Free Facilities Management FM class handouts

Did you know that Autodesk University and the Revit Technology Conference partner with AUGI to hold old course handouts and presentations?

Well, now you do. They're hosted in the forums, so, if you're searching for a topic, these tutorials and lectures can also show up in results. Covering AutoCAD, DWF, collaboration, information management, BIM, IPD, Revit etc.

I compiled a list of those classes that are applicable to the owner's side.

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?149593-FM-Class-handouts-from-AU

Obviously some of the software-based courses (like FMDesktop rip) are out of date, but, some of the concepts are still valuable, like this one:

FM104-1: Using Autodesk® FMDesktop for Space Management on a Shoestring Budget
Instructor: James E. (Jimmy) Niles
Class Description: This class will introduce the process and procedures to implement a space management system on a limited budget. We will explore the use of Autodesk FMDesktop to track departments, research grants, employees, room use, and more, for any size organization (whether it is 10,000 or 10 million square feet). We will also discuss how to make information readily available over the intranet or Internet by using third-party off-the-shelf products.

Class handouts will continue to be uploaded as they become available, so be sure to check back. I'll update that thread in the Facilities Management - In Practice forum as I see them, but, of course, I always encourage CAFM/CMMS folks to check out the CAD Management and Programming classes, too. When you're making changes on a large scale across your campus, you'll want to brush up on the automation available to speed that process up.

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Dork Side Tips: Keyboard Navigation

Flight of the Keyboard Navigator

If you are old-school like me, you might always keep one hand on the keyboard. I habitually keep a few programs and many drawings open and like to navigate using typed commands:

Use Alt + Tab to toggle between open files and programs

Use Ctrl + Tab to toggle between different open AutoCAD files

Use Ctrl + PgUp & PgDn to toggle between layouts / modelspace – Page Down to move right, Page Up to move left

Use Ctrl + R to cycle through viewports

Using the keyboard when Coding VB.net

The above tip reminded me of something from my programming classes back in college. We used Visual Studio, but, none of the instructors directly covered the various ways to progress after making your autocomplete options. I noticed that all of them chose one method and used it over and over, rather than switching between them, which I found to be more efficient. When you're typing out a bunch of code, you don't want to move your hand off the keys to click an option with your mouse or the arrow keys or hit an unnecessary space if one could be added for you automatically.

When using Intellisense (like AutoCAD's command complete feature), you type a couple of letters, and objects/commands/variables etc pop up.

• Pressing SPACE will fill in the selected item and insert a space after it. 
• And, of course, hitting ENTER will fill in the selected item, and move your cursor to the next line. 
• Obviously, you don't want a space after every single component of your code, so, hitting TAB will fill in the selected item, and keep your cursor at the end of it, so that you may continue typing.

 You can also toggle between the Intellisense tabs (Common and All), using the keyboard ALT< and ALT> (not that you need it with the simple example given in my code, but, trust me, it can come in handy).

I haven't spent enough time programming to have picked up any other keyboard navigation tips in Visual Studio. But, if you've got some additional to share, I'd love to learn them, too.

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Performance Optimizer from Dell

I'm a bit spotty about what press releases I pass on here on my blog, mostly because I don't find many of them very interesting (sorry, no offense to the vendors who have taken the time to share such valuable information with me, but, I've got a terribly short attention span).

But! I couldn't resist scheduling a meeting with Dell about their new performance optimizer. I remember the days when I first started using AutoCAD professionally, and picked up advice on the AUGI Guilds and Forums and elsewhere about how to tweak paging files and memory allotments, because standard Windows configurations just weren't made with more powerful programs in mind and neither our IT department nor my department's programmer had any idea about how Autodesk software worked.
Of course, software for engineering and analysis and animation has only gotten more complex since then, so I can imagine that there are many people out there who could benefit from some more packaged settings adjustments for their workstations.

Enter the Dell Precision Performance Optimizer.
The PPO has three different basic functions:

• Performance Optimization
• Maintenance 
• Analytics

Performance Optimization allows for the automatic loading of 'profiles' based on the application you run. These profiles will adjust the CPU, memory, storage, graphics and operating system settings when you load a program.
I specify the loading because, if you work as I do, with multiple applications loaded all day, you could be calling into play conflicting profiles. The ideal situation, if you're working with one of the more resource intensive programs out there (like Maya, PTC or Solidworks), would be to only have one of these applications loaded at a time. I don't tend to run more than one memory-intensive program at a time, but, as I have many other applications running simultaneously, I figured I should ask. This has been taken into account with the PPO. If you've got multiple profiles loading with your apps, then the user is prompted to decide which of the conflicted settings to utilize.

Maintenance function enables "automated or manual updates for new drivers, BIOS, application software, firmware and other vital components", which can save a user from forgetting about searching for them.

Tracking and Reporting. This was a fun addition to the Performance Optimizer that I wasn't expecting. With this component, you can see "how much free memory is available, processor utilization, thermal sensor data, battery state and more. Detailed reports can be scheduled to run and analyze system utilization at any time."
The application that came immediately to mind for me is justification for system upgrades. I have had to request a few deviations from IT standards over the years (first for my graphics card, then my mouse, then my CPU and OS) and the requests that went through the most easily were the ones where I had independent verification of my need.
This can be used to check out work loads for various tasks and applications. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of benchmarking and analytics and know that once you've got some data in your hands, you'll find many ways to use it.

The press release from Dell said that their benchmarks indicated that the performance optimization with these profiles can increase system performance by up to 57%. If you end up adding this tool to your arsenal, run some tracking and reporting on your current setup, then compare once you start using some of the profiles for your favorite heavy duty programs.

Oh, and, just because I asked, the PPO isn't a central management console, it's really meant for use by an individual, but it will, of course, work into your current IT administration systems and can be scripted or remotely accessed on the client side, etc as other tools.

The performance optimizer is free and can be downloaded here:
[oops, sorry, they said the link isn't working, I'll post an update when I get it]
and it will come "pre-installed on Dell Precision T1650, T3600, T5600, T7600, M4700 and M6700 workstations with Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit) and Windows 8 (64 bit) operating systems."

There should be an in-depth video available here. And a blog post.

Many thanks to Karl Paetzel (Marketing Director, Dell Precision) and Alex Shows (Sr. Systems Engineer for Precision Performance Engineering) for taking the time to explain the PPO to me and answer my questions.

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Siemens Shape-based Searching

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CADdigest, January 7th, 2013

Geolus Shape-Based Searching for Reusing CAD Parts

“Reuse” is a popular focus in initiatives across PLM today. It is an area where efficiency is improved by not repeating work and by making derivative products from existing ones, rather than starting from scratch.
It is one of the most basic benefits of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE). The more we leverage existing parts, the easier it is to maintain internal standards, freeing resources for innovation. Another incredibly important byproduct of reuse is that each time we reuse rather than re-invent, we slow the increase in complexity of our inventory.
Every part that is needlessly invented creates a ripple of waste throughout the product management lifecycle (PLM). There is no such thing as a cheap part.

Reuse is not limited to parts, but also extends to processes. If we can recognize a situation where a particular manufacturing process or CAE strategy can be applied to rather than reinivented, savings can be recognized.

This is great, in theory. The difficulty comes when trying to locate those existing parts for reuse. If a search for a desired part turns up nothing promising, then I suspect most of us would decide to just start recreating the design of the "missing" parts from scratch. 

We tend to find information through text-based searches, putting data such as part number into a search field; this data is known as metadata or attributes. However, looking for existing items using metadata can fail for a number of reasons, including:

• The part might not have been filed with the correct attributes.
• The company might have grown through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) which means there will be a cultural mix of attribute names.
• Using suppliers' terminology will help communication with them, but it does introduce new cultures, just like M&A. This is compounded when dealing with multiple suppliers of the same part.
• Design shops may span continents, introducing local language issues.
• Spelling errors and irregular adoption of terminology and abbreviation will also be common.

If the expected metadata is not associated with the part in the first place, the search fails even when the needed parts are in the database. The only possible resolution in cases like this, discounting manual review of every file, is shape-bases searching. 

A Solution Through Shape Searching

One shape-based solution is Geolus, from Siemens PLM Software. Geolus has the ability to digitize “shapes.” It captured the essence of shapes as a digital index. It has the ability to compare indices and determine if a part is similar to other parts in the enterprise. Two good analogies are fingerprints and DNA. People’s fingerprints or DNA do not change when they change their hair, clothes, or names. Similarly, the Geolus index of a part is the same, no matter which keywords are associated with it. The index is unaffected by a part’s position or orientation. This is important when browsing assemblies for parts.
 
Geolus is a search engine that returns results in order of shape similarity and additionally reports the comparison of the size of the search part and the resultant part as a percentage. It can return exact matches as well as parts that are merely similar. 

For example, if production is halted because there are no more parts in Bin A, a search might find a source of alternate identical parts that enabled production to continue. A similarity search is appropriate if there is an initiative to identify parts on which production can standardize.

Searches can begin with a simple 3D sketch or an existing part, perhaps paired with some attribute(s). When a search returns a result, it reports a weighted list in order of similarity, along with identifying information, a report on the size compared with the original part, and a preview of each part. This image shows a set of search results on an existing part, as launched from a Web browser.

Example of a ‘seed’ image, used to search, and the associated results

(image provided by Siemens)

Notice that the parts are ordered by shape similarity and that, in this case, the defining attributes are also included in the results. The attributes are chosen by the customer and can include items such as release status, release date, owning engineer, project, supplier, cost, and so on. This collation, of non-geometric information through geometric means, facilitates queries such as “Which supplier has this part for the best price?”

How Geolus is used

Geolus is designed as a plug-in. It is accessed through your Web browser. It could also be integrated into existing software from Siemens PLM; such as Teamcenter, NX or Solid Edge. It is also available in aClass, a product from a Siemens partner, BCT.

The geometry that Geolus processes can be any one of the following formats: Siemens' own JT, VRML or STL. Attribute data can be in CSV, XML, or PLMXML formats. For example, I could sketch a bracket shape, and then specify that I am searching for one made of stainless steel and/or designed in a specified year and/or having a certain price.

JT, VRML and STL are all neutral file formats. Geolus can read a mix of these file formats into the same data depository. It does not matter if the originating CAD systems are varied, which makes it a powerful tool in a multi-CAD environment.
 
JT just became an ISO International Standard for 3D visualization, and is a lightweight format that can range from data-rich to very basic. Parasolid is the 3D modeling kernel used by MCAD and architectural software like SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and Vectorworks. D-Cubed is the library of software components licensed by Siemens PLM, and is used with many CAM/CAE applications, such as NX and Solid Edge.

On Siemens' Youtube channel, I watched the sketch of a part in NX, a high-end 3D CAD system from Siemens PLM. The selection of the desired part and the call for the Geolus search did not take long and previews of similar parts popped up quickly. From the results screen, I could see additional information reached by clicking on the 3D preview of each part presented. Through the search screen, I could even see how to replace the sketched part with one of the designed components. This appears to be a simple and easy way to swap out a "napkin sketch" for an established component.

When Geolus is used interactively it is typically used to search for matches to a single part. This answers the question “What did I do last time I had an item like this one?” When Geolus reporting is used, every part is compared with every other part and the results are exported to a spreadsheet, the manager’s tool of choice. This provides a finger on the pulse across the enterprise.
 
How Geolus Works

Geolus indexes parts and stores them in a database. A Geolus index contains:

• the digital representation of the shape
• metadata as specified by the user
• thumbnail images for presenting visual feedback to the user
  

About Indexing

The Geolus Indexer is a small utility that is located with the data. (It is worth noting that you are never asked to move your data outside your firewall.) The Geolus Index is tiny compared with the original geometry. It does not contain enough information to reverse engineer the geometry. This could have been a security concern for multisite customers who choose to have a central Geolus server and so export the Geolus indices.

Strategic Uses

There are also other, more strategic, uses for the capabilities of Geolus to tackle in addition to Engineering and lifecycle management. Procurement, business analysis, and digital validation can also benefit from quick and easy access to shaped-based information.

Spreadsheets could be created to compare every item in the enterprise with every other item. This would allow bidding on the manufacture of groups of similar parts. These reports could conceivably make it simpler to detect which characteristics of parts are best used to identify units in catalogs and design specifications.

The ease of searching could help estimators to put together more accurate bids from available historic data, rather than depending on the memories of engineering staff.

Siemens PLM suggests that tracking reliability and maintainability of previously used parts could be another application of this system.

Make Full Use of the Technology

When I first took on the role of managing the archives for my hospital, dating back nearly 90 years at the time, I was continually frustrated by the misspelling of terms, and the renaming of buildings over the decades. Had I been able to sketch out the layout of a building or division for easy location, I could have found and distributed all of the available information quickly, rather than having to field verify or flip through thousands of drawings.

An ability to search by shape is something that I found fascinating about Geolus. Knowing that one could still make use of their company’s intellectual property, even if predecessors did not name or describe a part by the same standards we would use today, is quite empowering. As with any technology, implementation teams would need to ensure that the design staff are taking the time to perform the search and making the best use of all available resources.

If you would like to see this search in action, there are videos available on the Geolus channel on Siemens’ website. You can also find a couple on YouTube, they all appear to be from Siemens, such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBg272eyRw For additional information: http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/geolus

Melanie Perry is a facilities management CAD coordinator as well as a technical editor. She writes for the Mistress of Dorkness blog about CAFM and BIM. More...

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CAD Management and Analytics Webcasts

If you've spent any time with me, you might notice that I geek out a bit over data. Yes, I know that randomly spouting applicable statistics in the middle of a conversation might not get me invited to many parties, but, that won't stop me from doing it.
The beautiful thing about all of the discussions on 'big data' recently, is that they are bringing to light how valuable tracking and analyzing data on a wide scale can be. There are countless ways to use collected information, even in our industry.

If you follow my profile link in the sidebar, you'll see my Google+ profile. That has really been my social media platform of choice recently. It's quick and easy and there are a ton of design geeks there sharing interesting content.
I've known Patrick Hughes for a good few years now, and we keep in touch mostly through G+ now. That's also where we met Ben Jones. Ben suggested that we get together and discuss how analytics can be applied in the design industry, and, really, who could say no to that!?!

September 24th, we kicked off the group discussion with a good talk on the Importance of Benchmarking in Analytics.

We got together in October for a general discussion on Analytics in CAD Management.

Our last discussion in November was a bigger group with a broader topic of cloud computing and cloud data access. A little bit of a branch off from our typical data-centric talks, but, still pretty interesting to chat about the different perspectives from each of our companies and personal preferences.
And, yes, I totally managed to work in (yet again), results from the AUGI Annual Survey 2012.

These hangouts are broadcast live on Google+, but, you can find the recordings uploaded later to BenSJones' Youtube Channel. 

Props to Ben for herding us all together and leading the discussions, as well as to everyone who has participated (Chris, Patrick, Curt, Jonathan, Jeff, Steve and Marv).
The discussions so far have been fun, and if you've got some resources regarding analytics as applied to the design industry, or more webcast discussion topic ideas, please share them!

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Play a Game, Learn Some Software, Win a Workstation?

We're competitive.

We may say we're not, but, let's face it, we like to have motivation. Anyone who is familiar with Khan Academy can see how successful this method of learning is.

Autodesk is running a contest right now, for folks who download a trial version of The AutoCAD Design Suite and play a game to win a prize pack consisting of a standalone license (it is upgradeable, not NFR) of AutoCAD Design Suite Standard 2013, a Lenovo S30 workstation and an iPad® worth over $6,500.
The suite includes AutoCAD®, AutoCAD® Raster Design, Autodesk® Sketchbook® Designer, Autodesk® Showcase® and Autodesk® Mudbox®

You can see Shaan Hurley's writeup on the contest here:
http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2012/11/the-apocalypse-trigger-the-gamification-of-the-autodesk-software-trial-experience.html

And you can sign up to participate here:
http://proc.autodesk.com/apocalypsetrigger/
(this is not in any way tied to your Autodesk login, it's a separate site)

Personally, I'm downloading the trial right now, and I will be giving it a try. I have not reviewed any of the missions ahead of time, and I'm only familiar with two of the five software packages in this suite... so, it should be amusing to see how poorly I will do. Let's see who can beat my scores. I'll tweet my scores later, once I've run a couple of 'missions.'

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What does an Owner want with BIM?

Question: What does an owner want from BIM?
Answer: Essentially, the same thing they wanted from CAD.

In reality, the answer is actually another question.

Who is the owner?

When people talk about the owner and what they want and what they need, it always varies, because they all seem to be speaking about different stakeholders.

This list breaking down each type of owner is from the perspective of *my* company. If there are other owners who would like to chime in, please feel free to comment. Add some areas that I've missed or tell me how each of these different stakeholders functions in your company.

Owner Breakdown: 

Project Manager: Oversees the bidding, budget, implementation and communication of construction projects. May have been an architect in a past life. Balances a lot of pressures from company leadership, finance and occupants and manages supports (such as walk-throughs from occupants and facilities staff, to space numbering for CAFM and signage for wayfinding).
Needs: Timely documentation to keep all design, review, occupant, support and construction personnel on the same page.
Wants: Anything that will reduce RFI's and help keep the project on-time and on-budget.

Occupant: Will be working in the space. The only one who knows how their workflow should and could happen. Also, one major part of 'owner' that does not have a background in design, construction or engineering.
Needs: A space that will operate as needed for the foreseeable future. A pretty rendering, probably delivered on paper in a project meeting, that helps reassure them that's what they are getting.
Wants: A space that will operate as needed for the foreseeable future, but, may not always be able to communicate precisely what that is, or what it will cost.

Finance: Is petitioned for projects by occupants and project managers and facilities staff and various support services, and balances the needs of the many over the long-term.
Needs: An accurate estimate of scope and price. A pretty rendering, probably delivered in powerpoint, that tries to make a renovation look as tempting to fund as the purchase of fancy Radiology equipment that will actually generate revenue directly.
Wants: Precision and documentation.
(other stakeholders such as the legal department and administrative boards would fall under the same basic description)

Real Estate: Manages space. Ensures that all departments are functioning and accessible in locations with adequate resources to perform their primary duties. Manages departmental moves, from simple to complex, and takes care of leases (whether we are leasing to others, or renting space for our departments).
Needs: Scope of proposed projects, accurate inventory of existing functions and their supplies.
Wants: Scope and schedule to stay as close as possible, so that the shuffleboard game of freeing up spaces for future projects can continue.

This section of the list is often what is referenced by the designers I network with. They are not technical gurus when it comes to Revit MEP or AutoCAD or CAFM or CMMS. They are the ones that wield the most power or get the most facetime with Architects and GC's, though.

Facilities Sub-Breakdown: 

Maintenance Staff: Repairs breaks, performs preventative maintenance to ensure maximum up-time and equipment and systems functioning long beyond their original design specs. In smaller hospitals, this will be a generally educated maintenance staff, in larger facilities, this will be broken down according to skilled craft (Building Finishes/Carpentry, HVAC/R, Plumbing, Electrical, Major Mechanical, Plant).
Needs: Accurate documentation that will help them perform their work as quickly as possible to minimize damage, or the downtime of a revenue-producing department, or future infection concerns for patients, visitors and staff.
Wants: Want the information to be where it says. Looking for a shut-off valve, the zones on a floor need to be called out on the plans. Looking for a section or detail mark and then getting to the details page and realizing there is no corresponding details means that a room gets taken out of service and holes get cut into walls or ceiling tiles get popped out, again causing infection control concerns.
Older staff prefer to look at paper drawings, younger staff expect electronic access to cut down on constant running back and forth across a large campus.

Operations Administration: Schedules preventative maintenance tasks to ensure uptime on all systems and long-term system performance. Sets baselines for all equipment and tracks maintenance history for a myriad of uses. Takes information from new projects and inserts it into a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and/or a Computerized Aided-Facilities Management (CAFM) system. This history helps the Engineers or Facility Managers to make the best specifications (with regard to expected performance and reliable materials and brands).
Needs: Accurate documentation.
Wants: Something which is as simple as possible to import into programs like Maximo and Archibus.

Engineering Staff / Facility Manager: Sets material and equipment specifications, reviews proposed projects during the design phase, tours construction sites during construction, commissions buildings prior to occupancy, uses long years of experience to spot problems (as well as deviations from specified materials or necessary system redundancies).
When new projects do not perform as expected, these are the folks who trouble-shoot the systems and tweak/retrofit them until they perform as needed. They also oversee projects such as system upgrades (happening outside of renovations) and major equipment replacements (such as chillers, air handling units, major pumps and utility loops).
Needs: Accurate documentation that is easy to access and simple to read.
Wants: They don't really care how they get their information (paper, PDF, DWG, RVT), so long as they have it when they need it, and they like the option to carry it out to the site.

CAD / BIM Management Coordination: Sometimes, this role is held by a facility manager or engineer, but, larger companies will have an archivist of some sort.
This person sets the CAD/BIM Standards for the new construction and any special projects that occur. Their first involvement in a construction project is during closeout when they review documents for electronic deliverables compliance. When files are rejected for being sloppy or incomplete, noob designers at other companies protest to their project managers that the owners are idiots who don't know what they need, then this Coordinator attends a meeting with their project manager and eventually convinces the other design monkey that they do, in fact, know quite a bit about CAD/BIM and the long-term needs of their facility (because this is such a great and productive way to spend one's time).
They take in new data, archive it as a project, then patchwork the MEPFP system information into a working set of drawings for ease of use by the engineers, mechanics/skilled maintenance personnel and future renovation and planning needs.
This role manages the technology transitions, such as paper to CAD and CAD to BIM or plotting stations to tablet computers, as transparently as possible for the end users and any random stakeholders.
This person, of practicality and necessity, cares more about basic drawing neatness and clarity than about superficial things like fonts and dimension styles.
Needs: Accurate and EDITABLE documents that can be kept alive and updated throughout the life of a building (in many cases, over 100 years) in formats that they have the ability to work with. In our case, this is DWG or RVT.
Wants: Neatness, clarity, progress.

We also have other support services (Information Systems, Telecommunications, Key Control, Security, Clinical Engineering, etc) that might need to use our CAD/BIM files as they plan and maintain their systems across the campus and across the rest of the healthcare system. These other stakeholders are generally not of concern to the design and construction contractors, as they will get their information directly from the Facilities staff.

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Autodesk Facility Management Suite 2013

IF Autodesk delivered a Facility Management Suite (which they do not), here is what should be in it.


Facility Management Suite - Standard

AutoCAD MEP
Revit MEP
Raster Design
Image Modeler
Vault

For the Premium Suite, add Showcase and Constructware
For the Ultimate Suite, throw in Green Building Studio

Yes, I know what a couple of you are thinking. You're wondering why I did not include Navisworks (or Adobe Acrobat Viewer) on my list.
Navisworks Freedom is not a Facilities Management (CAFM) tool, and Navisworks Manage has some great features, but, they are extreme overkill for day to day operational needs.

If some have found uses for Navisworks post-construction, in the built environment, that is great! But, in the opinion of someone who has been working in the Facilities Engineering department of a six million square foot medical center (where any given space is renovated once every thirteen years, but, maintained every day) for well over a decade, I declare that it is not a viable approach long-term.

See this conversation on the AUGI forums for thoughts and ideas from both sides of the fence:
http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?117785-Linking-Data-Spreadsheet-to-Navisworks-for-Facility-Management

We take in data from various construction projects. We archive the project, then work the MEPFP components into a patchwork quilt which we work off of. If we make one-off changes in-house, those will be drawn up and changed on our documents (using AutoCAD MEP or Revit MEP). We then distribute bits and pieces of this information to architects, engineers and general contractors who work on the 50-75 construction projects we have going on around our campus at any given time.
Since we are over 100 years old now, we do have a vast library of scanned blueprints spanning a century of new construction and renovations. Raster Design would be a fabulous addition to our toolset, filling in gaps in our more current electronic records.
With so much information in our archives (that might need to be accessed at any random time), and with such a geographically scattered work team, a good data management solution is in order.
 In their spare time, our staff engineers attempt to find ways to modernize our buildings and reduce our energy consumption. Once they identify projects, they must sell them to our executives in order to compete for the scant funding available.

Well, now that I have shared what should be in an Autodesk Product Suite geared toward the Facilities customer, I will be serious for a moment and let you know that I will soon have the opportunity to post a review of the AutoCAD Design Suite, if you'd like the chance to read about something that actually is for sale.

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What version of AutoCAD are you currently using?

This month AUGI is running a poll on the homepage, there are still a few more days left to take part, so please go to www.augi.com and cast your vote.

The survey is over on the right-hand column, below the Quick Links.

You can see the results of last month's poll in HotNews.
Please feel free to chime in, no matter what flavor of AutoCAD you're using... vanilla, LT, electrical, mechanical, architecture, mep...

Please pick the primary version you/your company is currently using. We'd really like to know.

I'll be adding a little bit of commentary on the article with the numeric results, and I'd love to quote you! Please add a comment below (or shoot me an email) with a quick reason for the version you are using. For example:

We're using 2012 (MEP) because we only have 3 seats in-house and work with a lot of outside files, so it is just simpler to keep on the current release. - Melanie Perry, facilities management

We're using 2005 (vanilla) because we use an add-on software that hasn't been updated to work on a newer version of AutoCAD. - Joe Schmoe, ABC HVAC

Thank you for your participation!

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Announcing Inventor Fusion - it's on the Mac

Although my work is multidisciplinary (MEPFP), I try to post generic tips and tricks for AutoCAD that anyone can use, but, my writing is always coming from the perspective of someone in the AEC industry. I do love manufacturing, though. At one of my earlier Autodesk Universities, I got to play with Inventor in the AUGI Playpen and fell in love. Later on, I even helped to prepare the presentation of the first Inventor Wishlist at AU2005 in Orlando. Too bad I've never needed to take a class on it, because the software is pretty darned neat and a far cry from the type of work I usually do.

So, what's the big news? The thing that made me carve out a sliver of my day to pepper Senior Product Line Manager, Kevin Schneider, with questions?

That would be the launch of Inventor Fusion.

 Those of you who keep an eye on the Autodesk Labs have likely heard of Fusion, since it's been in a Beta state for a couple of years now (from January 2009 through Fall of 2011), where it has been downloaded over 150,000 times.
While Fusion can be used on it's own, it will also work with AutoCAD, Inventor, Algor, Moldflow and AliasDesign. 

Schneider explains that Fusion is not intended as a replacement for Inventor, but, rather a tool that folks can pick up and use without a lot of extensive training and experience, something geared toward intuitive editing of existing models. I did not remember to ask for a list of filetypes, but, the intent is being able to use models from disparate sources, so I'd imagine the main players would be represented.

Don't get me wrong, there are model creation tools in Fusion as well, they are slightly more suited than AutoCAD for creating flexibly editable 3D shapes. This product is not intended for heavy engineering work currently done in Inventor, but, for small businesses and hobbyists and students who want to explore. There will also be some sort of simple connection 'to the cloud' for sharing.

I haven't used Fusion myself, but, I did download 123D when it was on the Labs, because I thought my 3rd grader would get a kick out of it (which he did). As Kevin was demonstrating the ease of use of Fusion, I asked him if there was a connection between the products, because I'd found 123D so simple and intuitive and they had a lot of similarities. He did say that that was the type of thing the teams were going for, sharing the ideas of usability and what was working for users and what wasn't... in the half a dozen releases of Fusion to Labs, different approaches to intuitive manipulations of models were tried and either vetted or rejected.

images Courtesy Autodesk

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AUGI Wishlist System - Go Rank Some Wishes!

The new AUGI Wishlist system is now online!

In the past, the wishlist system relied upon the validation and sorting of wishes by volunteers, which could sometimes lead to delays. The new system was created to allow wishes to move more quickly through the system. AUGI President Dave Harrington wrote an introduction to the system in October's HotNews.

The first thing you need to do is log into AUGI, then go to My Account.

Then click on Membership Details, and tick the box(es) next to the Autodesk products you use and support.

Next, click on the Wishlist Channel in the gray navigation bar.

There are 6 wishlists available (with more to be added later), but, you will only be shown the ones which correspond to the programs you selected in your profile.

Currently active product lists include:

• AutoCAD
• Revit
• Revit MEP
• Revit Structure
• Inventor
• Civil 3D

You will be randomly presented with one wish at a time to rank, which you do with a sliding bar.

Some older wishes still need to be processed, so there is a link to report that a suggested feature already exists in a product.

You'll be taken to another page where you can input details, if needed.

The buttons on the screen are pretty self-explanatory, if you want to discuss any of the wishes, you can do that.

It's easy to submit and edit wishes of your own, too.

So, the thing now... there is a backlog of wishes that still need to be ranked!

After the wishes are ranked, the 30 or so wishes with the highest overall ranking for each product will be put up for a vote (I believe, in the month prior to AU), where the TOP 10 will be decided!

Please log in today and help out by sharing your opinions of some of existing wishes, or add your own!!!

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I haven't heard of this command...

I don't think this dialog box exists in AutoCAD, but, based on some deliverables I've gotten, it wouldn't really surprise me...

(for anyone who is curious, this is a spoof of the Cleanup Tools available in MAP and Civil3D
Edit: here's another blog post describing the tools and how best to use them: BeingCivil)

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Test version of E-Transmit for Revit

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/revit_etransmit/

Go get it!

This 'technology preview' works with the Revit 2012 platform (Architecture, Structure and, most importantly, MEP).

From the Overview Page:

With eTransmit for Revit, you can:

• Copy and detach a Revit model and associated files to a single folder for internet transmission. This removes the typical error messages when you copy central files using the operating system.
  
• Locate dependent files automatically and include them in the transmittal folder, helping to reduce the possibility of error. All dependent files are automatically converted to use relative paths so the dependent files can be located by the model.
  
• Choose to include related dependent files such as linked Revit models, CAD files, DWF™ markups, decal images, and external keynote files. You can transmit any Revit (.rvt) model that has been upgraded to be compatible with a 2012 Revit software product.
  
• Transmit models that are using file-based worksharing or server-based worksharing. eTransmit for Revit will also work with non-workshared Revit models.
  

Common uses for eTransmit

• Internal archiving
• Sending deliverables to clients
• Model exchange between consultants/partners
• Model cleanup
• Sharing models between disciplines

Availability

The technology preview will operate until December 31, 2011.

Don't forget to give feedback to the developers.

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Recent Random AUGI resources

Alright, you all know I love AUGI and all of it's talented volunteers, right?

Well, just in case you're not a big dork, and do not follow me on Twitter, here is a list of resources I recently shared there, just to ensure that everyone gets to see them. Have a scroll through and see if someone has shared some news or tips for the products you use.

Hot Forum Topics: 

Navisworks: setting up object enablers http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=85131

CAD Management: CAD vs. Creativity http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=18562 

CAD Management: working with laptop users http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=128352

BIM Management: startup costs for #Revit http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=129552

BIM Management: job descriptions? http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=97134

CAD Standards: NCS in contract requirements http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=125587

Training: New users vs. old users #CAD #BIM http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=84092

AutoCAD MEP: changing conduit bends http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=129194

Discussion @AUGI #AutoCAD Architecture: 2012 release discussion http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=128699

Revit Architecture: 2012 Stability http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=129259

Revit MEP: relinquishing issues http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=83117 #RMEP

Facilities Management: Project Management software http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=110350 #CAFM #FM

AutoCAD LT: What will I miss (if anything) using LT? http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=129191

AutoCAD: what's the most obscure command you can think of? http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=74304

Civil3D: adjusting settings for better performance http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=128539

Map3D: using LIDAR data http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=127571

Inventor: Moving parts into a new assembly http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=128105

3DSMax: Resource list http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=57818

AutoLISP: Leaning Lisp http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4657

AutoLISP: What API Should I learn? http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=67675

Revit FAQ's:  http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=160

AutoCAD Customization http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118

Vault: so many unanswered questions, help out http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=292

HotNews Articles:

An Interview with @AutoCADLT 's Kate Morrical http://tinyurl.com/3bpkh7n

TIPniques: Parametrics in AutoCAD, Part 1 http://tinyurl.com/3ewy969 

- by Brian Benton

TIPniques: Parametrics in AutoCAD, Part 2 http://tinyurl.com/3gscb6u

- by Brian Benton 

CAD Management: How to Impress Your Boss http://tinyurl.com/43a2d55

- by Mark Kiker

Is the CAD Classroom Obsolete? http://tinyurl.com/3myvoyo

- by Shaun Bryant

TIPniques: A Few of my Favorite AutoCAD Things http://tinyurl.com/3h5wxnq

- by Brian Benton 

The Civil Side: Six Smart Tips http://tinyurl.com/3q36yv4

- by Christian Barrett

AUGIWorld Magazine Articles:

May Issue:

(The links below all point to specific pages in the same pdf document)

First Impressions with AutoCAD MAP http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=5

- by Andra Marquardt

Implementing AutoCAD 2012 http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=8

- by Brian Benton

Project Naviator Ultimately Organized in ACA http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=12

- by Melinda Heavrin

1...2...Civil3D Implement http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=17

- by Tench Tilghman

BUILT - BIM to FM http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=21

- by James Salmon

BIG Questions in Revit Architecture http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=24

- by Joe Eichenseer and Scott Burke

The Interior Side of Revit http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=28

- by Miriam Ganesh and Damian Serrano

Implementing & Integrating Factory Design Suite http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=36

- by Mark Flayler

Implementation Concepts and Processes in Navisworks http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=42

- by Will Harris

Setting up filters in Revit MEP http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=48

- by Casey Eckhard

Inside Track - software development news http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=51

- by Erik Lewis

Revit Structure Assembly & Part Commands http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=52

- by Marcello Sgambelluri

Scanline Renderer simulating in 3dsMax http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=56

- by Tom Cipolla

Heads Up! - updates, services packs, known issues http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=59

- by William Troeak

AutoCAD MEP Implementation Part 1 http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=62

- by Beth Powell

Interview with Autodesk's Volker Joseph http://www.augi.com/images/uploads/augiworld_issues/AW0511_lr.pdf#page=68

- by David Mills

April Issue:

(The links below all point to specific pages in the same pdf document)

AutoCAD MEP 2012 Streamlined http://tinyurl.com/3korqas  

- by Beth Powell

AutoCAD 2012 Productivity Boost http://tinyurl.com/3hnxzve

- by Brian Benton

AutoCAD 2012 New API's http://tinyurl.com/3q7mwjt 

- by Stephen Preston

What's New in AutoCAD WS (cloud-based autocad for smartphones and tablets)? http://tinyurl.com/3gpxs8q

- by Brian Benton

Interview with #Revit 's Harlan Brumm http://tinyurl.com/3pc7qu3

- by Steve Stafford

Civil 3D 2012: Life's a Beach http://tinyurl.com/3gr526f 

- by Chris Fugitt

#Revit Architecture & platform 2012 Score! http://tinyurl.com/3txkkx2

- by Lonnie Cumpton

Introducing #Revit MEP 2012 #RMEP http://tinyurl.com/3owna3b 

- by R. Robert Bell

What's New in #Revit Structure 2012 http://tinyurl.com/449nze2

- by Phil Russo

Navisworks 2012 - What's New http://tinyurl.com/448nvnd 

- by Richard Parker

New Features in Autodesk Inventor 2012 http://tinyurl.com/44mvzyq 

- by John Evans

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