I will have a front row seat in the media area when ATK performs a ground test of GEM 60 solid rocket motor on September 6th, 2012. Last time I was at this test site, I had front row for the ARES DM1 fixed motor test and see the amazing engineering before and after firing as well as speak with the real rocket scientists and engineers. It was so amazing that I couldn’t event remember how to use my camera for a few seconds when the DM1 lit up and rumbled the earth. Read more →

If you’re reading this blog, then you probably work in the AEC industry. And because of the industry you work in, you’ve probably heard the terms “as-built drawings” and “shop drawings”. Do you think you could you explain the difference between these drawings, if someone asked you? If you’re not sure you could, don’t worry because you’ll be able to do so in about one minute! Read more →

I am honored to be selected as a judge this year for the [acronym] Online CAD Awards along with a panel comprised of cross-section of industry, technology, and government professionals. Judges: Tom Trezza Jr, President, Trezza Media Group Shaan Hurley (me), Technologist for the Office of the CTO, Autodesk, Inc.. Brian Skripac, Director of Digital Practice, Astorino Scott Eden, Vice President, CADD Microsystems Joe Eichenseer, Building Solutions Division Manager, IMAGINiT Technologies Read more about the judges: http://acronymonline.org/judges/ We will be judging all submissions that show how a particular digital design application has made an impact on the government community. Conciseness and clarity are essential. Be sure to state clear objectives and share specific quantifiable results. [acronym] Online CAD Awards http://acronymonline.org/cad-awards/ [acronym] Online CAD Awards is an innovation contest that challenges the public sector, and the contractors that support it, to share the creative ways they have used digital design/CAD software to improve the performance of their agency and enhance the delivery of citizen-centric services. Read more →

Myself and fellow Autodesk CTO office colleague Gonzalo Martinez were recently on an Octo Copter research project on the remote Northern border of Kenya just 5 miles from Ethiopia which is about as far as you can get from civilization, and hot. I joked how to get there was to fly to the middle of nowhere on a small Cessna plane 5 hours, get in a Landrover and turn East drive four hours and that’s where we were. One thing I observed which was amazing and resourceful is that they are constructing some research and study buildings, schools, as well as medical facilities by the Turkana Basin Institute. Materials are an issue as it can take over 4-5 days by truck to get materials to the job site and they are expensive so people have learned to make most of their own from what they have available locally. Read more →

Just a friendly reminder on Autodesk University 2012 happening in only 89 days.. Early registration for AU Online Members has started. Register early and save up to $500 http://autode.sk/hVwnwN Read more →

Back in 2009 I wrote a blog post showing one method to get the X and Y coordinates from AutoCAD into Excel using a script. Import X,Y Coordinates from Excel into AutoCAD While this was a workable method, AutoCAD is well known to have several ways to accomplish anything. Between the Lines reader Brian Glackin PE provided a much easier method this week in an email to me. Read more →

Autodesk just released a new version of the very popular Autodesk SketchBook Pro, an artistic and easy drawing, painting, and sketching program for both Mac and Windows. Read more →

Autodesk University 2012 is only 95 Days Away! Read more →

The preview version of the Autodesk University 2012 class catalog is now available. View it now and start planning your AU schedule. Class space at AU is limited so plan to sign up when AU registration opens early for AU members on August 28. Becoming an AU members is as easy as enrolling free at http://au.autodesk.com Read more →

In a continuing effort to improve customer experience and product quality we have released a Service Pack for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013. Read more →

Between the Lines Blog was born on 21, August 2003 nine years ago as a unofficial underground experiment by me, an Autodesk employee. It grew in popularity and soon several Autodesk bloggers were jumping in the blogging waters finally with our supportive management that realized the value of transparency, and connecting with our customers and community and in our own words in addition to other methods we communicate information such as PR and Marketing. This blog has also inspired several non-Autodesk CAD related blogs starting in the new social media that was blogging. I like to say blogging is a conversation and just as I would speak to someone sitting down at a table face to face. This is who I am, an open book. Read more →

A CAD Americas Training Day is coming this Fall to several cities and hopefully one near you. Autodesk is pleased to sponsor CAD Americas Training Days, an opportunity to work face-to-face with industry experts to build your Autodesk product skills. Read more →

That’s right only 100 days remain until Autodesk University 2012! I recently saw a countdown clock on a wall of restaurant that said124 days until the “End of the World” make every minute count, so make sure you attend the Autodesk University before the end of the worlds. I should alert AU marketing of the slogan from a Facebook friend reagrding this “Autodesk University, “Possibly the last AU before the End of the World” Read more →

Expect me to post a celebratory post about this blog turning 9 years old on the upcoming Tuesday August 21, 2012. Read more →

Autodesk Labs has been busy with updates and posting new technology previews this week. Autodesk Labs is where we can post emerging technologies in a pre-beta technology previews. If you have not visited the Autodesk Labs website recently and browsed what is available, take a few minutes and you might find something like the following preview technologies that may peak your interest. All Autodesk Labs technologies are free, all we ask is you provide feedback on them so they can either evolve and graduate as real Autodesk products and solutions or perhaps let us know they are not of interest and why. Each Autodesk Labs posted project has feedback links on them. Read more →

For Autodesk products there are knowledge base articles generated by our experts in Product Support. These Knowledge Base articles can provide you will helpful tips and troubleshoot known issues to help make using Autodesk products easier and more productive. Some product’s Knowledge Base articles are updated more frequently than others. You can get the Knowledge Base at the Autodesk documentation web page or by Autodesk RSS feeds. Also check out the Autodesk discussion forums as many of the expert product users are in there and help each other in the community. Secret Tip: OK it isn't really a secret just not well known. Each product has a Autodesk Product Feedback Form on this page. You select the product and then in clear and concise detail explain your problem or feedback good & bad and it sends an email to most product managers and some on the product teams. Just let them know what they are doing right and should keep doing, suggestions, or issues. Read more →

The speaker is Dan Zucker Lead on Autodesk Social Media, and I was the co-speaker. This session will be great for anyone wanting to understand social web and media such as Facebook, Twitter, and more with best practices and applies to everyone from customers, partners, and Autodesk employees. Unfortunately there is currently a class conflict as I have another session at the same time. Read more →

The SXSW Panel Picker opened and Autodesk has submitted. selected to be accepted and at SXSW they need to be voted on by the community (that’s you). Voting is open until August 31 and accounts for 30% in deciding SXSW programming. The SXSW Advisory Board (a group of industry experts from around the world) accounts for 40%, and the SXSW staff makes up the remaining 30%. Please create an account and place your vote to have this great Autodesk panel lineup present at SXSW in March 2013! Read more →

How does Autodesk fit into this blog post, read further. The nature magazine is no ordinary magazine, it is more of a science periodical of peer reviewed papers and information on major discoveries in science. My good friend Dr. Louise Leakey and her 3 generations of family as paleoanthropologist’s, the Leakey’s have a new paper published in the August 2012 issue of nature that identifies a new species of our distant relatives that could change the way we look at evolution of we humans (homo sapiens) and multiple species that came before us. The find was located in the region I recently visited with Dr. Louise Leakey, Deming Yang of the National Museums of Kenya, and my colleague at Autodesk Gonzalo Martinez in Northern Kenya’s harsh and hot desert environment. Read more →

The week started out in San Francisco with some meetings then accompanying Dr. Louise Leakey of the Turkana Basin Institute speaking at Singularity University at the NASA Ames facility. I met many of the brightest young minds looking to change the lives of a billion people, as well as Ray Kurzweil and many other Silicon Valley icons including Autodesk’s own Jonathan Knowles. Early today I head for the airport to Salt Lake City and another shoulder surgery in the morning, this time my left shoulder after having the right shoulder worked on in June. Then I am taking some well needed personal time off. Cheers, Shaan Read more →

Many of you have probably already heard about AutodeskCare. Some of you have talked to us on online already. For those of you we haven’t met yet, this is the scoop on what we do, where we do it, and how we work social customer care at Autodesk these days. Read more →

Our CTO, Jeff Kowalski, got his hands on 8 Raspberry Pi units. He decided to have some fun with them by sponsoring an internal-Autodesk contest. Since Jeff had 8 of the devices, there would be 8 winners. The Raspberry Pi... Read more →