Lynn Allen's Blog

Quick Tip - Count your Blocks

If you've ever found yourself manually counting the blocks in your drawing you should try the Express Tool BCOUNT.  This great command will save you loads of time as it lists out the total count of any or all of your blocks.

Academy Award Nominations are in!

Okay...so this has nothing to do with any Autodesk product - but I'm here to put in my 2 cents worth and add to my recent movie reviews.  Last week I was able to squeeze in The Aviator as well as Sideways...remember that my goal is to see all of the Best Picture nominations (2 to go).

The Aviator:  A-
Great movie, fantastic acting, really made me want to read more about Howard Hughes.  Must admit it was pretty long (nearly 3 hours), could have been a tad shorter for my liking, but it was time well spent.  Leonardo DiCaprio was fantastic and worthy of an Oscar nomination, could possibly even win...Cate Blanchett should win an Oscar for her portrayal as Kathryn Hepburn.  A great date film because both of you will enjoy it...I highly recommend it!

Sideways:  C+
After all the hype I truly expected an amazingly thought provoking and enjoyable movie.  I was very disappointed, even bored at times - so I must truly be missing something.  I live right by the wine country (Napa), I love a great glass of wine, but it just didn't resonate with me...Is this one of those movies we're not supposed to admit to not appreciating?  Someone please help me out here!  If it wins Best Picture I will truly be stunned...

Civil 3D Express Tour

Last week I joined the Civil 3D Express Tour for Phoenix and Denver - next week we're hitting New York City and Atlanta!  I had a fantastic time doing a Tips and Tricks presentation for Civil Engineers (I run through 60+ tips in 30 minutes!).  Of course my presentation pales in comparison to the great demo on Autodesk's latest and greatest  product for the civil space - Civil 3D.   If you are a civil engineer and haven't seen a demo yet - be sure to contact your Autodesk Reseller asap.  You won't believe how much more powerful Civil 3D is than Autodesk Land Desktop - the crowds just shake their heads in awe when they see it.   If you are close to NYC or Atlanta for the Civil 3D Express Tour - please join us - I'd love to meet you!

Annoying PEDIT question

Do you use the PEDIT command to turn lines and/or arcs into polylines?  Don't you find it annoying when AutoCAD points out that you've selected an object that is not a polyline and asks you if you want to turn it into one?  Duh - of course you do!  You can turn off that annoying prompt by setting PEDITACCEPT to 1...a must for everyone!

Autodesk Vision Tour for Architects

Last week the Autodesk Vision Tour hit Vancouver, Canada and Seattle.  I had the great opportunity to MC the two events, the latter being held at the amazing Experience Music Project museum.  Paul Allen of Microsoft fame was the power behind this museum of music, designed by Frank Gehry, originally built to house his Jimmy Hendrix collection.  Below is a snapshot from the Skychurch room where the Vision Tour took place as well as the outside of the museum.

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Over 100 architects came together to hear Phil Bernstein, FAIA, and VP of Autodesk's Building Solutions Division along with James Balding, AIA, Manager of Design Technologies for WATG.  Phil discussed the many issues facing architects today along with the advantages of Building Information Modeling.  Jim shared his company's experience with Autodesk Revit and how BIM was instrumental in their company's success on many projects.  A good time was had by all, and afterwards some of us went to the Jamming rooms where we attempted to convince ourselves we were undiscovered rock stars.   Thank you Jim for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to join us on the tour (and I still owe you a dance!)

Quick Tip - Cleanup corners

Most of you probably know this one - but this is great for anyone who needs to clean up their corners.  Use the FILLET command (set the radius to 0) to delete any overhang or spaces.

Great Accomplishments at the AUGI Board Meeting!

The AUGI Board has been working hard coming up with great ideas for the upcoming year (if you STILL aren't a member - go directly to AUGI.COM do not pass go...do not collect $200).  So far they've discussed some great ways to help support the Local User Groups and help them be more successful, CAD Camp and the AUGI Wishlist.  Today they had their Executive Luncheon with Autodesk Executive VP Carl Bass.  The new members joining the Board are Chris Lindner (who was on the Board once before), Mike Perry, Rick McNeil, and Mark Kiker.  They join existing Board members Yoshi Honda (President), Robert Bell, Jill King and Richard Binning...and of course there's the wonderful Donnia Tabor-Hanson.  Below is a snap that shows them all working hard to make AUGI even better this year!

Aloha State Autodesk User Group

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend a short vacation in Maui with my family, ending with an AutoCAD 2005 Tips and Tricks presentation at the Aloha State Autodesk User Group (ASAUG) in Honolulu.  The group had their annual casino night, which by sheer accident I tied for first place (although I conceded my prize to the other winner).  Felicia Provencal, also presented briefly on Civil 3D along with a more detailed presentation on Buzzsaw.  Felicia was one of the Autodesk Instructors who won an award this year for best hands-on lab!  I believe a good time was had by all - we all learned something.  Below is a picture of Felicia, Randy Kimura (official photographer!) and myself.

I also had the good fortune of joining Yoshi Honda, this year's AUGI President, for his 40th birthday party while in Hawaii (talk about great timing!).  A great big Happy Birthday to him - his family threw him a fantastic shindig.  Attached you'll find a snapshot of us at the user group meeting (hey - where's my tan?)!

Aloha!

The AUGI Board is Coming to Town!

The new Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) Board is coming to town this week...they arrive today in San Rafael (Autodesk headquarters) for nearly 3 days of meetings.  This annual meeting helps the new Board members get up to speed quickly as they lay out their ambitious plans for AUGI over the next year.  They will also get a chance to meet with Autodesk Executives to educate them on the group's activities and accomplishments for 2004.  I usually try to join them for their all-day meetings but unfortunately I'll be on the road until Friday morning.  I'll sneak in and join them for their last day and take them all out to dinner (a nice reward for all their very hard work). Traditionally I make them all dinner but my travel schedule doesn't permit this year - who knows they might be grateful for that!

Quick Tip - Delete stubborn layers!

Do you find it frustrating when the PURGE command won't let you delete a layer you are certain you don't need anymore?  The LAYDEL Express Tool (comes with AutoCAD 2004 and 2005) will go where PURGE will not!  It's happy to delete any layer (except for 0 and defpoints), even if the layer has objects on it (so watch what you ask for!).