Copy Drawing Sheet Views in Inventor 2013

In Inventor 2013 you are now able to select one or more views to Copy then Paste on to the same or separate Sheet within the Drawing environment.

To Copy one or more views, simply select (hold Shift to multi select) the view/s you want, then either right click > Copy or CTRL+C. Then to Paste the views, simply right click > Paste or CTRL+V to place copied views.

Extended File Types for Inventor 2013 Borders

Inventor 2013 gives you the ability to Insert image types BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG and TIF into a title block on a Drawing border. Previous versions of Inventor only allowed BMP or JPG!

To insert an image into a Drawing Title Block, edit the Title Block definition, and click Sketch TAB > Insert panel > Image. Click in the graphic window to place the image, then in the Open dialogue, select an image file, and click Open.

 

Note: By default the Open dialogue will Link to the selected image, not always desirable on a Drawing border. To Embed the image, simply unitck the Link box shown above.

Square Fillet Corners in AutoCAD

The AutoCAD Fillet command can be used for adding Fillets at a chosen Radius, however it can also be used to add Square corners. To do this you can change the Radius to 0, or usefully hold the Shift Key whilst selecting the relevant lines you want the Square corner between.

The Hitchhikers Guide to AutoCAD

If you are new to AutoCAD, need a quick refresher or want to find out what it is all about, then the article below from Autodesk may be of use.

Welcome to The Hitchhikers Guide to AutoCAD - your guide to the basic 42 commands you need to create 2D drawings using modern AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

This guide is a great place to get started if you just completed your initial training, or to refresh your memory if you only use AutoCAD occasionally. As you can see from the illustration, the 42 commands are grouped together according to types of activity. In addition, these groups are arranged sequentially to follow a typical workflow.

 

SQL Maintenance Plans For Vault

Maintenance Plans can be used to schedule tasks required to make sure that the database performs well, such as keeping database and transaction log file sizes small and checking the database for inconsistencies. Autodesk recommends that the plan be run at least once per week, during out of office hours.

In a Connected Workgroup Environment, this should be configured on each SQL Server.

Part of the Administrators tasks should be to regularly check that the plan ran successfully.

If the plan was configured for an earlier release of Vault Server, ensure that you check and update the plan in accordance with this article.

The following steps are universal across all versions of SQL in use with Vault Server (Express and Full SQL). The complete list of supported database engines is located in the product readme file.

Create a SQL Maintenance Plan for Full SQL

Create a Maintenance Script for Microsoft SQL Express

Vault Keyboard Shortcuts

For those of you who like their Keyboard Shortcuts, you can use hotkeys to quickly access Vault commands too.

Vault Client

Paste		Ctrl+V
Open		Ctrl+O
Print		Ctrl+P
Cut		Ctrl+X
Copy		Ctrl+C
Paste as link		Ctrl+Alt+V
Select All		Ctrl+A
Delete		Ctrl+D
Edit Properties…		Ctrl+E
Move to Folder…		Ctrl+Shift+V
Refresh		F5
Find		Ctrl+F
Manage Ownership…		Ctrl+M
Update		Ctrl+U
Change Item Number		Ctrl+H
Check In…		Ctrl+I
Check Out…		Ctrl+O
Go to Working Folder		Ctrl+W
Help		F1
Back		Ctrl+Left
Forward		Ctrl+right

Extension for Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2013

The Extension for Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 software and 3ds Max Design 2013 software delivers new solutions that help you create and refine the look you require, faster and more easily.

Features:

• MassFX mParticles - Create particle simulations that replicate real-world effects with the new mParticles module for the MassFX system of simulation solvers. With Birth operators optimized for MassFX simulations, a preset flow for easier initial setup and two easy-to-use modifiers that enable particles to affect standard mesh objects, mParticles helps you create stunning simulations with less effort.

Getting Started and Help with AutoCAD WS

AutoCAD WS is an easy-to-use web application that allows you to work on your AutoCAD drawings from anywhere and with anyone. With AutoCAD WS you can view, edit, and share DWG files through a web browser or mobile device.

What can you do with AutoCAD WS?

• Upload DWG files directly from AutoCAD software to an online workspace.
• View and edit DWG files from anywhere, using just a web browser or mobile device.
• Invite design team members to review and edit DWG files online; no software required.
• Allow multiple people to work on the same DWG file online, in real time.
• Record changes to designs in a timeline for version control and auditing
• Store drawings and project related documents online, eliminating the need for redundant copies, backups, or archiving solutions.

It’s easy to get started!

See the AutoCAD WS site for more Information and Tutorials.

LABS - DesignScript for AutoCAD 2013

DesignScript is a unique language. It is intended to help designers build and analyse complex geometric models that would be difficult to model with interactive techniques. This type of exploratory design is best served by a scripting language that is designed for exploratory programming. Additionally DesignScript is intended to be used by designers with little previous programming experience. It is much less rigid than conventional programming languages, and it is completely integrated into the host geometry application (currently 64-bit AutoCAD).

DesignScript introduces the distinction between a generative description of a design (as a script) and the resulting generated model. The designer no longer directly models the resulting design: instead he develops a script whose execution generates the model. This enables a completely different kind of design model to be created. The design process is also different. An apparently minor edit to the script could have a profound effect on the generated model, and this enables the exploration of a vast array of alternatives, with much less effort than manual interactive modelling.

The free technology preview of DesignScript application includes:

• the language,
• an IDE (interactive development environment) for editing, debugging and executing scripts,
• a geometry library to generate geometry, initially within AutoCAD,
• analysis and simulation tools.

Availability:

The technology preview will operate until March 31, 2013.

You can find the download on Autodesk Labs at:

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/designscript