Novedge Pulse™ of Mark W. Kiker

Autodesk has often been in the name change business and that trend continues. AutoCAD WS is now called AutoCAD 360.  It brings it in line with other “360″ tools that Autodesk has like Autodesk 360, PLM 360, Sim 360, Fusion 360, BIM 360 and more. AutoCAD 360 is a free, easy-to-use mobile drawing and drafting [more...]

I had the opportunity to chat with Dell representatives recently about the release of their Workstation line.  Being a Dell Precision desktop and laptop user for some time, I was excited to hear the latest. I have always touted Workstations as the best approach for the high end Users when they have exhausted or maxed [more...]

Testing Beta software is always something that I encourage people to get involved in. A major upgrade to V-Ray for SketchUp (now in version 1.6) has just hit public beta. This is a free open beta that you can tap into.  There are 16 additional features in this beta offering. Some of the intriguing features [more...]

I am always looking for good CAD Management tools. CAD Standards Management is always critical to the success of a firm.  Many processes and tools have been used to get the job done.  Most of them developed in-house and some commercially available. CAD Masters has one that you may want to check out.  This is [more...]

To close out the series on AU2012, let me give you some gut feelings on the event and the topics discussed. Design is Amazing – People are creative and when they have the time and resources, they do amazing things. The Future is Here – Tomorrows technologies are available today for those that want to [more...]

Day two was a long haul for me. I started the day early with presenting my second class. It was a round table discussion about the value of CAD Management and convincing your firm to embrace and respect the position. It was a full room with many participating in a lively discussion on topics from [more...]

Wow – what a packed house for the Keynote addresses.  Filling the Mandalay Bay Event Center is not an easy task, but you would have had trouble finding a seat during this event. A parade of Autodesk leaders and talent set the tone for the rest of the week. Keywords on the expanding twitter stream [more...]

Play games and Learn CAD… get your quarters ready… Over the last 15 years, Autodesk Research (formerly Alias Research) has been dedicated to providing a research environment striving to advance the fields of Computer Science. Based in downtown Toronto, Canada, the group is actively pursuing both academic and applied research goals. Many of the projects [more...]

Last repost from 2006 on BLAUGI… Mark _____ I have sat through some great classes and some stinkers.  Here are some tips for maximizing the value of each class. Get the Handout – before you enter the room (if they have them).  Do not take more than one.  Even if you have someone else who [more...]

Another repost from BLAUGI in 2006…  still good to review. Mark _____ Here are some tips for getting the most out of the Exhibit Floor at Autodesk University (or any other event where there are vendors booths). Look at the exhibitors list – it is posted on the AU site here (now a dead link).  [more...]

I posted these on BLAUGI (the AUGI blog) way back in 2006, but they still apply today.  If you are heading to AU, here are some suggestions. Mark _____ I have been to a few of these events and have some advice for those who may be going the first time and for those who [more...]