Happy Holidays from Micro Concepts

For the festive period we thought it would be good to create a Christmas related render:

Created in 3ds Max Design 2013 by Andy Roe at Micro Concepts.

Autodesk Exchange Apps for Inventor 2013

Autodesk Exchange Apps is an online resource where you can browse and purchase Apps (including product-specific content such as models, training materials and eBooks) – and is available to several Autodesk Products. You can download some items for free and others for a nominal fee. Purchasing is handled via PayPal at this time. Purchases and downloads can be tracked online, or by using the Autodesk Exchange App Manager that is included with the respective Autodesk product.

Access the Autodesk Exchange Apps website here: http://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/

New Showcase 2013 Task User Interface

The Task UI is a set of controls that appears by default at the bottom of the Showcase viewport.

• 1 = Main Menu Toggle
• 2 = Task UI

The controls provide easy access to all of the features of Showcase. Hover your mouse pointer over each to find out what it does. Click a control to open its related options.

For example, here is what the Task UI looks like when you click the Visual Styles control.

In this example, scroll left-to-right through the available Visual Styles. Click a Visual Style to apply it. Click Library on the right to see the classic Visual Styles interface.

Change the Size of your Inventor 2013 Overflow Menu

The Overflow Menu displays below the Marking Menu. Shorter versions of the Overflow Menu are defined for Inventor to streamline the interface. The original, longer Overflow Menus are on by default.

Use the Marking Menu tab of the Customize dialog box to access the short Overflow Menus.

The options available in the Customize dialog box to control the display of the Overflow are:

• Full Menu
• Radial Menu Only
• Short Menu

Certain Express Tools do not Function in AutoCAD Electrical 2013

This is apparently a known issue in AutoCAD Electrical 2013, whereby some of the Express Tools files are not loaded and maintained on starting AutoCAD Electrical.

 

This means that certain tools, such as Text to MText do not function.
However there is a fix:

• Start AutoCAD Electrical
• Type appload at the commandline
• Click on Contents under Startup Suite
• Hit Add in the Startup Suite dialog
• Browse to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade 2013\Express
• Using CTRL select the following files - sysvdlg.arx, ctextapp.arx, dimsio.arx, leaderex.arx and mocoro.arx
• Click Open
• Now close all dialogs and check the Express Tools which were not working (i.e. Text to MText)
• You can always double check by closing AutoCAD Electrical 2013 and restart to ensure it maintains these files

Turn Off AutoCAD Tray Notifcations

AutoCAD usefully prompts to let you know once a Plot or Publish has completed, but some people find this a distraction.

If you want to turn these prompts off, then simply type traynotify at the command line, then change the default value 1 to a 0.

Find Vault Files where DWF Previews are not Available or Out of Date

Have you ever wanted to find all files where the DWF(x) previews need to be updated? Or files that do not have DWF(x) previews at all?

Well you can, using the system property Visualisation Attachment, you can find all files which have no preview or a preview that needs updating:

Once found you can then select all files in the search result and perform an Update View - Queued Update (Update Locally will only work on a single file).

Note: the search results are only true with the current version of each file.

This is an extract from the Cracking the Vault, Manufacturing Community Blog

Support of SQL Server 2012 with Vault 2013

Autodesk Vault 2013 (all editions) and all previous releases of Vault are not supported with SQL Server 2012.

Possible support of SQL Server 2012 with the next version of Vault will be reviewed.

This is an extract from the Cracking the Vault, Manufacturing Community Blog

Windows 8 Support for Autodesk products

Autodesk intends to support many of the key products on Windows 8 and will add additional products to the list of products supported on Windows 8 as updates and future versions are released. Autodesk Product Support will provide its best effort to assist customers who have issues with products that are not currently supported.

The Autodesk products listed below have been tested and are confirmed as working correctly on Microsoft Windows 8 operating system:

• Autodesk 3ds Max 2013
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2013
• Autodesk Maya 2013
• Autodesk MotionBuilder 2013
• Autodesk Mudbox 2013
• Autodesk Softimage 2013
• Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2013

Note: This technical solution will be updated as new Windows 8 compatibility information becomes available.

Micro Concepts Ltd 'Open Doors' event a huge success!

On the 7th November 2012 Micro Concepts Ltd hosted its second 'Open Doors' event giving its customers the incredible opportunity to come and sit the Autodesk Certification exams for FREE. The response from our customers was fantastic and more than twenty five exams were taken by our customers.

Micro Concepts Ltd add 'Brand New' training courses to their portfolio

Micro Concepts Ltd are proud to announce that they can now offer the following training courses:

• An Introduction to 3ds Max Design
• AutoCAD Electrical - Piping & Instrumentation Design
• AutoCAD Electrical - Routing & Design
• Sketchbook Designer
• Autodesk Suites Workflows

Click on the links above or look at our website to see in detail what these courses cover.

Micro Concepts Ltd are also now very proud to announce that we are offering Personal Development courses:

• Communication Skills
• Presenting Skilfully
• Training The Trainer

For more information about Personal Development courses or any other courses we have to offer please contact training@microconcepts.co.uk.