Autodesk Showcase Viewer. Sharing Your Creations

My work with Autodesk Showcase has definitely immersed me in the presentation world. But as I've gone deeper into the artistic world, I'm learning more every day.

But there's been one question that comes up from time to time. "Is there a way that I can share my renderings with someone else? Or "How can someone else view my Showcase work?"

Of course you can save out files in an image format, such as a *.jpg, but that doesn't take full advantage of what Showcase can do.

So you might ask yourself, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a free viewer?"

And I'd respond, "I'm glad you asked! There's a free viewer available!"

You can download it HERE along with sample scenes. The viewer will let you rotate, change between alternatives, etc. You just can't edit the scene itself.

Perfect for taking your presentation on the road where a full seat of Showcase isn't needed!

And it's just cool to play with. ;-)

Here's a couple of screen captures from a sample scene from the site above. If you download the viewer, this is one of four scenes you can paly with.





That's it for now!

Jon
Out of work? Look for the Autodesk Assistance Program for help with free software and training.

Inventor RIbbons. That's Great! Now How Do I Use It?

The new Ribbon UI has been the source of some discussion. Is it good or bad. I'm sure there are a lot of opinions on the subject. The old interface has been around since at least R4 (when I started), and I'm all but certain goes back even sooner.

The opinions are varied, but speaking for myself, I like the new toolbar. I like the extra room it gives me for my model browser, and as I'm getting used to it, I find that I'm moving through the commands faster.

But, no matter what side of the discussion you're on, there's no denying that there's a learning curve.

Fortunatley, there's a 'Command Locator' that will help us find the new commands on the new Ribbon UI. Here's a video on how you can use it.


I'd recommend giving the UI a fair chance. I think once that initial learning curve is over, you'll come to like it.

If you do prefer the original UI, then not to fear, it's still available. Check out my older blog HERE on how to set it back!

Happy Inventing!

Out of work? Check out the Autodesk Assistance Program HERE for help with training and software to hone your skills.

Filling the Void. New Inventor R2010 Fillet Welds.

I've been aching for a chance to work on Camtasia again, and hears a bit of a new test. I wanted to show a new feature in weldments, the ability to fill a gap using the fillet weld.

So instead of taking screen captures and doing a lot of typing, I created a video and embedded it here. I hope this little tip is helpful! I'm hoping to get some more out in the future!



In other news! 3D Connexion announced the new Spacepilot Pro! a little on the pricey side, I gotta admit, but they're pretty cool!

You can check them out on the 3D Connexion website HERE! I especially like the new color screen. :-)

Happy Inventing everyone!

That's What Friends are For

With all the what's new in Inventor R2010, there's been a lot to keep track of. Definitely more than little ol' me can keep up with and post! Believe me, I've been trying.

Thankfully, there's more than myself just taking this plunge.

So I've pasted some links for some videos that the team has put together. I've watched some of them, (and even conducted one myself). Just watching my colleagues put up these recordings has taught me a ton!

Thanks to Mike and Javier! And thanks to Kanwar for being our narrator!

Inventor R2010 - What's New

Vault Workgroup R2010

Inventor R2010 - What's New + Sheet Metal

Note that we used gotowebinar to record this, and you may need to download and install their codec to see the videos.

You can get that HERE.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

(Ray)Tracing your progress

Not to sound like a broken record, but it's been busy as I crash course myself on Inventor and Showcase R2010. As a result, my blogs have been a little weak.

Nevertheless, here's a Showcase 2010 tip.

As I continue on my Showcase Adventures, I've learned a TON of things about creating compelling images. I have to thank all those who've taken time out of their day to teach me. I wouldn't be as far as I am without them.

Mostly, I've learned how far I have to go. :-)

One of the things I've been working with lately is ray tracing. If you're not familiar with what raytracing is, it's the process of 'tracing rays' (well 'duh'!). In essence, you're tracing the rays of light as they bounce from one object to another.

In this process, you'll see things like objects reflecting in other objects, and refraction of light passing through glass or another transparent material.

You can toggle it on or off by hitting 'R' on the keyboard.

But there's been a challenge in Ray Tracing that R2010 addresses.

When you raytrace in R2009, there's no way to tell if the ray tracing has finished it's calculation other than just your eye. Which, isn't always the best. Since raytracing can take a few minutes to calculate, a way of being able to tell when ray tracing is finished would be great!

In R2010, you can hit 'Y', or go to View>Ray Tracing Control Panel to turn on the control panel.

Here's an image that shows where to get it!


Here's a Hardware (standard) rendering image for comparison. Note that in this image, you can't see the reflection of the side view mirror in the fender (like you can in the Ray Traced image above).

Happy start to the new week!

Looking for a job? The checkout the Autodesk Assistance Program HERE for free educational software and training to keep your skills sharp and up to date!

Sometimes, it really is that cool!

Thanks to Shaun Hurley for Twittering this little reminder!

The show on the Discovery Channel, Doing DaVinci, has designers recreating Leonardo DaVinci's designs. If you catch the show, they're using Inventor to help recreate the designs! Probably not fair to Leonardo, but you have to admit, if he could, he probably would have used a 3D modeler to design his machines too.

You can read about Autodesk's participation Here.

You can also see the first episode on the Discovery Channel Website Here.

Happy Inventing!

P.S. If you're one of the many who've found yourself looking for work, the Autodesk Assistance Program can help you sharpen your design skills.

Get a free educational software license, as well as online training, and training assistance Here.

There's a Funny Icon in My Assembly Browser

It's been a little hectic of late with the new R2010 products. As with every year, there's a ton of stuff to learn.

But I found something in the category I call 'subtle, but significant'.

While working on a project, I noticed that one of my mate icons looked different.



My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to see what this little guy did.

It turns out that we've got a new mate icon that specifically identifies a mate axis, and differentiates it from one of the other mates.


Is it a huge earth shaking, revolutionary change? Probably not. But it's a nice little improvement that just makes things move along a little more smoothly.

Happy Wednesday everyone!