LT Unlimited

AutoCAD LT AUv Classes Today

My AU Virtual session, Hey, I Never Knew That! The Best of LT Unlimited, goes live today, with broadcasts at 12 and 5 Pacific.

The two session IDs are AC224-1V (noon) and AC234-1V (5:00). Both will have live text-based Q&A – hope to see you there!

AutoCAD WS 1.1 Available Soon

AutoCAD WS (for web & mobile viewing and editing of DWF files) has been a big hit since its release last month, and the mobile app is about to get even better.

AutoCAD WS 1.1 will be available soon for download on the iTunes App Store (http://autode.sk/adicd2) and includes several of the most-requested features, especially – drum roll please – offline editing!

That’s right, your iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch will no longer have to be connected to the internet or cell network in order to access your WS files.

You will also be able to open e-mail attachments directly with AutoCAD WS too.

Pretty cool, isn’t it?

And just a reminder, AutoCAD WS is part of the Autodesk single-sign-on portal, so if you have a discussion forums or Autodesk Labs account, you’re already signed up! No need to fill out any more forms, just use your regular username & password.

Live from AU! Day 1

I arrived at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas yesterday, and several elements of AU were already in full swing. The signs were up, the lounges were getting the finishing touches, the Speaker Ready Room was humming with speakers picking up their official speaker shirts and prepping for virtual recording sessions, and by 4:00 there was a good-sized crowd of people waiting to sign in at registration.

The main event on yesterday’s schedule was recording my virtual session (airing tomorrow at noon & 5 Pacific). Today is pretty quiet for me, although many people will be attending the various mini-conferences today, including ADN, ATC, Design Computation, and Design Technology Management sessions. Tomorrow is when the fun really begins – two keynotes, two lab-assisting sessions, two virtual class broadcasts, a team meeting, and the opening of the exhibit hall.

Despite the fact that I arrived early (the main event starts tomorrow), there were still a lot of people here – it’s good to catch up with people I see only a few times a year and make some new friends too.

I haven’t taken any pictures yet, but I’ll try to fix that today. In the meantime, you can check out the Flickr stream where attendees can upload their photos from the event.

Off to finish my prep work before the Speaker & Blogger socials tonight!

Customize Rollover Tooltips

Rollover tooltips are the little windows that pop up when you hover over objects in your AutoCAD LT drawings.

You can use the CUI editor to control which properties appear for which object types (click to see larger):

By default, all objects show the properties in the “General" column – Color, Layer, and Linetype.

When you select an item in the list in the left-hand pane, you see what other properties are available to be displayed in a rollover tooltip. For example, you could choose to show the radius of circles and the area of polylines.

Not all objects are included in this list by default. If you’d like to customize which objects are displayed, click the icon above the list.

That brings up a list of all object types, and you can check the ones whose display you want to change.

Once they show up in the list in the main CUI window, you can choose the rollover properties until you have as many or as few as you want.

And if you want to turn rollover tooltips off entirely, or change their color and font, you can do that in the Options dialog, under the Display tab.

A New Way to Try AutoCAD LT

Don’t have time or permission to download a trial? Try online instead!

US residents can now use Citrix technology to evaluate AutoCAD LT 2011 on the web – it’s the same fully-functioning version as the download, just online. You can use your own files, saved on your own computer or network, and print to your own printers and plotters.

All you have to do is fill out a short form and install a small Citrix client, then start using AutoCAD LT. A shortcut is placed on the desktop for use in future sessions.

Try it now!

What do you think – are web-based trials the way to go, or will you stick with downloads?

AutoCAD Ironman Beta Now Open

Over 30,000 members of the Autodesk Feedback Community played a key role in the development and Beta testing of Autodesk’s product lines, and Autodesk is issuing an open invitation for additional customers to join and participate in the testing and shaping of future products.

Autodesk welcomes customers on multiple platforms to participate in the Customer Feedback Program. Customers may register for our ongoing AutoCAD Beta programs, which feature AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP as well as AutoCAD Mechanical. Members must agree to terms of a non-disclosure agreement to participate. 

When are you going to join the Autodesk Feedback Community?

Sign Up Here

Check Out New Content on AutoCAD Exchange

Actually, the AutoCAD Exchange gets new content all the time, not just today. So if it’s not on the list of sites you visit regularly, maybe it should be? :-)

There’s a new expert every week – this week’s is Cyndy Davenport – plus new videos with tips, tricks, and behind-the-scenes interviews.

You can also sign up to be an expert yourself, and submit your own tips to add to the community resources.

The Abilene Paradox

At the training I went to last week, one of the things we talked about was a phenomenon known as the Abilene Paradox. It can be applied to so many situations that I was kind of surprised I hadn’t heard about it before.

It was coined by management expert Jerry B. Harvey, and the general idea is that a group of people can end up going along with a decision that nobody likes – because each person thinks that they’re the only one with a problem. (You can read a good summary on Wikipedia, or watch the video trailer on YouTube.)

Another way of putting it is that problems can stem not from conflict but from agreement. If everybody bites their tongue – suppresses conflict – in the interest of promoting group harmony, sometimes you end up in a place where nobody wants to be.

The basic lesson is that instead of saying “Sure, that sounds like a great idea!” when you’re really thinking “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard!” take a minute to think about your reasoning and then don’t be afraid to speak up. Chances are somebody else agrees with you.

It also applies to asking questions in a class or meeting. You might be afraid to, for fear of looking stupid. But I bet if you just ask, at least one other person – if not the whole room – will say “Yeah, I was wondering about that too.” (Even if they don’t say it, I guarantee somebody is thinking it.)

I can think of a few times when I’ve been to Abilene, or when I’ve watched other people go to Abilene – how about you?

A Sample AUv Schedule

I’ve been talking about Autodesk University – both in-person and virtual – for a while now, and I think it’s about time for my annual suggested schedule. Instead of giving you an in-person AU schedule, though, I’m going to suggest AUv classes instead.

To recap, an AUv Premier Pass is $139 and includes access to over 200 live classes, product clinics, and keynotes. You can participate in the classes & clinics through text-based Q&A, so it’s the next best thing to being there. An AUv Premier Pass also includes full access to AU 2010 Online, which mainly means screencasts of the live classes. (Handouts & PowerPoints are generally available free to everybody.)

You may also qualify for a free Premier Pass, if you’re a Subscription customer or a member of the Student Community. AU 2010 attendees also get four complimentary Premier Passes, so if you have a buddy going maybe you can snag a pass from him or her.

Anyway, on to the schedule. Here’s what I’d suggest:

Tuesday, November 30

• 7:00 am -- CM214-1V CAD Leadership 2010: Beyond CAD Management with Mark Kiker
• 10:00 am -- AC220-3V AutoCAD® Secrets Exposed! with Jeanne Aarhaus
• 12:00 pm -- AC224-1V Hey, I Never Knew That! The Best of LT Unlimited with Kate Morrical
• 5:00 pm -- AC234-1V Hey, I Never Knew That! The Best of LT Unlimited with Kate Morrical
• 9:00 pm -- AC242-1V AutoCAD® Secrets Exposed! with Jeanne Aarhaus

Wednesday, December 1

• 9:00 am -- CM318-1V The Thankless Job of a BIM/CAD Manager with Yoshi Honda
• 12:00 pm -- AC324-1V 40 AutoCAD® Tips in 40 Minutes with Lynn Allen
• 4:00 pm -- AC332-1C Take Control with AutoCAD LT® with Kate Morrical
• 7:00 pm -- AC338-1V The Dos and Don'ts of the 2D AutoCAD® User—Revealed! with Matt Murphy
• 8:00 pm -- AC340-1V 40 AutoCAD® Tips in 40 Minutes with Lynn Allen

All times are Pacific. Note that some classes show up twice, to accommodate different time zones. The “Take Control” class is actually a product clinic, which is more of a discussion and less of a lecture. If you have questions you really want to ask, that’s the place to go.

I’ve only included English classes in the above schedule, but there are also a bunch in Spanish and Portuguese.

What do you think? Will you be signing up for AUv?

TRON: Legacy Exclusive Movie Preview at AU 2010

(I’m a little behind with posting this, but it’s cool enough that I didn’t want to let it slide.)

TRON at Autodesk University 2010

If you caught the Avatar preview last year, we have another special treat for AU attendees this year. Cliff Plumer, the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy Award®-winning digital production studio, Digital Domain, will join us and present clips of Walt Disney Pictures’ highly anticipated film TRON: Legacy ahead of the December 17 release date!

Cliff will give a brief presentation during the General Session on Tuesday November 30th at 8:00 AM. At 5:00 PM, Cliff will join Autodesk SVP’s Amar Hanspal and Marc Petit in the AutoCAD and M&E Keynote where he will preview some of the most exciting clips from the movie in a Disney Digital 3D theater especially prepared for our AU guests!

Join us for a unique AU experience and celebrate the 28^th anniversary of AutoCAD by getting an exclusive sneak peak of Walt Disney Pictures’ TRON: Legacy.

Seating will be limited, so I encourage you to arrive early. Like last year, security will be tight, so no camera or recording devices will be allowed.

In the mean time, check out the latest TRON: Legacy trailer.