What an awesome and great week this has been and I have quite a bit of items to share/post. Currently I am taking a break from my vacation in upstate New York this week for a 2 day trip to DesMoines for some ADT consulting.
Along the drive to New York it has been nice to observe and use the many wi-fi spots that are available. It all started as we drove from Virginia in the beast, at one of the rest stops along the way we noticed a sign for free wi-fi access. Later along the way somewhere in PA. we decided to stop for a hotel close to the exit was 4 of the local hotels with advertisement for free wi-fi, which worked quite well.
While I am waiting to fly out of Syracuse the wi-fi coverage from T-Mobile is working great and consistent. I am looking to try out another option for remote areas too; any suggestions?
Besides the wi-fi availability I would be silly if I did not mention how beautiful it was to see the colors of the leaves changing from green still in Virginia to the many vibrant colors of autumn in New York. I will post a few pictures later in the week. Next trip I plan to do some hiking to a few large windmills that I just heard about.
Also if there is any cad and/or visualizaiton people in DesMoines who are interested in getting together to eat and chat on Tuesday evening (9/28/04) send me an e-mail with your name and telephone I can reach you at, should be a lot of fun. Last time I was there I met with a small group of cad users who wanted to discuss ADT workflow for construction documents, the topic of the evening is still open... =)
happy cadding...
Monday, September 27, 2004
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Thursday, September 16, 2004
ADT - Live Vertical Sections
John Herridge, AIA of AEC CADCON, Inc. has a great tip to share over on Chris's blog about "Live Vertical Sections" and how he uses them for dissecting his BIM. Good examples to learn from for those of you just starting to leverage this tool.
Keep up the great work John!
happy cadding...
Keep up the great work John!
happy cadding...
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Calculate With Ease
New Calculator PowerToy from Microsoft for Windows XP. This is an expanded calculator to what is already included (separate item); that allows everything from conversions to mathematical functions... I do like the new interface vs. the classic mode.
For the AEC industry this is still lacking in feet and inch input/output, but for others it may be a benefit. Me personally I still like my Feet/Inch/Fractional/Calculator. Have a good feet/inch calculator, that is software based, you like to use?
happy calculating...
For the AEC industry this is still lacking in feet and inch input/output, but for others it may be a benefit. Me personally I still like my Feet/Inch/Fractional/Calculator. Have a good feet/inch calculator, that is software based, you like to use?
happy calculating...
Monday, September 13, 2004
Eastern Virginia AutoCAD Users Group - Meeting
Next meeting:
September 16, 2004, at Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company (HEWV) Architectural Firm's "Knowledge Cafe", located at 120 Atlantic Street, in Norfolk, Va. between Waterside and MacArthur Mall.
Agenda
6:30-6:50pm - Meet & Greet - We will start the meeting off with some food and drinks. This is a great chance to see old friends and meet other CAD users from area companies.
6:50-7:00pm - Introduction to the Group
7:00-7:30pm - Topic #1 - Product Spotlight - VisionREZ.
Ameri-CAD, Inc., the developer of VisionREZ, has been providing architectural services and software solutions on the AutoCAD platform since 1989. VisionREZ is an enhancement solution, available as a plug in or stand alone, for Autodesk Architectural Desktop, that accelerates the creation of construction documents for residential and light commercial applications. Draw it once! Draw in the familiar 2D plan view and simultaneously receive the benefits of a fully functional 3D Building Information Model (BIM) including design verification, complete construction documentation, graphic views and estimating schedules. Request a FREE 30-day evaluation copy today by visiting us online at: www.visionrez.com
7:30-7:40pm - Short Break - This is a chance to chat, eat, stretch and/or carry on a corner discussion.
7:45-8:30pm - Topic #2 - Autodesk Building Systems Part 3 - Ductwork & Piping - If you enjoyed the last 2 parts of this series this one will be no different as we complete this three part series with an understanding of the ins and outs of ductwork & piping including routing, system definitions and creating custom fittings.
8:30-8:35pm - Wrap Up, Prize Giveaways and Dismiss
September 16, 2004, at Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company (HEWV) Architectural Firm's "Knowledge Cafe", located at 120 Atlantic Street, in Norfolk, Va. between Waterside and MacArthur Mall.
Agenda
6:30-6:50pm - Meet & Greet - We will start the meeting off with some food and drinks. This is a great chance to see old friends and meet other CAD users from area companies.
6:50-7:00pm - Introduction to the Group
7:00-7:30pm - Topic #1 - Product Spotlight - VisionREZ.
Ameri-CAD, Inc., the developer of VisionREZ, has been providing architectural services and software solutions on the AutoCAD platform since 1989. VisionREZ is an enhancement solution, available as a plug in or stand alone, for Autodesk Architectural Desktop, that accelerates the creation of construction documents for residential and light commercial applications. Draw it once! Draw in the familiar 2D plan view and simultaneously receive the benefits of a fully functional 3D Building Information Model (BIM) including design verification, complete construction documentation, graphic views and estimating schedules. Request a FREE 30-day evaluation copy today by visiting us online at: www.visionrez.com
7:30-7:40pm - Short Break - This is a chance to chat, eat, stretch and/or carry on a corner discussion.
7:45-8:30pm - Topic #2 - Autodesk Building Systems Part 3 - Ductwork & Piping - If you enjoyed the last 2 parts of this series this one will be no different as we complete this three part series with an understanding of the ins and outs of ductwork & piping including routing, system definitions and creating custom fittings.
8:30-8:35pm - Wrap Up, Prize Giveaways and Dismiss
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Archvision News - Updated Spray Script
This just in from Archvision:
Updated Spray Script for 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005
Many of you may have noticed that the Spray Script failed to work with 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005. Now thanks to Peter Brigham, of Sasaki Associates, a new version of the RPC Spray Script is available that returns this functionality to 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005.
On behalf of ArchVision and RPC enthusiasts around the world, we thank Peter for this helpful contribution. The Spray Script is an excellent tool for quickly distributing RPC Content onto large surface areas.
happy rendering...
Updated Spray Script for 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005
Many of you may have noticed that the Spray Script failed to work with 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005. Now thanks to Peter Brigham, of Sasaki Associates, a new version of the RPC Spray Script is available that returns this functionality to 3ds max 6 and Autodesk VIZ 2005.
On behalf of ArchVision and RPC enthusiasts around the world, we thank Peter for this helpful contribution. The Spray Script is an excellent tool for quickly distributing RPC Content onto large surface areas.
happy rendering...
Archvision News - XP SP2
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Information
ArchVision's Development team has detected an RPC Plug-in issue caused by installing Windows XP Service Pack 2. When Service Pack 2 is installed, network security is increased and network file access times increase significantly. Some users have experienced an increase in load times when utilizing content over a network. Although a solution is not yet available, users can transfer RPC Content to their local machines to eliminate this Windows XP snafu. Hang in there! We are working diligently to increase efficiency in this area.
ArchVision's Development team has detected an RPC Plug-in issue caused by installing Windows XP Service Pack 2. When Service Pack 2 is installed, network security is increased and network file access times increase significantly. Some users have experienced an increase in load times when utilizing content over a network. Although a solution is not yet available, users can transfer RPC Content to their local machines to eliminate this Windows XP snafu. Hang in there! We are working diligently to increase efficiency in this area.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Daylight System - Adding Locations
If you have ever used the daylight system in Viz Render, Viz and/or Max before you may have noticed there is a good selection of city/locations to choose from. This list does not include every possible location and if you have a site specific latitude/longitude that is required you can easily add additional locations to this list.
To accomplish this browse to the following folder (choose applicable software):
VIZ Render (ADT 2005):
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\ADT 2005\enu\VIZRender\PLugCFG
VIZ 2005:
\Autodesk VIZ 2005\plugcfg
Max 6:
\3dsmax6\plugcfg
Open the sitename.txt file in the location(s) given above and add the specific latitude/longitude you desire. This will now be included in your list of locations.
Tip above based on a reminder from Jim Smell (look for Mastering Viz Render in stores later this year).
happy rendering...
To accomplish this browse to the following folder (choose applicable software):
VIZ Render (ADT 2005):
C:\Documents and Settings\
VIZ 2005:
Max 6:
Open the sitename.txt file in the location(s) given above and add the specific latitude/longitude you desire. This will now be included in your list of locations.
Tip above based on a reminder from Jim Smell (look for Mastering Viz Render in stores later this year).
happy rendering...
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Quick ADT tip
For those ADT users who take advantage of the Project Navigator (which I think is a great start to drawing management) and notice the AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager coming up as well you will want to make yourself aware of the system variable: ssmautoopen
This controls whether AutoCAD displays the Sheet Set Manager when a drawing associated with a sheet set is opened. If you get this coming up everytime you are working with project drawings and wish only to see/use the PN; set the variable value to 0.
0 = Do not open the Sheet Set Manager automatically
1 = Open the Sheet Set Manager automatically
happy cadding...
This controls whether AutoCAD displays the Sheet Set Manager when a drawing associated with a sheet set is opened. If you get this coming up everytime you are working with project drawings and wish only to see/use the PN; set the variable value to 0.
0 = Do not open the Sheet Set Manager automatically
1 = Open the Sheet Set Manager automatically
happy cadding...
Distributed Rendering Setup - Backburner
http://www.evermotion.org/tutorials/rendering/maxnet/
If you are a Viz 2005 or Max user who frequently creates animations and are not using backburner this is a good, short tutorial to help get you started.
happy rendering...
If you are a Viz 2005 or Max user who frequently creates animations and are not using backburner this is a good, short tutorial to help get you started.
happy rendering...
This beautiful sunset was shot during a layover in Detroit this past week. The colors were absolutely amazing.
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Back in Action
Back from my cross country tour of traveling, vacation and consulting and now another year older (birthday was on Sept. 02). Thanks to my close friends who all conspired together to create a great surprise party at Cogans. You guys/gals are the best!
For those who have not been to the Vizdepot recently there is a new rendering challenge underway. It is called the VVC (short for Vizdepot Visualization Contests) and is organized into a series of six monthly contests. Each month the type of contest alternates focus between the Charrette and the Challenge. This is a great opportunity for beginners and experienced as well.
happy rendering...
For those who have not been to the Vizdepot recently there is a new rendering challenge underway. It is called the VVC (short for Vizdepot Visualization Contests) and is organized into a series of six monthly contests. Each month the type of contest alternates focus between the Charrette and the Challenge. This is a great opportunity for beginners and experienced as well.
happy rendering...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)