All Autodesk® Users

• Autodesk University 2009
• Autodesk 3ds Max Service Packs Now Available
• Training Schedule for October - November
• See The Difference With AutoCAD 2010 Tour Event - Atlanta
• ALACAD Has a New Website
• AutoCAD LT Crossgrade Promotion
• Autodesk Releases Mobile Version of SketchBook for iPhones
• Announcing Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 Certification
• Autodesk Subscription

Architecture, Engineering and Construction

• Revit Camp Memphis October 27th
• Autodesk Architecture Design and Visualization Webcast Series

Manufacturing/ Mechanical Engineering

• ALACAD Online Inventor Training Webcast Series
• Autodesk Webcast: "Point-to-Point Wiring and Parametric Connectors with AutoCAD Electrical"
• Announcing the AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite Rebate Promotion
• Autodesk Realeases Inventor 2010 Service Pack 1

Plant and Process

• ALACAD Presents the Live "AutoCAD P&ID Demo" Monthly Webcasts
• Autodesk's AutoCAD Exchange Plant Community
• Autodesk Releases AutoCAD Plant 3D

Civil Engineering and Geospatial

• Autodesk Civil Engineering Webcast Series
• Autodesk Releases Civil and Civil 3D 2010 Update 2
• For AutoCAD Map 3D Users: Transparency of Images
• For AutoCAD Civil 3D Users: A Couple of Pointers on Pipes

Autodesk University 2009

Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV, December 1- 3, 2009

Each year private companies and public agencies send their brightest employees to AU — and for good reason. From powerhouse classes and labs in the latest technologies to great networking, Autodesk University gives your organization the tools to get competitive and remain that way — fast.

No other user conference anywhere offers the depth of training and relationship-building opportunities that you find at AU — all neatly bundled into one event.

AU is your once-a-year opportunity to spend a short, concentrated week getting the training and making the business contacts you need to enhance your career and help your organization stay competitive in the global economy.

This three-day event offers many opportunities to learn, connect, and explore, including:

• The world’s largest curriculum of technical content taught by top instructors
• The world’s largest annual gathering of design professionals, industry experts, and Autodesk executives
• The latest technology in hardware, software, and services from the world’s largest gathering of Autodesk developers and strategic partners
• A mix of business and social activities where you can share ideas with peers, and meet industry leaders from around the world

To learn more about this premiere training event and to register online, click here. Don't forget: if you register by Oct. 9th you'll save $500 off the registration fees.

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Autodesk 3ds Max Service Packs Now Available

The latest Service Pack from Autodesk for Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2010 and Autodesk®  3ds Max®  Design 2010 software includes nearly 30 fixes for issues with undo, performance, responsiveness, viewports, material workflow, and mental ray® software. Specific areas addressed are Biped, Bitmap Pager, Bitmap Proxies, Containers, Edit Poly, Interoperability, Licensing, Materials, mental ray, Particle Flow, Performance, Photometric Lights, ProOptimizer, Render To Texture (RTT), Rendering, UVW Unwrap, and Viewports. Learn more and download the Service Pack here:

3ds Max 2010 Service Pack 1:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13642460&linkID=9241178

3ds Max Design 2010 Service Pack 1:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13642201&linkID=9241178

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Training Schedule for October - November

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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See The Difference With AutoCAD 2010 Tour Event - Atlanta

Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, October 7, 2009

AutoCAD® 2010's groundbreaking new capabilities can help you enhance productivity, improve efficiency and tackle the most challenging design problems with ease. Join Lynn Allen and Shaan Hurley for an insider's look at new AutoCAD 2010 features, with live demos, tips, tricks and much more.

To learn more or to register online, click here.

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ALACAD Has a New Website

ALACAD has redesigned its website. Check it out here:

http://www.alacad.com

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AutoCAD LT Crossgrade Promotion

Until October 16, 2009, Autodesk customers who own AutoCAD LT® version 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 can trade up (crossgrade) to AutoCAD 2010 or any of a number of industry-specific products at a reduced promotional price. Products to which you can crossgrade include:

• AutoCAD® 2010
• AutoCAD® Electrical 2010
• AutoCAD® Mechanical 2010
• AutoCAD® Architecture 2010
• AutoCAD® MEP 2010
• AutoCAD® Civil 2010
• AutoCAD® P&ID 2010
• AutoCAD® Map 2010
• AutoCAD® Inventor® Suite 2010
• AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010
• Autodesk® Inventor® Routed Systems Suite 2010
• Autodesk® Inventor® Simulation Suite 2010
• Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2010
• Autodesk® Revit® Architecture Suite 2010
• Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2010
• Autodesk® Revit® Structure Suite 2010
• Autodesk® Revit® MEP Suite 2010

Call us at 888-442-3100 for more information.

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Autodesk Releases Mobile Version of SketchBook for iPhones

Autodesk's SketchBook® Mobile painting and drawing application is now available for your Apple iPhone or Apple iPod Touch. With the same paint engine as Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro software, SketchBook Mobile offers professional-grade painting and drawing tools in a streamlined and intuitive user interface. Use it to digitally capture your ideas as napkin sketches or produce artwork on-the-go.

View the YouTube video here.

The application is available for download on the iPhone App Store for $2.99. A free version of the application — called Autodesk SketchBook Mobile Express — is available on the iPhone App Store as well.

To learn more about SketchBook Mobile click here and to learn more about SketchBook Pro click here.

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Announcing Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 Certification

Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2010 Certification is now available. Exams are available at the Associate and Professional levels, along with assessment and practice tests, exam guides, and certification training guides to aid in preparation.

This exam is offered every Friday at our corporate headquarters in Birmingham, AL. This certification allows users to demonstrate proficiency with Autodesk 3ds Max Design. Whether you are an employer looking to check the level of proficiency of a potential employee or a professional looking to supplement his or her resume with this qualification, the Autodesk certification credential is an important demonstration of proficiency with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively use Autodesk products. Candidates will need to register on-line here.

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Autodesk Subscription

If you are like most people, you probably think of Autodesk Subscription as being the program that ships you the latest version of your software when it is released. However, there is much more to it than that and we want you to get the most out of your subscription contract, so let's talk about some of the other things available to you as a subscription owner:

• Technology Upgrades - as I mentioned above, you'll get the latest version of your software mailed to your door when it is released. That means, if you have Inventor 2008 on subscription, next year you will receive Inventor 2009 in the mail when it is released. In addition, you will also be able to log in to the Subscription Center and get access to exclusive, free add-ons, tryouts and product previews. Finally, you can download Autodesk Vault, a document management software package, for FREE.
• Flexible Use of Previous Versions - Only subscription customers are entitled to legally continue to use previous versions of Autodesk software after installing an upgrade of the same product.
• e-Learning Lessons - e-Learning is available in the Subscription Portal and features self-paced lessons that are a quick and convenient way to learn how to use Autodesk software. Each lesson usually takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete and includes hands-on exercises so you can practice what you've learned.
• Access to the Members-only Subscription Center - As mentioned above, in the Subscription Center you will find product downloads and e-Learning lessons. But that's not all you'll find - you'll also have access to a Knowledge Base, Discussion Groups, Member News, Service Packs, Extensions (modular enhancements) and Manuals as well as the ability to modify and update your contract details (this is especially important to make sure the latest release of your software makes it to your door).
• Home Use License - only Autodesk Subscription provides you with easy access home use license codes.
• Cost savings - Upgrade prices are set to be more than the cost of a subscription contract. So, whether you wait one, two or even three years between upgrades, you will have saved money by having a subscription contract.

Ready to take advantage of all this? Click here to log in to the Subscription Center. You should have received a User ID and Password by email when you purchased your subscription, which you'll need to log in. If you didn't, or have forgotten it, call us at 888-442-3100 and we'll be happy to help you get a new one.

Aren't a subscription customer but want to become one? Call us at 888-442-3100 and we'll get you set up.

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Revit Camp Memphis October 27th

Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, TN, 8:30 am - 4:15 pm, October 27, 2009

What is Revit® Camp? It is a one-day learning conference similar to Autodesk University but specifically focused on Revit technology. Revit Camp is packed with 4 practical Revit software courses and offers plenty of opportunities to network with fellow Revit users. In addition, the event includes a continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and fun giveaways. Your $49 registration fee provides you with the following:

- 4 courses offered over the course of the day
- Certificate of attendance for claiming CEUs/ PDHs
- Continental breakfast, refreshment breaks and lunch
- Autodesk-certified instructors
- Free messenger bag and doorprizes
- Networking with fellow Revit users

What: Revit Camp Memphis

When: 8:30 am - 4:15 pm, October 27, 2009

Where: Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, TN

Cost: $49

Register here.

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Autodesk Architecture Design and Visualization Webcast Series

Join Autodesk Technical Specialists Amy Fietkau and Eddie Perlberg at these informative and free live webcasts.

Materials in AutoCAD® Architecture® Wednesday, October 7, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Enhancing BIM Workflows with Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design and the Autodesk® Design Visualization Suite Wednesday, October 14, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Revit® Implementation #2: Migrating Data Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Residential Drafting in AutoCAD® Architecture Wednesday, November 11, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CST
Revit® Implementation Series #3: Working with Consultants Wednesday, November 18, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CST

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ALACAD Online Inventor Training Webcast Series

Tips, tricks and things you didn’t know Inventor® could do! Not even the manuals tell you this stuff. Attend these webcasts for some tips and tricks from our Solution Engineers and take a peek inside their bag of Tricks. 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.

Tips for Sketches and Parts Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT
Tips for Assemblies Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT

To view all upcoming webcasts, click here.

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Autodesk Webcast: "Point-to-Point Wiring and Parametric Connectors with AutoCAD Electrical"

Attend this webcast and learn how fast and easy it is to create point-to-point wiring schematics and related documentation. Parametrically build connectors from a series of user prompts and place portions of them throughout the schematic design. Automatically generate wire numbers, cable lists, and connector annotations.

Point-to-Point Wiring and Parametric Connectors with AutoCAD® Electrical Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT

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Announcing the AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite Rebate Promotion

Autodesk is offering a $400 rebate to end users who purchase new seats of AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite 2010 software from September 1, 2009, through January 15, 2010. This rebate enables AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite users to get industry-leading 3D part modeling and popular 2D drafting and design in one box at a reduced price. Call us at 888-442-3100 to learn more.

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Autodesk Realeases Inventor 2010 Service Pack 1

In a continuing effort to provide high quality products, Autodesk has released Autodesk Inventor 2010 Service Pack 1, which fixes or addresses a variety of issues. Click here to go to the download page. Autodesk Inventor 2010 Service Pack 1 is an incremental update.

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ALACAD Presents the Live "AutoCAD P&ID Demo " Monthly Webcasts

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.

October 20, 2009, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CST
November 24, 2009, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CST

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Autodesk's AutoCAD Exchange Plant Community

The AutoCAD® Exchange Plant Group is an online community for plant designers and engineers to get useful work and career information. You can network with each other, learn from experts, enhance professional skills, engage in discussions, and provide feedback to Autodesk product teams. You can also create your own profile to personalize your experience and share your own tips, projects, and experiences with other global plant design and engineering professionals. The online community is also enriched with information and content aggregated from web-based resources like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a variety of industry news sources.

Visit it today at: www.autodesk.com/plantexchange

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Autodesk Releases AutoCAD Plant 3D

It's finally here! Design, model, and document process plants with AutoCAD® Plant 3D® 2010. Built on the familiar AutoCAD® platform, AutoCAD Plant 3D brings modern 3D design to plant designers and engineers. Features like spec-driven design and standard parts catalogs help streamline the placement of piping, equipment, and support structures. Integrated AutoCAD® P&ID functionality and quicker generation of isometric and orthographic drawings support productivity, accuracy, and coordination.

Learn more at: http://autodesk.com/autocadplant3d

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Autodesk Civil Engineering Webcast Series

Join Autodesk Technical Specialist Lucy Kuhns at these informative and free live webcasts.

Field to Finish with AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Friday, October 9, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Free Web Based Mapping Technology to Publish Information to the Web Friday, October 21, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Preparing Models for Automated Machine Control Grading with AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Friday, October 23, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
Introducing Point Cloud Data in AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Friday, November 6, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CST
Sustainable Design Webcast Series: Civil Engineering for Sustainable Water Resources Management Friday, November 20, 2009 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CST

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Autodesk Releases Civil and Civil 3D 2010 Update 2

In a continuing effort to provide high quality products, Autodesk has released AutoCAD® Civil and AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 Update 2, which fixes or addresses a variety of issues discovered by customers and by Autodesk's internal testing team. Click on the appropriate link below to go to the download page.

You can find the AutoCAD Civil 2010 Update 2 here.

You can find the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 2 here.

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For AutoCAD Map 3D Users: Transparency of Images

If you tried to set an image transparent with the normal transparent tools you found out it only works with one color. If fact all it does is turn off that color you select and is not really making anything transparent. Transparent as defined by Merriam-Webster is “fine or sheer enough to be seen through”. There is no see though when you just turn off a color. Using the data connect with FDO we can make polygon features transparent should we be able to do the same for images? Well we can with a little trick.

First we need to use the data connect to add the image to our map. Then save the image layer to “LAYER” file. When you save the layer it creates a file with an extension of layer,  If you are not aware of what a layer file is, it’s an xml file that contains information on the data file as to how it is connected to the map, the data it contains (spatial & data),  and how it is displayed or theme. Once you saved the image file to a Layer remove that image layer from the display manager and disconnect from the file(s) in the data connect palette.

Now browse to the image.layer file you created and open it in “Notepad”. Scroll down until you see the tags;

 “<FeatureName>rasters:Name</FeatureName>”  “<Geometry>Image</Geometry> “

Now insert between the two tags

<Opacity>0.5</Opacity>

Save the file after you edited it. The number 0.5 is the amount of transparency with the larger the number the more transparent the image will be. 0.9 is almost translucent and 0.1 is of little transparency. Now use the Load Layer tool from the Data Icon in the Display Manager to add the image to the map.

So why would anyone need an image to be transparent to start with when we can place it at the bottom of the draw order and make all the other layers transparent?  First off, how often have you reopened the map to find out the draw order was not as you had it set when you closed the map drawing? Another reason you may want to set an image to be transparent would be if you have overlapping images in the map. Maybe you have an current aerial image and an aerial of the same are that is 10 yeas ago and you need to do a time lapse study of the area. Toggling the images on and off can get frustrating after a while, where as having one transparent will allow you to see though it to do the analysis a lot easier.

Here are a few before and after screen captures of the results.

How we normally do it with the image layer at the bottom of the display draw order and the polygon with transparency.

Here is with the image with transparency at 0.5 and the image layer at the top of the display draw order.

A closer look of the above. Notice how the street centerlines show though the image file.

If you look close enough you will see a grid pattern in the image after we make it transparent, I only guess that is the way AutoCAD® Map 3D renders the image but after a test print of the map the grid is not getting plotted so I see no harm in it being there. Also do not forget about the MAPPLOTTRANSPARENCY command if you want to plot with transparency.

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

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For AutoCAD Civil 3D Users: A Couple of Pointers on Pipes

Have you ever needed to modify, or add part sizes to a structure in AutoCAD® Civil 3D®? Well, in this post I am going to cover how to modify and/or add part sizes in the parts catalog. The first thing I will tell you is that I am no expert in creating parts via the Part Builder in Civil 3D, but I have learned how to modify some of the parameters for existing parts to get the sizes that I need.

So, let's say, for instance, that you need a rectangular junction structure that measures 4' x 5' outside box dimensions and is traffic bearing (8" min wall thickness). How would we go about adding that part size to the current parts catalog? The first thing that we need to do is open up Part Builder. (Note: all of the Screen Captures in this post are from AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010.) The screen cap below shows where to find Part Builder on the Ribbon.

So we open Part Builder and on the Getting Started Dialog box we select what type of part we want to modify. In this case, I am choosing the rectangular structure with circular frame. Then we click on Modify Part Sizes as shown below.

After clicking on Modify Part Sizes Part Builder opens to show the parametric model of the structure and a list of the parameters used to define the structure.

On the right hand side of the Part Builder screen we see an image of the part. The part may or may not be drawn to any particular scale in this area. It really doesn't matter as we are going to assign the values for the parameters that we want anyway. On the left hand side we see a tree that contains listings of the parameters used to create the part along with definitions for geometry and constraints.

If you expand the Size Parameters node in the tree, you will see a list of the different parameters that make up the dimensions of the structure. Notice in the list that there are parameters for the Inside Width (SIW) and the Inside Length (SIL). These are the two parameters that we want to change for our new structure. We may also have to associate the two dimensions with the Wall Thickness (WTh). We can add or modify the appropriate parameters by right-clicking on Size Parameters and selecting edit values from the pop-up menu. This will open up the Edit Part Sizes dialog box.

Now remember, our intent here is to add a part size that will correspond to the desired dimensions of the structure we are calling for in our design, a 4'x5' box with 8 inch walls. We need to look at the available part sizes in the list to see if we need to add a size or modify an existing one. In this case click in the cell for SIW, then click on the Edit Sizes button (2nd from left at the top of the dialog box). This brings up another dialog box with all of the sizes that have been input for this parameter. Notice that there is not a 40 inch measurement, so we will have to add that one. Click the add button and a new field is created at the bottom of the list. Type in the value, in our case 40.0000. The unit of inches is the default here.

Next move over to the SIL column and repeat the above steps to add a par size of 52.0000 inches. Then check the WTh column and make sure that there is a 8" Wall thickness in the list. Next we need to look at how we are able to add a part with the dimensions that we just created to our parts list. We need to make sure that the wall thickness can be assigned to the new structure from the list of wall thicknesses that are in the list. Click on the drop down in the middle of the top row of buttons in the dialog box. Then select Parameter Configuration from the list. The Data Storage row should be set to list for the three parameters that we have looked at above. Once this is done, click OK to close the dialog box and then click on the disk icon in the upper left hand corner of the Part Builder. This saves he new part parameters. Now we can close part builder. After closing Part Builder, we need to type "partcatalogregen" on the command line to update our part catalog with the new parameters. Now we edit our parts list and select the appropriate part sizes from the lists for SIW, SIL and WTh. Another little tidbit that some users have seemed to forgotten. When showing a crossing pipe in a profile view, create a style with crossing pipe in the title and switch on the crossing components on the Profile tab in the view directions box on the display tab. This will cause the pipe to show a a section in the profile view.

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

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