LT Unlimited

Autodesk Revit LT now available

Big news this week – Autodesk Revit LT 2013 and the AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2013 are now available for purchase on the Autodesk eStore in both North America and Europe. They’re currently English-only, but I understand a German-language version will be available soon.

I had a couple requests for an expanded post on the capabilities of Revit LT and its comparison to Revit, so it seems like a good time to do that—considering you’re now able to actually go out and buy it. :-)

The first places I always go to for a new product like this is are the features list and the comparison matrix.

Let’s start with some highlights from Revit LT:

• All the advantages of a single, coordinated model. Imagine working with beams, walls, and doors that know what they are, and aren’t just lines on a screen. Change an element in one view, and all views that show that element will also automatically updates. It’s like magic.
• Visualize in 3D, then document in 2D. The world is 3D, even though we often represent it in 2D. Get the best of both worlds here, when you’re able to see exactly how things fit together in three dimensions, then automatically generate the necessary 2D views.
• Automatic Schedule Generation. With Revit LT, your schedule contents are driven by the elements in your model, helping reduce the amount of time you have to spend to make sure that keynotes and references are kept up to date.
• Photorealistic Cloud Rendering. If you add Subscription to your Revit LT purchase, you’ll get access to Autodesk 360 Rendering that you can use to produce compelling visual images of your designs. Apply materials and add lighting elements (sun or artificial) to see what your projects will look like before they’re complete—and in a fraction of the time it would take to render the same image on a single desktop machine.

And here are some Revit-only features:

• Simultaneous editing of models (but you can link models in Revit LT)
• In-product photorealistic & ray trace rendering
• Conceptual massing & in-place modeling
• Interference checks & copy/monitor
• Point cloud import
• Energy analysis
• API access
• Network licensing

Revit LT is designed for those of you out there who are thinking about the move to BIM, but maybe aren’t ready for or don’t need some of the items on that second list.

If you’re not sure whether you’re ready or not, that’s what the trial is for!

Free 30-day trial.

Help Update for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013

“You can’t always get what you want / But if you try sometimes, you might find / You get what you need.”

The Rolling Stones weren’t talking about software documentation when they wrote that, but occasionally I think they could have been. Help files aren’t always exactly what you want. Sometimes they don’t even have what you need—or they do but you can’t find it.

We do our best to make sure the AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013 Help files have what you need, but you’ve said you want more.

So, we’re giving it to you.

Fire up the F1 key in AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT today, and you’ll see our redesigned Help welcome page.

It’s got a whole host of new features, most of which are based directly on user feedback. (All new content is English-only right now, with additional languages for many elements to be added later.) This new version of Help includes links to commands, system variables, the glossary, and FAQs; search filters to narrow down topic results; and possibly my favorite—the Hitchhiker’s Guide to AutoCAD.

This brand-new feature is a guided tour through 42 (get it?) of the commands and tools you need to create 2D drawings in AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

Check it out for yourself, and I think you’ll see the Stones were wrong—sometimes you can get what you want!

Updated Service Pack for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013

A couple of weeks ago, we posted a service pack for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013. Unfortunately, we had to pull it a few days later—our sincerest apologies to those of you who were inconvenienced.

Our team has now fixed the issues that caused the recall, and the service pack has been reposted. You can find 32- and 64-bit versions here:

AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1
AutoCAD LT 2013 Service Pack 1.1

Two things to note:

• This service pack is only for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT and cannot be applied to vertical products that are based on AutoCAD 2013.
• If you managed to download and apply SP1 before it was removed, you can just apply SP1.1 on top of it. Uninstall of SP1 is not necessary or required.

As always, I highly recommend that you read the README before installing any product update.

Thanks for your patience while we resolved this issue.

Virtual Event still available on-demand

Missed yesterday’s Take the Lead virtual event? It’s okay—the videos and presentations are still available for on-demand viewing.

I didn’t count the number of sessions, but it’s a LOT, and they’re all from your favorite Autodesk presenters. If you’re in Architecture, Construction, Infrastructure, MEP, Structural, Oil & Gas, or Utilities, there’s probably something there interesting for you.

Since the live event is over, you can’t chat with Autodesk reps in the event space, but each presenter has their contact info at the end of the session, so you’ll know where to turn if you have questions.

I hope you found all the information useful!

Announcing Autodesk Revit LT

If you’ve been considering the move to BIM, but held back because of the complexity or price tag of Autodesk Revit, do we have an announcement for you!

Revit LT, formerly known as Project Spark, has graduated from Autodesk Labs and will be available for purchase soon in North America and select countries worldwide.

Revit LT is built on the Revit platform, and includes many of the features available in the full version, including the powerful, intelligent 3D tools, structural modeling objects, and access to Autodesk 360 Rendering.

When the product is released, you’ll be able to purchase it separately or as part of the new AutoCAD Revit LT Suite, which includes both Autodesk Revit LT and AutoCAD LT. In the U.S., the SRP for these are $1200 and $1500 respectively, so it’s a heck of a deal either way!

Product availability will vary by country, so be sure to visit www.autodesk.com/revitlt for details and purchasing options.

You can also read the full press release of this announcement here.

Update & New Name for Design Review Mobile

I’m a little behind with this announcement, but better late than never, right? And if you’re like me and don’t always read your app updates carefully, this one might have slipped by you.

Here it is: Design Review Mobile for iOS devices is now Autodesk 360 Mobile.

Old:             New: 

The functionality has been expanded beyond DWF file viewing and annotating to include 2D and 3D DWG files, along with Revit and Navisworks files.

Your Autodesk 360 files are automatically synced to Autodesk 360 Mobile, just like they are with AutoCAD WS. You can add comments or share files right from the app, saving steps when communicating with clients and colleagues.

Enjoy the update!

AutoCAD WS 1.5 Facecast Today

It’s Facecast time again! This week’s edition is all about AutoCAD WS 1.5 and its new features, including the very cool Design Feed.

The fun starts TODAY at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, and you can watch over on Facebook or right here on the blog.

Watch live streaming video from autocad at livestream.com

(And if you missed last week’s AutoCAD LT 2013 broadcast, you can watch the archives here.)

AutoCAD LT 2013 Facecast Today

My AutoCAD LT 2013 Facecast is just a few short hours away, and as I promised, you can watch it on Facebook OR right here! The fun starts at 11:30 Eastern, 8:30 Pacific.

Remember to send in your questions, otherwise I’ll just be talking to myself. :-) (But you’ll still get plenty of good tips!)

Watch live streaming video from autocad at livestream.com

AutoCAD LT Facecast on Thursday

It’s Facecast time again!

On Thursday, July 26 at 11:30 Eastern, I’ll be hosting a Facecast on AutoCAD LT 2013.

Click here for the event page.

Join me to hear about the fun new features in this year’s version, as well as some of my favorite tips and tricks that you can use for older releases too. We’ll also have Q&A time, so think up your questions to ask on Thursday or email them to me in advance.

If you can’t get to Facebook from work, don’t worry—I’ll be posting the feed here at the blog so you can watch directly, without going through Facebook.

See you Thursday!

Calling all AutoCAD Architecture and MEP Heroes!

(I know this post may not apply to many of you, but I’m putting it up for those of you who have multiple Autodesk products in your portfolio. Thanks for reading.)

Do you have a project that was designed and modeled using AutoCAD Architecture and/or AutoCAD MEP? Does the building have a unique look that makes it stand out? If you do…then submit your company name and project to be considered for the next AutoCAD Architecture or AutoCAD MEP hero image!

We are now looking for next year’s hero image for our AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP products. The selection process will be based on, but not limited to the following criteria:

• Was the project modeled using AutoCAD Architecture or AutoCAD MEP?
• Is the building aesthetically interesting? The architectural team needs a building that looks cool and unique to meet their requirements.
• Does the MEP model contain duct, pipe, plumbing and lighting systems? If it includes cable tray, fire protection, etc., even better!
• Are all the stakeholders (such as the design firm and building owner) willing to sign an agreement with Autodesk to use their project and models for the purpose of a hero image & other in-product assets such as splash screens?
• Are the design firms willing to share their models with Autodesk? We will need them to create the images using Autodesk 3ds Max Design.

If you would like to showcase the great work your firm has done (and have some bragging rights too!), please contact Armundo Darling with the subject line “ACA and AME Hero Image Submission” for a chance for your project to become the hero image for AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP!