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a la carte rendering

2011-12-23T11:03:00.007-05:00

For 3ds Max Design software users who are new to the world of rendering, there are several options to choose from. At first glance in using the software you have to choose what “type” of rendering process you are going to use… the default Scanline renderer or mental ray which many folks refer to as “bucket rendering”. It is known as bucker rendering because the computer processor or multiple processors work on renderings one square area at a time, verses the scanline rendering which is a pixel row, starting from the top one row at a time.

The image below shows the rendering in progress. 3ds Max Design will render a low level quality pass over the scene, which looks pixelated or like mosaic tiles. This is to help you determine the camera shot, angle, and if the scene is the correct one. This quick pass allows you to cancel the rendering, and not have to wait several minutes for a non-desired rendering.

The next image shows additional progress on the rendering. The front of the car is complete, and the black box by the front fender is the processor working on refining that area. If you have a multi-core processor computer, you will see several boxes jumping around the scene working to refine the areas.

And if you are wondering, the image at the top took 35 seconds to render. It would of taken double that with scanline and the quality wouldnt of been as nice. Overall mental ray rendering will give you more realistic renderings, with faster results. It is the preferred industry standard/method of rendering. But, you can switch between scanline or mental ray. Either choice can be set in the Custom UI and Default Switcher in 3ds Max Design. A restart of 3ds Max Design will be required.

But that is just the first of many choices for rendering methods. Check back for future entries on renderings and 3ds Max Design. Until then... Happy modeling and rendering!

Color Display of Worksharing

2011-12-13T09:40:00.002-05:00

The “Worksharing Display Settings” is a tool to help you display a view in your model based on Worksharing status. This is a relatively unnoticed addition to Revit in 2012. The tools can be accessed in the View display tools in the bottom left corner of a view after a project has been Workshared. See Image above for example.

This tool is a way to color display some critical information about the current view related to Worksharing. There are four settings: Checkout Status, Owners, Model Updates and Worksets. The Colors can be changed for each topic for a more desirable look. See image below for example.

Applied Software Blog

2011-11-22T17:17:00.001-05:00

I'll be contributing blog entries to Applied Software's Blog...

Covering information, news, techniques and critiques from Applied Software's technical and sales team.

http://appliedsoftwareblog.blogspot.com/

Micro Application Packages Limited (MAP Software)

2011-10-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

Autodesk Acquires Micro Application Packages Limited. This acquisition Helps Extend Building Information Modeling Across the Building Lifecycle Beyond Design to Support MEP in the BIM environment.

Link to article: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/autodesk-acquires-micro-application-packages-limited-2011-10-20

Autodesk AREA App

2011-10-24T09:58:00.003-04:00

Autodesk's AREA has a new app for Droid and Apple devices.

This mobile device collects resources for news, information, tutorials specifically for TV and film industry.

Here is the link below:

http://area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-area-mobile/general-discussion/download-the-area-mobile-app/

In Canvas

2011-10-10T10:15:00.003-04:00

In Canvas is a viewport control for View, Viewport, and Visual Styles. If you have used 3ds Max before, this feature will look familiar. It has been in 3ds Max for several releases. But will be very helpful in AutoCAD to have the same kind of functionality.

Located in the upper left corner of each viewport, this is a quick access tool to change settings within the viewport. See image above.

Project Folder

2011-09-20T21:37:00.003-04:00

Project folders in 3ds Max are a great helpful tool! By setting the project folder, this allows 3ds Max to search or look in the folder of that project directory. This works well for when other people are working on a project with you or if you have to come back to a project after a few weeks. Setting the project active re-paths the search folders in 3ds Max to look for presets, scenes, import/export and other project specific folders.

Found under the Application big "M", and then Manage setting the folder is easy either to an existing folder or creating a new one.

Content Explorer

2011-09-16T11:36:00.003-04:00

Have you checked out the Content Explorer in AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture (ACA). It is pretty cool. It can be accessed from the Plug-ins Tab in AutoCAD or the Add-ins tab in ACA, both look like binoculars.

With Content Explorer you can catalog content for speedy access, index the objects in each file, and search for content in local drives, network locations, and the Autodesk Seek.

Click on the side image for a better look.

3ds Max Design - Stripe Material

2011-07-05T10:13:00.004-04:00

I had a client ask about making a custom stripe material. Like for a roof canopy.

The easiest way is to do this is in in Photoshop I made a material. 2'x2' image size, with 1' red stripe and 1' white stripe vertical. And saved it as a JPG.

To apply it, copy that to your desktop or project folder. Drag into an open slot in Mat. Browser. Name it Stripes. Change tiling to 2'x2'. Drag material onto your object. Should be good to go. You may have to apply it to sub-object or rotate it depending on your specific object.

See example image above.

Revit - Move vs. Copy

2011-06-21T13:55:00.001-04:00

During a Copy command, hold down the “ctrl” key to turn the move into a Copy.

Revit Architecture - RCP

2011-06-18T16:54:00.000-04:00

If you don’t want a level to have a ceiling plan, right click on it in the Project Browser and select delete.

Revit 2012 - New Features

2011-05-22T12:56:00.004-04:00

Here is a great link to Revit 2012 New Features from Autodesk: http://usa.autodesk.com/revit-architecture/features/

Autodesk 2012 shipping

2011-03-29T09:05:00.002-04:00

Autodesk announced it wil lbe shipping 2012 products soon. AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture actually shipped on March 24th. Here is a link to Autodesk's website for more information on AutoCAD 2012. There are a lot of cool new features: http://usa.autodesk.com/autocad/features/

Revit - Roombook

2011-01-28T09:32:00.003-05:00

A new subscription extension for Revit Architecture, Roombook calculates surfaces of walls, floors and ceilings as well as room circumference. If you have a need to do quantity takeoffs or need SQFT information on room surfaces, this tool is great! You have to be a Subscription memeber to get this add on. On the downlaod site, there is a helpful PDF explaining this feature in more detail.

3ds Max Design - Race Car Rendering

2011-01-20T14:40:00.001-05:00

I havent updated this blog in a few days, but its because I have spent the last few days refining my modeling, lighting and material skills in 3ds Max. I focused on a race car for Modified racing. I learned a lot about creating materials, pelting, UVW unwrapping. And adjusting, creating lighting, self illumination materials and shadow settings. Below are the images of the end results.

New Year!

2011-01-03T08:31:00.003-05:00

Its a new year and I am looking froward to sharing new blog information. Last year after starting blogging in July, I managed to post 95 blogs. That averages a post almost every working day of the week. Im planning to do the same this year. New and great things planned for this year! Stay tuned!

Note: I found this cool "2011 flaming" image at miglo.net

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-24T12:16:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Revit - Surface pattern

2010-12-17T07:38:00.003-05:00

A question came up recently about how to remove the surface pattern from a slab when viewing it from a plan view.

First off, find out what the material is on the slab that is being displayed. Select the slab, go to "Edit Type" in the Properties. Under Structure row, pick the Edit button. Find the top material. Lets say concrete for our example. Pick on it and select the "..." button. This will open up the Materials. The select material should be pre-highlighted. Select it and go to the Surface Pattern area on the right. Change the material to . Select OK three times and you will be back to your view, which is now updated to not show the surface material.

Note: This will remove the surface pattern for all of the slabs with that same material. There are some other options to duplicate the slab type and material, if you want slab "A" to show surface material, and slab "B" not to show the surface material.

3ds Max Design

2010-12-15T07:30:00.002-05:00

3ds Max Design can be like a "black box". But with a little understanding of the software, it can produce some very realistic images of your model. A question that may come up is whether to use Scanline or Mental Ray rendering. It may seem an odd question at the beginning of a project, but we need to start with the end in mind. Several of the materials, lighting and environment can be effected by which rendering engine is chosen.

Scanline has been around for several years and was the default rendering engine in 3ds Max. But Mental Ray, which is a contracted third party application for rendering that comes with the software, can tie together the materials, lighting and environment to adjust colors, and brightness for rendering. Many existing users of Max still use the Scanline because they are not that familiar with Mental Ray, but give it a try, see what results you can get. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Revit Server

2010-12-10T08:39:00.004-05:00

Revit Server is available thru Autodesk Subscription. It allows multiple users in seperate offices to access the same file. This is different than traditional Worksets. There are some specific requirements to have inplace forthis to work. IIS7, Windows Server 2008 (not r2), and this only works presently within your WAN.

This is a good link to Autodesk's website regarding Revit Server, and it has a few videos as well: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?linkID=9243099&id=15731389&siteID=123112

Backburner

2010-12-09T11:14:00.003-05:00

Backburner is a batch network rendering utility that comes with 3ds Max and Maya. This is used when you want to render multiple images to several computers/nodes.

It has 3 main pieces. Manager, Monitor and Server. The Manager and Monitor are usually installed on the same computer. This is typically your computer that is running 3ds Max, but does not have to be. Some companies have a dedicated Graphics computer that would work well to have this installed on. Also the Server piece needs to be install on the computer nodes. The name Server is a bit misleading, because it infact gets installed on the workstation. A true network server doesn't really have a part in all of this. Also, 3ds Max needs to be installed on the computers with the Server piece. 3ds Max is needed to process the information. It does not need to be registered or licensed. You can install up to 9,999 installations of 3ds Max for the Rendering farm.

So the concept is that you have a 3ds Max model and want to render several shots or an animation. Go thru your regular process in Max that you would normally do to render, but at the end use the Batch Rendering to load your renderings and animations. Then select the checkbox "Net render" button in the lower left and then the "render" button to send the images to be processed. The Manager and Monitor will take over from there. They will pass on the images to the Server nodes for processing.

Here is a great link to Autodesk's website with two videos on Backburner: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=14338791&linkID=10381719

AutoCAD - Scaling

2010-12-08T09:03:00.003-05:00

No its not a Mitsubishi car symbol. Its an icon of the cross section of a an architectural scale. The actual tool is for Annotative scaling of annotation objects like text, dimensions and graphical symbols. This feature was added a few releases ago, but I realized from teaching, that there are a lot of folks who are still working in Model Space, doing things the old way, and aren't aware of Annotative scaling.

By using the annotative scaling, it takes care of all the busy work of text sizes when changing scale. The quick, down and dirty of making it work, is to have all of these buttons turned on. They will lit up and showing the light bulb and lightening bolt in yellow once on. Also you need to be using Annotative text or dimensions. Set your scale and start drawing. The text and dims will display at the correct height per your settings and when you change the scale they will update. I last cool thing is that the text will scale according to the Viewport scale. Annotative scale rocks! Enjoy!!

AutoCAD - Get a grip!

2010-12-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Using grips in AutoCAD can be a useful way of editing your objects. Whether you are moving an object or lengthening a line, grips can be faster than finding the traditional tools for editing.

When the grips are "blue" they are cold or not selected. When you select the grips, they turn red, or whats called "hot", which means they are active and ready for action.

In recent releases of AutoCAD, more features have been added to grip selection. For example, on a polyline, we can now edit Vertices. Which includes: adding, removing or stretching.

AutoCAD

2010-12-06T11:23:00.003-05:00

I've been using AutoCAD since Release 11, when it was DOS based. A lot has changed since then, and for the better! I enjoy finding new tips, tricks and little things to help make life easier.

Here is something simple but worth it. Osnap - Parallel. This Osnap allows you to draw a new line or object parallel to a reference object. You start the line command, and then using the Parallel Osnap hover over the reference line. You will see a symbol looking like this "//" over the line. It will disapear as you move off, but once you are lined up parallel with the reference line and your new line, the symbol will reappear and you can draw your line parallel. Simple but effective! Enjoy!

Autodesk Project Photofly

2010-12-02T11:43:00.002-05:00

I recently was a lab assistant at Autodesk University for a unique class. Project Photofly from Autodesk Labs. It is a software that allows you to take digital photos of your project (inside or outside) and the application will stich them together to create a 3d model point cloud. You can then go into the model and set measurements and X,Y,Z orientation reference points. Once done refining the model you can export it out to DWG, FBX and a couple other file formats. This app. is currently in Autodesk Labs, which means it is still being refined, but you can check it out and see what you think. Here is a link to the site:

http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/photofly/

Autodesk University 2010

2010-12-01T09:24:00.003-05:00

Its that time of year again for Autodesk University in Las Vegas. AU as its known is a worldwide conference that covers a week worth of learning, networking and finding out about new technologies. I am teaching a Revit Structure class this year which should be fun. It covers the Truss feature in Revit Structure.

Here is a link to the main AU website: http://au.autodesk.com/

Revit Levels – Made Live

2010-11-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

Continuing from the previous blog about dead levels, we can make dead levels into live levels. This is done by going to the “View” tab, “Create” panel, “Plan View” dropdown, and selecting the “Floor Plans” tool. A dialog box will appear to match up a dead live with the new floor plan. This will create a floor plan for the dead level, making it live. The new level will show up in the Project Browser.

Revit Levels – Dead vs. Live

2010-11-26T08:57:00.001-05:00

For Levels, we can create levels with floor plan views. Or we can create levels that do not have floor plans associated with them. These are usually used when you want to constrain or lock elements to the “dead” level, but do not need the floor plan. This could be a B.O. Steel level, or some other level for coordination. Live levels are shown with blue datum, while dead levels are shown as black datums.

Revit – Measuring

2010-11-24T07:30:00.004-05:00

There are times when you need to measure objects. There are two different ways to do this in Revit. The first is “Measure between Two References” and “Measure Along An Element”. For the first, select the two references, and a temporary dimension will display the measurement. For the second option, select the element and then click to measure along the element tool. You can use the “Tab” key to select other elements.

Revit

2010-11-23T08:26:00.004-05:00

Couple of quick tips for Revit when adding doors.

Type "SM" to place doors at the midpoint of wall segments.
Click on the "space bar" to flip the swing direction before final placement.
After placement, use the flip arrows to adjust the direction and swing. See image to the right.

These same tips work for windows as well.

Navigating in Revit

2010-11-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

When finding your way around a Revit project, it is important to do it efficiently, so you are not stuck in a corner or zoomed far out of your project. For quick zooming, hold down the Shift key with your middle mouse button. For panning, hold down the middle mouse button. If you like keyboard shortcuts, here are a few helpful ones:

ZR Zoom Region
ZO Zoom Out
ZA Zoom All
ZS Zoom Sheet
ZP Previous Pan/Zoom

TREX - Trim Extend

2010-11-08T14:39:00.009-05:00

TREX - Trim Extend. In AutoCAD Express Tools, there was added a command named TREX. Commandline: TREX... Pick to trim or Shift+Pick to extend [Project/Edge/Undo]:

It was a combination of Trim and Extend by holding down the Shift key. That functionality is now part of base AutoCAD. Now you dont need Express Tools to have this option. Its included. Either in Trim or Extend you can use the Shift key to toggle between the two commands. I suggest using the "Select All" option for cutting edge at the beginning to give you the most functionality.

BATTMAN

2010-11-08T14:38:00.004-05:00

BATTMAN - Block Attribute Manager. From Autodesk Help... You can edit the attribute definitions in blocks, remove attributes from blocks, and change the order in which you are prompted for attribute values when inserting a block.

Attributes of the selected block are displayed in the attribute list. By default, Tag, Prompt, Default, Mode, and Annotative attribute properties are displayed in the attribute list. You can specify which attribute properties you want displayed in the list by choosing Settings.

For each selected block, a description below the attribute list identifies the number of its instances in the current drawing and in the current layout.

Inventor - Tutorials

2010-11-04T14:40:00.007-04:00

For a "newbie" of Inventor I need all the hlep I can get. So I am glad to see a wealth of information on training in the form of Tutorials. This image to the side show some of the areas covered in the tutorials. From starting a project, navigation, assemblies all the way thru an entire project. I found some helpful content on Autodesk website in the Inventor section on learning resources as well. Cant wait to dive in!

Inventor - Getting Started

2010-11-04T14:34:00.006-04:00

After waiting what seemed like forever to download Inventor, I was ready to install the application. That went smoothly and now Im ready to start learning some new stuff. First off I felt somewhat comfortable with the application because of the Ribbon configuration. The first tab is a "Getting Started" tab with a dozen or so panels with items to help to get you off the ground. These look very informative, covering Ribbon intorduction, What's New, Tutorials and other helpful items. Be sure to take a look at them. Above is a screengrab to see what is listed.

Autodesk Inventor

2010-11-04T10:59:00.003-04:00

I usually work with Revit or 3ds Max, but recently have been interested in Inventor. For those of you familiar with Revit and BIM, the Inventor product is the parameteric modeling tool for Manufacturing.

Link to Autodesk's Inventor: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=13717655

ACA - Project Nav

2010-10-29T08:37:00.005-04:00

Recently a client issue came up: Their DWG files weren't coming across when creating a new project in Project Navigator.

The DWGs need to be in the project folders of the project that is being created from. Default for 2011 is: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ACA 2011\enu\Template\Commercial Template Project (Imperial)\Commercial Template Project (Imperial).apj. This APJ, with the DST location has all of the folders, with the DWGs in them. If you are starting from an empty project, the no need for the dwgs. The dwts need to be mapped in the Project Properties under templates.

ACA - Smart Titleblocks

2010-10-29T08:31:00.003-04:00

For ACA - AutoCAD Architecture, making "smart" titleblocks... You need to use Fields. You can edit the DWT for your sheets. Type FIELD at commandline. There is a long list of items that can be displayed on a sheet. Usually the CurrentSheetSet ones work best for proejct related items.
Select ok, and the text will be placed on to the sheet. They are updated during a save, plot or regen.

AutoCAD - Help F1

2010-10-28T10:33:00.004-04:00

During a command in AutoCAD, if you need further assistance, select the F1 key. This will not only open up the Help menu, but it will open it up to the command you are working in.

AutoCAD - PEDIT

2010-10-28T10:25:00.003-04:00

PEDIT, or Polyline Edit will take seperate lines and arcs and glue them together to create a polyline. It will turn individual lines into Polyline. There are also subset commands in [brackets] to perform additional functions to the polyline.

AutoCAD - BPOLY

2010-10-28T10:24:00.004-04:00

Bpoly, or Boundary polyline is a great command to create a polyine based off an enclosed area. The fastest and most effective method of creating a boundary polyline is to use the island detection. As long as the area is enclosed, like for hacthing, yo ucan select the middle open area of lines and circles, and BPOLY will create a closed polyline on the current layer.

AutoCAD - Linetype Scale

2010-10-28T09:50:00.004-04:00

In AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture we can control the Linetype display or spacing. This control can be in either Model Space or PaperSpace.

For Modelspace linetype control, we use the command LTSCALE. This will change the scale factor of linetypes for all objects in a drawing. This can coinside with the Annotation scale of the drawing. A regeneration of the drawing is required after changing the LTSCALE. You can also use REA at the commandline for a quick keyboard shortcut to "Regen All" the drawing.

For Paperspace we look at using PSTLSCALE with a variable of 1 or 0. For 0 there is no linetype scaling. The linetype spacing is based off the modelspace of the drawing. For a setting of 1, the viewport controls the linetype scaling. So if you change the scale of your viewport, it will update the linetype spacing.

Someone might ask why use one method over the other. Well the advantages of using PSLTSCALE set to 1, is that when ever yo uchange the viewport scale, you lineweights will change as well. In the above example PSLTSCAL is set to 1. We have two different scales, but the linetype scale and spacing look the same. This is a consistancy many companies want to achieve.

Software Download option

2010-10-26T09:37:00.004-04:00

Autodesk has a Download Manager that is suppose to help when downloading large files. Most of the installation exe's are 2+ gig, so they are all large. The problem is that I talked with folks who have had problems with installing the Download Manager or they installed it and nothing happens. There is a link to the right that reads "Standard download method", but clicking that sometimes doesnt seem to do anything.

So, here is what I came across to to download the files without the Manager. In the past I have had to right click on the Download Manager when it says "Standard Download Method" and select Properties. Highlight the link information and paste into a new tab/browser page in Internet Explorer adn the nclick enter. This will open up the download dialog box to either save or run the application. This is not the best method, but one that has been successful for me. I hope it works for you as well!

AutoCAD - Tablet - I regress

2010-10-18T15:11:00.004-04:00

I found the fold up insert that came in the AutoCAD Release 14 box for tablet overlay. This is a real blast from the past. The overlay sat over top of the Digitizer tablet. The buttons could be programmed to make drawing faster. To bad AutoCAD and the computers at the time were so slow.

Life is easier using 2011. No Tablets. Now if I can find my old 24+ button puck around here somewhere?

AutoCAD - < > Greater Than / Less Than

2010-10-18T13:09:00.005-04:00

No its not gang symbols. Its the greater than / less than symbols - hand gesture. I show my students this when teaching AutoCAD to get them into the thinking of using and thinking of these symbols because in AutoCAD in the commandline they represent the default value or last value used. Which menas you can save time by not having to do additional typing verces just hitting the enter key to accept whats in the "< >" value. So we can save additional time by using the default or previous used value by reading the commandline with the greater than and less than symbols "<>". Remember the graphic and save your self some time!

AutoCAD - Subset Commands

2010-10-18T12:50:00.003-04:00

I taught a AutoCAD beginners class last week, in which I had a lot of fun teaching and sharing information about AutoCAD and how to make it work efficiently. One of the things I discovered quickly in the class is that half the students like "Button" commands, and the other half likes typing or knowing what the command were, or evern the shortcuts for them. Now I learned AutoCAD rel. 11, back in the day when it only came in a DOS version. We didnt have pretty picture buttons, so we had to learn the commands. I am thankful for this, because several of those same commands still apply and work today over 15 or so releases later. Continueing on this thought and in my class we discussed the Commandline. How it is your friend, and telling you the next thing to do, or atleast a suggestion. We also talked about the "Subset" commands or transparent commands that you can execute while actively in another command. Those are located in the commandline. Example below. You can type the capital letter of the subset command to activate it. This is a great way to save time. Some commands have options like Close, Undo, or Join, depending on the initial command you are in. IF you havent used these subset commands, give thme a try. Enjoy!

[SubsetCommandInBrackets]

Revit - BIMAssist

2010-10-14T22:11:00.003-04:00

BIMAssit is a Add-on for Revit. It was developed by Advanced Solutions Inc. This little set of tools really helps out with thefew short-comings in Revit. For example, the Door to Room linking capability. Wall Fire-rating coordination and Case Update to name a few. I've used this add-on and found it very helpful. And when working in Revit on a computer that did not have it I felt limited in what I could achieve. This add-on is well worth getting!

Here is a link for more information: https://www.advancedsolutionsonline.com:8445/bimassist_licensing

Laptop Crash

2010-10-13T08:32:00.003-04:00

Usually I write about Autodesk software, but last night my laptop harddrive crashed and died. Luckily its under warranty, so a new harddrive is being sent out for me to put in. The bad thing is having to reinstall all my Autodesk software. So, I guess that is my tie in for the software side of things. But it is a good reminder to back up you files, on an external drive, online or CD/DVD. I thankfully had and old harddrive from a laptop that retired years ago, and bought a case for it with a USB cable. I have been using that for some time to copy important files, pictures, etc. in the event I had a crash or moving from one computer to another makes this an asy task. I also have a Western Digital External Book drive to back up big files like renderings, photos and the large several gig download installation from Autodesk. So the long and the short of the story is backup your files, and backup those files! It will make your life so much easier and stress free! Happy computing!

AutoCAD - Filters

2010-10-12T10:07:00.003-04:00

AutoCAD filters are helpful but it seems arent used as much as they should be. Filters can be based off of Layer Propeties or Group. The Properties Filter is based off of the Layer criteria like: on/off, Name, Color, etc. This makes it easy to filter all of the red layers or layers that start with "A". For the Group filter, this is when the consistancy of layer criteria is mixed. We want to Group layers like A-Door with a color of green, and S-Grid with a color of red. There isnt a similarity between them, but we can pull them together in a Group.

AutoCAD - changing with the times

2010-10-11T17:30:00.004-04:00

AutoCAD... its been around so years and years. Continuely adding and changing. I started using AutoCAD in release 11, when there wasnt a Windows version. It only came in DOS. We used a puck for a mouse nad it had 24+ butotns on it. We also used something called a tablet which was a mouse pad metal box looking thing that had commands and drawing area on it. Now-a-days, when people mention tablets for CAD, they are talking about Tablet PCs or Ipad. Times have changed and so has the software, but many of the basic commands and tools I learned back then, I still use today.

Revit - Rendering

2010-10-08T08:56:00.004-04:00

Revit uses the "mental ray" rendering engine for producing realistic rendered images. "mental ray" is a third party application that comes with all Autodesk products. This "engine" is in 3ds Max as well which can create the extremely high end rendering, but sometime 3ds Max can be to involved with all of its settings. The nice thing about this powerful rendering engine in Revit is that it has been simplified. Not in its capabilites, but in the ease of its use. You dont have to be a lighting engineer to adjust the settings to get great results within the program. You shold be able to get some decent result within a few minutes when rendering in Revit. Best of luck and happy Rendering!

Revit - Scope Box

2010-10-07T08:25:00.006-04:00

The Revit Scope Box allows for consistant extents of gridlines and datums thru out multiple levels in a project. Scope boxes control the visibility of datum elements in views whose cutting plane intersects the scope box. Scope boxes are particularly useful to control the visibility of datums that are not parallel or orthogonal to a view.

Scope boxes are automatically visible in 3D views and any view whose cut plane intersects the scope. They can also be set to display in elevation views. You can set their visibility for other views by resizing them or changing their visibility property. Scope boxes do not print in construction documents.

Revit - Phasing

2010-10-06T16:44:00.002-04:00

You can create as many phases as necessary and assign building model elements to specific phases. You can also make multiple copies of a view and apply different phases and phase filters to the different copies.

From the Autodesk Help file: Each view in Revit Architecture has a Phase property and a Phase Filter property.

The Phase property is the name of the view phase. When a view is opened or created, it automatically has a Phase value. You can copy a view and then select a different phase value for that view. For example, the original view has Phase 1; the copy has Phase 2. You create an element in Phase 1 and demolish it in Phase 2. The element displays as new in the original and as demolished in the copy. See Creating Phases.
The Phase Filter property lets you control the display of elements in a view. For example, demolished walls may display in blue dashed lines, while existing elements display in solid black lines. You can apply a phase filter to a view to see elements from one or more specified phases.

Revit - Linework Tool

2010-10-05T08:15:00.002-04:00

In Revit we need to be able to edit lines to give the sence of depth, especially in an elevation. The Linework Tool allows us to do that. The Linework tool does not create new model or detail lines in the view. Instead, it overrides the current line style of the selected line and applies a different line style.

You can use the Linework tool to change the line style of Projection edges of model elements, including silhouette edges and projection edges caused by plan regions

AutoCAD - Draworder

2010-10-04T09:54:00.004-04:00

Draworder, its been around for several releases, and is a great tool to use for stacking up hatches or text over hatches. Draworder changes the draw order of images and other objects. You can type DRAWORDER at the commandline or access the tools from the Draw Order Tool bar, along with getting the the tool fro mthe Modify Panel on the Home Tab.

Here is a link to Autodesk Support referring to Draworder: http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU/filesACR/WS1a9193826455f5ffa23ce210c4a30acaf-4bce.htm

Revit - North - Project vs. True

2010-10-01T12:40:00.002-04:00

In Revit we can control the Project North vs True North and the orientation of the view associatedwith it.

From the Revit Help file "Drafting conventions dictate that Project North is the top of the view. If you need to change Project North, use the Rotate Project North tool. This tool changes Project North for all views in the project. "

1.Click Manage tabProject Location panelPosition drop-down Rotate Project North.
2.In the Rotate Project dialog, select the desired option.
3.Click OK.

Revit - Guide Grids

2010-09-30T10:44:00.003-04:00

Guide Grids are new in 2011. They are designed to help in laying out of views on sheets. This is useful when tryign to line up floor plans on different sheets.

From Autodesk help "You can add guide grids to sheets to align views so that they appear in the same location from sheet to sheet. You can display the same guide grid in different sheet views. Guide grids can be shared between sheets. When new guide grids are created, they become available in the instance properties of sheets and can be applied to sheets. It is recommended to create only a few guide grids and then apply them to sheets. When you change the guide grid's properties/extents in one sheet, all the sheets which use that grid are updated accordingly."

Revit Server - Worksets

2010-09-29T07:37:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share with you some new info I found out about “Revit-Server” This is something new that is coming out this week in the new web-update for the product. Also what is in this web-build update is an Energy Analysis component…

Revit Server is designed to help the workflow of distributed teams. And the Energy Analysis tool is bringing integrated energy analysis to Revit modeling. Making it possible to calculate massing to determine the best sustainable option.

Link to article: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2010/RevitServer_CEA.html

AutoCAD - different approach

2010-09-28T13:57:00.004-04:00

AutoCAD is the base program that Autodesk wrote from scratch back in the early 80's. It is general purpose, meaning it can be used across several industries. That does not mean it is "general" in its capabilites. One of those unique approaches is drawing up colored elevations for products or equipment. The example to the left is one example of using gradient coloring in AutoCAD. AutoCAD now-a-days has industry specific tools for the different "flavors" of AutoCAD. See which one works best for you: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=15408167&siteID=123112

Raster Design

2010-09-27T08:12:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to play around with Raster Design tover the weekend. It is a great to for saving time for converting scanned images into Vector based linework. Here is what Autodesk says about it "Make the most of rasterized scanned drawings, maps, aerial photos, satellite imagery, and digital elevation models. With powerful raster editing and raster-to-vector conversion tools, AutoCAD® Raster Design software helps you to easily clean up, edit, enhance, and maintain scanned drawings and plans in a familiar AutoCAD® environment for use in AutoCAD®"

Find out more by follwong this link:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=2600114&siteID=123112

3ds Max - mental ray Proxies

2010-09-24T09:37:00.002-04:00

Need a stand in for your objects? This can help save time for rendering and when working in a scene file. Whats is it? mentalray Proxies in 3ds Max. They are a placeholders that are only loaded into memory and are processed per bucket during rendering. Files that use to lock up or freeze should now render quickly!

Go to the Create Panel , select "mental ray" in the Primitives drop down. Pick the "mr Proxy" button and place a box in the scene. Go to "Modify" panel and pick the "none" butto nto select the source object inthe scene. Then pick the "Write Object to File..." button to save the data of the object for rendering time. Atthis point everything is in place. Now you can copy, clone, or array the Proxy in your scene. You will see several boxes, but when you render they will all be nice rendered copies of the source object.

3ds Max - Ignore Backfacing

2010-09-22T17:21:00.003-04:00

Here is something for increasing your rendering time. Ignore Backfacing. From the Autodesk 3ds Max Help menu "When on, selection of sub-objects affects only those facing you. When off (the default), you can select any sub-object(s) under the mouse cursor, regardless of their visibility or facing. If there are more than one sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise, with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction they face."

3ds Max

2010-09-21T17:26:00.003-04:00

Couple of quick tips from todays class that I was teaching...

3d model rotate - hold down the Ctrl key and wheel mouse to spin the model.

Cloning - Move tool, hold down Shift. This will duplicate the object, but giving yo uthe option of Copy, Instance or Reference. Instance vs. Reference... Instance you can change any of the object copied and it updates all of them. Reference, you need to change the original, to update the oters.

Save Copy - This saves your scene and adds a number sequence to the end of the file name.

Autodesk - Alias

2010-09-20T07:38:00.003-04:00

Autodesk Alias is a powerful creative modeling tool for the manufacturing industry.

Quote from Autodesk Alias website "Purpose-built for industrial designers and creative professionals, digital modelers/sculptors, and automotive/transportation designers, Autodesk® Alias® industrial design software products—Autodesk® Alias® Design, Autodesk® Alias® Surface, and Autodesk® Alias® Automotive software—provide a complete set of sketching, modeling, and 3D product visualization tools for the conceptual design process. Data integration and exchange with Autodesk® Inventor® software enables industrial design data to be incorporated into the digital prototype."

Find out more about Autodesk Alias at: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=14437167&siteID=123112

AIA NC Design Conference

2010-09-17T11:28:00.003-04:00

The AIA NC 2010 Design Conference in Asheville, NC

Quote from AIA NC website about the conference "The 2010 Design Conference will cater to the diverse needs of our membership. Many chances for exploration and learning are available as a backdrop to a conference that offers nationally known speakers, book signings, an exhibition of new green products, more than 12 HSW/SD credits, and recovery networking." Here is a link to the website: http://aianc.org/cde.cfm?event=314279

Revit - Extension - Compare Models

2010-09-16T08:31:00.004-04:00

Looking into the Autodesk Subscription Add-in "Compare Models", we discover a powerful tool with the ability to detect changes, deletions and items that are equal.

From Help menu "Using the Compare models extension, you can compare 2 Revit models. The extension presents differences between successive versions of a structure project. When the extension starts, it recognizes the number of opened projects created in Revit. If more than 2 structure projects are opened, a dialog displays where you can select 2 projects to be compared."

Here is a link to learn more about Compare Models and other Extensions: http://www.extensions4revit.com/n/e4r/856/46

Revit - Wood Framing Walls

2010-09-15T12:55:00.003-04:00

Revit Architecture and Structure has some very helpful routines in the Exensions Manager for Subscription software members. One of those routines is the "Wood Framing Walls". This routine is catagorized under "Model" in the Exensions Manager. This powerful little routine makes framing a wall quick and easy. There is a good Help menu incase you need a bit more information on how to lay out the framing. Be sure to download this and other great tools from the Autodesk Subscription site.

Here is a link: http://subscription.autodesk.com/sp/servlet/public/index?siteID=11564774&id=11607975

Moldflow

2010-09-14T11:19:00.006-04:00

I was tasked Friday and over the weekend to help set up for an Autodesk Moldflow class. Moldflow is an injection plastic 3d modeling software purchased by Autodesk. It is a very cool looking software. From Autodesk's website "Autodesk® Moldflow® simulation software provides injection molding simulation tools for optimizing plastic parts, injection molds, and the injection molding process. Autodesk Moldflow guides designers, mold makers, and engineers through simulation setup and results interpretation to show how changes to wall thickness, gate location, material, and geometry affect manufacturability. Autodesk Moldflow offers geometry support ranging from thin-walled parts to thick and solid applications and helps you to experiment with “what-if” scenarios before finalizing a design."

If you like modeling in 3d, check out more at Autodesk's website: http://www.moldflow.com/stp/

Revit Structure

2010-09-14T11:19:00.004-04:00

To create a brace frame in Revit Structure is best accomplished in a Framing elevation. Select the type of framing to add, like an HSS for metal building. But what do you do when yo uneed to show a Moment frame verces a Brace frame? After placing the brace framing, select the framing and go to Propoerties. Here yo ucan change the Connection Type to "Moment Frame". This will also change the graphical symbol in plan to show the filled in triangle, which is typical structural industry standard graphics.

Revit Structure - Grids

2010-09-13T12:12:00.002-04:00

When creating grids in Revit Structure, be sure to use the "At Grids" option inder the "Multiple" column. This will save you a lot of time in placing the columns on gridlines. You can always go back and remove the extra columns you do not need.

Save down Revit file?

2010-09-10T09:46:00.002-04:00

I was asked recently "If a drawing is done in Revit 2011 can it be opened and worked on in 2010?"

Officially... no. There isnt a save down or save earlier button in Revit. There never has been and probably never will be.

IFC to the rescue! You could export the project to IFC. Exporting to IFC is like breaking down the model into binary code. This allows other IFC-compliant applications to reassemble the code into its software application. So we can export from 2011 version, and import into 2010. This process may take a little time, but that is your only option.

Go to the Application Button (Big purple "R") dropdown, Export, IFC.

Link to Autodesk with further details: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?linkID=9243099&id=15649365&siteID=123112

AutoCAD Revit Architecture Visualization Suite 2011

2010-09-09T09:16:00.003-04:00

The Visualization Suite for AutoCAD/Revit Architecture includes: Revit Architecture, 3ds Max Design, Navisworks Simulate, AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD. All avaialable in 32 or 64 bit.

This is a great combo pack to get, and more than likely cheaper than buying them all seperately.

If you dont need 3ds MAx or Navisworks, then the Revit Architecture Suite is all you need. It comes with Revit Arch., AutoCAD Arch., and AutoCAD. Here is a link for more info:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=3761844&siteID=123112

FlexLM License server

2010-09-08T09:31:00.003-04:00

Introduction
The purpose of this post is to explain how to update the FlexLM software to the latest version quickly, which at the time of this document is: 10.8. See screen grab below.

A word of caution
There are several ways to accomplish this task. This document addresses one of those methods. For further instructions or technical support contact Advanced Systems Inc.

Disclaimer
I hold no liability based of the actions of this post due to downtime, lost performance or other factors not allowing for a successfully completing the tasks here-in.

Preparation
Have other users who are using a network license get out of the software, or check out a license to keep them working and productive.

Copy the existing “?your company or release name?.lic” license file from the folder named “lic” or “License” depending on what was created. C:\Program Files\Autodesk Network License Manager\License to a temporary folder / safe place. We’ll need the license file later to merge with other products.

The data from the new lic. File needs to be copied and pasted into the existing lic. file.

The data from the new lic file should look like the below example:

SERVER Raiserver 002233e6674b
USE_SERVER
VENDOR adskflex port=2080
INCREMENT 51900AMECH_PP_2007_0F adskflex 1.000 permanent 3 \
VENDOR_STRING=commercial:permanent BORROW=4320 SUPERSEDE \
DUP_GROUP=UH ISSUED=19-Jan-2007 SN=123-22567483 SIGN="0341 \
9C3D D414 6A8D 8601 10DE A42D A847 43ED F1DB 60A0 08B7 D6F0 \
\
E672 8DE3 0F95 F1DE B0B7 05A9 9F17 58D7 DC92 A16D 51E1 D1F0 \
395B 1ED8 7175 D979 C9EB 7537 756E C332"

Stop the services on the server

Open FlexLM…
LMTools from start menu or from desktop

“Start/Stop/Read” Tab

The old License management software needs to be uninstalled. Add/Remove programs and uninstall it.

Once completed, the new license management software needs to be installed from the Autodesk application DVD.

Select Network install and then there should be an option to install network License Manager.

Copy the newly merged lic. file into the License folder.

Create a debug.log file and place it in the path: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Network License Manager

Configing FlexLM Services

LMTools from start menu or from desktop

Point the pathing to the files below. Use your lic file name.

DWG TrueConvert

2010-09-07T08:03:00.003-04:00

ABOUT
DWG TrueView CAD file conversion software includes DWG TrueConvert™ translation software for translating any AutoCAD design application or AutoCAD-based drawing file for compatibility.

DOWNLOAD
Download the latest DWG Trueview from Autodesk’s website:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=9078813

And install the software. Once installed, open the application…

CONVERTING DWGS
1. Open DWG TrueView 2010

2. Select the TrueView button from the upper left corner

3. DWG Convert dialog box will open. Pick the “Add File” button to add dwgs to the list.

4. Once file(s) are added select the button. And then “Modify”

5. The Modify Conversion setup dialog will allow you to pick the choices for saving your files to earlier versions and additional settings.

6. Once the changes have been made, select “OK” and then “Close”

7. Select “Convert” button to make the changes/conversions. Note: that the default setting is to convert the selected files in place.

8. So it wont look like anything has happened. But it has. You can verify this by clicking the “View Report” button in the lower left corner.

9. Done!

3ds Max - Panorama

2010-09-03T10:58:00.002-04:00

The question came up the other day on how to make a panorama in 3ds Max. Here is the quick down and dirty.

1. Rendering dropdown Panorama Exporter
2. Command Panel
3. Select Rendering options
4. Once rendering is complete, use “Viewer…” button in the Panorama Exporter located in the Command Panel to view the Panorama. Hold down the left button to rotate the camera around the panorama
5. Export the Panorama… File Export. Choose from Cylinder, Sphere or QuickTime for file format. Note: full version of QuickTime is required.

Acad Mac

2010-09-02T09:24:00.003-04:00

I had mentioend Acad for Mac the other day, but it struck me to be so interesting, I haveto talk about it again. It even sounds odd to say AutoCAD and Mac together. Lets hope they are developing other apps. for Mac like Revit. Other Autodesk apps like 3ds Max Design will run under Mac's Boot Camp. So atleast that is a step in the right direction.

Here is anAutodesk link to AutoCAD for Mac: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=15421056&siteID=123112

QTO - Quantity Takeoff

2010-09-01T09:28:00.003-04:00

Quantity Takeoff or QTO for short. Is an application built on the DWF Design Review software engine, that is used to take a DWF model and apply pricing and takeoffs of a project. From Autodesk "Autodesk® Quantity Takeoff software enables the effective quantification of design data for use in estimating construction costs, enabling you to collect and synchronize design data and streamline cost-estimation processes." Here is a link to Autodesk's QTO page:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10326955

AutoCAD Apple

2010-08-31T20:37:00.005-04:00

Autodesk announced today the soon to be release of AutoCAD for Apple, iphone and other Apple "i" products. This is pretty cool, and its about time.

What was also annoucned was the AutoCAD WS. This is a web-based version of AutoCAD where several users can access the smae drawing and edit in it. No software to install. Very cool!

Yahoo has a good article about it. Read more about it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20100831/tc_macworld/autodesklaunchesautocadformacios

In the Clouds

2010-08-30T07:24:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion on website, blogs, email, tweeting, etc. on "Cloud computing". So what is "cloud". Basicially it is web-based vitual server space and applications. Instead of building on-site server rooms, servers, and the high costs related to that, its all gone virtual. In a simple form its like Web-mail, Flickr and Google Docs. These are all a software service, on the web. Autodesk is working on something similar for the cloud, which is project Butterfly. Online drawing without the need to buy/install an application. Multiple users drawing in the same drawing at the same time.
Microsoft has more information on cloud computing: http://www.microsoft.com/cloud/

Revit Content

2010-08-27T07:39:00.004-04:00

Most new Revit users usually start asking the question soon after they have a few hours under their belt "Where can I find Content and Families for Revit, especially if I dont know how to make them?" Well There are a couple of resources. One resource is Autodesk Seek, which I highlighted in a previous blog. The second resource would be RevitCity. website: http://www.revitcity.com This is a user added site and all the content is free. But user beware... that doesnt always mean you will get a properly functioning Component. But in most cases, I have been very succssful with the content I have downloaded from this site. The signup is free. There is a search section to find what you are looking for and then download. This site also has a forum, job postings, and a gallery of images from users. Check it out and see what kind of useful content you can download. Oh, and if its not on the site, users can upload their Revit families and share with the world. Happy Revit searching!

Seek and you will find

2010-08-26T08:05:00.003-04:00

Autodesk's Seek Site is a great resource for finding not only Revit families and components, but also other files formats.

I have been putting together some families to post to the Seek site for Autodesk. I've been impressed on how stringent their policy is for how the family is built, the parameters within the family and overall consistancy of what is available for users to download for free. Its a great resource for finding most everything you need to pull into your project. And if its not there, you can suggest to a manufacturer to have it built. The best thing is to just go search around for a little while and see for yourself whats out there. Here is the link, enjoy! http://seek.autodesk.com/

Revit Central file size

2010-08-25T09:57:00.002-04:00

With Worksharing in Revit, the Central file, over time can become large. Larger than just adding information to you model. The question is how do we reduce the size of the Central file so it is manageable and does not slow down our work. Here is what you can do..

Open the Central file with the “detach from Central” box checked and then save as a new Central file with a different file name, or to a different location on their server. What this does is it rewrites the database associated with the file and can dramatically reduce the file size. Also you can select the Audit checkbox to cleanup the file as well. See images on the right for reference.

Revit Workset version differences

2010-08-24T09:02:00.003-04:00

There is a difference in how this works from 2010 and 2011.

In 2010 when the Workset is first made there is a check box to make that Workset “Visible by default in all views”. If this box was not checked when the Workset was made then that Workset will not be visible by default in any new views made in the project, and you will have to change this visbility setting in the VV of each view. To fix this you will have to make a new Workset, check the “Visible by default in all views” box, and then move everything in the model from one Workset to this new Workset. See top image on the side.

This issue was addressed in 2011. If you look at the Worksets dialogue in 2011 there is an additional column for “Visible in all views”. Worksets with this box checked will be viewable in new views (such as sections). See bottom image on the side.

Thanks to my fellow Technical peeps for this info. on Worksets.

Revit Structure

2010-08-23T19:02:00.002-04:00

Spent the day in a client meeting as the Revit Structure software consultant, reviewing how they put together the project. The premise was a complex set of existing building and a Revit Arch. file from the architect. The Revit Structure file was setup with some project parameters to filter by building name, ie: Bldg-A, B, C, D. From there Design Options were setup to show certain areas to have new framing for specific building. Then filters were setup to display items on and off. Phases were established for Existing, Demo and New. This was very complext for basicially being their first Revit project. Hats off to the BIM Manager... you know who you are!

Autodeks License Transfer Utility

2010-08-20T10:38:00.005-04:00

Using the License Transfer Utility

Start All Programs Autodesk AutoCAD MEP 2011 (your product) License Transfer Utility

Sign in to Subscription Center

Your product information will be listed. You can then Export the license.

You can now import the license to the destination computer.

Revit Structure - Trusses

2010-08-19T09:45:00.003-04:00

Im working on my class on Revit Structure - Trusses for Autodesk University (AU) today. I am excited to have been put in contact with the Autodesk developer of the Truss portion within Revit Structure. This gives me some great insight on some of the inter working of the Truss routine and its functionality. Looking forward to AU and teaching a great class!

Autodesk Certifications

2010-08-18T08:41:00.003-04:00

Completed more testing for Autodesk Certifications. Revit Architecture and 3ds Max. These exams test your knowledge and skill level within the application. Glad to get that finished.

3d Printing

2010-08-17T09:35:00.003-04:00

3d Priting also known as Digital prototyping has been around for some time on the manufacturing side of the business. But for architecture, people have been making cardboard and balsa wood models for years. But now with technology catching ans costs coming down, to do true digital prototyping is a cost and time effective option. One of the companies offering this technology is Z-Corp. They are a cost effective solution to have your 3d models printed or purchase the equipment to make the models yourself.

Here is a link to Z-Corp: http://www.zcorp.com/en/Solutions/Architecture/spage.aspx

Revit - Wall Panels

2010-08-16T08:37:00.003-04:00

Working on some Wall panels in Revit for a client. Basically they are pre-cast tilt-up wall panels. The concept it to draw a wall in Revit like you normally would, and then have it break the wall at preset distances to create the separate segments. From there, we take the wall panel and detail it for Shop Drawings. This is a different approach to wall for Revit, but should prove to be interesting. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Holigraphic buildings?

2010-08-13T09:50:00.002-04:00

I've talked about Holigrpahic display of buildings for a long time. Movies we watch have shown us what the future might hold. But I've been keeping my eye on a company named Zebra Imaging. They produce holigraphic images of buildings. Very impressive stuff.

Find out more about them at: http://www.zebraimaging.com/

Compare in Navisworks

2010-08-12T12:50:00.002-04:00

Teaching a Navisworks class today. The question came up "can you compare different Navisworks files to see what has changed". The answer is yes. First open your Navisworks file. Then Append the newer file to the project. Select both files in the Selection Tree. Thne go to Compare on the Home tab Tools Panel. A dialog will pop up for you to choose the settings. Once your happy with the settings pick OK. It will do a comparision of the projects. Once done, open Sets from the Home tab. This will display the compare clashes. At this point you can go thru and see what has changed. Enjoy!

Navisworks in the works

2010-08-11T09:29:00.003-04:00

Navisworks is a powerful applicatio nto bring together several file formats to view a project in pre-constrcution virtually. It is built on a video gaming engine, which compresses large files into a real time view to explore your project. The interface has been updated to be inline with the rest of the Autodesk produts, so finding your way around should be a quick learning curve.

Here is a link to more info. on Navisworks: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=10571060&siteID=123112

Autodesk Install Image

2010-08-10T15:04:00.002-04:00

Spent the day at a client creating Autodesk installation images. We were able to create 7 imags of different pieces ofsoftware that will be pushed out to users. If you havent created these, they are very handy to have on your network. The basic idea is that instead of using the DVD to install your software and go thru all of the settings, you can create an install image that has all of the settings, picks and clicks you desire, along with registering the license.

A Service Pack or Web Update can also be applied to the image, saving you more time after the install.

I ran across this nice little video Autodesk put together on creating an image: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXPkVV43AE4&feature=channel

Revit install needs

2010-08-09T10:39:00.002-04:00

As programs continue to advance and become better, so does the size and resources it needs increase as well. Another point worth mentioning is "time". The time involved with installing these products. In most cases you have plenty of time to install software. With proper advacned planning, we can address that with creating and installation image. That will be a future blog entry.

Autodesk has a listing of system requirements for both 32 and 64 bit, and performance recommendations. Here is the link:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=12431819

Autodesk Testing

2010-08-06T10:59:00.006-04:00

I am spending day taking Autodesk certification exams. These exams are different than the certifications I already have from Autodesk on the product/application side, which included AutoCAD, Revit and 3ds Max. These exams are for Pre and Post Sales and Technical Support of the Autodesk software. Its more involved than one may think. There is alot to knowing the product, but this gets into understanding the industry, how to best assist a client with a particular need and matching that with a software and/or feature within the software. On the Support side, this is solving problems, getting results, finding answers, and the best way to get it all done. So after 2 days and 4 exams later, I have learned a lot, and feel better prepared. And have the certifications to prove it.

BIM - 4d and 5d

2010-08-05T13:57:00.004-04:00

4d and 5d equals Time and money. Everyone seems to need more of both. Revit can assist with that. Here is alink to a good article I found:

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/bim_project_planning_feb07_1_.pdf

BIM - The final Frontier

2010-08-05T13:44:00.003-04:00

Meeting with clients today to discuss BIM. Specificially BIM with Revit. If we take a step backwards in time and look at how things have been drawn in the past 20 years with CAD software, there have been improvement, but overall it is still being used a an electronic pencil. Many folks could be using an Etch-a-Sketch. This is because there is no information with an etch-a sketch or electronic pencil. Its just lines, nothing else. So... lets fast forward to today. Or even a handful of years ago when Revit was brought on the stage. Revit's technology is build on a Parametric Change Engine. In laymans terms that menas a change to the model, will result in a change everywhere in the model. If an exterior door in plan is moved, it will be moved in elevation. All items are live tracked, counted and reported in schedules. Autodesk has even said "its not if people move to Revit, its more when the move to Revit. Read more about Revit on Autodesk's website: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=3781831&siteID=123112

3ds Max - Particle System

2010-08-04T10:19:00.005-04:00

The majority of the type of modeling, rendering or animating I do in 3ds Max is architectural related.... buildings, foilage, entourage, that kind of stuff. The biggest movement in the animation would be doors opening or cars driving by. So when I was asked in a recent class about creating sprays, fire and smoke... I was up for the challenge! To make these effect happen was to use Particle System. These tools allow you to create the animations with the smoke, fire and other effects. The image o nthe right is showing a spray effect, which could be used for rain. There is a good definition on Particle Flow/Systems on CG Wiki. Follow the link here: http://wiki.cgsociety.org/index.php/3ds_Max/Particle_Flow

3d Max - Multi-Sub Object

2010-08-03T09:40:00.004-04:00

Teaching 3ds Max class today, I revisited the Multi-Sub Object Material (MSOM). Different than a one color or image material, the multi-sub object material has several ID channels to assign colors and materials to sub levels of an object. For example, if you had a Mickey Mouse type character, you could assing a MSOM with ID's set to all the colors of the character. At a sub-object poly level, assign the ID's to the parts of the character. Once the material is applied, the ID's will dispaly the sub materials. Very effective.

Graphite Modeling Tool

2010-08-02T13:51:00.004-04:00

Teaching a class today on 3ds Max, we got into modeling using the new Graphite Modeling Tool. This helpful Ribbon Panel has a wide variety of functions to make modeling, editing and modifying much easier. Introduced in 2010 release, this is the direction Autodesk is going with the look and layout of 3ds Max. Here is a link to Autodesk with to learn more about Graphite Modeling http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=14534869&linkID=10381717