AutoCAD 2012!

Hello Bloggers! It is time for AutoCAD 2012 to be released in the next few weeks.  I'm sure you are wondering what's new in this release.

Autodesk concentrated on 2D drafting and is throwing in a copy of Fusion. It also includes access to AutoCAD WS, and a host of 3D CAD translators. AutoCAD 2012's got 46 new commands, 26 new system variables, 64 changed commands and system variables, 9 removed commands and system variables, 6 undocumented commands, and 2 commands converted from Express Tools.

Details to follow!

Till next time.

Bob

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year bloggers! Well we start a new year filled with hopes and excitement for the future. I am optimistic that we will continue an economic recovery, albeit slow but continual.  Autodesk will be gearing up for a new release this spring and that is always exciting. Late last year I ventured back into the MEP world after an absence for a while. Revit MEP is a really exciting product. AutoCAD MEP has advanced as well and both are great solutions for your MEP needs.  I will most likely integrate those products into this blog or start a new one dedicated to that world. We will see how it goes. If you have an opinion about this shoot me an email and I will take that into consideration.  So, let's get 2011 started!

Till next time

Bob

Merry Christmas!

Well Bloggers Christmas is Here! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2011 will bring some exciting new challenges for all of us. I look forward to a new release of AutoCAD with some really cool new features. Also, I will venture into the Revit World and possibly start a Blog on Revit MEP!  Hope you will join me!

Till next time.
Bob

Projecting Geometry to a 3D Surface

A new powerful feature in AutoCAD 2011 is the PROJECTGEOMETRY command. This will allow you to project any curve, polyline, line or point to any 3D Surface. You have the option to specify the direction by the current view, by the direction vector, or by the UCS. The projected geometry is displayed as SPLINES on the selected 3D solid or surface body.


You can use this command to project TEXT (TXTEXP exploded) to a free surface.


By projecting geometry you can do the following:

• Project points or curves onto a 3D solid or surface.
• Project and trim a selected 3D solid or surface.

To trim the surface, set the SURFACEAUTOTRIM system variable to 1.


You can project any curve (Line, Arc, Circle, Ellipse, etc. onto any type of surface or solid.


For more detailed explanation simply type in PROJECTGEOMETRY in your AutoCAD 2011 Help.  See the BEFORE (Top Picture) and thte AFTER (Bottom Picture) for and example.

See you next time at the Gazette!

Bob

SAVEAS command for Blocks

How many times have you had a block that you would like to make a copy of and wish there was a way to do this much like doing a SAVEAS of a drawing? If you did not know about it, the thought may not have ever come to mind. I’m here to tell you that you can do a SAVEAS on a block and give it a new name. How you may ask? It’s so easy even a cave……., no I’m not going there, could be a copyright infringement…….
Here’s what you do. Double-click on your block and open it in the Block Editor. The top left panel is called Open and Save. Pull-down the addition commands and there you will find “Save Block As”. Give it the name of your choice and there you go. Ne need to explode a block and recreate it under a different name.
Have a great summer!
Bob

Know and learn your input options for increased productivity!

Warning: The following blog contains my ranting for today

Recently I was teaching an “Advanced” class with students that have been using Autodesk software for years. I was helping one student and I told him to start the line command. With his left hand on the keyboard and his right hand on the mouse he typed “LINE” and hit the “ENTER” key. He drew the line and then I told him to zoom in on it. He moved is mouse to the Ribbon and fishes for the “ZOOM WINDOW” command. Now keep in mind this gentleman had been using Autodesk for 10+ years.

I wish I could say this is the first time I had seen this in my class but it’s not. I see this frequently while teaching and visiting client sites.

If you are going to type your commands (I do frequently) at least use a command alias. Instead of typing “LINE”, type “L” and tap the “Spacebar” to enter. Sure it only saves 3 keystrokes (Only?) but multiply that by hundreds throughout your day. Learn the command aliases and even customize your acad.pgp file to suit your needs. It is very easy to do with the Express Tools.

What about using the Zoom command? I encounter many students who do not know how to use the wheel to zoom. Zoom in and out by rotating the wheel, direct where you are zooming by placement of the crosshairs, hold the wheel down to Pan and double-click the wheel to do a Zoom Extents. I rarely use an actual Zoom command.

You can save a lot of production time just by using the tools available for inputting your data into your drawing. Taking a little time to learn your options can go a long way in improving your performance. Do you think those competing in a drawing shoot-out will actually type “LINE” to start the command? It’s highly unlikely.

Until next time, don’t wear the keyboard out! ;-)

Bob

Autodesk Products and VBA - VBA is Going (Gone) with the Wind

Unless you are a VBA programmer this won't mean much to you, but I felt it was important to let you know a little about futures in AutoCAD programming:

AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD-based verticals no longer ship with VBA (Microsoft’s Visual Basic for Applications). The 32– and 64-bit versions are still available as a download from www.autodesk.com/vba-download. VBA will not be supported by AutoCAD 2012. The VBA module will no longer be available as a download then.

 We can point ti Microsoft as the reason for this change. They discontinued the sale of new VBA distribution licenses back in 2007 and they are not planning any further development. This leaves software companies and customers in a bind. Microsoft has promoted the use of VBA as a “universal” programming language only to abandoned it.


This means that programmers need to stop writing new VBA code now and eventually port their VBA code to other APIs. Autodesk was unsure which of Microsoft’s APIs might be the most future-proof one:
 

“We are still at an early stage in evaluating what (if any) in-product IDE should replace VBA. However, at this time, we do not expect to be embedding VSTA into Autodesk products. Revit software is currently the only Autodesk product that incorporates VSTA. However, our review of in-product IDEs will include an evaluation of whether VSTA is the best long-term IDE solution for Revit. Therefore, we encourage Revit add-in developers to concentrate on creating professional add-ins using Visual Studio rather than VSTA when possible.”

The elimination of VBA does not affect AutoCAD’s ActiveX COM (common object model), which was also designed by Microsoft originally.
 
For now, Autodesk’s recommends moving your VBA code to a .net language, such as VB.NET using Visual Studio 2008, including the free Express edition available from www.msdn.microsoft.com/enus/vstudio/aa718373.aspx.
 
Autodesk provides the following resources for migrating VBA code to .net, and plans more in the future:
• AutoCAD VBA to VB.NET Migration Basics – on using .net COM Interop to simplify migration
 <through-the-interface.typepad.com/through_the_interface/2009/04/ devtv-autocad-vba-to-net-migration-basics.html>.
• AutoCAD .NET Developers Guide – contains many comparative samples of native .NET API and the VBA code required to perform the same task (docs.autodesk.com/ACD/ 2010/ENU/AutoCAD%20.NET%20Developer's%20Guide/index.html>.

TIll next time
Bob

Autodesk Virtual Event, April 19th, 2010

Sign up fpr the Autodesk 2011 Virtual Event here:

http://experience.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/go/1481

or

Click on the picture!

See you there!

Bob

AutoCAD 2011 is here!

What's new in AutoCAD 2011?

• 175 New Commands
• 86 enhanced commands and system variables
• 41 new shortcuts, file types, and aliases
• 19 undocumented commands and system variables

OK, that's way too much information for one blog entry. You can expect several entries in the near future informing you of the great new features available.

• How about the ability to control your object visibility independant from the layer visibility! 
• Can you say Point Clouds? Yes they can now be inserted into your AutoCAD world! 
• Do you work with constraints that were introduced in AutoCAD 2010?  How about the ability to temporarily relax them for editing?  Yes you can!
• Apply transparency to your AutoCAD objects in the same way you apply color, linetype and linewidth. Wow are you kidding me!
• Additional secondary grips on polylines.... Oh my!
• You are no longer forced to specify a replacement for a missing .SHX file!  Ya-Hoo!
• New 3D workspaces

I can't stop myself I'm so excited!  I have been looking at this for a few weeks now and today I can tell you about it!  It doesn't stop here.  I'll be back real soon with more of the latest and greatest AutoCAD ever!

Till next time.

Bob

X Marks The Spot!

Almost every AutoCAD class that I instruct, be it a basic or advanced course the question comes up, “What is the difference between a DWF and a DWFx?”



DWF is an open format from Autodesk. It has been around since AutoCAD 2005. You can view them and mark them up in Autodesk Design Review (Markups available in releases 2009 and 2010). Initially they were a single sheet file but have now evolved into multi-sheet. Autodesk Design Review supports all versions of DWF.


Now, what about that ”X”? For programming purposes, open formats can be based on XML. This is eXtensible Markup Language. Microsoft’s version is called XPS-XML Paper Specification. Microsoft uses it to communicate with printers as well as other applications. Autodesk reprogrammed the DWF to XML to make dwf more widely acceptable in the programming world. This enables a DWFx file to be viewed by Microsoft Internet Explorer.


So, concerning Autodesk Design Review, if you create a DWFx, it can be viewed in Versions 2008, 2009, and 2010. Internet Explorer users can only view the file.


If you create a DWFx and want to use Markup Set Manager to view comment, you will need AutoCAD 2009 or later. Markup Sets were not supported in AutoCAD 2008 even though you could create a DWFx file.


So now you can impress your CAD BFF’s by sharing this Xtra tidbit of information with them!


Keep the lines straight and the circles round.


Till next time


Bob

Are You Certifiable? I am!

The AutoCAD 2010 Certification Exams are out and available at your nearby Autodesk Authorized Testing Center.

I took both the Associate and Professional Exam last week.  If you go through my five day AutoCAD 2010 Essentials course or at your local Autodesk Authorized Training Center and get 30 to 60 days of experience you should not have a problem passing both exams.  The Associate exam is 30 multiple choice questions and you have 60 minutes to complete it.  The Professioanl exam has 20 questions and you have 90 minutes to complete.  You will actually use AutoCAD 2010 to answer the questions on the Professional exam.

What are the Benefits of Autodesk Certifications

• In addition to improving your skill set, earning Autodesk Certification provides advantages and benefits:
• Enhanced skills and recognition: Autodesk Certification provides validation of your skills and knowledge along with recognition of your achievements.
• Electronic certificate: Once certified, you receive access to an electronic certificate, suitable for printing and framing. You may reprint this certificate as often as you like.
• Certification logo: After passing the certification exam, you will receive the official Autodesk certification logo identifying you as Autodesk Certified, which you can use on business cards, résumés, and letterhead.
• Immediate diagnostic feedback: Whether or not you pass the exam, you will receive immediate feedback on areas to improve your Autodesk application skills.
• Listing in the Certified Professionals Database: Once certified, you can choose to have your contact information and certifications listed in our publicly available database. This is an excellent way to demonstrate your certification status to prospective employers.

If you have any questions you can comment on my Blog, Follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SrAppEngr) or you can also find me on Facebook.  If you live in the midwest You can find a course schedule and schedule a test by going to http://www.mwcad.com/ or call Mid-West CAD at 1-800-279-3221.

See you in a class soon...

Bob

Asleep at the Wheel

In my years of training I have found that AutoCAD users use the ZOOM and PAN command more than any other command in AutoCAD. The reason for this is they are always searching for things to edit in their drawing. There are a few things that you can do to optimize your performance that allows you to zoom around your drawing without ever entering an AutoCAD ZOOM command.

Settings that effect your mouse performance are:
• ZOOMFACTOR
• MBUTTONPAN
• ZOOMWHEEL

ZOOMFACTOR
You can adjust the zoom percentage by adjusting this value. The initial value is set to 10. You can enter an integer value between 3 and 100. The figure represents the change in zoom level for each increment of wheel rotation. As an example with the value set to 10, each increment of the turn of the wheel changes the zoom level by 10%.

MBUTTONPAN
This system variable toggles the Pan functionality of the wheel. The MBUTTONPAN must be set to one (1) so that when you depress the wheel it will activate the PAN command. When MBUTTONPAN is set to zero (0) you’ll get the Object Snap popup menu.

ZOOMWHEEL
ZOOMWHEEL toggles the direction of transparent zoom operations when you scroll the middle mouse wheel. When set to zero (0), scrolling the wheel forward zooms in; scrolling the wheel backwards zooms out. Set to one (1) , scrolling the wheel forward zooms out; scrolling the wheel backwards zooms in. (You can mess with your co-workers head by changing this value. I do not endorse such actions!)

In Conclusion:
You can Zoom and Pan using the wheel. Roll the wheel away from you to zoom in; roll the wheel towards you to zoom out. When you zoom in and out, AutoCAD zooms in and out around the location of the cursor. Press the wheel down and move the mouse to pan. Double-click on the wheel to zoom extents.

For you gamers, hold the CTRL button on the keyboard while you hold down the wheel and move the mouse to use another mode of panning called Joystick Pan.
Now you are Wheel smart! Take care and thanks for viewing my Blog!
Later
Bob

Share Your Work with Autodesk Design Review 2010

A powerful tool that you might be ignoring is Autodesk Design Review 2010. The good news is IT'S FREE! If you have AutoCAD 2010 it's on your DVD, if not you can go get it at the link below or simply click the title of this post.

What does it do? Design Review allows you to share your work with team members and consultants. You can publish and share drawings, models or both from you Autodesk applications including AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Civil 3D, and MAP 3D. This neat little package allows the non-CAD user to view and analyze a design. You can combine multiple PDF's, DWF's, and DWG's into a single DWF file, and add a digital signature. Other features include Ribbon Interface, Mark up Tools, 3D Navigation, Batch Printing, Measurement Tools, and support of georeferenced map data.

To learn more and download go to: http://www.autodesk.com/designreview

Till next time.

Bob

AutoCAD 2010 Subscription Advantage Pack

Are you a subscription customer?  If so check out the Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD 2010.  The features are amazing.  This 23 minute video gives you a heads up on how to install and use the functionality.

Scaling Multiple Blocks

Here's a handy way to scale up mutliple blocks in your drawing and have them keep their basepoints. Watch the video to see how easy it is!