Between the Lines

Autodesk - AutoCAD - Features & Specifications Mentions the New Support Windows XP SP2 for AutoCAD 2005

Recommended System Requirements Intel® Pentium® III processor or later, 800 MHz Microsoft® Windows® XP (Professional, Home Edition, or Tablet PC Edition, including Service Pack 1 and 2) or Windows 2000 Professional 256 MB RAM 300 MB free disk space for installation 1024x768 VGA with true color Mouse, trackball, or compatible pointing device Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 CD-ROM drive NOTE: AutoCAD 2005 has been tested with, and is supported for, Windows XP Service Pack 2. The preceding requirements are recommended for... Read more →

Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems and the 3D DWF Publishing Feature

Check out Chris Yanchar's blog post on the new Beta for 3D DWF from ADT & ABS. Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems subscription customers are invited to download a beta version of the the 3D DWF Publishing feature. Between the Walls: ADT/ABS 3D DWF Beta Available!!! Read more →

CADTutor - Michael's Corner - August 2004 - The AutoCAD UCS

CADTutor - Michael's Corner - August 2004 UCS: Not Just for 3D Drawings"In an effort to dispel the overriding myth that the UCS deserves to be turned Off unless you’re working in 3D, I’d like to show you a very simple yet powerful 2D application.Life doesn’t hand us perfectly orthogonal drawings all the time. For those unique situations – or not so unique situations in the mapping and civil engineering fields – the following procedure will enable you to bring... Read more →

AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 Releases Today

It will be available by the AutoCAD Communication Center notification for live updates and also on: AutoCAD 2005 Support Downloads http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-updates AutoCAD LT 2005 Support Downloads http://www.autodesk.com/autocadlt-updates The AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 ReadMe link Click Here The AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 Download The AutoCAD LT 2005 Service Pack 1 Download Who Should Install the Service Pack? Service Pack 1 is for the following Autodesk products running on all supported operating systems and languages: AutoCAD® 2005 AutoCAD LT® 2005... Read more →

A Really Cool 3D DWF File! "Le triangle impossible"

Patrick Emin of the French CAD web site www.cadxp.com sent me a really cool looking 3D DWF file. The DWF file was only 26Kb in size. Download the DWF file or the DWG file. View the DWF if you installed the free Autodesk DWF Viewer. Cheers, -Shaan Read more →

SIGGRAPH 2004 Papers Now on the Web

Location of papers posted and maintained by Tim Rowley: Click Here Some Example Subjects: Making Papercraft Toys From Meshes Using Strip-Based Approximate Unfolding Curves & Surfaces Interacting With Images Interactive Digital Photomontage Identifying & Sketching the Future VisualIDs: Automatic Distinctive Icons for Desktop Interfaces Motion Doodles: An Interface for Sketching Character Motion (thesis) Smoke, Water, & Goop Video Tooning (video) (This one is very interesting) Shape Analysis Modeling by Example Non-photorealistic Camera: Depth Edge Detection and Stylized Rendering Using a... Read more →

Hurricane Charley and Florida

I received the below PowerPoint slide show from a customer in Naples Florida. He was one of the lucky who had his home and family spared. From Lucio Da Silva: "Isto é para nos lembrar o quanto somos pequenos perante a força da natureza... This is to remind us how small we are front the power of Nature..." The PowerPoint slide show images sure tell a sobering story of natures fury. Download PowerPoint Slide Show 2MB If there is anyway... Read more →

AutoCAD® 2005 based products hang during installation on Windows® XP SP2 RC2

Knowledge Base Article: Published date: 2004-07-15 ID: TS85426 Applies only to: AutoCAD® Electrical 2005 AutoCAD® Mechanical 2005 Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop® 2005 Issue A problem has been identified when attempting to install an AutoCAD® 2005 based product on a system running SP2 RC2 for Windows® XP. During the installation process, at the point were it says to click Next to start the installation, the installation hangs indefinitely. Solution The above three AutoCAD® 2005 based products cannot be installed on systems running... Read more →

Graphics Card Selection Importance Reminder

This subject comes up from time to time so I thought I would just add my two cents worth and save hopefully some from the pain. When selecting a new computer to use for CAD, Video, or Graphics editing use, please do not just select the default graphics cards (GPU) listed by the computer manufacturer. In most cases the default graphics card is the cheapest and definitely not intended for heavy graphics usage. Most default cards are tuned for regular... Read more →

2350 Miles by Plane and Car in 4 Days Last Week

I had a very busy week last week starting on Thursday with SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City Utah on Friday, Idaho Falls, Idaho on Saturday, and then Sunday driving all the way from Idaho Falls, Idaho to my home in the San Francisco North Bay area. I ended up so tired by the time I reached Reno Nevada, that I stayed the night there at a casino hotel and drove the remaining 4 hours on Monday. Highlights: SIGGRAPH... Read more →

How to call acedGetPoint from VB.NET.

Tip By Autodesk AutoCAD Developer - Albert Szilvasy The code: _ Public Structure ads_point Public x As Double Public y As Double Public z As Double End Structure _ Public Shared Function acedGetPoint( ByVal start As Object, ByVal prompt As String, ByRef result As ads_point) As Int32 End Function _ Public Sub test() Dim pt As New ads_point() acedGetPoint(Nothing, "gimme a point:", pt) acedGetPoint(pt, "gimme another one:", pt) End Sub Read more →

Why should I move from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD 2005

This Autodesk White Paper answers the burning question "Why should I move from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD 2005?" The paper examines six key areas where AutoCAD® 2005 software can help improve the design process. Productivity Features 3D design capabilities Presentation graphics Tools for the CAD manager Tools for the IT manager Customization Download the White Paper Read more →

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

The new and extensive Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be live on Windows Update and Automatic Updates on August 25th. We have tested AutoCAD 2005 with Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, and found no issues but I cannot speak for the AutoCAD based or vertical products. There is one minor issue discovered with the Autodesk DWF Viewer and the solution is documented and will be posted to the online knowledge base at http://support.autodesk.com. You can find details... Read more →

See Your Video as a Cartoon?

From the latest Microsoft Research news. This is actually pretty neat and it will be interesting to see if and when it develops into a real application. Turn video into a cartoon-like video. -Shaan Read more →

Thursday at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles and then more travel

I am attending the SIGGRAPH event in Los Angeles today Thursday August 12th, 2004. This is a huge show in the graphics industry. All sorts of cool things are shown down here as well as weird things. If you are at SIGGRAPH Thursday and want to meet up, just email me [email protected]. I will post some photos when I get back. SIGGRAPH Information http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/ Exhibition Hall Schedule of Programs & Events Fact Sheets 2004 SIGGRAPH Blog 2004 SIGGRAPH Photos On... Read more →

LIVE on autodesk.com - VIZ 2005 New Features Workshop

Learn New Features Fast Learn about the new features in Autodesk® VIZ in the interactive New Features Workshop. Feature demonstrations, tutorials, and overviews get you up and running fast. You can also access the New Features Workshop from the software’s Help menu. Check this out. VIZ 2005 New Features Workshop Read more →

AutoCAD 2005 White Papers from IMAGINiT

Autodesk Reseller IMAGINiT Technologies Canada has prepared a couple of very helpful white papers on AutoCAD 2005. AutoCAD 2005 - New Features White Paper AutoCAD 2005 - Sheet Sets "Most users agree the single most improved item in AutoCAD 2005 is the addition of sheet sets. This powerful new features adapts to the way your department works. This whitepaper will show you the benefits." Autodesk DWF Composer "The DWF format and the release of DWF Composer promises to revolutionize the... Read more →

AutoCAD Express Tool System Variable Editor "SYSVDLG"

Have you ever wanted to read about a system variables current settings without going to the online Help or how to save and restore system variables on your or another machine? In this quick article I will explain the Express Tool System Variable Editor just to show you what it does. You must have the AutoCAD Express Tools installed to use this tool. The System Variable Editor allows you to view, edit and save system variable settings. Express menu: Tools... Read more →

Over 100,000 Visitors!

This is a little belated, but two weeks ago this blog surpassed 100,000 visitors. This is a good amount of traffic for a blog that is not even a year old and does not even account for those reading the blog remotely via RSS aggregators. Keep spreading the word, Read Between the Lines. Cheers, -Shaan Read more →

Troubleshoot Boot and Other Issues on Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP, 2003

Mark Russinovich of sysinternals.com gave a presentation at Microsoft TechED in Europe recently on troubleshooting Boot and other issues on Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP and 2003 server. Topics Covered: Crashes and hangs during boot Error messages during boot Errors messages during the logon process Author Background: Mark Russinovich is the co-author of Inside Windows 2000, 3rd Ed. with David Solomon Contributing Editor and NT Internals columnist for Windows and .NET Magazine Creator of www.sysinternals.com Co-founder and chief software architect... Read more →

Sneak Peak at New AutoCAD 2005 White Papers

We are providing a sneak peak of three white papers on AutoCAD 2005. The following white papers for AutoCAD 2005 are draft versions with the final versions and more to be announced very soon. Select and Download the draft White Papers in PDF format below: Automating Plot Stamp Data Automating Titleblock Data Automating Label and Callout Data Final versions of white papers for AutoCAD are posted here when released. Cheers, -Shaan Read more →

Autodesk Would Like to Meet with Customers in Your Area

The AutoCAD Product Design & Usability team would like to invite you to join us for a design briefing of the future version of AutoCAD. We want to share with you our designs-in-progress and ask for your input as we put the finishing touches on what is going to be a very popular release. The Design Validation sessions are 2.5 hours in length. We’ll begin with introductions then move quickly to the main event. We’ll be showing you our designs... Read more →

Topical Index for AutoCAD System Variables

Gil Hoellerich has created a topical index for AutoCAD system variables. This is really helpful for undestanding which system variables apply to the task or AutoCAD feature you are using. The list is in HTML format with hyperlinks for navigation. http://www.cadpanel.com/system_variables.htm Read more →

Ellen Finkelstein announces her new monthly AutoCAD Tips Newsletter

Each month will bring a set of tips, resources, and tutorials valuable to all AutoCAD users. To sign up, go to http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/AutoCAD_tips.html. Ellen's best-selling book, AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005 Bible, has just been published. For the first time, this book covers AutoCAD LT as well as all the new features of AutoCAD 2005. With 1158 pages, you’ll find everything you need to understand AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Each feature is clearly and completely explained, then followed by an... Read more →