AUGI January HotNews is out! I have two articles!

The AUGI (Autodesk User Group International) HotNews January edition is out.  It's been a while since I had an article in HotNews but this month I actually have two!

Here they are:

AUGI World, April 2012 Edition is Available For Reading

AUGI has released the AUGI World April edition for your reading pleasure.  This month's AUGI World theme focuses on the many new features and updates to Autodesk's line of software.

I have written the article "Little changes, Big Impact" and it is about the new features to AutoCAD 2013.  Check it out and take a look at plethora of new features found in Autodesk's 2013 line of programs.

AUGI.com

http://www.augi.com/augiworld/current-issue

Low Resolution PDF (6.0mb)
High Resolution PDF (59.2mb) 
Read it Online

AUGI March HotNews

The AUGI HotNews March edition is now available.

The Feature Story (written by me, Brian Benton) entitled “CAD on the GO” takes a look at several mobile applications available from Autodesk.

Melanie Perry talks about the recent AUGI Home Page Poll “What Version of AutoCAD Are You Using?”

Mark Kiker’s CAD Management article, entitled, “Get It In Gear” discusses methods of motivating your CAD People.

And don’t forget AUGI President David Harrington’s monthly letter to all AUGI members.

This month’s Sponsor Spotlight is brought to us by HP Monitors.  Check them out.

AUGI BOD Elections are up - Voting ends December 15th

AUGI is managed by its Board of Directors.  The board manages all long range planning, vision casting, management, and member interactions.  It is time to vote for the next AUGO BOD candidates.  There are three open positions on the BOD.  AUGI members are encouraged to vote.  Voters must be a member of AUGI in good standing for a minimum of 30 days prior to the close of BOD nominations (which was October 9th, 2011.)  Each voter gets three votes.  The thre candidates with the most votes at the end of voting will be elected as the newest members of the AUGI BOD.

Voting ends December 15, 2011 so please don't forget to vote.  Click here to become familiar with the candidates and vote.  Now go and VOTE!!!

AUGI Forum Status Update

AUGI Forum Status Update

Great news! The AUGI forums are going to be restored! Read the post from BLAUGI!

AutoCAD WS Plug-in for AutoCAD

The October 2010 AUGI Hotnews is out.  Check out my Tipniques article on the AutoCAD WS Plug-in for AutoCAD.

AUGI May Hotnews is now Published

AUGI (Autodesk User Group International) publishes an online newsletter every month.  The May edition is now up and ready for you to read.  As always there are some great articles in it this month.

AUGI Board member and President has an informative article on the make up of AUGI's membership.  He looks at who we are, where we are and what we do.  Mark also has a second article discussion the early years of AUGI.

This months CAD Management article offers guidelines for assembling the right number of staff members for projects, the right amount of content for a published CAD Standard, the right size support staff for your company, and more.

In The Civil Side, Melanie Santer investigates new and enhanced features in the latest release of AutoCAD Civil 3D.

In the Tipniques Column, I continue my exploration of the new features of AutoCAD 2011.  Don't worry, I haven't covered all of the details yet!  I'll need at least two more columns!

AUGI Drops

INTRODUCING:
AUGI Drops 
AUGI Launches Free Secure File Sharing

AUGI announces its newest offering to members—a Web-based private file sharing and collaboration tool. AUGI, in collaboration with drop.io, now provides its members with a place to share files, drawings, models, photos, video, audio and more.

As an AUGI-member, you can create unlimited 100mb drops to share files with full SSL security.

• Each drop has a phone number and extension. Call the drop, talk all you want - it is converted to an MP3 and left right in the drop on the fly. Listen to it on the drop, or send it out via email, RSS, MMS, or basically anything else you want.

• Every drop has its own free conference call number automatically assigned to it. The drop's conference call number stays the same, so consider it for long term use as your drop is active.

• Each drop has its own e-mail address. Send a notes or attachments to the drop from a computer, Blackberry, or any e-mail or MMS enabled phone. If you send a file, the text of the e-mail will be posted as a comment on the file. If you send just text, it will be added to the drop as a note.

Go to http://drop.io/home/augi and get a free drop today!

Read the Presslift interactive press release

Members also get Discounts on Premium Plans 

Members have access to an exclusive discounted premium plans.   Along with the free offer, drop.io and AUGI have collaborated on a reduced fee service… drop.io Manager.

Premium Features:
•   Make drops larger than 100 MB
•   Easily manage multiple drops
•   View full activity stream across all drops
•   Encrypt drops for added security with SSL
•   Enable custom branding for groups of drops

http://manager.drop.io/signup/augi

AUGI March Hotnews is Available

AUGI's March edition of Hotnews is out and ready to be read.  I have my regular Tipniques Article, and there are several other great articles that you really need to read.

Some of them are:

AUGI Hotnews March 2010 - Read my Tipniques Article

AUGI's monthly online publication, Hotnews, is out for March.  I have my regular column again, Tipniques.  This month's article is titled: "How Do You Use AutoCAD?"  It takes a look at some commands and features that you might not be aware of in AutoCAD.  Take a look and let me know what you think. 

Do you know of any secret AutoCAD commands or features?

AUGI BOD Nominations Submittal

The AUGI (Autodesk User Group International) BOD (Board of Directors) Nominations submittal is open and ready. Nominations for the BOD are open until May 24th, 2009. There are certain criteria that one must meet in order to be considered for one of these postions. Here is a link to AUGI's website page that sdescribes what is involved and that describes the BOD.

If yo uthink yo uhave what it takes and you want to make a difference through AUGI, visit the page and see if you qualify. Voting will be held soon. Voting starts June 29th and runs through July 12th.

Array Objects Along a Polyline

Today I had to draw 12" square piles along a shore line about 100 feet long at 3' centers. The shore line was obvious not in a straight line. Originally I was going to draw my square with a circle with a 3' radius and copy each object one at a time. I would use the center of the square (and circle) as a base point and place the next object at the intersection of the circle and the shoreline. Tedious, but it would get the job done. Then I thought about it for a second. there has to be a way to do this in one (maybe two) keystrokes. So I went to the discussion boards at AUGI.

The great people there suggested I use either the DIVIDE or MEASURE command. I always forget about those two commands. Not any more! Both commands work virtually the same. They will place points along a selected line (polyline or spline) in equal segments. DIVIDE places a number of points along a line (a number you give it) while MEASURE places points along the line at a set interval (provided by you.)

If you don't want to place the points, you can choose to place a block instead. In this case (as it was suggested to me on the AUGI discussion boards) I made my pile a block and had the measure command insert it along my polyline at 3' intervals. AND (yes it gets better!) when I did this, the command asked me if I wanted the blocks to be aligned with the line! Of course I did!! Boo-ya!!! What was going to take me 5 minutes to do, now took 30 seconds (not counting the time spent on the board.)

Thanks AUGI!

AUGI Wishlist Voting to End Soon!

If you are a member of AUGI then you likely know about the Wish List! This but one of many ways users of Autodesk products can voice their views on what should be in AutoCAD and other Autodesk products. As a member, I received an email and I would like to share it as a reminder to of the importance 0f voting. Perhaps you opened up and installed a new release of AutoCAD one time and when you started it, you didn't like the new features? Or perhaps one still didn't quite work the way you thought it should? Well, did you vote for the AUGI wish list? Did you know that AUGI members can even write their own wish list items? That's how it works. The members come up with ideas for new features or enhancements and we vote on it. The final list is then sent to Autodesk. AutoCAD 2010 has several new features in it that came from AUGI's wish list!

Here's the e-mail AUGI sent and links to the different wish lists.

The wish list ballots are open. Take this opportunity to cast your vote for the features you’d most like to see in future versions of AutoCAD, Inventor, Civil 3D and Revit Architecture. These wish list ballots will remain open until March 15, 2009. You have the opportunity to review and vote on the wishes posted by your fellow AUGI members. To choose the desired improvements you would like to see in future releases of AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Revit Architecture software, all it takes is your vote for your top 10!

It’s Easy
The voting process is now easier than ever. Wishes have been categorized so you can quickly find the features on which you want to cast a vote. Then just rank your votes from 1 (the improvement you feel most strongly about) to 10. It’s that simple!

It’s Valuable
The AUGI Wish List Program was established years ago to fulfill the need Autodesk saw in getting feedback on its products from the people using these products every day. That tradition continues today, as Autodesk turns to AUGI again and again for continued feedback and ideas for improvement.

Where to Start
Click on any of the links below to enter the Wish List of your choice. In each section, you’ll find more information about that Wish List as well as a handy guide to help you through the process.

AutoCAD Wish List

Autodesk Inventor Wish List

AutoCAD Civil 3D Wish List

AutoCAD Revit Architecture Wish List


Don’t Delay
The voting will continue until March 15th, but why wait? Go to the Wish List of your choice and vote today!

AUGI World is Back!

It's been a rough time for CAD related print magazines. Cadalyst magazine was dropped by Questex Media then picked up and licensed by Longitude Media (see my post discussing this.) AUGI and Solidvapor parted ways effectively halting the publishing of AUGI World.

Great news, AUGI World Jan/Feb 2009 was just issued! But, in digital form only. Sound familiar? Cadalyst is doing the same, for now. Being a writer for both entities I have been aware of these awful situations. Thousands of readers go to both magazines to glean information, tips, and trends on a daily basis.

This issue of AUGI World includes, but is not limited to, the following article topics:

• Tutorials for the newest Autodesk products
• CAD management trends and issues
• Tech articles and tips & tricks
• Training advice
• CAD industry observations

And don't forget my article on Impression (as usual!)

Follow the link and download a copy of the magazine. AUGI World is a great find. There is so much information in it covering many different fields and topics that anyone can get something out of it. And it's free!!

AUGI Hotnews January 2009

The first issue of AUGI Hotnews for 2009 is out.

Check out my column, Techniques this month. It is about the Zoom Command.

Features

AUGI Status Report

Mark Kiker, AUGI president, reviews AUGI's 2008 accomplishments and gives members an update on the year ahead.

Do Revit Users Need User-Generated Content?

A recent survey illuminates the issues involved in finding quality Revit content such as families. This article examines the survey results and highlights some options for obtaining user-generated content.

Columns

TIPniques: Zoom the Way You Want

Brian Benton explores the number of ways that AutoCAD users can zoom around their drawings. If you haven't used zoom lately, you may be surprised at the versatility of this AutoCAD feature. You'll learn what it does and how it works in this article.

CAD Management: A CAD Manager's Mindset, Part 3

Mark Kiker continues his exploration of the CAD manager's mindset or "world view." This month, you'll discover the many benefits of a mind set on Action and Results.

The Civil Side: How Do Civil 3D and BIM Relate?

Join columnist Melanie Santer for this in-depth look at how to incorporate BIM into civil engineering projects via AutoCAD Civil 3D software.

Sponsor Spotlight: HP Sharpens its Edge

Meet HP Blade Workstation solutions, which allow Autodesk software users and administrators to centralize all their workstations in a single data center where they can be properly secured and maintained.

AutoCAD Architecture: A Kick Start

In this lesson, AutoCAD Architecture expert Tharakesh Ananthakrishnan teaches you how to add components to a wall style.

The Creative Inventor: Good Design Flow

The goal of every user of 3D solid modeling software is to create models that are stable, predictable, and easy for others to modify in the future. Here's a look at how to avoid taking shortcuts in design that will cause issues later on.

AUGI Status Report - January 2009

Mark Kiker, President of AUGI's Board of Directors, has released the article, AUGI Status Report, discussing the state of AUGI. He discusses AUGI's achievements in 2008 and provides some insight into how AUGI will be starting 2009!

To bring yo up to date a bit on AUGIWorld, it seems to be back on as I recieved word yesterday of the dedline for my next article for that publication. AND Hotnews has not stopped production. Way to go AUGI.

AUGI World Nov/Dec Out

The latest issue (November/December 2008) of AUGIWorld magazine “It’s Your Move: Strategies for Adopting New Technology” has just hit the shelves. This edition contains its regular number of high quality articles covering a spectrum of Autodesk products, and industry related items...

• The Cad Manager - Dictums of Design Software Development
• It’s Your Move - Strategies for Adopting New Technology
• Autodesk Architecture - Prepare Yourself
• AutoCAD Civil 3D - Today and Tomorrow for Civil Engineers
• Architectural Visualization - Building a Rendering Pipeline
• Autodesk Impression - Closing the Sale, with Style
• Revit Architecture - Ride the “A” Train
• Revit Structure - The BIM Effect
• AutoCAD - Unlocking the Power of AutoCAD 2009
• On The Back Page - Just so we understand each other...

The November/December 2008 issue of AUGIWorld magazine “It’s Your Move: Strategies for Adopting New Technology” can be downloaded from the AUGIWorld main page on AUGI.com.

AUGI November Hotnews is Out

AUGI’s official monthly email newsletter “AUGI HotNews - November 2008” hits the streets and the ‘inboxes’ of its members.

My favorite of course is this month's TIPniques: DO YOU HAVE STYLE? Wonder why I like it so much?

Here is a list of some of the other articles in this month's edition. They are even better than the TIPniques article.

• Countdown to Autodesk University 2008
• From AutoCAD to AutoCAD Architecture 2009
• A CAD Manager’s Mindset
• TIPniques: Do You Have Style?
• Creative Inventor: Documenting Designs, Part 3
• The Civil Side: Creating and Editing Surfaces
• AutoCAD Architecture: A Kick Start

AUGI AutoCAD Wish List Voting is now Open

Now is your chance to really make a difference in the way Autodesk does AutoCAD. It is AUGI's wish list.

Over the year, AUGI has collected "wish" items for AutoCAD from it's members. Now that list needs to be shortened. Go to the AUGI WISH LIST link and vote for you favorite TEN!

Some times that is very difficult to do, because there are so many items that users wish were in AutoCAD.

Now is your chance to make your voice hears. Vote or Die as the slogan goes. If you don't vote, you are letting others speak for you. Wait a minute, that's the wrong election. This ballot doesn't care what political party you are affiliated with, just vote.

AUGI Board of Directors Nominations

Below information kindly supplied by Bill Adams (AUGI BoD member - Vice President).

October 1st is just the beginning... of what? A fantastic and rewarding experience for any hardworking volunteer!

So what’s happening that Wednesday? Members are given yet another way to be involved with AUGI. You can do this either by nominating someone for the Board of Directors or throwing your own hat into the ring for the next term.

Being a Director requires some work, effort and carries responsibility, but it offers many rewards as well. So how do I apply, you may ask? All the details can be found on this page “AUGI Board of Directors Nominations”.

If you are considering running for the Board, keep in mind that they meet in person three times per year. In January, June and at Autodesk University near year’s end (for a combined total of about two weeks minimum). There are also monthly teleconferences to keep everyone on the same page. So, you can anticipate about 15-20 hours per month (maybe more, depending on the level of your involvement).

Nominations need to be submitted to the AUGI Nominating Committee Chair no later than 5pm EDT Tuesday, October 21, 2008.