LT Unlimited

Autodesk University, Day 2

I'm testing Typepad's iPhone app today for two reasons. 1. I don't feel like paying for internet access in my hotel room. 2. I don't feel like hauling the laptop down to the free WiFi at the conference. So we're going mobile. :-)

Yesterday was just packed with AU goodies. The day opened with a fantastic general session (available on AUv), followed by several Innovation Forums on a variety of topics. I attended the Cloud forum (the first picture attached), which provided a lot of insights on cloud computing. (A topic for a future post?)

After lunch were a few classes, including Lynn Allen's AutoCAD 2012 overview and Michael Beall's AutoCAD Toolbelt lab -- both excellent as usual. The second picture in this post is from the lab.

The Exhibit Hall opened up in the evening, and was packed with enthusiastic people. I spent my time at the AutoCAD for Mac kiosk, so I didn't get to visit many booths, but hopefully I'll get a chance later today.

It's another busy day here -- if this mobile posting thing works out, maybe I'll try it for tomorrow's update too!

Autodesk University, Day 1

Greetings from sunny Las Vegas! At least, I assume it's sunny–I haven't been outside since I arrived at the Venetian yesterday. But that's AU for you...there's just so much going on inside!

Considering that the classes don't kick off until today, there was plenty happening at the conference.

The first-ever Freshman Orientation, hosted by Lynn Allen, drew over 1000 attendees.

Over 500 people took Autodesk Certification Exams in the first 3 hours that the testing center was open–wow! The exams are free all week to AU attendees, which is great if you're trying to add a little polish to your resume.

The evening was packed with various receptions in all parts of the hotel complex...if you don't come to AU ready to walk, you'll be sorry!

I didn't take many pictures yesterday (too busy trying to stay hydrated in the desert), but here's me with the CAD Geek himself, Donnie Gladfelter.

Thanks to R.K. McSwain (@cadpanacea) for the picture! I'll try to do better with the picture-taking the rest of the week. :-)

Today's schedule incudes the General Session (watch it live on AU Virtual!), some neat Innovation Forums, a few classes, and the opening of the Exhibit Hall in the evening. Better get moving!

For updates throughout the day (in case you're bored), follow me at @katemorrical, and search for the hashtag #AU2011 to get all the conference-related tweets.

Sheet Set Manager Video Series

Here it is, your last Sheet Set Manager video before the Thanksgiving break. This one starts to get into the really good stuff: automation.

Automate View Label Data

I'm wrapping up the last few videos today, but I won't be posting them for a week or so -- because after Thanksgiving, it's time for AU! I'll be sending dispatches from Vegas next week, and hope to see some of you there! (And if you can't make it, I hope you're enjoying AU Virtual.)

Sheet Set Manager Video Series

Next up in the Sheet Set Manager series: labeling the views you add to layouts.

Place View Labels

 

AU Virtual Now Open!

We have less than two short weeks left until Autodesk University in Las Vegas! (My reaction to that is equal parts “hooray!” and “yikes!”)

I’d love to see you there, but if you can’t make it to the desert, that’s no excuse to miss out. Why? Because AU Virtual 2011 is FREE to EVERYONE!

That’s right, you get 200 classes in English, Spanish, and Portuguese on-demand and free, free, free.

Some classes won’t be available until November 29, to coincide with the on-site event, but there are a bunch available now, including certification prep classes if you’re interested in taking the AutoCAD certification exams.

Oh, and did I mention that I’m presenting two virtual sessions? One on AutoCAD LT (of course!) and one on AutoCAD for Mac.

Note: Classes in the catalog only have handouts & additional materials. To actually watch a class, you must be in the AU Virtual environment. And that link will only work after you register here.

Enjoy the show!

Sheet Set Manager Video Series

I know it's been a while since my last contribution to this series, but the wait is over! Stay tuned for more coming soon too...

Add Content to Sheets

Okay, It's Your Turn

I have to confess that I’ve been running a little low on blog-post material lately. It won’t be a problem for too much longer, ‘cause I’ve got a few more Sheet Set videos nearly finished, and in just two short weeks (!!) it’ll be time for AU…but in the meantime, I’m a little stuck.

So, it’s your turn! What’s the most creative thing you’ve done with AutoCAD LT lately? Did you streamline an editing process? Solve a tricky geometry problem? Write a cool macro? Tell me about it! Knowledge does the most good when it’s shared, so…share away.

(Bonus points if you’re in the San Francisco or DC metro areas and are up for a visit to show off your knowledge in person.) :-)

Export AutoCAD LT Table to CSV

Did you know you can turn an AutoCAD LT table into a CSV file with just a few clicks? This is another one of those “when in doubt, right-click” commands, since the shortcut menu is the only place you’ll find it.

(Okay, so you can type TABLEEXPORT too.)

In the dialog that comes up, choose a name and location, and that’s it! You have a brand new CSV (comma-separated values) file that you can edit in Excel, Notepad, or your editor of choice.

Xref Change Notification

When you’re working with a team on a project using xrefs, it can be really handy to know when somebody makes a change to a file that your current drawing references.

Fortunately, a relatively new feature in AutoCAD LT makes it quite obvious that a referenced file may need to be reloaded. (Sorry to say, I don’t remember exactly when this came in. Anybody? Although I’m pretty sure it was in AutoCAD before it was in LT, so they may be two different answers.)

The notification bubble even provides a link that you can use to reload the affected file without going through the Reference Manager. You can turn these notifications off with the system variable XREFNOTIFY, but personally, even when I’m the one who made the change, I like to use the bubble to reload the drawing. It feels like the fastest way to get to the file, and it helps me remember to actually reload it.