Lynn Allen's Blog

Realize Your Ideas Tour returns to Canada!

Ahhhhhhh...the final week of the tour is here...after this week I only have one more Realize Your ideas event in July and that's in Puerto Rico.  Though the schedule has been tough, it's been WONDERFUL meeting up with so many great users.  So I'll miss the people (but I won't miss the travel!).  In the past three weeks I've lost my luggage three times, had 4 cancelled or seriously delayed flights and missed multiple connections...there's nothing quite like the joy of running full speed ahead through an airport only to watch as they close the doors to the jetway...and I have yet to get home before midnight at the end of each week...ahhh the glamorous life of traveling.

Enough whining...I received an email today from Glenn Letham, an attendee in Vancouver, who was very impressed with the Tour (most notably Guy Kawasaki's presentation).  You GIS users might find some useful information up there as well!  Visit GISUser for a nice overview of Guy's presentation (and I think he said he was going to post some info on my AutoCAD presentation as well). 

And soon I'll post the PDF for my entire Tips and Tricks Booklet - stay tuned for that!!! 

Are you ready for 3D?

Last week while I was in Barcelona I did a presentation on making the move from AutoCAD to Autodesk Inventor.  For those of you in the manufacturing field who are thinking about making the move to real 3D...consider signing up for my webcast on July 14.  The time is now to make the move to the exciting and extra-productive world of 3D where you'll find that it's so much easier than you thought it would be.  If you've ever tried 3D in AutoCAD - well that just doesn't count.  Let's face it, 3D in AutoCAD is no easy task...3D in Inventor is so surprisingly simple you'll be certain there must be a catch!  And imagine having the added bonus of a robust 3D model to work with along with all those 2D drawings you need to hand in...all done in a software package that was designed specifically for machine designers. 

 

Once you've tried Autodesk Inventor you'll become an addict - take it from someone who can relate...I'm no pro at Inventor yet, but the more I work with it the more I can't put it down.  So join me for my webcast and learn more about the number 1 best selling design package...Autodesk inventor....sign up today at Autodesk Inventor webcast. 

And it should be noted...I never found the cake in Barcelona...how sad...(but I had a fabulous time searching for it!)  : )

AUGI Romance...addendum

Apparently my blog posting generated it's fair share of buzz concerning the AUGI romance...for more info from the bride please visit Melanie's blog.  You might even find some CAD tips lurking up there as well!  Thank you all who sent me additional info and some great pics of the two of them.

AutoCAD 2006 Tips and Tricks Booklet

Hi Everyone!  I'm on vacation for the next couple of days so just a quick entry before I'm off to my hotel in Barcelona! The weather is stunning - rumor has it there's a special festival going on today and they're offering up a special cake that you can only get once a year...so I'm off in search of "the cake"!  Will tell you all about it when (if) I find it...

here's another tab in my AutoCAD 2006 booklet for you to hold you over until I return...

AutoCAD 2006 Tips and Tricks Booklet

AutoCAD 2005 introduced the concept of sheet sets.  If you're tired of wrestling with Windows Explorer for organizing your drawing files and projects - then you should really take a look at this powerful tool.  Is it something new you'll have to learn? Yes - but the benefits far outweigh the time it will take you to master it.  Those who have jumped into the Sheet Set Manager with two feet rarely step back out.  The sheet set manager makes it easy for the entire design team to see how far along they are on a project, which drawing sheets have been created, in a nice organizational manner.  You can quickly print any or all of the sheets in your project - something that can be very time consuming with the SSM.  And with the new Fields, you can carry information across an entire project such that if you change it once, it will change everywhere!  (and we all know how painful one small change can be when it's referenced in many places).  The next three tabs of my Tips and Tricks booklet deals with the Sheet Set Manager - so here you go!

As for me - I'm in Barcelona now attending Tech Camp...I'm doing presentations all day but will take a couple of vacation days at the end of this week to enjoy this beautiful city!

An AUGI romance...

Well the AUGI Board came and went and had some incredibly productive meetings.  It is always such a privilege to join them in their meetings and hear about their plans for the upcoming year.  They leave their egos at the door as they focus on ways to help their fellow members throughout the world.  This statement may sound a little sugar coated - but if you spent any time with them you'd come to the same conclusion.  These are people who spend countless hours volunteering for an organization they feel strongly about.  If you aren't an AUGI member yet - find out more info at AUGI.

That said...I did find out some juicy gossip about one of the AUGI Board members we have from the UK...Mike Perry... apparently he is moving to the good old US for a woman he met on one of the AUGI Guilds - Melanie Stone!  Who knew that AUGI was also a matchmaking service in disguise!  We all came to the conclusion that it would only make sense for them to tie the knot in Orlando during Autodesk University - with 5000 of their closest friends.  And the rehearsal dinner could be during the AUGI Beer Bust!  : )  Everyone be sure to bring a toaster for the happy couple...

(Picture of Mike...need to get one of Melanie)

In all seriousness - congratulations to the two of you...may you two design happily ever after!

AUGI Board pics...

Here is the AUGI Board working diligently at saving the world!  AUGI Chair Yoshi Honda is organizing the game plan on the white board.

and it's been a long day so I felt the need to be a little scary...

: )

AUGI Board is in town

I finished off #11 of the Realize Your Ideas Tour and I'm on a break from the tour until the last week in June when we hit three great Canadian cities.  Sadly I'm going to miss the Winnipeg event next Thursday because I'll be in Barcelona attending something known as Tech Camp.  The AUGI Board is in my neighborhood back at Autodesk Headquarters in San Rafael, CA - about 15 miles north of beautiful San Francisco.  They'll be making some great plans for the upcoming year and figuring out some more clever ways of serving the Autodesk User Community.  I'll join them for awhile, and take them out to dinner after a hard day's work for them all.  I used to make dinner for them (it's tradition), but my schedule is just too insane to sort it out this time...too bad.  I do love it when the "Auglets" come to town!

If it's Tuesday it must be New York City

We have an even 10 of the Realize Your Ideas tour cities finished and we're on to #11 tomorrow morning in New York City.  It's hot hot hot out here, and we're barely into the depths of summer yet.   Last night I saw the new Star Wars movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it...just can't help but think that poor Hayden Christensen could use a few more acting lessons, especially when he's up against the likes of Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor...I did notice that George Lucas didn't give him too many lines.  But the movie was great - and I think everyone who watches it wants to dust off the original Star Wars movie to see if everything matches up nicely and neatly.

A user named Leonil sent me a tip about some fabulous tools for AutoCAD that are just the perfect price - free!  Be sure to visit NewCADtools2 for 51 cool tools including many for editing, text and even 3D!  Thanks for the tip Leonil!

AutoCAD 2006 Tips and Tricks Booklet

If it's Monday, I must be in Boston...

Last week the Realize Your Ideas Tour hit Chicago and Cleveland...It was a week of lost luggage, cancelled flights, delayed flights, missed connections, you name it - it happened!  Ahhhh...the glamorous life of traveling. Though I had much to catch up on this weekend, I managed to find a couple of hours to visit Salem, Massachusetts...home of the famous Salem Witch Trials.  I think that most of the town is targetted towards youngens, but I found the stories to be interesting.  I also visited the famous House of Seven Gables from Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous book.

Last week was such a zoo I didn't post another side to my Tips and Tricks booklet - so here you go!