Autodesk University 2003: BIM and DWF - a report on the AEC-related announcements Autodesk unveiled at the recent gathering, where the company elaborated on its building information modeling (BIM) strategy and launched its DWFit campaign, Lachmi Khemlani, AECbytes Newsletter, December 19, 2003

Dock Any Top/Bottom Docking Item Beside Main Menu - MicroStation tip, Ian Kidd, MicroStation Digest, December 18, 2003

Advanced Fillets with Rhino & Power Tools - tutorial shows how to create variable radius fillets using the Power Solids plug-in, NOVEDGE Newsletter, December 2003

Saving a Relief After a Material Set-up Has Been Assigned - ArtCAM tips and tricks, ArtCAM Quarterly, Autumn 2003

Software Crimes, Easy Getaways - currently in India more software is pirated than purchased, Sify News, December 23, 2003

AutoCAD Stocking Stuffers - tips explore the Plot Stamp Alternative, Maxactvp and Object Cycling and the grip copy and rotate combo, Michael Beall, CADTutor, December 2003

Cautions When Using a UCS - AutoCAD tips on the user defined coordinate system, PostalCAD, December 15, 2003

Software Glitch Brings Y2K Deja Vu - PTC is scrambling to patch a glitch that will render most of its products inoperable after January 10, 2004, David Becker, CNET News.com, December 22, 2003

Dimension Dimensions - TurboCAD advice on the meanings of dimension settings, Winston Mitchell, CADcourse.com, December 21, 2003

How Flexible Is Your Manufacturing? - new research into more modular and flexible manufacturing systems is trying to help manufacturers become more agile, lean and better serve their customers, Steve Krar and Arthur Gill, Advanced Manufacturing, December 2003

Marin's Pay Raise Mystery - employers in Autodesk's home county can't explain why Marin County leads the nation in pay raises - could the answer be Carol Bartz?, Keri Brenner, Marin Independent Journal, December 21, 2003

Why 6-Legged Bots Rule - a new generation of highly mobile legged robots includes a family of bots created at Stanford using a process known as shape deposition manufacturing, a kind of rapid prototyping process in which designs are worked out on a CAD system and then produced as a physical specimen in plastic, Tom McNichol, Wired, November 2003

Optimizing Santa's Rapid Delivery Vehicle - Santa's sleigh shakes off aerodynamic drag with help from computational fluid dynamics, John Stokes, CFD Review, December 22, 2003

Success Is Not Simulated - ANSYS is aiming to provide the market with the most comprehensive and easy-to-use software suite for moving computer simulation to the front end of the product design process, Michael Yeomans, Pittsburgh, Tribune-Reviews, December 21, 2003

New Research and Explorations into Multiuser Immersive Display Systems - explores the use of immersive display systems for multiple users working together, Mark Bolas, Ian McDowall and Dan Corr, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, November/December 2003 (pdf)

Setting up Layer Properties in AutoCAD Electrical - tutorial explores how to set up AE to use the layer standards for your company, Elise Moss, CADzette, December 19, 2003 (pdf)

TurboCAD V8 Standard - Dinner Setting for Four - Module 3 (Placemat, Napkin and Napkin Ring) - tutorial is designed to guide the beginner through a series of developmental modules, Donald B. Cheke, Textual Creations, December 19, 2003 (pdf)

New Methods for Digital Modeling of Historic Sites - video fly-through animation of a cathedral model, Peter K. Allen, Alejandro Troccoli, Benjamin Smith, Stephen Murray, Ioannis Stamos and Marius Leordeanu, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, November/December 2003 (avi file - slow to load)

CFD Investigation of High-Pressure Biotechnology - engineers in Munich are investigating the effect of fluid dynamics on bacteria during high-pressure food processing, Christoph Hartmann, CFD Review, December 19, 2003

ArchiCAD Tutorial: Using Profiler to Create Custom Trim - explores stone banding, which can be accomplished by using the Profiler add-on that is a standard feature in ArchiCAD, J.T. Burk, CADdigest.com, December 18, 2003

PTC Advises Users of Time-Out - PTC should be commended for the quick and open manner in which the company addressed a recently discovered glitch that would cause Pro/ENGINEER and related applications to fail with a time-out error come January 10, 2004, W. Bradley Holtz, CADwire.net, December 18, 2003

Autodesk Updates Design Software - Revit 6 includes new collaboration capabilities and design tools that allow greater freedom for blending information from sketches with finished building models, David Becker, CNET News.com, December 17, 2003

It Takes Two to Collaborate - predicting PLM as the "next big thing," collaboration today is actually an integral part and subsystem of many PLM products and suites, Jeffrey Rowe, Advanced Manufacturing, December 2003

AutoCAD and ADT Tips & Tricks - a collection of AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop tips to enhance productivity, ADLSoft, Inc., December 2003

AutoCAD and Land Desktop Tips - a collection of tips on a variety of topics, Brian Morse, BrianMorse.com, December 17, 2003

Impressions of Autodesk University - the author identifies 6 initiatives he believes will drive Autodesk's future: lifecycle management, merging CAD and GIS, visualization and 3D, Oracle, homeland security and DWF files, Hal Reid, Directions Magazine, December 17, 2003

How to Launch Apps From a Toolbar in CATIA - CATIA tips, Ray Anderson, CATIA Digital Digest, December 16, 2003

Limiting the Ports that WIBU Scans - ArchiCAD tip on using the WIBU-Key Control Panel, Karl Ottenstein, Graphisoft.com, November 2003

Light Power & Fall-off Settings - TurboCAD tutorial explores traditional lights and luminances, Winston Mitchell, CADCourse.com, December 16, 2003

Dinner Setting for Four - Module 2 - Chair - TurboCAD tutorial is designed to guide the beginner through a series of developmental modules, Donald B. Cheke, Textual Creations, December 14, 2003 (pdf)

Architectural Visualization Tutorial Series - a dozen Autodesk VIZ/3ds max tutorials on various modeling techniques, Montree T., Smoke3D Studio (hosted on CGarchitect), December 16, 2003

The ABCs of PLM - provides an overview of the essential components for an effective PLM system, Larry Gould, Automotive Design & Production, December 2003

The Fabric of an Industry Has Evolved with Technology - designers of carpet and textiles have turned to CAD/CAM and other advanced tools and methods, Alan Joch, Architectural Record, December 2003

Creating a Revolved Rail Surface - VectorWorks tutorial covers the basics of revolving a NURBS curve around an axis point by creating a 3D tent, CADdigest.com, December 16, 2003

Customizing the Default Right-Click Menu - AutoCAD tip explores several context-sensitive right-click menus introduced in AutoCAD 2000, CCAD Tip Sheet, December 2003

Autodesk Inventor Continues Strong Sales - Robert "Buzz" Kross, Autodesk VP, Manufacturing Solutions Division, replies to comments by industry experts about Autodesk's recent press release announcing a quarter-million Inventor users, CADwire.net, December 15, 2003

Tip for Checking Interferences Within Assemblies - SolidWorks tip, Hariharan Chandrasekar, Solid Solutions Advanced, December 16, 2003

ADT Tips and Tricks - Controlling Classifications - streaming tip explores the classifications in Architectural Desktop 2004 for scheduling, CAD-1, December 16, 2003

Quick Render Tip - ArchiCAD tip to speed up rendering time over the life of a project, Lincoln Ellis, Graphisoft.com, November 2003

How to Make Custom Windows in ArchiCAD - tips on creating your own total custom windows, round tops, sloped head, sill, etc., David Pacifico, Graphisoft.com, November 2003

Dinner Setting for Four - Module 1 - Table - TurboCAD tutorial is designed to guide the beginner through a series of developmental modules, Donald B. Cheke, Textual Creations, December 12, 2003 (pdf)

Working Smarter With Computers - researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have launched a research project aimed at helping computer users uncover programming errors early on, Dawn Marie Woodward, KVAL-TV, December 16, 2003

Terrain Models in Land Desktop - explores the advantages of building accurate terrain models and how to make them worth the effort, Brian Morse, CADdigest.com, December 12, 2003

Making Parts Lists More Intelligent - Autodesk Inventor tips, Andrew de Leon, Multi-CAD Magazine (hosted on Envision Solutions website), November 2003

Autodesk Inventor - Assembly Mirroring in Inventor 8 - streaming tech tip demonstrates the new Assembly Mirroring capability of Inventor 8, Mike Ikenberry, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Autodesk Inventor Continues Strong Sales - commentary on Autodesk's recent press release that celebrated a milestone in reaching the quarter-million Inventor user mark in four years - three years less than it took SolidWorks to reach the same mark, Martyn Day and W. Bradley Holtz, CADwire.net, December 10, 2003

VIZ Render - Clean Your Renderings - streaming tip illustrates a few different ways to clean up your renderings, Joe Eichenseer, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Architectural Desktop - Window Assemblies and Curtain Walls - streaming shows how window assemblies can be transferred to a curtain wall, Joe Eichenseer, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Offset Options in ArchiCAD - tutorial explores the use of various tools, J.T. Burk, CADdigest.com, December 11, 2003

AutoCAD - Using Redlining with AutoCAD - streaming tip shows how redlines or mark-ups are created and how to access them from AutoCAD 2004, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Raster Design - Create a Symbol Library - AutoCAD streaming tip explains how to create a Symbol Library for Raster Design, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Creating Custom Weldment Profiles - SolidWorks tutorial explains how to add to supplied profiles, Josh Altergott, CATI Technical Newsletter, December 2003

Land Desktop - Store Shapes with the Parcel Manager - streaming tip explores the tool to store a shape such as a building footprint or fence line, Avatech Solutions, December 11, 2003

Think Outside of the Square - begun as an AutoCAD services company in 1989 with four employees, Hawaii-based HONCAD now boasts a staff of 24 and projects gross sales of $10 million in 2003, David K. Choo, Hawaii Business, December 2003

Project Lifecycle Management: A Commentary - Autodesk's vision of PLM contains the middle part of the lifecycle (design, build and manage) but appears to ignore the conceptual idea of the beginning and what to do at the end of the lifecycle, Hal Reid, Directions Magazine, December 10, 2003

Firms Scrambling to Capture Share of Burgeoning China Tech Market - Autodesk is focusing on China as a key location for product development after opening a research and development center in Shanghai earlier this year, Alexei Oreskovic, New York Lawyer, December 10, 2003

CAD, GIS Integration: Why Would You Want to Do This Anyway? - merging CAD and GIS information could prove useful to both facilities management and emergency management, Hal Reid, Directions Magazine, December 10, 2003

Bentley and Adobe Webcast Recording Now Available - register to listen to the December 4 webcast in which Bentley and Adobe outlined their initiative to optimize PDF for the AEC industry, Bentley.com, December 10, 2003

Sectioning Solids - VectorWorks tutorial covers the basics of sectioning solids by creating a mallet head, CADdigest, December 9, 2003

AutoCAD 2004 Tips - large collection of tips and tricks, AugAfrica (AutoCAD Users Group Africa), December 9, 2003

Script Files - MicroStation tips on importing coordinate points, MicroStation Digest, December 4, 2003

TurboCAD V8 Standard - Dice Tutorial - provides a model for the beginner that demonstrates some techniques not available in the help files and also offers a solid stepping stone for further experimentation (zipped pdf file)

Plugging Into Tombstone Productivity - customized CAD/CAM software helps a machine tool builder maximize the output of its horizontal machining centers, Mark Albert, MMS Online, December 15, 2003

Viennese Whirl - CFD software has been used to improve upon a  revolutionary propeller design first introduced some 80 years ago by a Viennese inventor, Jon Excell, e4engineering, December 4, 2003

Tips on Managing AutoCAD Using S-MAN Tools - tips on achieving consistency and predictability in adapting the processes employed by your staff with the new capabilities of CAD software, Barrie Mathews, Softco Engineering Systems December 8, 2003

2003 Pro/E Salary Survey - no major change from last year's  numbers: typical respondent is a married male 26 to 35 with 5 years of Pro/E experience, earns $58,000 per year, enjoys the challenge of the job and is positive about job security, Jason Turk, ProfilesMagazine, Winter 2003

Work Smarter, Not Harder - Pro/ENGINEER techniques to help you be more productive when modeling high feature-count models, Ron Grabau, ProfilesMagazine, Winter 2003

Linking Model Notes and Parameters to Display Family Table Instance Information - Pro/E tip on combining model parameters and dimensions into a single note that will then be displayed in parts as well as drawing tables, Jim Wehner, ProfilesMagazine, Winter 2003

A Trim and Extend Trick - AutoCAD tip, PostalCAD, December 1, 2003

Using the Magic Wand to Automatically Trace Elements - ArchiCAD tutorial looks at several different applications of the Magic Wand Tool, which is useful for automatically tracing elements, Jon Sage, CADdigest.com, December 4, 2003

Autodesk Ships AutoCAD Revit Series - the new Revit Series appears to have been devised to allow existing customers to cross-grade to Revit, while being able to keep hold of their AutoCAD licenses, Martyn Day, CADwire.net, December 1, 2003

Sketching In Space - 3D cyber-stylus enables the free-hand sketching of objects inside a virtual space, Jan Libbenga, The Register, December 4, 2004

How Does Your Fluid Flow? - 30 years ago, CFD was mostly an academic tool, but now doctors and engineers wonder how they lived without it, Jean Thilmany, Mechanical Engineering, December 2003

CFD Shortens Fan Design Time - the time to design industrial fans was cut by one-third by using the computational fluids dynamics tools,  CFX-BladeGen, CFX-TurboGrid, CFX-TASCflow, Chris Robinson and Peter Came, CFD Review, December 4, 2003

3-D Printer Makes Models Using Inkjet Technology - device, unique in western Canada, pricey, time-consuming, Michael McCullough, Vancouver Sun, December 4, 2003

TurboCAD V8 Standard - Understanding Symbols - tutorial is designed to help the beginner understand the use of symbols - how to create, store, view, name, rename and delete them, Donald B. Cheke, Textual Creations, December 2, 2003 (pdf)

Make Your Own 3D Models - a technology called rapid prototyping could make molecular modeling dreams come true, Melody Voith, Chemical and Engineering News, December 2, 2003

More Tips and Tricks - Autodesk VIZ tips, Ted Boardman, CGarchitect, December 2003

MicroStation V8.5 Release Candidate 1 Is Posted - discusses what's new in the latest update, Marc Thomas, benleyuser.org, December 2003

TurboCAD V8 Standard Revolve - A Beginner's Guide - tutorial for the beginner that  illustrates the process involved in creating screws and bolts, Donald B. Cheke, Textual Creations, December 2, 2003 (pdf)