Excitech have recently launched a new video portal to highlight the enhanced functionality of the Autodesk solutions portfolio, which provides access to a wide range of short focussed demonstrations of each solution in the main industry segments.

The video portal can be accessed via the following link: http://www.excitech.co.uk/2011w

Once you have selected the relevant industry from the link at the top of the page, you can choose to filter the list of available videos either by product:

Or by type, such as the ‘New Features’ of the latest release:

When you click on the topic you are interested in, one of Excitech’s many specialists will present the relevant functionality in the side panel; which can also be expanded to full screen for added convenience:

For those of you with smartphones, such as the iPhone, the mobile version of this portal will provide easy access to this information on the move, so you can get the information that you need while getting to work in the morning!

This portal will be updated with new videos regularly on additional products, features and future subscription enhancements, as they are made available; so please sign up for the video update notifications using the link at the bottom of the page!

Enjoy!!!

Autodesk today announced the release of the next round of product updates across their entire range, including AutoCAD 2011, Revit Architecture 2011 & Inventor Professional 2011 which includes a vast array of improved functionality and performance enhancements.

For further information on each of these solutions please follow the link below and select the relevant product for your own specific market discipline:

Autodesk & AutoCAD 2011

We held a few 3ds Max drop in sessions last year, these were an opportunity for an informal, 1-2-1 discussion with Autodesk’s guru Jamie Gwilliam. They went down very well with those lucky enough to secure a slot so we’ve decided to hold another on the 11th February at our Enfield office.

So, this is your chance to bag a slot before they all go – I say ‘all’, as they’re 1-2-1, there’s actually only five available, so be quick!

The idea is you can discuss any issues you have with regard to workflows, techniques and best practices. This applies whether you’re an existing user of 3ds Max or Max Design or just interested to see how Max can help your business. It would also be really helpful to bring along some examples of your latest projects on a USB drive.

So don’t be shy, this is a rare opportunity for a free of charge, 1-2-1 discussion, with one of Autodesk’s top 3D gurus! Either contact your Excitech Account Manager or you can register by clicking here!

Paul

Autodesk have recently released a UK Content Extension for Revit MEP that contains a range of new families to help mechanical and electrical engineers, drafters, and contractors create mechanical and electrical layouts for projects in the United Kingdom. Contents include mechanical and electrical devices based on UK industry standard symbology; pipe fittings based on common British and European standards; and additional duct fittings based on DW144 and revised UK templates. This extension provides both UK users and those adhering to UK standards with new content based on these industry standards.

The 3 new UK template files supersede the previous ones and contain a more logical set of default system and component families.  We would recommend that you review your current templates in relation to the contents of these new files and update them where necessary and utilise these templates as the basis for any new RMEP templates, following the usual recommendations on configuring them for each version.

For example, the default Duct system family types includes flanged rectangular ductwork and a type variants that uses a ‘Shoe Branch’ fitting:

Duct Layout with Flanges and DW144-Compliant Fittings

There is also an extended range of pipe fittings and accessories that can be used to define more accurate pipe system families:

BS EN 10241 Pipework with Additional Valve Content

A lot of the 2D symbology has also been refined in order to adhere more closely with recognised UK standards, such as the updates to the standard Diffuser families:

Old Grille Family Symbols

Revised Grille Family Symbols

Ok, so it wouldn’t be a major effort to adapt the existing families but it is certainly nice to have the correct symbols by default for a change.

The same also applies to the largely US-centric graphics that we have had by default in the electrical content until now, which now display the more familiar UK equivalents:

Old Twin Socket (US Duplex) Family

New UK Twin Socket Family

Similarly, all of the default Electrical Switch family symbols now conform to recognised UK standards:

Old Lighting Switch Symbols

New UK Compliant Lighting Switch Symbols

There is a whole host of external content that can be added to your existing library and loaded in as required.  I have included a list of the new content folders below for reference:

This extension is undoubtedly an essential download for anyone seriously looking to implement Revit MEP within their organisation in the UK or to deploy the technology on a project that is likely to have any of the delivery requirements that would be met by these enhancements.

Autodesk have recently released a localised content extension for the UK market, which is available to download via the subscription centre.

This contains two additional catalogues for both MvParts and Piping.

The MvParts catalogue only contains a Cast Iron Manifold connector to support the new sloped piping functionality for drainage in the current version:

However, the extended Pipework catalogue contains a variety of useful additional fittings for each of the main material types:

Once the installation has been run, the only remaining step is to add these new catalogues to the relevant entry in the ‘MEP Catalogs’ tab within the ‘Options’:

Once you have configured AutoCAD MEP to use the new catalogues you will be able to create new Routing Preferences that uses the new parts or insert them manually using the Pipe Fitting / MvPart Add command. The parts from the extension catalogues will be available from separate sections in list views or separate branches in tree views in the user interface.

You can also use Catalog Editor to copy the parts from the Subscription 2010 catalogues to your preferred Pipe catalogue.

Here is a list of catalogues and part types added via this content extension for reference:

Subscription 2010 MvParts (UK)

• Cast Iron Manifold Connector

Subscription 2010 Pipework (UK)

• Cast Iron Fittings
  • Couplings
  • Traps
• Copper Fittings
  • Couplings
  • Elbows
  • End Caps
• Ductile Iron Fittings
  • Couplings
• HDPE Fittings
  • Connectors
  • Reducers
• Steel Tube and Fittings
  • Couplings
  • Crosses
  • Reducers
  • Tees
  • Tubes
  • Wyes and Laterals

If you have installed Google SketchUp 7.1 and found some BUGSPLATS then I would say “you’re not alone!” With new features and added functionality often comes a minefield of errors waiting to surprise you as you make new breakthroughs in your daily designs.

Today there is new Hope! and it’s called “Maintenance 1″

Of course you should be aware that this has been made public a while ago so do not wait, get it installed immediately to relieve yourself from those annoying “bugs” The Maintenance 1 only fixes bugs and does not add any new features.

You can download the latest update when you follow this link: http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=43176

You can read the release notes that will tell you a whole lot more about the bugs that has been fixed as well as the known errors that still exist by following this link: http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=141303

As the Contract Manager or Software Coordinator you have added new users to the Autodesk Subscription Center. Now, you need to manage this list. You will want to make sure that users have received their login details, have logged on to the center and used the facilities available to them: e-Learning, support requests and file downloads.

Users might approach you from time to time to request their profile to be reset because for some reasons, the login details they have no longer works. You may want to delete users that have left the company or moved on to a different position within the company. To do this,

1 - Go to www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin

2 - Go to Contract Administration

3 – Choose View/Edit Users

4 – From the list of users, click on Edit User

5 – Update Settings will enable you to make changes to the user’s access rights to e-Learning, Web Support and File Downloads; Delete User will take away the user’s rights to access the Autodesk Subscription Center.

When you first signed up for the Autodesk Subscription program, your company would have named two primary representatives for your subscription. Those two primary contacts are called the Contract Manager and Software Coordinator. Depending whether you are the Contract Manager or Software Coordinator, you will have varying levels of access that I will not go into detail in this post. However both the Contract Manager and Software Coordinator will have the authority to add users to the Autodesk Subscription Center. Once added, those users will be able to follow the e-Learning tutorials, submit support requests and download product upgrades and extensions.

To Add new users:

1 – Log in to www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin

2 – Go to Contract Administration

3 – Choose Invite New Users

4 – You can either use the Quick Add Recipient or the Recipient List

i – If you only have a couple of new users to add, use Quick Add Recipient, enter the email address, first name, last name of the person you want to add, click on Add to List, then on Check List. The system will confirm that no errors have been found in the list you have provided.

ii – The Recipient list enables you to paste a large list of names as long as you follow the email, first name, last name format. Click on Check List to ensure that the data is loaded in the system.

5 – Select what you want your user(s) to have access to, be it e-Learning, Web Support and File Downloads.

7 – You can personalise the email to encourage your users to log to the center.

8 – Click on Send

We had our Autodesk Subscription Webinar last week. For those of you who have Autodesk Subscription, your can listen to this Webinar now and find out more about the two online resources you can access when you have an Autodesk Subscription with Excitech.

Please note that even if you don’t have an Autodesk Subscription with Excitech, you will get some valuable information on how to access the Autodesk Subscription Center and where to go to submit a support request, follow e-Learning tutorials, download product upgrades and extensions, add new users to the site, or edit your profile.

Don’t forget to leave your comments! I am eager to find out what you’d like to see featured in the next webinar dedicated to Autodesk Subscription.

As Autodesk product upgrades are finally reaching the last subscription customers in UK, I have received a fair number of calls over the last few weeks from clients who had not received their upgrades because the shipping address on record was incorrect. For those of you who have tried, in vain, to get in touch with Autodesk in order to update your details, there is good news. You can log in to the Autodesk Subscription Centre and update your contact details yourself.

- Log in at www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin

- Click on ‘My Profile’ at the top right hand corner of your screen.

- Click on ‘Edit Location’ in ‘Shipping Location’.

- When you have made the necessary changes, click on ‘Submit’.

- Finally, you will need to click on ‘Update Profile’ for the changes to be saved.