Beyond the Paper

Find and Locate

Want to become the office hero?  Unless you are looking at weeks until retirement, we are all looking to make a difference, and please our managers, right?  We all know the golden rule for office heroics:  make money or save money!  I am always hearing about the time and cost savings that our customers have incurred with implementing DWF and Autodesk Design Review into their current design processes.  The best part is, it’s a free solution, so when you are writing up the “justification for software”, it should be easy.

Below is a quick look at how you can save time and money using the new find and locate feature in Design  Review 2009, by implementing DWF and Design Review, instead of paper, into your workflow.  If you already use Design Review in your workflow, this should speed things up even further, as it is a quicker way to get to the information (including BIM data) that your team needs.

This quick tutorial (just over 2 minutes) will walk you through finding and locating objects, properties, text, etc. within a DWF file repository.  And maybe, just maybe, you will become the office hero.

See the “How To” Movie on Vimeo:  http://vimeo.com/955553

Find and Locate Feature

1. Open your DWF file in Design Review
2. Using the Find feature (from the main toolbar, or select Edit>Find), enter a text string.   
3. Click the Advanced Find button to display the Advanced Find features, including selecting the type of content being searched: All, Current Model or Sheet, Current Table, Markups, Models, Sheets, Tables.
   Note: You can quickly locate text in an open DWF file by searching for tabular data, markups, text on 2D sheets, objects, sheet names, and their properties. Found results are shown in a convenient list, enabling you to click a result to display the found text or associated object on the canvas or in a palette.
4. Many results should show up for “door.” Click any resulting hyperlink to display the associated result instance in the canvas window.
5. The result is highlighted in both the Object Properties and Model panels.

Note:  Any text item which was imported into your DWF file using the DWF Writer can also be located with the find feature.  This includes Microsoft Office products, as well as PDF files and others.

Another great article submitted by Cliff Medling.

--Volker

Rotate Sheet DWF fails to open correctly

Many users take advantage of the newly introduced "page rotate" feature in Autodesk Design Review 2009.

However, some noticed that the same file, once rotated in Autodesk Design Review 2009 and saved, does not open correct when attempting to open it using Autodesk Design Review 2008 instead.

First and foremost, this feature is - at this point - not backward compatible, and files can only be expected to display correctly once the user sticks with Autodesk Design Review 2009.

That said, one would expect that the earlier version, Autodesk Design Review 2008, shows a message of some form or another. I believe that our design team is now working on the same.

Here are steps for those of you that are interested to duplicate the issue:

1. Open a 2D DWF file (or image) in Autodesk Design Review 2009.
2. Rotate the 2D sheet clockwise or counter clockwise.
3. Save and close.
4. Open this saved file using Autodesk Design Review 2008.

Result: Autodesk Design Review 2008 opens the rotated sheet without message, and the view is not correct, with contents separated by a sheet page.

--Volker

AU 2008: Last call for great presenters

Two words: submissions deadline.

If you’re considering joining our outstanding slate of speakers at Autodesk University 2008, you’ll have to act by April 27, 2008.

Please submit your presentation proposal(s) online, as soon as possible, at the Call for Papers website.

Whenever we stop to analyze why Autodesk University has become so hugely successful, one thing is clear: the excellent presentations from experts  are a big, big factor.

The time for us to assemble the AU 2008 faculty, who are without a doubt the most critical component of the overall AU experience, is nearly over.

So if you:

• Have the communication skills, technical expertise, and relevant experience….
• Want to share your knowledge of a favorite topic—from tips and tricks and sales techniques to new business opportunities such as sustainable design….
• Are motivated to bring success to design professionals and their organizations….
• Want to demonstrate your expertise to several thousand Autodesk customers, partners, and employees, thereby promoting your business success….

… Then we want to hear from you—now!

A speaker honorarium is also provided.

Sharing Workspaces in Autodesk Design Review 2009

Autodesk Design Review 2009 has several predefined layouts called workspaces to facilitate various review workflows. Users can also create and share custom workspaces.

Today's article provides step by step detail as to how to go about sharing workspaces.

1. From Windows Explorer, copy the layout(s) you want to share from the SavedLayouts folder.

• XP:         C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Autodesk\Autodesk Design Review\9.0\userdata\SavedLayouts
• Vista:     C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Autodesk Design Review\9.0\userdata\SavedLayouts

Note: Don’t rename the workspace file name.

2. Share the layout(s) with the recipient(s) by email, post to a shared location, etc.

3. Each recipient will need to place the shared workspace file(s) into the appropriate folder (see the path in step "1." on his or her computer.

4. Start Design Review and choose Window > Workspaces to see the new shared workspace(s) displayed at the bottom of the list.

Tip: Since the layout files are named strangely, use the Date Modified attribute to help you find the one you want.

If the workspace creator changes the original workspace, it will have to be reshared with the recipient. There is no connection between a workspace that has been shared.

--Volker

High Marks for Autodesk Design Review 2009

Autodesk Design Review 2009 has received a very positive review by Cadalyst and has been rated as "Highly Recommended" in the process.

It outlines, amongst other things, that this newest release will be included with all major Autodesk software releases. Other subjects include DWFx, the enhanced user interface and the rotate sheet feature.

You can read the entire article here.

--Volker

Autodesk Design Review Help Files

We had several requests to make available an electronic version of the Autodesk Design Review Help file.

This article contains links to the Autodesk Design Review 2008 and Autodesk Design Review 2009 Help files.

Autodesk Design Review 2008 Help File

Autodesk Design Review 2009 Help File

Keep those requests coming!

--Volker

Building 3D DWF Assembly Instructions

Ever find yourself up late at night trying to assemble a toy or gift?  Did you think that the instructions should have been easier to explain?  Maybe whoever wrote them was just a warm body and not the engineer?  Often instructions are an afterthought, since most are made up of text and 2D sketched drawings that are difficult to understand.  Assemby instructions in a 3D environment are more intuitive because we live in a 3D world. 

There is an easy to use tool in Autodesk Inventor for building assembly instructions.  It was designed for DWF, which can be displayed in Design Review.  The purpose of this tool is to give shop floor technicians or customers clear directions on how to assemble a part.

This tutorial will show you how to reduce mistakes and headaches for assembliers.  If only I could convince toy companies to use this tool, I would not be up so late on Christmas Eve.

See the “How To” Movie on Vimeo:  http://www.vimeo.com/859329

Disassemble your assembly

1. In Inventor, select the New button, then Presentation (also, File > New > Standard.ipn)
2. Select Create View…, which opens the Select Assembly dialog.  Open an assembly (.iam) file (should be default if assembly file is open).  Your assembly will display in the main display window.
3. Select a part in the assembly (multi-select by using Shift-selecting)
4. Move the camera to a good location for the animation.  This can be changed per sequence of the animation.
5. Choose Tweak Components… from the Presentation Panel, which opens the Tweak components dialog.
6. Select an axis for the animation (usually on the part you selected)
7. Selet the transformation (rotate or transform), and the axis for transforms, then…
8. Adjust the part to its new location…that’s it, you have your first animated part.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 9 for each part(s) inverse to the final animation (first is last) sequence.

Adjust Animation

1. Once you have all parts disassembled, you will need to tweak the sequence.  You can also  combine sequences, if necessary.  For example, if you want to parts moving at the same time (i.e. screw rotation and movement).
2. To play the assembly animation, select Animate… from the Presentation Panel.
3. On the model Panel, change the filter to “Sequence View”.  This is where you can move and combine sequences order by dragging and dropping the sequences.  Note that when you mouseover a sequence it will outline the part in the display window.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until the animation is in the correct order.  Adding steps may be necessary.

Add Assembly Instructions and Set Camera locations

1. Once the animation order is set, you will probably need to set up your cameras for each sequence,  and add assembly instructions.  To do this, simply right-mouse-click on any sequence, and select Edit…, which will open the Edit Task & Sequences dialog.
2. In the description under Sequences, add in the instructions for the given sequence.
3. Adjust the camera, and click on the Set Camera button to reset the camera.
4. Run through steps 14-15 until animation is complete.
5. Once completed, save the presentation file, then Publish DWF…
6. Under the Publish Presentation Dialog, be sure to select the Presentations tab, and invoke animations and instructions “on” before publishing.

Open DWF in Design Review

Once complete, open the DWF file in Design Review.  The animation controls in Design Review are simple.

This great article was submitted by Cliff Medling. He is our Technical Marketing Manager in the Platform Technology Products group and focused on collaboration tools such as Autodesk Design Review and Freewheel.  Cliff has over 12 years of experience in the software industry, including roles as product designer, applications engineer, and visualization engineer.

We are all ears if you have any ideas for tutorials which you would like to see on this blog.  Drop us a line: Cliff or Volker

--Volker

Digital Signatures and Autodesk Design Review

This subject has been on and around our plates for some time. That said, it is on the road map now and we are seriously investigating and considering it for a future release.

So, as I do, I have looked up the "what", "how" and "when" of digital signatures...to allow all of us to better understand the basic principles of this *thing*.

"In essence, a digital signature is a way to ensure that an electronic document (e-mail, spreadsheet, text file, etc.) is authentic or genuine. Authentic means that one knows who created the document and one knows that it has not been altered in any way since that person created it.

Digital signatures rely on certain types of encryption to ensure authentication. Encryption is the process of taking all the data that one computer is sending to another and encoding it into a form that only the other computer will be able to decode. Authentication is the process of verifying that information is coming from a trusted source. These two processes work hand in hand for digital signatures.

There are several ways to authenticate a person or information on a computer:  

• Password
• Checksum
• CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) 
• Private key encryption
• Public key encryption
• Digital certificates

The Digital Signature Standard (DSS) is based on a type of public key encryption method that uses the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA). The format for digital signatures that has been endorsed by the US government is DSS. The DSA algorithm consists of a private key that only the originator of the document (signer) knows and a public key."

Meanwhile, some customers have shown some real originality dealing with the issue. Take the City of Lisbon, Portugal, where Henrique Saias has faced the problem head on and currently implemented a work around.

For now, they rely on a signed declaration, which states that the DWF file is a digital version of the legally verified and signed paper version they are still to receive.

"A document management software is used in the process to ensure that digital documents cannot be changed.

The application receives the DWF files, manages its versions and enforces a strict access rules. The application extracts vector data when the DWF files are uploaded at first. As part of the process, users are only granted rights to upload data at this point. Following that, data is compressed and stored in a database. From here on, the DWF file enters the approval process and every time a users access a specific DWF file, vector data is compared with the previously stored in the database.

For added security, XML data is also stored for any markups that might be created as part of the review process and saved in the same database. Once all data has been saved, DWF files are deleted and not saved. Should the same DWF be accessed again going forward, users do have the option to display markups stored earlier in the process."

Note: This is a custom application, developed to handle this particular process.

--Volker

Autodesk Design Review - New Feature Matinée

The enclosed table shows new features introduced during the last three and the current 2009 release cycle. My initial thoughts were that I should include even older versions but I dropped the idea along the way.

Please let me know should you be interested to learn what features we introduced prior to those stated in the document.

I have been asked for sometime now to produce a document like this and I am glad that I finally got round doing it.

Features Introduced to Autodesk Design Review, Past and Current

The table shows progress we made over the past years, but also reminds us that some of the requested features are still outstanding.

--Volker