Beyond the Paper

DWF File Viewing Comes to the iPad

Judging from the amount of email we receive requesting the ability to view DWF files on your mobile devices, we think you'll be interested in learning about an iPad® app called McDwiff, by third-party developer Austin Silver Software.

Using the Autodesk Freewheel Web service, which requires an Internet connection, McDwiff enables you to open, view, convert, and print 2D and 3D DWF files on your iPad. (Of particular interest to some may be the app's Dropbox integration.)

For more information about the app, visit the McDwiff website. And if you try the app, be sure to leave a comment here to let us know how viewing DWF files on your iPad works for you.

McDwiff (and the Autodesk Freewheel Web service). Just another way Autodesk enables our customers to go beyond the paper!

 

Autodesk DWF Writer for 2D: 64-bit Version Released!

When we asked the question, “DWF Writer for 64bit??”, the response was very positive. Encouraged by that enthusiasm, we’re proud to announce that Autodesk DWF Writer for 2D is now available for these 64-bit versions of Windows:

• Microsoft® Windows® 7 (Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, Home Premium)
• Microsoft® Windows® Vista® (Enterprise, Business, Ultimate [SP1 or later])
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (SP2 or later)

As a system printer driver, you can select “Autodesk DWF Writer for 2D” as the printer to publish DWF files from many Windows programs, such as:

• Adobe® Acrobat® 9
• Bentley MicroStation V8i
• Google Chrome 5.0
• Microsoft® Excel® 2007, 2010
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 8
• Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2007, 2010
• Microsoft® Word 2007, 2010
• Mozilla Firefox™ 3.6.3

You may have noticed the “2D-ness” in the title of the Autodesk DWF Writer for 2D (64-bit) . Our customer research suggests that the DWF Writer is used primarily to publish 2D supporting design documentation. As a result, the 64-bit DWF Writer does not offer 3D support at this time. (Users of Autodesk programs, including AutoCAD-based products, Inventor and Revit, should use the built-in DWF publishing capabilities to create DWF files.) Also worth noting is that the 64-bit version is English-only.

Please download Autodesk DWF Writer for 2D (64-bit) and let us know what you think by adding your comments below. 

We look forward to your feedback!

Transparent Text May Not Print - Autodesk Design Review 2011

In Autodesk Design Review 2011, how to print transparent text isn’t very, well, transparent. A known issue in 2D drawings, transparent text may print to PDF, XPS, and paper as solid text.

For example, this drawing has a textual markup with 70% transparency. 

  
 
On output, the 70% transparency is ignored and the text prints as solid, obscuring the drawing.

Here’s the workaround to retaining the text’s transparency on output.

1. Apply the ADR_2011_Hotfix to Design Review 2011.
2. Start Design Review and open the 2D file with the transparent text.
3. Open the Print dialog box and click Advanced. The Advanced Print Options dialog box opens.
4. Under Pre-process Bitmaps, select Turn Data into a Bitmap Before Printing.
5. Click OK to apply the setting.
6. Click OK again to print the file.

The drawing’s transparent text will be retained.

Thank you.

Autodesk Design Review 2010 - HotFix

Many users encountered this issue after the initial release of Autodesk Design Review 2010.

The application produced undesirable printing results, when printing to PDF. In most cases this included the default print settings of Autodesk Design Review 2010 and it caused large print spooling sizes, low-quality output and even printing errors.

We have now produced a HotFix for Autodesk Design Review 2010, which addresses these issues.

You can download the HotFix and the accompanying ReadMe here.

Please send us any feedback, comments or suggestions you may have.

Thank you. 

DWF Writer for 64bit ??

Though we have had many requests to offer the DWF Writer for 64bit, it is not certain that this is becoming a reality, yet.

At this point our DWF Writer for 32bit does not install on a 64bit system and no workaround is available.

The experts are still out to determine as to how useful such a printer driver will really be. Many believe that users are making it part of the design process - instead of using the built-in publish feature functionality offered in our Autodesk design applications - given they are part of the process.

I am a proponent of the 64bit DWF Writer but have still some distance to go before all hurdles are cleared. Needless to say that it would be extremely useful to hear from you.

Why do you think that we should offer a DWF Writer for 64bit platforms?

You can post your comments in this forum or email me directly at [email protected]. We are looking for your vote, telling us as to why you think that we should (absolutely!) introduce this printer driver.

It would also be helpful to understand as to what applications are used as part of your design process. And why, if you are using Autodesk applications, you think that the built-in publish features are not sufficient and require the DWF Writer for the design process.

DWF Writer for 64bit to the rescue!

--Volker

Number of Copies Irrelevant?

This subject has been raised several times over by customers as well as internal staff and I thought it would make for a great article.

So, the problem involves users of Autodesk Design Review who wish to print a DWF multiple times and increase the number of copies accordingly in the Print dialog window. Despite the setting, the printer only produces a single set.

Sriram Gopalakrishnan, one of our skilled DWF Engineers, recently replied to the very same issue as follows: "ADR queries the printer driver to see if it supports printing multiple copies. If so ADR lets the driver do it, if not ADR prints multiple copies by printing the same data multiple times. The latter is less efficient and hence is done only when the driver doesn't support it. In some cases we can get incorrect information from the printer driver. Your situation appears to be this. You may want to check to see if there is an updated driver. That might fix the problem."

I second Sriram's opinion, that this is likely to be system printer driver related. Many of the print issues we see are related to the driver and a simple update gets the user going again.

Have you seen similar issues? Did updating the system printer driver resolve this or other, similar issues? Share it with us!

--Volker

Autodesk and HP in the Spotlight

At the American Institute of Architects convention, Autodesk recently announced with HP that the latest version of Autodesk Design Review software is available with the new HP Designjet T1100 and T610 Printer series. The solution offers architects, engineers and construction professionals an integrated design review package and the flexibility to easily and efficiently print anytime. For firms such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Autodesk and HP are helping professionals save time and resources and improve productivity, to complete projects on time and create a competitive advantage.

You can find the complete article here: http://www.sys-con.com/read/371295.htm

--Volker

Autodesk Design Review 2008: Installing Batch Print

In a previous blog article on Autodesk Design Review 2007, I wrote about the Batch Print capability. Batch Print for Autodesk Design Review 2007 was available on the Autodesk Design Review 2007 CD. For Autodesk Design Review 2008, Batch Print is available as an optional download from the Autodesk web site.

1. As originally installed, the Autodesk Design Review 2008 File menu has an entry for downloading and installing the Batch Print capability.
   

2. Invoking this menu item brings up a dialog.
   

3. Selecting Download from the dialog navigates you to the Autodesk web site.
   

4. By selecting the batchprint_designreview2008.exe link, Internet Explorer provides you with the option to Save or Run the installer.
   
   It is typical for a user to save the installer to the local hard drive and then run it from there.

5. The installer has only one step - Update.
   

6. After selecting update, the installer completes.
   

7. The next time Autodesk Design Review is invoked, the menu item for downloading and installing Batch Print has been replaced by the ability to use the Batch Print Wizard.
   
   By the way, if you have Autodesk Design Review open when you download and install the Batch Print Wizard, the menu item will not be updated. You need to close Autodesk Design Review and reopen it to see the updated menu item. We have a low priority defect logged for this issue.

The steps for using the Batch Print Wizard for Autodesk Design Review 2008 are the same for Autodesk Design Review 2007. See Autodesk Design Review 2007 Batch Printing.

In a previous blog article on Autodesk Design Review 2007, I noted how Autodesk Design Review supports the HP Instant Print capability. For HP devices that support this capability, when printing DWF files, you can allow the device driver to select the page size and orient the image to the paper to minimize paper usage. Autodesk Design Review 2008 continues to support HP Instant Printing, but in addition, has added support for this process to the Batch Print Wizard. You can now Batch Print and take advantage of HP Instant Printing.

As I have said many times, to go beyond the paper you have to be able to get to paper first. Batch Printing helps DWF files get there.

Newsgroup Questions: DWF files with Tiff Images

The Autodesk discussion groups have two ways of accessing them: using a web browser or a newsreader application.

Autodesk Design Review
http://discussion.autodesk.com/forum.jspa?forumID=140
news://discussion.autodesk.com/autodesk.design.review

Recently Autodesk Design Review discussion group member jkj297 (I believe his father is jkj296.) posed the question:

I am looking for information on how to print a .tiff image to scale. I am a new user and am wondering if it is possible to print a .tiff image to a specific scale or does it need to be converted first? What procedure is best to follow?

Autodesk Software Developer, Manjiri Nanivadekar, provided some additional information:

You can import a tiff into Autodesk Design Review by dragging and dropping into the canvas pane. Then open the print dialog, and set the scale to 100. This should print the actual tiff size. Note that if your tiff did not specify DPI or DPCM, your locale will determine the import unit.

User jkj297 then had a follow-up question:

If i use the "tools"..."unit of scale" option and set the scale to the same scale that the drawing was created at (i.e.,: 1:200) and then try to measure a known distance, Autodesk Design Review does not give me the correct result.

User SaxyWolf provided an answer:

Autodesk Design Review automatically scales the image to 1 unit is 1 inch. This is defined by what DPI (Dots Per Inch or pixels per inch) the tiff image was saved. If the drawing scale was 1"=200'...

Method 1, with a display of units:

1. Tools->Units and Scale
2. Set 'Drawing Units' to Inches.
3. Set 'Display Units' to Feet. Set 'Scale' to 1" = 200'

Method 2, The same effect but without units:

1. Tools->Units and Scale
2. Set 'Scale' to 1:200

If you are getting distances that are 12x what you want:

• Method 1: check to see that you set 'Drawing Units' to Inches.
• Method 2: check to see that you used 1:200 and not 1"=200'.

This level of information sharing from peer to peer, including Autodesk employees and non-Autodesk employees, is exactly what the discussion groups are intended for. Way to go people!

Project Freewheel: How does printing work?

On July 19 I posted a blog article describing how Project Freewheel worked in terms of its visual display.

Project Freewheel: How does it work?

Now that printing has been added, people have been curious as to how that works. It is very similar to what is done for visual display.

Continuing the steps from the original article, when a user clicks on the Print icon:

1. JavaScript on the user's computer gets the page size from the browser and makes a request to the Project Freewheel server for a new image.

2. Project Freewheel uses its rendering engine to convert the DWF file to an image file at 200 DPI (a browser limitation) for the requested paper size.

3. The Project Freewheel server returns the image to the user's browser.

4. JavaScript on the user's computer sends the image file to the local printer.

To go beyond the paper, you have to get to paper first. Project Freewheel now has that ability.

For the latest information on Project Freewheel, see Scott Sheppard's It's Alive in the Lab blog.