All Autodesk® Users

• ALACAD Presents the Autodesk 2010 Discover Tour
• ALACAD Is Offering a Special Promotional Rate for Training!
• Training Schedule for June - July
• The Autodesk Upgrade and Retirement Program
• Free Download: Autodesk® Design Review
• Free Download: Navisworks® Freedom
• The Latest Autodesk Software at 40% Off!
• ALACAD Joins the Autodesk Assistance Program
• The AutoCAD® HP Bundle Promotion

Architecture, Engineering and Construction

• Green Design Analysis Tool: Autodesk® Green Building Studio®
• For Revit® Users: Space Enhancements in Revit MEP 2010
• ALACAD Is Offering Revit® Architecture Training in Biloxi!
• Project Dragonfly

Manufacturing/ Mechanical Engineering

• 3Dconnexion's New SpacePilot™ PRO
• ALACAD Online Inventor® Training Webcast Series
• The AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite Rebate Promo
• Inventor Fusion
• AutoCAD® Electrical Tool Palette Tip
• New Training Class: Inventor 2008-2009 Update to 2010

Plant and Process

• ALACAD's "What's New in AutoCAD® P&ID 2010" Webcast Is Now Available On Demand
• ALACAD Presents the Live "What's New in AutoCAD P&ID 2010?" June Webcast

Civil Engineering and Geospatial

• The AutoCAD® Map 3D and Trimble® Government New Seat Rebate Promotion
• For AutoCAD Map 3D Users: Where is the Standard AutoCAD Ribbon?
• For AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Users: Alignments and Things........

ALACAD Presents the Autodesk 2010 Discover Tour

Now more than ever, you can visualize, simulate, and analyze your ideas to the fullest extent—so even your most ambitious “What If?” scenarios can become a reality. Autodesk 2010 software makes it happen, whether you’re a designer, architect, engineer, or digital artist. Check it all out at one of our upcoming events and discover how you can harness the power to create, document, and communicate groundbreaking ideas before they’re real.

Join ALACAD at one of these FREE half-day seminars to learn about the Autodesk 2010 product line and how these products work together to provide a complete design, visualization and data management solution for your industry. Register here.

• June 17 - Dothan, AL (Dothan Conference Center)
• June 18 - Mobile, AL (Riverview Plaza)
• June 23 - Birmingham, AL (Cahaba Grand Conference Center)
• June 24 - Jackson, MS (Hilton Jackson)
• June 30 - Memphis, TN (Hilton Memphis)
• July 1 - Chattanooga, TN (The Chattanoogan Hotel)

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ALACAD Is Offering a Special Promotional Rate for Training!

With the economy the way it is, a lot of companies are experiencing downtime right now. One way to make the best use of this downtime is to train. A well-trained employee is able to increase their productivity while reducing errors. By doing this, when the economy does turn around and things begin to take off again, you will be positioned to reap the rewards as the jobs come rolling in, getting more done for less. To help you prepare for this, from now until the end of August, ALACAD is offering a special training promotion:

Register one person at the regular price and the second person trains for HALF PRICE, or

Register two people and the third one trains for FREE*!

Click here for a list of upcoming scheduled classes.

*Classes are held from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Central Time in ALACAD's Birmingham, AL corporate office unless noted otherwise. Registrations are accepted, but tentative, based on a minimum of four registrants. Registrants will be notified one week in advance if class is to be cancelled. Promotion is limited to people working in the same company. All people must register for the same class. Promotion ends August 31, 2009.

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Training Schedule for June - July

All classes will be held at ALACAD's Corporate Office in Birmingham, AL, unless noted otherwise. Call us at 888-442-3100 to register today.

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The Autodesk® Upgrade and Retirement Program

Autodesk Will Be Retiring Its 2007 Product Line on March 15, 2010

This means that upgrade pricing and technical support will no longer be available for 2007 products. If you want the latest software after that date, you’ll have to pay for a new license at full price. However, between now and July 17th, you can upgrade your 2007, 2008 or 2009 Autodesk software to the latest version for up to 30% off the suggested retail price of an upgrade with a subscription contract (20% off without). This represents a serious savings over next year's cost of upgrading when Autodesk will no longer be offering a separate price for upgrades - only a discount on the price of a new license.

Save Up to 30 Percent When you Upgrade with Subscription by July 17th

Autodesk Subscription is the most convenient and cost-effective way to keep your software up-to-date. Plus, when you upgrade with Subscription before July 17, 2009, you'll enjoy up to 30 percent savings on your upgrade.

With Autodesk Subscription, you get many productivity-boosting advantages, including:

• Flexible licensing rights: access previous versions of your software concurrently with new versions for uninterrupted workflow
• Home license use
• Web support
• Self-paced training
• Incremental product enhancements (on selected products)
• Automatic upgrades

Simplified Upgrade Pricing Begins March 16, 2010

Autodesk is introducing a new, streamlined upgrade pricing model on March 16, 2010. Under the current upgrade pricing model, the price of your upgrade depends on which product release you own. After March 15, 2010, your upgrade from any of the three previous software releases (e.g. 2008, 2009, 2010) will cost 50% of the price of a new license (not the lower price of an upgrade), no matter which release you own.

Call us at 888-442-3100 to learn more about upgrading today.

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Free Download: Autodesk® Design Review

Autodesk® Design Review software saves time and money in the design review value chain, with easy-to-use tools for team members to view, print, measure, mark up, and revise 2D and 3D designs—with or without the original design-creation software.

This free* tool tightly integrates with all Autodesk® design software and enables project teams to adopt fully paperless design review and approval processes. By reducing the the cost and hassle of paper, fax, and couriers, Autodesk Design Review powers faster, more accurate, and more sustainable design processes across all major sectors. Core features include:

• Easy-to-use ribbon interface
• PDF and DWF Support
• Enhanced, lockable markup capabilities
• Digital signature support
• Find and locate design information

To download Design Review, click here.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.

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Free Download: Navisworks® Freedom

Get the whole-project view using Autodesk® Navisworks® solutions. You can combine design data created in applications such as AutoCAD® and Revit®-based software with models created by other design tools. NWD files viewed using Autodesk® Navisworks® Freedom software provide stakeholders equal access to explore and experience the whole-project view.

With Autodesk Navisworks Freedom, you can view all simulations and output saved in NWD format. Navisworks Freedom offers design professionals an invaluable means of communication by creating compressed, secure, and streamable project review files in the NWD format. A practical solution to streaming large CAD models, NWD files require no model preparation, third-party server hosting, setup time, or ongoing costs. Files may also be viewed in 3D DWF format. Effective collaboration is achieved through easier communication of design intent, collaborative reviews of stakeholder contributions, and sharing of all results.

Features

• Free* viewer for easy opening of .NWD and 3D DWF files
• Enables viewing of model hierarchy, object properties and embedded review data, including viewpoints, animations, redlines, and comments
• Includes full set of navigation tools: Walk; Look Around; Zoom; Zoom Box; Pan; Orbit; Examine; Fly; Turntable
• Supports real-time display of materials and lighting

To download Navisworks Freedom, click here.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software.

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The Latest Autodesk Software at 40% Off!

Misplaced layers. Rendering errors. Inaccurate prototypes. As you know, software incompatibility can lead to the loss of time, efficiency and money. But you can do something about it, at the right price. If you own AutoCAD R14 to 2006 versions of the following Autodesk software, you can purchase powerful new Autodesk software and save 40% when you purchase with Autodesk Subscription between June 1, 2009, and July 17, 2009.

• AutoCAD®
• AutoCAD® Visualization Suite
• AutoCAD® P&ID
• AutoCAD® MAP
• AutoCAD® Raster Design
• AutoCAD® Architecture
• AutoCAD® Revit® Architecture Suite
• AutoCAD® Revit® Structure Suite
• AutoCAD® Revit® MEP Suite
• AutoCAD® MEP
• Autodesk® Revit® Architecture Visualization Suite
• Autodesk® Revit® Architecture
• Autodesk® Revit® Structure
• AutoCAD® Civil 3D®
• AutoCAD® Civil
• AutoCAD® Electrical
• AutoCAD® Mechanical
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Professional Suite
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Routed Systems Suite
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Simulation Suite
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Tooling Suite
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Suite
• Autodesk® 3ds Max®
• Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design

Get more productive and efficient and say goodbye to costly incompatibility issues. Act now — this exclusive offer won’t last long. Call us at 888-442-3100 to learn more.

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ALACAD Joins the Autodesk Assistance Program

In these uncertain economic times, many companies have had to let good people go. If you were one of them, you might be wondering how to advance your career in this challenging global job market.

In order to get ahead in the workplace, you need to invest in yourself by increasing your knowledge and expanding your skills. And the good news is that Autodesk can help you get back in the game. With the Autodesk Assistance Program you can take action today to gain a competitive advantage in your field. The program offers:

• Free license of Autodesk software for non-commercial use
• Free online training available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Reduced-cost classroom training from ALACAD
• Certification preparation and exams available at discounted rates

Visit the Autodesk Assistance Program Site here to learn more and register online.

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The AutoCAD® HP Bundle Promotion

From March 24th through July 31st, 2009, Autodesk®, HP® and NVIDIA® have partnered together to offer you unparalleled access to the power of 3D CAD design with a complete software/ hardware "bundle" designed to allow you get started immediately. With this promotion, customers who purchase new full seats of AutoCAD 2010 software will receive a discount on an HP Workstation with an Nvidia graphics card. There are three different workstations to choose from and you can view them all here. Call us at 888-442-3100 to take advantage of this special deal before it is too late.

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Green Design Analysis Tool: Autodesk® Green Building Studio®

How would you like to be able to see how "green" your project is while still in the design stage? Using the Autodesk Green Building Studio web-based energy analysis service, architects and designers can evaluate how building components impact energy consumption, and improve a project’s economic and environmental performance early in the design process.

Compatible with the Revit Platform Autodesk Green Building Studio
Facilitating team collaboration and information sharing—interoperates with Revit® Architecture and Revit® MEP software, as well as other compatible energy-analysis software. Subscribers can now directly access the web service from within the Revit platform for BIM using a plug-in that is available for download from the Green Building Studio web service.

Evaluate Energy Profiles of Building Designs
Green Building Studio tools enable architects and designers to evaluate the energy profiles and carbon footprints of their building designs early in the design cycle. Files can be shared between engineering software programs, and among engineers and architects, making sustainable design more efficient, and cost effective.

Capabilities of Green Building Studio Tools

• Capture early sustainable design analysis to support the process of reducing negative environmental impacts
• Communicate among the extended building design team using Autodesk design applications, and other compatible energy and green analysis software
• Help gain a competitive advantage with increased client satisfaction and improved environmental performance

Free 30-Day Limited Trial
New customers can take advantage of a free 30-day limited trial to run up to two projects. The web service will monitor your subscription and let you know when your trial will expire. To start your trial subscription to Green Building Studio, follow these steps.

1. Complete the Autodesk Green Building Studio registration form here. (Make note of the user name and password you choose at registration. You’ll need these to log in to the service later.)

2. You will receive an email containing the URL of the Green Building Studio web service login page.

3. Log in to the Green Building Studio web service here using the user name and password you created at registration.

4. To begin your free trial, select “New Project.” To run Autodesk Green Building Studio from within Autodesk® Revit Architecture software or Revit® MEP software, you will need to download and install the Green Building Studio Plug-in. It submits the green building XML (gbXML), files created by the Revit software to the Autodesk Green Building Studio web service.

If you have any questions, regarding Green Building Studio, you can email Autodesk here: sales.gbs@autodesk.com

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For Revit® Users: Space Enhancements in Revit MEP 2010

Revit MEP 2010 has many new features. Here are just a couple when working with Spaces.

Spaces have been enhanced in two major areas. First the ability to create spaces has been improved with the addition of the Place Space Automatically tool. This will allow users to place all the spaces for the entire model with a single click. This is a huge time saver for creating spaces.

The new Place Space Automatically tool.

The second enhancement to spaces is found in the properties. The properties have been improved to give us the ability to further define the space type. The space type has been expanded to include Energy analysis settings. These include the ability to specify an Occupancy Schedule, Lighting Schedule, and Power Schedule. These schedules will dictate usage percentage factors. If the proposed building will be primarily used between the hours of 8:00-5:00, these can be specified and taken into account in analysis.

A custom Occupancy Schedule for a Space type with the hours set for the warehouse hours.

View all of Mike Massey’s articles at:
http://knowingwhatyoudontknow.blogspot.com

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ALACAD Is Offering Revit® Architecture Training in Biloxi!

ALACAD will be offering this $1,350, 3-day course locally in Biloxi on June 30 - July 2, 2009. Train during the day, then get to go home and sleep in your own bed at night. In addition, you'll save money by not having to pay hotel, food and travel expenses! This course will be held at the Hampton Inn, 1138 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS.

The objective of the Revit Architecture Fundamentals course is to enable students to create full 3D architectural project models and set them up in working drawings. Most of the course is focused on Design Development tools - building the 3D model with walls, windows, doors, floors, roofs, stairs, creating reflected ceiling plans and furniture plans. The course finishes with adding views and annotation to the sheets to create a set of Construction Documents.

Call Charisse Smith at 888-442-3100 to register today!

*Classes are held from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Central Time. Registrations are accepted, but tentative, based on a minimum of four registrants. Registrants will be notified one week in advance if class is to be cancelled.

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Project Dragonfly

Project Dragonfly is ideal for anyone who’s ever wanted an easy, intuitive floor planning tool to dream, organize, and envision changes in their living space. Take it for a free test drive and watch your design and decorating visions take shape right before your eyes. Then let us know what you think about this exciting new concept!

All Designers Welcome
No prior knowledge of computer aided design is required to join in on the fun. [Childhood Lego® and EtchASketch® experience is always a plus.] The simple-to-use interface and intuitive design allows you to easily drag and drop items into floor plans that you’ve created. When you’re done, save it and show friends your masterpiece.

Visualize Changes to Your Living Space
Easily modify structural elements like walls, doors, and windows in a click. Move walls, add or remove doors, windows, openings -- and even entire rooms -- in real time. Then visualize your design using the 3D viewing capabilities to better understand how changes affect your space.

Start with an Existing Design from the Gallery
Jumpstart your remodel by using one of our furnished sample designs, or you can select from one of the many that others have saved in the gallery. Just open it up for editing, make your changes, and save it. It’s that easy!

Start Your Design from Scratch
Use our sample room shapes to quickly lay out your floor plan. Simply drag and drop additional rooms, closets, walls, doors, windows, openings, and other items from our Build catalog into your floor plan to rapidly create your design. Project Dragonfly makes it easy to match your existing space or create your dream home.

Add Furniture and Plan Your Space
Plan your space with furniture selections from our Furnish & Decorate catalog. Choose from a variety of generic furniture options by dragging and dropping items into your floor plan. This feature allows you to experiment with furnishing choices and layout options.

Enjoy the freedom of design without expensive floor planning tools or an extensive drawing background. Transform your living space with Project Dragonfly. Then let us know what you think!

Click here to try it today.

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3Dconnexion's New SpacePilot™ PRO

Introducing SpacePilot PRO from 3Dconnexion. Design Excellence for Engineers.

SpacePilot PRO is the ultimate professional 3D mouse, engineered to excel in today’s most demanding 3D software environments. Its breakthrough features include second generation, QuickView navigation technology, dual‐function, Intelligent Function keys, at‐a‐glance access to important information via the full‐color LCD Workflow Assistant, and a new, ultra‐comfortable design.

• Advanced MCAD Navigation: New QuickView Navigation Keys provide fingertip access to 32 standard views, giving an unparalleled level of control that encourages model exploration leading to improved error detection and design quality.
• Powerful Application Control: Five fully customizable, dual‐function Intelligent Function Keys provide instant access to 10 frequently used commands.
• LCD Workflow Assistant: The full‐color LCD delivers at‐a‐glance visibility of Microsoft® Outlook® e‐mail, tasks, calendar entries and function key commands, ensuring quick access to key information without interrupting your workflow.
• Superior Comfort: The soft coated, sculpted wrist rest positions the hand perfectly while the compact controller cap guides your fingers into the ideal position for precise and effort.

To learn more about SpacePilot PRO and how it can revolutionize your 3D design experience, click here. Or, if you are in the Birmingham, AL area and would like to test drive the SpaceNavigator, SpacePilot or SpacePilot PRO, call us at 888-442-3100 to schedule a hands-on test drive at our Birmingham, AL office.

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ALACAD Online Inventor® Training Webcast Series

Due to the overwhelming success of our Inventor Webcast Series, ALACAD will begin offering live, online one-hour training classes focusing on a specific aspect of Inventor the second Tuesday of each month. These classes are free to ALACAD Subscription customers, and $25 (per class) to all others. After registering, you will be contacted by an ALACAD Sales Representative for your Subscription Contract number or preferred method of payment.

Sheet Metal Basics in Inventor 2010 With the 2010 release of Inventor, there are several new and exciting feature available to users.  We will go through the basics of these and some typical sheet metal techniques to be used inside Inventor. Tuesday, June 9, 2009 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT
Frame Generator Basics Inside Inventor During this webcast you will become familiar with the frame generator techniques and tools available within Inventor. Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT

To view all upcoming webcasts, click here.

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The AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite Rebate Promo

During the last two years thousands of users took advantage of the Autodesk® Inventor LT™ Technology Preview to create, edit, and share 3D part designs and leverage the seamless DWG interoperability of Inventor LT to reuse existing 2D design data. Now, Autodesk Inventor LT software is being packaged with AutoCAD LT® software – the most widely used 2D drafting solution in the world – within the AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite 2010. The AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite delivers affordable and attainable 2D and 3D capabilities that boost your productivity and competitiveness. And for a limited time, Inventor LT Technology Preview users and AutoCAD LT customers can take advantage of a $600 rebate and get the AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite 2010 for only $795. The AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite helps manufacturers compete more effectively by adding the benefits of 3D part modeling to their development process with the combination of Autodesk Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT software. ALACAD has a proven track record of helping manufacturers implement Autodesk solutions and can help you take advantage of AutoCAD Inventor Suite 2010. This offer ends July 31, 2009.

Call us at 888-442-3100 to take advantage of this promotion today.

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Inventor Fusion

Autodesk unveiled its plans for Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology, new Digital Prototyping technology that unites the power and control of parametric, history-based modeling with the ease of use and productivity advantages of direct, history-free modeling.

“Just as manufacturers need both 3D and 2D design tools, we believe manufacturers need the full power of both parametric, history-based modeling and direct modeling,” said Andrew Anagnost, vice president of CAD/CAE for Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. “Customers shouldn’t have to make a choice. Inventor Fusion Technology is a unique approach that enables the coexistence of both these modeling approaches within a single digital model.”

Only Inventor Fusion Technology delivers bidirectional parametric and direct workflows. This technology provides a powerful solution for companies that need to make rapid changes to a design through direct manipulation, but also have many years worth of feature- and history-based data and design intent that they need to access, use and maintain. This advancement enables users to adopt the modeling approach that is most appropriate to the task at hand.

Using Inventor Fusion Technology, designers and engineers can explore what-if scenarios and make rapid design changes without the limitations of feature order, dependencies or the original 3D CAD system used to create the design.

By removing unnecessary steps for users to capture and express their design ideas, Inventor Fusion Technology redefines ease of use. Context-sensitive, point-of-access tools present only what is needed right at the cursor, thus moving the user’s attention from toolbars and dialog boxes and refocusing it on directly manipulating their digital prototypes.

“Many companies are seeking to take advantage of direct modeling in certain situations,” said Anagnost. “Meanwhile, parametric, history-based modeling continues to be relevant and important. Inventor Fusion Technology is an exciting new step in realizing the promise of Digital Prototyping, bringing a new level of ease of use and productivity gain to an even broader group of manufacturers.”

Autodesk intends to offer a free* download of Inventor Fusion Technology Preview on Autodesk Labs later this year. For more information, please visit http://www.inventorfusion.com.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software and/or its installation.

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AutoCAD® Electrical Tool Palette Tip

Q: I have installed AutoCAD Electrical 2010 and when opening the Tool Palette, I do not see the AutoCAD Electrical commands. What happened to them?
A: Autodesk removed them to focus on the new Ribbon Technology.

How to transfer AutoCAD Electrical 2008/2009 Tool Palette to AutoCAD Electrical 2010

AutoCAD Electrical 2010 focus is on the Ribbon only and the AutoCAD Electrical Tool Palette tabs were removed.

AutoCAD Electrical 2010 users will need to make their own custom tool palette from AutoCAD Electrical 2008/2009 for AutoCAD Electrical 2010.

In AutoCAD Electrical 2008/2009 do the following:
1. Right click on tool palette and select Customize Palettes
2. Select a palette name on the left and right click
3. Select Export
4. Repeat for each one you want to bring over.

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New Training Class: Inventor 2008-2009 Update to 2010

ALACAD is now offering a new one-day class for users of Inventor 2008 or 2009, introducing them to the new workspace and functionality of Inventor 2010.

Course Guide Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Interface & General Enhancements
Inventor 2010 Interface
General Enhancements
User Coordinate Systems

Chapter 2 - Part & Sketching Enhancements
Features
iFeatures & iParts
Miscellaneous
Sketching Tools
Multi-Body Part Modeling

Chapter 3 – Assembly Enhancements
General Enhancements
Productivity Tools
Shrinkwrap
Layout Design
Weldment Enhancements

Chapter 4 – Drawing Enhancements
Views
Annotations
Usability Enhancements

Chapter 5 Sheet Metal Enhancements
Sheet Metal Features
Documentation
Miscellaneous

This course will be offered for the first time at our Birmingham office on June 30th. The cost is $350. Call us at 888-442-3100 to register for this class today.

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ALACAD's "What's New in AutoCAD® P&ID 2010" Webcast

ALACAD's webcast "What's New in AutoCAD P&ID 2010" is now available on demand, online. Built on the latest AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD P&ID is easy to use and familiar to designers and engineers, so design teams can start immediately with minimal training. Common tasks performed every day are streamlined and automated to boost productivity, while component and line information is easily accessed by designers as they work. With simple reporting, editing, sharing, validation, and exchange of design information, projects start easier, run better, and finish sooner. To view this webcast, click here.

You will need Adobe Flash Player to view this webcast. If you do not have it, you can download it here.

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ALACAD Presents the Live "What's New in AutoCAD P&ID 2010?" June Webcast

Create, modify, and manage piping and instrumentation diagrams with AutoCAD P&ID software. Built on the popular AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD P&ID is easy to use and familiar to designers and engineers, so design teams can get started immediately with little or no training. Common tasks performed every day are streamlined to boost productivity, while component and line information is brought straight to drafters as they work. Join ALACAD at this FREE online seminar to learn how AutoCAD P&ID 2010, with simple reporting, editing, sharing, and tracking of design information, can help make your projects start easier, run better, and finish sooner. Register here.

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The AutoCAD® Map 3D and Trimble® Government New Seat Rebate Promotion

From April 1, 2009 through June 16, 2009, United States Government (Local/State/Federal) end user customers who purchase two or more qualifying new commercial licenses (seats) of AutoCAD Map 3D may submit an online rebate request to receive a free Trimble Juno™ SB Handheld GPS subject to eligibility and other program requirements. This offer is limited to a maximum of one GPS unit per end user customer invoice address. Call us at 888-442-3100 to learn more about AutoCAD Map 3D today. Call us at 888-442-3100 for more information.

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For AutoCAD® Map 3D Users: Where is the Standard AutoCAD Ribbon?

One thing that’s missing from AutoCAD Map3D 2010 is the Ribbon interface for standard AutoCAD functions. Sure we have the Map Classic Workspace still, but do you see the new parametric tools under any of the menus? How about the Constraint tools or the the tools that let you drive the design by the dimensions? Looks like the developers on the Geospatial team forgot that most  Map users or the GIS guy still have to do some drafting now and then.  I remember in my days of being  the “Map” guy at a electric utility co. that once or twice a month I would have to draft up some new piece of equipment or something. Either a concrete pad for a UG transformer or doing simple one line drawings for the substations. The new features in AutoCAD 2010 would of make it a lot easier back then. So why was a quick and easy access to those tools left out of Map3D 2010?  Who knows? To fix it is an easy little task that you can take on. All you need to do is create a new workspace and add the correct ribbon panels to the ribbon. Here’s how I did it. Start by opening up the Customize User Interface, entering CUI on the command line will do that part. Now if you hear all the horror stories about the CUI and workspaces from others rest assure it has improved since it was introduced in 2006.

Now that you have the CUI open go ahead and resize it to where you can see both sides, the left and right panes. In the left pane highlight Workspaces and right click then select New Workspace. Provide a name for the new workspace, I used “Standard AutoCAD 2D” for mine.

Now over on the right pane of the CUI it should be listed under the Workspace Contents. Click on the Customize Workspace button.

Now all we need to do is go back to the left pane and select the Ribbon Tabs we want in the workspace. Expand the Ribbon and Tab tree then start checking the tabs to place on the ribbon, as you check them on the left pane they will appear in the right pane under your new workspace.

The tabs you choose are up to you but the ones I selected are in line with Standard AutoCAD. Once you select the tabs click on the Done button then the apply button at the bottom.

Now you should have all the tools in standard AutoCAD within quick reach by switching to that workspace. You can also create another workspace for 3D AutoCAD commands if you do 3D designs and rendering.

View all of Murph’s articles at:
http://map3d.wordpress.com

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For AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Users: Alignments and Things........

Well, it's Friday again and it seems that this is when I find time to update my blog. I want to start a series of posts on some of the new functionality inside of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. But first, a couple of weeks ago I recorded a webcast for our "What's New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010" presentation. You can find it here. Just scroll down to the archives section. The recording is offered in 2 file formats, Windows Media Player and Adobe Flash.

Now let's move on to today's topic. Almost everyone that I have ever worked with went about creating their alignments in the same manner: lines and curves. Well, if you have been using prior releases of Civil 3D, you have had to take the extra step of converting those lines and curves to a polyline or use the layout tools to "trace over" the original line work that you had created. The 2010 release of Civil 3D has added functionality that will allow us to select the objects from which to create our alignments. Now we can use the Layout Tools, polylines or lines and arcs. The developers even changed the name of the command. Now it is called "Create Alignment from Objects." The command is found on the Home Tab of the Ribbon and by clicking

on the down arrow beside Alignment on the Create Design Panel.

Let's take a look at some other new features of Civil 3D alignments. Have you ever been working on a transportation project that had multiple lanes and transition regions all over the place? It has been a while since I was in that situation, but I do remember those days. We created our center line alignment and then used offset to create the edge of pavement and then created another offset for the transition region and applied fillets and tangents to tie them together. Alas, the boss comes in after a meeting with the powers that be and says that the center line is shifting and we have to have the changes by 9:00 am tomorrow morning. Time to hit the panic button, right?

The 2010 release of Civil 3D has several tools to help in these situations. Let's take a look at the Prospector Tab in Toolspace. As seen below, Alignments now have more categories or classifications. So, what does this do for us? Notice the second classification is Offset Alignments.

Now we can create offset alignments from our center line alignment and the offsets will stay dynamically linked to the center line. Can you think of any useful applications for this?

Another new feature for alignments is Widening. Using the widening functionality the designer or engineer can easily create a widened section in his 2D layout. widening works by creating regions along the offset alignment where the user can specify a different offset for one region to create a turn lane, for instance. On top of creating the widened section, the user can specify the geometry to use in transition between the two regions.

There is other new functionality associated with alignments. We will take a look at those next time.

View all of Whit McCormack’s articles at:
http://gettingtothedirt.blogspot.com

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