Import/Export/Open/Save Options in Map3D 2006

Sometimes, you just need to know your options... what you can open, what you can save to. In Map3D 2006, there are a few places to find this information, so I like to keep it all together in one list for ease of use and a quick reference.

MAP3D 2006 Export Options:
ESRI ArcInfo Coverage
ESRI ArcInfo Export (E00) (*.e00)
ESRI Shape (*.shp)
GML v2 (*.gml, *.xml)
MapInfo MIF/MID (*.mif)
MapInfo Tab (*.tab)
MicroStation Design (*.dgn)
Vector Markup Language (VML) (*.vml)

Map3D 2006 Import Options:
ESRI ArcInfo Coverage
ESRI ArcInfo Export (E00) (*.e00)
ESRI Shape (*.shp)GML v2 (*.gml, *.xml)
MapInfo MIF/MID (*.mif)
MapInfo Tab (*.tab)
MicroStation Design (*.dgn)
OS(GB) MasterMap (GML2) (*.gml, *.xml, *.gz)
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) (*CATD.DDF)
Vector Product Format Coverage (VPF) (*.*ft)

Map3D 2006 MapGuide Import/Export Options:
Autodesk MapGuide SDF (*.sdf)

AutoCAD Open Options:
Drawing (*.dwg)
Standards (*.dws)
DXF (*.dxf)
Drawing Template (*.dwt)

AutoCAD SaveAs Options:
AutoCAD 2004 Drawing (*.dwg)
AutoCAD 2000/LT200 Drawing (*.dwg)
AutoCAD Drawing Standards (*.dws)
AutoCAD Drawing Template (*.dwt)
AutoCAD 2004 DXF (*.dxf)
AutoCAD 2000/LT2000 DXF (*.dxf)
AutoCAD R12/LT2 DXF (*.dxf)

AutoCAD Export Options:
Metafile (.wmf)
ACIS (*.sat)
Lithography (*.stl)
Encapsulated PS (*.eps)
DXX Extract (*.dxx)
Bitmap (*.bmp)
3D Studio (*.3ds)
Block (*.dwg)

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MEPFP Drafter needed in St. Louis

EDIT IN MARCH 2007: This position has been filled. Thank you.

I was asked by colleague to spread the word that his firm is looking for a drafter post-haste, following is a brief job description:

Immediate opening for experienced AutoCAD operator at a Chesterfield, MO based consulting engineering firm; specializing in HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, and Fire Protection.

Excellent benefits including group health insurance, 401K, and 4 day work week. Salary commensurate with experience. Send resume to David Wilson at Tennill & Associates, Inc.

e-mail: ~removed contact information after position was filled~

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WID Interview: Ruth Rogers - Architect

As I mentioned in a previous post, I wanted to inspire women by showing them other successful ladies in the fields of Architecture, Engineering and Design.

If you are educators, please, share any of these interviews with your students to get them familiar with the jobs that these ladies are doing. Hopefully, it will inspire them and give them potential directions in their career planning.

Also, I'd love to hear from any women in design who would like to participate in one of these interviews. Or, (since I know most women won't want to put themselves forward) if there has been a woman who has inspired you, drop me a line to send you the questionnaire to pass on to her.

Now, on to the good stuff...

I have the pleasure of helping you get to know:

Ruth Rogers

42 year old Architect and CAD Manager from Boston, MA, USA

Field/Discipline: Architecture

Years in your Field: 16

Education: BFA and Bachelor of Architecture

Employer Profile: I work for a small architecture firm in Boston, MA. We do mostly non-profit, institutional work and some private residences. I am trained as an architect and have worked as that for many years. Right now my role is that of cad manager for the firm, although I do help out on projects as needed.

Did you always know that you wanted to enter the field of Architecture?

I have always been interested in architecture. The combination of the creative and analytical attracted me. I could always draw well, and I always had a good sense of space. Later, I discovered that I enjoyed the computer also.

Describe a typical day in the office/in the field:

On architecture projects, what you work on depends a lot on what phase the project is in. If it is in a schematic design phase, I might spend a day sketching out ideas on trace paper, or doing simple 3d exercises on Sketch-Up. Then the team will meet and discuss which design works the best. If the project is in a later phase I could spend most of the day using cad software, such as AutoCAD, to update drawings to get them ready for construction. I also might spend a morning or afternoon on the telephone, talking with clients or the contractor.

As cad manager, now my day is a bit different. I usually work on the office CAD standards, update the manual, or train a new employee on CAD. The day is often interrupted by calls from users with questions, or problems with the software or computer. As CAD Manager you never quite know what to expect.

Who has inspired you in your profession?

There have been a few people who have motivated and inspired me. (Including one who inspired in me things NOT to do!)

My first boss after I got out of school was very tough and unpleasant, and I learned from him ‘what not to do’ to motivate people and how to deal with difficult people. Since then I have worked with a lot of great people. Three in particular stand out:

A man at my first firm who was a trained Architect but became a CAD Manager (later IT Director). He showed me that I could combine two interests: design and the computer.

At my next job I worked for a man who gave me a lot of responsibility. He would take me to job meetings and let me run them. He helped me find the confidence to run a design project.

At this same firm, I finally got to work for some women who were in management positions (there still are not that many in Architecture). One became President of the firm. I asked her to be my mentor, even though I did not always work directly for her. We would go to lunch and discuss work and life. Being able to share experiences with someone like that was fun and a great help.

What things have made you ever want to just throw in the towel?

The low pay for a professional career and the length of some of the projects. Some Architects can be quite critical and nasty to others, which has discouraged me; but I usually found those people to be quite insecure.

While most projects are very interesting, a building can take a long time to complete. There are times that you just want to move onto another project, but you cannot. You have to finish what you start. Nothing lasts forever, though.

What keeps you motivated in the day to day drudgery?

Seeing the completed work; talking with a client who is so happy with his building or house; making sure that you take time to draw and be creative even while doing the drudge work, which all jobs have.

What is the coolest project you've been involved with?

Probably the work I did for a local school for the blind. I worked for them for about two years and the projects were small enough that my firm let me run them. The projects were fun and relatively quick. I was able to meet with the students and the staff to work out their needs. It was very satisfying.

What do you think you add to your work team that is different from most of your coworkers?

My flexibility and my CAD knowledge. I have used cad from the beginning, but I also can draw and sketch. I have made it a point to learn all aspects of the job so that I can be placed in any position. This is one thing that attracted me about Architecture: it is a combination of art and science. I find most good architects have a wide range of interests.

What would you love to have the opportunity to do professionally?

I would love to design a memorial or something more sculptural perhaps. I also am interested in designing furniture sometime.

If you hadn't ended up in the field of design, what would you be doing today?

Perhaps photography or computer science. I am not sure. I have always loved to draw and paint as well.

What do you feel about the importance of education?

It is extremely important, especially for women. It can change people’s lives. I do think that the type of education can vary; different people learn in different ways. Sometimes traditional education doesn’t work for everyone.

How do you think your job affects your family life?

It can be hard sometimes because of the time commitment, but it also is a creative, fun profession, which is good for children to see. I have two young boys, and I have decreased my hours so that I can spend more time with them. That is the reason that I am working as a CAD Manager at this time, instead of running architectural projects. I would have had to work a lot of overtime for that.

Working outside the home with children can be hard, and most women have to be creative to find a situation that works for them, but spending time with family is important for both women and men. Both my husband and I work part time so we can enjoy both work and family life. We were lucky to be able to arrange things that way.

Thank you to Ruth, for taking the time to answer my questions and share about her experiences as a woman working in a design field. I do have a couple of more interviews up my sleeve that I'll be posting after a review. Please, let me know if you or someone you admire, would be willing to participate in spreading the word about all of these inspirational women in our field that we'll be meeting!

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AN FMDESKTOP BLOG!

Yeah, I'm a little excited to see a blog about FM Desktop!!!, what can I say?

I'm trying to talk the bosses into letting me do a pilot project with FMD over the course of the year, to convince the other departments and financial department that a CAFM program is worthwhile and achievable.

Plus, I'm always happy to see talk about FM!

I've had the pleasure of meeting fellow FM blogger Shaun Bryant during classes at Autodesk University this year. You might also recognize him from there as one of the leaders of the UK AUGI Country Chapter or as a Panel Member for the class on Successfully Implementing a CAFM Solution.

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Five Things You Didn't Know About Me

Well, I've been tagged by DWF-guy, Scott Sheppard.

So, I find myself surprised to learn he has been burned in effigy and is Carl Bass's twin (a few years and parents removed).

It is hard to come up with things that you, faithful reader, haven't seen on these pages... where I've lived, how I met my husband, that my first chosen career was actually accounting (with a minor in english), that I keep an extensive spreadsheet of CAD blogs that I come across, that my favorite books are the LOTR trilogy and that my favorite author is Dean Koontz.

So... what UNKNOWN thing to say about myself?

1. I am painfully shy.
No, really I am. Many who have met me probably won't believe that, because I can be quite outspoken.
Either I am babbling because I am nervous and you've stupidly left a lull in conversation, or I am clarifying something. I'm very practical and share knowledge.

2. The first time I saw my name in print I was 17.
You've probably figured out by now that I've always wanted to be a writer. When I was 17, the newspaper I occasionally worked for (as an accounting temp) published an opinion piece about the 'threat' of teenagers hanging out in pool halls. I was incensed, because no crimes had been committed, the author was just showing their bias without even offering a solution to the 'problem'.
So, I wrote a (for a shy 17 yr old) scathing commentary about how they shouldn't judge, and if they DO fear, they should provide alternative locations and activities for all of these 'shiftless' teens.
It was published without a single edit in the opinions column and ran the whole length of the page. :-) My family was surprised... and proud.

3. My Great-Great-Uncle invented Popeye.
There ya go. (is that great-great? mom's mom's mom's brother? anyway, close enough)

4. I love boats.
Big waves, little waves, paddling, engines, sails. I LOVE boats.
When I lived in Washington, we would do at least one weekend a year in BC. We'd stay in Port Angeles, WA, and take a ferry across the sound to Canada. One day the water was really choppy and it was rainy and everyone else was inside but me. I was loving riding the waves... and then I SAW ORCAS!!! No one else wanted to come out in the rain to watch them play, so, I stood out there and enjoyed them all by myself.

5. I haven't always loved Dark Chocolate and Coffee.
No, REALLY! I developed a taste for Dark Chocolate when I was pregnant with my son and haven't gone back to milk chocolate.
And, I didn't like coffee at all, but, back in college... you know... no sleep and no money. The addiction was slowly acquired.

So... I'm too shy to directly tag someone... ~going back in my cave~

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AUGI 2006 Salary Survey published in AUGIWorld

Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for.
BLAUGI has just posted that the January/February issue of AUGIWorld magazine is now available for download.

This issue contains a lot of great articles, as usual, but, this month is special because it contains the results of the Annual Salary Survey as well as a great article from CAD Manager, Mark Kiker, on how to ask for a raise! Could this be any more perfect?

So, I hope you like the changes I've made to the typical AUGIWorld spread this year. This article not only gives the normal rundown on the membership, but, it also contains the average salary for every job title and the top ten industries! NOT ONLY THAT, you'll get a list of the average pay by years of experience and by level of education.

Really, I think there is so much great information contained in this year's article. As always, (AFTER YOU READ THE FAQ) feel free to send me any suggestions/comments at salarysurvey@augi.com (please check your spam bucket for a reply from me, this is an alias that goes to a yahoo hosted inbox).

If you were able to use the AUGI Annual Salary Survey to help secure a deserved raise, or if the results made you feel confident about your current earnings; drop me a line and let me know! I love to hear the good stuff!

I am still working on the additional results to be posted to the website. The first batch of documents posted will be individual pdf downloads for each Industry...

Aerospace

Architecture

Automotive

CAD

Chemical

Civil

Construction

Education/Training

Elecrical/electronics

Facilities Mgmt

Government

Interior Design

landscaping

Manufacturing

Mechanical (HVAC)

Medical

Mining

Petroleum/Gas

Sales/Marketing

Semiconductors

Shipbuilding

Software

Structural

Telecommunications

Tool/Die/Molding

Please, bear with me as I add the rest of these documents to the site. I am not an actuary (I just play one on AUGI), I'm actually using a spreadsheet to manually calculate and organize all of this data, and I apologize if it takes awhile.

After I get some more of these individual breakdowns done, I will be adding a comparison document like I did for the 2005 survey, showing how each job title/industry/gender ranks and will write some articles in AUGI Hotnews. (augi membership/free registration is required to navigate the site)

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What product can I use for MEP design?

I work in Facilities Management... so, while I don't actually do design, I work with Mechanical (HVAC/R), Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection systems.

I use Map3D currently, but, have been looking at ABS and Revit System. RSys is a relatively new product, I only know like one guy in the city using it so far... so, I know it's got a little ways to go to reach maturity. I believe I've read that ABS is selling like hotcakes right now. It's good to see MEP designers catching on to BIM/intelligent drafting and design. This is a good step forward (so, I'm sure the FMDesktop team is taking note of all of this and working on working with MEP data from ABS/RSys to make us Facility Managers happy... ~fingers crossed~ ;) )

I just thought I'd point you over to the Lazy Drafter... no, that's not an insult, that's what he calls himself. Todd Shackelford talks about your current options, and the things that Revit Systems has going for it, some potential headaches, and the bottom line. Enjoy.

(does anyone know of any other MEP bloggers out there? they seem to be a rarity, I'd love some links if you have them, here's another, Kelly Swa, the Redneck CAD tech Bucking the System)


Oh! And something handy to keep in mind... this blogger talks about the proper way to dispose of / recycle your electronics; such as computers and cell phones.

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