LT Unlimited

Imagine, Design, Create: A new book from Autodesk

Autodesk is at TED 2011 this week. (If you want to see some crazy good lectures, check out their archives.) You can read about one of our projects on Scott Sheppard’s It is Alive in the Lab.

The other project is also very exciting – we’ve published a book!

From our press release:

Imagine, Design, Create explores the innovative thinking behind the work of a wide range of companies and designers, ranging from the world’s largest and most established companies to new and emerging designers. The book includes hundreds of beautiful images and illustrations, as well as interviews with industry leaders and innovators using fresh design approaches and new design capabilities to create buildings, products, and entertainment experiences.

I always like seeing the neat things that customers do with our software, so I can’t wait to see the book in person. TED 2011 attendees got a free copy, and it will be available for purchase soon.

Are you certified?

In a lot of industries, it helps to have someone who will attest to your professional knowledge and expertise. (Preferably someone with authority in that industry – my mom thinks I’m great, but that hasn’t ever helped me get a job.)

Usually, the easiest way to acquire these credentials is to take a test: architects have the AREs, engineers have PE exams, lawyers take the bar exam…what about CAD professionals?

They take Autodesk Certification Exams. Becoming an Autodesk Certified User is a way to show your boss, your colleagues, and even potential employers that you know your stuff.

Associate- and Professional-level exams are available for the following products:

• AutoCAD 2011
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011
• Autodesk Inventor 2011
• Autodesk Maya 2011

Both exams are multiple choice, but the Professional exam requires you to complete tasks in the software to obtain the correct answer.

There are lots of resources available to help you study (although a lot of it’s based on things you do every day…you shouldn’t have to cram), including practice tests to help you see if you’re ready for the real thing.

You can take the tests online, or at an Autodesk Certification Center.

Once you pass, you get a certificate, permission to use the Autodesk Certified User logo on your business correspondence, and a listing in the directory of Certified Professionals.

All in all, not a bad investment in your professional career development!

Setting SMART Goals

Happy New Year! Have you made any resolutions yet?

I hope not.

“Resolutions” are generally vague, unspecific, and quickly broken. I know I haven’t been successful at keeping many of mine in years past.

So instead of resolutions, how about setting some goals – and SMART ones at that.

I’m not using the caps here to yell at you (never an effective motivational technique). SMART is an acronym representing the characteristics of an well-defined goal.

SMART goals are:

• Specific (What, exactly, am I going to do?)
• Measurable (How will I know when I’ve succeeded?)
• Attainable (Is what I want to do really possible?)
• Relevant (Is what I want to do really important?)
• Time-bound (How long will it take?)

Some of the items are related (part of the specificity might be the metrics by which you will measure success), but it’s a really useful mnemonic device.

How can you put this into practice?

A resolution might be, “This year, I’m going to update my CAD Standards Manual.”

But a SMART Goal would be: “By March 1st, I am going to rewrite the sections of the CAD Standards Manual that deal with layers, file storage, and annotation. I will put the revised PDF files on the server and in an icon in the AutoCAD LT interface for my colleagues. I will also create, print, and distribute a one-page handout with the main points of the standards as an desk reference.”

Don’t you agree that the goal will be easier to accomplish than the nebulous resolution? You have a deadline, measureable results, and specific tasks to get there.

Set goals, make plans, and stick to them. In my opinion, that’s better than a resolution any day.

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.

“See the Advantage” Virtual Event TODAY

Autodesk’s “See the Advantage” Virtual Event gives you all the advantages of attending a seminar -- presentations, an exhibition hall, networking opportunities – right from the comfort of your own computer. Today’s event focuses on Autodesk’s AEC products like AutoCAD Architecture, Revit Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D, as well as AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

To quote from one of the official event descriptions: “Be among the first to see how the latest Autodesk solutions can help you See the Advantage in your project workflow, from the newest productivity features in the AutoCAD family of products to the latest enhancements in the Autodesk solutions for building information modeling.”

It starts TODAY at 10:00 Eastern (7:00 Pacific), and the AutoCAD LT webcast is at 1:00 Eastern (10:00 Pacific), so hop on over to the registration page (www.autodesk.com/seetheadvantage) and I’ll see you there!

AutoCAD WS brings DWG editing to iOS and web

Do either of the following scenarios sound familiar?

• You’re out in the field, trying to add some notes to your drawing to document an as-built condition, and you think, “It’d be really nice if the team at the office could see this now.”
• You’re on the phone with a colleague or client, trying to explain something about one of your drawings, and they’re just not understanding. You’re thinking,“Gosh, it’d be great if I could just show them what I mean.”

You’ve been there? Me too. And today is your lucky day!

That’s because with the launch of AutoCAD WS, you can now put your drawings in the cloud so you have access to them wherever you go. Once your drawing is in AutoCAD WS, you can make basic edits to the drawing and add markups that are saved right in the file. They’re only shared if you want them to be, so it’s up to you who else can see them (if anybody).

You can either work on the drawing and then send the comments to somebody else after the fact, or you can work collaboratively with one or more people at the same time. Way cool. (Although when you try it, remember that everybody sees the same thing all the time. So if you want to pan or zoom, make sure you’re not interrupting somebody else’s work when you do it. Shaan Hurley and I got in a bit of a tug-of-was yesterday when I didn’t realize what was going on…oops.)

Here’s what AutoCAD WS looks like on the web, in your browser of choice:

You’ll see a lot of your favorite AutoCAD functions here—despite the fact that it’s a simplified web editor, there are over 100 commands available.

If you have an iOS device—an iPhone, an iPad, or an iPod Touch, go get AutoCAD WS Mobile from the iTunes App Store.

The mobile version is more scaled back than the web version, but still amazingly functional.

So, how do you get AutoCAD WS?

For your browser, just visit www.autocadws.com. Either create a new account, or use the one you already have for the discussion forums or some of our other communities. AutoCAD WS is part of the Autodesk Single Sign-On, so if you already have an account with us, try that one before you create a new one.

For your iPad/iPhone/iPod, fire up iTunes and search for AutoCAD WS.

Notice the little price bubble? That’s right, it’s FREE! Free is good.

And now that you’ve got AutoCAD WS, how do you get your drawings in there? Again, there are two ways. You can either upload drawings from the web version, or go grab the brand new plug-in available for AutoCAD LT 2011 (English). Find it at http://www.autocadws.com/downloads.

This plug-in adds a tab to your ribbon with all the tools for uploading and sharing. Anybody can use it—you don’t have to be on subscription.

Pretty neat, don’t you think? Will this help you in your day-to-day work? (Maybe it’ll even help convince the boss that you need an iPad?)

Autodesk Student License Now Good for 3 Years

You probably already knew that students can get free Autodesk software through the Autodesk Education Community. (And if you didn’t know before, now you do.)

The news for today, though, is that the student license now has a 3-year term, so you can hang on to your software for longer.

Over 25 products are available for download, including AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, 3ds Max, and Maya.

One important quote from the fine print: “To join the Education Community you need to be a full-time student or faculty member participating in a valid academic program at the secondary or postsecondary level.” (Read the full FAQ here.) If you’re not a student but aren’t currently employed, check out the Autodesk Assistance Program instead for access to free software & discounted training.

Yes, It’s True: AutoCAD for Mac is Back

You’ve probably heard the rumors, and today they’re rumors no more: AutoCAD has returned to the Mac.

You’ve been able to run “AutoCAD on a Mac” for a while with Parallels and Bootcamp, but AutoCAD for Mac will run natively on Mac OS X. And this wasn’t just porting the code over—it was a complete rewrite to make it a true Mac product. The result is the AutoCAD you know and love (complete with LISP, parametrics, surfaces, solids, meshes, rendering, etc.) with the addition of Mac features like Cover Flow, Multi-Touch gestures, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad. Files are still the genuine DWG format, so you can easily collaborate with AutoCAD users on Windows or Mac.

AutoCAD for Mac won’t be shipping until later this fall, but it’ll be available for pre-order from some of our partners soon. For more details on the product and purchase options, visit www.autodesk.com/autocadformac.

Also announced today is AutoCAD WS for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Previously known as Project Butterfly, AutoCAD WS lets you share and edit AutoCAD files from your mobile device. Look for it soon on the Apple App Store.

Shaan Hurley has a more extensive post on AutoCAD for Mac, and I’m sure by the end of the day you’ll have enough reading material to keep you busy until the product ships. Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but this is big news! We’re excited – are you?

AutoCAD Sneak Peak in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Seattle

Well, the announcements just keep coming this week – here’s one from the AutoCAD team.

AutoCAD Sneak Peek!

If you are located in the San Francisco, Sacramento or Seattle areas, you have a rare opportunity to test drive some new features in AutoCAD and contribute your feedback to future releases.

The AutoCAD User Experience team, in conjunction with Ideate, Inc. would like to invite you to join them for a sneak peek and test drive of a future version of AutoCAD. Members of the AutoCAD team will be there to introduce you to new and enhanced AutoCAD features.

Interested in attending an event in San Francisco, Sacramento or Seattle? Here’s what Autodesk is looking for:

• Day-to-day users of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT
• Users proficient in 2D drafting
• Users interested in or proficient in 3D modeling
• All levels – beginning to advanced

In a casual focus-group style, the AutoCAD team wants to let you try out some in-progress features and get your input as they solidify their ideas for an upcoming release. They’ll include time at the end of the session for general feedback and they’ll be happy to discuss any issues or wish list items with you at that time. Your input is critical in shaping the future of AutoCAD and the AutoCAD team depends on and values your ideas.

These full-day events are being held between September 15 - September 24, 2010.

To sign up, please take this brief survey. Seats are limited and we can't guarantee a spot to everyone who fills out the survey; we’ll confirm your event registration by email.

Click Here to Take the Survey

Update 1 for AutoCAD LT 2011 Now Available

Man, it’s a busy week for blog posts. Lots of things going on that deserved to get posted right away, instead of waiting for the usual schedule.

The latest item in the news flood is that Update 1 for AutoCAD LT 2011 is now available for download. You can get 32-bit and 64-bit versions here, just make sure to get the one that matches your operating system.

Many of the fixes in the update are direct results of input from the Customer Error Reporting utility (that dialog that shows up when AutoCAD LT crashes) – yes, we do read those! Here’s a partial list of features affected by the update:

• 2D Display
• Annotation Scaling
• Attributes
• Customize User Interface (CUI)
• DGN Support
• External References
• File Navigation
• General UI
• Graphic System
• Hatch
• Inquiry
• Image
• Layer
• Open/Save
• Other
• Parametric Drawing
• Partial Open
• PDF Export
• Ribbon
• Selection
• Selection Highlighting

The full Readme is also available if you want more details. But it’s always a good idea to read it before installing anyway.