20 August 2008
Chris Rand, Editor
TOP BLOG POSTS
From the Alibre CEO blog: Is Frugality Fashionable? - “Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich. -Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Major economic headwinds continue to hammer individuals and businesses, making them increasingly value-focused…”
From WorldCAD Access: ADSK Q2: Up 18% - “Autodesk reports Q2 revenues of $620 million, up 18% over a year ago. The company expects FY09 revenues of $2.50-2.53 billion. Will Future Earnings Dim? Like most other CAD vendors, Autodesk has benefited from the relatively low US dollar…”
From SolidSmack.com: Craving 3D Multi-Touch Holograms? This May Help - “I see you wavin’ your hands around like your folding laundry, but that imagery floating around you is just all kinds of freaky… OHhhh, those are holograms and your moving them around with your knuckles and those sensors in your hand…”
From SolidSmack.com: Friday Smackdown: It Stings A Bit - “Yes, it’s all about proportion. You gotta have just the right amount of slap and the right amount of sizzle. Too much of one or the other and suddenly there are parasite infestations and mandatory curfews. These links are good example…”
From SolidSmack.com: PhotoView360: SolidWorks and Luxology TeamUP Bigtime - “And when I say TeamUP, I mean TeamUP with a capital UP a two giant arm motions that scare you into a flared fetal position. SolidWorks and Luxology are rockin’ the 3D rendering scene with a whole new technology that is gonna FLOOR yo…”
From SolidSmack.com: It’s Shiny: SolidWorks 2009 Launch Site: Launches - “Well hello and good morning. Nice to see ya. How are the kids? Oh, that box graphic over to the left? That’s the fresh new look of SolidWorks 2009. A new version or something. A lot of hub bub going on about it these day…”
From SolidSmack.com: Hey Look. SolidWorks 2009 Videos - “Have you ever seen pictures that move? I hear they call it ‘Video’ or something. I also hear that there are some snazzy ‘video’ demos of the new SolidWorks 2009 functionality at a place called ‘the YouTube…”
From WorldCAD Access: CAD in the Olympics? - “There isn’t much coming out of the PR departments of CAD vendors regarding the olympics. I think some Bentley software might be been used in the design of the stadium and/or water cube. Dunno…”
From the CADDmanager blog: Frugal or Cheap? - “Are you one or the other? Frugality is the practice of (from Wikipedia) acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal. Cheap is….”
From WorldCAD Access: Shapeways: 3D Printing for Consumers - “Shapeways may have figured out how to make 3D printing easy for consumers. It works like this: Log into www.shapeways.com, and then register. Click Make, and then click Make your own…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Interior Partition - Offset Finishes - “If you need a finish material to carry up to a different elevation on one side from the other. There are a couple methods you can consider. One, using Edit Cut Profile, is a drafting exercise that doesn’t affect the model itself…”
From the CADDmanager blog: How Dirty is ‘Quick and Dirty’? - “Exchanging data between programs is a fairly common thing nowdays. Everyone is sending files from one firm to another, from one project to another and from one software platform to another. Most of the time it works fairly well…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Structural Foundation Parameter Issue - “While working on some Structural Foundation Pile Cap families I noticed that the stock parameters Length and Width would not permit data entry changes in a schedule. Take the stock Structural Foundation.rft family template…”
From WorldCAD Access: 6D Graphics from MIT - “Researchers at MIT are demo’ing a six-dimensional graphics display. The first four dimensions are space and time (as always), the remaining two are lighting and shadows…”
From SolidSmack.com: SolidWorks Tips in 140 Characters: or Less - “What good is Twitter for? It’s a powerful tool for many people as well as for businesses building brands, but it’s even more powerful where there’s a strong user bas…”
From the CAD Insider blog: Lusting for a New Laptop - “LOS ANGELES, CA (SIGGRAPH 08), Aug 13, 2008 - New HP and ThinkPad mobile workstations were on display at the recent SIGGRPAPH show. I must say I’m partial to ThinkPads. The TrackPoint seals the deal for me…”
From the CADDmanager blog: Four T’s of CAD - “Tools - Talent - Technology - Training These four T’s can be used to define your efforts in you job. Combine these four and you get a balanced approach to CAD. Tools relates to the ones that you select…”
From the Beside The Cursor blog: What are you doing? Follow AUGI at AU using Twitter - “What are you doing? This year it will be easier than ever to find out about Autodesk University happenings by using Twitter. If you are already using twitter then click this link or the image shown…”
From the Beside The Cursor blog: Snagit Quick Tip - Use SNAG format for Screen Captures - “Here’s a tip for all you snagit users. Next time you create a screen capture. Save the file as a “SNAG” format file. This maintains all your annotation objects (text, arrow heads, stamps, etc.) as…”
From SolidSmack.com: Friday Smackdown: Robot Pin Glue - “Five, even six would be ok, but if take another one of those creatures into the field I’ll be cleaning actuators and lookin’ at these links all nigh…”
From the Beside The Cursor blog: Use the Alt Key to Align Annotation in Snagit - “Tired of inserting a line or stamp or an arrow head in your snagit screen capture only to have to go back and move the endpoints? This typically happens when you’ve already got some vector based…”
From SolidSmack.com: Martin JetPack: The Kids Will Want One - “Of all the things you could use to get from point A to point B, the best and most obvious choice for the future, I’m convinced, will be the Jetpac…”
From SolidSmack.com: The Mystery of the Disappearing SolidWorks Drawing View - “Getting just the right detailed drawing view of a model can take immense amounts of time. More than they really should for products designed in 3…”
From SolidSmack.com: The Engineer’s Guide to Smashing Steampunk Design - “The mist clears and a brassy, leather-clad apparition appears towering above with nothing but a low hum and muffled wirring of clicks and spring…”
From WorldCAD Access: SU Podium Renders SketchUp on Macs - “Cadalog now has a Mac version of their SU Podium v1.5 rendering plug-in for SketchUp. Windows users can “upgrade” to the Mac version for free…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Revit 2010 - “I had a chance to take a look at Revit 2010 last night. In a word, WOW! Each and every Wish List item I personally have is supplied. Curtain walls, stairs, railings, text and on and on…”
From the BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International: Web Browser and Operating System stats for BL(AUGI), July 2008 - “Shown below are Web Browser and Operating System stats for BLAUGI and AUGI (July 2008). The Pie charts were put together using a combination of Google Analytics and Google Chart API…”
From WorldCAD Access: Pay For Not Being On Maintenance - “CAD vendors have been pitching subscriptions/maintenance as a way of (1) smoothing quarterly revenues; and (2) locking customers in…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Schedule Data Entry - Bug? Wierd? - “Lately I’ve been seeing a recurring issue that could probably fit under or in my Dept. of Subtle. I need a bit more evidence to be sure it is a bug, though my “gut” says it is…”
From SolidSmack.com: SolidWorks World 2009 Site Goes Live. Are You Going? - “It is here folks. Yes, very soon, a fate better than sandy shorts and blistered skin will wreak havoc upon Orlando, Florid…”
From SolidSmack.com: Prototype This! These Guys Will Show You How - “Gather all of your calendars together, open them all to October 2008 and repeatedly circle October 15th till someone ask…”
From the BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International: Are you paying close attention? - “There is a saying in the United States that it is possible to ‘…not see the forest for the trees’. This is an easy thing to do. It can happen to anyone at anytime…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Views are Associated to Levels - Forever! - “Need a new Level in your project? Don’t just copy a view and rename it! All you get is a view with a “nice” name but it isn’t related to the Level you think it is…”
From SolidSmack.com: Rock Your Product Design: IDSketching.com Shows You How - “I’d have to say, forgive my Industrial Design tendencies, but then this site would not be SolidSmack if I di…”
From WorldCAD Access: CAD Survey - “Cyon Research and Merrill Lynch are conducting a survey of the CAD/PLM software being used…”
From 3D CAD News: A Bit of Musing about Autodesk Results - “I just noticed that Autodesk has moved up the date scheduled for the release of its Second Quarter Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2009…”
From the 3DMojo blog: 3DVIA your iPod #76: ‘Automatic Layout Positioning, and Project Mode’ (English Version) - “This week I would like to welcome a guest podcaster from SolidWorks Germany, Markus Koechl, who not only brings us a great ti…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Schedule View Name and Schedule Title - “Want a different name in the Project Browser for your schedule versus its Title? Tell Revit not to display the schedule Title…”
From the Brian, CADFanatic blog: SolidWorks 2009 Site Now Live! - “The SolidWorks 2009 site is now live at http://www.solidworks.com/2009. So head on over there and check it out…”
From the Mayalicious blog at Autodesk: Moustache Time - “I mentioned that Steven has started a SIGGRAPH moustache competition - here are some shots of the competitors…”
From the Maxed Out blog at Autodesk: SIGGRAPH and Beyond - “You’ll have to look elsewhere for a complete review on SIGGRAPH, though you can start with the AREA…”
From the Brian, CADFanatic blog: Convert Entities - Grab Those Interior Loops! - “I came across this tip back in April at the 2008 SWUGN Technical Summit in Nashville, Tennessee…”
From the CADDmanager blog: Making Change Happen - “Reviewing processes or procedures helps you to streamline the work flow of your CAD environment…”
From WorldCAD Access: Alibre Kills Team Design - “When Alibre releases Design 11 in September…”
From the BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International: BLAUGI receives a new layout via tweaking its CSS file - “If you are not reading this in a web browser window you may wish to do so…”
From SolidSmack.com: PhotoView 360 Preview: Download Now Available - “Well surprise, surpris…”
From the Mayalicious blog at Autodesk: Mass Animation - “What do Autodesk, Intel, Facebook, Reel FX and AniBoom have in common?…”
From the Mayalicious blog at Autodesk: Wrapping up SIGGRAPH - “Thoughts from SIGGRAPH before going home to a vacation - Don’t Suck…”
From the Revit OpEd blog: Dept. of News Blasts - Comm. Center News - “This just in via the Communication Center for Revit Structure 2009…”
From the MotionBuilder blog at Autodesk: Presenting Autodesk MotionBuilder 2009 - “The next major release of MotionBuilder is just around the corner…”
From the Mayalicious blog at Autodesk: Maya 2009 has been Announced - “We’ve announced it! 10 years on and still going strong…”
From the Brian, CADFanatic blog: Now That’s Customer Service! - “During my blog reading last week…”
From the Mayalicious blog at Autodesk: Off to SIGGRAPH - “Geek time…”
TOP NEWS STORIES
From Cadalyst AEC news: AEC Tech News (#233) - “CityEngine Revs Up Urban Modeling: Procedure-based program enables users to define the rules of how a building should look and then apply those rules…”
From Cadalyst AEC news: Bentley Systems and Dassault Systemes SolidWorks License Nexus Architecture - “Companies plan to use the technology to enhance the MicroStation and SolidWorks products lines…”
From Cadalyst AEC news: CityEngine Revs Up Urban Modeling - “Procedure-based program enables users to define the rules of how a building should look and then apply those rules…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: Auto
desk Launches Animation Academy 2009 for Secondary
Schools - “Visual communications introduces students to 3D animation and visual effects technology, including Maya, 3ds Max, Mudbox, and MotionBuilder software…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: BonZai 3D Takes Root at SIGGRAPH - “A nimbler, easier modeler from form.Z’s maker AutoDesSys…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: CAD Manager’s Toolbox: Another Useful Utility - “Keep this handy little tool in your repertory for fast bulk text replacement and more…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: HP Launches DreamColor Display on Mobile Workstation - “At SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles, company also introduces two professional desktop displays for CAD/CAM/CAE users…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: NVID
IA Demonstrates Fully Interactive GPU-based Ray
Tracer - “Based on NVIDIA GPU technology, the ray tracer shows linear scaling rendering of a complex automotive styling application…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: NVIDIA Ships Beta Drivers for OpenGL v3 Standard - “Developers can explore the capabilities of the new cross-platform, 3D graphics specification…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: Next
Computing Offers Recordable Blu-Ray Drive on
Mobile Workstations - “Optical drive is available on the NextDimension Pro and Pro HD, NextDimension Evo and Evo HD, Vigor Pro SD, and the Vigor Evo HD…”
From Cadalyst CAD Management news: The Part-Time CAD Manager - “Like it or not, many companies require one person to serve as CAD manager while also fulfilling production needs…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: CIMdata Publishes Review of Dassault
Systemes V6 Program - “Firm identifies the challenges that are driving development and deployment of PLM solutions…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: MCAD Tech News (#247) - “Viewpoint: Chewing the CAD: Like an Animal Farm, today’s market puts power in wrong hands…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: SPEC/GWPG Announces Upcoming Benchmarks - “New releases from power consumption to SPECviewperf v10.1 to new application benchmarks are expected…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: SensAble’s FreeForm 3D Modeling System Used
To Design New Coins - “Sculptors create intricate designs in digital clay using virtual touch technology…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: Shapeways Launches Do-It-Yourself Online
Product Customization and Personalization
Technology - “Shapeways Creator Engine enables consumers without 3D modeling skills to shape, mash, imprint, and design their own 3D products…”
From Cadalyst Manufacturing news: Viewpoint: Chewing the CAD - “Like an Animal Farm, today’s market puts power in wrong hands…”
From Cadalyst Mapping GIS news: GIS Tech News (#64) - “CS-Map Enters Public Domain: Autodesk donates conversion technology to OSGeo…”
From Cadopolis: Save 25% OFF pdf2cad! - “For a limited time you can save 25% when you buy pdf2cad at Cadopolis. pdf2cad converts PDF files using built-in vector graphic technology providing the…”
From Engineeringtalk: 3D CAD improves electrosurgery - “SolidWorks saved Peak Surgical research and development time because it allowed the company to rapidly fabricate multiple prototypes and trial them in parallel with surgeons…”
From Engineeringtalk: CAD convertors move up to 64bit data - “XVL now supports data from the most current 3D CAD tools, including 64bit CAD platforms…”
From Engineeringtalk: CFD software expands multiphysics modelling - “Latest version also includes further improvements to simulation speed, ease of use and ability to secure powerful, meaningful results…”
From Engineeringtalk: Collaborative workflow comes up to date - “Framework allows geographically separated engineering teams to establish seamless exchange of content and global workflow to enable global engineering processes…”
From Engineeringtalk: Knowledge management is made for AutoCAD - “Seamless integration with AutoCAD software will help custom and complex product manufacturers respond to customer-specific orders more rapidly, accurately and efficiently…”
From Engineeringtalk: Program editor software extends CAD support - “Active Editor Pro dramatically increases the number of users who can benefit from its simple programming style, by adding support for CAD models from a large variety of CAD formats…”
From Engineeringtalk: Pump selection software gains popularity - “Website offers free pump selection through the online portal from any of the more than 78 free manufacturer catalogues including thousands of available pump curves…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: FlexNet JIS synchronises supply and production - “Apriso said that the synchronisation of production and supply chain processes expands ‘lean’ manufacturing initiatives, delivering the right part at the right time in the right sequence…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: Get up to date in project management trends - “ESI Group has listed the top ten trends in project management to enable companies to keep up to date with the latest developments in the project management sector…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: Managing supply chain partnerships effectively - “At a recent ’roundtable’ discussion, industry Leaders concluded that collaborative technology is increasingly accessible for managing effective supply chain partnerships…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: Production schedule software is real time system - “Facing increasing product demand, a hydraulics parts maker invested in a Seiki Systems production scheduling software package that allowed everyone to see what was happening in real-time…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: Selki software keeps production on schedule - “Integrated Hydraulics Limited produces approximately 160,000 cartridges per month with up to 15 individual components in each one in a variety of different styles…”
From Manufacturingtalk’s IT for Manufacturing channel: Steel plant optimises supply chain - “German steel plant has selected AIS SteelPlanner advanced planning and scheduling suite to improve all the planning and scheduling levels of its supply chain…”
MORE FROM THE BLOGGERS
Win a New HP xw4600 Workstation from 3D CAD News
AutoCAD MEP 2009 32-bit Update 1 (Service Pack 1) for AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009 available for download from the BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International
AutoCAD MEP 2009 64-bit Update 1 (Service Pack 1) for AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009 available for download from the BLAUGI Blog of Autodesk User Group International
AutoCAD with updates (Update/SP, Bonus Pack) from CAD Forum Tips
Disabled rendering after installation of Revit 2009 from CAD Forum Tips
Replacement for the applications MdiTab, DocBar, CxDocBar … from CAD Forum Tips
AU 2008 - Registration Open - Sign Up for my Class from the CAD-a-Blog
AUGI and SolidVapor to Part Ways from the CAD-a-Blog
the 16 rules I try to live by from the CAD-a-Blog
The Big 3 EDA Vendors to remain the Big 3 - for now! from the COFES.com blog
Latest Versions of MicroStation from the Eat Your CAD blog
The Bentley/Autodesk Agreement - what does it mean for Bentley Users? from the Eat Your CAD blog
Concrete Balusters and Railing from the Revit OpEd blog
Dept. of Unfair - Rooms and Line based Families from the Revit OpEd blog
Dept. of Unfair - Tagging Mullions from the Revit OpEd blog
Egress Path Tags - New Versions from the Revit OpEd blog
Railing Encore from the Revit OpEd blog
Shrinkwrap for Inventor - Implications for Revit? from the Revit OpEd blog
Stacked Wall - Interior Partitions from the Revit OpEd blog
Ask the Reader: How Do You Model? Plus A Top-Down Modeling Challenge from SolidSmack.com
Batch Plot your Designs with Autodesk Productstream from the Under the Hood blog at Autodesk
Tailoring Productstream with your Company’s images from the Under the Hood blog at Autodesk
When to perform a Re-Index Properties and Rebuild Search Indexes from the Under the Hood blog at Autodesk
Autodesk to ODA: Weide, Schmeide from WorldCAD Access
ALSO IN THE NEWS
3D Systems Ships iPro 9000 SLA Center from TenLinks
Altair Announces Keynotes for HyperWorks Conference from TenLinks
ANSYS Added to S&P MidCap 400 from MCADCafe
ARCAT Offers Free BIM Objects Library from TenLinks
Autodesk Releases AutoCAD Civil 3D Object Enabler Update 1 from TenLinks
Autodesk Releases AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 Service Pack 1 from TenLinks
Autodesk Releases Mechanical Desktop 2009 Service Pack 1 from TenLinks
Autodesk Releases New Version of NavisWorks Product Line from AEC News
AutoLINE 2009 (CADALYST Magazine) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry reviews
Delcam to demonstrate new ArtCAM family at IMTS from MCADCafe
ESPRIT Mold Version 9 at the 11th Design Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions Expo, Oct. 1-3, Osaka, Japan from MCADCafe
Flow Science Releases FLOW-3D v9.3 for CFD from TenLinks
Future Facilities Releases 6SigmaDC v4 for CFD Data Center from TenLinks
Gerber Releases AccuMark VStitcher v4.3 for Apparel from TenLinks
Gerber Technology RELEASES ACCUMARK vstitcher Version 4.3 from MCADCafe
ICAM Releases CAM-POST v18 for NC Post Processing from TenLinks
IES Releases Virtual Environment v5.9 for Building Analysis from TenLinks
Impress Group Expands Use of MSC Enterprise Simulation from TenLinks
Intelligent Light Releases FieldView 12.1 for CFD from TenLinks
J and L Associates Offers Free Excel Add In for 3D Plotting from TenLinks
JETCAM to offer free sheet metal nest comparison at Fabtech from MCADCafe
Large-Scale CFD
Post-Processing Gains Significantly Faster
Parallel Performance, New Advanced Visualization
Tools With Intelligent Light FieldView 12.1
Release from MCADCafe
Lattice Upgraded 3D CAD Converters Supports 64 Bit Platform from TenLinks
Making the Water Cube (Architecture Week) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry articles
Maple 12 (CADALYST Magazine) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry reviews
Mechdyne Builds Simulation Center for Alliant Techsystems from TenLinks
Mechdyne Installs Advanced Computer Visualization Systems to Support Collaborative Design Program of Leading Aerospace and Defense Supplier from MCADCafe
Nemetsche
k AG Appoints Reinhold Schlogl-Braun to Board
from TenLinks
Piemme Arredamenti reduces programming time by 30% with JETCAM Expert CADCAM and Nesting software from MCADCafe
Protection Engineering Consultants Selects DEM EDEM from TenLinks
S and P MidCap 400 Index Adds ANSYS Stock from TenLinks
ScotCAM to Sell QuoteCAM, ProgeCAD in UK from TenLinks
Siemens PLM Software Ships NX 6 from MCADCafe
SPEC Releases SPECmail2008 Benchmark from TenLinks
Stoneworks RMLink to Integrate with Windchill from TenLinks
TAW sees CAM software pay for itself in four months from MCADCafe
Technology Helps Design Olympic Stadium (Constructech) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry articles
The Show Must Go On (Modern Steel Construction) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry articles
Topocad 9 from Chaos Systems (The American Surveyor) from CADwire.net - All CAD industry reviews
TwinTrader Issues Autodesk Breakouts from TenLinks
University of NY, Sigrity Sues Ansoft/ANSYS Over ‘Patent’ pdf from TenLinks