Autodesk University 2010 ~ Virtual Washout

.
Nice graphics when they finally arrive on your screen, but the whole Virtual Experience is a washout so far.

There are a lot of unhappy people talking to one another on Autodesk Virtual about the fact that the lesson descriptions are in Spanish and that the whole thing is buggy, and people have not been able to attend classes virtually.

Server Problems seems to be the answer!

I’m really glad I did not pay the $139 fee to upgrade, but hang on a minute, it’s part of my annual subscription, so indirectly I have paid for yet another Autodesk product that’s full of bugs!

.
It's now 18:05 GMT, over 3 hours from my posting, and the classes are still not in English Then it crossed my mind, As English is the most popular language they would not make the default Spanish or Portuguse would they:-

They would!

Then 18:24 GMT this nice little notice has appeared

.
Here is my answer!

21:06 GMT No On-Demand Videos, No Group Chat, I've sent a request for help and recieved an automatic Reply



Once again I'm being thanked for my patience, by the time they have fixed the the whole darn thing will be over and we will have to wait for the material to be uploaded which normally takes at least two weeks.

Obviously I'm not the only one asking for help, as my ticket number is number 2207!

I'm guessing the Public Chat has been scrapped or turned off because they were recieving so much flack lunch time here in the UK.

.

Calling All UK Revit Users In and around Leeds and Bristol

I have been speaking to Chris Senior author of Revit Elemental and Glenn Jowett of Revit ST blog. They are both interested in setting up a Revit User Group in the Leeds area.

If this would interest anyone in or around the Leeds area, either comment on Glenn Jowetts RT Structure Post or send me your details to add to the UK Revit Register.

I also believe that Chris and Glenn will be setting up a Linked-In group for people to join. If enough interest can be generated, something will hopefully take shape early in the new year!

Chris and Glenn are not alone Mark Fox of Revit Fox is still tying to find enough Revit Users in and around Bristol with the aim of arranging a meeting early next year.

With LRUG, BRUG, ERUG, GRUG and now I’m guessing Leeds-RUG (having already nicked the L for London) It's looking like more and more users want to have that peer to peer support experiance.

Current UK Revit User Groups

UK Revit Register http://cadalot-uk-revit-register.blogspot.com/

UK Revit Register Linked-In Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=1968019

The idea of the UK Revit Register to enable users and companies using Autodesk Revit Architecture, Structure and MEP to find other users and companies also using Revit based products in their region so that they can collaborate with them on schemes using a common program.

It’s hoped that the register might promote some regional banding of individuals that may want to meet down the local public house or visit each others offices when they found out that they are not the only Revit user in the village.You never know, if enough people respond, perhaps Regional User Groups may form around the UK. Those that already have or about too are listed below:-

BRUG ~ Bristol Revit User Group

Looking for members in and around the Bristol Area hoping for its first meeting in 2011

Linked-In Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3469194

ERUG ~ Edinburgh Revit User Group

Sister Revit User group to the Glasgow Revit User Group. Hoping to hold its first meeting in January 2011

Linked-In Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3567506

GRUG ~ Glasgow Revit User Group

Held three meeting in 2010, next meeting due early 2011

Linked-In Group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2522770

LRUG ~ London Revit User Group ~ formed 2010

Meeting held on or about the 3^rd Wednesday, bi-monthly in Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept & Nov

Web Site http://www.lrug.org.uk

So what is Project Vasari and why waste time on it?

.

There are many bloggers out there getting very excited because Autodesk have released a technology preview called Project Vasari, I'm not one of them!

What is Project Vasari?

Take a look at David Lights Revit Blog, Steve Staffords Revit OpEd, and The Revit Kid

David Light “ Absolutely loves it! I had heard through the grapevine that Autodesk where working on something special, a kind or LT version of Revit.” David also says “There are some which will not get that excited, because if you use full Revit then you already have access to this functionality so Vasari may not offer anything new.”

David has it right there, for Structural and MEP Engineers that already have Revit, the fact that Autodesk are spending valuable time money and resources cutting back the code from Revit to create a kind of Lite version that will be superior to Sketch up seem to us to be complete and utter waste.

Autodesk still has so much that does not work properly in the full version of Revit, that we pay big bucks for, and that we keep on subscription in the constant hope that they will provide or fix the basic tools that have been moaned about by users over the last few years.

Will Autodesk be giving a version of Vasari or Revit LT when finally released away free like Sketch up?

Will there then be a Vasari or Revit LT professional version, that you will have to pay for like Sketchup Professional?

Normally Autodesk buys off the competition, buying the user base then if the product is any good it replaces what they are currently selling. Cast your mind back to Generic CADD which was bought and sold as an AutoCAD Lite before they killed and then replaced it with a true cut down version of AutoCAD LiTe within a month of an upgrade.

ADT got dropped in favour of Revit, It seem to me that if they can’t buy Sketchup to get its user base and then kill it, then they are going to try and compete with it.

Why call it Vasari?

David Light has his own ideas about why the name Vasari has been used, however according to the historian Richard Goldthwaite, Vasari was one of the earliest authors to use the word "competition" (or "concorrenza") in Italian in its economic sense. He used it repeatedly, but perhaps most notably while explaining the reasons for Florentine preeminence, in the introduction to his life of Pietro Perugino.

Autodesk spend some of our money and fix the darn Basics in Revit like the Text Editor, so that it give at least the functionality that AutoCAD has enjoyed for many years .i.e. Subscript, Superscript fractions etc etc.

.

As I've not been invited to Beta Test RST2012 and thus not bound by any NDA, I'm speculating that there is very little in the way of advancement on the Structures front for Revit2012 and I'm likely to be disappointed next year like I was with the SAP for RST2011 this year.

.

ElfYourself Returns....It must be getting near to Christmas

.
In the old days Woolworth would now be stacking the Easter Eggs!

Sorry Girl, your Dad just could not resist <Evil Grin>
.

LRUG ~ Looking for Contractors using Revit

.
The London Revit User Group LRUG is looking to recruit Revit Users from Construction Companies who are using Autodesk Revit of any flavour!

Currently LRUG has 26 Architectural practices, 12 Structural practices, 8 MEP practices and 6 Resellers/ Support companies, but as of last month we had 0 Contractors on the invite list. We would like to encourage more contractors to join LRUG and attend the meetings.

Please visit LRUG Registration Page for more information on how to register your interest.

UPDATE!  11th November 2010

We now have 3 contractors that have registered, and are attending the next meeting.
.

Experience the Value of Revit Structure - One Day Training from Excitech

.

Excitech has developed a specific one-day training course aimed at those either seeking to understand the benefits of adopting this powerful design tool and how this may aid their organisation or those looking to successfully implement this across their design teams.

The training course will cover considerations of implementation, such as installation and data exchange as well as how best to target and run subsequent training. It will also present an opportunity to experience using Revit Structure through the hands-on sessions and be guided through its use in real-world structural design scenarios.

The next course is in Excitech's London training centre on 9th December and costs just £150 per person.

Click Here for more information
.

Advanced Detailing Tutorial for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011

On Saturday, 25 September 2010 I posted RAC2011 ~ Video Tutorials ~ Getting Started  About a nice set of Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 video tutorials that I had found on YouTube ~ They have been created by Autodesk Student Expert Tu Graz, Marvi Barsha, Klaus Hyden and Philipp Muller who give Special thanks to Bjorn Wittenberg and Herbert Bickelmann. These were part 1 in a series of 3 video tutorials.

Then on Sunday, 26 September 2010, I posted about RAC2011- Professional Mass Modeling & Rendering Tutorials which is part 3 in the series of 3 videos that had already been produced in German then re-released in English.

I said that when they release the second in the series I would let you know. Guess what? They released these on the 11th October on YouTube and now all three series with their handounts, datasets and listings to Youtube have an Aurodesk Web Page

As you and I know Autodesk screw around with their web site on a regular basis and what might be there one day is gone forever on another. So below find links to the youtube videos. I suggest you harvest whilst you can, Enjoy....

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011-

Advanced Detailing Tutorials for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 English Tutorial 2/3

These tutorials are dedicated to the detail planning. In the next 12 steps you will learn how to draw details and you will see how easy it is to create the construction documentation.

"Advanced Detailing" is the second set of tutorials of a series of 3 tutorials for Revit Architecture 2011. These tutorial are based on the first tutorial "Getting Started". To learn more important features of Revit 2011, Autodesk recommend you to watch the 3rd tutorial series "Professional mass modeling".

Step00/12 - Introduction (0:48)

Step01/12 - Project settings (5:11)

Step02/12 - Override graphics in view, link a Revit project, import a dwg (3:40)

Step03/12 - Bearing structure (5:23)

Step04/12 - Roof and roof joins (7:22)

Step05/12 - Renovation plan (6:21)

Step06/12 - Wall sweep and reveal, create in‐place component (5:59)

Step07/12 - Sloped insulation, multi layered wall and wall joins (5:02)

Step08/12 - Lines, create line type, callout (4:40) 
Step09/12 - Masking region, filled region, repeating detail component, detail component (5:03)                        

Step10/12 - Cut profile, tag material, element keynote (4:47)               
Step11/12 - Linework, view range, plane region (4:50)               
Step12/12 - Title block, legend component, print and export (4:22)

Here is a link to the Autodesk Web Page that has the Handouts, Tutorial file and links to all three sets of videos in English

.

Another New UK Revit Blogger to Bookmark!

.

 

Now you guys know I like Jools Holland, and that I go and see him each year in concert. Well this is not a picture of a young Jools (although I did have to look twice) Its actually Joe Stott.

 

Joe is a qualified Architect currently working in Manchester (UK) for Aedas Architects. He is an experienced and dedicated Revit evangelist who after previously using AutoCAD based products for 10 years+ will never look back. (well that's what he says in his About Me)

Why Have I got his mug shot here, well apart from being a young Jools Holland look-a-like, Joe has recently joined the ranks of UK Revit Blogger and I would like to wish him well with his blog, and let visitors to my blog know that his blog is out there.

So here is the link to his blog... http://revitscratchpad.blogspot.com/