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AU Virtual Call For Proposals

If you thought the fun of AU 2012 proposals was over for the year, think again! This year we split up the live & virtual CFP’s—the live part is over, but the virtual part is just beginning.

This year there are a few changes to the virtual class process & presentation. You should plan on 45-60 minutes for your class, and prepare it in 10-15 minute sections for delivery. (I kinda like the idea of bite-size instruction…what do you think?) Classes can be in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, to accommodate our international audience. And as an additional incentive, AUv speakers are eligible for a free 3-day conference pass (if you meet all your deadlines!). Head over to the AUv CFP site for all the details.

Submissions are due by August 3, 2012, but why wait? Fire up your new Camtasia 8 (or your screen capture software of choice), brush up your video editing skills, and get those proposals in!

New blog: AutodeskCare

Got Autodesk questions? Now there’s a new place to go for answers: AutodeskCare.

Posts on this blog are organized into categories such as “behind the scenes” looks at members of the team, announcements on new ventures like Pinterest, and tips & tricks for installation & licensing.

Follow the blog, or find the team on Twitter. They’d love to hear from you!

Documenting 3D Models: Part 6

Last time, we started talking about the different types of sections you can create with the tools in AutoCAD 2013’s new Layout tab.

Today, it’s time to put those tools to work.

I’ll start by choosing Section from the Create View panel (using the Full option). I then have to select a parent view, and I’ll use the top view of my model:

Next, I have to pick the start point of the section, and I’ll pick somewhere near the middle of the left side.

Then—you guessed it—I’ll pick the next point defining the section.

After that, I could keep picking points, but I only need a single straight-line section here, so I’ll press Enter. But I’m not quite done—I need to specify the section direction.

As I move the mouse around, the arrows flip to point either up or down.

I want them to point up, so I’ll pick on the lower side of the view. When I do, I get a shaded preview, similar to the ones for projected views. However, you’ll notice that its placement is a little inconvenient:

So, before I finish the command, I’ll grab the grip, press Shift to break the alignment, and put it somewhere better on the layout.

THEN I can press Enter and finish creating the section.

Notice the label at the bottom—it was created automatically, and has the gray background that indicates field data.

There’s one field for the view type (Section), one for the label (B-B), and one for the scale (3/32”=1’-0”).

Next time, we’ll talk about customizing both the content and the appearance of the section marker and the label.

Announcing Autodesk BIM 360

Autodesk BIM 360 is the next generation of BIM, for anyone, anywhere, at any time. Is this a big deal? You bet:

New cloud-based services for multidiscipline collaboration that support model coordination and intelligent object data exchange will transform the way architects, engineers, contractors and owners collaborate in real time and manage as well as distribute building and civil infrastructure data. Autodesk BIM 360 offers civil engineers, transportation and urban planning professionals new cloud-based services to collaborate between geographically dispersed teams to explore design concepts, create and review proposals and conduct feasibility evaluations.

At least, we think it’s a big deal—I hope you agree!

Autodesk BIM 360 services include:

• Clash detection, coordination and collaboration
• Conceptual design and feasibility evaluation
• Field management, commissioning and handover
• Energy analysis
• Structural analysis
• Visualization

The first 3 features in this list are new services, while the remaining three take advantage of services provided through the main Autodesk 360 platform.

To learn more about Autodesk BIM 360 and what it can do for you, watch the video below:

Documenting 3D Models: Part 5

After a brief hiatus, we’re back to documenting 3D models—and moving on at the same time. That’s because Parts 1-4 were about creating base and projected views, and I’ve said about all I need to say on those (for now, at any rate).

So our next topic (moving on down the panel) is Section Views.

When you expand the Section pull-down, you’ll see not one, not two, but four different section types you can create, plus an option for using an object you’ve already drawn.

Of these four types (Full, Half, Offset, and Aligned), I’ve almost always used Full. The others just didn’t come up very often in my work (structural engineering), so if you have examples you want to share for the other three types, send them in and they just might get featured here.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the distinctions, here’s how the Help files describe them.

Full
Uses the complete view for sectioning.

Half
Specifies half of the view is used for sectioning. Once the end point of the section line is specified, the section preview is attached to the cursor, along with the alphabetical section label identifier.

Offset
Specifies that the offset specified by the section is used for cutting the model. You are prompted for the next point until you select Done. Once you select Done, the section view preview is attached to the cursor, along with the alphabetical section label identifier.

Aligned
Specifies the section view is always aligned perpendicular to the first or last section line. After the first point, you are prompted for the next point until you select Done. Once you select Done, the section view preview is attached to the cursor, along with the alphabetical section label identifier.

For the remainder of my examples, I’ll be using Full sections—tune in next time to see just how effective & practical they can be!

Voting Open on Revamped AUGI Wish List

The collective power of AUGI members has long been a driving force in the development of Autodesk software, and now it’s easier than ever to make your voice heard.

(You are an AUGI member, right? If not, why not? It’s one of the largest CAD communities out there—if not the largest—and it’s 100% free.)

They’ve recently revamped their Wish List System (WLS) so that it gets feedback to the teams faster. Right now, they need your help in narrowing the top 30 wishes for each product into a Top 10 list.

Here’s the scoop:

For starters you can only vote on products you use, and you define that in your membership details. Next, AUGI is only conducting a vote for the following products: AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Navisworks Manage, Inventor, Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, and Revit Structure. If you feel another Autodesk product needs to be included in the WLS, you can help make that happen. Just contact David Harrington, AUGI President, to find out how!

You should know that the new WLS is now an on-going, 365 days per year activity at www.augi.com and this includes voting! Each week the WLS reevaluates the top 30 for each product. If another wish within the WLS has a higher rank than one in the top 30, they swap places. But what happens if you had previously voted for a demoted wish? Well, you get your vote back! The server will send you an email that you have another vote to cast for that product top 30. You then revisit the WLS and choose another wish. What this does it keep the Top Ten as aligned as possible with the global user voice. Whenever Autodesk needs, they can look into the WLS and know what “we” want the most. Autodesk has all wish ideas, how they rank, and how members vote, as soon as they are available.

So, vote early, vote often—we’re waiting to hear from you!

Autodesk 360 Sync Hotfix Now Available

A new hotfix has been released for persistent Autodesk 360 sync error messages in the system tray.

Get it here, and—trust me—read the README. This hotfix involves a few manual replacements of files, and you need the readme to know which ones.

AutoCAD 2013 Webcast Today

There’s still time to register for today’s webcast with Lynn Allen on AutoCAD 2013!

The fun starts at 11 Pacific, 2 Eastern – hope to see you there!