For some reason, User Account Control in Inventor was the absolute bane of my existence last week. I ran into it no less than three times.
I've only recently migrated to Vista myself, primarily because I was waiting on a couple of utilities to swing over to Vista. So at last, I'm on Vista. For the most part I'm happy, then I hit the U.A.C. wall. More importantly, Murphy's law hit, and I ran into several tech issues with U.A.C.
User Account Control is a utility in Windows Vista. (insert 'Psycho' theme here).
So what is User Account Control? To be honest, I'm not sure, other than the fact that it really annoys me, and can really mess up certain softwares (not just the Autodesk Software).
Generally, it makes sure that as little as possible runs as an Administrator, even if it's in a user account, but it's also overly paranoid, and the price paid for that is nag screens, and software that often misbehaves.
So what have I seen? 1) Inventor content partially disabled 2) Gotomeeting acting up when a user was allowing me to remotely operating a computer. Certain screens would disable the drive function, even if the user granted me permission. 3) Installations treating a perfectly valid CD key as incorrect.
It's tough, it's frustrating, and in a lot of ways, totally random. It seems to affect things it should have no apparent bearing on.
So now that I've ranted on it, how do I turn it off?
First, go to your Vista control panel
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Once in the Control Panel, choose User Accounts
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You'll get a second screen, click on 'User Accounts' again.
Now we've found it. Click on 'Turn User Account Control on or Off'.
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Once you hit this, you've found the mark. Uncheck the User Account Control option, uncheck it, and you're home free!
Once that's done, your Vista experience should be a little bit more pleasant.
In other news, the Sheet Metal and Interoperability Autodesk Manufacturing Academy are starting to come together at last. Time to start finalizing and getting data sets ready!
There's a lot of space out there to get lost in. John Robinson (William Hurt) Lost in Space (1998)
So today I attended my second South Coast Revit User Group meeting. I almost thought I wasn't going to make it. I misread the e-mail and went to the wrong place first!
But I made it with a few minutes to spare.
It was good to see some familiar faces and old friends, as well as a few I'd spoken to on the phone but never met in person.
The presentation was by Jim Balding, and he presented on some of the challenges and the responsibilities of Project Managers.
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Granted, there was quite a bit that wasn't clear. Being an Inventor guy, some of the lingo is a little foreign.
But alas, the more that we are different, the more alike we become!
Many of the challenges of the architectural project manager are the same for their manufacturing counterparts.
Things like coordinating teams, customers, and government regulatory agencies keep them awake at night. They have to define what format files are to be delivered in, make sure the correct information flows correctly. In short, they're the air traffic controllers that keep everything moving, and preventing collisions that bring the project to a grinding (and expensive) halt.
So how can this one Inventor guy help this world of Building Information Modeling?
By becoming another link in the chain.
The models created in Inventor are now able to be exported to Revit via AEC Exchange, and now the information created by the designers using Inventor can now become a part of the Revit information stream.
Here's the overview video from the lastpost. I'm working on some data for a bit of show and tell.
I'm planning on getting some data together. I'm hoping to have a nice little data set for the Autodesk Manufacturing Academy!
A question from a user prompted me to write this post, and while I can't say that I know it all, that doesn't mean I can't share what I know.
Something that I've found is a bit of a mystery in Autodesk Showcase is, which codec to when animating a movie. I can't say I have it all figured out. I can only say that I've learned a few things by trial and error.
First, let's define what a codec is:
It's a small program that compresses and decompresses (that's where codec comes from. COmpressor-DECompressor). Wikipedia has a nice definition HERE
We're all familar with the trial and error method. It goes something like this.
1) Try to create something 2) Fail miserably. 3) Shake your fist and curse your computer. 4) Repeat until you get a desireable result. 5) Repeat step 4 until you figure out how you stumbled onto the desirable result. 6) Promise to take better notes next time.
So which have I used so far?
I've tried most of these at one point or another, of the 'standard' ones, and of the standards, yields the best results.
The downside? The files are HUGE. And when I say huge, I mean really HUGE. I'm talking 50+MB, and it's not that hard to get through the 100MB ceiling.
If you can live with this, it works pretty well.
I've tried Intel UYUC, and although I haven't used that one too much, it seems to work well too.
Screen Shot of a movie using the Intel UYUC Codec. Results are pretty good. (click to enlarge)
The one that seems to have given me the poorest results, is Microsoft Video 1. In my experience (which may be subject to user error), it takes really good Showcase videos and produces pretty pixelated videos from them. And when I mean pixelated, I mean Atari 2600 pixelated.
Screen shot of a movie using the Microsoft Video 1 Codec. What can I say. UGLY. I haven't found a setting to improve it. (click to enlarge at your own risk)
If you don't know what an Atari 2600, think of it as a prehistoric X-box or Playstations. Neanderthals and Prehistoric Humans played them. The Neanderthals lost, and due to the terms of set prior to the games. Neanderthals had to go extinct.
My favorite codec is from Techsmith (the folks who make Snagit and Camtasia). You can download the codec (TSCC.exe) from HERE.
So far, my experience has made the Techsmith codec my favorite.
Screen Capture of a video using the Techsmith codec. My favorite. (click to enlarge)
The only (in my opinion) downside of the Techsmith codec? If your sending the files to another person to view, they'll also need the Techsmith codec (so you'll have to send them the file, or link). The file is small, but not everyone is comfortable installing software.
Are there more codecs? Absolutely. More than I know of. I'm still looking for more good ones, but so far, the Techsmith codec has kept me pretty happy.
Still, if you have any suggestions, I'm always happy to hear the input!
Autodesk Manufacturing Academy is back! Check it outHERE
As I'm sitting here tonight, I'm getting ready for a class tomorrow, just running through some of the data sets, refreshing my mind. I'm also thinking of the differences between Showcase and Showcase Pro. Yes, there is a Showcase and a Showcase Professional.
A raytrace from my practice for the night! (Click to Enlarge)
The differences are listed on a PDF file from the Autodesk Website here.
But, for a quick summary, here's the one's that caught my eye:
1) Import FBX files from other programs (Max, Maya, etc) - FBX files are an animation program that can be exported from other rendering systems. You can import them into Showcase Pro and reuse them in Showcase.- 2) Batch and distributed tesselation. - I confess, I've never come close to using this one myself. Probably for the advance user, but if you're importing a lot of files, this might come in handy.
3) Storyboards - Create a quick way to move from different variations of your components
4) Remote Collaboration - Use your Showcase Pro to collaborate across the web. Could be useful for those design 'jam sessions'.
5) Side by Side Comparision - Show alternative designs side by side for quick comparing and contrasting of different iterations and variations
6) Cluster Support - Support showing images across multiple screens or projectors.
7) External user interface - Customize your own interface with html or flash. Useful for putting a 'company face' on Showcase Pro.
So that's the skinny on the difference between the two. Other than the cost of course.
Which one is right for you? Ultimately, it's the one that meets your needs. For some, Showcase will give you everything you need, for others, they get a little 'foamy in the mouth' when the see some of Showcase Pros abilities. Personally, I like having the Storyboards, and Side by Side comparision.
But at least now, you can take a little longer look and decide which is right for you.
On the other hand, our old ways were once new, weren't they?
Tevye in Fidler on the Roof
Like most people, I find myself to be a creature of habit. When I go to Starbucks, I get the same drink (which the Baristas will now tease be about). I take the same roads to work, and I like the same places for breakfast.
When using Inventor, I'll sometimes do something the exact same way, even when a new way presents itself.
Take templates for example. If you haven't created them, odds are, you'll need to. Even if you've made them, you sometimes need to add to them.
In the old ways, you created your template, and hit some variation of 'Save' (Save or Save Copy As). Inventor would open up a director defined by your project file.
(You are using projects, right? If not, you should! For info on projects, Dennis Jeffrey has a nice article HERE.)
Now this means you have to browse to the location the templates are located in, and it means the nag screen telling you you're saving outside the project file.
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For what it's worth, this is one of the few cases you can ignore this message. Templates aren't linked to any other files, so this is one of the few cases where ignoring this message is okay.
But the screen is annoying, and many users get nervous seeing this message (which is probably the sign of a prudent user).
While the previous method works fine, there is slightly quicker way to do it.
If you click on the big 'I' and choose Save As. If you hover for a second, you'll see the menu on the right side of the screen show the option 'Save Copy As Template' (among other options).
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This will drop you directly into the template directory, no muss, no fuss, no clicking through a bunch of menus until you find the correct location, and no nag screens.
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Is it huge? Probably not in the sense of tools we use in the daily grind. But it will make dealing with templates just a little easier.
And when somethings a little easier, we're a little less likely to put it off. Which can, over time, be quite a big deal!
It's an interview with Jamie Hyneman ofMythbusters fame in Popular Mechanics, and he how he views the use of CAD software on projects. (see link HERE)
Now the astute will point out how he used Solidworks on his project, and you might start poking fun at the Inventor guy for how the 'SWX' word was used on my blog.
Poke away, says I. But it's not the name of the software in the upper left hand side of the applications screen that matters. I happen to agree with him wholeheartedly.
I agree that Mr. Hyneman's got a point whether your using products from Dassault (Solidworks, CATIA), Autodesk (Inventor, Showcase, Revit), or Siemens (UG, Solidedge).
The tool is just translating the ideas of the person sitting in the computer. It may help us get there, but it's not going to make us smarter (darn it).
In any case, there's no sense in me reiterating what Jaime said, I hope you enjoy the link!
Happy Inventing, no matter what the app name says!
And finally, a special thanks to 'Help4Engineers' in Twitterverse for posting this interesting link.
Jonathan Landeros KETIV Technologies. It's back. AMA 2009!
With the onset of the Autodesk Manufacturing Academy (AMA), things have gotten exciting, so I have to confess that the blog has suffered a bit. So much to do, so much to do! Getting ready with Sheet Metal, Interoperability, among so many other things. It's fun, but it's a challenge too.
But even though I'm trying to get some of the metal ducks in a row (which, to carry on with animal analogies, has been more like herding mental cats), I thought about some of the ribbon customizations that can be accomplished in Inventor.
One of the things that I've wanted to adjust is the 'View Face' (formerly known as 'Look At') tool. Even with my Space Pilot Pro, I still use it from time to time. But in R2010, it's a little inconveniently placed, at least in my opinion.
By default, it's on the View tab, with the other viewing tools, which I don't use quite as often, or access by other means.
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Not hard to get to, but not easy either
I'd like to move it somewhere it will always be within easy reach. Fortunately there is a location where you can do just that, called the Quick Access Toolbar.
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One of the nicer properties of the Quick Access Toolbar is that it's always visible, no matter what ribbon your currently using. Add to that, you can place your own icons on it, like…. View Face for example.
How do I do that? It's actually pretty straight forward. If you right click on the icon you want to move (View Face), you can choose 'Add to Quick Access Toolbar', and you're off! That's it.
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Now the Quick Access Toolbar will have a 'View Face' icon available.
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What's the benefit of this? No matter what ribbon you're using, you'll always have the 'View Face' icon available.
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One final note, I'm sometimes asked how I feel about customization. I tend to keep my customizations to a minimum. As a matter of fact, this is the only customization I've made to my Inventor interface, and even then, I was slow in making it.
Why? There're two simple reasons for me.
The simple reason, I have to train Inventor, and I can't really have my interface customized to the moon. So I keep it pretty vanilla.
The more 'practical' reasons. If I have a more vanilla setup, I can walk up to the majority of Inventor stations, fire them up, and start modeling, I don't have to mess around with importing, or recreating the customizations.
That's it, no great secret. This one, I'll probably keep. This may be my sole customization for a long time. But with so many things, this is up to the individual.
This is one for the ages. Like that relative that nobody talks about, but appears for Christmas in years with the number '6' at the end, I've only seen this one come up three times in my entire career. Two I directly saw, the last I ran across on a discussion group.
When you start a program in Windows, all of a sudden your screen resolution drops to 'ugly'. I'm showing this one in Inventor, but it's not limited to Inventor, or even Autodesk at all. You can change the same options on programs like the 3Dconnexion Driver, and some of the Adobe products as well.
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If you shut off your program, it magically goes away. It's quite infuriating (like when that same relative empties your refrigerator). So what would cause it?
If you right click on the short cut that starts the Windows Program (Inventor in this example).
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Choose properties, click the 'Compatibility' tab, and you'll see the following screen.
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You'll usually find that one of the check boxes on this screen are checked, causing the program to drop the resolution when you start it.
Unchecking the box (256 colors) in this example, has fixed the issue every time I've encountered it.
Why does it happen? I haven't a clue. I've only seen the aftermath. It's not even a setting that a user could easily find and check by mistake.
It's kinda like coming home and finding that your relative has crashed your car into the swimming pool, but somehow all the fences around the pool are still intact.
So that fixes what might be one of the strangest 'errors' I've encountered. It seems to me more prone to happening on an XP box (I couldn't force my Vista 64bit box to create the error), but who knows. It's pretty strange.
After a brief hiatus, I'm back in the saddle with iLogic again. It's now starting to make sense
First of all, what is iLogic. I'm definitely guilty of sometimes jumping into the nuts and bolts of what I'm doing, without telling everyone what I'm doing.
iLogic is a utility that allows you to create rules via a simplified code. It's based on VB.Net, but doesn't require you to be some sort of code guru to make it work.
The good news. iLogic is a free add-on for subscription members from the Autodesk Subscription website here. You'll need to login. If you're not on subscription. Well, I'm afraid that you'll be on the outside looking in.
I've been looking for something meaningful to me to start creating rules for, and something began to make sense to me.
Since I love simplicity (I think that a simple solution can be a marvelous solution), I started with the 235-U Destaco toggle clamp I downloaded from the Autodesk Content Warehouse.
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After a little conversion, I figured out that the clamping force is 750 lbs, and the clamp height is 1.69in. I can remember, this, but I decided to use iLogic to create rule that's going to remind me what they are automatically.
First, I get my part downloaded from the site, and opened up in Inventor.
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First, a disclaimer. I did change the colors of the components (initially they did come in all gray).
But aside from that, it's stock. So now to get the code started.
Step 1: Click on the Manage tab, and choose the 'Add Rule' button to start the iLogic wizard.
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Step 2: iLogic will ask you to name the rule.
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Step 3: After the rule is named, the rule wizard will open. You can start typing your code now, but if you don't know code, click on the 'Rule Syntax' tab. It'll have sample lines of code that will help guide you. (See step 3)
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Step 3: Here I've used the Rules Syntax Wizard to put in text that is essentially my 'template' for my code.
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Step 4: Now for 'Message', I substitute the following
"Clamping Force = 750 lbs" & Chr(13) & "Height Under Bar = 1.69 in"
The data in the quotes is the text I want to show in my dialog box. The text '& Chr(13) &' is the code for carriage return. This will force the text to appear on two separate lines.
For 'Title' I substitute 'Clamp Stats'. This is just the title of the dialog box.
So my overall line of code looks like this:
MessageBox.Show("Clamping Force = 750 lbs"&Chr(13) &"Height Under Bar = 1.69 in", "Clamp Stats")
Inside the wizard, the code will look like this:
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I can now close this window, and the rule is created. If you haven't made any mistakes, it'll display right away.
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So far, this is pretty cool. But I have one more thing I want to do. I want to set this so that every time this file opens, the dialog pops up and advises me of the clamp load. This way, I can quickly see if this clamp meets my desired requirements.
To do this, I click on iLogic utilities, on the Manage tab. '
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When I do this, I get the list pictured below. Notice I've circled 'Rules Triggered by Events'
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When I click this button, I get a new dialog screen.
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You'll notice that there's one for 'After Open Document'. By right clicking on that, I get 'Edit List of Rules'. Choose 'Edit List of Rule'.
Yet another dialog box shows up, and you can check the box have the Clamp Load Rule trigger every time you open this document.
Now your ready. Hit 'OK' to close the dialogs and save the document. Everytime you open this file, the rule will fire, and you'll see the load for this rule.
That's it for iLogic!
As for me and my adventures? I was down at the Planes of Fame Museum again this weekend (I'm volunteering to be a guide, so I'm still in the training process). But I swung by and saw some of the guys working on the N9MB Flying Wing.
She suffered an engine fire in 2006 on takeoff, and thankfully made a safe landing, but she's been grounded since then while undergoing repairs. The engines have been reverse engineered (since they're no more spares), so it's been a time consuming process.
But, the parts are starting to arrive now, so hopefully within a year, she'll be up in the air again.
Unfortunatley, I didn't have my camera, and it didn't occur to me to use my cell phone camera, but here's a picture I took at the last airshow in May. In the second shot you can see where the engines are removed.
Let's hope we see her taking off again like she is below! This picture courtesy of the Goleta Air & Space Museum's website
“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow”
Proverb
Surprise! My upgrade didn't go according to plan. So, what went wrong?
The image that I'd created a while back..... No good. I installed it, and all appropriate progress bars and blinky lights seemed to be in order.
But when I go to start my new Vista 64 bit install? BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH.
Now our first thought might be to blame Vista, because that's the most obvious target. It's not fair though. I've never used this imaging software before (Ping), so it's possible that the imaging software caused the issue, or it could even be good old fashioned user error.
Besides, once the blame is assigned, I still had to contend with a laptop that was 'bricked'.
When used in reference to electronics, "brick" describes a device that cannot function in any capacity (such as a device with damaged firmware). This usage derives from the fact that some electronic devices (and their detachable power supplies) are vaguely brick-shaped, and so those which do not function are as useful only as actual bricks. The term can also be used as a verb. For example, "I bricked my MP3 player when I tried to modify its firmware."
But as one of my friends in I.T. taught me: Have a backup plan.
What's that plan?
So I install from scratch, and as of now, my OS is up and running. It takes a couple of hours to install the security updates (tedious, but necessary). Now I'm getting my remaining software slowly installed again.
So as of right now, no screen captures, because Snagit and Camtasia aren't back on yet.
But we're on our way. Software is starting to get back installed, and my performance is noticeably better. Whatever was plaguing my system seems to be cured now.
There's still more to be done, but I'm definitely off and running.
The moral of my little adventure? When you're doing anything major like this, have a fallback plan in case the first doesn't work. I'd be in for a pretty long night tonight if I hadn't had the disks as a backup.
And while things aren't ideal, I'll be at 100% by tomorrow.
Sometimes it's not about whether or not things go according to plan. It's how well you recover when the plan goes wrong.
“Technically, Windows is an "operating system," which means that it supplies your computer with the basic commands that it needs to suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, stop operating.”
Dave Barry
This weekend, I'm in the process of performing some serious maintenance on my laptop.
I'm razing the OS to the ground, and reinstalling all over again. Scorched Earth, so to speak.
As with most Windows Operating Systems that see heavy use, this installation of Windows XP is looking pretty ragged.
For those of us who live on the ragged edge, you've seen it. Usually your system starts getting slow, and defragging and temp space clearing only does so much good.
For those foolish or daring enough (I'm not sure which I am yet), this is the time for a total rebuild of your system. Rebuild it from the ground up.
Lucky for me, I've got some of my building blocks in place. So before we start, here's what we have.
1) An image created for Vista 64 bit on this machine. (I created it a ways back, just in case).
2) Installation disks for Vista 64bit. Just in case the image turns out to be bad. (This is my first use of it, so I'm makings sure to have a backup plan).
3) Installation disks for all my software that will eventually live on the system.
So all that is in play. Now we start the long 'progress bar rodeo' of backing up all my data. (There's no way I'm attempting this without a backup!).
As I write this, my system is backing up to my portable hard drive. That's going to take into the evening.
Tonight, I expect to get the image installed. Forunately, tomorrow is a day off for me (mental health vacation day), so I can finish out tomorrow if needed.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "What kind of freak are you? It's your vacation day and you're installing software?!?"
It's the best day to do it, and besides, most of what I'll be doing is letting progress bars do their thing.
In any case, wish me luck. Hopefully tonight is met with much rejoicing, instead me cursing the error of my ways.
“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion” Chinese Proverb
So, on a note a little separate from my typical CAD Geek stuff, I've decided to post my thoughts on my SpacePilot Pro that I've been using for about two months or so now.
My SpacePilot Pro on my desk. Yes, my desk is a typical 'designer's desk'. A mess! (click to enlarge)
I preface this with a disclaimer. These are my thoughts with my 'user' shirt on, feel free to take them and use them to formulate your own opinion.
I've also been using 3D Connexion devices for about five years now (I started with the now discontinued Space Traveler), so I'm familiar with them. It's just the SpacePilot Pro I've been getting used to.
With that being said. What is a SpacePilot Pro?
For those of us who may not have heard of them before, they're a little hard to describe. You'll hear them called '3D orbiters' (which is what I call them), or '3D mice'.
In short, they take over the Zoom, Orbit, and Pan functions inside inside of Inventor (and other CAD products they support). 3D Connexion has a nice web video HERE.
The fancier versions (like the Pro) also have buttons that can be programmed to duplicate other Inventor functions, such as starting a new sketch, or activating assembly constraints (among a myriad of other functions).
They start out with the SpaceNavigator (the least expensive and most portable), and progress through the Space Explorer, Space Pilot, and Space Pilot Pro, each adding more functionality (and of course cost).
Now with the descriptions over, lets talk about my experience with the SpacePilot Pro.
The first thing I noticed, and liked, was the shape of it. It's very comfortable. My hand rests easily on its curved shape, and the buttons are easy to get to. The puck has feels smooth and very responsive. They've definitely been improving the sensors since my trusty old Traveler.
Another prominent feature is the LCD screen. It has applets installed that will tell you what function the programmable keys are set to do, it can preview Outlook, view RSS feeds, or even be a picture viewer. A driver update also lets it show you the properties from your Inventor files.
While it may seem a little 'gimmicky', I found that the LCD did help with some of the little things, like seeing if that e-mail that came in while I was away was from my boss, or a newsletter from a vendor that could wait until later.
The LCD Screen, and some of the buttons (click to enlarge)
The unit also feels very solid. It's got some nice heft to it, which for the most part, I like. It doesn't slide around on my desk, and lets me feel like any input I'm going to give goes straight to my model.
Last, but certainly not least, how does it affect workflow? While using Inventor, I've found that it's reduced the amount of times my left hand moves across the keyboard, especially for the orbit hot key.
The programmable buttons also unload my right hand from right clicking, or reaching for hot keys on the right hand side of the key board.
Is the change enormous? No, it's not. A model that would take me three hours to build isn't done in thirty minutes. But I do find the process of building my Inventor models to be smoother, easier, and more efficient.
Take my SpacePilot away from me, and you'll find me pawing at the left hand side of my laptop like a Golden Retriever chasing bunnies in his sleep.
As you can see, I'm a big fan of my SpacePilot Pro. If I have a bias (which I'm sure I do), you could certainly accuse me of being a big advocate.
However, as much as I like it, I can see a few drawbacks for it.
The buttons can take some practice to get used to. While this doesn't bother a geek like myself, the casual user may not get the 'seat time' to get accustomed to them. If you don't have the time or inclination for a the learning curve, it may not be for you. If you still like the functionality of having the orbiting controls, the SpaceNavigator may be a great solution though.
The price is pretty steep. With an MSRP of $499 USD, the sticker shock is pretty high. This may also cause the part time users to shy away. I think the hardcore users (like myself) will find the price more of an investment.
It's pretty hefty. While the weight makes it feel solid, it's not exactly the most portable device around, so if you highly mobile, you may not want to carry it from place to place. (I bought a ditty bag at the local camping store, and improvised a carrier from that, and the original vacuum formed packaging). A SpaceNavigator is probably the best solution for someone who is highly mobile, but doesn't want to carry the extra weight.
So in summary:
The positive:
It's comfortable to use
The buttons provide useful functionality, and are easy to reach
It has a solid, high-quality feel to it.
The LCD screen adds some subtle, but useful, functionality.
It improves the 'experience' of building models in Inventor
The negative:
They're pretty pricey
There's a learning curve to get used to all those buttons. It may not be for the casual CAD users (like a manager who reviews models periodically)
It's heavy. If you're a mobile user, it can be a lot to lug around
Ultimately, I wouldn't be without my SpacePilot Pro. I'm happy I got it, and would replace it in a heartbeat if something were to happen to it (although you have no idea how careful I am with it). I deal with the fact that it's a noticeable addition to my 'kit' when i move from place to place.
For those who want more information, you can always contact me at KETIV.
If you live in Southern California, we also have a demo station where you can try out the SpacePilot Pro for a few minutes.
Feel free to swing by if you ever want to try one out (although please let us know your coming. The unit is also used in our training labs, so we'd want to make sure it's available!).
That's it for my first product review. I hope you found it helpful.
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." -- Vincent Van Gogh
This is one of those 'little things', but if experience has taught me anything, the little things matter. That holds true for things like Inventor as well.
While working in one of our training labs over at KETIV. A student pointed out that when they were sketching, the coincident constraints were showing up as yellow dots at the corner of the geometry.
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The dots representing the constraints are benign. They only server to tell you that the constraint is there. But, they do add clutter to your screen, and if you subscribe to my theory, I've got enough clutter in my life, at the very least I can get the clutter off my computer screen!
So how do I get rid of the dots?
Go to Tools>Application options, and choose the 'Sketch' Tab. On that tab, you'll find the option to uncheck the display of the those dots.
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Unchecking that option will remove the dots, making for that cleaner, uncluttered look preferred by many.
Note: You may have to right click and 'hide all constraints' to clean the point off the current geometry, but once this option is deselected, you won't have to worry about it appearing on new geometry.
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Happy Inventing, everyone! Don't forget the little things!
Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog.Doug Larson
Something I guess you might consider from the "Public Service Announcement' desk.
The other day at KETIV, I was asked about an issue where pdfs printed from DWF files in Autodesk Design Review were taking a much longer to print out than in previous versions.
A quick check of the Autodesk website showed that there's a hotfix for this,so it should be an easy fix.
So if you're seeing this issue out of Design Review 2010, just grab the hotfix HERE, and you should be on your way with faster PDF creation!
Have a great weekend everyone! I'm off to my volunteer gig at the Planes of Fame again, so that alone is going to make it a great weekend!
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius
I've blogged on bump mapping in Autodesk Showcase before, but with so many things in Showcase, it seems like it's as much art as science.
Of course you can add materials in Showcase, and in previous blogs (click here) I talked about how you can use bump maps to add 'character' to a material.
But at times, when trying to use bump maps, you end up with a ray traced image that seems to be grainy. Look at the clamp below. Everything seems fine, but the clamp definitely has that 'grainy' appearance.
(click to Enlarge)
You're first instinct might be to crank up the resolution, but it doesn't seem to help. Trust me on this: I've tried it. It eats up processor time, and doesn't improve the quality of the image. It also tends degrade the temperament of the operator.
But there is hope for both the image quality, and operator mood!
As with many things with Showcase, this is somewhat subjective, but one things that operator instinct seems to be to make a bump map far deeper than it needs to be.
Even looking at the bump map that I've used (unaltered from the Showcase material library) has a bump depth of 1.0, which is pretty high. You might think it's the highest possible setting, but I've found that typing in a higher number will let you go higher than 1.0.
(click to enlarge)
The solution that I've found? I drop the depth of the bump map down. And when I say down, I start cranking it WAY down. I usually cut it in half, then half again, and repeat that process until I get to the result I like. So if I start a 1.0, I go down to 0.5, then 0.25, etc.
You should be able to find a value that works. In this case, I found that I got to a value of .125before I was happy with the result.
So you can see how just changing that bump map can change the look of the file. Other settings you can user are the angle of a bump map, as well as the scale. (For example, I also changed the angle and scale of the wood grain to make it more appealing).
(click to enlarge)
While subtle, each of these settings play their part in helping create a rendering that is really eye catching.
As another example, here's a box with only the bump depth changed. In the first image, the bump depth is at 1.0. I refer to this as 'having a brushed finish applied with a chainsaw). Feel free to use that, but I want the credit! :-)
(click to enlarge)
Now, setting it to .032 (with a few iterations in between), we get to something that's a little bit more subtle, and far more compelling, I think.
(click to enlarge)
Have fun trying different settings, and try something a little bit 'crazy'. You may find that it makes the rendering really 'pop'. In which case, you get to make the transition from 'crazy' to 'visionary'.
As for the jig? Here's teh full image, I cleaned up a few things, and gave it a tilt. Here it is in all it's ray traced glory.
(click to enlarge)
Enjoy, and have a little fun trying different variations of these settings. I find it's when I'm having fun, I do my best work in Showcase.
(click to enlarge)
