Autodesk in the cloud - AutoCAD WS and the AutoCAD 2011 Subscription Advantage Pack

Since attending the AutoCAD for Mac Bloggers Reception a few weeks ago, I have really been looking forward to this! Autodesk have been running Project Butterfly for some time now and now it has come to fruition as AutoCAD WS which can be found at www.autocadws.com. It goes live today! AutoCAD WS is an amazing app that runs on both Windows and Apple operating systems and provides the ability to upload AutoCAD drawings to the "cloud" (which I am sure you have all heard about). Basically, you are using virtual servers courtesy of new technology to collaborate on the SAME drawing! (Yep, I did say the same drawing). Check it out below.

Your drawings can be stored online and you can view and EDIT DWG files online using a PC or a Mac. How cool is that? You and a colleague could be on other sides of the world and working on the same DWG (time zones and bandwidth permitting!). Not just that, you can run the AutoCAD WS Mobile app on any iOS. You're now thinking, what is an iOS? It means you can run the mobile app on any Apple mobile device, so we are talking iPhone, iPod Touch and the latest and greatest, iPad as well! The mobile app is a cut down version of the full AutoCAD WS but it makes you completely mobile when you collaborate....very useful on a factory floor or a construction site, for example. Those DWG files that you are working on can also be updated direct from full AutoCAD using the AutoCAD WS plugin for AutoCAD. So the DWG files will always be up to date! Running AutoCAD WS Mobile on an iPad seems like a great idea due to screen size but how about on an iPhone or iPod Touch, surely it won't be very clear? Let's check it out!

So above we have it on the iPad, using Edit Text (upper pic) and using greyscale to view looks great doesn't it? As you can see the Apple iOS provides clear, clean graphics and with the versatility of the iPad, you can work effectively and productively. So, what happens if you use an iPhone or iPod Touch? Let's see below.

As you can see, even on a small screen like the iPhone, the graphics are clear and easy to read. You can manage your drawings (upper pic) and use tools such as MEASURE (lower pic), even on an iPhone. How wicked cool is that? :-) Plus, it is available on the iTunes App Store! Click on the link to see.

Another rather cool addition for all you subscription customers out there is the AutoCAD 2011 Subscription Advantage Pack. This gives AutoCAD 2011 subscription customers some rather cool tools as well.

You now have the DWG Convert tool (previously in DWG TrueView) to run in AutoCAD so you can batch convert DWG up and down through DWG versions making life so much easier.

You also have an IGES Import/Export tool making working with 3D models real easy!

So, overall, you have a pretty superb package from Autodesk today; AutoCAD WS for collaboration in the "cloud" plus iOS support and the AutoCAD 2011 Subscription Advantage Pack.

Who says you don't get your money's worth from Autodesk?

Enjoy!

SB

CAD Gorilla - AutoCAD 2011 Essentials released!

I am very pleased to say that CAD Gorilla have released their AutoCAD 2011 Essentials video learning title!

Check out the trailer here....

CAD Gorilla are a focused company who specialise in providing high-quality video learning material for Autodesk users. They also provide video learning titles for Inventor and Revit. They are a great bunch of guys who make learning CAD products fun! Check out their CAD Gorilla trailer with the chimpanzee on the typewriter and you'll see what I mean! LOL :-)

I am honoured to say that I was asked by CAD Gorilla to author their AutoCAD 2011 Essentials course and working with these guys is great. They have enthusiasm for their products but, most importantly, they have a sense of humour. They realise that CAD isn't sometimes the most exciting topic in the world, right? So, CAD Gorilla put their take on it and, hey presto, you have an exciting learning product that is current and packaged in a way that it makes you want to buy it and get learning. I mean, I wrote the AutoCAD 2011 Essentials title and I would go out and buy it, yeah?

CAD Gorilla are worth watching! Check out their other Autodesk titles at www.cadgorilla.com.

Happy CADD'ing!

SB

AutoCAD for Mac Reception - 15th Sept 2010 - London

Well, now I can safely say that I love AutoCAD on the Mac!

Having now had hands-on experience of the new version of AutoCAD running on a MacBook, I am REALLY impressed. But before I wax lyrical (no, I promise not to sing! LOL), lets just break down my brief review in to sections. I will give you a real quick breakdown on the following: -

1. User interface
2. Processing power
3. General prettiness
4. Conclusions

OK, user interface. Well, I have to say that it beats the new Windows ribbon interface hands-down. Autodesk have combined the best parts of the Apple user interface with the best parts of the original AutoCAD user interface to form a highly functional experience for any new AutoCAD for Mac user. I loved the way the main command icons (drawing, modify etc) now live on a vertical toolbar on the left of the screen and are accessed by selecting just three sub menus; Drafting, Modeling and Annotation. Trust me, as a trainer that just makes things SO much easier! It will also make life so much easier for the user. In fact, it reminded me of some of the raster design products out there such as PaintShop Pro and Adobe CS 5 in its simplicity. It is great to see Autodesk simplifying things and making AutoCAD much more usable. Plus, you have the Apple OS interface which, personally, I do prefer. It just works. I guess that could be preference/mindset thing though. Saying that, I have been on MS-DOS and Windows platforms all my working life and you do get "programmed" in to your interface. However, the Apple/AutoCAD interface still wins and will definitely appeal to more seasoned AutoCAD users who have a penchant for toolbars and floating palettes. New user or old user, it really doesn't matter, the new Mac interface just works.

Processing power was not an issue either. Various people tried their hardest to crash AutoCAD on the Mac and yes, they did succeed, but only after loading AutoCAD for the Mac with 3D modeling loads that any regular Windows-based AutoCAD would have probably run and hidden from! AutoCAD for the Mac proved it was more than capable of modeling extremely well in 3D. Also, the screen display during these tests was excellent. Smooth, no jerkiness and a pleasure on the eye, unlike some graphics I have seen on Windows platforms. Various modeling scenarios were performed, such as helices, lofts and sweeps and AutoCAD for the Mac took it all on the chin.

AutoCAD for the Mac will not only provide a capable 2D/3D drafting platform but it will also appeal aesthetically too. Apple provide very good looking bits of hardware. The MacBook is an enviable commodity for those that don't have one (me included!) and they look superb. Combined with a VERY good looking user interface, AutoCAD for the Mac gets ten out of ten for looks and eye-catching screen graphics. It just all looks so good. You can just see all the university students with their MacBooks clamouring to get on to the Autodesk Student Community (student.autodesk.com) to get their student licences of it upon official release!

So what are my conclusions here, you may ask?

Simple. I think Autodesk have invested a lot of time and money wisely in their development of AutoCAD for the Mac. Apple with their computers, iPads, iPhones and iPods have a superb range of technology that I am sure Autodesk will embrace. Also, Apple is de rigeur right now. Fashionable but also very capable. You can run AutoCAD on a Mac and have AutoCAD WS running on the iPad, iPhone or iPod which in turn provides two-way collaboration and communication of AutoCAD drawings and designs. The iPad, for example, provides a superb, lightweight portal for a Facilities Management (FM) function. FM drawings can be made available via AutoCAD WS on the iPad and space can be managed, revised and commented upon on-site (via Wi-Fi or the cloud) and the details sent back to the drawing originator for updating. I noticed that a number of the Formula 1 commentators on the BBC last weekend are now using iPads instead of the old BBC clipboards. Apple is prevalent everywhere and I think Autodesk taking the bull by the horns and utilising current technology like this can only be a good thing.

So, there you go. My quick review of AutoCAD for the Mac.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shaan Hurley (@mrcadman) for inviting me to the reception and also thank Jackie Hewett for her hospitality when we arrived. Pizza was great! Thanks!

All in all, a very cool evening in the heart of Soho in London!

Happy CADD'ing!

SB

An Apple-flavoured early birthday present! Thanks, Autodesk!

Well, it's official! I am 41 today and feeling about 19-ish (mentally anyway, physically not so sure!).

I had a superb early birthday present from those guys at Autodesk though! It seems that hell may have frozen over and AutoCAD is coming back on the Mac! How cool is that? Plus, there will be AutoCAD apps for both the iPad and iPhone on the Mac OS.
This is SERIOUSLY good news! Not just for Mac owners but just generally. Cross-platform technology like this can only enhance the operability of AutoCAD. Imagine using your iPad to work on live drawings on a factory shop floor or a construction site. The possibilities are endless!

Here's the skinny from the lovely guys at the Autodesk press office!

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., August 31, 2010 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced AutoCAD for Mac software. This version of AutoCAD, one of the most widely used software for professional design and engineering, runs natively on Mac OS X and will increase choice of hardware for millions of users around the world. Autodesk also announced the AutoCAD WS mobile application, a new app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch that will allow users to edit and share their AutoCAD designs in the field.

“The release of AutoCAD for Mac marks the return of professional design and engineering software to the Mac platform and an important convergence of power and design. Over 5000 customers have helped develop this product through our beta program and they are delighted to have the choice of a native Mac version of AutoCAD,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business. “The combination of this new version of AutoCAD and the extension of AutoCAD to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is a big step in Autodesk’s efforts to accelerate design and make design more accessible for an ever-greater number of people so they can shape the world around them.”

“Apple is thrilled that Autodesk is bringing AutoCAD back to the Mac and we think it's the perfect combination for millions of design and engineering professionals,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The AutoCAD WS app is a bold new idea, a mobile version of industry-leading design software for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the world's most innovative mobile devices."

AutoCAD for Mac Built for Mac OS X
AutoCAD for Mac has an intuitive interface that will be familiar to Mac users and makes available many of the powerful AutoCAD features and functionality to customers who choose to work natively on the Mac. AutoCAD for Mac takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of Multi-Touch gestures on Mac notebooks, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad for intuitive pan and zoom features. User experience design patterns, such as the visual approach to drawing and layout management, have also been incorporated into AutoCAD for Mac.

With support for native creation and editing files in the DWG file format, AutoCAD for Mac also offers easy collaboration with suppliers, customers, clients and partners regardless of platform. Files created in previous versions of AutoCAD will open seamlessly in AutoCAD for Mac, boosting productivity by reducing time-consuming file translation and cleanup of converted data. The value of AutoCAD for Mac is further extended with an extensive API (application programming interface) and flexible customization options that allow for tailor-built workflows, simple application development and adaption, custom configurations for settings and screen real estate options to suit individual workflows and project demands.

AutoCAD Extended to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
Autodesk also announced the AutoCAD WS mobile application, a new free* app soon to be available through Apple’s App Store that will extend AutoCAD to Apple’s iOS. The AutoCAD WS mobile application will enable AutoCAD users to edit and share AutoCAD files on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch so they can have real-time collaboration even while on the go.

AutoCAD for Mac will also be offered free* to students and educators through the Autodesk Education Community, where more than 25 Autodesk software products are available for download to inspire learning and help prepare students for successful careers. Autodesk recognizes the popularity of the Mac platform among students and is providing AutoCAD for Mac so they can build needed skills by having access to the same software that design professionals use every day.

Availability
AutoCAD for Mac and the AutoCAD WS mobile application will be available beginning this fall. AutoCAD for the Mac will be available in North America and Europe and the AutoCAD WS mobile application will be available worldwide. For details and purchase options, visit http://www.autodesk.com/autocadformac

The future is bright.....the future is Apple-flavoured!

Happy CADD'ing!

SB

AutoCAD: No Experience Required - Donnie Gladfelter

I am extremely honoured to have been given the chance to review AutoCAD 2011: No Experience Required written by the legendary Donnie Gladfelter of www.thecadgeek.com fame.

Donnie is a recognised expert in his field, both as a consultant and trainer of AutoCAD and has written a superb book for anyone who wants to learn how to use AutoCAD and, as the title goes, there is no previous experience required.

Donnie has created an excellent resource for any novice or existing user who may have only dabbled with AutoCAD. It gives consise, easy to understand instructions on a log cabin project from start to finish from a blank drawing to rendered 3D images.

I also found that it was very difficult to put down! Donnie's writing style is very easy to read and makes for very interesting reading. I loved the way Donnie adds notes and tips and comments that are pertinent to the main commentary. They are very informative and once in a while you think to yourself, "Wow, I didn't know that!" I have used AutoCAD for the last 22 years and I was still finding little tips and tricks that I didn't know about. Thanks, Donnie!

I must tell you about a few things that I really liked about Donnie's AutoCAD book.....

1. I really liked the graphics in the book that showed the AutoCAD icons. Alot of books I have read about AutoCAD make these way too small. In Donnie's book, they are clear and the right size. Cool!

2. The section on the US National CAD Standard was very well explained and clear. Donnie made it very easy to understand.

3. I never knew that the Alt key on the keyboard displayed the AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts! ;-)

4. The 3D section is excellent. Clear and simple. It explains the transition from 2D to 3D really well. Even for a grizzled old AutoCAD veteran like me! LOL.

Overall, a superb learning resource for complete novices and experienced users alike.

Donnie, you have done a great job here by bringing all of the necessary information together in to the one book.

I give it a resounding recommendation to everyone who reads my blog!

if you check out Donnie's blog, www.thecadgeek.com, you can click on the link to get his book and check out his superb blog too. You can also join the AutoCAD No Experience Required group on Facebook!

Job well done, Donnie, and send Willem at Wiley my best wishes!

Happy reading, everyone!

SB

Have any of you tried DWG TrueView yet?

Hey fellow AutoCAD users!

I thought it was about time I blogged again, so here it is!

I often wonder if there is still that them and us situation in many companies. You know exactly what I mean, them non-AutoCAD users, and us AutoCAD users. OK, so we're not talking Luddites and the Industrial Revolution here, but there are still people who will always need to see your drawings and maybe move around in your drawings, switch a layer off here and there and plot your drawing, right? The ones that don't want to be bothered by a big, scary app like full AutoCAD?

OK, so you all say DWF. Plot to DWF and get them to use Autodesk Design Review. Well, you don't even have to do that. You could let them look at your original DWG file.

What!!!??? Let a non-AutoCAD user loose on a native DWG file! Never!

Well, you can!

Just install a lovely little piece of FREE Autodesk software and your DWGs are all safe and sound.

That piece of software is called Autodesk DWG TrueView (see screenshot below).

(The link is www.autodesk.com/dwg if that helps).

As you can see, the screen is just like AutoCAD but without any drawing or editing tools. A DWG viewer, you might say! :-)

The usual interface tools are there: -

• - Ribbon
• - ViewCube
• - Navigation Bar
• - Command Line

So, you can easily get around if you know AutoCAD but you can also easily get around if you don't know AutoCAD too! It isn't rocket science and I am sure any AutoCAD user could teach a non-AutoCAD user to use DWG TrueView in less than an hour.

Here's a challenge for you. If you can install DWG TrueView at work and then teach someone who doesn't use AutoCAD to use it in less than an hour, I will send you some video learning freebies to use at your company or organisation. Just take a photo of the DWG TrueView trainee next to their PC using the product and a photo of the clock when you start training them and then a photo of the clock when you finish training them. Easy! Then email it to me here.

DWG TrueView also includes a superb utility. How many times have you been asked to send drawings out in a different, maybe older, DWG format? If I had a pound (or dollar) for every time I had been asked that, I would not be writing blogs right now. Or maybe I would be, but talking about my lovely villa on my own Caribbean island maybe? ;-)

That utility is called DWG Convert (see screenshot below).

As you can see, you can add as many DWG files as you like and then choose a DWG format you want them to be converted to, or create your own conversion setup if you wish.

You can save the DWG list so that you can convert again if need be and you can also add documents to the list as well.

It is a superb utility and the best bit about it is that it is completely FREE. Who says Autodesk don't give you anything for free, eh? :-)

So, in a nutshell, get over the the Autodesk DWG webpage (see links above) and get DWG TrueView downloaded. It is that easy. All you have to do is fill out a little itty bitty form on the webpage before you download it. Just 30 seconds of your time for some excellent FREE software!

Enjoy your DWGs!

SB

Autodesk Accelerates Design and Visualization with New Design Suite Family

Some breaking news for you!

Autodesk have created a new set of suites combining some of their best software apps in the one package.

There are 3 suites:

* Autodesk Design Suite
* Autodesk Factory Suite
* Autodesk Plant Design Suite

The Autodesk press release runs as follows:
San Rafael, Calif., June 23, 2010 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, unveiled a family of software suites for visual, factory and plant design. The new suites will offer increased functionality, interoperability and provide users with a superior user experience through a simpler, more cost-effective purchasing and deployment process.

“The design suites make it much easier for Autodesk customers to accelerate their design processes and benefit from the wide range of Autodesk design, visualization and simulation technologies,” said Carl Bass, Autodesk President and Chief Executive Officer. “Customers will also benefit from increased interoperability and productivity through access to new features and web services that will only be available as part of the design suite family.”

The suites for visual, plant and factory design are the first releases of the new family of design suites aimed to address industry workflows. The design suites will provide strong interoperability between the products, and a range of capabilities for design and visualization. The first three suites are:

• Autodesk Design Suite is for architects and designers working with AutoCAD software who desire enhanced concept design, sketching and best-in-class 3D visualization capabilities. The primary products in this suite include AutoCAD, 3ds Max Design and Alias Design.

• Autodesk Factory Design Suite is for machine and equipment builders, system integrators and manufacturers who design, visualize and simulate layouts of machine lines and entire manufacturing facilities. Autodesk Factory Design Suite helps manufacturers make better layout decisions by creating a digital prototype of the factory before equipment is installed and commissioned. The primary products in this suite include AutoCAD Architecture, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Vault and Autodesk Navisworks.

• Autodesk Plant Design Suite is for plant designers and engineers who need integrated plant design and whole-project review capabilities for plant design projects. The primary products in this suite are AutoCAD, AutoCAD P&ID, AutoCAD Plant 3D and Autodesk Navisworks.

Each suite will be available in several editions, with each edition offering progressively broader and more sophisticated capabilities.

Availability: The Autodesk Design Suite and the Autodesk Factory Design Suite are now available in select countries in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The Autodesk Plant Design Suite will be available in July.

For more information visit:

http://www.autodesk.com/designsuite
http://www.autodesk.com/factorydesignsuite

My personal view is that this can only be a step forward by Autodesk. It represents that Autodesk really are thinking about industry-specific uses and applications of their software. The Design Suite goes through the entire architectural design process from concept to visualization, for example.

As an FM bod/geek/anorak, I can only hope that a Facilities Management (FM) Suite will be on the list real soon! Autodesk, you listening? :-)

Happy CADD'ing!

SB

AutoCAD Quick Tip : Right Click Customization

OK, so now you know about CADucation (www.caducation.com). Go visit! :-)

As I have mentioned, CADucation will be using the latest technology to get information out to you to learn about Autodesk products, such as AutoCAD. So here is a Quick Tip with a difference! It is a movie on YouTube! Yep, YouTube! Just click on the movie below to play!

The YouTube video covers how to utilise your right hand mouse button when using AutoCAD 2011. The right click customization facility has been there for a while though. Didn't know it was there? Well, now you do!

Enjoy the movie.....too short for popcorn though!

Happy CADD'ing!

SB

CADucation - www.caducation.com

Dear all,

Yes, it is true, I haven't done a CAD blog for some time now. Slacker! I hear you cry. I beg to differ. I have been working hard on a number of projects including being on the election committee for the new AUGIuk Board of Directors, plus the exciting project listed above in the title of this blog!

CADucation (www.caducation.com) is a new learning portal on the internet. Developed by myself and my colleague, Mark Little, it is a website that is completely organic and will be driven by what people want to see. Currently, the site provides a number of informative articles about CAD, training, learning and a large number of tips and tricks, including the ones you see here on Not Just CAD!

We are hoping that we will get articles in from users, industry experts and those evangelists and gurus out there. They will get full credit for what they write with the links to their blogs, websites etc. So if you are reading this, what are you reading my blog for?...Get an article out to CADucation! [only kidding!]

The main idea behind the site is blended learning. We intend to combine the latest technology (not just write about it!) and allow it to help you, the user, to learn all about your Autodesk CAD product. The content will be aligned to Autodesk to allow users to start thinking about Autodesk Certification on their particular product. There is certification on five main Autodesk 2010 products: -

• AutoCAD 2010
• Autodesk Inventor 2010
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010
• Autodesk 3ds MAX Design 2010

There is also certification available on the following 2009 products: -

• AutoCAD 2009
• Autodesk Inventor 2009
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009
• Autodesk Revit Architecture 2009
• AutoCAD Architecture 2009

CADucation will assist you with your learning path to certification by providing you with loads of pertinent Autodesk software content. However, we cannot guarantee you passing your certification exams! That is up to you, OK? :-)

Please take some time to drop by the website and have a look. Read some articles and if you feel you can provide us with some pertinent content, please use the Contact form on the site. It would be great to hear from you, even if it is only to give us a comment on the site! All feedback is really appreciated right now! Tell us what you would like to see on the site.....videos, podcasts, anything you think will help you move up your learning curve!

OK, enough from me! Go have a look and let us know, yeah?

Happy reading (about CAD)!

SCB

AutoCAD Quick Tip: DVIEW with a TWist! - Pt 2

OK, so here we are for the second part of DVIEW with a TWist!

So, where were we? We had completed our DVIEW command and were considering how to save our UCS.

Now, we have our WCS back to normal (horizontal) and our UCS is set to World (as shown in the drawing to the right).

So, lets rotate our building and our north point.

We are going to use the Rotate/Reference command to rotate. But, before we do that we need to draw a reference line.

OK, I am going to hope that you all know where the LINE icon/command is, right? If you don't, where have you been? LOL. :-)

Draw a line from the lower right corner of the rectangle that represents the building and drag it to the LEFT horizontally. Use your Object Snaps and Polar Tracking for this and you'll be fine. Have a look at the drawing below for a little bit of guidance. Put it on it's own layer, UCS_LINE, so that you can freeze it or switch it off later. Always try and utilise your layers like this as it will help you out in the long-term. A good CAD habit to get in to!

Once you have drawn your UCS line, you need to use it to rotate your building and north point. Use the ROTATE command, either by clicking on the icon or using the keyboard. At the Select objects prompt, make sure you select the building, the north point AND the UCS line and press Enter to confirm your selection.

At the Select base point prompt, make sure you select the RIGHT hand end of your new UCS line (as shown to the left).

Then, you need to use the Reference option of the ROTATE command by right clicking and bring up the shortcut menu for the ROTATE command.

Click on Reference and you will be prompted to Specify the reference angle...

You MUST specify the points of the reference accurately and in the RIGHT order.

To avoid confusion, I have taken a screenshot of the drawing and highlighted the points in the correct order.

So, you have absolutely no excuse for getting it wrong! :-)

The drawing is shown below. You can't miss it. It is the one with the big numbers and the red arrows! LOL.

Once you have clicked on all 3 points, you will have a drawing that looks like the one below:-

We now need to save a UCS that rotates back to the original angle that the drawing was set to before we started all of this.

First of all to do that, we need to rotate our UCS to the same angle as the building is at now before we rotate the building to the horizontal.

Simply type UCS and press Enter. You will be prompted Specify origin of UCS or... at the command prompt (or on the screen if you have Dynamic Input switched on as I have in my case).

When that prompt appears, you need to specify the origin of your new UCS and then click on a point on the X-axis, followed by a point on the XY plane. The new origin of the new UCS will be the LEFT hand end of your UCS line and your point on the X-axis will be the RIGHT hand end of your UCS line. Your point on the XY plane can be any point on your building. It doesn't matter which one.

Let's break that down in to easy steps....

Select your new UCS origin (LEFT hand end, remember?).

Then, click on the RIGHT hand end of the UCS line for the point on the X-axis at the Specify point on X-axis or ... prompt.

You are then prompted for a point on the XY plane. I would pick a point on the building. Any corner is fine.

Once you have clicked on a point on the XY plane, you will see your new rotated UCS origin on the end of your UCS line and your crosshairs will be following that new UCS, as shown below: -

The new UCS now needs to be saved. This is the easy bit! Simply type UCS and press Enter. Then right click to bring up the shortcut menu. Select NAmed on the shortcut menu as shown below: -

Select Save on the on-screen menu that appears and give your new UCS a name such as UCS-Original, for example.

Your new UCS is now saved and if you ever need to go back to it, use the same process but select Restore from the on-screen menu that you just used and type in the name of the UCS you need. Easy!

OK, last but not least. We now need to get back to our UCS World settings so that we are all horizontal how we want to be.

Again, just type in UCS and press Enter. Right click for the shortcut menu and this time select the World option on the shortcut menu to get back to the correct WCS we set up in part one of this Quick Tip.

So, we should now have a TOTALLY horizontal drawing, north point pointing upwards (in this case, as it could vary), a building that is horizontal but, more importantly, asset text (or any text for that matter) that comes in on the WCS horizontallyas shown below. You can now freeze or turn off your UCS line layer so that your UCS reference line isn't shown on the drawing.

So now you know how to resolve those drawings that you get in from a third party or a client where the UCS just seems to be completely crazy! As I said earlier, you just need to be aware of what your WCS and your current UCS are doing. Once you have that clear, you will be fine!

That finishes this long-winded Quick Tip (maybe I should have a set of Slow Tips - let me know!). I sincerely hope that you have learnt something useful here and I am more than happy to ship you over the original drawing that is set up to go from the beginning of part one. Please email me if you need it, OK?

Happy UCS'ing!

SCB

AutoCAD Quick Tip: DVIEW with a TWist! - Pt 1

I thought I better start blogging again. Just in case you all thought I had disappeared off the face of the earth or something! Nope, still here, just too much going on sometimes!

Anyway, you are here for a Quick Tip on AutoCAD so here it is. Just so that you know, I am using AutoCAD 2010 for this one.

This Quick Tip is quite detailed (and not a Quick Tip at all really!) but I have broken it down in to two parts so tune in next week for the second part, OK?

I was training some really nice people on Friday from a very well known sports venue in London, UK that were receiving drawings from an architect where the User Coordinate System (UCS) was all over the place. Now these drawings were going to be linked to a Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) tool and because the World Coordinate System (WCS) had been changed to a different angle, the asset text in the CAFM tool was always coming out at the wrong angle, as well as regular AutoCAD text.

So, let's look at what the original screen looked like (NB: I have not shown any of their data for obvious reasons. I have replaced their building with a solid filled rectangle): -

Now, architects love their north points, so I have shown how the drawing was laid out when I first opened it. It all looks OK. The UCS looks fine and everything looks pretty horizontal to me. Wrong. The horizonal view is artifical and caused by a rotated UCS aligned with a WCS that has been rotated by the DVIEW / TWist command.

CAFM tools often use the AutoCAD WCS to align FM asset text linked to their FM database so the asset text was always coming out skewed regardless of how tickety-boo the drawing on the right actually looks!

The drawing on the right has had the UCS aligned with the building so that it all looks level once the drawing had been completed (before linking to the CAFM tool).

However, upon linking any asset text, it ended up looking like it does in the screenshot of the drawing below: -

Notice I have not shown the UCS this time. That is just to avoid confusion. So, we now have a drawing that has original text aligned with a rotated UCS based on a skewed WCS, where the skewed WCS is causing the aseet text to appear in a way that we don't want it to. So, how do we fix the WCS so that the asset text comes out horizontal?

It isn't that hard. you just need to be spatially aware of the WCS and the UCS.

All you need to do is set the UCS to World (just type UCS, press Enter, then W followed by Enter. Watch what happens to the UCS icon and the crosshair.

You will then see what I mean about a skewed WCS when you look at the next drawing I have shown below. I have included the UCS and the crosshair this time to clarify my point. So, even though the building and the north point look nicely aligned to the horizontal, they are not. This often happens when you receive a drawing from a third party. They have left settings in place that you don't know about and, hence, chaos reigns!

So, how do we fix this and get our WCS back to the default and get our building level to the horizontal? Also, bearing in mind that we are not worried about the orientation of the building to north because our FM drawing is purely a method to portray FM data. North points don't really count in this instance.

Well, we have a list of things to do; 1. Get our WCS horizontal....2. Rotate the building in the drawing....3. Save a skewed UCS to replicate the original skewed WCS.

Let's look at getting our WCS horizontal first then. To do that we must use the DVIEW command.

Type in the command DVIEW and press Enter. Then, right click to bring up the shortcut menu and select the TWist option. At the selction option, type All and press Enter as we need to select everything in Model [ you are in Modelspace, right? :-) ]. Press Enter again to confirm. You will then be prompted for the twist angle. This angle is absolute, not relative, so we need to go back to the default zero for the horizontal angle so type in 0 and press Enter. Press Enter again to confirm. You will now see what I have shown in the drawing below.

So, now we have a true WCS set to horizontal and the UCS icon shows us that. But, we now have a building and a north point that need to be rotated, plus we still need to set a saved UCS.

As the building is at the angle we need to save the UCS to, we can cheat a little and use the UCS/Object option before we rotate the building and the north point.

Once we have done that we can save the UCS as a named UCS for future reference if we need it.

I'll teach you how to do that in the second part of this rather long-winded AutoCAD Quick Tip!

I am more than happy to provide you with the drawing I have used for this Quick Tip so that you can get to this point before going on to the second part.

Please feel free to send me an email asking for the drawing. I'll get it emailed over to you as soon as I can! My email address is shaun.bryant@cadfmconsult.co.uk.

Happy DVIEW'ing!

SCB

It's official! FM is back at Autodesk!

Well, after my FMDesktop RIP post a while back in 2009, I was of the opinion that FMDesktop at Autodesk was pretty much dead in the water.

Well, I am very pleased to say that I have been proved wrong!

It was announced today (14 Jan 2010) that Autodesk have chosen FM:Systems as a CAFM partner to provide transitional support for existing FMDesktop users. FM:Systems are now the named Autodesk Preferred Industry Partner for Facilities Management and will provide an extended support program for Autodesk FMDesktop software products.

This is fantastic news for existing FMDesktop users who had thought that their initial investment was wasted. If you go to the FM:Systems home page (www.fmsystems.com) you will see the link to their FMDesktop Transition Program.

In my humble opinion, this is a shrewd move by Autodesk. Instead of being responsible for the development of the software, FM:Systems are a software vendor in their own right being part of the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) and have a massive amount of knowledge and expertise in the CAFM/IWMS marketplace already.

The future's bright - the future is FM!

Happy FM'ing (again!)

SB

Yesterday and today...

Apologies for a severe lack of posts. Life has been hectic to say the least!

This is not a CAD related post today. As the title of my blog goes, Not Just CAD!

Yesterday...

Yesterday was a great day.

Angel (my first song to be released) was released on iTunes, Napster, eMusic, Rhapsody and Amazon MP3. Look up "Shaun C Bryant" and you'll find me! :-)

So now I feel a tiny bit like a rockstar! I can see why artists get excited about new releases. As soon as I saw that ReverbNation had delivered Angel to the online retailers, I went straight to my iTunes account. It was then that I realised that I hadn't used iTunes for a long while and had forgotten my account details (must be gettin' old!). So, one new iTunes account later, I was staring at my laptop screen and there I was on iTunes. Loads of emotions and thoughts went through my head. That's me. The whole world can download me. It is the weirdest feeling. On a par with when I first heard Wolfman play Angel on Wolf Radio Network on the Internet that time (or even times now!). You sort of feel like you've arrived, like all the hard work was worth it. Even if I only get a handful of people download it, it means something.

More importantly, the whole world now know exactly how I feel about my Angel. My beautiful Angel who saved me and makes me who I am today. So Angel, this one is for you!

On another note I spent a superb night in the studio last night, working on my new track, Heroin For The Soul. I managed to lay down a vocal framework for my producer, the excellent David Baird, and we now have a template to lay everything down to, so it is all systems go!

Thank you to everyone. I have had so much support from family, friends and just about everyone else I know. It makes you realise that all the hard work you put in is worth it.

Love and peace to you all, and if you haven't downloaded Angel yet, where have you been? :-)

Today...

Today is two things. It is Armistice Day. The day we remember our family, friends and comrades who have fallen in combat serving their country. We also must remember all who are still serving in foreign lands fighting with pride, grit and determination.

Today is also the funeral of a very good friend of mine, Sandra Hurley. Sandra was a great colleague of mine when I worked at MASS. Surrogate mum, friend, confidante and the lady who always laughed and made everyone else laugh. A breath of fresh air, always happy, always smiling. She will be missed. Safe journey, Sandra....thinking of you.

Enough said.

SCB

Quick Tip for all CAD users!: A Man on the Moon - Scott Sheppard (Autodesk)

Well, I have a confession to make. I wasn't born when NASA put a man on the moon but I was born a few month's afterwards (September). Therefore, it must have been a good year! 1969. JFK promised to get there before the end of the decade (before he was so cruelly assassinated) and NASA kept his promise. Bryan Adams sang about the Summer of '69 so I guess that year sticks in many people's minds as the year we reached for the stars and we actually got there.

Mankind has many faults. One of which is to get down when the going gets rough. Watching "Moonshot" the other night (a TV dramatization of the moon landing), I realised that people died to get us on the moon. They died for a cause and we all have a cause. That cause is to be remarkable and make a difference. All of the team involved in the first manned moon landing of Apollo 11; engineers and astronauts alike, believed in their cause and so should we all. Even if it is just to get by in such difficult times. It is tough out there right now but things will improve and things will change. Just believe in yourself like those guys at NASA did. You never know what might happen!

So, why am I waxing lyrical about the 40th anniversary of the moon landing? Well, it marks my 40th year, for one, and secondly, Scott Sheppard's blog with a copy of an email from the VP of Autodesk Labs inspired me. So, thanks, Scott. You brightened up my day and make me realise that it is NOT all doom and gloom!

Go to Scott's blog here.

Or here is the link in full: -

http://labs.blogs.com/its_alive_in_the_lab/2009/07/man-on-the-moon.html

Happy CAD'ing!

SB

Quick Tip for AutoCAD: Get some training! - An example of what NOT to do!

Dear All

I hope you had a great weekend. I spent some of mine teaching my 7 year old son and 12 year old daughter how to play baseball with my dad (grandad). I was expecting my son to wallop the ball and lose it (he has a tendency to do that sort of thing - you know how young boys are, right?). Surprise, surprise, my dad (who is 68 by the way) hit the ball the furthest and we had to lower my son over a fence in to a cornfield to retrieve our ball! Our big adventure for a Sunday afternoon! LOL

On a professional note, as you are already probably aware, I work closely with the Virtual Training Company (VTC) writing video learning courses for AutoCAD. As an instructor and training consultant on AutoCAD, I cannot stress enough the need for appropriate AutoCAD training, whether it be in the classroom, on video, from books, or wherever you may find it.

The UK distributor for VTC emailed me this example of what NOT to do with AutoCAD. It highlights the need for training and learning on AutoCAD to ensure that costly errors like this aren't made at the point of construction.

Check out the link here. It is a news story in one of our UK national newspapers, the Daily Mail. If the link doesn't work, copy and paste this URL in to your browser;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1197279/Computer-error-blamed-couples-1million-dream-home-built-big.html

In this example, it is obvious that the AutoCAD user and the planning authority need to have to have their day in court to sort this one out, but with the right training, none of this should have happened!

To get the RIGHT training and make sure YOU don't make costly mistakes, check out the current VTC AutoCAD titles I have authored for VTC below. Further AutoCAD 2010 titles are due out soon!

Quickstart: AutoCAD 2010 (online only)

AutoCAD 2009: Mastering Basic 2D Concepts

AutoCAD 2009: Certified Associate

AutoCAD 2009: Certified Professional

Happy AutoCAD'ing (check that plot scale! - LOL).

SB

Quick Tip for AutoCAD - OVERKILL - by Ellen Finkelstein

Well, hello everyone! long time, no speak!

No excuses, just been real busy, which I guess is a good thing in these troubled times.

I regularly read Ellen Finkelstein's blog at www.ellenfinkelstein.com and I love her simple approach to AutoCAD. It is easy to understand and just makes for easy reading. Thanks, Ellen!

Her tip for AutoCAD about the OVERKILL command found in the AutoCAD Express Tools is a very under-used (and under-rated!) command. It allows you to resolve issues such as overlapping lines and polylines, saving ink when you plot, for example.

Go directly to the page on Ellen's blog here!

Great blog, Ellen, thanks!

Happy AutoCAD'ing!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

SB

Quick Tip for AutoCAD - DWGOpen by Phill Ash

I came across this superb little application that runs within AutoCAD called DWGOpen written by Phill Ash when he posted a discussion group on it on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com).

If you are running multiple versions and profiles of AutoCAD on your PC/laptop, Phill's app brings up a small dialog box that asks you which version and which profile you wish to use to open a DWG file. Cool, huh?

Phill's webpage for this app is here. You can also go to his LinkedIn profile if you are a LinkedIn member.

I think that this is a superb app for AutoCAD, especially when working in a large corporate environment using multiple versions of AutoCAD on multiple projects.

Nice one, Phill and thanks for giving me permission to put your app on my blog!

It is now 12.42am on the 3 June 2009.

I must get some sleep.....zzzzz!

SB

AutoCAD 2009/2010: Quick Tip No.3 - Menu Browser

Here is AutoCAD 2009/2010 Quick Tip No.3!

When you are using the ribbon interface in AutoCAD 2009, you lose your original pulldown menus. They are replaced by the ribbon tabs. So what happens if you need a command (icon) that you cannot find on the ribbon interface? Well, you could program the icon in to the ribbon interface but why do that when you have the Menu Browser? The Menu Browser is the big red “A” at the top left of the AutoCAD window/screen. If you click on it, a dialog/menu box appears.

Be aware that the Menu Browser differs from AutoCAD 2009 to AutoCAD 2010. In AutoCAD 2009, it represents the old pulldown menus from previous versions of AutoCAD up to 2008. In AutoCAD 2010, it is very different (see below).

So, on the left is the AutoCAD 2009 Menu Browser and as you can see the left hand menu represents what used to be the pulldown menus in previous versions of AutoCAD. The structure of the 2009 Menu Browser is real simple. Left hand column is all of your original pulldown menu titles such as File, Edit and View. Click on the title in the left hand column and you get the sub menus listed in the right hand column. How easy is that? Trust me though, there are still some commands that are not on the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009! The Jogged Radius dimension (DIMJOGGED) is not on the Dimensions panel in the Annotate tab on the ribbon. However, just click on the Dimension option in the 2009 Menu Browser and there is your Jogged command on the right hand menu in the Menu Browser. Easy, eh? (When you know where it is, that is!)

OK, so now on to the 2010 Menu Browser. Very, very different. Autodesk have really "souped up" the user interface in 2010 and it has made life soooo much easier. For one, the Jogged command is actually on the Dimensions panel on the ribbon (yay!). The 2010 Menu Browser is much more process driven and the pulldown style is not there any more. If you want your pulldowns, you will have to use the AutoCAD Classic workspace as per previos Quick Tips. Let's have a look at the 2010 Menu Browser.

As you can see, it is very, very different. I have shown New as the selected option on the 2010 Menu Browser on the left hand side and it gives me two process options; Drawing or Sheet Set. So no pulldown replacement I am afraid.

The major benefit of AutoCAD 2010 is that ALL of the commands you now need are on the ribbon (including Jogged, hehe!) so you now use the Menu Browser to drive AutoCAD rather than find a command you could not find on the ribbon!

Start using the Menu Browser!

Trust me, it really does help!

Happy AutoCAD'ing!

SB

(PS - I will not be numbering my Quick Tips from now on. Can you imagine when, in 100 years time, we get to Quick Tip No. 1,234,556,998? you get my point, yeah? LOL!).

Fame and notoriety! Shaun is VERY excited!!!

Well, had to get your attention somehow, didn't I? LOL

I am VERY excited though! I post an AutoCAD Quick Tip (No.1 in this case) and a day later, I am "famous"! I am on Heidi Hewett's blog (yes, Heidi Hewett from Autodesk!) with my AutoCAD 2009 Quick Tip No.1!

There you go! The benefits of submitting a tip on AutoCAD Exchange!

Anyway, many thanks to Paul Munford for letting me know!

Paul has commented on my blog so he WILL get blog candy.

Have you commented yet? You too can have blog candy (VTC shirts or VTC NFR video training software) if you comment on my blog.

I am extending the deadline to next week (10th April 2009), so get commenting (please)!

In the meantime, I am going to bask in the spotlight and enjoy my "fame and notoriety" as Paul so kindly put it! LOL

SB

AutoCAD 2009/2010: Quick Tip No.2 - Workspaces

Here is AutoCAD 2009/2010: Quick Tip No.2!

When you open AutoCAD 2009 for the first time, you will notice a very different user interface. At the top of the screen, you now have a ribbon. Now, some of you have expressed an opinion that you don’t want to use the ribbon as you are so used to toolbars.

Well, the toolbars are still there, you just need to find them!

If you look on the status bar (at the bottom right of the AutoCAD window/screen), you will see an icon that looks a bit like a gearwheel or cog (as shown below).

Click on that icon (labelled “Workspace switching”) and a small shortcut menu appears (again, see below). The current workspace is the ribbon and this is represented by the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace (the tick symbol tells you it is the current workspace).

To get back to your beloved icon toolbars (like in previous versions of AutoCAD before 2009), simply select the AutoCAD Classic workspace from the list by clicking on it. This will take you back to the older AutoCAD user interface with pulldown menus and icon toolbars, just like I have shown below.

If you want to get back to the ribbon interface, just click on the pulldown menu on the Workspace toolbar (as shown) and you can the select the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace again! Easy when you know where to find it!

Happy AutoCAD'ing!

SB