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Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 16, No. 31)
29 Aug, 2011 By: Cadalyst StaffThis Week's Software Tips
Do You Have Any Hot Leads for Harry?
When it comes to CAD code, Hot Tip Harry knows a good tip when he sees it! Use the "Submit Tip" button below to send us your LISP routines. If we publish your tip, you'll earn a $25 gift card you can use to purchase a T-shirt or other prizes in the Cadalyst Store.
Align to Rectangle
Tipster Jerry Bandy shares a trick he uses to line up objects on specific planes in AutoCAD. "I use the often-overlooked Align command to position a 2D or 3D drawing to a given plane." View the complete tip and post your feedback.
List and Rename Pasted Blocks
Facilities Designer Raymond Espinoza was inspired to expand on a previous Cadalyst CAD Tip (Paste As a Named Block, Tip No. 3677) that illustrates how to paste objects as a block in AutoCAD. He explains how to manage the naming of the blocks that are created this way. "Naming blocks in a useful manner is a good idea," said tip reviewer Brian Benton. View the complete tip and post your feedback.
Fillet to Trim and Join
Kent Elrod shares a trick using the Fillet command in AutoCAD to trim and join separate polylines (or plines). "I found that the Fillet command can work with plines in unexpected, but good, ways." View the complete tip and post your feedback.
Adjust Insert Units
Tipster Danny Korem reminds us to set our insert units in AutoCAD so that it can "automagically" scale files when they are xrefed. "While working in a multidisciplinary environment — AEC, for instance — you can expect that you'll be getting multidisciplinary data from various design team members. This can reach your desktop in a wide variety of formats such as units, styles, and CAD standards; let's focus on units." View the complete tip and post your feedback.
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Review Cadalyst's Tip Submission Guidelines, then Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. If we publish your tip, you'll earn a gift card you can use to purchase a T-shirt or other prizes in the Cadalyst Store. Please remember to submit only code and other tips that are your original work (or provide the original source so we can include proper credit) and to tell us which software version you use.
By submitting code, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your code in print, digitally, and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to the code; published code is not to be used for commercial purposes.
Got Feedback? To share feedback about one of today's tips, navigate to the tip using the link provided above, then click Comment. The Comment tool is available to registered users of Cadalyst's CAD Tips site.
Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed by Cadalyst staff and the Tip Patrol before publication. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. We're sorry, but editors and Tip Patrol members cannot provide assistance with technical problems; please refer to Cadalyst's Hot Tip Harry-Help discussion forum for assistance with AutoLISP and other AutoCAD customization questions.
Sincere thanks to our volunteer Tip Patrol members: Brian Benton, Don Boyer,
Mitchell Hirschklau, R.K. McSwain, and Billy Wooten.
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Resources
Site Demonstrates Interoperability of Vectorworks and Scia for AEC Workflows
Nemetschek Vectorworks has created a new resource for users to learn about Scia Engineer, a structural engineering design and analysis solution from sister company Nemetschek Scia. This new section of the Vectorworks web site provides information about Scia, its relationship with Vectorworks, and openBIM workflows.
Roland Expands U.S. Creative Center Gallery of Applications
The Roland DGA Creative Center, located at the company's headquarters in Irvine, California, brings together the work of Roland customers including product designers, jewelry makers, movie and television set designers, and others. Recent additions to the Creative Center include the "Roland at Work" exhibit, which showcases some of the company's injet, engraving, vinyl cutting, and 3D technologies.
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Deals & Freebies
Maxon Offers Cinema 4D Discount
Maxon Computer customers who buy Cinema 4D release 12 can get release 13 free, for a savings of up to $300. The new release of the 3D graphics and visual effects software will feature an enhanced rendering engine and physically accurate rendering. This offer applies to all new purchases and upgrades, and is valid through August 31, 2011. Release 13 is scheduled to ship in September.
DataCAD Customers Can Save 50% off GrafiCac 2011
Until August 31, 2011, DataCAD is offering GrafiCalc 2011 for 499 euros ($719), a 50% discount off the regular price. The pre-CAD mechanical engineering solution includes tools for automated design calculations, automated geometry optimization, automated mechanism and machinery designs, and automated tolerance analysis.
Rasterex Offers 30-Day Trial of Raster Editing Programs
Document-management software firm Rasterex is offering a free 30-day trial of its products to registered users. The company recently released RxAutoImage R12, software for raster editing and raster-to-vector conversion inside AutoCAD. This version features AutoCAD 2012 DWG compatibility (32-bit) and improved translation of the graphical user interface into local languages. Rasterex also released RxSpotlight R12, its software for raster editing and raster-to-vector conversion in Windows.
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Opportunities & Honors
AECOM Architecture Project Garners Two Sustainability Awards
An AECOM Technology project, the NASA Ames Sustainability Base (Building N232), has won the 2010 U.S. General Services Administration Award for Green Innovation and the 2010 San Jose Silicon Valley Award for Best Green Public Structure. AECOM used a building information modeling (BIM) approach, along with Autodesk Revit Architecture, to achieve LEED Platinum sustainable design certification.
Geometric Wins Global Enabling Technology Award for DFMPro
Product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions provider Geometric has received the 2011 Global Enabling Technology Award for Computer Aided Design from independent research consultancy Frost & Sullivan. This award was conferred on Geometric's DFMPro, a CAD-integrated product, for its ability to facilitate upstream design validation for manufacturability, by providing an automated design review process and employing a standard operating procedure for knowledge capture and reuse.
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Mark Your Calendar
Uniting ERDAS IMAGINE and GeoMedia to Enrich Your Workflows
August 30, 2011
11 a.m. ET
This free webinar from Intergraph and ERDAS will feature a Live Link demo highlighting simultaneous use of ERDAS IMAGINE's raster capabilities and GeoMedia's vector-handling tools. Read more
Documenting Products with 3DVIA Composer
September 8, 2011
9 a.m. CT
This free Fisher/Unitech webinar will explan how 3DVIA Composer can enable users to create up-to-date documentation that uses current models directly from the engineering department. 3DVIA Composer is an authoring tool for creating rendered images to use in any documentation tool, such as Microsoft Publisher or Adobe products. Read more
Create Better Mold Designs
September 12, 2011
1 p.m. CT
This free Fisher/Unitech webinar will address making mold designs in SolidWorks. Topics will include importing and fixing 3D data; creating manual parting surfaces; creating cores, lifters, and pins; creating electrodes; creating a complete mold base assembly and drawing; adding ejector pins; and adding waterline features. Read more
INTERGEO 2011
September 27–29, 2011
Nuremberg, Germany
INTERGEO is an communication platform for geodesy, geoinformation, and land management. The trade fair and conference cover key trends that crop up along the entire value-added chain, from geo-based information surveys and data processing to integrated applications. Read more
For a complete list of CAD meetings, conferences, training sessions, and more, check out our calendar of events on Cadalyst.com. Are you hosting an event that you would like to include in our calendar? Submit details at least two weeks in advance to news@cadalyst.com.
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What's New at Cadalyst.com
IMAGINiT Tricks Tutorial: Create Product Documentation with Inventor Publisher 2012
Even though you may refuse to read the instructions sometimes, they are important — and the latest release of Publisher includes new tools to help you create them. Read more
Thinkbox's Render Management Solution Helps CGI Studio Burn Rubber
Burrows CGI processes massive vehicle visualization files in less time with Deadline software. Read more
From Order to CAD Chaos, Part 1
It doesn't take long for a well-regulated workplace to slip into disorder in the absence of proper CAD management. Here are some tips on recognizing trouble — and fighting back. Read more
Circles and Lines Tutorial: Everyday Improvements in AutoCAD 2012
They might not be showy, but these important features will save you time and reduce tedium. Read more
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AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
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Comments
on: September 11, 2011 - 2:55am
thanks, this is very useful