Between the Lines

Creating Complex Boundaries with AutoCAD and 2D Hand Rendering Styling

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

Markers = Bad, Autodesk Impression = Good ;-)

Markers=bad
Autodesk Impression = good

The New Autodesk Impression 3 is Now Available for Download

photo posted by unknown proud parent

The New Autodesk Impression 3 is Now Available for Download

I just found Autodesk Impression 3 on the Autodesk Subscription Center for download by Autodesk Subscription customers. Autodesk Impression 3 beta testers for project Corradino on Autodesk MyFeedback will receive a copy of it as thanks for their feedback and participation.

I mentioned Autodesk Impression 3 not too long ago showing off my simple Koi pond design.
Blog Post Autodesk Impression 3 Details

Below is my simple koi pond design in Autodesk Impression 3. I was able to import the pond layout from a DWG file from AutoCAD 2010. One of the time savers is the DWG file for the pond I used changes (we all know projects change several times) all I do is select Update and my 2D rendering is updated to reflect the changes with the styles applied. It does not force you to start from scratch again like a photo raster editing application would.

Some of the high level improvements in this new release:

• 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

• Fortified with 12 essential vitamins and minerals completing a fun and well balanced breakfast.
  
  And more.

So Autodesk Subscription customers can go download Autodesk Impression 3 now!

For those interested in Autodesk trivia for project codenames, Corradino was named after Corradino D'Ascanio who invented the first helicopter.

I love Autodesk Impression and have shown it around the world and heard many ooohs and ahhhs. Many I spoke with stated they can get their individual style back into the project design phase and provide an alternative look to a photo realistic rendering. In many cases you cannot distinguish a hand rendering from one in Autodesk Impression unless of course you are looking at the billable hours to create it as Autodesk Impressions' goal was to take a several day process and reduce it to around 20 minutes.

Cheers,
Shaan

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.

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

08.08.08 Olympics Kick off In Beijing – Citius Altius Fortius

Expect to see many inspiring moments from the dedicated athletes from all around the world in the coming days as the 2008 Olympics begin in Beijing China. http://en.beijing2008.cn/

The Olympic motto is Citius—Altius—Fortius, which is Latin for "faster, higher, stronger." The intended meaning is that one's focus should be on bettering one's achievements, rather than on coming in first.
(http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olympicsceremonies.html)

I took a few minutes and modeled in 3D in AutoCAD 2009 the Olympic Rings emblem/chain that symbolize the countries coming together. I then imported the 3D DWG file into Autodesk Impression and in about 30 seconds stylized it to look like hand markers but I could have used many other treatments like watercolor or colored pencils.

 

The Olympic emblem modeled in 3D and then styled in Impression was just for fun but many Autodesk customers around the world used Autodesk tools to design and build the infrastructure of the Olympics and facilities in Beijing and are already hard at work for the next venue.

After Beijing 2008, the next summer games are to be held in 2012, just a short 1450 days until London 2012.

.

New Blog Banner Done in Autodesk Impression

  Look Up!

I figured for creating a new blog banner to eat our own Autodesk dog food and use Autodesk Impression. Dogfooding is the practice of using your own technology. It was easier than using Photoshop and ended up with the authentic look complete complete with a coffee cup stain on the blueprint. I have not manually drafted or used a stinking anhydrous ammonia spewing blueline machine in over 15 –20 years but it was a nostalgic play on the blogs name Between the Lines. Autodesk Impression 2 is available to Autodesk Subscription customers now.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Impression 2 for Download by Autodesk Subscription Customers

Turn your DWG and DWF files into an impressive hand stylized rendering without having to break out those smelly ink markers, pencils, or talent. Unlike other methods you can update your rendered image when your DWG file changes instead of having to start all over again in the process. Images stylized in Impression provide another way to see the project instead of a exact 3D crisp rendering which communicates to some as a completed design, the 2D or 3D DWG files in Impression can give an impression of in process, quality style, and still pre-construction thinking and convey a different impression and much faster. Give it a try as you will see how fun and easy it is to impress others and sometimes it is hard to tell which was a watercolored, pencil sketched or inked marker rendering from what you output with Autodesk Impression.

The products that get this Autodesk Impression download benefit are:

AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite,AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite, AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite, Revit Architecture Revit MEP, and Revit Structure.

Impression 2 will initially be available in English only.

New in Autodesk Impression 2

Users of the first release of Autodesk Impression, as well as the Technology Preview, will notice several new features and overall improvements. Enhancements include

• New options in the Import Wizards, including Layer Packing for improved drawing performance
• Enhancements to the Area Fill tool, which now offers five different methods for applying styles
• Expanded content libraries, including watercolor trees and pencil strokes in traditional lineweights: H, HB, 2B, and so on

New features include

• The Match Properties tool, used for applying the style, layer, or text properties from one object to another
• A new Power Fill tool fills multiple areas based on shared criteria such as shape, layer, CAD color, and lineweight
• The Drawing Performance Tuner, designed to improve application performance by packing objects on layers and modifying how styles are displayed
• The new Block Editor, which offers a seamless environment in which to create and edit vector-based blocks
• The Global Stroke button, which adjusts the stroke type and lineweight of geometry and inserted blocks

More About Autodesk Impression: http://www.autodesk.com/impression

Become a Member of the Autodesk Impression Community (FREE)

Become a member of the Autodesk Impression Community to stay current with all the latest developments and resources available for this product. Learn how Impression is evolving, find new content to use in your images, and share your experiences with other users. Benefits of membership include access to

• Content Sharing
• Member Discussions
• Blogs, Local Events, and Webcasts
• User-submitted Tips and Tricks

Membership provides you with up-to-date information on the latest developments with Autodesk Impression, and with tools to help you get started.
Go to http://impression.autodesk.com/community.

Autodesk 2009 Product Links

The news, highlights, and opinions are now starting to flow on the web. Once the products start shipping and people start using the products I am sure there will be much more information. Currently only partners, beta testers from http://myfeedback.autodesk.com, and Autodesk employees have been using the pre-release products. Also most of the CAD industry press and journalists are in San Francisco for the Autodesk World Press Days, so once many of them get back online or printing I am sure there will be articles from them.

• The 2009 Products Including AutoCAD 2009 from Between the Lines by Shaan Hurley (me)
• The Word is Out... AutoCAD 2009! from Heidi Hewett's Blog
• AutoCAD 2009 in 2 minutes CAD Panacea by R.K. McSwain
• AutoCAD 2009 is Knocking at the Door! from Lynn Allen's Blog
• AutoCAD LT 2009 from The LT side of things by Erik Deyo
• AutoCAD 2009 Coming Soon! from Kate's CAD Tips
• AutoCAD LT 2009 -- First Thoughts from Kate's CAD Tips
• Impression R2 Announced at World Press Day from Outside the Lines by Todd Hunter
• Autodesk Impression 2009 - Coming soon... from Inside Hues by Lisa Crounse
• Autodesk making an Impression? from RobiNZ CAD Blog by Robin Capper
• Autodesk 2009 Products and AutoCAD 2009 Announced
• AutoCAD 2009 - What's New... from CADit by John Benstead
• AutoCAD 2009 from WorldCAD Access by Ralph Grabowski
• Revit 2009 w/Mental Ray from CADDManager by Mark W. Kiker
• AutoCAD 2009 is Coming from Victorian AutoCAD Users Group by Peter Godfrey
• AutoCAD 2009 が！ U2's blog 今、by Yuji Suzuki
• Revit 2009 Information Released from Revit OpEd by Steve
• So what's new with Autodesk Design Review 2009? from Beyond the Paper by Volker Joseph
• Time flies, it’s Autodesk 2009! from RobiNZ CAD Blog by Robin Capper
• Welcome to Revit Architecture 2009 from Knowing What You Don't Know About CAD by Mike Massey
• Autodesk Official 2009 Product Press Releases from Autodesk | AutoCAD | Design Software News by IMAGINiT

• Autodesk Launches New Solutions for Building Information Modeling (PR Newswire) from Yahoo! Finance: ADSK News
• Autodesk Introduces Productivity Boosts to AutoCAD Software (PR Newswire) from Yahoo! Finance: ADSK News
• Autodesk Puts the Cost Saving and Time-to-Market Benefits of Digital Prototyping within Reach of Mainstream Manufacturers (PR Newswire) from Yahoo! Finance: ADSK News
• Autodesk Launches 3ds Max 2009 Entertainment Software and Introduces 3ds Max Design 2009 for Design Professionals (PR Newswire) from Yahoo! Finance: ADSK News
• Autodesk Enhances Geospatial Software Solutions for Utilities, Telecommunications and Government (PR Newswire) from Yahoo! Finance: ADSK News

Autodesk Impression e-Learning Courses Published

Membership in the Autodesk Impression Community is free and has plenty to offer including galleries, discussions, tips and tricks, styles, entourage, content exchange, and now free e-Learning content. Throw away those markers or be rid of critical time eating processes or wasted editing in other products and then when the design changes you have to do it all over again. With Autodesk Impression you can import your DWF or DWG and style the file and can update when the DWG file changes. It is also a lot of fun.

Autodesk Impression Community

Autodesk Impression e-Learning Content

New Autodesk Impression Preview 6 Available and to More Countries

From Lisa's blog posting on Inside Hues: New Technology Preview Posted!
Now many other countries can download the Autodesk Impression preview and also the build has the latest hot fixes included.

 

• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• Ireland
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Singapore
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

Check out the Autodesk Impression Community and Resource : Autodesk Manufacturing Community

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 Impression Makes Another Great Impression

I have been involved with the team that developed Autodesk Impression and have had a ton of fun with the product and love hearing from the customers about how much easier and fun it makes their work. So now Cadalyst's Ron LaFon has wrote a detailed review of Autodesk Impression and looks like he too has become a fan of the product. I also read recently of a review for Photoshop that actually at one point recommended using Autodesk Impression for  architectural renderings after all isn't Photoshop for photos.

Turn your 2D DWG and DWF files into attractive renderings

A few highlights from the review:

"Autodesk Impression is both easy to use and understand. It offers the ability to save files in popular graphics formats and print your images easily"

Autodesk Impression is moving at light speed and has a private group of customers discussing with the team on the future releases and you too can register for this at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com. For those already with a  MyFeedback account just make sure you have selected Autodesk Impression in your profile as well as yes to beta or feedback projects.

Personally my opinion on Impressions benefit is the fact that unlike some other products trying to accomplish a rendering in a design process  as a out of the loop extra disconnected process, Impression fits into the design process by accommodating the files DWG and DWF and  changes without having to redo the entire file. For example if the design changes (they always do) you can simply update the Impression file by reading the latest DWG file or applying the saved style, but if you did this in another product you would have to go through the exporting a new postscript file and setting up all the rendering or if using manual methods like markers you have to plot a new file and start over from scratch making. What is a few minute process in Autodesk Impression can be a few hours or days in other product or process to get the same output and time is money.

Here are some real examples of Autodesk Impression by customer Ged Trias who has mastered the product and been very active in helping guide Autodesk in the future of the product by providing feedback.

Another Autodesk Impression customer making great use of Impression is Lisa Town.

And an excellent example from Howard Munsell.

Check out the Autodesk Impression Online Community

Cheers and make a lasting Impression!
Shaan

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.

I will Be There -> Experience the Possibilities Autodesk Event in Chicago June 5th, 2007

Just got the call yesterday that the AutoCAD 2008 session at the upcoming Autodesk event "Experience the Possibilities" in Chicago is so popular that they have to add another room. So both Heidi Hewett and myself will be taking a room each for the afternoon AutoCAD 2008 session.

I will arrive Monday evening June 4th and present at 1:30 pm Tuesday. I have a flight to San Francisco at 10 pm that night. I will be around the event so chase me down or I may have a few hours in the evening or breakfast if  anyone would care to have a chat and discuss life, design, beta testing, geek stuff, AutoCAD, Autodesk Impression, or how to be kicked by a Kangaroo and survive. Just shoot me an email at shaan@autodesk.com if interested.

Since it is the 25th year anniversary for Autodesk and AutoCAD I will have my AutoCAD version 2.18 also running on my laptop if you want to have a look.

"Attend a free Autodesk Live event near you to experience the power of digital prototyping, 2D and 3D technology, and all the efficiencies of our new product line."

Chicago
Date: Tuesday June 5, 2007
Time:8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Address: Map Link
Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
540 North Michigan
Chicago, Illinois  60611

More Info and to Register: Experience the Possibilities

 

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Chicago, Event, AutoCAD 2008

Autodesk Impression News

Two nuggets of possible interest for you. The first is a nice overview of Autodesk Impression. The second item is people in other countries can now download the Technical Preview of Autodesk Impression release.

You can participate in shaping the Autodesk Impression products future by signing up for Autodesk MyFeedback at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com.

 

From Lisa's Autodesk Impression blog Inside Hues

New Product Overview

"Having trouble explaining Impression to your boss, co-worker or great Aunt? We just posted a new Flash-based piece to our website that might help you out.
Check it out at: www.autodesk.com/impression-overview"

 

From Scott's Autodesk Labs blog It's Alive

Autodesk Impression Technology Preview

Autodesk Impression is selling well in the United States and Canada. Product Marketing Manager, Lisa Crounse, reports that a technology preview of Autodesk Impression is available in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The Technology Preview is a not-for charge download of Autodesk Impression that will run until the end of October 2007. Information about the Technology Preview can be found on Lisa's Impression Community blog.

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Autodesk Impression

AUGI CAD Camp Salt Lake City April 26th 2007

I had a great time!
CAD Camp in Salt Lake City Utah was held on last Thursday and was a small commute for me instead of a flight because I live in the greater Salt Lake area now. The event was sponsored by the local Autodesk reseller and training company of Prosoft and organized by AUGI (Autodesk Users Group International). Prosoft even had a few of their excellent top notch trainers teaching Mark Mates on Revit and Seth Cohen on Civil 3D.

I presented the keynote during lunch. I don't think I have ever had to be restricted to 45 minutes and frankly thought this was impossible without someone hitting me in the head with a shoe at the 45 minute limit but I did it but had to limit my rambling geek speek and Q&A. I stayed the rest of the day to answer questions, and chat with customers. I also offered up during the keynote that since I am local to come and visit local customers and assist where I can in upgrades, installs, CAD Management discussions, lunch and Learn or other items. I sat in on some of the classes such as David Cohn's 3D AutoCAD, Robert Green's CAD Manager Discussion, Travis Jones' Autodesk Impression, and Matt Murphy's Tool Palettes class. All were exceptional and I always learn something new.

One thing that struck me and was mentioned by a few customers that had recently implemented AutoCAD Sheet Sets and Tool Palettes. This is one of the hidden gems for CAD Managers to increase the ROI (Return on Investment) with little effort. It allowed one firm to eliminate many plotting questions, steps, and problems with sheet sets and tool palettes set up by another CAD Mgr allowed the team to select only their specific standard blocks set for their layer standards regardless of their original name or locations saving lots of time. Another downstream benefit of using standards such as layer standards is other applications can use the data much easier for example drawings with layer standards are easier to style in Autodesk impression.

Well I have to get back to work and the nice 80 degree weather here and ton of things to do.

• I have a bunch of email to catch up with.
• A few presentations I will be giving down under in a little over a week in Australia/Tasmania.
• I have to buy new travel gear after having all of mine stolen in Costa Rica in February.
• The new Autodesk MyFeedback Community 2.0 codename "Alta" is in design and development to make a nicer navigation and features as well as adding local language support and this is a huge project that will go live this summer replacing the current MyFeedback site. 
• Oh and I do have some blog posts on the top of my head I need to get down and published.

So much to do but also so much fun and challenges.

Congratulations to Mike Weaver of CH2M for winning the AUGI Top DAUG SLC competition.

 

 S.Hurley's photos AUGI CAD CAMP SLC 2007

 

 

Technorati tags: AUGI, CAD Camp, Autodesk, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Revit, Autodesk Impression, Sheet Sets, Tool Palettes, Salt Lake, CAD Manager

Nice Impression

The site 3DAllusions.com published a nice detailed review of the upcoming Autodesk Impression by Russell Thomas. What I liked about the article is it is someone who uses design software in a real world environment.

Link to the Article

For more Impression info:
http://labs.autodesk.com/Impressionlanding.html

Product Manager Michael Perani explains the background behind this Autodesk Labs experiment.

Watch Video [High] [Low]

Autodesk Impression Community

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk Impression, 3Dallusions, Autodesk, DWG, DWF, presentation-ready graphics, CAD, render, illustration, Autodesk Labs

Autodesk Impression Webcasts

Perhaps you have been curious about Autodesk Impression or have not heard of it yet and are one of the people that do not enjoy the smell of ink markers, or just need a simple way to create nice renderings of your designs and not be forced to redo in a photo editor each time the design changes, then you should take 45 minutes to see a demo by AEC design visualization guru Todd Hunter.

• Tuesday, February 6, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
• Tuesday, February 20, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
• Tuesday, March 13, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
• Tuesday, March 27, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
• Tuesday, April 10, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)
• Tuesday, April 24, 2007 (10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PST)

Sign up here

Check out the Impression community to see what others have been creating with Autodesk Impression. http://impression.autodesk.com/gallery/

Get involved with future Autodesk Impression product and feature direction by signing up at Autodesk MyFeedback.

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Autodesk Impression, Rendering

Autodesk Impression Preview 4 Released

www.autodesk.com/impression

Updates since Technical Preview 3

• Stability and performance improvements. Work is ongoing to make Impression as fast and reliable as possible.
• Quickstart Tour updated. Updated panels and animations give a quick preview of how to stylize your drawing.
• Change Dashboard configuration quickly. Two new Palettes menu options give you quick access to expanded displays of the Layers and Styles palettes (in the Dashboard). Isolate Layers Section expands the Layers palette and closes the Styles palette. Isolate Styles Section expands the Styles palette and collapses the Layers palette.

 

Cheers,
Shaan

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk Impression

I want to be a Autodesk Impression Blockhead Too!

I saw that Lisa and others on the Autodesk Impression Team team had their photos taken and made into Autodesk Impression blocks ala entourage. I am envious, I guess that makes me either lazy or a geek, ok maybe both.

Entourage - Its not just an HBO original

I figured I could create a quick one myself freehand in Impression in the meantime although I am no artist and not on my TabletPC currently.

OK, maybe not... HELP I need a new blog image of me. :-)

Autodesk Impression Technical Preview page on Autodesk Labs or get more involved in the product through Autodesk MyFeedback.

Technorati tags: Autodesk, Autodesk Impression

Yes, They are a Funny and Creative Team

I have worked with the Autodesk Impression team since the beginning of their project, but something tells me they might have been testing far too much when looking at inked renderings using markers. Actually it is a tongue in cheek site to grab peoples attention. It certainly grabbed mine when I stumbled across it and I got a good laugh out of it as well. The real ink look to the web sites layout was also very creative, like someone would really make their HTML web page tables from scanned areas colored with a marker. "No Stain, No Gain".

http://www.savethemarkers.com/

 

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk Impression, Markers, Rendering, Autodesk, Funny, Spoof

del.icio.us tags: Autodesk Impression, Markers, Rendering, Autodesk, Funny, Spoof

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

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Autodesk Impression Overview By Michael Perani

Product Manager Michael Perani provides an overview of the new Autodesk Impression product in this video from the Autodesk Impression Technology Preview on Autodesk Labs. The Technology Preview 2 version is available on Autodesk Labs http://labs.autodesk.com but there is a private beta program getting updated info and participating with the development team by signing up at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com. The private beta team members are now testing the next Technology Preview 3 candidate version to be released soon on Autodesk Labs after beta testing.

To beta test sign up at http://myfeedback.autodesk.com. Use the Beta Code "Vespa" in your sign up. If you are already a member of the MyFeedback portal, log in and select the User button to edit your profile and change your Beta Code to "Vespa". Spread the word to others who might benefit from this new product and wish to participate and provide feedback during pre-release beta testing.

Link to Michael's' Autodesk Impression video

Autodesk Impression Community Site

 

 

Technorati tags: Autodesk Impression, Autodesk Labs, Autodesk, Autodesk Beta, Beta, MyFeedback, Autodesk MyFeedback, Michael Perani

Autodesk Impression Community Site

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.

Impression Community

Here is my latest Autodesk Impression creation from a DWG file.