Between the Lines

The Aztec / Mayan Calendar in DWG & 2012

  I am not one of those who believe the world is going to end in December 21, 2012. Some base their predictions of a doomsday event on the ancient Aztec and Mayan calendar sun stone such as the new movie 2010, and some on the web such as http://www.viewzone.com/endtime.html & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon. Personally  I think it will be another non-event like the Y2k worries and I am comforted to know NASA feels the same about the topic.

The only event I can predict currently will be that Autodesk University 2009 will begin next week in Las Vegas.

Recently I had to get some stress and energy out on a Saturday night and decided to create a DWG of the calendar using Autodesk AutoCAD 2010. Originally I was using it as a good way to show how performance of AutoCAD 2010 hatching was improved. I stated with some rough geometry available on the web and then I developed the AutoCAD 2010 DWG file.

 

I am providing the AutoCAD 2010 DWG of the Sun Stone for those who want a copy for fun. I also posted the DWF on Autodesk Freewheel so you can view without installing AutoCAD or a DWF file viewer. View Here

Download AutoCAD 2010 DWG of the Aztec/Mayan Sun Stone 2149K 

I provided the simple version of my DWG with only two colors. If you come up with a great color scheme or 3D version for the Sun Stone email me an image. shaan@autodesk.com

Cheers,
Shaan

Boston See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Event Tomorrow

It should be a great event with Lynn Allen and myself showing AutoCAD based products and their new power as well as  their interoperability with other Autodesk products. AutoCAD is not only a general purpose Swiss army knife of 2D but is also powerful in 3D which means AutoCAD is a 5D (2D +3D) CAD system! ;-)

Sign Up for the last two locations for the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour.

Tuesday October 20 Boston, MA 

Thursday October 22 Washington DC

We might even get blessed with the talent of  DJ Robbie Rob aka Rob Cohee show up at the Boston event. Check out Rob’s latest work to highlight the new Subscription Advantage Pack for Autodesk Inventor 2010.

DJ Robbie Rob mixxes up a little ditty demonstrating the features and benefits of the Autodesk Inventor 2010 Subscription Advantage Pack. Key enhancements for our subscription customers include DWG... “

I have something special planned for this weeks events especially on Thursday the 22nd in Washington DC.

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Shaan

Columbus, Montreal, and Edmonton this Week, "Stay Thirsty My Friends"

It has been a busy week of events for the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour. We started the week in Columbus Ohio, Montreal Quebec, and then snowy cold Edmonton Alberta.  Next week I will be in Boston and Washington DC and hope to see you there.

Sign Up for the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour.

Tuesday October 20 Boston, MA 

Thursday October 22 Washington DC

While spending so much time in an airport or staring at the back of a airplane seat is not exciting, it is all worth it to meet customers and hearing what they like and don't like about our products. I  was wearing a pink shirt in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month at the events as was colleague Lynn Allen.

 

AutoCAD Tip:
Want to Move, Copy, and Scale multiple objects in AutoCAD? Try the AutoCAD Express Tool command MOCORO.

Odds & Ends

Some of the taste bud highlights from last weeks tour was the famous Graeters Ice Cream in Columbus and Molson’s Rickards Red Draft in Canada. I also replenished my stash of Canadian candies such as the Nestle Smarties and Aero bars.

Delta Airlines now has speedy WiFi on most flights! I love Delta.

Has anyone else noticed since the baggage fees started on airlines the dramatic rise in the size of bags being attempted to be carried onboard with passengers causing delays in flight departures?

If I were in airline marketing, I would see that any person identified as a frequent flier from another airline would get special attention on my airline's flights. I would make it my business to know who the passengers were on each flight and give a heads up to the flight crew. Opportunity walks and talks.

I have now been asked twice if I was the guy from the Dos Equis beer commercial. Must be my grey beard. I don't really look like this guy other than the gray hair and I am certainly not “the most interesting guy in the world”.  It is odd as this is the third time I have been confused with a beer character.

The first was from a bottle of Rogue ale that was brought to AU 2006 by a customer to show me the likeness of me and the image on the bottle.  At that AU I found the real doppelganger for that beer image, it was AutoCAD Plant 3D team’s own Peter Quinn. Then there was that time I was confused with former Budweiser beer commercial star Spuds MacKenzie but that's another long story I will save until a later date.

Cheers,
Shaan

See The Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour 2009 First Week Completed

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.

October 6 Orlando, FL 

October 7 Atlanta, GA 

October 8 San Diego, CA 

October 13 Columbus, OH 

October 14 Montreal, QC 

October 15 Edmonton, AB 

October 20 Boston, MA 

October 22 Washington DC

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

Next week Orlando, Atlanta, and San Diego with Lynn Allen

I am preparing for the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour next week kicking off in Orlando Florida along with Lynn Allen.  This will be a nice weather change from the snow we got in Utah yesterday although the day prior was 90 degrees. We went from Summer to winter in under 12 hours.

In preparing I am also sharpening up my Autodesk product skills as I will be working and showing multiple AutoCAD based products during the event as well as other items. I did a fun design from my past, a 3D Heat Exchanger Tube Bundle in AutoCAD 2010.

 

Now back to my locked up dark cage to concentrate on preparing for the tour without being distracted.

My attention span is similar to Dug the Dog featured on the Disney/Pixar movie Up.
“Hi there, my name is Dug... SQUIRRELL!”

-Shaan

Autodesk University 2009 Bloggers Social

We have settled on a date and time for the second annual Autodesk University Bloggers Social. We are holding it once again after a fun and successful event last year.  The Blogger Social will be held on Monday November 30th, 2009 from 6:30PM to 8PM.  Monday conflicts with fewer classes, events, and activities plus it provides an opportunity for meeting people before the action packed AU gets into full swing.

To be considered for an invite, please complete the form linked below. We will review your information, blog, and plan to send out invitations in October.

There will be a flock of bloggers and Autodesk employees attending as well as some speakers in a casual social networking environment to place names to faces. We did take into consideration the feedback from last year and will provide name badges showing blog names.

Spread the word to fellow Autodesk product and industry related bloggers who may be attending Autodesk University 2009.

 Autodesk University 2009 Blogger Social Signup Form

We love bloggers! This is just a small way to show our appreciation for all of your hard work.

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk University 2009 Tweetup

I am in the process of organizing a Tweetup (gathering) for users of Twitter who will be attending Autodesk University 2009. The event is tentatively planned to be held during the AUGI Beer Bust on Wednesday December 2nd, 2009.

Would be fun to do a Flash mob gathering at AU or just people making random bird noises at a specific time in a day to see how many are nearby on Twitter. It would really show the power of Twitter and perhaps invent a new "TweetOut" or "TweetShout" term.

Sign Up to be notified of the Tweetup plans. Tweetup Signup Form

Cheers,
Shaan @mrcadman

See the Difference Tour with AutoCAD 2010 Tour in October

Sign up to attend the free events. Lynn Allen and myself will be winging around the North American continent in October.

I will be covering the AutoCAD Family of products such as AutoCAD Mechanical and AutoCAD Architecture  with features and tips as well as a discussion on the possible future technology and trends. I have a bunch of content to fit in a 90 minute presentation making for a fun challenge. No fancy bus or stage roadies on this tour but should be fun.

I will also be lining up some customer and user group visits while on the tour so contact me  if you want to meetup.

“Take a Journey through the AutoCAD Family of Products
Shaan Hurley, Platform Technology Evangelist”

Sign Up for the See the Difference with AutoCAD 2010 Tour locations.

• October 6 Orlando, FL 
• October 7 Atlanta, GA 
• October 8 San Diego, CA 
• October 13 Columbus, OH 
• October 14 Montreal, QC 
• October 15 Edmonton, AB 
• October 20 Boston, MA 
• October 22 Washington DC

Hope to see you along the tour!
Shaan

Salt City Autodesk User Meetup - This Wednesday September 23 2009

I just set out the reminder email  to people that have signed up to attend and receive information on this inaugural Autodesk User Meetup this week.

Date and Time September 23rd at 5PM - 8PM

Location
BetaLoft  http://betaloftslc.com/
357 West 200 South Suite 201 Upstairs
Salt Lake City, UT, 84101

Located next to the Gateway Mall and the UTA Trax and Frontrunner transportation

Purpose
To network and discuss interest in future meetups

Agenda

5:00  - 6:00 Meet & Greet Networking and Root Beer Bust (pizza and root beer soda)
6:00  - 6:15 Welcome and Introductions
6:15  - 6:20 Overview of the Meetup and idea behind it.
This group is for all Autodesk product users to exchange ideas, presentations, and fun. We have a very rich and diverse design community using Autodesk products and can benefit from networking.
6:20  - 7:15 Open Discussion of Meetup and User group organization.
6:30  - 6:55 Next Steps
6:55  - 7:00 Thank You and Meeting Wrap Up

I will remain until 8:00PM for those wishing to stay and talk with people or eat the left over pizza.

Please spread the word and invite others to attend. This is not just a Salt Lake City or Utah event but one for anyone wishing to attend. Sign up to be notified of the Salt City Autodesk User Meetup

Hope to see you at the Meetup!
Shaan

T-18 Hours Until ARES 1 DM-1 Rocket Motor Test

I will be attending the large solid fuel rocket test tomorrow here in Northern Utah with ATK & NASA.  This is the ultimate engineering geek experience. This first stage rocket engine will be a vital component of the next generation manned space flight vehicle Orion Crew Vehicle.  If all goes well with my cell connection I will be blogging live before during and after the test as well as later be posting high resolution photos to my Flickrstream. The test will also be shown live on the NASA TV streaming over the web.

• 3.6 million pounds of thrust fixed in the horizontal position
• 2 minute burn
• 2/3 the temperature of the sun turning sand into glass

This is just the perfect type of event to get young people interested in science, space, and engineering.

“To Infinity and Beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear

Cheers,
Shaan

Job-seeking Architects, Engineers, and Designers in the Bay Area - Autodesk Assistance Program Networking Event

Meet, greet, and learn

Join Autodesk and Ideate for Autodesk Assistance Program networking event at the Autodesk Gallery at One Market. In partnership with Ideate, Autodesk is hosting a networking event for job-seeking architects, engineers, and designers in the Bay Area. Meet potential employers in your field, network with peers, and learn more about how you can benefit from the Autodesk Assistance Program.

Date: Tuesday, June 9
Time: 6 PM.–8 PM
Location: One Market, second floor

Autodesk Gallery at One Market Map

Please RSVP to Angela Simoes at angela.simoes@autodesk.com.

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 University 2009 Class Proposals Deadline – One Week Left

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.

Autodesk University 2009 Call for Proposals