Longtime AutoCAD, Revit and Architecture veteran, writer, trainer, consultant, photographer,and friend David Cohn sent me a note that he has released some iBooks on AutoCAD 2014 for those of you with Apple devices. These iBooks are multimedia rich with text, images, and video. There are also Point Cloud and Revit Architecture 2014 titles available free in the iBook store by CADLearning™ by 4D Technologies. Read more →

I am still getting back to speed after returning this week from 5 amazing days on Cozumel Island in Mexico. Cozumel is one of the top scuba and snorkel diving locations in the world with the worlds second largest barrier reef. I had a ladder into the Caribbean from located just 10 steps from the condo where I was staying in the Northern region of the island. I found the amazing condo on AirBnB.com which was all new to me but I will most definitely use it more often as the location was like living in the property instead of a hotel or resort experience. Cozumel MexicoIt was a great deal of fun to go snorkeling on the reef within 5 minutes. I did hit other locations up and down the island but honestly preferred the abundance of coral and sea life behind the condo units. I took many underwater photos using my iPhone in a special Seashell brand case that was rated to 100 feet depth and luckily there were no leaks. Read more →

So you like to have AutoCAD look and feel like previous classic release. This is one of the powerful traits of AutoCAD and that is it can be customized seven ways from Sunday. Read more →

Autodesk CEO Carl Bass discusses the myths and truths of 3D printing in opinion editorial in Wired. “What are its real life applications?” ”Will it bring back old manufacturing?” ”Has it reached the Hype point”? Read more →

If you want to get the latest tips and tricks for the current AutoCAD 2014 then Lynn Allen's Tips and Tricks booklet is the prescription the Doctor ordered. Read more →

I travel by air a fair amount of time over the years and have fancied myself a bit of a travel related MacGyver. The first real stroke of MacGyver’ness was using crushed Altoid mints rubbed in my mouth on my... Read more →

So you like the way the old pre AutoCAD 2012 Array command worked with the dialog. Even though there is more functionality in the new ARRAY version you don’t want to deal with the learning curve or change your ways. I understand as I still type DDARRAY as old habits are hard to break. No problem here is the solution to get the Classic ARRAY back. Read more →

The popular web, mobile, and Mac App known as AutoCAD WS has now been renamed as AutoCAD 360. AutoCAD WS now AutoCAD 360 has been downloaded over 12 million times in just 2 years and is still a free version plan with more functionality being added all the time. Adding AutoCAD WS as AutoCAD 360 to the Autodesk 360 platform family will provide a unified experience and allow for more powerful functionality, integration with other 360 applications and services, and collaboration and much more in the future. Read more →

In a continuing effort to improve customer experience and product quality, we released a Service Pack 2 for AutoCAD 2013. For detailed information on issues addressed in this service pack, installation, and notes on changes please make sure to review the ReadMe before installing. Read more →

Autodesk announced yesterday at Maker Faire which is essentially the center of the universe event for DIY & Makers our intent to acquire Tinkercad. Tinkercad is an easy-to-use browser-based 3D design tool and will become part of the popular Autodesk 123D family of apps and supports Autodesk’s vision to help anybody imagine, design and create anything.. The addition of Tinkercad to Autodesk will help broaden the The acquisition will also revive the Tinkercad service and community, despite a previously announced shutdown by its founders and creators. Tinkercad has been one of the favorite tools of many Makers just wanting a simple web based 3D design tool to create 3D models for 3D printing. With Autodesk as a new parent and placed into 123D Family it is not only not going away as was the case before Autodesk, but it will be improved and given much love and attention. Tinkercad Blog Post: Tinkercad has found a new home at Autodesk Go give Tinkercad a try, its super simple and a fun way to create 3D geometry for 3D printing or just for fun. http://www.tinkercad.com Read more →

Jessica Thrasher ^JES,Philip Schmelzer ^PHL and Amanda Kinley ^AK, and me (Shaan Hurley) ^PIA If there was ever a reason to jump on Twitter, @AutodeskHelp is one of them. Autodesk has a team that assists people in social media. They do not avoid a challenge and just take the easy ones but also actively engage those with highly charged tweets as those usually only take some personal assistance and attention to solve their problems, or just point them in the right direction. I was in San Francisco this Monday and Tuesday and finally met in person with the @AutodeskHelp team’s US members. This team is doing amazing things that more companies should be doing and that is use the power of social media to engage and assist customers. Simply put they are in the right place, doing the right thing. Read more →

Last week Autodesk hosted some of the Autodesk Expert Elite group members in our sunny San Francisco office. This group of customers are top nominated participants (Expert Elite Nomination Form) in their product assistance to their peers in the Autodesk discussion forums. My colleague Scott Sheppard presented to the group on Autodesk Labs and Autodesk Beta and promised to follow up on the topics in blog posts. Scott is posting a blog post on Autodesk Labs, and I am posting on Autodesk Beta. Beta has long been a passion and responsibility of mine, and is once again a responsibility of mine along with my other Office of the CTO role responsibilities. Bug SplatAutodesk Beta or the Autodesk Feedback Community is pre-release testing community for most every Autodesk product from desktop to mobile and cloud applications. Autodesk Feedback Community is where people can get involved in testing the pre-release products and provide feedback and help us identify the defects before final release. The Autodesk Feedback Community is also home to some of the future research projects where the product teams can speak confidentially under a non-disclosure with a group of users on possible concepts and ideas to solve user needs and work flows. The members of the community are even used by some teams to recruit for customer visits and in person gunslingers of early versions of software. Read more →

The weather where I live in Utah is finally very warm, and the snow meting enough that I could make the first big hike/climb of the year just yesterday. I joined a meetup.com group “Ultimate Thrillseekers” to summit Mount Olympus which is one of the prominent peaks you see in the backdrop of Salt Lake City. It is not Mount Everest and actually 20,000 feet lower in elevation, but at just over 9000 feet it is no small hill either to break in the legs this year. Read more →

This has to be one of the most common of all AutoCAD questions and issues encountered by AutoCAD users. They become puzzled when this system variable is set to 0 by accident, errant Lisp or script or perhaps evil coworkers messing with them. The most common clue is their Delete key and double click and Layer control are not working. Read more →

I will be presenting at the following fine Autodesk partner events in June. I am pretty much heads down working on the presentation along with normal work. I will be covering Autodesk technology and innovation from the 15-20,000 foot level. I will be talking about and showing things you may have not seen publicly as well a personal invitation and challenge to help shape the future products and technologies. Read more →

We're looking for the best, the brightest, and the most innovative and creative faculty, students, and researchers that you know, and we need your assistance in encouraging them to apply to the IDEA Studio - Autodesk's unique scholar-in-residence program. The IDEA Studio is now accepting proposals for residencies that will take place in November 2013 through January 2014, and proposals are due May 15. Read more →

Hey students and faculty, are you aware Autodesk pretty much gives all Autodesk products for free to you? Autodesk is is not only committed to our amazing current professional customers, but we are equally committed to helping build the future architects, engineers, and 3D fx and visualization professionals. All you need to have is a valid educational email, register at the link to the Autodesk Student Community, and you can download most any Autodesk product for free right now. There are also extra benefits such as some increased Autodesk 360 storage and some Autodesk product curriculum to assist you in learning the products. So students, go get your free Autodesk software at the Student Community now and start using the best professional design and 3D software out there for 3 years. This will help you be the best skilled when you graduate and begin looking for that job. You will be able to demonstrate your mastering of the software as a distinct advantage to that dream employer. Read more →

The Autodesk product teams receive several emails from the Autodesk Product Feedback Form. The Product Feedback form is the one that I had mentioned in the a recent post: Send Your Feedback or BBQ Recipe to an Autodesk Product Team. Your feedback goes to the products teams and they read them. In many cases team members respond if there is enough detail and time permitting as they can’t respond to every feedback submission and are not product support but do try to help. The AutoCAD QA Team wanted to address a couple of the common feedback form reported issues they have received in a few blog posts. This post on Stacked and Baseline Dimensions is by AutoCAD Test Development extraordinaire Chris Miller. How do I create Stacked Dimensions? Read more →

This is a guest post by Michelle Rasmussen of ASCENT, who also happens to in Utah just a few minutes South of me. ASCENT is responsible for the official Autodesk Official Training Guides for Autodesk products. I am extremely excited to bring to you the first ever Autodesk Official Training Guide (AOTG) addressing an Autodesk Design Suite. This book introduces a seamless workflow for designing roads and highways, as described in the flow chart below. It uses multiple products found in Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Ultimate 2014 to design a new transportation corridor for a growing city. Read more →

I proudly present to you my spur gear building designed in AutoCAD Architectural Desktop (ADT) r1 circa 1998 and codenamed Portsmouth. I tried to convince the Autodesk AEC team then located in Henniker New Hampshire I was a mechanical designer and had little architectural design skills. It was the warped humor of mine, but as I recall the architecture professionals were not thinking it was as funny as did I. Read more →

It is that time of the year and 216 days from today Autodesk University 2013 will be starting. The countdown has begun to the best and biggest Autodesk related event. If you want to be considered as a speaker, and for your hard work and expertise get much of your costs to attend Autodesk University covered then now is the time to submit your class proposals. Speakers and Lab assistants can receive honorarium ($$$) and an AU pass and in addition to getting to shine in the spotlight and showcase your expertise in front of your peers. Read more →