Beyond the Paper

Feedback of Navigation Wheels

The various blog articles on the Autodesk Design Review 2008 navigation wheels has prompted lots of emails expressing delight at what we have done; however, one suggestion was that we also provide something game-like instead of reinventing the wheel. :-)

Though we'll never implement a BFG9000 interface, we appreciate the feedback to offer additional ways to provide user interfaces to design data. I have passed your suggestions onto our Product Designers. The most direct route to making these suggestions is registration on My Feedback at Autodesk and participation in our many beta programs. Thanks for the feedback.

Autodesk Site Redesign includes new DWF content

If you visit the Autodesk web site, you'll probably notice some changes. I guess black is the new black. We're excited about the "Extreme Makeover" that our web site has undergone. ("Extreme Makeover" is the name of an American television show on ABC.) The site changes include new and informative DWF content.

http://www.autodesk.com/dwf

Check out the new world of DWF.

Autodesk Design Review 2008: Full Navigation Wheel

Autodesk Design Review 2008 is now available as a download from the Autodesk web site.

When you think about "Full Throttle," do you think of an energy drink? Well to use Autodesk Design Review 2008 at full throttle, you're going to want to think about the Full Navigation Wheel. In a previous blog article, I provided an overview of what's new in Autodesk Design Review 2008. One of the new features is Steering Wheel Navigation. I followed this up with Autodesk Design Review 2008: 2D Navigation Wheel and Autodesk Design Review 2008: Building Tour Wheel.

This posting is an additional follow up that provides information for the Full Navigation Wheel. The content in this blog posting is a "mutation" of the information you will find in the Autodesk Design Review 2008 help file created by Chris Blocher, Jonathan Geary, and Kim Schaefer of the Technical Publications group at our Ithaca, New York office.

The Full Navigation Wheel is intended for more advanced users. If you use the Full Navigation Wheel, you can brag to your friends. "Oooh look at me. I am using the most powerful navigation wheel that Autodesk Design Review has to offer. Wheeee!" :-) The Full Navigation Wheel combines tools of other wheels.

You can use the Full Navigation Wheel to examine 3D objects or conduct virtual walk-through of architectural models. Like the other wheels, the Full Navigation Wheel is divided into sections referred to as wedges. The Full Navigation Wheel is a tracking menu that contains six wedges. Clicking in a wedge activates functionality identified for that wedge. By having the wheel track as you move your mouse, it is always nearby. This makes it handy to use. The Full Navigation Wheel provides six tools on a single interface:

Wedge	Description	Usage Steps
Walk	Move the camera within the model.	When you click and hold the Walk wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Walk Tool superimposed over a target. The target sphere represents the center of the view only. It does not create a new rotation target. You drag the mouse in any direction to move the camera. Drag upward to walk forward or downward to walk backward. You release the mouse button to exit the Walk Tool. You can change the speed at which you move through a model when using the Walk Tool. The Walk Tool must be active to change the movement speed. To Increase the speed, you press comma (,) to incrementally increase the speed of the Walk Tool. To decrease the speed, you press period (.) to incrementally decrease the speed of the Walk Tool. Any movement rate changes you make while using the Walk Tool will be in effect when you use the Look Tool. Senior Product Manager, Allister Lundberg notes that when the Walk Tool is active, you can temporarily access the Up/Down function of the Tour Building Wheel by pressing Shift to display an Up/Down slider. Drag the slider up or down to change the elevation of the camera. Thanks Allister.
Orbit	Orbit the view of the object.	When you click and hold the Orbit wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Orbit Tool and displays the rotation target. You drag the Orbit Tool to move the camera view around the rotation target. When viewing the interior of an architectural model, you may find it easier to use Zoom, Pan, and Look tools to change the view. You release the mouse button to exit the Orbit Tool. When the Orbit tool is active, you can set a different rotation target around which the camera travels when orbiting. You press Ctrl and click the Orbit wedge to display the rotation target. You drag the target to the location around which you would like to orbit. You then release the mouse button to set the new rotation target. The next time you engage the Orbit tool, the new target will be used.
Zoom	Dynamically zoom the view.	When you click and hold the Zoom wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Zoom Tool. You drag the Zoom Tool upward to zoom in, or downward to zoom out. You can also press Ctrl+click to zoom in or Shift+click to zoom out. You release the mouse button to exit the Zoom Tool.
Look	Turn the camera to look in any direction without moving the camera.	When you click and hold the Look wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Look Tool.You then drag the Look Tool in any direction to point the camera in that direction. When done, you release the mouse button to exit the Look Tool. You can change the speed at which you look within a model when using the Look Tool. The Look Tool must be active to change the movement speed. Press comma (,) to incrementally increase the speed of the Look Tool. Press period (.) to incrementally decrease the speed of the Look Tool. Any movement rate changes you make while using the Look Tool will be in effect when you use the Walk Tool on the Full Navigation Wheel.
Rewind	Return to a previous view.	When you click and hold the Rewind wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Rewind Tool and a series of thumbnails is displayed. A new thumbnail view is created each time you release the mouse button when using a Steering Wheel. You move the Rewind Tool over the thumbnails. As you do so, each of the views is displayed on the canvas. You can click the Rewind wedge once to rewind a single view only. You release the mouse button to return to the desired view.
Pan	Move the view parallel to the screen.	When you click and hold the Pan wedge, the mouse pointer changes to the Pan Tool. You drag the Pan Tool to move the view parallel to the screen. You release the mouse button to exit the Pan Tool.

With a little practice:

1. You can start with a 3D model. You activate the Full Navigation Wheel to impress your friends:
   

2. The Full Navigation Wheel moves along with your cursor:
   

3. You can use the Orbit wedge to move the model around a pivot point (green sphere):
   

4. When walking via the Walk Wedge. you can hit the Shift view to raise or lower the height of the camera:
   

5. If you make a mistake, you can always get back to where you were using the Rewind wedge:
   

Having one file format that can house all of your project data, in one file, for all of your project members, that can be shared across the entire life cycle of your project, is a boon to the construction, mechanical, and mapping industries. Being able to navigate it powerfully allows DWF to go beyond the paper. Not using the wheel is enough to drive a man to drink. :-) Perhaps an energy drink would be in order?

Autodesk DWF Writer 2008: System Requirements

As part of our work on the Nile project, we are releasing an update to the free DWF writer - DWF Writer 2008. The release of Autodesk DWF Writer 2008 is commensurate with Autodesk Design Review 2008.

The Autodesk® DWF™ Writer 2008 includes the following components:

• Autodesk® DWF™ Writer for 2D (works with Microsoft® Office)
• Autodesk® DWF™ Writer for 3D
• Autodesk® DWF™ Writer for SolidWorks® (2006 and 2007)
• Autodesk® DWF™ Writer for Pro/ENGINEER® (Wildfire™ 2.0 and Wildfire™ 3.0)
• Autodesk® DWF™ Writer for CATIA (V5 R15 and R16)

The system requirements found in the Read Me include:

• Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Ultimate edition (32-bit version), Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (32-bit version), Microsoft® Windows® 2000 SP4
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6 or later
• 800 MHz Intel® Pentium® III processor (faster processor recommended)
• 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
• 160 MB free disk space for installation
• 800 x 600 VGA minimum (1024 x 768 or higher recommended)
• Mouse, trackball, or compatible pointing device

Note: DWF Writer for 3D does not work with Microsoft® Windows® Vista™. You can use DWF Writer for 2D with Microsoft® Windows® Vista™. DWF Writer for 3D makes use of OpenGL to capture 3D commands and store data in the DWF file. Microsoft Windows Vista uses DirectX instead of OpenGL. Autodesk is providing alternative methods, e.g. JT import for Autodesk Design Review 2008, to allow other forms of 3D data to be included in DWF files. Getting as much data as possible into one file that can be electronically shared with everyone for the entire life of a project allows DWF to go beyond what is done traditionally with paper.

Comparison: of AutoCAD files published to DWFx and XPS

Senior Product Manager, Allister Lundberg, reports that there are several reasons why users should create .dwfx files from AutoCAD instead of creating .xps using a generic XPS document writer.

• DWFx files created by AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager, AutoCAD Publish, or by SaveAs DWFx in Autodesk Design Review 2008 include additional metadata that XPS files do not have. As such, DWFx can include richer design data, including 3D models, sheet, and object properties like block data.
• DWFx files created by the AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager or AutoCAD Publish, or by SaveAs DWFx in Autodesk Design Review 2008 can be multisheet.
• Working in DWFx instead of generic XPS provides opportunities to reuse that data in other Autodesk solutions such as Autodesk Design Review, Autodesk Buzzsaw, Autodesk Streamline, Autodesk Productstream, and Autodesk Vault.
• XPS files created by the XPS Driver cannot be viewed in Autodesk Design Review.

A tailored for CAD DWFx file is not the same as a generic XPS file. On way to depict this is with a Venn diagram (my grade school teacher will be so proud):

If we compare the five methods for creating XPS-compliant design data, we find:

As mentioned in AutoCAD 2008: DWF versus DWFx differences, some AutoCAD users will want to create DWF files. Some will want to create DWFx files. For those who create DWFx files, the AutoCAD DWFx Driver is the way the go. The latest version of DWF, a.k.a. DWFx, allows design data to go way beyond paper and reach users who have yet to download a DWF-specific application such as Autodesk Design Review.

Autodesk Design Review Honors Scale Set in DWF File

A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, New Jersey writes in:

Once in Buzzsaw, my DWF files that were converted from DWG files do not allow me to change the scale. Can you tell me how to create the DWF files so that the scale can be manipulated in Buzzsaw?

Unfortunately there is no way to change the scale once the DWF is created. DWF files can be created from Model space or Layouts.

1. Publishing from Layouts is the recommended method of creating DWF files. A Layout has a title block and a variety of viewports. These viewports have scaling information associated with them. Autodesk Design Review honors the scale factor on a per viewport basis. That is why Solutions Engineer, Jason Pratt, always recommends using Layouts to plot your DWFs from. "Choosy mothers choose JIF."

2. When you use Layouts to create DWF file, AutoCAD writes the scale into the DWF from the Layout. Once it does this, Autodesk Design Review locks that in and does not allow you to manipulate it anymore. When you don't use Layouts and publish from Model Space, there is no scale written in the DWF file, so Autodesk Design Review allows you to manipulate it. So if you are using Layouts, you want to make sure and set the proper scale up front, since you can't change it later.

One of the tenets of Autodesk Design Review is that it wants to preserve the publisher's intentions. If an AutoCAD user publishes a DWF file where one inch equals one mile, Autodesk Design Review should honor that. The Autodesk Design Review user should not be able to change it so that one inch equals one foot.

On the other hand, converting scale information is something that can easily be done by hand. For example, I could take a set of measurements in a DWF in inches, record them in a workbook, multiply by 2.54, and I would have the measurements in centimeters instead. So Autodesk Design Review allows you to change how measurements are reported:

Although Autodesk Design Review honors what is in the DWF file, what happens if an Autodesk Design Review user receives a DWF file with incorrect scale information? Resetting the scale would be quite handy then. A feature request has been passed on to our Product Managers. Thanks for the question Richard.

Beyond the Paper meets ReproTrends

Tonight I had dinner with Curtis Thornton. Curtis authors a ReproTrends blog. I guess you could say it was Beyond the Paper meets ReproTrends.

Curtis Thornton and Scott Sheppard

We discussed blogging, digital imaging, document management systems, black and white versus color printing, Revit, IRgA, the changing world of reprographics, and the opportunities DWF offers for the reprographics industry. We also talked about the Phoenix Suns victory over the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Go Suns! A good time was had by all.

Full disclosure: Curtis picked up the check. :-) Thanks Curtis.

Autodesk Design Review 2008: Building Tour Wheel

In a previous blog article, I provided an overview of new features in Autodesk Design Review 2008. I followed this up with an article about the 2D Navigation Wheel. This posting is a similar follow up that provides additional information for the Tour Building Wheel. The content in this blog posting is a "mutation" of the information you will find in the Autodesk Design Review 2008 help file created by Chris Blocher, Jonathan Geary, and Kim Schaefer of the Technical Publications group at our Ithaca, New York office.

The Tour Building Wheel contains tools used to conduct a virtual walk-through. This is particularly useful to the Architectural, Electrical, and Construction (AEC) industry. The Tour Button wheel is divided into sections referred to as wedges. Clicking in a wedge activates functionality identified for that wedge. The Building Tour Wheel is a tracking menu that contains four wedges. The Building Tour Wheel saves you time and clicks by combining these four tools on a single interface:

Wedge	Description	Usage Steps
Forward	Move the camera forward within the model.	When you click and hold the Forward wedge, a target sphere is displayed on the surface or object under the mouse pointer. The target sphere only appears when the mouse pointer is over an object or surface on the model. When the pointer is not over geometry, there is no reference for the camera to move toward. You drag the mouse upward to move the camera toward the target sphere. A vertical slider provides an indication of how far from the start position the camera has been moved. You release the mouse button to exit the Forward tool after you have moved the camera the desired distance.
Look	Turn the camera to look in any direction without moving the camera.	You click and hold the Look wedge. The mouse pointer changes to the Look Tool.You then drag the Look Tool in any direction to point the camera in that direction. When done, you release the mouse button to exit the Look Tool. You can change the speed at which you look within a model when using the Look Tool. The Look Tool must be active to change the movement speed. Press comma (,) to incrementally increase the speed of the Look Tool. Press period (.) to incrementally decrease the speed of the Look Tool. Any movement rate changes you make while using the Look Tool will be in effect when you use the Walk Tool on the Full Navigation Wheel.
Rewind	Return to a previous view.	You click and hold the Rewind wedge. The mouse pointer changes to the Rewind Tool and a series of thumbnails is displayed. A new thumbnail view is created each time you release the mouse button when using a Steering Wheel. You move the Rewind Tool over the thumbnails. As you do so, each of the views is displayed on the canvas. You can click the Rewind wedge once to rewind a single view only. You release the mouse button to return to the desired view.
Up/Down	Change the elevation of the camera within the model.	Simply click and hold the Up/Down wedge. A vertical slider is displayed. You drag the upward to increase camera elevation, or downward to decrease camera elevation. If you are viewing a model of a multistory building, the Up/Down tool will pass through floors and ceilings. You release the mouse button to set the camera elevation.

With a little practice:

1. You can start with a 3D model:
   

2. You can move in and navigate through a window:
   

3. Once inside you can view the objects therein and even take measurements:
   

Having one file format that can house all of your project data, in one file, for all of your project members, that can be shared across the entire life cycle of your project offers advantages for the AEC industry. The ability to navigate this data in an AEC-specific way allows DWF to go beyond the paper.

Detect Autodesk Design Review JavaScript

This blog has an image in the left side navigation portion that links to programming samples.

John Schmier has provided a new sample that has been added to the mix. Whereas we already had some C++ code to detect the presence of the Autodesk DWF Viewer or Autodesk Design Review, John has provided a sample (detectViewer.html) to do the same thing using JavaScript. Check it out. Thanks John.

Launch of DWFx: Add model/vnd.dwfx+xps MIME type

One of the first posts I made to this blog was an anecdote about the birth of DWF:

Birth of DWF: "I can have Carol call you."

Though humorous in nature, the lesson to be learned from that story is that the MIME type for DWF should be in place on the server well in advance of when it is needed.

The Hello People Mime Troupe

No - not that kind of MIME type. Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an internet standard that defines what type of file a collection of data is. We are not talking about street performers here. :-)

With this in mind, I am telling you this now. If you need to share DWFx files on your server, you will want to add the

model/vnd.dwfx+xps

MIME type to your server with .dwfx as the recognized extension. How this is done depends on the type of server. Consult your server documentation for help on adding MIME types. If you fail to do so, the DWFx file will be treated as a zip file. When you wish to view a DWFx file with Autodesk Design Review 2008, instead you will see a dialog:

Clicking open on this dialog will display the contents of the DWFx file:

After all, a DWFx file is a zip file. We just need a way to tell the server to treat it like a DWFx file and not a zip file. The DWFx MIME type makes that happen.

I guess if we run into problems the new mantra will be: "I can have Carl call you." Wow. It's been 12 years, and I only need to delete the "o" to make it current. Philosopher Georges Santayana is credited with saying: "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." Let's not have a repeat of the missing MIME type.

Sharing DWFx files via web servers opens many doors for design data. Users of Microsoft Windows Vista can view and print the design data without the need to install additional software. This will allow DWFx to reach a heretofore untapped audience of participants in various design related workflows. And workflows are what's it's all about - that's how DWF (in this case, the DWFx version) goes beyond the paper.