RobiNZ CAD Blog

What time is it, not subscription time?

Having just wasted some money on the new(er) toy I arrived home to an email warning my CAD subscription was expiring soon. I read it thinking “They send that early, it’s not for months!” until I saw the date: 9^th July!

I know time flies, it’s June already, but surely it’s not subscription time? Why hadn’t Outlook or Quicken popped up the reminders I’ve set in them?

Then I remembered, it’s a US date*, 9^th September… that’s better, not so soon!

* New Zealand uses dd/mm/yyyy format

Steve interviews the man behind the AutoCAD Ribbon

The AutoCAD Ribbon, like others, seems to evoke only strong reactions. You either love or hate the major component in the biggest AutoCAD interface overhaul since the shift from DOS to Windows. From what I’ve seen it’s responsible for a mixed reception for AutoCAD 2009 but, since it’s hardly seen in AutoCAD Architecture 2009, I’m rather ambivalent about it. I wouldn’t install 2009 just for the ribbon but I wouldn’t avoid it because of it.

There’s a whole team working on the “AutoCAD User Experience” but Matt Stein, Senior Product Designer, has stepped forward to become the public face of “The Ribbon”. Although we’re not supposed to discuss the beta process I’m going to say Matt was awesome in responding to the, sometimes “vigorous”, ribbon debate which started well before 2009 became public.

In Part One of this Cadalyst interview, by Steve Johnson, he discusses the Ribbon, it’s features and why it was adopted. Even if you hate it, and have reverted to classic mode, it’s well worth reading to see why the change was deemed necessary. I’m already looking forward to Part Two!

The Ribbon Man, Part 1 - Cadalyst.com
An interview with Autodesk's Matt Stein about the much-discussed ribbon interface in AutoCAD 2009…

The Ribbon Man, Part 2 - CAD Management (added 2008–06–10)

Lynn Allen has been busy, 2009 AutoCAD Tips and Tricks!

OK, maybe not quite 2009 but there are more than 30 pages, 6MB, of AutoCAD 2009 Tips & Tricks available for download at Lynn’s blog.  

Lynn Allen's Blog: AutoCAD 2009 Tips and Tricks booklet has arrived!

Breaking barriers with Salesoft CAD Solutions - Autodesk 2009 Launch

UPDATE 2008–04–2: Picture added

Salesoft CAD Solutions had their “Autodesk 2009” launch today and the theme was “Breaking the Barriers”.

After a brief introduction from Rich Sales, yes it’s really his name, there were sessions which focused on a tour of the new features in Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure, AutoCAD and Max. Although this was handled by splitting into application focused groups there was a lot of material to cover in the time available.

For his AutoCAD session Gary adopted the cunning plan (which I’ve also used) of using Camtasia recordings rather than live demos. This allows you to see the software in action - as if live - but lets the presenter concentrate on presentation, rather than operation. It was great for showing the extensive user interface changes in AutoCAD 2009.

Then after a lunch break there was an impressive customer presentation by Auckland’s Morrison Architects. This showcased their use of Revit it all kinds of projects from a small bathroom renovation to large commercial building fit-outs and everything in between. You can see some of the work shown in their web gallery.

Guest Speaker Brian Wilson, from the School of Philosophy, followed with a great talk on breaking mental barriers. He mentioned a lecture by Andy Pausch whose lessons on life were delivered in “His last Lecture” (see video summary below or full transcript). I first stumbled upon this last September but it’s such a powerful message it deserves a repeat showing here.

We were then split into two groups for some barrier breaking activities;

Downstairs, Segway NZ had a variety of machines to test drive. Luckily this was inside the hotel convention space, avoiding a torrential downpour, but there was plenty of room to zoom around and the columns were ideal for those wanting a slalom. Riding a Segway for the first time is strange, especially if used to a bicycle. You have to learn not to balance and trust the Segway will do it for you, which it does!

Upstairs, everyone attending got to literally “break a barrier” after a quick Karate lesson. We were issued with a plank to break, which everyone did, with Rich delivering the final chop (below) *.

It was an interesting format, breaking the barriers of the typical software launch. Thanks to the Salesoft team for an enjoyable event but maybe, for 2010, I’d consider having slightly longer product sessions.

UPDATE 2008–04–2: Julia sent me this image today with the line “A reminder that you too have strong powers of focus and intent!” to which I’d add “and a sore hand!” **

* The YouTube video above is by me. Eboss were recording the sessions, with better cameras than my old 300 pixel movie Canon Ixus, to be posted mid-April.
** Just kidding, no CAD Bloggers were harmed in the making of this post!

Tags: Salesoft+CAD+Solutions, Autodesk, Hilton

Resene Paints Colour Books for AutoCAD 2009, including LT!

AutoCAD 2004 introduced colour books for managing custom colours. Since then, Resene Paints (New Zealand) have created AutoCAD Colour books for their entire paint range. There are now over three thousand colours, including the latest “The Range 2008”, which work fine with all versions of AutoCAD from 2004 - 2009 (and verticals). Via Kate’s LT Blog I discovered AutoCAD LT 2009 will also support True Colour, Colour Books and Fields.

This allows you to specify Resene colours anywhere AutoCAD allows colour selection (Layers, Objects, Hatches etc) without having to enter RGB values. The full colour name and code are displayed and can also be used for annotation.

If you insert an object field in annotation (Insert a Field > Object Field > Select the Object > Colour) if/when you alter the object colour the annotation updates automatically. No more typing in colours and codes or printing then realising you’ve not updated a colour swatch name!

The example (click thumbnail right) shows leader text and colour swatch text labels referencing hatch objects & (below) the AutoCAD 2009 Layer Palette & Colour Book Selector. 

Colour Books For AutoCAD software From Resene Paints
Resene have created Colour Books suitable for Autodesk AutoCAD 2004 to 2009 (including AutoCAD based products). These allow you to specify Resene colours anywhere AutoCAD allows colour selection (Layers, Objects, and Hatch fills etc).

AutoCAD 2009, Explode, gone?

Where’s the Dynamite?  Has Explode gone?

While many CAD Managers may prefer it was gone, Explode is still there in 2009. What’s missing is that iconic, umm, icon! For as long as I can remember, to create havoc in an AutoCAD file you just clicked on the Dynamite.

In AutoCAD 2009 it’s been replaced with an icon showing a collection of faces “flying away” from each other. It kind of represents a real world explosion but for AutoCAD it’s a little misleading. When you explode something in AutoCAD, it breaks into components but they don’t go anywhere!

I’m not sure why it was changed. Maybe, like the 3D Viewcube/Wheels, it’s shared by other products and is part of Autodesk’s drive for a more unified interface? Perhaps the “dyna’mighty redness” of the old icon was just too bright for the rather monotone 2009 colour scheme? Or maybe it just didn’t work? If you “2009’ify” the old icon it does look more like a bug on the windshield!

Boom, Boom, to edit AutoCAD Architecture Multiview Block components.*

We use AutoCAD Architecture Multiview Blocks extensively so Explode is actually a handy tool for updating library parts. The nested blocks in MV Blocks can’t be edited directly. You could insert the correct block (then refedit it) but that gets tedious, especially in a standards or project file with hundreds of blocks. An quick alternative is to use explode to expose it;

• Copy the MV Block (you’re going to destroy it soon so don’t use the original)
• Set the view/display to show nested block you want to edit
• Explode shatters the MV Block leaving an anonymous (unnamed) block
• Explode again to reveal the correct component block for the current view, ready to refedit.

* Blame watching too much Basil Brush as a kid for this line.

Hide the InfoCenter, if you prefer - AutoCAD 2009

InfoCenter was introduced with AutoCAD 2008. I liked how it combined the old communication centre, help, search and integrated RSS feeds. However, some found the title bar search entry box consumed too much space clipping the title/path display. AutoCAD 2009 adds a control to hide the panel when not in use.

DWG TrueView 2009 measures up

I’ve flogged this capture from “Beyond the Paper” to illustrate an important new feature in Autodesk’s free .dwg drawing viewer. 

It could always view, print and publish (to DWF) but Autodesk DWG TrueView 2009* will finally measure!  There is more about the new TrueView at:

Beyond the Paper: DWG TrueView 2009 is cool

* Does the T (for TrueView I presume) button icon “read” as a rotated IT to you or is it just my dismal eyesight?

A couple of new AutoCAD blogs

From Perth, Australia, AutoCAD Guru Steve Johnson has started an AutoCAD blog…

Welcome to blog nauseam - www.blog.cadnauseam.com
This is the blog of cad nauseam owner Steve Johnson. Expect to find a somewhat strange selection of stuff about AutoCAD, music, image manipulation and video…

Meanwhile, somewhat closer to home, my Sunday cycle ride/brunch mate has done the same;

William Le Couteur's AutoCAD Blog - wlecouteur.blogspot.com
Where do I start? Is there a target audience? I would hope my target audience would be interested in things to do with drafting and usage of AutoCAD…

Subscribed!

AutoCAD 2009's Quick View Layout & Drawing feature

I was going to blog about AutoCAD 2009’s new Quick View Layout & Drawing feature but now there is little point. Just click through to Donnie’s brilliant post and video to see these features in action:

AutoCAD 2009: Quick View Layout & Drawing Video Introduction - The CAD Geek Blog
“Starting with AutoCAD 2009 we’re no longer trapped within a static interface.  Instead we start seeing some dynamic UI elements.  Among these is the new Quick View Layout, and Quick View Drawing feature...”

Time flies, it’s Autodesk 2009!

Autodesk have announced their “2009” product releases including AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture/MEP and Revit Architecture/MEP. While there is a lot to see in these products some of the announcements made today regarding acquisitions and subscription are just as interesting. It’s a month or so before the release products ship but via the MyFeedback program I’ve had access to a few of them for a while. There are some major changes in all the applications and lots of refinements, although some I’d classify as bug fixes. These are my highlights from the releases, I’ll follow with more detail in future posts. To maximise browser compatibility I’ve shared animations (captured with Camtasia) in .gif format which does limit colour and gradient rendition. The static captures are a better guide to the true appearance, in my case as seen on Windows XP, and details may change between now & release.

AutoCAD 2009 – It’s the User Interface… 

While there are lots of refinements the major impact is how AutoCAD looks and feels. If you’ve recently upgraded to Office 2007 things might seem a little more familiar but AutoCAD veterans are in for a shock. AutoCAD has adopted many of the principles and general layout of the Microsoft Fluent UI however, unlike Office, Autodesk’s interface allows full customisation. It’s all new from the “A” (for AutoCAD) desktop icon to the “AutoCAD” Button, Menu Browser and Ribbon. Even the old status bar text toggles have changed to swish new icons. The focus shifts from tools to tasks as, like Office, the interface attempts to present tools and controls relevant to your work-flow. If your priorities differ the AutoCAD Ribbon allows the same level of customisation as the previous toolbar UI. Unlike Microsoft Office, AutoCAD also retains the old UI so those who can’t live without the legacy Menu/Toolbar model have still that option. Of course the command line, dynamic cursor input and keyboard shortcuts are there for those who prefer the keyboard approach.

• This  capture shows the “AutoCAD Button” and Menu Browser which allows access to Menus, Recent & Open Files and Recent Actions. The options for thumbnail and image previews make finding & selecting files easier. The Quick Access toolbar (next to the A, displaying New, Open, Save etc here) can hold any command you use frequently.

• Below you see a few features of the AutoCAD Ribbon in action. It can be partially or completely hidden (it flies out when you hover over it) and the individual panels can be pinned open or torn off. New look icons and tool-tips are featured which have a crisp, if monotone, appearance more like Inventor.  The ribbon is customised using the CUI (shudder) and combines with the existing “workspace” and Tool Palettes to support a task focused approach. Sadly the appearance is a bit Henry Ford! Any colour you like as long as it is dark or light grey. I suspect it was designed for Vista as, to my eyes, clashes horribly with the default XP blue & beige. I’m running XP with the grey theme which is more acceptable. Layers can be managed from the Ribbon Panel, a traditional layer dialog or a new mode-less, always open, dialog.

• The new status icons for Snap, Grid, Ortho, Polar etc replace the old text labels.

• AutoCAD now features refined 3D View Cube (nice!) and Steering Wheel controls (yuk!) similar to those previously seen in Autodesk Design Review!

AutoCAD Architecture 2009 – Refinement, Refinement…

As usual AutoCAD Architecture inherits many of the AutoCAD features, but interestingly not all. It makes less use of the Ribbon and won’t use the mode-less Layer dialog seen in AutoCAD. It features improvements to Walls (Cleanup and end-caps), Spaces and Project Navigator to aid work-flow. Perhaps my favourite feature is a tiny one. When you have over a hundred live projects the ability to close the current one from Project Navigator, without opening and finding it in Project Browser, is awesome!

• AutoCAD Architecture in Design Workspace Menu/Toolbar and Visualisation Workspace Ribbon mode.

Revit Architecture 2009 – Exceptional Rendering…

Yes, Revit could always render, thanks to Accurender, but invariably it looked “OK, except…”. For 2009 the factory have incorporated the high quality Mental Ray render engine as seen in Max, AutoCAD and other products. This change alone would justify Revit 2009 for me but there are many other improvements. Sadly apart from an “R” desktop icon (get it?) Revit has not benefited from major UI changes other than the View Cube and Steering Wheel 3D viewing controls seen in other Autodesk products. The new render UI is delightfully simple and credit to the team. Inter-operation between Revit and Max has also been improved.

Other announcements:

• Autodesk announce acquisitions of analysis technologies from Green Building Studio and Carmel Software
• Autodesk Impression free for AEC application subscription customers!? See this post for more detail
• 3ds Max Design and 3ds Max 2009 Entertainment announced. Autodesk also announced Viz development is ending and it’s “encouraging customers to shift to 3ds Max Design”. As a Viz user, subscriber, I’ll be interested to see what form this “encouragement” takes as the press release only has US pricing!

That’s all for now, it’s time for bed!

Tags: Autodesk, 2009

Autodesk making an Impression?

Lisa’s blog has an announcement from the Autodesk World Press Day which impresses!

Coming soon... – Inside Hues – Lisa's Autodesk Impression Blog
“At World Press Days (taking place as we speak) it will be announced that Autodesk Impression 2 (to be released this Spring) will be available to Subscription customers of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, AutoCAD MEP, and AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite. If you read between the lines, this means that Impression will no longer be sold as a stand-alone application, and that the Technology Preview program which we've been running in select regions will come to an end.”

Revit and AutoCAD's Visual Styles - A SketchUp alternative?

I heard of Revit users experimenting with Google SketchUp for presentations in an attempt to get a more natural “conceptual look” than Revit allows. Many Revit users also have AutoCAD available so I though it’s conceptual visual styles were worth trying. This sample is just a play Revit model but has a mix of default Revit walls, curtain wall and site elements.

The screenshot below shows that Revit model imported into AutoCAD (Click on the thumbnail for a larger view).

1. Viewport 1 shows the raw import. The rather garish colours are from the default Revit layer settings but the concept styles ignore these colours so there is no need to change them..
2. Viewport 2 has a conceptual style applied with a “Gooch” face style.  The visual styles allow slider adjustment of edge weights, line overhang, “roughness” and outline thickness. These can be combined to get many looks within a style setting.
3. Viewport 3 has a sepia face style with the transparency button enabled. It allows some vision through even solid objects to see the form.
4. Viewport 4 is a plan view with no face style and heavy use of the line effects. It’s a reasonable look to simulate a pen drawing.

AutoCAD Visual styles, like Revit shaded views, are quick and easy to edit. They can be output directly to paper, DWF or image formats using the normal AutoCAD Plot Command. It’s a pity Revit doesn’t have this sort of display effect built in but, until it does, give AutoCAD a go.

Lee Ambrosius, now officially Autodesk

Autodesk has “absorbed” renowned AutoCAD Guru\Blogger Lee Ambrosius. You may know Lee from his comprehensive AutoCAD website, Hyperpics, his blog, Beyond the UI, or AUGI contributions. Lee knows more about AutoCAD than any sane person would want too  and it’s great to see his talent and dedication added to the AutoCAD team. It’s a winning deal for both sides. Congratulations Lee, see you at Autodesk University!

Between the Lines: Lee, Welcome to the Dark Side
“Lee Ambrosius will be [working for Autodesk] on the User Assistance Team in PSEB which does many things including the AutoCAD documentation.”

Curved text in AutoCAD?

I got an email from a reader with the question;

“Do you know if there is a way to wrap text around a curve in AutoCad MEP?”

I haven’t looked at how you’d achieve it in a AutoCAD MEP label but for plain text this just requires the Express Tools installed. You create the curve then add the text with the Express>Arc-aligned Text command*.

Once created you use the same command to modify the layout, content and position from this dialog:

* If you don’t see the Express Menu verify if the express tools are loaded. At the command prompt, enter EXPRESSTOOLS to enable the tools. If not:

• You can install the AutoCAD Express Tools as part of the AutoCAD installation, or you can add them later using Add or Remove Programs on the Control Panel. Depending on your environment this may require admin rights or may need to done by your IT/CAD Manager.
• Express Tools are available in their original form, in English only, and are not supported. No updates have been made to the tools. Double-byte characters are not supported.

AutoCAD 2008 SP1 Hotfixes

If you’ve installed AutoCAD 2008 Sp1 (or any vertical based on it) there are a couple of hotfixes you should investigate:

• Hotfix - Linetype display – This hotfix repairs a problem in which linetypes unexpectedly display as continuous in AutoCAD® products after the installation of a Service Pack.
• Hotfix - Raster Error – This hotfix repairs the following fatal error in AutoCAD® products when opening a drawing or inserting an image file after the installation of a Service Pack.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster meets Freewheel

Robert Grandmaison made rather stunning model of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in AutoCAD and shared as a DWF. With his permission I’m hosting it and if you have a free DWF Viewer you can  "Right click >Save target as" to download FSM-RG.dwf (226.3K)

If not try the not try the “no install” Freewheel viewer version below. You can zoom, orbit (spin in 3D) to view the FSM from any direction. If “he” orbits off screen use “Pan” to move back or “Fit” to return to the original view.

Using DWF + Freewheel to view a deity from any perspective…

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.

All rights for FSM, Freewheel and the DWF itself remain with their respective authors. Combined use of their content or technology does not imply any endorsement of one by the other.

Tags: Freewheel, Flying+Spaghetti+Monster

Talkr and the junior AutoCAD's name

There has always been some speculation about the name of the “Junior AutoCAD” and the meaning of those letters “L” and “T”:

• AutoCAD Lite?
• AutoCAD Lap Top?
• AutoCAD Limited Technology?
• AutoCAD LISP Tossed?

I was trying a recent post with the Talkr blog reading feature and it offered another version. Click the link below to hear Talkr’s interpretation:

• AutoCAD Lieutenant.

Tags: talkr, AutoCAD+LT

Jimmy Bergmark interviewed by NOVEDGE blog

In the latest post on NOVEDGE Franco Folini interviews Jimmy Bergmark of JTB World.

Like many I first “met” Jimmy via the Autodesk Discussion Groups, his website and blog. He’s a keen contributor and has a wealth of knowledge in CAD related programming and customisation. In 2005 it was a real pleasure to meet him in person which given I’m in New Zealand and he’s in Sweden was no simple task. We met in Orlando, about halfway, as both attended Autodesk University 2005.

NOVEDGE blog: An Interview with Jimmy Bergmark, AutoCAD Guru
Jimmy Bergmark is the owner and principal of JTB World, a Swedish consulting company specializing in AutoCAD programming and customization. Jimmy is well known in the AutoCAD community because of his constant presence and highly qualified advice in several discussion forums and also because of his popular technical blog…

Tags: JTB+World, NOVEDGE

Blogging LT - Erik and Kate's AutoCAD LT Blog

After AutoSketch, AutoCAD LT was the second CAD package I owned. Although it’s regarded as “the little brother” you can do some pretty cool work with it.

It’s not supposed to do 3D but was fine for the geometry of this dome. It looks like a repetitive geodesic structure but the designer wanted horizontal circular members at fixed heights so every level was different. Using LT to array the nodes then dimension member lengths/angles was easier than calculating them!

This is the first AutoCAD LT blog I’ve seen. It’s great the little brother has got a blog.

The LT Side of Things
Tips & workarounds for the LT side of AutoCAD.
http://ltsideofthings.blogspot.com/

Via BTL

UPDATE 30-08-2007: Shaan found another LT blog. Apologies Kate, you’re RSS feed no 1031!

Kate's CAD Tips
Welcome to Kate's CAD Tips! I've been sending these tips out to my office once a week for about three years now, and decided to start the blog as a way to put them all in one place.
http://katescadtips.blogspot.com/

Tags: AutoCAD+LT

25 years of AutoCAD?

AutoCAD is turning 25! Crikey, I must be getting old as remember most of it!

We first used AutoCAD R2.something at Tech. I say “we” as there were few CAD PC’s so several of students used one together. My first CAD drawing was a group effort, a side elevation of a motor scooter project which took us several weeks! There was limited access to slow, if top spec for their day, machines. The desire to draw curves (this was just 2D not 3D) and fill them with hatch patterns plus the “first encounter with AutoCAD factor” meant it was a long process.

I still remember “Beth”, can’t remember her surname, who came to New Zealand from Autodesk to spread the AutoCAD word. She was amused, or maybe bewildered, by design students trying to do things real draftsmen wouldn’t attempt. I think it resulted in a few calls back to the US for updates or test code. Thinking back, I wonder where Beth is now & regret not having that .dwg other than as a print…

Then there was a gap until R9 before I encountered AutoCAD again. For most of those computer free years it was literally back to the drawing board but since then it’s been all digital. My own first CAD PC is a metre away as I type this and still runs fine. Not that there’s much use for a 436 dx33 with 8mb ram which cost $5150.25 (in 1993).

It’s a coincidence The Warehouse, my employer, is also 25 later this year. They didn’t use AutoCAD internally until sometime in early/mid ‘90’s. I’ve been using it, or AutoCAD based software, there since 1997! Now I do feel old…

Celebrating 25 years of AutoCAD - www.autodesk.com/autocad25

Via BTL

The AutoCAD Car?

It’s the boring bit of my morning commute, thankfully only a couple of kilometres, where nose to tail traffic can be impossible to avoid. 

While inching along, both brain and gear box in neutral, I notice something odd about the car in front. Is that an AutoCAD fan with a personalised plate?

I didn’t see the driver but it isn’t any AutoCAD dealer/user I know. I’ve also seen DWH & later plates so it simply appears our normal licensing has gone through the DWG### series. I haven’t seen another “DWG” and have also been looking for a “DWF” car. They must be out there somewhere!

The proper “DWG” (no numbers) personalised plate is taken, however “DWF” is still there* if any Kiwi readers want to buy it…

* I’d link to the plate site, maybe have got them a sale, but they have draconian terms of use (requiring written permission before linking to their website?) so stuff them!

Easier Dim Notes for AutoCAD?

If your drawings require a lot of repetitive dimension notes check out DimNotes from Jimmy Bergmark – JTB World. He’s an AutoCAD/ACA wiz from Sweden who I’ve “known” via the web for several years and met once in person. Being from opposite sides of the world we met about halfway, in Orlando, as both attended Autodesk University 2005. At that time Jimmy was a CAD Manager with a “proper job”* but is now forging his own path as a consultant, focusing on software design, development, customisation, integration.

Jimmy has several CAD related products, including JTB FlexReport – a Flexlm reporting tool, on his site along with several free-ware offers. Thanks to a reader, Cameron, for the heads-up on DimNotes and an idea for a future post on ADT/ACA tool palettes.

DimNotes - JTB World

DimNotes makes it easy to add dimension notes to dimension objects in AutoCAD.

The free trial is fully functional except that you can only add notes two times per AutoCAD session. When purchased it can be used without restrictions.

JTB World Home-page - www.jtbworld.com

* When self employed I referred to employees, those with a regular salary, as having proper jobs :-)

Shaan Hurley, the masculine Lynn Allen?

What a compliment for Shaan Hurley, being described as the "the masculine Lynn Allen"!

Not so sure Lynn Allen would as pleased to be "the feminine Shaan Hurley"

 

    Lynn Allen           Shaan Hurley

Between the Lines: Thank You Chicago!
A few feedback comment forms standout in my mind and one actually mentioned I was the "masculine Lynn Allen". This was of course due to the session originally set to be one from Lynn Allen but she needed rest before taking off on her Asia shopping trip .

Align, the forgotten AutoCAD hero

A post on Daily AutoCAD, subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already, highlights a brilliant but often forgotten editing command. With “Align” you can move, rotate and scale an object while aligning it with existing geometry or selected points. It’s often only thought of as a 3D command but is one I often use in 2D. While it will manipulate AutoCAD geometry you can also scale and align images. Just draw a line to the “known length”, select the two corresponding points on the image and use the scale option to rotate, scale and place the image perfectly.

Here is a Camtasia gif of Align in 2D action, Daily AutoCAD have step by step examples for 2D & 3D uses of align. 

ALIGN command in 2D - Daily Autocad

ALIGN command in 3D - Daily Autocad

I’ve long argued Align deserves a place on the standard “Modify” toolbar/Dashboard but it’s not there. Thankfully the ability to customise the dashboard means you can add it yourself using Right Click > Customise Commands and choosing “Align” in all commands. If the control lacks an image, specify RCDATA_16_ALIGN in both “Images” property fields.

On the Ning Nang Nong, Where AutoCAD Architecture goes Bong!

It’s been one of those days, actually two days. Finish a deployment for AutoCAD Architecture, test it and find it works perfectly until you shut down. Then, after a short delay, “Bong”!*

Running filemon I found that an acad.err file was being written/updated after shutdown with an error message:

FATAL ERROR: Unhandled Access Violation Reading 0xc144614 Exception at 622d51cch [current day] at [shutdown time] drawing:

The only event in System Monitor was the licence service stopping and there was no Windows or Autodesk CER. Even worse, it only happened when my customised profile was current. The default profiles were “bong-less”. This turned out to be a vital clue, but thats easy to say with hindsight. Adding confusion, I hadn’t seen this with previous ADT 2006 & 2007 builds using the same profile settings.

Since the custom profile includes a myriad of options the only way was to start from scratch. I copied the default profile, bong-less, then added an item/path/preference, then closed down waiting for the “bong” or hoping for an “absence of bong”. Eventually I found the cause was Civil 3D object pollution in the template I was using. How Civil 3D got in there I don’t know but without it’s object enabler installed, and the proxy object dialog off, the only indication of any problem was a “bong” & acad.err log.

The solution was to create a clean template: no more Civil 3D stuff, no more bong. Since there is likely already Civil 3D polluted content out there, and we do see the occasional Civil 3D file, I also added the Civil 3D Object Enabler to the build. The default profiles were fine because they use different templates. So why didn’t ADT 2006/7 bong & error with same template and no enabler installed? I don’t know…

* I’m a Spike Milligan fan. “Bong” was actually “Windows XP Critical Stop.wav” but using that wouldn’t allow me to misquote Spike’s wonderful “Silly verse for kids” which I loved as a kid, and still do…

Top poetry is complete nonsense - (includes “On The Ning Nang Nong” text) - BBC News

See the top 3 favourite poems in Britain including Spike performing Ning Nang Nong – low quality RealPlayer .ram file – BBC News

AutoCAD, or AutoCAT, Usability Testing

After reading Mark W. Kiker’s post on Autodesk Usability Feedback I found this old footage, while cleaning up some old media folders, which dates back to AutoCAD 2006 (released in 2005).

As it may involve new interface or product features usability testing isn’t often seen or discussed in public forums. Take a glimpse at the secret world of the Autodesk San Rafael Usability Lab below. Then click through to Mark’s post to learn how to get involved by visiting the lab or via the web.

 

Disclosure: This was actually filmed 10,497km away from the Autodesk Usability Lab in San Rafael. No Birman Kitten or Autodesk Code was harmed in the making of this video. One monitor was a bit smudged…

Shaan's AutoCAD and Autodesk History Images

I just noticed Shaan Hurley has posted a bunch of historic AutoCAD & Autodesk images to his Flickr pages. In fact he’s gone a bit Flikr’azy and posted over 2000 images in the last few weeks.*

It’s a worry how many of the sample files & packages I remember. I don’t remember the AutoCAD 1.1 media (image right stolen from Shaan’s Flikr collection) as my first encounter with AutoCAD was in 1985, about version 2.something…

Shaan’s AutoCAD and Autodesk History Flikr Collection

* Perhaps, like me, he’s fed up with waiting for TypePad to do some development on their own creaky old photo album system. I’ve seriously considered Flikr but the task of re-titling and cataloguing hundreds of images isn’t appealing and it’s yet another service, login, hassle I could do with avoiding. What about it TypePad?

Tags: Shaan+Hurley

XML Editing to fix AutoCAD Tool Palette order

I know a man called John who used to have a life. Now he has a CAD blog…

Which is good as we get to read handy hints such as to make AutoCAD Tools on a Tool Palette stay in the same order when you restart AutoCAD! 

CADit: Using XML Notepad 2007 with AutoCAD ToolPalettes
“Have you ever put a toolpalette together, ordered the tools on the palette how you want them, then, after restarting AutoCAD (or just swapping to another palette and back) the tool order is lost. You re-order them, re-start AutoCAD and the order is lost again!

I use the XML Editor for fixing tool order on the palettes…”

AutoCAD Publish to Google Earth "updated for 2008"

One of my most popular older posts is the result of people searching for “AutoCAD, Google Earth & kmz”. About a thousand people a month find this post about the Autodesk Labs AutoCAD Google Earth Extension. The good news from Shaan is that it’s just been updated for 2008!

Between the Lines: Publish to Google Earth for AutoCAD 2008
New Version for AutoCAD 2008 posted!

Google Earth Extension Technology Preview
This AutoCAD 2008 add-on is useful in publishing and viewing your DWG-based data and 3D models within Google Earth™.
Applicable Products: AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD Architecture 2008, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008, AutoCAD Map 3D 2008

Tags: Google+Earth

Parametric BIM in AutoCAD?

Most people think of shopping as an activity, a recreation or a chore but maybe it’s more than that. In David Byrne’s pseudo-documentary comedy “True Stories” Kay Culver introduces a bizarre shopping mall fashion parade with the line: “Shopping is a feeling!”.

There has been much discussion about what BIM means and everyone seems to have their own definition. Is it about a process, an application, a way of working or the results?

I think its all of these. Lachmi Khemlani’s latest article shows work by Neil C. Katz at SOM using an Autodesk Application for Parametric BIM and it’s not one you’d expect. But BIM isn’t about an application, it’s a way of working, it’s about the results.

Perhaps you could even say: “BIM is a feeling!”

Parametric Modeling in AutoCAD: AECbytes Viewpoint #32
Neil C. Katz – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
Many people are surprised by some of the work that I do at SOM. But while we have created a number of sophisticated tools for building modeling and analysis, it is not the work itself that provokes this reaction. Instead, it is the fact that much of the work has been done in AutoCAD…

PS: Here's the brilliant “Dream Operator” Fashion show clip from “True Stories”. Keep an eye out for the “Architectural fashion”…

PS: The image is from a children’s book: “The Story of BIM – Written for 3 year  old Charlotte”, Kathleen Mellor, published. Melbourne. Georgian House  nd.194-? I couldn’t find any other information but would be interested to know more if anyone has heard of this book!

Annotation logic in AutoCAD?

I laughed when I saw this in Heidi’s latest Annotation Scaling post 

Heidi Hewett's Blog: Annotation Scaling 106
The process for scaling annotations in AutoCAD 2008 is quite different than in the past. You’ll have to adjust your thinking a little… not because it’s harder, but because it is so much more logical! We’re not used to that when it comes to annotations and scaling!

Excel to AutoCAD, do you read me?

CAD Geek Blogger Donnie Gladfelter has a great post on the linking AutoCAD 2008 & Microsoft Excel with the new Data link feature. I only recently found his blog and it’s well worth subscribing to!

Linking Excel and AutoCAD with Data Links - The CAD Geek Blog
Arguably the most valuable tool in the modern-day engineer’s toolbox is Microsoft Excel….
What engineers wanted and needed was bidirectional synchronization between AutoCAD and Excel.
Among the new features packed within AutoCAD 2008 is just that capability through use of Data Links…

AutoCAD 2008 - Linescale sorted?

Did anyone ever really understand the linescale settings in AutoCAD?

Confusing enough for “the imperialists”, it was further complicated for metric users with the addition of “international” file settings & ISO line styles. Many never realised these existed “drawing metric” in imperial .dwg files with imperial linetypes then cranking up the LTScale & hatch pattern scales to compensate.

Combine a mixture of imperial/metric drawing settings, imperial/metric (ISO) linestyles, add modelspace vs paperspace, mix in differing view scales and the whole thing got very confusing. Sort out the file related settings (measurement & measureinit 1 for metric), import the ISO linetypes, get the line scale correct and you still had various paperspace viewport scales to contend with. 

Setting global scale to 1, or sometimes not quite 1, with the “Use paperspace units for scaling” (PSLTSCALE) on sorted that out until you went back to modelspace & found all the lines looking continuous, Arrgggggh…!

Finally AutoCAD 2008 adds a MSLTSCALE variable, I know you’re thinking “Not another variable!”, to allow correct scaling in differently scaled layout viewports AND modelspace – phew!

For those hungry for more detail on the variables old & new a lazy Robin will hand over to, not lazy, David Koch who has a great post on the whole thing here:

The Architect's Desktop: No More LTSCALE/PSLTSCALE Problems!

AutoCAD 2008 - Automatic DWF Publish?

Beth beat me to press, to blog?, with an AutoCAD 2008 feature that caught my eye. No point repeating her fine work here so click thru for more detail on Automatic DWF Publish.

Automatic DWF Publish in AutoCAD 2008 - Beth's CAD Blog
I always like to look at the Options dialog box to see what jumps out at me as different from previous releases. While doing so recently, I ran across this at the bottom of the Plot and Publish tab… 

I can add I’ve been experimenting and found the “publish on save” option a little intrusive as it does take some time for the DWF publish to complete on complex files. There is an option to “Publish on Close” or  “Prompt on Close” which better suits my work-flow. You can save without “Publish lag” and, when set to prompt, have the choice to accept/reject publish when the file is closed.

For AutoCAD Architecture users I’ve still to experiment how Auto DWF publish and ACA projects work together, something for a future post.

The Fiat Scratch, designed from scratch with AliasStudio

Cadalyst have an article about the Fiat Scratch, a car design concept created with help from AliasStudio,  Photoshop,  AutoCAD & 3ds Max.

Much is made of it’s factory fresh “scratched weathered look” but Fiats tend acquire that as they age anyway. The thing is they keep going regardless, the scratches just adding “character”. The idea of multi-colour layered paint to highlight the cars age, rather than hide it, is also interesting. I think my old battered stone chipped White Uno, with it’s greyish under-coat, is pioneering this!

Wear Your Fiat Like a Pair of Old Jeans - Cadalyst.com
London-based architect-turned-vehicle designer Uros Pavasovic has traditionalists scratching their heads…

Tags: Fiat, AliasStudio

AutoCAD 2008 - Custom Dashboards, It's your dashboard after all...

As I wrote the new Dashboard Layer Control post I noticed all that blank space above the Layer State control. I use the layer off, freeze, lock controls on the former Layers II Toolbar often and thought they’d fit in there nicely. Before 2008 that would have remained a “wish” as the Dashboard Control Panels were off limits for customisation but now you can edit them yourself. If you don’t like the layout, change it!

The screen capture below is not intended as a complete guide to CUI customisation  but shows the process to add tools to the control panel of your choice*. Locate the panel in the CUI dialog and drag the tool to the “Row” you want it to appear in. Dashboard Panel “Rows” in the CUI correspond with the vertical control arrangement within the panel and the tool order controls the left/right arrangement. You can apply changes at any time, to see your progress on the panel, then continue editing. Once happy with your new layout OK to save changes and exit the dialog

* If you’re not a stand-alone user it would pay to check with your CAD Manager before trying this as your work maybe un-done by profile management tools next time you logon.

Tags: AutoCAD+2008

AutoCAD 2008 - Layers on the Dashboard

Just one update to the AutoCAD 2008 Dashboard is a new component containing functions previously seen on the Layer Properties Toolbar. It adds Isolate/Un-isolate buttons and Layer States can be accessed and managed.

Opening an extended fly-out reveals controls for the new “Locked Layer Fade” feature. This makes it much easier to work with locked layers as a background as they can be faded to reduce “clutter” but still seen for visual or object snap reference. You can control the fade %’age via a slide or entering a typed value. Below this is quick access to Layer Filter Groups, complete with "invert option", without opening the full Layer Manager which is a real time saver.

The legacy Layer Properties Toolbar is still available if you prefer but the dashboard controls are a nice alternative.

Tags: AutoCAD+2008

AutoCAD 2008 InfoCenter - "It’s help Jim, but not as we know it”

Apologies for the Trekkie parody but InfoCenter really does take “Help” from being “Just another menu” to a true information resource for the user. It combines AutoCAD help and Communication Center features with powerful search and adds one very cool new feature .

The screen capture shows the InfoCenter interface which sits in the menu bar enabling search and access of these resources:

• Help: Searches across multiple files and presents merged results in a dynamic results menu. You see the results from the Application Help,  New Features Workshop and Customisation Help in one interface.
• Communication Center;
•  “Channels”(from Autodesk);
• Live Update Notification and Subscription Announcements
• Articles and Tips
• Featured Technologies and Content
• Product Support Information
• User RSS Feeds; This is the cool new function.
• It installs with feeds from the Autodesk product related Blogs, Discussion Groups and Knowledge Base.
• Users can also add/remove their own blog feeds. An unscrupulous Cad Manager could load his own blog feed to boosting his FeedBurner stats
• CAD Manager Channel: This is a RSS feed that the user can not remove. In the capture you see my blog feed but I will create a company wiki/blog feed with CAD related updates for the real deployment (honest!)
• Favourites: Save links to those frequently accessed topics here!

InfoCenter has a CAD Manager Application which allows the CAD Manager to control the Users ability to access/edit display of content & settings. 

It’s one place for information access from local help, local company web/intranet/wiki feeds or the Internet – a true AutoCAD “InfoCenter”.

UPDATE 22–02–2007: Jimmy has a great post about the CAD Manager Utility which includes some InfoCenter controls:

CAD Manager Control Utility for AutoCAD 2008 - JTB World

Tags: AutoCAD+2008

2008: The end of Architectural Desktop, Autodesk Building Systems, Revit Building and DWF Viewer?

Don’t Panic

It’s 2008!

Did that your attention? Don’t panic, it’s not the end of all those products, mostly re-alignment of the new release names. However there is a rationalisation of the DWF Viewer/Reviewer lineup.

In a flurry of press releases Autodesk announced that the 2008 releases due soon will see the application titles Architectural Desktop/Autodesk Building Systems and Revit Building/Revit Systems consigned to history.

The new AutoCAD shouldn’t be any great surprise:

• AutoCAD 2008 replaces AutoCAD 2007

The AutoCAD based AEC and Civil “verticals” acknowledge their base platform & adopt simplified naming:

• AutoCAD Architecture 2008 replaces Architectural Desktop 2007
• AutoCAD MEP 2008 replaces Autodesk Building Systems 2007
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 replaces Autodesk Civil 3D 2007

I’m OK with AutoCAD Architecture but can’t read AutoCAD MEP without thinking of OddTodd’s character MEP who only ever says “MEP!”