This Week's Software Tips

Could You Use a $25 Amazon Gift Card? How about $50?
Do you know a better way to work — in AutoCAD or any other CAD software tool? Take a few minutes to share your tips or LISP code with your fellow CAD users, and benefit yourself at the same time: If we publish your tip, you can earn an Amazon gift card and be entered in the quarterly prize drawing. Learn all about CAD Tips prizes here.

Open Your Plot Dialog Box Faster
Does your Plot dialog box take a long time to open in AutoCAD? Michael Viscetto offers a tip to help you speed up the process by moving or deleting old plot styles. "This tip brings up a very good point — when AutoCAD has to read and load a lot of anything (such as plot styles, in this case), performance will suffer." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Create KMZ files from AutoCAD Map 3D or Civil 3D
This tip from Michael Partenheimer explains how to create KMZ files from AutoCAD Civil 3D or Map 3D. "This is an excellent alternative method for users of AutoCAD Map 3D or AutoCAD Civil 3D versions that do not include this functionality." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Inventor Tip: Leverage Snap in Autodesk Inventor Drawings
Have you ever tried to add a dimension to an Inventor IDW or DWG file and wanted the snap options that are available in AutoCAD? David Gaskill shows us how to pick the right snap settings to get you the results you want. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Review Cadalyst's Tip Submission Guidelines, then Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. Be sure to tell us which software version you use. If we publish your original, previously unpublished tip, you can earn a gift card (learn more about prizes here). Please submit only tips or code that are your original work. By submitting code, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your tip in print, digitally, and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to submitted tips.

By submitting code, you agree that your code can be reused as-is or modified by other users in conjunction with AutoCAD or other software programs to gain efficiencies in that software for professional or personal use, and that your code can be shared freely among users. Users do not have the right to republish code in any manner or format (such as on a blog web site or in a printed document) for personal or commercial gain without written permission from Cadalyst and the original author.

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'sCAD Tips site.

Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed in the latest version of AutoCAD by Contributing Editor R.K. McSwain. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. We're sorry, but Cadalyst staff cannot provide assistance with technical problems. Please refer to Cadalyst's LinkedIn and Facebook communities for assistance with AutoLISP and other AutoCAD customization questions.

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Resources

CIMdata Publishes PLM Trends Market Report
CIMdata, a product lifecycle management (PLM) strategic management consulting and research firm, announced the release of the CIMdata PLM Industry Review and Trends Report, the second of five modules of the CIMdata 2015 Market Analysis Report Series. The series of reports provides information and analysis on the worldwide PLM market during 2014. The reports are available for purchase from the CIMdata website either as a five-module set or as individual reports.

BOXX Offers Hardware Video Series
Workstation provider BOXX announced the availability of its BOXX Video Collection, an online library of videos focusing on the company's hardware products and customer stories. Other video topics include industry information and issues related to 3D graphics and motion media. The videos are available for streaming on the company's website.

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Deals & Freebies

CADENAS Releases New Version of PARTcommunity
Software developer CADENAS has released an updated version of PARTcommunity, a 3D CAD download portal that provides access to free CAD models for SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Autodesk Inventor, and more. According to the company, PARTcommunity v4 has new search capabilities for finding 3D CAD models as well as improved support for mobile devices. Additionally, the portal's "Top 10 Downloads" feature now can be filtered by manufacturer catalogs and countries.

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Books & Training

Pinnacle Series Adds Training for Autodesk 2016 Products
Eagle Point Software, an Autodesk AEC Industry Partner, has added Autodesk 2016 products to its Pinnacle Series CAD training resources. The company's workflows, cheat sheets, videos, and live training classes now support the following 2016 Autodesk products: AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, Autodesk InfraWorks, Autodesk Storm & Sanitary Analysis, Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit MEP, Autodesk Revit Structure, Autodesk Navisworks, Autodesk 3ds Max Design, and Autodesk Design Review.

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New Products

Civil Engineering: CivilFEM with Marc
MSC Software announced the release of its CivilFEM 2015 for structural design and analysis. This simulation solution provides system-level structural simulations of large commercial buildings, bridges, tunnels, nuclear power plants, and other structures. CivilFEM 2015 incorporates the company's Marc nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) solution for civil engineering.

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Mark Your Calendar

KeyShot 6 Beta Preview
July 9, 2015
10 a.m. PT
This Luxion webinar will discuss updates to KeyShot 6, including changes to capabilities with materials, labels, lighting, and more. Read more

Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink
July 9, 2015
11:30 a.m. PT
This Ideate webinar will discuss ways in which Ideate BIMLink can help with managing an Autodesk Revit project. Read more

e-SPECS for Revit Live Webinar
July 29, 2015
11 a.m. PT
This InterSpec webinar discusses the company's e-SPECS for Revit solution for automated and coordinated specifications with Autodesk Revit. 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

Fusion 360 Primitives: An Introduction for Autodesk Inventor Users
Are you in an Inventor state of mind? Learn the similarities between creating primitives in Fusion 360 and in Autodesk Inventor. Watch the video

Cadalyst Labs Report: Desktop 3D Printers for CAD Professionals
This evaluation of three compact, affordable, office-friendly models can help you determine which solution is right for your workplace. Read more

CAD Manager's Toolbox: Recommended Reading for CAD Managers: Rework
Become a better, more inspiring technical leader with these tips for finding the best ways to work. Read more

The Proactive Power of Surveying Your Users
Get your users' input and give yourself a chance to solve problems before they become crises. Read more

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