RobiNZ CAD Blog

Burj Dubai in Photosynth

Geek in Disguise have a post on the new “overhead” view in Microsoft Photosynth. It’s amazing technology which aggregates 2D images into a pseudo 3D world (below).

Photosynth Overhead View from Microsoft Photosynth on Vimeo.

The overhead view makes the “model” more understandable but it was the subject of GID’s Photosynth that got my attention. It’s a unique way to see the Burj Dubai

Photosynth Overhead View launched - Geek In Disguise

iThink it’s nearly my time for the Phone with an i

It’s not that I don’t like Apple, just their “our way or no way” attitude and the fanatic devotees annoy (but not Phil, Matt, Adam, Terrance and other iFanatics I know!). I’m not really into cults, except one, but will change my mind if the evidence stacks up. Today a few things happened that might, just might, be enough to make me consider actually getting an iPhone.

Yes Kiwifrenzy, I know that even means tolerating iTunes which I’ve happily avoided, hard since Apple try & sneak it in with (also avoided because it’s rubbish) QuickTime downloads. If you’d asked me when I woke up this morning “Do you want an iPhone?” the answer would have been “No!” but 12 hours later I’m close to the iTipping Point!

Maybe because I Sketch?

Well, cool as it is Autodesk Sketchbook Mobile wouldn’t have me rushing out to buy an iPhone. I saw it in action on a colleagues phone today and was impressed but I wonder if I’d really use it that often? The application is astoundingly good value but not having an iPhone makes the price of admission high. Tilting, but not tipping…

Perhaps, because I Map?

Given I map just about everything that’s important and a lot that isn’t this one is a no-brainer. It’s Mindjet for iPhone which pushed me close to the tipping point.

Mindjet for iPhone from Mindjet on Vimeo.

But there is something missing!

As I watch various iPhone demos it’s apparent there is a problem. Many of my potential uses require typing, entering URLs, navigating the net and the like. While it has a wonderful touch UX and (not so sure it’s wonderful) virtual keyboard there is a glaring omission.. To do that stuff iActiveWords but the iPhone doesn’t. What about it Buzz? ActiveWords for iPhone would have at least one customer!

So, am I converted? Is there an iGod?

My atheism extends to the world of IT which is why I like this Geek & Poke Strip which also appeared today! Divine intervention or coincidence? You can probably guess what iThink!

  See the rest

Spring clean your browser bookmarks - AM-DeadLink

OK, it's a bit late for spring cleaning up North but not for my southern hemisphere readers. I find this utility handy for cleaning out obsolete favourites/bookmarks and AM-DeadLink is Freeware!

AM-DeadLink - Download FavIcons and detect dead links in your browser bookmarks
AM-DeadLink detects dead links and duplicates in browser bookmarks and text files. If a bookmark has become unavailable you can verify and delete it permanently. Additionally you can download FavIcons for all your Favorites and Bookmarks.

Craig Venter shows Richard Dawkins around The Institute for Genomic Research

This isn't CAD or BIM but the hardware, technology and science seen in this tour of The Institute for Genomic Research is amazing. Genome sequencing depends on high end computer technology and the progress being made is astounding. Although 27,000,000² pairwise comparisons were required to analyse the human genome the challenge, having achieved it, is to do it faster & cheaper.

Craig Venter gives Richard Dawkins an informal tour of the facility and talks about the science, technology, history and future potential of this fascinating research.

This footage was shot with the intention of editing for a television program. What you see here is the full extended interview, which includes a lot of rough camera transitions that were edited out of the final program (along with a lot of content).

MailWasher, a work in progress update

I find MailWasher an essential tool allowing me to see all mail that comes to my accounts but ensure no spam reaches my Inbox. While many ISP's & mail services have their own spam filters MailWasher gives the user control to preview, accept or reject mail before it's downloaded. It removes the risk of spam filters stopping mail you actually do want but has rules to allow the majority of spam to be eliminated without any effort. I also use its preview window to read and process quite a lot of wanted email before it even gets to my Inbox!

MailWasher have released a YouTube showing their current beta in action. Although the new MailWasher looks quite different it works the same way as the current version. If you want to try the current release get it from Firetrust.com MailWasher. I can recommend it as one step toward "Inbox zero" is dealing with stuff before it even gets there!

Tags: mailwasher

Augmented Lego Reality

Remember the cool Augmented Reality I saw at the Autodesk Gallery, and seen at Autodesk University  2008. The Gadgeteer  found it in a Lego Store!

Our Lego Store Goes High-Tech

"Imagine a magic mirror that when you hold a Lego box in front of it, a three dimensional hologram of the Lego model appears sitting virtually on top of the box"

I LOVE "THE RIBBON", do you?

I'm going to be writing about some "recently ribboned" applications in the next few weeks, some better than others. Before that I have decided to set out how I feel about a variety of "already ribboned" applications and how I arrived at this conclusion: I love the ribbon!

There you go, I said it, but before you respond please read this:

These parameters will apply to my future discussions of "ribbon'ification". Hopefully they will also fend off some inevitable, but irrelevant, responses to any discussion of a graphic user experience:

• Keyboard shortcuts have no relevance; When you are talking about interaction with a Graphic User Interface other command access modes are not a factor. Yes keyboard shortcuts are faster and I use literally thousands.* If you only work in a few applications nothing will beat them. However like many users I use many applications in a day and only the basic keyboard shortcuts are common across them all.
• Loving the Ribbon doesn't mean loving all Ribbons: It's nothing more than a tabbed device to present tools and objects in a User Interface. Some applications do a better job than others but that's not a criticism of the concept, just it's implementation.
• It's not just the ribbon: The Fluent User interface includes: The Application Button, Status Bar Controls, Ribbon Components and Floating Cursor Toolbars. However, like most people, I'll mostly just refer to it all as "the ribbon".
• It's not the only User Interface, but it's the one that matters: It is the one most Windows users, lets face it most computer users, will face over the next few years especially as Windows 7 rolls out. For me Mac O/S option is not on the horizon so that debate is irrelevant too. For the majority of corporate computer users there is no choice even if you think it's better. That may change but I'm not holding my breath.

The Ribbon OR how Microsoft Office 2007 changed the [Windows] world:

The Ribbon, more accurately the "Fluent UI", arrived with Microsoft Office 2007. Ribbon shock ensued as the familiar File, Edit...Help array of menus and toolbars disappeared to be replaced with the Ribbon, Application Button and associated User Experience refinements. Most were lost at first when a familiar, if often illogical, layout of commands and tools was totally changed.

The first Fluent UI application I used was the one that started it all. Microsoft Office 2007 arrived and, yes, at times I got lost and cursed the new User Interface. It's strange but the disappearance of the File menu and replacement with the Application Button seemed to be more of a struggle than the ribbon. Yes, I spent some time getting used to a new work-flow based arrangement of tools but once over that hump I have found it becomes more natural.

MindManager, the best Ribbon so far:

Not long after Office MindManager 7 arrived. Another familiar UI was replaced by something totally new. Trigger another round of "ribbfusion" (confusion induced by a ribbon changes) while you abandon old habits and adapt to the new. I grew to like it and think Mindjet's MindManager Ribbon is the best I've encountered to date, even better than Microsoft's! I suspect this is because MindManager is a visual product and the ribbon presents visual controls far better than menu/toolbars ever could. Add to that MindManager's use of colour and nice tab layout and you have a dramatic improvement over it's toolbar'ed predecessors.

Snagit: Their Ribbon becomes Fluent:

Snagit 9 arrived with half of the Fluent UI. Snagit 9.0 was ribboned but the full experience arrived when 9.1 added context sensitive cursor toolbars and live preview for visual effects. It showed what a difference these, non-ribbon, items make to the Fluent UI.

AutoCAD 2009: Autodesk's first Ribbon rocks the AutoCAD world 

The AutoCAD Ribbon was as controversial as any but came with an out clause. Unlike Microsoft Office, MindManager and Snagit you had a choice between the old & new User Interface. Indeed many AutoCAD verticals imposed this choice by largely ignoring the ribbon and loading traditional toolbars. For those that chose to use it the AutoCAD Ribbon offered many features familiar from other Fluent Applications with one major addition: Customisation.

It's long been a strength, to some a curse, that AutoCAD allowed extensive customisation of it's User Interface. Unlike many other applications AutoCAD users often took advantage of this so the ribbon had to accommodate it. Unlike other ribbon applications AutoCAD 2009 also echoed the legacy menu structure within it's application button hosted Menu Browser. A mixture of old and new User Interface was probably a technical and commercial requirement for Autodesk but I suspect created more problems than it solved. A clean break does inflict more migration pain, but in the end it's an easier process.

 

What I like about the Ribbon:

I own Office 2007 but still use Office 2003 at work. This means, sadly, I have a direct daily comparison between old & new. As "ribbon shock" has abated I've grown to hate the old Menu/Toolbar UI as much as I love the Ribbon. Here are some of the reasons why:

It attempts to be task based and coordinated: Admittedly there is endless potential for debate in that line. I do find some applications do a better job of arranging the tools to suit work-flow,or maybe my work-flow just happens to match them better?

Before you howl about the old applications being better consider the task not the tools. Say you are In Word and want to change the page orientation. In the old Office it seems logical that it might be on the Format menu, but it's not there. You'll actually find it on File > Page Set-up which seems odd when page orientation is per section/page, not per file. In 2007 it's on the Page Layout" tab along with other page set-up controls which makes more sense. In that case the work-flow is better as the ribbon allows access to different controls for the task at hand. In other cases tool relationships could make the ribbon less efficient but that's down to tab arrangement and tool placement.

Cursor Tools: The hover toolbars in Office, and Snagit, place context sensitive tools at the work-face. This removes the need to trek to the ribbon for minor changes. It becomes the tool-box for major tasks with the cursor toolbars acting as your tool-belt, bringing the essentials to the work but not getting in the way.

Right Click > for comfort. If the hover annoys a right click brings up the same object toolbar options along with the traditional task oriented menu. The Fluent UI doesn't abandon these menu/toolbar elements but does relegate them to short task specific applications. That 20 item menu, 15 with flyout sub-menus is history!

Live Preview: This is one part of Fluent that is often not even thought of as a User Interface function. However it does significantly enhance the User Experience. Applying changes only to undo them when the implications are realised is eliminated. This could be done pre-ribbon but the integration of style galleries and tools along with preview is a significant advantage of the ribbon.

It's constrained but at least it behaves: Most ribbons are constrained into the top section of the application window. Their stable nature avoids weird start-up conditions like the toolbar scramble. The example shows PowerPoint but I have several applications from multple vendors which occasionally don't retain previous layout settings. With the Ribbon, and no toolbars, at least there is no random scramble.

In summary:

• Not all ribbons are created equal, some do a better job than others
• Often it's not about the ribbon, it's the choices made in the placement and design of tools
• The combinations of tools, galleries and other controls allow much more flexiblity in design.
• Task based UI have the potential to be more engaging if done well, more enraging if they are wrong.

Overall I think the Fluent UI represents a significant step forward in User Experience design. To sum it up in a line:

I love a good ribbon!

Also See:

ChiefTech: Office Suite lock-in: The same today as it was yesterday
I've always thought the interface changes for Office 2007 was a stroke of genius by Microsoft...

The Microsoft Office Fluent user interface overview - Microsoft Office Online
Taking into account extensive usability data and recent advancements in hardware and software, the team has delivered the most significant update to the Microsoft Office user interface in more than a decade...

The blue monster - gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards"
As a marketing blogger, I get asked a lot, "What is the future of marketing?"
I always answer the same: "The Blue Monster".
What's The Blue Monster?
A Blue Monster is a Social Object that articulates a Purpose-Idea.
What's a Social Object? What's a Purpose-Idea?
Sit yourself down, pour yourself another glass of whisky. This might take a while to explain...

* From 5/24/2005 to 2/19/2009 (1367 days) keyboard shortcuts were responsible for manupulating/creating about 1/2 the content typed on this machine!

Total user Keystrokes typed including ActiveWords: 409,825
Total Keystrokes substituted by ActiveWords less ActiveWords typed: 404,019  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Total Content Entered: 813,844  
Percent of Total Content saved by ActiveWords that substitute and transform text: 49.64%

When I'm making icons - IcoFX

This post has been in the draft folder for too long. While travelling recently I read a post on another blog about IcoFX then remembered I'd never posted it!

As part of preparing our AutoCAD Architecture/MEP 2009 deployments I decided it was time to refresh the look of the standard cad desktop. We run customised AutoCAD Architecture which combines company specific settings with a New Zealand localisation package - Salesoft Pacifica. It has a custom icon to launch it as uses a special AutoCAD profile. Since I last updated them - back in 2006 - my company has re-branded, launched a new look website, and Autodesk have adopted the Big Letter icons. It was time for an update!

Our Intranet (called icRed - inspired by Split Enz?) shortcut just has the logo "stripes" so I used these in the new scheme.

The Intranet, Revit, Max & ADR icons are standard, the CAD Standard icons reflect the two formats it's available in (MindManager Map & Intranet hosted HTML) and there are customised ACA/AMEP icons which access our localised profiles.

The fun part with the ACA/AMEP icons was making something you could recognise in various forms without totally trashing the appearance of the original graphics. The lower left corner is out of bounds since it's sometimes covered by the shortcut arrow but totally changing the icon looses the link to the standard product. Those are still on the machine with local profiles for use when away from the network.

Making them is a snap with the brilliant IcoFX donor-ware software. You just create/import a 248x248 pixel image and edit it as you like. When you're happy go to Icon > Create icon from image and it generates the Windows Icon with all the variations of sizes and colour depths required. From there it pays to check out the lower resolution/depth images as they may benefit from a bit of sharpening up, but it's usually minor. IcoFX has image editing tools built in for creating icons from scratch if required.

IcoFX  - http://icofx.ro/
IcoFX is an award winning freeware icon editor. It is an all-in-one solution for icon creation, extraction and editing. It is designed to work with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Macintosh icons supporting transparency. With a wealth of tools and more than 40 effects at your fingertips, there’s virtually no limit to the icons you can create. You can easily convert your favorite images into icons, or icons into images.

For MindManager use I export a Topic image and create a Topic icon to use in my library.

• Topic Icon: Unfortunately MindManager won't display standard windows icons as it doesn't like 256x256 "XP True Color + Alpha" images. This is simple to fix:
  1. Copy the icon to your MindManager Library Icon Folder.
  2. Open the icon with IcoFX and delete the 256x256 XP image .
• Topic Image: Open the icon with IcoFX and export an image for your MindManager Library Icon Folder. 64x64 pixels to best matches MindManager 7 standard images, 48x48 for MindManager 8.

Images exported from IcoFX can be used in MindManager map topics & notes while topic icons can also be used to filter MindManager map views.

I'm Converted, to metric!

While writing about the Lenovo W700DS in a recent post I needed to know what 11 pounds was, in Kilograms, so turned to a cool freeware utility I use all the time. "Convert" does what it says turning meaningless illogical units into their sane metric equivalents , or the other way if you wish.

I wondered what the "advp" and "troy" was all about so researched the whole Avoirdupois, Troy and other (even metric?*) pounds mess. I'd heard of Troy Ounce before but didn't really know what they meant. The result of that was I found 11 pounds is about 5 Kilograms and I'm thankful I grew up in a metric country. I also think "Convert 2" should include, or link to, definitions of the units being converted.

Convert for Windows // Josh Madison
Convert is a free and easy to use unit conversion program that will convert the most popular units of distance, temperature, volume, time, speed, mass, power, density, pressure, energy and many others, including the ability to create custom conversions!

* It seems some thought 0.5 kg should be be a "Metric Pound". It's actually 1.10231 Pounds so the whole idea seems daft to me. I've never heard it used in New Zealand, maybe elsewhere?

Tags: convert

Microsoft Flight Simulator Is No More?

It's not a game, it's an institution, but it appears to be a casualty of the recent Microsoft headcount reductions.

Microsoft Flight Simulator grew from humble origins to become a credible real world flight simulation platform, even the basis of some certified training systems. I have used it over the years to further my lifelong interest in Aviation and it's the only "game", since I can't find a decent Formula 1 simulator, that I try on new hardware.

I know "real pilots" who use it and credit it with me getting a "you're better than many VFR licensed pilots" review when I flew a professional instrument flight simulator. At that stage I'd only ever "flown" Microsoft Flight Sim! I can't believe this platform with it's large user base will be allowed to die, sad if it does.

The image shows Flight Simulator over Auckland City with a local scenery package.

The End Of An Era - Flight Sim Is No More :: Steve Lacey :: Random Thoughts
It really does appear that Microsoft has shutdown the ACES game studio and axed the entire staff. A lot of my friends are now looking for something else to do…
Microsoft Flight Simulator is dead.

Note: Steve Lacey formerly worked on Flight Simulator graphics, has been with Google for several years. 

Confirmed: Microsoft Flight Sim studio closing - GameSpot Rumor Control
 
ZDNet's sources did not explicitly state whether the E&D reductions would be across the entire division or targeted at specific operations. The site also notes that it was unclear if these cuts would have any material impact on Microsoft's upcoming releases.
That being said, evidence suggests that Microsoft's profitable games group is not being spared. Gamasutra reports today that it has received word from a number of development sources that Microsoft has dismissed "a large portion" of its internally owned ACES Studio, which is responsible for the venerable Flight Simulator PC franchise. 2006's Flight Simulator X for the PC has sold more than 1 million units through December in the US, according to the NPD Group, making it far from an unsuccessful outing.

g-speak, a spatial operating environment?

U'mm, this, is, cool! Imagine design software running on this...

g-speak - The Spatial Operating Environment

g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo.

Via A Shel of my former self

Why aren't these features standard in all applications, or Windows 7?

Restore document/workspace on re-start - With a tick IE7 will restore open tabs next time you use it. Why can't all other applications offer the same for their files?

Close & Delete a document - Why make me use Explorer to find the file I've already got open just to delete it. MindManager allows deletion from the document tab, with an "Are you sure" confirmation dialog to avoid accidents. I just noticed SnagIt also has this for images in it's captures tray.

Open Containing folder - The application knows where the document is so make it easy for me to access that location, without resorting to Explorer browsing, like this! 

Timed defaults for information dialogs - The brilliant Free Download Manager has a countdown on this info dialog. You get 30 seconds to select an option before the default is accepted. If the outcome is non-destructive why not do the same?

Living and Blogging with Live Mesh

For the last few months I've been using the Tech Preview of Microsoft Live Mesh to help create this blog.

What is Live Mesh?

I'll leave the detailed technical explanation to others who do it better than I ever could. In it's current preview form Live Mesh is a combination of file store, file sync and remote desktop. In reality Live Mesh is a platform which will enable developers to integrate both local and web based applications and data. Below ComputerWorld NZ Editor Rob O'Neill asks Amit Mital, Microsoft's General Manager in charge of Live Mesh system development, about this "software-plus-services platform" at Tech Ed New Zealand:

What does Live Mesh Preview look like for the user;

There are currently several components to the Live Mesh Preview interface;

Live Mesh Desktop; This is where you see folders, still the Mesh storage metaphor, which are sync'ed to multiple devices. You can control which device(s) the folder is updated on and then any content is cloned across them all

Live Mesh Preview Devices; This is where you manage the devices in your Mesh. This is currently Windows but will extend to other platforms.

Live Mesh Preview News; Shows transactions happening in the Mesh. I'm the only user of my Mesh but there is no reason why several users could not edit files. The news tab gives an audit trail of changes as they flow from local to Mesh folders.

What can it do?

Currently the Live Mesh Preview allows you to;

• Synchronise Local and Mesh folders between multiple devices. Each sees a clone of the Mesh Data but updates are handled as the devices come on-line.
• Use a Live (Remote) Desktop session to control your other Mesh Devices from any location.

While I've only used it on Windows machines there are plans for this platform to sync across multiple devices and platforms.

Blogging in the Mesh;

I use an off-line blog editor for my posts. My "Blog Draft" folder is sync'ed to Live Mesh so drafts can be edited on any connected device. Currently that's my home PC, a laptop and old "blog beta" machine. When I'm working it's fast because the data is local but in the background changes are being stored in the "cloud", then sync'ed with each connected device.

You can see a history of these edits in the Live Mesh fly-out that displays with Explorer views or on the Live Mesh News page. By default Live Mesh folders are created on your desktop but I found it better have dedicated folder with a constant path. If the application used relative pathing there would be no problem but BlogJet and many others don't. I suspect for most users having the same log on (therefore desktop path) across multiple machines/platforms is unlikely? Perhaps this will be addressed in future Mesh implementations?

CAD & BIM in the Mesh;

File based CAD formats like AutoCAD dwg and DWF mark-ups work fine. I'm using Mesh to sync a Tablet PC folder used for site mark-ups/meetings with a folder on my main machine. It's a joy to have work done on either machine seamlessly transfer to the other without the hassle of manual file transfer. One thing I've noticed is Mesh Preview only "knows" a few basic file types. On the local machine folder you see the associated application icon but the in same folder in the Mesh Web UI they are just "files".

I haven't done a lot with the Revit Building Information Model but a small test project worked normally when stored in a Mesh sync'ed folder. Revit just saw a local file (with it's performance advantages) but that file was cloned to any machine it was sync'ed to. I haven't tried anything complicated like worksets or central/local files but for stand-alone project work it could be viable.

Synchronising Application Data in the Mesh;

Two local applications I use, RSS Bandit and ActiveWords, have the capability to transfer their application states (user data) between machines. I've used the Mesh to synchronise these update files between several machines. For RSS Bandit this means my feedlist and read state can be imported how I left it on the other device. With ActiveWords an export from one machine's ActiveWords database is ready to import on any other. This gives the performance of a local application with the portability of a web based solution. If the connection to the cloud isn't there the last good sync local data can be used seamlessly until it is. The preview has conflict handling if the cloud and local file have both changed but it's fairly rudimentary. That's one aspect which I'd like to see get a lot smarter.

Live Mesh Remote Desktop!

You can connect to any other device in your Mesh using the Remote Desktop. The user experience is similar to Windows Network Remote Desktop but performance is dependent on the connection speeds. I haven't used it much but have found it useful if you need to access another machine to get that file you forgot (and isn't on the Mesh yet) or use it's applications.

The Preview Experience!

It's a preview, pre-alpha, but has been remarkably smooth for me. The set-up was slick and sync'ing folders/files is a simple Right Click>Add to Live Mesh. One thing you have to remember is this is a synchronisation service and NOT a backup. If you delete something from one device it will disappear from all others sync'ing that folder as the change ripples through the Mesh!

There was a build which caused problems if you changed sync settings but, hey, it's a preview. The fix was rapid and arrived via the Mesh as the local application is updates itself. The only minor hassle is the desktop component often requests a full machine reboot after it's updated. One point to note is currently Mesh sync's happen regularly but can not be forced. This can be a bit frustrating as you know the local file has changed but it not when those changes will appear in the Mesh and there is nothing you can do about it. I'm sure that will change but it's a limitation if you need time sensitive coordination.

It's been a pretty smooth experience and a nice way to dabble with cloud computing. I'm not sure I'd put all my data "up there" but have found it very useful for a few applications.

Try Live Mesh yourself!

Although still a preview Microsoft have opened Live Mesh up to more people. There are still limits (users and data) and also remember this is still a technical preview. Still I recommend giving it a try, then tell them what you think!

Live Mesh : Live Mesh Expansion
Today we are again increasing the number of available slots in the Live Mesh Technology Preview, and expanding the list of countries that will allow sign-up without a wait list to include Canada, India and Ireland! (although you still need to run with an English locale for now.) This is in addition to the availability we’ve previously announced for USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand (see coverage map).

The experience you see today is just tip of the iceberg!  To see what the Live Mesh platform is capable of, check out the Channel 9 videos, and try out the user experience.  We’re eager for you help to keep pushing our scale, and your feedback!

Tags: Live+Mesh

Playing with the new browsers - IE8 & Chrome

I thought I better check out all the recent activity in the browser world. There's nothing better to test them with than your own site so here are mine in Microsoft IE8 beta and Google Chrome. I'll refrain from commenting on the performance of the respective browsers but can report they both work, surprisingly well, on a Pentium 3 600 running XP Sp3 with just 384mb ram! *

The image itself was created on my test box, saved to a Microsoft Live Mesh folder and composed on another mesh connected machine.

* It was once a high spec cad machine, now it's just a browser tester...

A word cloud resume?

I took the “About” page from my blog and pasted it into Wordle - http://wordle.net/. It creates word clouds which give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently.

I must admit some of the results surprised me! Maybe it’s the ultimate graphic for my two link resume

Technical illustration, demonstration and art with Silverlight

Michael Scherotter created the impressive illustration, and functional demo, below with Microsoft’s Silverlight & Expression tools. His post details the creation process, how it’s hosted and shared. It’s embedded here with a Windows Live Gadget.

Nice work, Michael! Now I’d like to see a cut-away view showing the internal mechanism….

Synergist : Beauty with Silverlight

I used Expression Design, to convert the logo to XAML, then set out to recreate the timepiece in Silverlight.
Here's what I came up with:

LinkedIn via RSS

I do LinkedIn but I don’t Facebook. However, thanks to this post on LinkedIn Vs Facebook I found out LinkedIn have added a personal RSS feed to the startup page. That’s cool!

Log into LinkedIn and click on the RSS icon by “Network Updates”. It will generate a feed link to add to your RSS Reader.

LinkedIn vs. Facebook 6 Months Later - ReadWriteWeb
“LinkedIn now provides an RSS feed into my start page, so I can quickly scan what my contacts are doing, adding a touch of serendipity as well as pure curiosity.“

The Story of the a Ribbon

It’s the year of the Ribbon, but why?

Jensen Harris, of the Microsoft Office User Experience Team, has posted a recording (and PowerPoint) of his awesome presentation at MIX. He tells the story of the Office UI development from version 1.0 to 2007. It’s a compelling explanation of why Microsoft ditched Menus & Toolbars for the task based “Fluent interface” with it’s Ribbon, Contextual Tabs, the Mini Toolbar, and Galleries.

Given the impact of this change I recommend it to anyone deploying, training or even just using Office 2007 (or other Fluent based applications). Dealing with, or selling, change is much easier when you can answer the inevitable “Why?” questions with facts rather than speculation!

Jensen Harris: An Office User Interface Blog : The Story of the Ribbon
Last week, I presented a session at MIX called "The Story of the Ribbon." I talked a bit about the general design process we used to come up with the Office 2007 user interface, to iterate on it, and to evaluate it. As part of the discussion, I showed for the first time some of the early prototypes we worked on (and abandoned or refined) along the way…

(Jensen Harris has links for live & download video + the PowerPoint used for the presentation).

Living with the Office Ribbon:

I use Office 2007 at home and found the Fluent UI a dramatic change, for the better. “Ribbon Shock” has worn off and I prefer it to toolbars, especially combined with the Galleries and live formatting preview (seen in Jensen’s video).Unfortunately, I’m able to do a direct comparison every day as still use Office 2003 at work. Once you get past the “where is it” stage I find the ribbon generally supports a more logical work-flow. There is one “feature” of toolbars I’ll never miss. I usually have 2 rows of toolbars in 2003 except when the applications spontaneously start up like this

With the Ribbon, with no toolbars, at least there is no random toolbar scramble.

Other Ribbon related posts:

• MindManager Pro 7 Ribbon vs Toolbars.
• The best Office 2007 Fluent User Interface isn’t from Microsoft!
• Life with MindManager 7 – MindManager veterans will experience “Ribbon shock”.
• AutoCAD 2009 – It’s the User Interface…

Tags: Fluent+UI, Jensen+Harris

Jimmy saves my desktop layout

Jimmy Bergmark posted a cool tip for anyone who, like me, spends time arranging desktop icons “just so” – only to have a resolution change or similar mix them up again. Now it’s just right-click Restore, sorted. Thanks Jimmy!

JTB World Blog: Save desktop icon layout so it can be restored - 32bit Windows Xp/Vista
I typically find that when I upgrade graphic card driver (NVIDIA's driver setup) or change to lower resolution for one or the other reason that the desktop icons move like I don't want them to. With this solution you can save the desktop icons positions and restore the positions of the icons later…

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

RobiNZ @ Autodesk University 2007 - The Technology Mainstage

The Autodesk University Technology Mainstage was a chance for Autodesk and AU Partners Intel, HP and Microsoft to share their vision of how new technology, services and software will impact the design world. I regretted missing it in 2006 so made sure to be there this time.

Computing “in the cloud” with Carl Bass:

It’s obvious Carl just loves technology. His talk, casually delivered and with no supporting presentation, covered everything from immediate challenges to future technologies and work methods. He spoke about big concepts, like technology's impact on society and the planet, but also got quite specific about challenges facing Autodesk today. He’s challenged Autodesk to deliver design software that offers the sort of interaction and graphics currently seen in games:

My son’s Xbox should not look better than a $5000+ design application.*

He also expressed frustration that his multi-core PC doesn’t really exploit the power it has today.

The challenge facing application engineers is creating software to exploit how ever many processors/cores are available.*

Shared processing and storage across multiple computers and networks, so called “computing in the cloud”, means this could be hundreds, even thousands, rather than the two, four or eight cores we use today. While modelling is now the accepted design method any simulation, analysis and high end visualisation is generally done in a separate post design process. The results may refine the design model but that is generally an iterative process, often requiring several applications. Vastly increased computing power will allow simultaneous design, analysis and high quality visualisation. Carl sees all that happening while you design, almost instantly, giving the designer much more feedback to use while refining their ideas..

This vision also takes computing and data off the desktop to become available on the tools that best suit the current task and location. It might be your office workstation, a Tablet/UMPC your smart-phone or even a table or wall. Imagine that with new user interfaces like the Perceptive Pixel "multi-touch" screen, as seen in the AU Exhibit hall, and “Surface computers” and we have an exciting future. The following speakers showed this future isn’t very far away. 

Also See:
Google and the Wisdom of Clouds - www.businessweek.com
Microsoft Follows Google Into Cloud Computing - Technology News World
New digital era is dawning, says Microsoft chief - Telegraph

Nano, Nano, Intel:

Intel spoke about their 45 nanometre “Penryn" technology. It gives more computing power (30% from memory) while using less power which means less heat and longer battery life. However they aren’t stopping there as mentioned 32 nanometre technology is planned for sometime in 2009. 

“Intel has demonstrated its 32nm logic process with a functional SRAM packing more than 1.9 billion second generation high-k metal gate transistors”

In addition to ever faster chip/systems new modes of processing will bring more power to the user. I say “user”, rather than machine, as it’s likely you’ll be working across distributed remote PCs., virtual machines on your own PC and virtual applications. The line between desktop, servers, local network and web is becoming increasingly blurred. All of that’s happening now and it’s worth investigating how it will impact you. Both Microsoft and HP had more to say about that in their own presentations

BIM on a Blade with HP:

The HP presentation included their new “Blade Workstation Solution” (BWS). It’s enables workstation standard hardware to serve users powerful CAD/BIM applications with all the hardware, apart from monitor keyboard and mouse, located in the server room.

“Harness the power of your workstation environment and experience it anywhere”

The idea is BWS reduces operational overhead and allows more efficient use of the hardware. It’s an intriguing concept and worth investigating but I wonder how it handles with multiple profiles on a single box. We haven’t tried using roaming profiles for CAD users and I wonder if they are required in this model. The positive side is that all the grunt work, including graphics, is done on the BWS with only screen graphics and mouse/keyboard inputs being transferred. It looks to make high-end cad on a remote box much more viable.

HP also showed print isn’t dead and is getting easier with their “One Click” HP Instant Printing system. The idea is the user doesn’t  need to manage print settings for various page sizes etc in a document set. Just click once to print the whole document set with the correct settings. You can try it with Autodesk Design Review 2008 today if you have compatible HP plotters (Tick “Use HP Instant Print” in the print dialog) but it may also turn up in other applications.

Microsoft’s Digital World –  Life in the Cloud:

Microsoft had a very design oriented demo of how their technology, and services, can help with design collaboration. The scenario was of a company developing a new consumer product. Sharepoint was the main tool for storing, finding, monitoring and sharing info. Office live meeting was used with a cool new device for on-line meetings.

Microsoft Round Table looks a little like a table lamp without a shade but houses cameras and microphones. One camera shows a panoramic 360 degree view of the whole room so you can see everyone in the meeting. Another camera, rather eerily, follows the current speaker with automatic tracking and shows them in a bigger window. It looked like a slick simple answer for a small meeting compared to more conventional camera/mike meeting room setups.

A video showed Microsoft’s current concept of a digital lifestyle. Some used existing technology, others new, but it all depended on on-line storage and integrated networks to allow seamless transition across multiple devices. For example a call that started on a mobile phone at home transitioned to the car phone system, with integrated voice/location aware search/directions, then ended on the same persons tablet PC. Your data is not device specific and stored “in the cloud” being served to the device that best suits your current needs.

That’s not a new idea but the technology and networks are getting to the point its becoming viable. It’s also interesting to see how Microsoft, still considered “rulers of the desktop”, are responding to the mass of on-line competition. It’s a challenge facing all the “traditional” application companies, including Autodesk, as they struggle to work out the best “Software + Services” offer. While the data flowed seamlessly what I thought was missing from the “vision” was an integrated UI which works with keyboard, tablet, touch and voice on all types of devices; something like this!

I saw some of the location based search technology in action just before Autodesk University when I was in San Francisco. I met Michael Scherotter for coffee and he showed me voice driven, location aware search on his Windows Mobile phone. We were in San Rafael and asking for “Italian Restaurant” produced a list, and virtual earth map, of nearby Italian restaurants complete with reviews. Very cool!

If anything came out of AU, on the IT side, for me it’s a real need to learn more about server, machine and application virtualisation. I think these technologies along with dramatic improvements in, already impressive, hardware and graphics will radically change the way we all work in the near future. My works IT are currently "virtualisiing servers” so that part is done but there is real potential to simplify testing and deployment with virtualisation at the desktop level.

I only have one real reservation about life in the cloud. It requires reliable network connectivity and I wonder where you find that! What if “The Cloud” isn’t there?

* Most of this post was written somewhere over the Pacific on the plane heading home from AU but I’ve added relevant links from more recent times. The “pull lines” are not in “Quotes” as are from my notes/memory rather than a reference or recording.

Tags: Carl+Bass

Satellite tracked Godwit expected in NZ today - 30,000 km to Alaska & back!

It’s a long-haul flight to nearly everywhere from New Zealand. Often you crawl off the plane with a sense of achievement for merely surviving the flight. Spare a thought for the little Godwit “E7” who is about to complete a 30,000km round trip from New Zealand to Alaska.

There have been many theories, and a few myths, about the flight of the Godwit. Many remember it as the symbol for our domestic airline – National Airways Corp – (before it was merged with Air New Zealand) and from popular children’s books.

Satellite tracking and Google Earth combine to enable anyone to see the E7’s track. Many birds were tracked to Alaska, via China, but only E7’s transmitter has lasted long enough to record the remarkable 11,500km journey home direct across the Pacific. Hopefully E7 is here by now and having a good rest.

Makes 14 hours sitting, eating, sleeping, watching movies in a 747 seem rather trivial…

Godwit expected in NZ safe today - Christchurch News - The Press
A feathered harbinger of spring was expected to land safely in New Zealand last night. The 30,000km round trip of the Godwit from New Zealand to Alaska and back again has been tracked by satellite for the first time…

The Pacific Shorebird Migration Project Webpage has maps, information and a kmz file download to view in Google Earth:

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sattrack/shorebirds/overall.html

Photo Credit N. Warnock

UPDATE 12–09–2007:
Bar-tailed Godwit E7 returns after a marathon flight - Asia-Pacific Shorebird Network
E7 – a female Bar-tailed Godwit fitted with a satellite transmitter at Miranda, Firth of Thames in New Zealand on 6th February returned to the place of tagging on the evening of Friday 7 September (local time) after a logged flight of 29,181 km (about 500 hours of flying). During that time she flew to the Yellow Sea, where she stayed for five weeks before flying to Alaska to breed, then flew 11,570 km back to her regular non-breeding site in New Zealand in about 8 days 12 hours.

Tags: Godwit, Google+Earth

A Tablet PC for CAD/BIM?

As it’s an evolution from “the drawing board” combining CAD/BIM software and Tablet PC seems natural. I wonder why it hasn’t been done by the major market players? In the early days hardware was a real limitation but newer tablets like the Lenovo X61 or Toshiba M400 have reasonable performance for portable use. I don’t see them as workstation replacements, rather an ideal way to take your design on-site or to a meeting where using a mouse isn’t practical.

I’ve tried mark-up with Autodesk Design Review (ADR) on a Tablet and liked it in-spite of the application’s User Interface (UI) not being very Tablet friendly. That was with ADR 2007 but, sadly, the newer free ADR 2008 makes more use of fly-out tools for mark-up formatting which are harder to use on a tablet. Even with the current UI the speed & ease of pen input for non-precision sketch/mark-up leaves a mouse/keyboard combo for dead, especially in the field where you can’t use them at all.

I’ve also played with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture and Revit on a Tablet PC and all were usable, if not really viable full-time. There’s no perfect UI but for many environments & tasks the pen/tablet is far more natural, dare I say fluent, than the mouse & keyboard. I was surprised to find AutoCAD’s UI and command “logic” (selection/command sequence) worked better than the smarter object based applications.

Revit’s dialog heavy UI was the least accommodating which is a pity given the power of it’s engine to assist design. I’d love to see that Building Information Model manipulated with a Tablet friendly UI as a conceptual design tool. You wouldn’t want to do detail design work – lots of text or precision dimension entry – but for knocking around a concept the tablet & pen is the most natural human interface, at least until those surface displays with direct manipulation become affordable.

Thanks to “GottabeMobile” I found an application from Evodia which shows what “concept sketches” become with some smart software and a tablet. It’s software for Electrical Schematic design and looks brilliant. I can only say “looks” because the website is in French (my ignorance prevents me reading that) and I don’t have a machine to try it on as the Tablet PC’s I’ve used were loan machines. Donations to the “Tablet for Robin” fund accepted in the tip-jar  

I’ve seen all sorts of software used for this – Excel, Visio, AutoCAD/Revit MEP – but none an Electrical Engineer, who can drive a pen faster than a mouse, could use so fluently. You get the speed of a scribble with the power of software assisted design & layout. Imagine that with a conceptual Building Information Model. The pen may not be the ultimate design tool but it’s mightier than the… mouse.

Via GottaBeMobile.com - Using a Tablet PC for Electrical Sketching
“When you see how quickly someone can sketch out the schematics for a house, you have to wonder why electricians would ever choose to go back to paper.”

Tags: Evodia, GottabeMobile

Share a screen capture in a Jing

The Jing Project is an experiment from TechSmith, the screen capture/recording people, who are best known for SnagIt &  Camtasia. It offers a little of each product in a slick, easy to use, form for both Windows (XP/Vista) & Mac OS X users. 

Jing aims to make grabbing a screen capture easy and sharing it a snap, or should I say a Jing! You can grab and use a capture in seconds to get the message across. It’s great if, like me, you are the family computer support help-desk. Capture the solution and share it in a click. If “a picture paints a thousand words” a Jing can save thousands of keystrokes!

Jing is a “project” and is free to use in this form. TechSmith are keen to see how it’s used and get feedback from users.

“It’s something we want to give you, along with some online media hosting, to see how you use it. The project will eventually turn into something else. Tell us what you think so we can figure out what that is.”

That feedback & response is already happening via the Jing Blog. The first version of Jing, released yesterday, wouldn’t run with my regional settings but overnight an update was posted which works fine!

Using Jing: It lives as a small docked “Orb” which grows three “rays” when you mouse over it. They allow instant access to capture, history and settings.

To grab a screen-shot image or audio/video: Click capture and you are presented with a “glowing frame”. It automatically finds window elements (toolbars, frames, windows) or allows you to define a rectangular capture area. I like how areas outside the capture window fade to mono while the capture frame glows.

Enhance the capture:

Click Image and the capture is transferred to an editing window which allows arrows, text, and highlights to be added. Video captures are loaded into a preview player window.

The result (below) can be automatically shared via TechSmith’s Screencast file share site or saved locally (.png image or .swf video file).

Share your capture:

You get a Screencast account for Jing use while the project is running.

Jing uploads the file and places a URL, the capture above is seen at http://www.screencast.com/t/6lgmSCnjD1d, ready to paste into your email, blog or IM conversation.

Try the Jing Project yourself or see a video of it in action: http://www.jingproject.com/

Read the Jing Project Blog: http://blog.jingproject.com/

PS: Wondering how I captured Jing while using it? The interface images in this post were captured with SnagIt, the capture example is all Jing

Click for blog related Disclosure Statement

Tags: Jing

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 :-)

The best Office 2007 Fluent User Interface feature? It's not just Microsoft!

I’ve upgraded to Office 2007 Pro and have been adjusting to the “Office Fluent User Interface”, sometimes known as “the Ribbon”. 

For decades every application interface has had those comforting File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Help Menus. Maybe there were a few more, specific to the application, but the basics were always there as a familiar reference.

Launch Office 2007 you experience what I term “Ribbon Shock”. It’s all changed with the “Office Button” replacing many of those menu functions, others moved to context sensitive “tabbed ribbons” which replace toolbars.

If you’re familiar with the old interface it’s a little strange but the adjustment doesn’t take long. After a while going back to earlier versions, I still use Office 2003 at work, makes you realise how fluent the “Fluent UI” really is. 

That’s all wonderful but what about other applications? Microsoft are licensing the “Fluent UI” for “non-competitive applications” so it’s possible you’ll see it outside of Office. Given it’s the result of thousands of hours design, testing, and user feedback it’s great it’s been shared at all, understandable you can’t use it to build a direct office competitor.

Take a look at the Fluent UI’s below (click for full size image). One of them isn’t from Microsoft, yet in my opinion it’s the best “office application” there is…

PS: It’s a pity the Ribbon didn’t make it to the Outlook 2007 main window (it’s there in the mail editor and other interface elements)….

UPDATE 09–06–2007: Jensen Harris discusses Outlook UI in his post: Outlook and the Ribbon

Tags: Ribbon, Fluent+UI, Office+2007, MindManager+7

Ponoko, Ideas made real!

I first heard of Ponoko when their “Blog Editor” Stephen Kempton commented on one of my posts. We exchanged a few emails about Ponoko which makes design concepts real providing a new model for manufacture, sales and distribution. To quote them;

“The Ponoko website is like having your own personal workshop and factory ... and online showroom to sell your designs.”

I had planned a longer post but can “out-source that” by referring you to Franco Folini’s brilliant interview posted at NOVEDGE:

From Bits to Atoms, an Interview with David ten Have, CEO of Ponoko - NOVEDGE blog
David ten Have is co-founder and CEO of Ponoko (blog), a company from New Zealand exploring a new approach to manufacturing. Dave's goal is to provide a customized manufacturing process so easy that almost anybody can use it. Send Ponoko a 3D digital model and they will take care of transforming it into a physical object. They will even help you sell your creation on the market…

I also heard a interview with Ponoko – on Radio Live’s “Public Address Radio” – which is now available as a podcast:

PA Radio: Ponoko.com - If they come, you will build it
Russell Brown interviews David ten Have and Sally Coe of Wellington's ponoko.com, a fascinating start-up that turns ideas into objects…

It's great to see a Kiwi company developing a fascinating concept!

Ponoko – http://www.ponoko.com/

Ponoko Blog – http://www.ponoko.com/blog/

Tags: ponoko

Is this the ultimate CAD interface?

Combine this with Tablet PC interaction and I think you’re getting close!  Click through for detail on the hardware & software creating this magic,

It’s Alive in the Lab: Touch Wall: Manipulating CAD data with just your hands

Scoble at Adobe

Robert Scoble has posted a series of videos about Adobe products. They are informal chats & demo’s by members of the respective product teams. I’ve watched a few and they are a good way to learn about the applications and meet some of the people who make them.

ScobleShow: Videoblog about geeks, technology, and developers

Here’s my whole collection of Adobe videos so far:

• Adobe Premiere CS3 49 minutes.
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 53 minutes.
• Adobe Illustrator CS3 47 minutes.
• Adobe Flash/Flex architecture overview 30 minutes.
• Adobe Flex goes open source 25 minutes.
• Adobe Flash CS3 overview 55 minutes.
• Adobe Apollo overview 43 minutes.
• Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 34 minutes.
• Adobe Connect overview 29 minutes.
• Adobe Acrobat 8.0 19 minutes.

Tags: Adobe

Visualising words for work and fun

I’ve posted about Visual Thesaurus before. It’s a web or stand-alone application that offers a remarkable visual tour of language. 

I have the on-line subscription so can use Visual Thesaurus on any machine with a web connection. Unfortunately I had some trouble running it at home but found updating my Java install fixed whatever the problem was so all is well again.

Have a look at the animation in the extended post to see words and the relationships between them in a whole new way. If you are trying to find a word or brainstorm Visual Thesaurus may make connections you’d otherwise never see.

MindManager video demo on Microsoft 10

Watch Michael S. Scherotter, Mindjet MindManager Business Solutions Architect, introduce Laura Foy to Mind Mapping & MindManager in this video on Microsoft 10…

Mind manager....Manage your thoughts in a logical (and pretty!) manner. | Tina Wood | Microsoft 10

UPDATE 29–09–2006: Map updated per Michaels corrections

 

Customise the Windows Places Bar

Thanks to this cool tip from Ed my frequently used blog Draft folder is only a “Places Bar click away” when saving files. I’ve removed the defaults and added a couple of folders I use all the time.

Ed Bott's Windows Expertise » Tip of the day: Customize the Places Bar

Flight Simulator X demo takes flight

It’s not CAD related, or is it? When you think about it Flight Simulator combines:

• A global terrain model (GIS)
• Aircraft models (Mechanical)
• Airport facility models & database (24,000+ airports) (Facilities Management)
• Operational System models – Aircraft, Air Traffic Control, Navigation, Radio…
• Advanced 3D modelling, sophisticated graphics display technology and more…

Perhaps there is justification for running FSX on my home CAD machine as a test application… Apart from the fact that it’s fun!

RobiNZ Personal Blog: Flight Sim X Demo takes flight
Microsoft have released a free preview of the upcoming Flight Simulator X

 

DWFit Anywhere - DWF viewing without a viewer install?

Autodesk Labs have announced “Project Freewheel”:

Beyond the Paper: DWF Freedom and Independence
Today is the 4th of July - the day Americans celebrate their independence. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence. Here we are 230 years later, and you don't have to be an American to celebrate this day. Autodesk customers worldwide can celebrate the unveiling of the Project Freewheel Technology Preview….

Freewheel is a web based service to allow DWF viewing with a selection of web browsers & operating systems and no local viewer install. It operates in two modes:

• Anyone can visit the http://dwfit.com website and enter a DWF URL, only those already shared on public websites, which will then be displayed in the viewer provided.
• You can use the web service to display a DWF in an HTML page, like this blog, without requiring readers to download/install a viewer .

To quote the Freewheel site:

“The service works by down-loading the DWF you specify (by URL) from the source web server to an Autodesk server which renders the content and delivers the result to a user's web browser. The Autodesk server may analyze, process, report on, and cache the DWF data provided to it. 3D, password protected, and DRM (measure-disabled and print-disabled) DWF files are not currently supported.”

This DWF, posted in April 2004 as a DWF Writer demo, is displayed below using Freewheel. It’s a very old file (created in 1983 using AutoSketch 2.1) being displayed with some very new technology

For the current restrictions/limitations or more information regarding the Freewheel visit:http://dwfit.com/

WinFS, Cool software we won't see...

Microsoft WinFS promised to revolutionise the way people access information on their computer. Storing files in a relational database structure, categorised by attributes/tags, would have ended the limitations of a folder hierarchy.

The idea appealed because often files have more than one reason to exist. Placing them in a folder forces us to decide where to store information based on only one aspect. I don’t really care where, or how, something is stored as long as I can find it. I want to do that based on what it is not where it’s stored. If my file is that leaf, circled on the lower left, why the need to remember which branch of the tree it’s on?

Back in August 2005 I speculated how WinFS could impact Building Information Modelling:

What's in Store... What will WinFS mean for CAD & BIM? – RobiNZ CAD Blog 08/2005
The ability to associate data from multiple applications in multiple forms using relationships, rather than disk file/folder structures, seems useful for users trying to bring together the masses of distributed data which represent a BIM Project.

At the time Microsoft described WinFS as:

“The new relational file system for Windows. As an essential piece of Microsoft’s Integrated Storage strategy, WinFS bridges the gap between file systems and databases and provides a unified, rich programming platform for all data: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.”

Essential? Well, maybe not:

The Fishbowl: We Come to Bury WinFS...
“WinFS is dead. Its carcass is being split between SQL Server and ADO.NET, and the relational filesystem that was going to change the way we use computers is no longer just postponed to be shipped after Vista, it’s gone.”

via WinFS, gone but not forgotten, yet - Rod Drury 

If WinFS as a PC file store is dead it’s a pity. Are we condemned to being forever lost in a forest of [directory] trees?

There are a few solutions with current technology;

• Desktop Search; Although limited to the indexing capabilities they do allow you to find information irrespective of location. Only thing is you don’t want to search every time you need a commonly used file.
• Shortcuts; You can maintain shortcuts to commonly used files but they are limited to storage by alpha/numeric order or by placing them in yet more folders, aaarrrrgggghhh!
• MindManager: I remember the location of critical project information using MindManager topics. They can link to many project information sources and allow a relational topic layout irrespective of it’s physical location. It works because:
• More than one topic can link to the same source & there is no limitation on source location.
• The topic can have;
• Notes/Images as reminders.
• Visual indication of classification & status using Icons.
• Category tags.
• I can filter the view based on these icons and categories.
• I control how the information links are structured!

So my solution to the limitations of a folder tree is a map tree!

MindManager for Apple Mac Ships!

I don’t have a Mac but those that do seem to love them. I love using MindManager so suspect Mac users will love MindManager for Mac.

Click on the map thumbnail to learn more about the Mac version and how MindManager Windows users can share information with their new Mac colleagues.

via The Mindjet Blog

Kiwi & Aussie Roads in Google Maps!

Yep, street level mapping for New Zealand & Australia in Google Maps, soon for Google Earth I hope!

Google Earth Blog: Down Under and Kiwis Get Roads in Google Maps

Google Maps Mania: Big News: Google Maps street maps for ALL of Australia and New Zealand!

Google SketchUp, free for personal use!

Wow, Google have released a free version of SketchUp (for personal use) + 3D Warehouse, a web repository for 3D models. Read Randall's great post for all the details on this exciting move to make 3D CAD for everyone.

Google Releases Free SketchUp and 3D Warehouse
Google today opened the doors to a 3D revolution on the Web by releasing Google SketchUp, a free version of the popular 3D CAD program Google acquired last month…

ActiveWords and Mindjet: Two of the best get together

Finally I can reveal that a couple of my favourite applications have got all friendly. ActiveWords have posted an add-on for MindJet MindManager. Buzz shares the tale of how it all happened in this post on his blog.

ActiveWords works with any program but this word-base adds ActiveWords specifically for creating and using MindManager maps & content. As an example a few of the view commands are shown in the ActiveWords browser screen-shot. I’ve been using a preview of this for a while and it’s great.

If you already use either ActiveWords or MindManager alone try the combination, it’s compelling. If not and you want to try them both companies offer free trial downloads. One warning, both are addictive!

ActiveWords for MindJet MindManager (inc video demos) - ActiveWords.com.

MindManager Pro 6 – Mindjet.com

Ever stuck for a word?

Perhaps it’s because I prefer working in a visual map format, and do thanks to MindManager, that I find Visual Thesaurus - www.visualthesaurus.com so attractive. Words & their relationships presented in a dynamic visual interface. Try it free, for a while, then subscribe (on-line use) or purchase (stand-alone application).

Quicken 2006 Review

Money matters… 

RobiNZ Personal Blog: Quicken 2006 Review
Devon has produced a nice review of Quicken 2006 comparing it with his previous experience with Microsoft Money….

Distribute your CV via RSS or Podcast? - For Immediate Release

Podcasting is fairly new, many are just discovering it, but For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report has achieved Show Number 100. Just getting there is a mighty achievement, maintaining consistently high quality (& excellent show notes) is remarkable.

Shel & Neville generally discuss PR (Communication is their business) & Technology and in this show they mentioned a great idea from Niall Kennedy for anyone in the job market to consider:

Distribute your CV using a RSS Feed and Podcast - www.niallkennedy.com.

It’s cool but I wonder how well it would work: would it be accepted, understood?

Probably a long shot but worth considering. Anything that makes you stand out, speak out if you do a podcast, in the herd applying for that job is worth a try.

For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report - Show Number 100.
A 71-minute conversation recorded live from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Concord, California, USA

BlogJet Upgrade - Version 1.6

While I was away at AU Dmitry released an upgrade to BlogJet. It’s the off-line Blog editor I’ve been using to author every post seen here, and the other blog, since I purchased it back in January 2005.

I’ve been using the new BlogJet “Lime” v1.6 (why is the code name Lime?) through December and have found some refinements which make life even easier…

Meet a nice Bandit - RSS Bandit Upgrade

I came home from AU to find a bandit waiting. Not a problem as it was only a new version of the RSS Feed Reader – RSS Bandit. It has a cool new logo and updated smiley face Bandit icon.

There are some nice new features: I think the best is that items can be marked as read/unread and flagged/un-flagged directly from the newspaper view. This makes reading much easier as you previously had to find the article in the article list.

Georeference Images (including TUMONZ maps) in Autodesk Architectural Desktop and AutoCAD

Some map image sources provide georeferenced raster files. They are simply an image created with a corresponding reference file which stores the proper position (coordinates) and scale of the image. If you have AutoCAD Map you can scale images based on this information but a free AAC Solutions utility also makes this possible in AutoCAD/ADT.

Georeferenced images in AutoCAD - www.cadforum.cz
With the AAC Solutions' utility - GeoRefImg - you can automatically place georeferenced raster files (pictures) also in AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop (this functionality is by default available only in Map). Any selected raster image (TIF, JPG, PNG, BMP, CIT format) with a World file is automatically repositioned to its proper position (coordinates) and scale.

If you are in New Zealand you can export georeferenced images, anywhere, any scale, from the consumer mapping product: TUMONZ – The Ultimate Map Of New Zealand,

• In TUMONZ, zoom to the area you want
• Right click Tools>Copy/Save/Email Map
• Tick the “Save Image World File” option to create the georeference file
• Choose the Copy Size, more pixels = bigger but more accurate image, then Save as Image:

• The result is a “TumonzMap.bmp” image and “TumonzMap.bpw” reference file. Always keep these in the same folder. You can export several images at different scales/resolutions, maybe to show area overview and lot detail.
• In AutoCAD/ADT;
• Insert the image(s) into a drawing;
• Command: GEOREFIMG then select image(s) to position.
• They will be positioned & scaled exactly (default for TUMONZ is 1 unit = 1m)
• Command: Image C:\TumonzMap.bmp (3083 x  1946) repositioned to [2655498.1,6475454.8] and scaled 0.0773273x using the world file C:\TumonzMap.bpw

This is great for location maps as you can quickly get an accurate scale map of anywhere in the country.

NOTE: TUMONZ map information comes from the LINZ (Land Information New Zealand) 1:50,000 topographical vector data set. The only requirement for re-using TUMONZ data is to acknowledge that the image / screen-shot / photograph was supplied / taken / produced by TUMONZ

Combine DWF + Mind Maps with MindManager for AEC

In September 2004 I blogged about a free MindManager for AEC Add-In. This allowed Autodesk Design Web Format (DWF) files to be integrated into MindManager Maps. It was a technology demonstration from Mindjet rather than a release candidate product but showed the potential of combining CAD and Map information to manage a project.

The MindManager for AEC Add-In has been updated for MindManager Pro 6 and is now available from Mindjet Labs. Mindjet Labs showcase examples and prototypes Mindjet have developed internally for extending MindManager. Again it’s a technology demonstration rather than fully fledged application but well worth a download if you use DWF and MindManager.

So what’s new?

MindManager 6 introduced a new object in the form of a Business Topic. These allow “containers” of information from external sources to be integrated into the map retaining a link to the source. The DWF Topic converts a standard MindManager Topic, with hyperlink to a DWF file, into a Smart Map Part.

From the DWF Topic you can open the DWF, change sheets, copy and print using a small integrated DWF Viewer component. It uses the DWF viewer installed on your system and offers all the controls seen in the full application in a compact interface. It’s ideal for quickly opening a DWF, to print or a quick image copy/paste. For more involved viewing you can still launch the full viewer from the topic hyperlink icon or right click>Full view in the viewer component.

The image below shows a simple project using the DWF Topic combined with other smart topics. As I work on multiple projects gathering key information like this in a simple accessible format makes finding “the right stuff” easy and fast. I tend to only add info that’s “vital” and let the structure grow as the project demands rather than having any template or rigid structure.

The Project topic has a link to the project folder on the server. The appointment & contact are smart part links from Outlook, the Budget is a spreadsheet topic and the DWF File shows the drawing(s). You can rapidly access any of them with a simple click. This is a nice way to collect information related to a project and it’s easy to share with other MindManager users with the application/viewer or anyone via export to Web/Office formats.

Creating a DWF Topic is simple:

• Drag a DWF into the map to create a standard MindManager topic with hyperlink (as any file-type does) or add a DWF file hyperlink to a topic.
• Select the topic, Right Click & choose Make DWF Topic

(Click these images for full size view)

• You are presented with the “Select a View” window. By default the first sheet is used as the topic image. In multi-sheet DWF’s you can select the sheet you wish to see.
  • This screen-shot also shows the DWF viewer interface when the business topic is opened.

• Finished topic shows selected sheet image and a few controls

• You can collapse/expand the topic to hide/show DWF Image

Using the DWF Topic:

• The Topic Menu (Left) has refresh options.
• Click on the image to launch the topic viewer with the same controls/options as your DWF Viewer.
• Clicking on the hyperlink icon (Right) opens the DWF with the full DWF Viewer application. It also displays a tool-tip with file details.

Installation:

Download Free MindManager for AEC Add-In ~ Mindjet Labs (Installation Requirements in extended post)

NOTE: This is a technology demonstration from Mindjet Labs. The current build may not handle 3D DWF’s or have some problems depending on your combination of graphics drivers/hardware. Read the notes on the download page. If you have any comments after trying the add-in use the Give us feedback link on the download page to report back to Mindjet Labs.

My PC Application Map revisited

A few days ago I blogged about mapping the applications installed on my PC, using MindManager & Belarc Advisor, prior to a rebuild. Thanks to the recently released MindManager Viewer I can share the map in it’s original format rather than the static image in the original post. 

The map embedded in this post requires the free I.E. Mindjet MindManager Viewer Control available from http://www.mindjet.com/viewer_blog/ 

With the viewer installed you can pan/zoom the map and expand/collapse the topics by clicking on the +  – by the topic. Click/hover on the Notes icon to see my comments on the application or click the browse icon by most topics to open relevant web-pages.

You can copy topics or entire branches and paste to other applications by selecting topics and right click>copy. If you paste into another application you get the topic text, if you Edit>Paste Special you can paste the topic/branch as a bitmap image. 

UPDATE 9 September, 2005: As mentioned in the comments below I have added a link to a MindManager Word Doc export of the map. You can see what a good job MindManager does exporting to Word. The only post export edit I did was to reduce the level of detail in the Table of Contents. All the styles etc are based on the topic hierarchy in the map and Word template used. 

You can also compare how much harder a document is to browse and assimilate. Same information, different presentation but for me the map version is far easier to view and understand.

Download Word Export of My_PC_Application_Map.doc (362.0K)

I have placed the map the extended portion of this post to prevent Firefox users getting activex messages. Click on the link below to view the full post with map

More for less with ActiveWords - Part 1 - How I discovered ActiveWords

Hobie (the Gnomedex 5 star from MindManager) blogged about some software called ActiveWords. He said it’s the best thing since MindManager as it can run applications, navigate the web, search and more just by typing keywords. I think MindManager is the best thing since… well it’s just the best thing… so I think ActiveWords might be pretty good.

I’d just installed MSN Desktop Search & noticed  that it can run applications, navigate the web, search and more just by clicking in the tool-bar field typing a few words. I mentioned this in a comment on Hobies post and Trevor, from the excellent Student Tablet PC Blog, commented that ActiveWords is better than MSN:

“ActiveWords has a clear edge over MSN in that it allows you to use your ActiveWords in any context. I can type an ActiveWord in DOS, on a website, or even where there is nowhere to type. No use of the mouse is required.”

By now I’m thinking this ActiveWords must be good.

Then I get this email from Buzz Bruggeman. If you don’t know Buzz chances are you soon will as he seems to be everywhere spreading the ActiveWords message*!

Hi Robin: 
Saw your comment on Hobies blog. There is no question that you can go to the MSN Search Toolbar and type things that will launch Microsoft apps. But we think ActiveWords is much more powerful because we work in any context at any time, and the naming conventions are yours, not Microsoft. 
Would love to have you try our product, http://www.activewords.com/plus_download.html and tell me what you think. Let me know if you have any questions/comments about ActiveWords and I will do my best to get you answers. Also, let me know if you think having a guided tour would enhance your understanding of ActiveWords.

Regards, 
Buzz

So I thought I’ll try it…

 

ActiveWords Part 2: Trial Installation, What does it do?

 

* Buzz tells an interesting tale of how ActiveWords is being promoted without conventional marketing in this IT Conversation –  Networks and Sales Presentation

Import Pics for PowerPoint

I found this neat free PowerPoint utility after seeing someone with the wonderful task of inserting and re-sizing lots of digital photos into a PowerPoint presentation doing it manually.

Older versions of PowerPoint (up to 2000) have no way to do this and while later versions (XP onwards) can import multiple images once they are “in” thats it. Any manipulation has to be done to every image on every slide.

Import Pic’s allows you to select multiple images from an Explorer dialog, import them into a presentation and then at any stage resize or reposition the whole series of images in one operation. This is a huge time saver and also makes it easy to get consistency throughout the presentation if thats what you desire. Mose useful for the presentation I saw being made where the pic’s where made smaller so a title and notes could be added.

Multiple “Pic Series” can exist in the same presentation and each can be manipulated independently. I have used it with Office XP PowerPoint at work and my own Office 2000 PowerPoint at home with no problems.

Thanks to RadFiler.com for making this utility available. Their main application, RadFiler, is a program designed to store, retrieve, present and organise medical images.

Import Pics for PowerPoint v1.0

• Supported image formats:
  • PowerPoint 97: JPG and BMP
  • PowerPoint 2000 +: JPG, BMP and TIFF

Celestia shows space is big and beautiful

In 1983 John Walker drew The Solar System to scale in AutoCAD-86. It was a demonstration of AutoCAD’s floating point database resolution and I remember being shown it when I was at Tech. Everyone was amazed at the precision as they zoomed from Pluto’s orbit down to a plaque on the leg of the Lunar Lander, Eagle, with readable text.

That was a long time ago but I remembered it tonight as experienced similar amazement when I watched Celestia in action. It’s a free real-time 3D space simulation, for Windows/Mac/Unix, which lets you travel through our solar system and to over 100,000 stars in our neighbourhood.

Once installed (approx 11mb download) I recommend you start off with the Demo Tour launched from the Help Menu. The screen-shot (Earth with New Zealand orbited to centre stage) gives an idea of the display quality you’ll see but prepare to be amazed as you zoom from the Earth to the Moon, then the Sun, Saturn & its Moons. Its then back to Earth for a short tour of the Northern and Southern hemisphere night sky with stars and constellations on display. Next a very quick trip across the universe to the giant red star Antares, a brief look at the Milky Way from a distance, then home to earth again.

Now its your turn to explore the 3d photo real accurate celestial model as you wish. Its simple to use, but information rich and stunning to look at, with comprehensive options that will keep your amused for hours. Thanks to the authors: Chris Laurel, Clint Weisbrod,,Fridger Schrempp, Bob Ippolito, Christophe Teyssier, Hank Ramsey, Grant Hutchiso and many others who contributed to this excellent software.

Link: Celestia Home page
(If the main page is off line there will still be a link to the download site and forum).

*Note: Shaan Hurley has the AutoCAD file mentioned, solar-1.dwg, available for download in AutoCAD 2004 format and more information on AutoCAD 64 bit precision on his AutoCAD Blog – Between the Lines.