MasterGraphics Weblog
Archives
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
Archive for November, 2009
AutoCAD Skills for Civil 3D: Part 1
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
This is the first of a 10-part series designed to help AutoCAD newbies get comfortable with AutoCAD in preparation for using Civil 3D.
Each section discusses an AutoCAD skill that will make learning and using Civil 3D much easier.
AutoCAD Skills for Civil 3D: Part 1
Happy Holidays!
Lou
Interesting Business Strategies
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
By Mark Hechel
Those of you who know me on a personal level know that I’m a motorcycle enthusiast. As such, I usually look forward to reading Motorcycle Daily on a, well, daily basis.
Today’s MD post was about the new electric motorcycle from Brammo. It wasn’t so much the bike that interested me, but rather the supply chain and distribution processes. Brammo is doing the sort of innovative things that may help them become successful where so many others have failed.
When sourcing parts for their product, Brammo chose to use as many from the USA as possible. Not because American parts are superior, but because the American suppliers are closer and easier to work with. They wanted “a flexible and agile supply chain” instead of lowest price. Maybe the pendulum is starting to swing?
A manufacturer needs a place to sell its products, and Brammo chose to sell their bikes through Best Buy! While doing market research, Brammo discovered that many of their customers are not traditional motorcycle buyers and viewed the bike more like an appliance than a vehicle. Best Buy is adept at brining new electronics to consumers and has a large service staff, so they were a natural fit for Brammo. Interesting “out of the box” thinking in my opinion.
I hope that Brammo is successful and that they help inspire many more American manufacturers to explore such innovative strategies. You can read the original Motorcycle Daily article here: http://www.motorcycledaily.com/24november09_brammocutsprice.htm
AutoCAD Architecture - Display Configurations
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
By: Dwane Lindsey
One of the (sometimes) overlooked features in AutoCAD Architecture is Display Configurations. Many people see these down in the lower right corner and say “We don’t need to use those, we’re just using basic AutoCAD lines, arcs, circles….along with DesignCenter Content and a few Walls, Doors, Windows in some projects.” Even using just Walls, Doors, Windows, etc…you can still utilize Display Configurations.
This list above is what you typically see out of the box in AutoCAD Architecture. There’s quite a bit there and since these can be some-what complicated, people shy away from using them. Here’s a little tip though…just because that many are there doesn’t mean you have to use all of them! What if I said all you (potentially) need to use at a base level are the Medium Detail (or Plan Only), Presentation and Reflected, would that feel a little better?
When you get started with AutoCAD Architecture, these are really the base Display Configurations you can start with. Medium Detail for your plans, Reflected for ceiling plans, and Presentation for colored presentation plans. Let’s take a look at a wall, door and window with all three Display Configurations applied…
All of these Display Configurations were used out of the box…nothing was changed to the settings. You can see, just using 3 simple configurations can make your objects change how they look. Imagine no longer having to turn off a bunch of layers (maybe just a couple) to get a Reflected Ceiling plan. Or, even better…not having to create Polylines to hatch in walls (or even rooms if you utilize Spaces)! One thing to note; Display Configurations only work on AEC objects (like Walls, Doors, Windows, Multi-View Blocks, etc.). They cannot turn layers off/on or freeze/thaw.
To wrap up, yes….you can modify the list that you would see. You can go to Format->Display Manager to delete configurations you don’t want to use. You could also start to get into customizing how your objects appear at each configuration. Maybe you want your door or window jambs lines to show up in a Reflected display, or you want to change the color of the solid hatch in the walls….it can all be done.
AU Virtual on Your PC
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
By, Dan Banach
If you cannot attend Autodesk University in Las Vegas on December 1 - 3, 2009 you may want to look into attending “Autodesk University (AU) Virtual”. The virtual event is free for Autodesk Subscription customers or $99 for a Premier Pass which gets you access to four days of streaming classes, clinics, keynote address and mainstage presentations. You can learn more about Virtual AU at: http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=virtual_home&pre=1.
Dan
iRay demos
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Previously, I’d mentioned that mental images had released iRay in the latest release of the mental ray rendering engine. iRay is a GPU based rendering system rather than a CPU based rendering system, shifting the rendering tasks from the multi-purpose main processor of your computer to the very narrowly focused graphics processor on board your video card. The GPU is an extremely fast processor that is purpose built to handle images and it has a much wider pipe than your CPU since it does not need to handle a multitude of commands. The result is potentially far faster processing of rendered images. Of course, it needs to be noted that iRay was written to utilize only the nVidia GPUs but that is what most professionals are using so that shouldn’t be much of an issue.
The interesting part is that mental images and CGArchitect.com have teamed up to produce several videos detailing the abilities of iRay and for a first go around, these are nothing short of outstanding. Take a look and for yourself and imagine the impact that this technology will have on the world of visualization in the very near future. You can view the videos at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5WyOQe4AHc
Stephen Gabriel
AutoCAD Architecture - Using AEC Objects
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
By: Dwane Lindsey
There are many, many companies that have AutoCAD Architecture (or maybe even Architectural Desktop yet) and use it just as plain AutoCAD. They don’t utilize the AEC Objects like Walls, Doors, Windows, etc. and have stuck with using the same process to draw walls using lines and hatching and blocks for doors and windows.
One of the “taglines” that Autodesk uses when describing AutoCAD Architecture (ACA) is that it’s “AutoCAD for Architects”. The reason for this line is that ACA has AEC Objects that allow for a more efficient way to draw Walls, Doors, Windows, Ceilings, Schedules…there are many more but I’m going to stop at those types of elements. The reason I’m stopping at naming just these types of elements is the fact that just using these AEC Objects will allow you to gain some efficiencies. Just think…you could pick two points and have a wall with all of the internal components, layered and hatched automatically. You can then place a Door or Window object in that wall and you don’t have to trim or re-hatch just because you needed to place an opening.
During the current economic situation, we’ve been having discussions with firms on how they can become more efficient with their current software. If you are have ACA but are using it as plain AutoCAD, using objects is exactly a way to do your CD’s (projects) more efficiently. Quite a few think that because you are using AEC objects, you’re working in 3D. Not the case. You can utilize Walls, Doors & Windows in 2D and never have to look at them in 3D. Sure, the objects have a height if you decide to go into the 3D realm, but you can always just view them in 2D. Objects like Doors and Windows have a height, but you’re only utilizing that height a schedule (at least maybe initially).
Not only do these objects help with plan efficiently, but they can also hold quite a bit of information that can be extracted into a Schedule right inside the program. As you update the information in the objects, or even add/remove objects, the schedule(s) will also update…and in some case this can happen automatically.
As you can start to see, just using some of the AEC Objects with-in AutoCAD Architecture will allow you to gain some efficiency when doing your projects. If you would like to know more on how using AEC Objects can benefit you and/or your company, contact your MasterGraphics representative.
Stop by again next week when I touch on another aspect of AutoCAD Architecture.
AutoDesk “See the Difference Tour” Virtual
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Haven’t decided if the Autodesk 2010 products are for you?
November 17th, Autodesk takes its 2010 roadshow into the cyberwebs.
Register for this online event now. There will even be a virtual trade show area - where you can chat live with MasterGraphics’ software experts.. The web interface for the virtual event is more fun and interactive than your average webcast.
View informative sessions including:
- AutoCAD 2010 Tips & Techniques with Lynn Allen
- The AutoCAD Family of Products with Shaan Hurley
- The World of 3D Modeling with Heidi Hewett
Be sure to stop by the MasterGraphics booth and say “Hi!”.
See you there!
Lou
AutoCAD Architecture - Collaboration
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
By: Dwane Lindsey
Many architects need to work with consultants who are using AutoCAD, an earlier version of AutoCAD Architecture (formerly known as Architectural Desktop or ADT), AutoCAD MEP (formerly known as Building Systems) or maybe even other software that can read DWG’s.
Just like AutoCAD, you can do a “Save-As,” but it doesn’t quite work the same. It does save your drawing back to the version needed, but AutoCAD Architecture objects (AEC Objects) don’t save back to a previous version efficiently. Saving AutoCAD Architecture drawings back to a previous version will cause the person opening the drawing many ARX Errors and will essentially disable some commands.
This saving back not only applies to different DWG versions when it comes to AutoCAD Architecture, it also applies to the YEARLY releases as well. Since about 2003 (calendar year), Autodesk has been changing the DWG version every 4th year. For example, 2004, 2005 & 2006 are all the same DWG version…2007, 2008 & 2009 are the same DWG version. With each yearly change though, saving AutoCAD Architecture drawings is technically saving a new version, because the AEC Objects get updated even though the DWG version doesn’t change. This update to the objects is really what “messes up” the ability to share even the same DWG version without potential issues.
To work with consultants who are using a previous version, you really need to do an “Export to AutoCAD” through the File pull-down menu…or the big ‘A’ (Application Button) in 2010. Be aware though that this will explode all of your AEC Objects (Walls, Doors, Windows, etc.) to flat AutoCAD lines. It will save it as a new file however, so the integrity of the file you are working on isn’t affected.
It is important to note that getting the file back with changes doesn’t mean you’ll be able to open it up and get all of your AEC Objects back. Once they are exploded, they can’t be retrieved. Ultimately, to work effectively with a consultant(s), everyone should be using the same version.
Oh, one more thing…going UP in versions is perfectly fine. Older drawings can be opened up into a newer version without (usually) any trouble. I can’t say it’s 100% perfect, but we rarely see issues with the older drawings being opened up in a newer version.
Come back next week where I’ll touch on another topic regarding AutoCAD Architecture.
It’s Beta Time!
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Just a friendly reminder that if you like to test the Beta’s for the Autodesk software, Beta 1 for Inventor 2011 is available. Go to beta.autodesk.com and create an account to participate in the Sikorsky program. Sikorsky is the code name for Inventor 2011.
If you previously participated in the Autodesk Beta’s on the myfeeback site, you will still have to create a new account on the new Beta site.
Anyone interested in seeing the future version of Inventor should log in and download the Beta. There are a number of new technologies introduced in this version. Also, this is your opportunity to take a look at the new functionality for the iLogic Extension whose tools are incorporated more thoroughly into Inventor.
Please take this opportunity to try out the Beta of Inventor and to also participate in some webinars designed to show off some of the new features of Inventor 2011. These webinars can be found at:
Sign up for the webinars to get a demonstration of these exciting features.
Good luck and happy testing!
Thomas Fitzgerald
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Darren Hartenstine - MasterGraphics on Is Your Autodesk Vault Safe?
- Robert on Is Your Autodesk Vault Safe?
- Tony on The Thing About Geo-referenced Images…
- Twitter Trackbacks for MasterGraphics Weblog » Blog Archive » Manufacturing Subscription Webcast - October 27 [mastergraphics.com] on Topsy.com on Manufacturing Subscription Webcast - October 27
- Grant @ Electrical cad on Autodesk 2010 Digital Prototyping Solution - From Concept to Photo Realistic Images