Friday, 13 March 2009

Inside the Factory ~ New Revit Blog

Inside the Factory is a new blog that started posting on the 1st March. It's a blog about designing the Revit user experience, by Tom Vollaro, Senior User Researcher with AEC Solutions User Experience Team at Autodesk.

This is the guy that posted The Revit Ribbon Designing the User Experiance on YouTube see posting on the 11th March below.

His blog has two goals. First, he and his team want to provide a window into how the Revit user experience is designed. Second, they want to establish a conversation with their users to improve the Revit user experience.

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

The Revit Ribbon Designing the User Experiance

Video on You Tube
" Designing and implementing this overhaul of the user interface (UI) required a considerable amount of research, data analysis, interaction design, and visual design. It describes the design process that we followed while designing this new UI. This video highlights a few themes that will persist through our blogging on the topic: •Using data to make design decisions•Developing prototypes and iteratively testing by customers•Leveraging design patterns to create flexible and extensible designs. "

Click Here for the Video on YouTube

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Revit 2010 Ribbon (User Inteface) Preview


Click Here to view the Revit Architecture 2010 Ribbon User Interface in Action on YouTube

Monday, 9 March 2009

BIM Managers Tools ~ Directory Printer


This little tool allows you to scan a directory and report its contents to a CSV file (which can be brought into Excel). It can be set up to scan and report file info, folder info, or both file and folder information. Adding to its flexibility you can set it up to only report files with a file extension you specify.

Perfect for the CAD or BIM Manager looking for a way to perform file management audits.

Sunday, 8 March 2009

AUGIWorld



AUGIWorld, is the AUGI official magazine which is published every two months and is made available free of charge to all AUGI members. AUGIWorld "Green Edition" is available to members outside the print distribution areas and to any AUGI member who wishes to receive this enviro-friendly edition.


Download the most recent issue:
Click for high-resolution (21MB) version
Click for low-resolution (2.7MB) version

The editorial content of AUGIWorld includes:

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

Use this Link to View or Download Recent or Legacy Issues

Saturday, 7 March 2009

Autodesk 2010 products UK releases dates!






Autodesk 2010 products
UK releases dates!

Friday, 6 March 2009

Countrification.rfa family?

Ummm I tried looking in the dictionary and on web based dictionaries for the meaning of “countrification” I’m guessing it means made country specific.

Anyway Wai Chu has announced that his structural product team has just released the latest Subscription Structural Library for Revit Structure 2009 in the Autodesk Subscription Centre. The latest library provides additional metric structural content including Type Catalogs (.txt), and/or fully parametric Families (.rfa) such as structural columns, framings, detail components, etc. for the following countries: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, UK, Canada, Italy, China, Russia and India.

After you download and extract the .zip file, for more detailed information please refer to the “Countrification Content List - 20090206.xlsx”.

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Autodesk Revit Structure Web Seminar


UK Value Added Resellers (VAR) and Premier Solutions Provider (PSP) excitech are holding a Web Seminar at 12 noon, Friday 6th March 2009, At your desk!

Agenda

Introduction to building information modelling with Revit
Design with Revit Structure
Data exchange/collaboration
Excitech UK Advance Content for Revit Structure
Analysis Links

To register to attend this event simply complete the form at the bottom of the web page using this link

Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

AUGI HotNews



HotNews



AUGI HotNews January 2009 ~ Do Revit Users Need User-Generated Content?
AUGI HotNews August 2008 ~ A Look Behind the Curtain (Wall) - Part 2
AUGI HotNews July 2008 ~ A Look Behind the Curtain (Wall) - Part 1
AUGI HotNews June 2008 ~ Diary of a Revit User: Hitting a Nerve
AUGI HotNews May 2008 ~ Revit Architecture: Setting the Site - Part 3
AUGI HotNews April 2008 ~ Revit Architecture: Setting the Site - Part 2
AUGI HotNews March 2008 ~ Revit Architecture: Setting the Site - Part 1
AUGI HotNews February 2008 ~ Rendering in Revit Architecture - Part 2
AUGI HotNews January 2008 ~ Rendering in Revit Architecture - Part 1

Sunday, 22 February 2009

UK Web Site With Tips and Tricks

William Sutherland apologies "to anyone coming across his page from a search engine link hoping for nicely arranged Revit tips ;-) the rate of acquisition of Revit tips makes it more of a scribbling pad..." but what a great resource with personal insight of what can and does go wrong. Click Here to visit

Saturday, 21 February 2009

More on Ribbon Blues

Feeling just a little frustrated that I had only just purchased the book Mastering Revit 2009 and that they are going to change the whole darn User Interface for the Ribbon that I hate in Word 2007, I posted the Ribbon! We Don't Want Your Stinkin' Ribbon on my blog and on the AUGI forum.

Wes Macaulay posted the reply on the AUGI forum below:-

“The Ribbon is an intelligent response to feature bloat. I would encourage everyone who is opposed to the Ribbon to look at the Microsoft video on why the Ribbon was developed.

I think the Ribbon is a good idea, but it has to be implemented right. Evidently Acad 2010's ribbon is better than 2009's so even the Ribbon we get in Revit 2010 could be improved upon.

The Ribbon isn't marketing balderdash at all -- you have no idea about the thought that went into it. But should they have finished the site tools in this release instead of the Ribbon? Maybe... or maybe getting the Ribbon needed to happen now, because at some point, Windoze users are going to have to come to terms with the Ribbon. I didn't like it either, but the video in the link above made me see why they're doing it. And the Factory might as well get us accustomed to the new era of UI design sooner rather than later.”

I downloaded and watched the video as he suggested.I can see what he means about the amount of thought that went into it......

In Word It just makes me feel like I've lost control, and I really don't want that again, just as I'm finding my feet with Revit.

I was one of the first to jump from DOS to Windows, and that did not feel as awkward as the move from menus to ribbon!

Perhaps it's just my age catching up with me?

But if you feel the same about the Ribbon then it is well worth watching the video as Wes suggests, just to find out why they have done what they have done, like it or not!

CADDHELP


David Harringtons' blog is called CADDHELP


David is a Structural Designer based in Tampa Florida United States a Revit Structure power user With very deep knowledge and many years of experience in AutoCAD, Dave has also been an AUGI Top DAUG, AUGI President, AUGI writer and he is one of the Authors of Mastering Revit Structure 2009


His Blog is always an initeresting read, and worth keeping an eye on.

Friday, 20 February 2009

Ribbon! We Don't Want Your Stinkin' Ribbon


Autodesk’s 2010 Product Portfolio Launch
AECbytes Newsletter #39 (February 12, 2009)

The article is about Autodesk’s two webcasts to officially launch the next version of its design software portfolio, one focused on AutoCAD and the other on its building, transportation, and geospatial products.

Quoting the article:-

“With version 2010, Revit sports a slightly different look and feel in contrast to the interface the application has had since it was introduced, so existing users will have to go through an adjustment period to get used to it. Instead of the toolbar on the left, Revit now sports the ribbon-based tabbed UI running at the top of the application window that Microsoft has popularized with its Office 2007 applications (see Figure 4).”

The question has to be WHY?

Why not more content and less cosmetic crap that make you feel like your getting more for your money or subscription. There are lots of add ons for those on subscription and who in there right mind would buy Revit without subscription? It’s the only way of getting what should be a full package anyway.

For too long software companies have got away with, “we will fix that in the next release” or "please download the latest service patch” to fix the buggy software we have just sold you.

It’s got to be said, I used Microsoft Word from the start, and recently I had a new computer with Office 2007 and I hate the bloody Ribbon.

Why move everything around from where I knew where it was, my productivity dropped considerably whilst I looked for the new locations of known features.

There are now software companies offering bolt ons to Word 2007 to replace the known interface. In AutoCAD 2009 they at least provided a Classic AutoCAD radio button to get rid of the Ribbon.

Can anyone please confirm that they have done the same in Revit Structure and Architecture 2010?

From one of the 2010 brochures

“Improved User Interface

New customizable ribbon toolbar is task-oriented with redesigned, intuitive icons.”

You can smell the marketing bull**** from here.

New Kid on the Block


The Revit Kid! AKA Jeff Pinheiro has created a Blog and Facebook site and hopes his Blog becomes a major source of information for students using Autodesk Revit, he says:-


"Ultimately, I plan for this blog to be a source of information for the student using Revit in the classroom at a design studio level. I would also like to open it up to the readers to ask me questions to further stimulate the information being produced. By a student, for students..."

AUGI New Forum Area


NEW FORUM AREA AutoCAD Structural Detailing
Companion Product to Revit Structure - Part of AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite



Revit Structure Support
Revit Structure discussion forums are here!

Revit Structure - General
Main discussion area for the latest release of Revit Structure.

Revit Structure - Tips & Tricks
Got a hot tip? Share it here!

Revit Structure - Families
Topics about creating families specifically for Revit Structure.

Revit Structure - Wishlist
Got a wish? Blow out the candle here!

A Hyperlinked list to all the AUGI forum areas can now be found on the left panel of this web site.

Thursday, 19 February 2009

Cadalot Web Site is moving over to Blogs

I was hoping that normal service was going to be resumed to my web site.

I moved over the UK Revit Register and then thought why not move the whole web site over to Blogs?

My cadalot web site has been around since 2000 and has been Tenlinks Top Ten Listed since 2001. There was a lot of information on it, and I’m in the process of porting the web site over to the family of Blogs that you may have noticed I have created and has appeared on the top left of the screen.

This is a bit like a spring clean, and it is giving me the opportunity to check links and content and update the information.

My cadalot.co.uk domain name now points to a Cadalot Index Blog which is like the old index page of the web site and give people access to the various areas of the old web site but now provided on Blogs!.

Friday, 13 February 2009

New Home for UK Revit Register

Some of you might have noticed that my cadalot web site has not been available for the last few days

It would appear that that my virtual hosting providers are having a few problems at the moment.

I’m hoping that normal service may be resumed as soon as possible but who knows? I’m still waiting for answers to emails as they appear to busy to answer my questions over the phone.

In the mean time, I’m looking at alternative ways of providing some of the cadalot web site information, so that UK Revit Register is now on it’s own blog rather than being provided on the web site.

Friday, 23 January 2009

CSC (UK) Ltd become Revit resellers

It has just come to my attention that CSC (UK) Ltd have recently announce its appointment as an authorised Autodesk AEC reseller for the supply of Autodesk Revit Structure, together with associated training and support services, within the UK and Ireland.

Their web site states that:-

“Both CSC and Autodesk are firmly committed to Revit Structure as it represents the future of BIM (Building Information Modelling) for Structural Engineers in the UK. CSC's core design products - Fastrak and Orion - both integrate with Revit Structure and already enjoy market dominance in the UK building structure sector. Therefore the agreement to supply Revit Structure as a complementary application is a logical and strategic progression for CSC.”

CSC can be contacted on 0113 239 3000 or email mailto:sales@cscworld.com?subject=CSC%20Revit:%20More%20Info

Friday, 19 December 2008

Free Quarterly Magazine for Northern Europe


Experience Building is the only official publication for the Autodesk AEC user community in Northern Europe. Fully endorsed by Autodesk, and published by X3DMedia Ltd, Experience Building brings a highly independent and well respected editorial team together to keep users up to speed with the fast changing world of products, technology and community surrounding Building Information Modelling (BIM), AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, Buzzsaw and other industry leading solutions.

Register now for the printed version and or e-zine.

Wednesday, 10 December 2008

New Revit Structure 2009 Book Now Here

Mastering Revit Structure 2009 (Paperback) by David Harrington (Author), Tom Weir (Author), Paul Andersen (Author), Jamie Richardson (Author).

RRP: £42.50

Price: £25.89 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery.

Usually dispatched within 10 to 13 days. Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Note: orders placed now for this item will not be dispatched in time for Christmas (see last-order dates).

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

Educational copy 13 month licence for FREE


One of my trainee technicians has informed me of something very interesting.

His lecturer has told the student on his course to login in and download the Autodesk software they need so that they can learn how to use it and produce material for their coursework for FREE
Here is the link to the Student Engineering & Design Community :-

http://students3.autodesk.com/?nd=public_signup_v2

I had been looking into the purchase of an educational licence so that I could continue learning the package at home in the evenings. (The company I’m currently working for has not purchased REVIT yet, they are still looking into it).

If you have a school-issued email address you can get started immediately on the new member registration page.

The Autodesk resellers I contacted did no know about this and they had directed me to an academia software site where they are currently selling the same Student / Teacher 13 month licence at £59.99 Buy Online

As with most Autodesk educational software there is a plot stamp embedded within the files produced that states that the drawing has been produced by an educational version.

So make sure that your students know that they are to keep their learning copy at home and the office copy (should you have one) well away from each other i.e. don’t use any files from or produced by the educational version on real work.

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Long Time No Blog ..........

I’m sorry for the absence of regular postings to this blog site…

In May this year I moved to a new company that currently does not have Revit (Ok I’m working on that one.) There is the recession on (opps can’t call it that call it a “credit crunch” sounds less threatening) the fear of the workload dropping and the whispers of companies laying off engineers, graduates and draughtsmen.

I can understand that belts in the industry are going to be tightened until we see what the future brings, and there is a lot of financial difference between using seats of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT and Revit with the cost in training and implementation etc etc.

One of our Major clients insists that we use a particular 3D drafting package for there work so, we also have seats of that for their work as well as seats of AutoCAD, LT Civils etc.

I still attended the London UK Users Group run by Excitech (despite not getting paid for the day, booking it as unpaid leave) because I believe the future is Revit shaped.

I’m biting the bullet and installing the Trial version of Revit Structure 2009 to continue up the Revit Learning Curve, but there is only so much one can do without the facility of being able to save and then reload your tutorial work and continue.

During the last couple of weeks I started on a project with an Architect who bought Revit Architecture, went on a three day course but due to pressure of work is still pumping out drawings using AutoCAD and has not made the transition. It’s no good going on any kind of software training if you don’t use the package before and more importantly straight after the training.

He discussed the possibility of re taking the course (as it’s been well over a year since the last one) and trying to make the move again, the Partners where I work are obviously interested in Revit and lets face it the cost of Revit Structure Suite which comes with AutoCAD is not a lot more than just plain Full AutoCAD if you need to upgrade of buy another copy of Full AutoCAD that is.

That’s the problem justifying the need for Revit or a Full AutoCAD then getting Revit off the back of the purchase. Slowly slowly catche Monkey as my old dear departed Dad would say.

The Architects building would be a challenge in Revit purely because it is curved and you could not use gridlines. I’ve not seen a lot of non –rectangular or rectilinear building detailed in Revit. This building is curved on plan and terraced, looking as if it should be in Spain or some other holiday spot not in the centre of London.

So if there are any Revit heads out there that have curved masonry building on plan I would love to see them.

Email them to alan@cadalot.co.uk