Scott Durkee

CAD Mgmt Toolbox: AU Virtual

2009-11-30T22:54:00.001-06:00

AU Virtual – see streaming content from Autodesk University this week. Register today at http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_register_login&attendee_type=AUv

Rev It Up for Green Renovation Promotion

2009-11-30T22:21:00.000-06:00

Now through April 18, 2010, customers who purchase an AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite or AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite new license, crossgrade, or subscription renewal have the option to purchase an Autodesk Ecotect Analysis 2010 license for $995 (normally $2,995) plus subscription. Subscription for Autodesk Ecotect Analysis is required to be eligible for the promotional price and provides access to Autodesk Green Building Studio. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Autodesk Ecotect Analysis and Autodesk Green Building Studio software combined with Autodesk’s BIM tools like Revit Architecture or Revit MEP allow you to analyze, visualize, and simulate real world appearance, cost, and performance for green building renovation and energy retrofit designs.

For more information about Green Renovation go to www.autodesk.com/renovationforarchitects - this website includes recordings from Greenbuild 2009.

CAD Mgmt Toolbox: Autodesk Object Enablers

2009-11-24T17:03:00.002-06:00

Autodesk Object Enablers provide a way to access, view, and manipulate object data from one application in another. For example, you can install Object Enablers in AutoCAD to view Plant 3D objects, AutoCAD Architecture objects, or AutoCAD Civil objects. You can view the entire list of Autodesk Object Enablers at www.autodesk.com/oe. Select the software you are using and then select and install the Object Enabler you need.

Eagle Point Transition Program

2009-11-23T14:33:00.001-06:00

Now through January 15, 2010, Eagle Point customers with qualifying versions of civil engineering and surveying products can receive significant discounts on migrations to AutoCAD Civil 2010 or AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. Pricing varies depending on the products and versions of your current software. Additional terms and conditions apply. The transition program ends October 17, 2010, but the best discounts are now through January 15. Please let me know if you have any Eagle Point licenses and are interested in this promotional discount. You can also read about Eagle Point’s perspective on the transition at http://www.eaglepoint.com/transition/

AutoCAD Rebate

2009-11-20T09:49:00.001-06:00

Now through January 15, 2010, customers who purchase qualifying new commercial licenses of AutoCAD 2010 software may be eligible for a rebate of up to $500 for each new license purchased (up to $2,500 for a maximum of five seats total per invoice address). Additional Terms and Conditions can be found at www.autodesk.com/autocadrebate.

Free Virtual Design and Construction Webinar Series from ENR Dec 9, Jan 13, Feb 10

2009-11-19T17:54:00.003-06:00

ENR (Engineering News-Record) will present a three part complimentary webinar series on “Collaborative Virtual Design & Construction for Infrastructure: Teams, Technologies, Projects”

ENR writers and representatives from government, transportation and utility sectors will discuss the implications of information modeling for the entire construction process.

Dec 9, 2009, 1PM – 2PM CST
Part I: Transportation's Transition to Information Modeling

Jan 13, 2010, 1PM – 2PM CST
Part II: Gaining Ground in the Utilities Market Using Information Modeling

Feb 10, 2010, 1PM – 2PM CST
Part III: Information Modeling for Government Projects

For more information and to register go to http://video.webcasts.com/events/mcgr001/33063/

This webinar series is sponsored by Autodesk.

CAD Mgmt: Optimizing AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

2009-11-18T11:35:00.001-06:00

Highly recommend this technical note from Autodesk about optimizing your AutoCAD Civil 3D experience. Very good description of virtual memory and the advantages of running a 32bit application on a 64bit operating system. Here’s a quote: “The operating system is one of the most influential factors affecting performance of Civil 3D, not the hardware itself.” They include a list of recommended operating systems in order of performance preference. The list doesn’t include Windows 7, but I have been told that you can expect similar improvements by moving from a 32bit operating system to 64bit Windows 7. This tech note also includes several best practices for your engineers and designers including minimizing the number of open drawings and other CAD Management optimization tips such as limiting Layout caching with the LAYOUTREGENCTL system variable.

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/autocad_civil_3d_technical_note_harnessingpowerofcivil3d.pdf

NCARB’s 2009 Survey of Registered Architects

2009-11-04T00:41:00.002-06:00

NCARB’s 2009 Survey of Registered Architects

I pulled some data from recent years for comparison:

ARCHITECT REGISTRATIONS FOR KANSAS

Year	Resident	Reciprocal	Total
2009	905	1,771	2,676
2008	894	1,779	2,673
2007	936	1,566	2,502
2006
2005	949	1,550	2,499
2004	963	1,519	2,482
2003	913	1,539	2,452
2002	899	1,553	2,452
2001
2000
1999	980	1,496	2,476

All data from http://www.ncarb.org/.
2003 data from website was 913, 1639, & 2452.

Autodesk Announces Support for Windows 7

2009-11-02T10:14:00.001-06:00

Autodesk will support customers on Windows 7 who are using the following products:

AutoCAD 2010
AutoCAD LT 2010
AutoCAD Architecture 2010
AutoCAD Electrical 2010
AutoCAD Mechanical 2010
AutoCAD MEP 2010
Autodesk Algor Simulation 2010
Autodesk Inventor 2010
Autodesk Inventor LT 2010

Several products are not yet approved for Windows 7 (Revit, Civil 3D/Civil, Map 3D, Navisworks, etc.) and will not be supported until a future update.

You can find the complete pressrelease here: http://bit.ly/2frAlr

Autodesk Architects on Twitter

2009-10-31T00:15:00.001-05:00

Autodesk Architects on Twitter
Follow Autodesk Technical Specialists Amy Fietkau, Eddie Perlberg, and
others at www.twitter.com/adskarchitects.

You can also find me on Twitter and LinkedIn in the links below.
www.twitter.com/scottdurkee
www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurkee

Autodesk BIM Reports

2009-10-31T00:11:00.000-05:00

The Autodesk-sponsored 2009 McGraw-Hill Building Information Modeling (BIM) SmartMarket Report is now available for download. The report is a summary of a survey that was given to approximately 3,000 architects, engineers, contractors, and business owners across the United States and Canada. It focuses on two areas: determining where BIM adopters are experiencing business value, and determining why non-users haven’t adopted BIM and what it will take to get them to adopt. http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/Final_2009_BIM_SmartMarket_Report.pdf

You can find additional BIM-related reports at www.autodesk.com/bim

Revit Visions Wichita Users Group

2009-10-31T00:10:00.000-05:00

Networking is an important part of learning new technology. If you are interested in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Revit, please join the Revit Visions Wichita user group. We typically meet for lunch on the third Tuesday of the month (currently taking a break for the holidays and will start again in January). You can be informed of time and location of upcoming meetings by registering through LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?groupID=2118307&sharedKey=125C032BA9BB. Also, please join my LinkedIn professional network at http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurkee.

Autodesk Assistance

2009-10-31T00:09:00.000-05:00

Know someone who has recently been laid off? Direct them to www.autodesk.com/assistance.

The Autodesk Assistance Program has been recently expanded to include benefits for companies that hire Autodesk Assistance Program participants.

AutoCAD LT Rebate

2009-10-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

Now through January 15, 2010, customers who purchase qualifying new commercial licenses of AutoCAD LT software may be eligible for a rebate of up to $300 for each new license purchased (up to $1,500 for a maximum of five licenses total per invoice address). Additional Terms and Conditions can be found at www.autodesk.com/autocadlt2010rebate.

Crossgrade from AutoCAD LT

2009-10-31T00:07:00.000-05:00

AutoCAD LT 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 (purchased before Aug 1, 2009) can be crossgraded for promotional discounted prices. You can crossgrade to one of the following for just $2,495:

AutoCAD 2010

AutoCAD Architecture 2010

AutoCAD Civil 2010

AutoCAD MEP 2010

AutoCAD Map 3D 2010

Or you can crossgrade to one of the following for just $2,995:

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010

AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2010

Autodesk Revit Structure 2010

AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite 2010

AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2010

This offer expires Dec 30, 2009.

Autodesk Upgrades

2009-10-31T00:06:00.000-05:00

Do you still have 2007, 2008, or 2009 licenses that have not been upgraded? Autodesk's Simplified Upgrade Pricing begins Mar 16, 2010. At that time all upgrades will be half the price of a new license of software. To encourage customers to upgrade before this price increase in March, Autodesk is currently offering a 10% discount on upgrades through Jan 15, 2010.

You can read more about the Simplified Upgrade Pricing and the 10% promotional discount terms and conditions at www.autodesk.com/upgrade.

Kansas Training Funds

2009-10-31T00:05:00.001-05:00

Kansas Department of Commerce funds may be available to help subsidize implementation services. The Kansas Industrial Retraining Program can assist companies in Kansas who are implementing new technology and have revenue of over 50% coming from outside Kansas. Typically they will reimburse 50% of your cost. Contact me for more terms and conditions. If you do not meet these specific requirements there may be other assistance available.

Other states may have similar programs available.

Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs

2009-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Autodesk Subscription customers have access to Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs that include the latest Autodesk software technology. Subscription Advantage Packs are now available for download and include new features, specialized functionality, and powerful tools that help extend the capabilities of your Autodesk 2010 software. Subscription Advantage Packs are available for:

AutoCAD 2010

AutoCAD Architecture 2010

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

AutoCAD Map 3D 2010

AutoCAD MEP 2010

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010

Autodesk Revit MEP 2010

Autodesk Revit Structure 2010

Autodesk Navisworks 2010

Autodesk 3ds Max 2010

Demo videos of the various Subscription Advantage Packs can be viewed at www.autodesk.com/advantagepacks.

Autodesk Software Update 2

2009-10-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

New service packs (Update 2) are available for AutoCAD Civil, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and Revit-based Products. According to Autodesk this update offers numerous memory, performance, and scalability-related improvements. You can access the downloads from the Services & Support / Data & Downloads pages for your products on www.autodesk.com or use the links below:

AutoCAD Civil http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240698#section1

AutoCAD Civil 3D http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240698#section3

Revit Architecture http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=12828862

Revit MEP http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=12899931

Revit Structure http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=12856705

ATG is Autodesk Reseller of the Quarter

2009-10-30T23:43:00.000-05:00

Autodesk Names Applied Technology Group as Reseller of the Quarter for Excellence in Customer Service - Oct 19, 2009 http://pressreleases.autodesk.com/index.php?s=118&item=645

Calendar

2008-04-30T20:29:00.000-05:00

New calendar below.

Tulsa Area AutoCAD Civil User Group Meeting February 7, 2008

2008-02-06T16:56:00.000-06:00

Passing on this information from Anita Nicely of TAACUG (Tulsa Area AutoCAD Civil Users Group):

"MEETING NOTICE"
Tulsa Area AutoCAD Civil User Group Meeting
Thursday, February 7th, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Event: Tulsa Area AutoCAD Civil User Group Meeting
Date: February 7th, 2008
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Place: Le Bistro Deli, Mall 31
Address: 5970 E 31st St, Suite J

You are invited to attend the February 2008 meeting of the Tulsa Area AutoCAD Civil User Group.

We will be discussing the results of the survey that we have been sending out.

If anyone has not clicked the hyperlink and taken the survey, please do so now:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=5LaBSw6vQ0AVqiKfrh3krg_3d_3d

The purpose of this meeting is to decide on a meeting place, time, day and week of month. What we want to accomplish with this group. What we want to focus on as a group.

Bring all of your ideas and experience. It’s important for everyone to attend, and be heard about the direction we want this group to follow.

DIRECTIONS:
Exit the Broken Arrow Expressway at Sheridan and 31st St., then go north 2 blocks to the intersection of 31st St. and Sheridan Rd. Turn left, or west, go approximately 1 block. The Shopping center is on the south side of 31st St. just west of Sheridan Rd.

Access for this meeting will be through the entrance on the north side in the middle of Mall 31, facing 31st Street.

CAD Mgmt: Future Design Tools

2008-01-18T17:46:00.000-06:00

CAD Managers and potential Chief Innovation Officers (see Scouting for CAD Managers) spend a lot of time on day-to-day tasks, but they also have to be looking to the future. The recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas provides a good opportunity to look at some consumer electronic trends and extrapolate those trends into tools for professional design. Many of the products shown will be available within the next five years, so it's reasonable to look for potential design tools from these products.

I remember drawing a doodle many years ago (probably all the way back to the late 80's) of a "Designer of the Future". What I envisioned at that time was someone in motion - moving on to the next task, communicating on the go with a large roll under their arm. At first glance it looked like a set of 30x42 prints, but it wasn't. What I wanted to portray was a device that was both a monitor and a digitizer that rolled up for portability and rolled out for use. On it our "future designer" would be able to work on their drawings, roll it up, and move on to the next task. I haven't seen this device yet, but I think we're getting closer. Electronic paper, thinner displays, multi-touch screens - just take those ideas and fast forward to the future.

So, if anyone out there does put together all the pieces of my "future designer's tool" be sure to send some royalties my way. And don't forget to make an 11x17 version.

PC Magazine's coverage of CES 2008 http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2235882,00.asp

PC Magazine's photo blog of CES 2008
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2245608,00.asp

DL.TV's Episode 211 "We are off to CES 2008" http://dl.tv/2008/01/dltv_ep_211_we_are_off_to_ces.php

DL.TV's Episode 212 "We have products galore from CES 2008" http://dl.tv/2008/01/dltv_ep_212_we_have_products_g.php

DL.TV's Episode 213 "Day Two of CES 2008" http://dl.tv/2008/01/dltv_day_two_of_ces_2008_cover.php

DL.TV's Episode 214 "Wrappin Up at CES 2008" http://dl.tv/2008/01/dltv_episode_214_wrapping_up_a.php

DL.TV's Episode 215 "A Look Back at CES 2008" http://dl.tv/2008/01/dltv_ep_215_a_look_back_at_ces_1.php

Fujitsu’s Fabric Laptop
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=222845&s=27838&a=222837&po=106,00.asp?p=y

Fujitsu’s Fabric Laptop
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=222845&s=27838&a=222837&po=108,00.asp

MS Surface http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l=222845&s=27838&a=222837&po=206,00.asp

TAUG Jeopardy and Christmas Party Dec 20, 2007

2007-12-19T12:09:00.000-06:00

Passing on this information from TAUG (Tulsa Autodesk Users' Group) President Greg Silva:

"MEETING NOTICE"
Thursday, December 20, 2007

Hi Fellow TAUGies:

The "Third Thursday of the Month" Meeting time is rolling around again.
Pass around and/or post this notice to let your friends know.
If they would like to be on the email list have them email me.

WHERE: BITS Center - Tulsa Technology Center, Lemley Campus, 3638 S Memorial Dr
WHEN: Thursday, December, 20 2007, 6:30 PM
TOPIC: TAUG Jeopardy and Christmas Party

Please RSVP to greg.silva@taugok.com so we can make sure we get enough food.

Annual Membership fees are
Single $20.00
Corporate $50.00 good for 4 members
Our year runs from Sept 2007 to May 2008

Please check out the new web page
http://www.taugok.com/

Next Month's Meeting: Thursday, January 17, 2008

Robert Green's CAD Manager Survey

2007-09-06T09:39:00.001-05:00

Please take a couple of minutes to complete Robert Green's CAD Manager Survey. He should have some very interesting data to share with all of us when the results are compiled. Unlike Lynn Allen, he didn't ask me to promote it, but I am because it will help the whole CAD Manager community if your experience is included.

And don't forget to come back here and answer the "Your first AutoCAD version?" poll.