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Greetings!
Happy New Year!
Let's hope in 2004 we all are fully employed and our
talents fully utilized. It is depressing to think about all
the wonderful unused talent in the US right now.
Despite what some say, we have one of the most
talented, best educated, and skilled workforces in the
world.
Have you Got your FormZ Calendar?
Every year for the last several years, I get a calendar
from FormZ. Each month features a terrific model
created using FormZ software. The calendar is a
wonderful item and looks great in my office.
If you don't get a FormZ calendar, you are truly missing
out.
To learn more...
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Have you Seen the DWFit Video? |
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Autodesk showed this animation at AU in December and
it is extremely entertaining.
It's best if you have a DSL or T1 connection.
I warn you that the lyrics are pretty catchy and you
may find yourself with the tune stuck in your head.
Check it out... »
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Creating a Custom Linetype |
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It is easier than ever to create custom linetypes in
2004. That's because 2004 includes Express Tools and
Express Tools includes the Make Linetype and Make
Shape tools.
I'm trying to make the following new linetype:
-----//-----//-----//-----//-----//
I need to have the dashes pass through the solid line,
whereas right now I can only program them to go in
order, i.e. line dash dash line dash dash line, etc.
Add this to your acad.lin:
*Tracks, -----/-/-----/-/-----
A,.635,[TRACK1,ltypeshp,r=150,s=.06],.15,
[TRACK1,ltypeshp,r=150,s=.06],.635
The shape "TRACK1" is standard can be found in
the "ltypeshp.SHP" shape file which comes with any
version of AutoCAD from r14 on. It is preloaded on the
standard templetes and is probably already loaded in
your drawings.
I usually define any custom linetypes in a new file
called custom-linetypes.lin and store it as far away
from AutoCAD as possible to ensure upgrades don't
blow it away. Using Notepad as your linetype editor is
the best method.
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More Power under the Hood |
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Have you heard of ObjectDBX?
ObjectDBX type libraries are available for your use as
part of AutoCAD. Many people are actively using these
type libraries and so can you. ObjectDBXTM type
libraries have been revisited in the 2004 applications
with new additions and fixes to match the many
improvements to the AutoCAD 2004 object model.
These libraries can be leveraged using VB for your PLM
applications.
Richard Binning has posted some great tutorials and
sample code on his website. Check out the link below..
Learn more »
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Creating Shortcut Keys In Inventor R8 |
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A shortcut key means you can invoke a command by
pressing a single key or combination of keys on your
keyboard. Inventor has many predefined keys. Some
of the keys are environmental-linked. For example, S
creates a new Sketch in a Part file. You can only use a
single letter either alone or in combination with Shift,
Ctrl or Alt keys. You cannot create a shortcut like FI
for fillet.
If you plan to create and use a lot of shortcuts, try to
develop a shortcut schema.
An example schema might be:
- In the Part environment, use a single letter -
usually the first letter of the command.
- In the Drawing environment, use Alt+Letter
- In the Assembly environment, use Shift+Letter
- In the Presentation environment, use Ctrl+Letter
- For Windows-style commands, use Ctrl+Letter
Remember that shortcuts assigned to the numeric
keypad are unavailable on laptop computers.
Uppercase letters are always used. Do not use the
Shift key in combination with a letter to enter an
uppercase letter because it will result in a shortcut
Shift+letter.
Download a tutorial & list of defined Inventor shortcut keys »
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Rules change for AEC industry in China |
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New regulations going into effect in China are changing
the way that international designers and contractors do
business there. China's entry into the World Trade
Organization requires opening its construction market to
foreign participation. For the first time, the regulations
allow wholly owned foreign enterprises in the country's
construction industry. But the new rules are also likely
to end the ability to work in the country on a project
by project basis.
Read on... »
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Results from the AUGI Elections |
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Richard Binning, Jill King, R. Robert Bell and Yoshi Honda
have been elected to a two year term to serve on
Autodesk User Group International's Board of Directors.
Personally, I had been rooting for Mike Perry - since he
is from the UK and it would have been nice to have at
least one director from outside North America, plus he
is a really nice guy and active in the AUGI forums.
However, I am not unhappy with the results. As the
current board says, the field of candidates this year
was impressive...any one who won would have made a
great contribution to the board and I hope the losing
candidates run again next year.
This was Jill King's third try at the board and I guess
the third try was the charm. Jill is from Colorado,
active in her LUG. She is quiet, charming, and very self-
possessed. She will be the only woman director on the
board and she will have her hands full. The guys on
the board, like most guys, like to interrupt and talk over
each other. She will have to make a special effort to
make herself heard, but sometimes the quietest voice in
the room gets the most attention.
R. Robert Bell was a walk-up candidate at AU. Is that
amazing? Someone attends AU, meets the board, and
decides - hey, I'll throw my hat in the ring ...and wins!
Yoshi Honda was a walk-up candidate six years ago and
was AUGI President last year, so it bodes well for
Robert. Robert is quite a character in person. He is
witty and very sharp. John Moran, a veteran board
member, is the Bennet Cerf on the board. I have no
doubt between John Moran and Robert Bell, there will
be some much needed comic relief during the long
tedious board meetings.
The first photo Richard Binning sent of himself for
the campaign was him in his Cat in the Hat costume at
the office. The ability not to take yourself too
seriously will certainly help Richard as he tries to
navigate through the various tasks ahead.
If you know any of these new directors (or even if
you don't), send them a congratulatory email and wish
them well. The next two years are going to be a lot of
hard work and no pay.
Check out AUGI... »
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Inventor Visual Basic Sample |
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At Autodesk University, I was sitting in a class taught
by Brian Eikens - who is a wonderful programmer and
developer at Autodesk in the Inventor division. A
student next to me asked if there was a way to export
coordinate data from Inventor to Excel. I said sure
thing, and I would email him some sample code.
Unfortunately, I mislaid his business card.
However, if he buys my Inventor R8 Mastering the
Rubicon text (available in February 2004), he will find
the sample code in there. I have expanded the VBA
chapter so there are now eight different exercises.
Of course, you may not want to buy the book...so I am
providing you a taste here. You can download the
sample code that allows you to export the hole data
from a part into an Excel spreadsheet.
In order to run the code, you need Excel, Inventor 5 or
better, and Visual Basic.
Download the tutorial »
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AutoCAD 2004 Tips |
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If you want to save your AutoCAD file to a floppy disk
in what is typically labeled the A drive, you should
never do so directly from within AutoCAD. To do so,
you need to invoke the SAVEAS command, and then
enter the path (including the drive) and drawing name
in the Save As Drawing dialog box. However, as you
continue to work, AutoCAD will repeatedly look to your
A drive for resources, which causes AutoCAD to get
bogged down since the A drive isn't as fast or reliable
as your computer's hard drive. A better way to get
your work on a floppy disk is to first type qsave at the
command line, choose File Save, or press [Ctrl]S to
save the file on your hard drive. If this is the first time
you saved your file, the Save Drawing As dialog box
launches and you'll need to name your file and choose a
location for your file on your hard drive. If you saved
the file at a previous time, the SAVE command simply
updates the drawing with all of the changes you made
to it since the last save. Next, type saveas at the
command line, or choose File Save As to launch (or
relaunch) the Save Drawing As dialog box. Finally, right-
click on the filename you just used to save your work in
the Save Drawing As dialog box, and choose Send To >
3 1/2 Floppy (A) in the resulting shortcut menu to save
the file to a floppy disk without disrupting the path
AutoCAD uses to find the file's resources.
You can Drag 'n' Drop a TXT file into your drawing from
either a Folder Window or the Windows Explorer. This
could be a fast way of dropping in specification notes.
Command Line Sequence:
Command: DTEXT
Justify/Style/ :
Height <0.2000>:
Rotation angle <0>:
Text: {Drag 'n' Drop TXT file at the cursor location on
the screen.}
The new SOLIDEDIT command (open the Edit Solids
toolbar for easy access) has an option that lets you
separate solids. Many people have been confused
about this option, because it requires that the solids be
non-touching. So aren't they already separate? It turns
out that the UNION command can combine non-
touching solids. Think of it as a way of grouping solids.
Then, the Separate option can separate these solids.
This tip applies to AutoCAD 2004. Although you may
typically run AutoCAD by accessing a license from a
network license server, there may be situations where
you need to run AutoCAD without access to the
network. For example, you may need to work from
home or a project site. Or maybe the network is
scheduled for extended maintenance and will be
inaccessible to an entire department. With AutoCAD
2004, you can borrow (check out) a network license for
up to 30 days. You can return (check in) the license
early or simply let it expire, automatically returning the
license to the server. To borrow a network license,
choose Programs > AutoCAD 2004 > License Borrowing
Utility from the Windows Start menu. License borrowing
is an installation option when creating a network
deployment, so if you cannot find this utility, check
with your CAD manager.
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