November 29, 2011

Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:
11.30-12.2::Seattle
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
12.5-7::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
12.6-8::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
12.9::Portland
Revit Architecture Families

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November 22, 2011

Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:
11.30-12.2::Seattle
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals
12.5-7::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
12.6-8::San Francisco
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
12.9::Portland
Revit Architecture Families

Know your software. Sign up now!

November 15, 2011

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:
11.16::San Francisco
BIM Management for Revit Architecture
11.21-23::San Jose
Civil 3D Fundamentals
11.30-12.2::Seattle
Revit MEP Mechanical and Plumbing Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

November 14, 2011

MEP Content Display Settings in AutoCAD MEP and Navisworks

Recently I ran into a support case with a customer where they were bringing their AutoCAD MEP drawing into Navisworks 2012 (which by the way now supports native .DWGs, no more NWDOUT from AutoCAD). Everything looked good except for their pipe. It was coming in as a line instead of a 3D object. The solution as it turned out was fairly simple, but because of the myriad of visual settings in both applications it could’ve been easily missed.

I took a look at their CAD file and it looked pretty standard, and didn’t find anything wrong with it. But when I opened the file in Navisworks this is what I saw.

All other MEP content like duct, cable tray, and conduit were displaying as they should, except for pipe.

The view settings on the Navisworks end looked fine, so I went back to the DWG in AutoCAD MEP and dug a little deeper. As it turned out, the office CAD standards specified that all piping less than 12" diameter would be represented as a single line. The setting can be found in the Pipe System Definition and  affects all views including any view in and out of AutoCAD, such as Navisworks. I opened up the Pipe System Definition for that pipe and and unchecked the single line display boxes under the Single Line Graphics tab; saved the drawing and brought it back into Navisworks. Everything looked good. All MEP content, including pipe, were now displaying as 3D.




Derek Wielkopolski
Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist

Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

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November 9, 2011

Civil 3D Subscription Download – Volumes Dashboard Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012


Have you always wondered what happens to your Civil 3D subscription dollars?

Well, Autodesk keeps on adding value for subscription customers and released a new product extension exclusively for subscription customers:

Volumes Dashboard Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012


Download from Subscription Center and install it easily.

Once installed you can access it from Toolbox tab of Toolspace under Subscription Extension Manager.
With this tool you are now able to: (advantages)
  1. Create a volume surface right from this panorama or use a one created earlier.
  2. Produce a volume report in one click; which is faster and less number of steps than before.
  3. Export the volume information in the drawing as block with on click.
  4. See the visual net graph in the panorama itself.
  5. Calculate multiple bounded volumes.
  6. Most of all the volume entry in the panorama stays there even after you close the drawing.
Volume Report in the Browser
 


Get more information and watch a video on autodesk.com Help.


Gaurav Bagga

Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist

Gaurav is a well rounded Application Engineer and Project Manager for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 15 years experience in construction industry and has been helping numerous small, medium and ENR 500 firms maximize their CAD investment for the last ten years. Gaurav is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Expert. He has taught at several conferences, CAD Camps and Autodesk University. He has taught AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land Desktop and Map 3D to thousands of students and helps Ideate develop the Infrastructure Services curriculum and courses. With his extensive CAD technology background he helps Bay Area engineering and surveying firms analyze and improve their design and drawing production process thereby improving productivity and the bottom line. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez


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November 8, 2011

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:
11.15-17::Portland
Civil 3D Fundamentals
11.15-17
::Sacramento
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals
11.16
::San Francisco
BIM Management for Revit Architecture
Know your software. Sign up now!

November 7, 2011

Revit Architecture and Furniture in a Reflected Ceiling Plan

Question: In Revit Architecture, How do we turn on Furniture and display it in a dashed line type in a Reflected Ceiling Plan? This is to co-ordinate lighting with furniture locations.
Answer: Here’s one of the ways this can be done, Steps as follows:
  • In the Reflected Ceiling Plan, Set ‘Underlay’ to the respective Floor Plan
  • Then change the ‘Underlay Orientation’ to ‘Plan’
  • Now the floor plan that has the furniture will display
  • To display the furniture ‘dashed,’ Override the underlay line pattern from under Manage>Additional settings>Halftone/Underlay




Shruti Harve,

LEED AP, AEC Solutions Application Specialist

Shruti holds a Master of Science degree in Architectural Computing from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and is LEED accredited. Her experience includes working in Architecture and Construction firms in India and the United Kingdom as well as Structural Engineering firms in the Bay Area providing design, 3D modeling and drafting services. At Ideate, Shruti provides training and support for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, 3ds Max, Ecotect and AutoCAD Architecture.

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November 2, 2011

Civil 3D Technology Preview – Corridor Solids for Civil 3D 2012

How do you import a Civil 3D corridor into Revit or Navisworks?

I was asked this question a couple of months ago while importing a Civil 3D surface into Revit for a user group presentation on Revit Civil 3D collaboration. A very valid question, considering that I was just importing a surface and that too as polyline contours.

There is no way to import a corridor into Revit… well not until the Corridor Solids for Civil 3D technology preview from Autodesk Labs came out. You can learn more about it from Autodesk Labs website.

Corridor Solids will allow you to convert a Civil 3D corridor subassembly into an AutoCAD 3D solid (actually an AutoCAD “body” object) so you can easily import it into Revit or Navisworks for presentation purposes and enhanced model collaboration.

To provide you with a quick example, I have a very basic road corridor in Civil 3D with a lane, curb and gutter, sidewalk and retaining wall per the figure below:


Access Corridor Solids from the Toolbox and choose to import the solids in the same drawing or a new drawing.


Once you add all Baseline Regions you will see all the regions with their subassemblies in the dialog box.


The key here is to assign the right colors and layer names under the layer name template column so you see them in Revit and Navisworks.


And finally save the corridors solids in the same file or external file.


Now it’s easy to bring this Corridor Solids file into Revit via Linking CAD


or Navisworks via Appending the corridor solids drawing file. 


Caveat:
  1. Corridor Solids will not export link subassemblies as solids. In those situations, you will see holes where there are links in your corridor and you will not be able to convert daylight or link subassemblies.
  2. I have not been able to assign materials or cut a section through corridor solids in Revit. However, I was able to assign materials to the various layers in pavement structure in Navisworks.
  3. Also, Labs software is a beta testing ground for Autodesk so sometimes things might not work as expected and there maybe bugs. In those situations it is best to communicate those things with Autodesk.



Gaurav Bagga

Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist

Gaurav is a well rounded Application Engineer and Project Manager for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 15 years experience in construction industry and has been helping numerous small, medium and ENR 500 firms maximize their CAD investment for the last ten years. Gaurav is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Expert. He has taught at several conferences, CAD Camps and Autodesk University. He has taught AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land Desktop and Map 3D to thousands of students and helps Ideate develop the Infrastructure Services curriculum and courses. With his extensive CAD technology background he helps Bay Area engineering and surveying firms analyze and improve their design and drawing production process thereby improving productivity and the bottom line. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez


Get it. Know it. Use it.

November 1, 2011

Classroom Training - Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming days:
11.2-3::Portland
Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics
11.7::San Francisco
Revit Architecture Families
11.7-9::San Jose
AutoCAD Fundamentals
11.8-10::San Francisco
Revit Structure Fundamentals
Know your software. Sign up now!