesk Labs http://labs.autodesk.com/
http://labs.autodesk.com/Impressionlanding.html
There is a new version of Autodesk Impression now available for download today January 17th, 2007. There have been many updates based on feedback received from previous Technical preview users and current beta customers enrolled in the beta at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com. Some of the biggest updates have been to the user interface "UI" like the Layers palette and Dashboard. Also included now is the cool feature that provides the ability to update your Impression drawing file when the CAD geometry in which it was based on changes. You can import files from some of the following DWG, DWF, BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, DCX, PSD, PNG, TGA, TIFF. Yes you can use a DWF file to start styling it in Impression and then save it as a DWF when completed or save as Impression format IRF, BMP, EPS, JPEG, PDF, PSD, and PNG.

Updates since the Technical Preview 2 Version

• CAD geometry updates. When the original drawing changes, you can refresh your Impression drawing and retain many of your stylizations as well as any geometry that you've added.
• Dashboard. The Layers palette, Style Editor, and Styles palette are now combined on a single, interactive palette.
• Style Editor flyout panes. Style elements that make up each style can be edited on the properties flyout panes that are displayed when you move the cursor over the flyout arrows on the style tree. The location of these arrows changes, depending on the location of the palette.
• Block and style scaling. Set Impression to adjust the overall scale of applied styles if a block or object is resized or if the view scale changes.
• Block properties relocated. The Block properties drawer has been replaced by the Block
• Properties dialog box. To access it, double-click a block in the Blocks palette.
• Block and Styles palettes redesigned. Content on these palettes is now displayed on navigation panes instead of on tabs. You can create custom filters for blocks and styles based on their name or other properties. Block styles are listed as a separate set on the Styles palette.
• Import of individual styles and blocks now available. From the Blocks and Styles palettes, you can open libraries that link to saved blocks or styles in other Impression files. You can save entire libraries or individual styles or blocks.
• Automatic block style scaling. Blocks now retain the drawing scale of the view in which they were created. If they are inserted into an Impression view with a different drawing scale, the block styles are scaled proportionately, so that the relative appearance of the blocks remains the same.
• Properties palette changes. Text properties have been moved from the Properties palette to a standalone Text Properties palette that is displayed automatically whenever you create text. Block properties are now displayed on the Properties palette.
• Improved quality for imported objects. The visual fidelity for objects imported from DWG files has improved, particularly with regards to hidden line removal, text, and gradients. Additional view types, including 3D perspective, are now supported. Hatches, clipped objects, and wide polylines are also imported.
• Area fill process enhanced. You can apply styles to areas more reliably, including dragging styles from the Styles palette to closed areas on the canvas.
• Restore palettes to default settings. If you have modified the Impression interface, you can restore the original palette configuration by clicking Palettes menu > Reset Palettes. You must restart the application to see the changes.
• Overall performance improved. Internal changes have improved the overall responsiveness of Impression as you work, especially when working with the drop shadow effect or overshoot property.

Check the system requirements and then give Autodesk Impression previously known as code name "Vespa" a try. It is a simple and fun application to communicate designs in a more conceptual, artistic, and personal style. If you would like to be more actively involved in the development of Autodesk Impression and work directly with the Impression Team, make sure to sign up for beta testing at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com

Autodesk Impression Community
http://impression.autodesk.com/
Become a member of the Autodesk Impression Community to stay current with all the latest developments and resources available for this technology preview. Learn how Impression is evolving, find new content to use in your images, and share your experiences with other users. There are also 2 Autodesk Impression blogs in the community by Todd Hunter and Lisa Crounse.

Autodesk Impression Community Image Gallery: http://impression.autodesk.com/gallery/

Give Vespa a spin Between the Lines!

Cheers,
Shaan

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Autodesk Impression, Beta, Autodesk Labs, Vespa, Design, Design Visualization, CAD, Rendering, DWG, DWF

del.icio.us tags: Autodesk, Autodesk Impression, Beta, Autodesk Labs, Vespa, Design, Design Visualization, CAD, Rendering, DWG, DWF