RobiNZ CAD Blog

AutoCAD Architecture 2018 Project Standards Sync broken by file upgrade

If you use AutoCAD Architecture/MEP 2018 Project Standards feature (to sync style/display setting changes across a project) be sure to upgrade all the files associated with the project to the new 2018.dwg format or it will not work correctly.

If the project standards reference files or project files are in the old 2017.dwg format (or earlier) AutoCAD Architecture 2018 will appear to do a project content sync and report the project is up to date. In fact it scans the project files and updates nothing. There is a confirmed bug for this, see this report for a demo of it happening:

AutoCAD Architecture 2018 : Unable to update Project Standards from previous releases after migration

Upgrade all Project files

The simplest fix is to upgrade all the project files. An Open/Save will do this but given the number of files in a project this can be quite a task.

There is a batch script file to help with this in the ACA Help:

help.autodesk.com project upgrade batch script

Running the script creates a copy of the entire project directory and a script to open/save every .dwg file. Once processed you can either use the upgraded project in its new location (it will re-path external reference paths on first access) or copy it back to overwrite the old one in the former location.

AutoCAD Architecture 2019?

I don't know if this is fixed in the new AutoCAD 2019 Architect Tools edition. I was told they were hoping to do this and would likely also address this in a future 2018 update.

Will check it out both when I get see them!

Twenty years on, another Quantum leap #AU2017

About twenty years ago I read a 'brain dump' from Jim Awe about the next generation of AEC design. It described a world of object design, model properties and display management that was realised in Architectural Desktop and, later, Revit.

Today at Autodesk University he did it again presenting the emerging Quantum AEC platform. It's not an application, more a system, a playing field, for managing data flow in design projects at a fundamental level applicable to all applications, cloud and desktop.

The Quantum leap: forget about applications, files, even data transfer and think about how your entire project life cycle and the needs of each participant. Think about what they need, when they need it, and a platform that delivers just that: Simply, rapidly, anywhere.

And it was good to actually meet Jim :)

Posted from Outlook for Android

Forge DevCon and why I really came to #AU2017 (Day –1)

It was quite an impulsive decision which resulted in me attending Autodesk University 2017. I had been thinking about it for a while, but not seriously, and was browsing the session catalogue one evening when I saw:

FDC128313 -- Quantum: A Next-Generation BIM Ecosystem – Jim Awe & Shiya Luo

I immediately clicked Register, then grabbed a seat in this one hour session. Eleven thousand Kilometres is quite a long way to go for a 60 minute meeting and it wasn’t even part of the main AU event!

Forge DevCon?

The Quantum session was part of Forge DevCon which ran the Monday before AU2017. It was a day aimed at developers using, or interested in, the emerging Autodesk Forge cloud development environment. I’m not a developer but the small additional cost of the extra day was well worth the investment.

Forge DevCon Keynote

Jim Quanci (Senior Director, Software Partner Development) kicked off the keynote and, perhaps, had the best explanation of what Forge is about: ‘Forge - The Lego box to connect your designs’.

He then introduced Duleesha Kulasooriya (Deloitte Center for the Edge) who took a look at why you might use Forge, rather than how to use it or what it is.

Duleesha spoke about the social, industrial and economic changes that are driving transformation. The ‘Pace of innovation’, ‘Nature of demand’ and ‘Economics of distribution’ are impacting everyone. It was an interesting view of the reasons for change, and how you might respond… with Forge of course!

Forge Updates

Brian Roepke (Head of Product Management for the Autodesk Forge Developer Platform) talked about the new API developments for Forge focused on process integration, reality capture, webhook notifications and design automation for Revit and Inventor.

Brian also announced Forge Fund support for companies developing Forge based solutions. This included Smartvid.io who use Forge integration with BIM 360 Docs and their own AI to analyse Video and Photos from building projects. This automatically highlights site activity with the emphasis on improving safety, quality and productivity. Interesting to see ‘design’ systems and information capture being used to optimise behaviour on site.

LIMBFORGE

The keynote also introduced me to a brilliant humanitarian use of cloud design technology: www.limbforge.org

They make 3d printed upper limb prosthetics for those who can't afford them. Their system enables scanning of limbs, configuration of designs (modelled in fusion from typed in dimensions entered in fields with AI design automation) and the best solution is manufactured in the field.

Patient feedback and evaluative case studies are also incorporated for even better results. It is an impressive demonstration of advanced technology bringing, formerly impossible, life changing results.

The event concluded with a ‘fireside chat’ (without fire!) including Scott Reese (Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & Construction Products) & Brian Mathews (VP Platform Engineering) —who I’d meet with later. Some outtakes from that:

• 51% of Autodesk employees come from acquisitions
• Make data, process and workflows the centre of what you do
• How do you connect to your team via data, AI and workflows, not tool centric solutions.
• Autodesk’s future is being built on Forge

Quantum

Although just an hour this session was a great introduction on how BIM, Forge and web services could transform project workflows. It demo’ed Forge use of High-Frequency Data Management (HFDM) technology to put "data at the center" of a project. Quantum isn’t an application, more a platform enabling applications (cloud and desktop) to work better together. That is a taste of Quantum, more on this in future posts!

BIM 360 API for Construction Ecosystems

This session outlined the current and (near) future developments in the Forge API. This included improvements in document management, (user) account admin, markup and checklists. It didn’t mention some big changes to 360 which would be announced later in the event, but looking back there were plenty of clues here!

Demystifying the BIM 360 and Forge APIs

‘Autodesk 360’ is really a mix of ‘clouds’ and ‘applications’, some built, some acquired. This session outlined the history of how they came together and how they differ. It went a long way to help understand how the various components interact, or don’t. An announcement later in AU2017 would foreshadow how this will change, for the better.

Industry 4.0: AI and the future of manufacturing

Tom "Elvis" Jones (Solutions Architect at AWS) outlined the AWS infrastructure which is powering a large proportion of ‘the cloud’ and how it applies to design, process delivery and storage.

University research and start-up development with Forge

Forge was seen in action in these impressive university startup projects from around the world.

Applications included eyewear design and manufacture, 3D printing (even a drink!), visualizing progress tracking on BIM construction models and Forge for FM (with Hololens and Cortana integration). Some really impressive work!

Oh look, it is 2018 already

An Easter surprise ‘present’ from Autodesk!

Got a question about AutoCAD? Ask Autodesk Answer Day!

If you have an AutoCAD question check out the upcoming answer day (May 7th US Pacific). Post your question and get an answer direct from AutoCAD Platform team members. Their post below has all the details:

From http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-answer-day/

We’ll be kicking off the Autodesk Answer Days series with the one and only AutoCAD®! Join us at our first AutoCAD Answer Day online event on Thursday, May 7th from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time.

Have AutoCAD® or AutoCAD LT® questions that you’ve always wanted to ask? Come spend a minute, an hour, or the whole day in the Autodesk Community to interact directly with the folks who bring you your favorite CAD software!

How The Day will work!

It’s easy. It’s free. It’s all about AutoCAD®.

Come to the Autodesk Community and post your AutoCAD® or AutoCAD LT® questions! Engage in real time conversation with the teams and experts that develop and support AutoCAD®:

• Product Designers
• QA Analysts
• Technical Support
• Customer Service
• Community Managers

When you visit the AutoCAD Answer Day on May 7th the CREATE NEW POST button on the AutoCAD Answer Day board will be available for posting questions. And there’s no limit on how many questions you can ask, we’re up for the challenge!

Millions of customers come to the Autodesk Community every month; we hope that you’ll join us on this special event, May 7th!

This is a global English event.

If you’re looking for more instructional information, check out our free AutoCAD Help Webinars.

For further details or info on the event tweet us @AutodeskHelp.

Autodesk Application Manager — One update to rule them all

I’ve been doing a few software installs recently; updates to Autodesk Building Design Suite 2015 at the previous workplace and a fresh install at the new one. As a result I’ve come to really appreciate Autodesk Application Manager; one of the best support applications Autodesk have ever made.

Remember the pain?

Install an app — or more like a dozen for the Design Suites — then spend hours finding which have been updated, downloading patches and installing (or updating deployments) on the machine. That is history as Autodesk Application Manager makes it a one click process, well nearly. You still do have to select which updates and click install but that is trivial compared to the alternative!

Updates tailored to your device:

The Application Manager looks at the software installed (not just the software in the suite), the user subscription rights, the device and existing patches to decide what is needed. I was impressed that the same Design Suite installed on my Tablet (where had just picked AutoCAD Architecture & Revit) only got a those updates, my desktop picking up the full set for all the installed applications.

Download overhead shared:

If you have multiple machines to update Application Manager can eliminate duplicated download overhead and time.

In Settings>Files tick the “Use shared storage or content downloads” and set the path to a common network folder all your PCs can access.

The first machine to encounter a new update will download the install file to the shared folder. Other machines will check the folder first and install from the existing download. With some updates being up to a gigabyte (Recap) you can save a lot of download data and time.

You can export and import Application Manager settings to easily configure multiple machines.

First phase of a cloud delivery framework:

The Application Manager framework currently delivers:

• For the User:
  • Desktop notification of update availability
  • Delivery and install of updates:
        'The best experience is no experience', not to get in the way of productivity
• For Administrators/CAD Managers:
  • Discover and download updates
  • Manage updates distribution
  • Manage users access to notification updates and install
• The User Accounts portal: https://manage.autodesk.com

There are still some limitations — local user rights may need admin permission, users can ignore notifications — but the system is a vast improvement.

Updates are just the start:

Autodesk have put in place the framework to support a far more comprehensive solution. The future could include full installs and possibly even Microsoft Office 365’like click to run. In that case you can start using the core software almost immediately while the rest of it installs in the background.

And using Autodesk PLM 360 to do it!

It was interesting to hear the data source for the system is a case of Autodesk ‘eating its own dog food’. The Product Data Master, a complex mesh of products, applications and applicable updates is being managed with Autodesk PLM 360. The only glitch I’ve seen was Navisworks wanting to install a language update for a language pack I hadn’t installed. This disappeared off the list after a couple of days, presumably after the Product Data Master was updated.

As the complexity of software increases it is nice some attention is being given to making it easier to manage.

Autodesk desktop applications to be ‘pay as you go’ subscription only from 2016

It was an early start for a call to learn about some big changes to Autodesk software purchases from 1 February 2016 onwards.

New commercial seats of most stand-alone desktop software (not Design Suites) will only be available on ‘pay as you go’ Desktop Subscription, not as Perpetual Licenses or the current annual Maintenance Subscription.

Purchases before 1 Feb 2016 will continue to receive existing benefits:

• Existing perpetual licenses will continue to work forever.
• Existing Maintenance Subscriptions (annual updates & bundled services etc.) will be honoured for as long as the subscription payment is maintained.

If current Perpetual or Maintenance Subscription customers require additional seats after 1 Feb 2016 the new Desktop Subscription will apply.

Why?

This is a response to changes in the way people design and make products;

• Projects using multiple applications, at multiple sites.
• Changes in how people expect buy products and software: more durable, flexible, local and personalised to them.
• Expectations products are connected, responsive and updated.
• Flexible teams, project not company or task specific

What does this mean?

A move towards cloud based services for better software delivery.

• Simplified deployment update process. Ongoing updates rather than annual releases through the Autodesk Application Manager and cloud.
• More integration between products (enabled by cloud nature)
• Better & new cloud services.

Transitioning:

• Full year notice
• Flexible terms:
  • New multi-year subscriptions for desktop applications
  • No change to current Maintenance Subscriptions
  • New programs like floating licenses (not tied to user/hardware) without current network license overhead.

Details in the Autodesk news release and links below:

---

Autodesk Details Subscription Transition for New Software Licenses

http://news.autodesk.com/press-release/archived/autodesk-details-subscription-transition-new-software-licenses

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 8:00 am EST

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK) announced that new commercial seats of most standalone desktop software products will be available only by Desktop Subscription beginning February 1, 2016. Through these changes, Autodesk is continuing its transition to subscription-based offerings for its products, which provide customers a simplified product management and deployment experience, and makes it easier to introduce new tools and technology into the workflow with lower upfront cost and the ability to pay as you go.

"How the world is designed and made is changing, and how software is delivered is changing as well. The companies that embrace these changes will lead their industries toward a more nimble, connected and richer future,” said Andrew Anagnost, Autodesk senior vice president of Industry Strategy & Marketing. "Our customers have long asked for greater flexibility and more value from their software investments. The shift to subscription allows Autodesk to deliver both, as well as an improved user experience and easier access to a broader portfolio of technology.”

Autodesk Desktop Subscription offers a simplified installation, management and upgrade experience, flexible payment terms, and broader access rights across multiple devices. Autodesk plans to continually innovate and improve Desktop Subscription products to more tightly integrate them with Autodesk cloud services and reduce file compatibility issues.

Autodesk customers who have purchased perpetual licenses prior to February 1, 2016 will be able to continue to use those licenses, and customers on Maintenance Subscription will continue to receive corresponding benefits for as long as their subscription remains active. Autodesk will also continue to offer Cloud Services Subscriptions.

“With today’s announcement, we are giving our customers a full year to plan for these changes, and will continue to be transparent about our plans,” continued Anagnost. “Autodesk will be working closely with our customers and partners to ease the impact of these changes, and we are committed to making the transition as smooth as possible.”

For full details on today’s announcement and subscription options, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/perpetuallicenses

Free Autodesk Software for ALL Schools, Teachers, and Students Worldwide!

I arrived back from Tibet to find some very welcome news from Shaan Hurley. Autodesk now provides students, teachers and schools WORLDWIDE with free* access to Autodesk software: 3-year licenses of 80 titles of the exact same software that our commercial customers use.

Free Software for ALL Schools, Teachers, and Students Worldwide! - No Catch or Fine Print! – Between The Lines Blog

Hooray! I have been anxiously awaiting this for years. Effective today, Autodesk provides FREE access to our software to students, teachers and schools around the world. 
If you are an engineering school or teach CAD drafting or design classes, or a computer lab  facing tight budgets, you can now get the software free without limitations. There is no catch or fine print or restrictions on use in school… [cont]

 

Details at: students.autodesk.com

 

* Free Autodesk software and/or cloud-based services are subject to acceptance of and compliance with the terms and conditions of the software license agreement or terms of service that accompany such software or cloud-based services.  Software and cloud-based services provided without charge to Education Community members may be used solely for purposes directly related to learning, teaching, training, research or development and  shall not be used for commercial, professional or any other for-profit purposes

The new Autodesk.com and 2014 products revealed

Autodesk have unveiled a new look Autodesk.com and announced their 2014 product updates. The new look Autodesk, hinted at earlier this month, comes with updates to existing products, new applications, revised industry specific Design Suites and Autodesk 360 Cloud Services.

Check out the announcement below and details at http://www.autodesk.com/ 

I’ve had a peak a some of the 2014 line-up and will be posting about the release product when they are available.

64 Bit Stability for Revit and AutoCAD

Shopping for a laptop (not for me!) recently it was good to see 64 bit OS installed on all but entry level products. Given that level of acceptance in the consumer space I find it surprising to find some dedicated CAD workstations are still running the 32 bit flavour of Windows. I thought Windows 8 would be all 64 bit but it seems Microsoft are still going to offer an 32-bit (x86) flavour.

So, why 64 bit for CAD?

If you have any doubt 64 bits are better take a look at this post from Revit Clinic:

64 Bit Revit and Stability - revitclinic.typepad.com        
“In general, 64 bit operating systems running 64 bit Revit are about twice as stable as 32 bit operating systems running 32 bit Revit. Our Customer Error Reports (CER) and Customer Involvement Program (CIP) help confirm this.”

Not just for Revit!

I’ve seen AutoCAD happily consume gigabytes of RAM when the system has it on offer.

Our AutoCAD Architecture fitting layouts are typically 6–10MB .dwg files. Before using a 64 bit OS “out of memory” was the most frequent cause of crashes.

The machine many have had free memory but a single 32 bit process can only use about 2 GB and shaded 3D views caused AutoCAD to hit that limit.

With a 64 bit OS you frequently see ACAD.exe gobbling upwards of 6GB ram, on its own, to display these views. No wonder it struggled to fit into the 32 bit limit.

How much RAM is enough?

I have found 8-16GB Ram generally is sufficient for most AutoCAD/AutoCAD Architecture users, 16-32 for Revit. With Windows 7, and 8, 64 you can access up to 192GB RAM and you can never have too much!

Should You Install Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit? - TechSpot Guides

On paper, the 64-bit architecture can address 16 exabytes of memory (2^64), or more than 4 billion times that of its precursor. Consumer editions of Windows Vista permit from 8GB to 128GB of physical memory to be accessed, depending on the version. Windows 7 bumps that up to 192GB with the Professional version and above...