IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

Autodesk Cloud - Collaborate More and Output Faster

Today, Autodesk released the details for the Autodesk Cloud.  With free services for anyone as well as premium services for their subscription customers.  Let's take a look at the important general cloud utilties as well as the Manufacturing specific.

 

Autodesk® Cloud documents - Formally Project Nitrous (cloud.autodesk.com) – Use this service to store your design documents in the cloud, so you can access them anytime, anywhere and easily share them with colleagues, clients and other users. Viewing capabilities enable users to open and review 2D and 3D DWF™ files through a web browser – without the design software used to create the files. 1 GB of storage space is available for free.* Autodesk® Subscription customers receive 3 GB of storage space for each seat of software on Subscription for the duration of their Subscription contract term.

 

Autodesk® Design Review mobile app – Access your Autodesk Cloud documents on the go with this mobile app. Review 2D and 3D DWF™ files on your mobile device. Redline and annotate 2D drawings while in the field or out of the office. Available free of charge.

 
AutoCAD® WS (www.autodcadws.com) - Design and collaborate across multiple platforms—desktop, web, and mobile devices—with full DWG™ reliability and compatibility. Upload files directly from AutoCAD to your online workspace. View and edit DWG files on your mobile device or on the web – no software required. Available free of charge.

 

Autodesk® Cloud rendering - Formally Project Neon (rendering.cloud.autodesk.com) - Reduce time and costs with this powerful rendering service that enables you to produce compelling, photorealistic visualizations in the cloud—without tying up the desktop or requiring specialized rendering hardware. Available with an Autodesk Subscription to Autodesk® Design Suite Premium, Autodesk® Design Suite Ultimate, Autodesk® Building Design Suite Premium, or Autodesk® Building Design Suite Ultimate.

 

Autodesk® Inventor® optimization (coming soon) — Extend ideation and simulation beyond the desktop by testing the performance of multiple design options in the cloud. Available with an Autodesk Subscription to Autodesk® Product Design Suite Premium or Autodesk® Product Design Suite Ultimate.  This is not available at launch but will be available shortly.

 

Autodesk® Streamline®—Deliver more effective project collaboration with this leading document, design, and model management solution that enables users to securely exchange MFG project information across companies, disciplines, and locations. Available with an Autodesk Subscription to Autodesk® Vault Collaboration.

What is the advantage for Autodesk® Subscription customers?
Autodesk® Subscription customers receive three times the amount of storage space in Autodesk® Cloud (3 GB per seat on Subscription). More storage capacity means you can store, view and share more design documents via the cloud. This translates into more mobility and more power to improve project results, increase collaboration, and accelerate innovation.

In addition, customers with an Autodesk Subscription to select products or suites have exclusive access to Autodesk Cloud services, such as:

• Autodesk® Cloud rendering (Design Suite Premium or Ultimate)
• Autodesk® Inventor® optimization (Coming Soon) (Product Design Suite Ulitmate)
• Autodesk® Streamline® (Vault Collaboration)

Where can I find out which Autodesk® Cloud services I’m entitled to use?

1. Go to http://accounts.autodesk.com
2. Sign in using your existing Autodesk ID and password, or click the button to create a new Autodesk account.
3. After signing in, if you are a Subscription customer, you might need to enter your product serial number to verify your Subscription and see all of the cloud services you’re entitled to use. (Note: To locate your serial number, look for the Help icon on your software’s toolbar – usually located on the top-right corner. Select the pull-down arrow beside the Help icon. From the Help menu, select “About.” Your serial number should appear in the pop-up window.)
4. Once you have signed in and verified your Subscription, you will see a list of the Autodesk® Cloud services you are entitled to use.

How do I access Autodesk® Cloud services?
You can use your Autodesk ID and password to access Autodesk® Cloud services.

If you do not have an Autodesk ID and password, you can create an account by clicking the “Sign In” button (shown below) in your Autodesk product.

What are Cloud Units?
Cloud Units are used to measure how much cloud computing capacity you have used with Autodesk® Cloud services, such as rendering or Inventor® optimization, which use computers to perform computationally intense tasks. Cloud Units help you understand how much capacity you have used.

Are there limits on my use of Autodesk® Cloud services?
Yes there are limits on the use of some Autodesk® Cloud services. 

• The Autodesk® Cloud documents storage space is limited to 1 GB for free* accounts. Subscription customers receive 3 GB of storage per seat on Subscription for the duration of their Subscription contract term. 
• Services like Autodesk® Cloud rendering and Autodesk® Inventor® optimization are limited to a total of 100 Cloud Units per eligible seat on Subscription, per year.

All Autodesk Cloud services are subject to the terms and conditions accompanying them. For all Autodesk Cloud services, it is important that you monitor your use and do not exceed service limits.

Where can I see how much storage and/or how many cloud units I have used?

You can see how much storage and how many Cloud Units you have used by signing in to your account at http://accounts.autodesk.com.

Autocad Snap - No Longer a Drawing Mode to Avoid

Many Autocad users never turn on the Snap Mode because we generally do not draw on a grid.  You must admit with Object Snaps, Polar Tracking, Temporary Tracking Points and Tracking, you probably have no use for running snaps.  I know one other characteristic of Snap Mode that really bothered me was that is was on all the time.  Of course you could press the F9 key and toggle it off when it prevented you from selecting a particular entity.

Autocad 2012 has given new functionality to the Snap Mode function that will give snap snobs like me a reason to try it again.  The big change is now Snap Mode is only effective when the command is requesting a coordinate point selection from the screen.   During commands when coordinate picks are not needed or when executing commands that do not require screen coordinates, the Snap Mode is turned off automatically!  This feature makes the selection of the diagonal line a breeze even with Snap Mode on.

 

Other enhancements include the ability to diaplay the snap grid as a X,Y grid or as a dotted grid which is used in earlier releases of Autocad.  You can specify the grid display type in three Autocad environments, Model Space, Paper Space and Block Editor.

Other enhancements include the Adaptive Grid check box.  When checked the minor grid lines disappear at higher zoom levels and re-appear at lower.  This is similar to earlier versions of Autocad but when the switch is unchecked, the minor grid lines remain visible until they cannot be displayed at the current zoom level.

The Display Grid Beyond Limits switch makes it very easy to expand your grid display without having to execute the limits command and change your template default limits.

 
The last point I wish to mention is a cosmetic or visual change to the grid.  Autocad uses the color Red for the X-Axis and Green for the Y-Axis.  If you desire to apply these colors to the grd, you can find the switch in the Options dialog, under Display, Colors.  You can also apply these colors to you cursor and Autotrack vector lines.

 

 

Autocad 2012 gives me a new respect for Snap Mode, I hope you will have a new appreciation for the tool as well.
 

AutoCAD 2012 Product Announcement - New Features

Autodesk released information on the AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 product release today and while a lot of my readers are heavy on Inventor, there is one thing that almost any designer can agree on.  No matter how much 3D you have, there is always AutoCAD for something.  I am pleased to see the acceptance of 3D into the AutoCAD powerhouse in this release especially.  Over the last couple releases, we have seen Inferred Constraints and Parametric Dimensions.  This year we see some functionality from AutoCAD Mechanical get brought down to the AutoCAD base level and then given a shot of steroids.  That my friends is...

3D Model Documentation (not in LT)

To develop 2D model documentation from 3D CAD data, designers and drafters typically import the data into AutoCAD, one of the world’s most widely used CAD software solutions. Many companies use Autodesk products throughout their entire workflow and rely on Autodesk Inventor 3D mechanical design software. In such cases, data flows more smoothly from Inventor to AutoCAD. Other companies, however, use non-Autodesk software to develop 3D models, which may present data translation issues.

Usually, a manufacturer imports non-native data into AutoCAD in one of two ways—exporting the data to either an open-source DWG file format or to a neutral file format such as IGES, STEP, or ACIS. Exporting data as open-source DWG files, however, may lead to problems; dimensions and lines may shift, formatting may be lost, and objects may lose associated intelligence. Exporting to a neutral file format, on the other hand, is a two-step translation process that can degrade data quality significantly. In both cases, the manufacturer must clean up the 2D documentation before sending it to the shop floor.

But now, thanks to new integrated translators, AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 have overcome historic translation challenges to support the file formats of all major modeling applications. Manufacturers and designers can now import Catia, GT, NX, Parasolid, Pro/ENGINEER, Rhino, and SolidWorks surfaces, solids, and 2D and 3D wire geometry directly into AutoCAD. The data is translated into native AutoCAD geometry and inserted into model space. Parts and assemblies in the original models are preserved, helping to maintain data integrity.

For manufacturers and designers using Autodesk Inventor, the import process is even smoother. There’s no translation at all—the native files are used to create drawings directly in AutoCAD. The AutoCAD file maintains its associative relationship with the Inventor file—and whenever the Inventor file is updated, the AutoCAD documentation updates automatically. Importing 3D CAD data into AutoCAD is now easier than ever. A user accesses the Import tool from the Import panel of the Insert ribbon tab, then selects a desired file format from the dropdown list of file types. Because the translation process happens in the background, users are free to do other tasks.

When the import process is complete, a bubble notification displays the translated file name. Once a file is imported, the user can modify its data using standard AutoCAD editing tools—and document the 3D model using new model documentation tools discussed below. The ability to bring 3D model data from virtually any source directly into AutoCAD can help manufacturers speed the model documentation process, reduce the potential for error, and reduce barriers when partnering with companies using any type of CAD software.

Network Content

Quickly find design content based on file objects or text attributes. The Autodesk Content Explorer functionality creates an index of your data based on where you instruct it to look, helping you quickly access files. You can explore, or browse into, DWG files in order to access and insert blocks, layers, linetypes, styles, and more. Unlike the Design Center tool, Content Explorer is built on a Google®-like index, so you can quickly search for design objects across folders containing thousands of files; the results appear instantaneously. In addition, Content Explorer provides a single interface for browsing and searching other content sources, such as Autodesk Seek web service.

The Content Explorer searches for content in specified locations that are included in an index. Their activity is continually monitored by the Content Service, which is installed with AutoCAD, and the index is automatically updated to reflect changes. By default, the search index includes the AutoCAD Sample and Downloaded Content folders as well as the Autodesk Seek site. You can easily add your own local and network content to the index.

Add your own local folders to the Content Explorer index using the Add Watched Folder option at the bottom of the Content Explorer window or by dragging folders from Windows Explorer to Content Explorer. The folders are not moved or copied; they’re simply added to the search index.

In addition to searching content on your local computer, Content Explorer can also search one or more network computers. However, it requires the Content Service to run on the network computers and build an index on that machine. This provides a single index that all clients can access and search. Therefore, in order to support searching on network drives, software needs to be installed separately on the network computer. This software, called Autodesk Content Service, is available from your AutoCAD 2012 installer under Tools and Utilities. Make sure this program is checked; then install it on one or more network computers.

AutoCAD WS

This is the same functionality included in the 2011 Subscription Pack and is now available to all users.  This will give you publish to the web app options for your drawings for enhanced collaboration and usability.

Inventor Fusion 2012

In 2012, all versions and flavors of AutoCAD (except LT) will ship with Inventor Fusion and the option to launch the Direct Modeler from AutoCAD (see image above).  Fusion has now graduated from the Autodesk Labs site and is now a full fledged product.  A lot of features have been added to it since TP3 and TP4.  If you really want Inventor with your LT though, you should really consider the AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite which comes with Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT for a really low price compared to buying them separately.

Those are the big enhancements for me, the rest you can see here as well as a comparison matrix for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT...

Download Autocad_vs_autocadlt_comparison_matrix_en

Download Autocad_2012_preview_guide_en

Be sure to also check out the new suites available as well. These suites include additional programs for a very small up charge, but really help take your designs to new levels.

Autodesk Design Suite

I should also mention our 2012 update book from ASCENT which is one of two certified publishers is also now available and already in our ProductivityNOW portal for our subscribers of that program.

I will be posting updates to this blog throughout the week as well as additional videos as they become available.  Feel free to post in the comments area if you want to see something specific from the What's New Preview.  I do have the ready to ship build on my machine. :)

New Autodesk General Design 2012 Product Suites

 

Autodesk relayed their new Product Suites today on their special media webcast.  Here is the breakdown of the Autodesk  Design Suite which is geared toward the general design users.  Inventor Fusion 2012 is also included in all the suites.

Standard:  For any AutoCAD user  who needs to turn designs into compelling imagery and presentations to help accelerate the approval process and path to new business

• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Autodesk Sketchbook Designer
• Autodesk Mudbox
• Autodesk Showcase

Premium:  For architects and designers who need best-in-class workflows for turning designs into high-quality imagery, animations, and presentations to help accelerate the approval process and path to new business.

• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design
• Autodesk Sketchbook Designer
• Autodesk Mudbox
• Autodesk Showcase

Ultimate:  For advanced designers responsible for the entire design process who want to express their creative inspiration and preserve their design intent from concept modeling to final visualization.

• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Autodesk Alias Design
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design
• Autodesk Sketchbook Designer
• Autodesk Mudbox
• Autodesk Showcase

AutoCAD Shortcut List

I find myself teaching AutoCAD this week and wondered to myself why I haven't put this up on the blog sooner.  It's not rocket science or some elaborate tip or earth shattering workflow.  Just a nice handout for your cubicle wall for AutoCAD hotkeys.  Feel free to modify the Excel spread sheet as you see necessary.

Download COMMAND ALIASES

Remember, you can modify the aliases with the acad.pgp file as well.

AutoCAD P&ID - Project Reference

Over the last couple months I have taught some P&ID classes and wanted to share some basic information my Manufacturing readers that may be doing P&ID in their work.  This is the first of a couple White Papers that I plan on releasing in the near future.  This is just a simple one the Project Manager that P&ID uses and it one of the best project managers I have used in some time.  While it is similar to the AutoCAD Electrical project manager, it has its own drawbacks and advantages, but this is the jist of how it is laid out and some common things you will see in the interface including Work History and what the little glyphs on the icons relate to.

Download AutoCAD P&ID - Project Reference

AutoCAD... Back in Mac

Autodesk announced that AutoCAD will be returning to the Macintosh operating system starting with AutoCAD 2011.  Not only will it be available on OS X, Autodesk has also slated Project Butterfly to graduate from Autodesk Labs to become AutoCAD WS for use with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch mobile devices.  source: Autodesk

Autodesk has slowly been providing support back to the Mac for some time now.  Some programs becoming native like Autodesk Smoke, and others showing support in bootcamp or parallel modes with a Windows license.  Not only will Autodesk fully support the product on the OS environment, it will also provide full 100% DWG compatibility between Windows and OS X.

  

Adding Toolbars with the Ribbon: AutoCAD

In my last post I discussed the Quick Access Toolbar which is highly customizable to the user without being unwieldy.  This time lets look at adding our toolbars we would normally associate with the Classic interface.

First up, in 2011 this is now an option on the View Tab --> Windows Panel --> Toolbars command.  In older versions of AutoCAD (2009 and 2010) you will have to do something else which I will show at the end.

 

Next find one that you like to add to the interface.  Me? I prefer the old Dimension toolbar.

I know what you are thinking, that the commands there are repeated in the Ribbon.  Actually they are repeated twice in the Ribbon, some are on the Home Tab and some also appear on the Annotate Tab.  Consider using ones that you are accustomed to.  After all, Customization is at the heart of any AutoCAD power user.  Autodesk cannot foresee everyone's methods, they can only work with who screams the loudest.

Now if you have 2009 or 2010, simply go to the Quick Access Toolbar and hit the far right button to get the fly out and chose Show Menu Bar.  If you have trouble remembering that there is a command that toggles it on called MENUBAR.  Set that sucker to 1 to turn it on.

 

Now you access to all your old Menu pull downs.  Go to the Tools one and find Toolbars to bring in your favorite little bar.

Hope this makes your time in AutoCAD more productive!

What's in your Quick Access Toolbar? - AutoCAD 2011

The quick access toolbar is one of my favorite aspects of the Ribbon although most users I come across do not know how useful it can really be.

First off, I really don't understand why Autodesk put the Workspace pull down up here other than to help people use the antiquated toolbar system faster.  So that is the first thing I change.  Right click on the Workspace pull down and select Remove from Quick Access Toolbar.

I do like having a pull down up there, just not that one.  What I add is the Layers pull down so no matter where I go in the Ribbon I can always have my Layers available to me without having to go back to the Home Tab.  To add that just right click on your Layers pull down and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

Some items are already considered by Autodesk to be customizable for the QAT.  If you select the far right arrow key on the QAT you can find some commonly added items courtesy of the CIP data.  I personally add Match Properties because I do not like its location on the Clipboard Panel.

When all is said and done I usually have my QAT looking like the one below with Layer Control, Match Properties, and Measure Geometry added to it.

Don't forget you can also display the QAT below the Ribbon if you find yourself using it a whole lot more.  For instance I suppose you could look at the QAT as your super tool bar and not need any of the old style toolbars.

In the next post we will take a look at how to add those old style toolbars to the interface without feeling forced to use the AutoCAD classic interface.

Feel free to post what you add to the QAT in the comments.  I would like to hear about some other perspectives.

 

Software Hotfix and Service Pack Round up. Yee-haw!!!

Well there partners, the 2011 software has been out for a little while now and it is time to look and see if anything was missed from beta testing to final shipment as well as perhaps examine our older software if we are running on it still too.  Let's start off with the 2011 line.

Inventor 2011

Hotfix: Inventor 2011 unexpectedly exits upon feature creation : This was a biggie for a a portion of users.  The error was with specific setups and caused Inventor to crash during creation of features while using the new Direct Manipulation mini toolbar.

Hotfix: Occasional performance degradation seen with Inventor 2011 and Windows 7 : This address performance issues with some aspects of Windows 7 and Inventor 2011.  A must for users of Windows 7 to install.

Hotfix: Change parameter value from linked Excel file does not update sketch : This hotfix addresses users of Excel files in conjunction with Inventor models that push updates through Excel and not the parameter table directly.  This only really applies to you if you follow this modeling method.

AutoCAD 2011

AutoCAD 2011 CHM based help : This addresses issues for some users that have trouble with the new online based help system for AutoCAD.  With this notice you can download the CHM file directly for help information rather than the online method in AutoCAD 2011.

Vault 2011

Vault Update 1 : Fixes a variety of issues with all flavors of Vault.  WARNING, failure to follow the read me instructions may result in unusable sites so watch your Ps and Qs.

So with the 2011 products only out for a short period of time (a little over a month) why do we have these issues?  Well, my first question is... Did YOU beta test or report issues?  Beta testing is one of the easiest ways for Autodesk to find issues with code before it ships by actually getting it in the hands of the users.  2011 was in beta for at least 4 months to a lot of users.  The argument against that is that you do not have enough time to beta test and get work out.  I understand that and so does Autodesk, but if you are passionate enough about the software they will get their users that beta test every time (me). 

A majority of these issues are due to fact that once you release a product to a million user base, there will be things that pop up.  Its great to see they react and get patches out in a timely matter.  This is an important reason to turn on the Customer Involvement Program and to send details on crash reports so these items can be tracked and tasked in a priority manner.  You can also log issues directly with Autodesk through your subscription center account and get direct tracking information and updates on your issues. 

So enough about my soapbox lecturing and on to the 2010 updates.

Inventor 2010

Service Pack 3 : This service pack address a host of minor issues and user requests to the software.  The most important thing to install the correct version.  There is a SP# for x86 and x64 but also for users of the advantage pack as well.  Make sure you download and install the correct version for your setup.  Make sure you disable UAC on Vista or Win7 if you are using those operating systems and that you have installed the previous Service Packs before this one.  Remember, Inventor SPs are not inclusive of the previous SP and must be installed in order of SP number.  There is actually a fix listed in here to be able to use Custom Parameter iParts with iAssemblies.  I have not tried that out yet, but I am intrigued.

AutoCAD 2010

Service Pack 2 : The AutoCAD update actually includes all hotfixes of Service Pack 1 so you do not need to install the first SP in this case.