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

Trimble Purchases Sketchup from Google

Rumors have been flying around some time that Sketchup was being sold.  Many believed that Dassault Systèmes would purchase it.  Well they didn’t.  Trimble (http://3d.trimble.com) has purchased it.  Trimble (from their website) is “a leading provider of advanced positioning solutions that maximize productivity and enhance profitability.”  Trimble is likely best known for their GPS technology.  If you have ever done any surveying work then you have probably used some of their equipment at some point.

On April 26th, 2012, Trimble announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Sketchup from Google.  The purchase is expected to finalize in the second quarter of 2012.

AutoCAD Prank – Snap On With No Limits – Muhahahaha!

AutoCAD has tons of settings. It so many that it’s easy to play tricks on your fellow CAD users.  Here’s one that I would like to share with you.  It involves changing the Limits and turning on the Snap feature.

Figure on left drawn with Snap Mode on.
On the right are the Snap Mode  control settings

Snap Mode (not Osnaps) is a feature in AutoCAD that allows for quick drawing.  It locks your cursor/crosshairs into a defined grid.  It is similar to drawing on graph paper (the old fashion way - with pencils even!) but only being allowed to draw to points on the graph where the rows and columns are.  Your endpoints, center points, and vertices can only be picked with your cursor if they are on the grid.  It constrains your mouse movement.  Look at it as a matrix of dots defined by columns and rows each set (by you) to a defined distance.  You can set up a grid system to any distance.  If you set the Snap Grid to One (1) then the distance between rows and columns will be one unit.  This will allow you to quickly draw lines that are one unit long.  You don’t have to type in distances or coordinate points.  However, if you need a line (or any drawing object) that is off the grid, you can manually override it by typing in the appropriate distance or coordinate point.

1 if for RED, 0 if Bylayer, ANY if Byblock

Blocks are one of the selling points to using CAD over the drafting board.  In reality, blocks are not really unique to CAD, from a certain point of view.  Board drafters used templates and guides as a sort of block to create basic shapes and redundant linework.  Blocks are sets of linework, text, or any CAD object that are saved and stored to be reused later on.  They can take on many different forms, shapes and functions.  They make drawing in CAD quicker.  We use computers, and CAD, to make redundant tasks easier.  Why do something several times when you can do it once?  That’s what a block does.

Sybex Announces 2013 Autodesk Books

Sybex (www.sybex.com) a division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., has announced their 2013 Autodesk book lineup today (http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-811359.html).  Sybex announced these additions to their Essentials, Mastering, and No Experience Required series of technical manuals and learning materials.  Seventeen books were introduced covering several different Autodesk products in all three series.

All of titles listed are available for preorder now ranging in prices (in U.S. Dollars) from $49.99 to $79.99.  The titles will be available for purchase through Wiley’s website and via other online and local retailers.  Electronic versions will also be available (including iBooks) but Sybex says to check availability with your favorite ebook reseller.