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AUGI AEC EDGE Magazine is THE Expert Resource for BIM and Revit

Do you want to deliver your projects faster and more efficiently? Then you need to read AUGI AEC Edge. It is jam packed full of industry best practices, best of class Autodesk Revit advice, and case studies and white papers from industry experts.


AUGI AEC Edge is a brand new publication dedicated to delivering mission-critical information to Architects, Engineers, Designers, and Contractors using Autodesk AEC products.




The image above is a screen capture from the AUGI AEC EDGE microsite. Check it out and download your copy today.

Labels: AEC, Architecture, AUGI, BIM, Building Information Modeling, CAD Management, Community, free member benefit, MEP, Revit, Revit Structure Architecture MEP Autodesk, Structure, tips-n-tricks

# posted by Richard Binning : Tuesday, June 23, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Legacy VBA Error - For next loop may really mean If end if.

Labels: ACA, ADT, Architectural Desktop, Architecture, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, CAD Management, outlook, tips-n-tricks, VBA, Workflow

# posted by Richard Binning : Tuesday, June 23, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Block Insertion Swap Routine for AutoCAD

I was asked today if I knew of a way to swap out a single block for another block? I knew that the Express tools could do this, but a global block redefinition was not what we were looking for.

So I did a quick search in the AUGI lisp forums and found a routine posted by Miff that was close to doing what I needed. In reviewing the routine, I realized that it would be nice to allow single or multiple selection. I modified the routine slightly to remove the SSGET modifier for single selection (ssget "_:S") resulting in this code:

(if (and (setq ss (ssget ":S" '((0 . "INSERT"))))
becoming this code:

(if (and (setq ss (ssget '((0 . "INSERT"))))

Since I wanted all the staff to be able to utilize this routine, I added an autoloader to the company standard acaddoc.lsp file and placed the newly named "blkswap.lsp" file out in the network applications folder:

(autoload "blkswap" '("blkswap"))

You're welcome to download my modified version here:blkswap.lsp
Or grab Miff's original from the AUGI forums.
Thanks Miff!
Thanks to AUGI as well for providing such a fantastic resource.

Here is a short video detailing how to use the routine once it is available via autoload.

# posted by Richard Binning : Tuesday, June 16, 2009 1 comments links to this post

Facebook landgrab in full swing - have you got yours?

# posted by Richard Binning : Saturday, June 13, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Revit Tip - Fillet with Radius

1. Right-Click one of your walls and choose "Create Similar" to launch the Wall tool using the correct family.


2. Click your Sketch Options pull down and pick "Fillet Arc" and then immediately pick your two walls.


3. Now graphically stretch the arc into size.

You could toggle on the Radius option, but why not draw and then modify? It's all about iteration after all!

Labels: AEC, Architecture, AutoCAD, Autodesk, BIM, Building Information Modeling, Revit, Revit Structure Architecture MEP Autodesk, tips-n-tricks, Workflow

# posted by Richard Binning : Thursday, June 11, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Revit Workflow in 3 Easy Steps - Think 3

Think 3. The workflow is clockwise within the Revit editor, no matter what flavor you are using.

ONE (1) - You begin by selecting your tool from the design bar on the far left of Revit's screen. Various palettes are available containing context sensitive tools for use.



TWO (2) - Once you've selected your tool, move your eyes and your mouse to the top of the Revit screen and select/modify the options available in the options bar. You can drill down using the element properties button if necessary, but most of the general properties are available within the options bar itself as shown below.



THREE (3) - Third and final step is to place the element within the design window using the options selected in the previous step.



Note: Some elements like slabs and roofs, require you to complete your sketch within the drawing window and then complete the sketch by picking on the design bar. This is another reason why the workflow resembles a circle drawn clockwise.

Want to learn more? Visit AUGI.com and take an ATP course.

Labels: Autodesk, Revit, Revit Structure Architecture MEP Autodesk, tips-n-tricks, Workflow

# posted by Richard Binning : Wednesday, June 03, 2009 5 comments links to this post

Get the AU Online Code!

Labels: 3DSMax, ACA, ADT, Architectural Desktop, AUGI, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, Autodesk University, BIM, Building Information Modeling, Community, lynn allen

# posted by Richard Binning : Friday, May 08, 2009 0 comments links to this post

AUGI Member Exclusive Download - AutoCAD 2010 Tips-n-Tricks Booklet by Lynn Allen

AUGI Members Only Exclusive!

You all know the value of Lynn Allen’s Tips and Tricks. You know that she has saved you tons of time and effort. Now Lynn Allen, Autodesk technical Evangelist and AUGI Sweetheart, is offering an exclusive to our members. A sneak peek at the AutoCAD 2010 Tips and Tricks.

That’s right – before anyone else gets to see them, Autodesk is allowing AUGI members an exclusive downloadable version. This PDF download is stuffed with the best of the best from Lynn. You have used them in the past and they have made you more productive. Get the latest in a long stream of helpful hints directly from Lynn to AUGI members. You must be a member to download the booklet.

If you're not an AUGI member, be sure to sign up today! Membership is free. Once you're a member, you can download the booklet!

Visit the AutoCAD Community to download a copy now! - http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=98905

Better yet – download your preview copy, then go see Lynn and the tips live and in action at the Autodesk Imagine Tour at a city near you. You can get a hardcopy of the handy booklet at the event.

Join informative sessions, including Take Design Further: Lynn Allen's AutoCAD 2010 Tips & Techniques, and learn how AutoCAD 2010 delivers groundbreaking new capabilities to tackle the most challenging design problems with ease. In addition, you'll see our range of solutions in action in our industry sessions, including design and intelligent modeling solutions such as Autodesk® Inventor® software, Revit® software, AutoCAD® Map 3D software and Autodesk® 3ds Max® software.

www.autodesk.com/imagine

Want more? Visit Lynn's blog for even more tips… www.autodesk.com/lynnallen

Labels: AUGI, AutoCAD, Autodesk, free member benefit, lynn allen, tips-n-tricks

# posted by Richard Binning : Sunday, April 05, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Plotting with PDFCreator inside AutoCAD

If you're using PDFCreator to plot your drawings to PDF, you might wish to turn off the FULLPLOTPATH variable prior to plotting or publishing. If you leave it on, you'll get file names that include the full path, drawing name, and layout tab name.

• Ex: C___Mirror_Drives_Testing_PlotTesting_0800560_I-0.1_NOTES I-1_NOTES (1).pdf

Note: Notice that the colon and backslashes are replaced by an underbar character. Simply changing this variable resulted in the following much more pleasing pdf name:

• Ex: 0800560_I-0.1_NOTES I-1_NOTES (1).pdf

# posted by Richard Binning : Friday, March 20, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Key Schedules a potential fix for Jumpy Text

Did you catch Donnia's class at AU? If so then you know what key schedules can also be used for in Revit. If not, then Dave B has a good blog post that covers it. Go read his post.

Labels: Autodesk, BIM, Revit, Revit Structure Architecture MEP Autodesk

# posted by Richard Binning : Tuesday, March 03, 2009 0 comments links to this post

ACA 2009 VBA Macro - Room Zoom Available

• Use the acfocus control (allows you to keep the form visible on the screen while you interact with entities within your file.


• Find the schedule property and get the associated space or room object.

You'll find more helpful utilities in past posts here and at AUGI.com, R U a Member?

Labels: ACA, AcFocus, ADT, Architectural Desktop, AUGI, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, Macro, VBA

# posted by Richard Binning : Friday, February 27, 2009 4 comments links to this post

I learned something new about 3DSMax and Backburner today

Although 3DS Max 2009 can submit backburner render jobs to both 32bit and 64bit machines, it cannot submit to both at the same time. There is a toggle in the Advanced Tab of the network render dialog box see below:


This toggle allows you to send your job to either option but not both at the same time. You also don't want to mix and match render jobs on both 32bit and 64bit if you are creating an animation as you may introduce a noticable flicker in the final animation.

Labels: 3DSMax, 3DStudio, Autodesk, Backburner, BIM

# posted by Richard Binning : Friday, February 27, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Revit 2010 Build Checker Updated

The BesideTheCursor Revit Build Checker has been updated to support Revit 2010 products when they are available. No need to launch Revit and search for the build number...just launch my script to get a report on installed versions of Revit from Release 9.1 through 2010.

• Also works with 64 bit Windows XP and Vista.


• Also works with Revit MEP and Revit Structures.


• Get a copy here.

I welcome your feedback on this tool.

# posted by Richard Binning : Thursday, February 19, 2009 2 comments links to this post

Set Coordination Views at Higher Scale than Regular Project Views

Do you have coordination views in your Revit model? Do you cut sections or elevations or details in that view expressly for coordination issues and not intended to be part of your set? Want to prevent those callouts from polluting the rest of your views?

Remember to set the Coordination view Scale to be higher than the bulk of your project views before cutting sections. This way those new callouts will have their "Hide at visibility higher than...." set to match your coordination view. With that done you won't see those new "coordination only" callouts in all your other views. I promise it'll save you a lot of time "hiding elements" in other views.

# posted by Richard Binning : Wednesday, January 07, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Thought for the day

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great make you
feel that you, too, can become great. "
--Mark Twain

# posted by Richard Binning : Sunday, January 04, 2009 0 comments links to this post

Revit Text Editing Quick Tip

# posted by Richard Binning : Wednesday, December 24, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Getting free tools and books via twitter

For all of you manager-tools followers, (I'm one too!) I thought I'd post a quick note about twitter. I use it to keep a loose connection to my friends and acquaintences and hopefully to move some of the information firehose known as "email" into a more appropriate tool. Twitter can help to get your inbox to zero too!
But it is not all noise, today I found out:

• I could get a free copy of "The Art & Science of CSS" from the folks at Sitepoint.com.
• I could get a free copy of Zone Alarm Pro

Now you know too! But hurry, like the posting box on twitter - the window is small

# posted by Richard Binning : Wednesday, November 19, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Free Autodesk certification for all AU attendees.

Want to get Autodesk certified? Are you certifiable? Find out by attending AU 2008 in Vegas. According to the special offers page, you can get a free voucher that waives the exam fee (up to $125 value) and it will be good for up to 6 months.

Just follow these steps:
1. Upon arriving and registering at AU you’ll receive a voucher.
2. Go to booth #120 for more information or go directly to Zeno 4710, present the voucher, and take the exam. Exams held during AU are organized by Autodesk (but please note, that exam spaces are limited during AU).
3. Your voucher is valid for six months. So even if you don’t take the exam during AU, you may still use the voucher to get certified for free at participating Autodesk Authorized Training Centers.

# posted by Richard Binning : Monday, November 17, 2008 0 comments links to this post

See you at the AEC BIM Mixer

# posted by Richard Binning : Thursday, November 13, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Getting Ready for the Big Game - Go Gators

Woke up this morning and saw the carnage from the night before first hand.
Get ready Georgia, you're in Gator Country today!

# posted by Richard Binning : Saturday, November 01, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Want to attend the Revit Implementation Bootcamp?

I got a chance to IM with Scott and got the skinny on future plans with regard to the Revit Implementation boot camp.
The Good news first:

• The attendee count has been increased to a total of 96
  
• There may be a future "tour of sorts"...
• The format will be 2 to a computer

Here is the bad news:

• All invitations went out to pre-registered attendees of AU2008
• You had to be registered by 10-2-2008
• The wait list surpasses the increased total.

All for now...

Hopefully, Scott's idea of a tour pans out!

# posted by Richard Binning : Friday, October 10, 2008 0 comments links to this post

Revit Implementation Boot Camp Invitations are out.

You heard it here first, Autodesk will be holding a single day Revit Implementation Boot Camp during the week of Autodesk University in Las Vegas.

Date: Monday, December 1, 2008
Time: 8:30am Registration; Continental Breakfast
9:00am — 5:00pm Presentation & Workshop Sessions
Where: Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas — Lando 4301, Level 4

I hope you received an invitation and got registered. It looks like the room is all filled up. Let's hope they receive an overwhelming number of attendees and expand the program or repeat it on a different day.

# posted by Richard Binning : Thursday, October 09, 2008 4 comments links to this post

AutoCAD Architectural Schedule Formula Tip

Problem: Schedule Formula (simple area addition) does not display as intended.

Solution: Check your format for the underlying property set variables.



As you can see from the image above, the combined area of two properties is not displaying as intended. What can I do to get a simple sum that displays in square feet? Here is the executive summary.

1.) Verify that your Schedule Cell format is set to Area.
2.) Now check each variable in the formula and scroll to the right setting their format to "standard" instead of area as shown in the following image.

That's it! Your Problem is solved!



Continue reading below for the step by step version.

Step by Step:
Step 1: Select your schedule table, right click your mouse and choose "Edit Schedule Table Style..." from the pop up menu.

Step Two: When the Style Editor dialog box appears, navigate to the offending column and select it by left clicking with your mouse. Now move your mouse to the "Modify..." button at the bottom of the dialog box and left click it with your mouse. Now find the sample values list area indicated by #3 in the image below and left click and hold your mouse button down while sliding your mouse to the right. When you can see the format column you can let go of the mouse and continue to the next step.

Step Three: Double check that your chosen data format is "Area" for the Column Properties as shown in #1 in the image below. Next move your mouse back to the sample values list and change the format value for your variables to "standard" from "Area" as shown in the image below next to #2 and #3 in the image.

Step Four: Left Click the "OK" button and verify that your schedule updates to display as shown below. You did it! Congratulations!

Hope that helps!

Labels: ACA, ADT, Architecture, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, VBScript

# posted by Richard Binning : Wednesday, October 08, 2008 0 comments links to this post