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Greetings!
Visiting Autodesk's Portland Office
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity for an all-
expense paid trip to visit Autodesk's Portland office,
where many of the Inventor team works and plays. Of
course, I jumped at the chance to give them my two
cents on how the software could be improved.
The Inventor team could not be a nicer group of
people. They are sincerely interested in providing real
solutions to the mechanical design world. I do think
that, like a lot of software programmers, they get so
caught up in the whiz-bang features that they neglect
some of the basics.
They were very excited to show me what is coming in
R11. I can't tell you much in the way of
details...except that R11 will be a huge leap forward in
the Inventor software product. If you are not on
subscription, get on subscription now...that way you
will be first in line for this upgrade.
Because Inventor is more than five years old, now it is
getting to the point that users are accumulating legacy
data....symbols, templates, iparts, ifeatures, etc. This
means that new releases will have to support and
manage the migration of all that baggage. Will this
mean that Inventor will become the dinosaur that
AutoCAD has become? I would say, no, based on what
I have seen on future releases. It looks like the
Inventor team will continue to take advantage of the
latest and greatest technology - eyes straight ahead -
and if they have to carry some baggage to keep going,
Inventor has the muscle to do it.
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Missing Image on the Tool Palette |
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In my installation of ADT 2006, the images on my tool
palette were blank.
This was easy to fix. Highlight the tool. Right click and
select 'Properties'. Place your mouse over the blank
icon. Right click and select 'Refresh Image'.
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Stop AutoCAD 2006 from Surfing the Internet |
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Some users do not like their seat of AutoCAD
constantly trying to make contact with Autodesk's
website or surfing the internet. Maybe it is a security
issue or maybe it is just an annoyance.
I found that there is a CAD Manager Control program on
the CD that came with 2006. This program will
completely turn off the Com Center. Also, it will disable
some other online progs if you want. Check it out on
the CD. I found it on my Vault CD that came with
AutoCAD Mechanical. If you have standard AutoCAD,
it's located
at "\Bin\acadFeui\support\CADManagerControl".
To run, simply double click on CADManagerControl.exe.
If you have more than one Autodesk software on your
system, you will be asked which seat of software you
want to modify. You can then permanently turn off
that little annoying satellite dish that resides on your
Autodesk taskbar that pops up balloons to let you know
that Autodesk has posted a hot fix on their website.
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Beware Roses that Smell Like Onions |
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It's an old Yiddish expression, and it means to be
skeptical if someone offers you a deal. Recently an
engineer asked me if he should buy a seat of AutoCAD
2006 from an outfit called RedRoseSoft for $289.
Wow, $289 for Autodesk software....got to be a catch,
right? Well, if you go through their FAQs, they tell you
that the software will be delivered on CDs that are
copied (not in a box) and you will be provided with the
authorization code in the shipment (not likely, since
2006 requires a request code generated by your
hardware.)
It goes on to tell you that the CD is not upgradeable
and not supported by Autodesk. Further investigation
of the site shows that they are overseas (I am betting
Asia or Russia).
If you fall one of these scams, you will get CDs in the
mail. You might even be able to install the software.
And it will work until it time bombs out, just like any
other trial software. If you are lucky, you'll only be out
the original purchase price. If not, you may find
several more charges on your credit card. Save
yourself some grief and only purchase software from
Autodesk directly or from an authorized reseller.
Check out the pirates... »
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Sharing Layouts between SheetSets |
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I use the Sheet Set Manager a lot plotting out
documentation sets. If I have one complaint, it's that I
constantly get the error message that a sheet is
already assigned to a sheet set (why can't a sheet be
assigned to multiple plot packages?).
My work-around...copy the layout sheet to create a
duplicate one and then assign that one to the other
sheet set. Yes, it makes the drawing bigger, but not
by that much and it is easier in the long run.
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Saving Blocks to AutoCAD 2000 from AutoCAD 2006 |
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If you have old seats of AutoCAD in your office, you
may find it difficult to share blocks across the seats.
Jimmy Bergmark has posted a free Visual Basic routine
on his website that allows you to save blocks in 2000
format without having to fuss too much.
Check it out.... »
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Sci Fi Channel Sports Secret Messages |
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If you watch the Sci Fi channel on cable or satellite,
you may not be aware, but you are watching more than
Battlestar Gallactica or Stargate.
According to attorney August Bullock, subliminally
flashed advertisements are sometimes inserted between
the regular commercials and the shows. The subliminal
ads are ordinary ads, promoting everyday items like
cleaning products, computers, and eczema cream.
What's unusual about them is that they only appear for
a fraction of a second - far too fast to be seen
consciously.
Bullock is the author of "The Secret Sales Pitch: An
Overview of Subliminal Advertising," an "underground"
textbook which argues that subliminals have long been
used in media. The flashed subliminal ads were
discovered by a reader who had taped the Sci-fi shows
and was editing out the commercials for future
viewing.
Flashed subliminal ads were used openly in the fifties,
until a public uproar caused the networks to vow never
to employ them. They were later banned by the FCC.
Bullock speculates the Satellite companies might feel
the FCC regulations don't apply to them because their
broadcasting systems are private. Specific examples of
the flash frames and a DVD of the shows are available
at his website at SubliminalSex.com.
Check out the Sci Fi Channel's Subliminal Ads... »
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Free Construction Jobs to Bid On |
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San Jose Blueprint is collecting a database of public
construction jobs for local companies to bid on.
You can be one of the first to be notified about Public
Projects being held at SAN JOSE BLUE.
This subscription service, currently provided free of
subscription fees by SAN JOSE BLUE, allows you to
preview Plans and Specs through PlanWell before
ordering.
If you are in the construction business and looking for
some work, this is a wonderful resource.
Check out projects to bid on... »
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