Autodesk VIZ Users

Wow, I cannot believe I missed this post from Shaan sometime back. If you are an Autodesk VIZ user and interested in possibly beta testing a future release this is the link for you.

There are plenty of good reasons to want to get involved with beta testing. Think about your's and then be sure to fill out both the Motivation and the Beta site profile.

happy rendering...

McTartan

Happy Tartan day!



Nice skirt heh.... =)

RSS History and Tools

Dave posted a nice link to a history of RSS and a history/overview of RSS from Microsoft for those interested.

Why do I mention RSS? As you may have read when I first started this blog I love the flexibility that RSS and syndicated feeds offer. My current newsreader of choice is still Newzcrawler. From newsgroup access, blogging directly, to getting the latest news from various sources this is one tool in my kit that I find useful daily and would not want to be without. If you visit a few web sites/pages each day to catch up on news, what better tool than to have something that does the work for you in one convenient wrapper.

Charity

Just noticed on Shaan's blog that Shawn Gilmour (Autodesk personnel and great guy) will be performing a Charity Ride on May 29th at the Bike For Breath, Two Rock Ride and is looking for sponsors.

Not only does this support a great charity but it also helps to sponsor someone who helps to make the great products we all use. Please take a moment to check out Shaan's blog for more information and please give what you can to support Shawn on this trek. Any amount you can offer will help Shawn to meet his goal, donation is easy. How easy you ask? I just donated in under 3 minutes, it is that easy so come on and donate.

Good luck Shawn and ride hard...

Films and Cinema

If you are in the Eastern Virginia area you may have noticed that Architecture week has kicked off and is in full bloom. This evening we had the pleasure of watching "My Architect" at the Architecture and Film program held at the eclectic Naro theatre.

This was a wonderful film by Nathaniel Kahn in his search for an understanding of his father. Good cinematic moments and visuals in this documentary, I highly enjoyed watching it. If you get the opportunity see it in a theatre with plenty of others, in our case try a few hundred architects. ;)

happy designing...

Galleries

Got the chance to upload some images to the gallery. Currently there is a gallery of Dylan pics, for those asking to see some updates, and I finally got a chance to go through some of my AU 2003 photos. From the parties, learning, good friends and more here are some random shots.

In the past I have used a few different "automatic" web gallery creation tools but never found "The Dream Utility" until now. I am hooked on JAlbum. What makes this different from other utilites? How about CSS integration (and customization) to control the look/layout of your pages. Simplicity, and did I mention free?

If you are looking to post a gallery of images I would highly recommend you to check this product out. I will be working on a new gallery of events around town that I find interesting, so stay tuned for more.

happy web wrangling...

Documentation update

In looking over the discreet site today I noticed that the updated tutorials, documentation and sample files have been posted. For those interested check here.

Why I noticed this was due to the updated MAXScript reference (a must get for those coding out there). There is also some new courseware for MAXScripting too.

Signatures

Ran across the funniest signature from Björn Nilsson in the MAX forums:

"It´s time to kick a$$ and chew bubblegum, and I´m all out of gum"

Somedays it feels this way, today is one of them...

Tutorials

In the last post regarding skies and how they can improve the "feel" of your rendering, I got inspired to finally finished up a tutorial I was working on sometime back called "How to Create a Gradient Sky using ADT and VIZ Render". This has been posted to the Vizdepot (free membership is required to view the tutorials).

Speaking of VIZ Render you may have heard that Paul Aubin and James D. Smell have a VIZ Render book in the works that will be published soon. A free sample chapter is available for download here.

This should be a great resource as Paul's other books have been very helpful for those who use ADT and I am sure this upcoming publication will be no different.

Sorry BS, we need to pick another topic... ;)

happy rendering...

Skies

The sky has been extremely nice to look at recently with so much activity, from jets, storms and sunrises/sunsets to everything in between. One issue that seems to occur quite a bit in renderings is the lack of detail in the sky. This can be an important item to the composition of your work and make it actually "*leap off the page" it is printed on (*ok not actually leap, but you know what I mean if you have ever been in awe over a piece of art and/or artwork).

There are a few sky backgrounds that ship with VIZ/MAX, but you should also consider creating your own, photographing and/or purchasing a few nice images of backgrounds and skies to add to your library of materials. Some interesting sites to take note of for skies include:

http://www.1000skies.com/
http://got3d.com/ - Great site and a great cause I highly recommend it.
http://www.stormvision.com

I have been both creating skies from scratch using Photoshop and now Painter and also using a digital camera to catch those amazing moments when the sky transforms itself to something you can barely believe. If there is enough interest I may post a few up to the Vizdepot downloads section. If you have not been by the site, you should as it is growing bigger and better each week with the hard work of Steven, the staff and people like yourself.

Miker the Biker also posted a nice link to a 360 panorama of Mount Everest. This may take a moment to load as it is a QTVR, but it is worth the wait.

happy rendering...

Magazine

Ran across the link to RenderNode Magazine the other day. It appears this is not a printed volume, but instead a downloadable .pdf.

The March volume is 115 pages and is available for purchase ($4 US) via electronic payment and then you have access, of course if you want you can do a subscription too. In what I have been reading through so far the material looks pretty good. There is a nice Max tutorial for creating a landrover discovery too.

happy rendering...

Update

Just got back from my local user group meeting and it was a great time. The topic was on the 2005 series of products and with 140+ in attendance it was a great show and a fantastic venue courtesy of TCC. I always love staying late at the meeting and getting the opportunity to discuss the many uses of cad and cad related products with others who love this software as much as I do.

This has been a long week back at work, after being out for two weeks and helping out on a deadline that is pushing my software implementation dates slightly further out I am beat. I will be back to writing fully tomorrow evening. The focus on next weeks writings and musings will include web development and photo montages, as these are 2 things that I will be working on pretty intensely over the next week as another side project unfolds. More to come on this soon.....

Maxscripting

You may remember last week I mentioned I was working on a modifier removal script. I received an e-mail from Neil about the old "RemoveModifier.ms" that was mentioned. This has been replaced by an updated version called "ModifierManager.ms" which is available in "bspack r42".

This among many other tools presented in this package for your use are great additions to any visualization artists range of tools.

Saving time = More profit $$$

happy rendering...

Fields and Titleblocks

As you know by now I love the fields feature of the 2005 series of products from Autodesk.

For those just learning how to use these features in their titleblocks, Chris Yanchar has a great example just posted to his ADT blog, titled "Create Your Own Titleblocks in ADT 2005 using fields". Don't let the name fool you these same features work for straight AutoCAD too.

Keep up the great work Chris!

happy cadding...

March EVAUG Meeting

[]----------------------<>----------------------[]

EVAUG e-news Eastern Virginia AutoCAD Users Group

http://www.evaug.com/

March 2004 Newsletter

[]----------------------<>----------------------[]

Content
1. EVAUG Update
2. Upcoming CAD Related Events
3. Wrap up

--------------------------------------
1. EVAUG Update
--------------------------------------

Next meeting: March 25th 2004, the 4th Thursday this month, not the usual 3rd Thursday.

The EVAUG, Avatech Solutions and TCC are pleased to announce the first look at AutoCAD 2005, the latest release from Autodesk. Join us on March 25th, 2004 at 6:30 pm for pizza and a presentation highlighting all the great new features in the new TCC Va. Beach ATC Auditorium!

The New Standard in Productivity
Productivity is a mission-critical component for any industry that creates, consumes or manages design data. AutoCAD 2005 builds on the dramatic power and speed of AutoCAD 2004 with new tools that eliminate tedious drafting tasks and ensure maximum efficiency throughout your process.

* Coordinating Sets of Drawings
* Drawing and Creating Tables
* Annotating Drawings
* Publishing Sheet Sets
* Integrated Design Review

Date/Time: March 25th 2004, 6:30 pm (Note, this month will be a rare exception to the "third Thursday" general schedule)

Location: The Virginia Beach Campus of Tidewater Community College in the new ATC (Advanced Technology Center) auditorium

Address: 1700 College Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA 23453-1999

Directions: Map and detailed driving Instructions can be found at: http://www.tcc.edu/welcome/locations/vabeach/auto.htm

Itinerary: The meeting this evening will include an in-depth look at the Autodesk 2005 series of products that will be shipping shortly the meeting. Be among the first to see what these new releases can do and how they can make you quicker, accurate and more profitable.

* 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

* 7:00-8:10pm - Topic #1 - Autodesk 2005 Series of Products

* 8:15-8:30pm - Wrap Up, Prize Giveaways and Dismiss

You'll be able to meet and mingle with your fellow CAD users and exchange ideas and tips. We look forward to seeing you there!

Eastern Virginia AutoCAD Users Group - http://www.evaug.com


--------------------------------------
2. Upcoming CAD Related Events
--------------------------------------

Looking for gradual paced non-credit AutoCAD class? Check them out at Thomas Nelson Community College, taught by the EVAUG's own Rich Stow. Register for Level 1 CAD, 5 Fridays evenings, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Cost - $160 plus textbook, Ellen Finkelstein's AutoCAD Bible. For additional information, call 825-2937 or www.tncc.vccs.edu/wtce

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3. Wrap Up
--------------------------------------

Mark your calendar! After this coming meeting, the next one will be on Thursday, April 15, 2004, at 6:30 pm! As always, free food and prizes.

Last but not least, thanks to everyone who supports and attends our meetings. The EVAUG would not continue to grow in its current direction without your active participation.

Beau Turner - President
Paul Burgener - Vice-President/Editor
Shannon Turner - Treasurer
Nick Fuller - Membership Coordinator
Stephen Collier - Web Master

Eastern Virginia AutoCAD Users Group - http://www.evaug.com

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If you enjoyed this newsletter pass it on to a friend or better yet tell them to sign up for the newsletter from the EVAUG website.
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St. Patty's day and Family Life

Happy Saint Patrick's day.

We have been getting used to being parents over the past week and are getting adjusted pretty well. There are so many special moments that you treasure each day when you least expect them, and we have also been surprised at how many clothes he goes through per day.

Here are a few updated pictures from today for those interested:





We would also like to thank those who sent flowers, e-mails, kind words and more.

Now get out this evening and enjoy a good pint of Guinness.

Education and Getting Schooled part II

The title of this post got me thinking about how the education of cad and cad related products have changed.

When I first started out using AutoCAD (10 years ago on R-12 Dos) I was hired by a freelance drafting firm who took the chance on a young kid with construction experience, board drafting skills and a thirst for learning. The first day I learned 4 commands from my boss at the time they were; Change, Erase, Line and Text. With these 4 commands and a half-hour training session I was all set to start working. ;)

There was no one else in the area who knew all the ins/outs I soon realized as I studied AutoCAD and wanted to know the philosophy behind it and how to use it effectively. Ahhhhh the good old days, when learning a new command and showing it to people from different companies got cheers from everyone!!!!

Fast forward to the present time and now I have the opportunity to not only use AutoCAD, ADT and VIZ/MAX but also to teach them, customize them and more. As many of you know I teach a few evenings a week at my local college. The students I have surprise me each week with how much knowledge they soak up and also their level of questions and how they wish to apply their new found knowledge to their respective fields. I have also seen the learning level become easier for users with the release of the 2004 suite of products.

When you combine the many avenues of support available to users now, from Help File and Tutorials that ship with the product, newsgroups, books, websites for free and paid learning and of course training courses on CD/DVD it seems even easier to pick-up and hone your knowledge and skills. I cannot wait to see and be a part of what happens over the next 5-10 years for development of this software that we have come to know and love.

Education and Getting Schooled

Plenty of sunshine and somewhat warm weather made for a great weekend combination. This of course meant a trip to my local motorcycle shop for a few new goodies. Most notably a new battery that the Magna ended up needing. Took a good break and got some riding done too.

The script that I was working on Friday and this weekend, was to remove a modifier from a selection set anywhere in the modifier stack for VIZ/MAX. This presented itself to be more difficult than initially planned. ;) After more reading, testing and working I have a snippet that works. Now to add a few other clean-up items to it and add a UI and it will be complete. While I was working on how to do this Daniel Pero suggested an example from Neil Blevins called Remove Modifier. This is, or rather was part of the BSPack and after much searching I found an older version of BSPack available. This presents itself in a much cleaner way than my current method was, I tweaked it a bit for my needs to see how it all worked but I want mine to behave a bit differently. When I finally finish this up I will post a link for those interested.

Speaking of Neil, for those not familiar with his work, it is top notch in the sci-fi and fantasty arena.

happy scripting...

E-mail issue

For those of you who were trying to send an e-mail to the address link on the side, the group that hosts the Triple D site and the e-mail for it, is having problems with the e-mail server and should be back up and running later today.

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. There is also a possibility that any e-mail sent in the past 48 hours may not have been received.

Today seems to be a rendering and MaxScripting day so look for more tips and thoughts this evening...

That's Visual Lisp Baby

Wow, when they say you do not get any sleep when you have a baby they are not kidding one bit, but boy is it worth it. ;)

I finally got the chance to hop on the computer earlier to work for a bit and had a request from a friend for a snippet of lisp code to copy files from a network location to a users local drive if/when the file is updated. This allows AutoCAD/ADT to control the copying of the files and not rely on DOS, VBScript or other scripting method and a startup/login script. Since this is a simple but useful item for CAD Managers and Power Users, feel free to use it.

I can honestly say I finally coded with one hand behind my back (I had Dylan beside me and he wanted to hold my finger while napping).

==========================================
; start of code here
; copy outdated file to users folder location
; created by Beau Turner 3/10/2004
; copy this code between the ==== and place in your acad*doc.lsp file
; * this may be either 2000, 2004 or 2005 depending on the verison you have installed
;
; in this example the f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt is the "good" file
; the c:/mytestfile.txt is the users folder and location to copy the file to
; it will only copy if the file save time is different

(vl-load-com)
(setq origfile (vl-file-systime "c:/mytestfile.txt")
newfile (vl-file-systime "f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt")
);close of setq

(if (/= origfile newfile)
(vl-file-copy "f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt" "c:/mytestfile.txt"
(vl-file-delete "c:/mytestfile.txt"))
);close of if statement
; end of code here
==========================================

==========================================
; start of code here
; copy outdated file to users folder location
; created by Beau Turner 3/10/2004
; copy and paste code between the ==== and place in a new file
; name it CopyFile.lsp (or whatever you want to call it)
;
; in this example the f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt is my "good" file
; the c:/mytestfile.txt is the users folder and location to copy the file to
; it will only copy if the file save time is different

(vl-load-com)
(defun c:CopyFile (/ origfile newfile)
(setq origfile (vl-file-systime "c:/mytestfile.txt"))
(setq newfile (vl-file-systime "f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt"))

(if (/= origfile newfile)
(vl-file-copy "f:/AutoCAD/mytestfile.txt" "c:/mytestfile.txt"
(vl-file-delete "c:/mytestfile.txt"))
);close of if statement
);close of defun

; end of code here
==========================================

Want to get started coding with Lisp/Visual Lisp? Check out "The Visual Lisp Developers Bible", a free download from my buddy Dave Stein. Though there are currently no plans to continue development of this great resource you will still find this .pdf a great resource and reference and hey its free, so what are you waiting for.

happy coding...