The AutoCAD 2009 group of software was recently announced by AutoDesk Inc. This was done at AutoDesk’s yearly “World Press Days” event. The software announced includes AutoCAD 2009, the new version of the premiere software application for 2d and 3d design, technical drawings and conceptual design, drafting as well as detailing. AutoDesk is the leading company for the development of 2D&3D design software for use by the building and construction, manufacturing, entertainment and media markets. They are the makers of AutoCAD software and various other software tools.

The latest release of AutoCAD has many user interface enhancements to help AutoCAD users develop great design ideas and create compelling presentations. The modern Task-based User Interface of AutoCAD 2009 is intended to improve the efficiency and ease of Design and Drafting. It allows new and expert AutoCAD users to attain higher efficiency. The latest version also has automation tools, which do not require any programming knowledge. There are also new 3D navigation tools. The company says that this line of software will increase the efficiency and productivity of expert users and also will allow beginners to become productive rapidly.

New features and tools

AutoCAD software Integrates drawing and visualization and speeds up tasks. All the updates to each software in the AutoCAD 2009 group of software make routine CAD tasks quicker and make it a lot easier too find the less-common commands. AutoCAD 2009 software has a new ribbon interface which gives users the ability to see operations, which are pertinent to the workspace at hand in one compact place. The new interface is highly customizable and extensible and allows an easy transition from older versions of AutoCAD software. There is also a “classic workspace” option, which provides a conventional toolbar & menu interface. There are also other useful tools like enhanced tool tips that provide much more information on various commands, help and documentation links and “Show Me” animations for guidance. Relevant information is displayed quickly and in a visual manner, thanks to the menu browser, quick properties and quick view.

Apart from various user interface enhancements, there are some exciting new features, which include

1] The Action Recorder, which streamlines drafting tasks It does this by allowing a user to automate drafting tasks with no software programming. .

2] A modeless layer manager which lets a user view any changes to the layer settings without having to leave the Layer Manager.

3] 3D navigation is greatly improved in autoCAD2009, thanks to the new SteeringWheels and ViewCube tools. .

4] AutoCAD 2009 software has been certified for the 32/64 bit Windows Vista operating systems. Microsoft Vista standards for reliability, compatibility and security are met. .

A wide variety of software for many different fields

The family of software includes the AutoCAD 2009 range of Industry-specific applications, which are based on AutoCAD technology. Let’s take a look at the many diverse software in the AutoCAD 2009 family, in their glorious 2009 versions. .

1] AutoCAD Architecture 2009, which has tools for architectural design and drawing within a well-known AutoCAD workflow
2] AutoCAD Civil 3D software gives better surveying, design, construction documentation and analysis for civil engineering within a well-known AutoCAD workflow.
3] AutoCAD Electrical is software to design electrical controls systems in a fast and accurate manner with automated tasks, comprehensive symbol libraries, plus an electrical-specific workflow intended to aid controls engineers.
4] AutoCAD P&ID 2009 is a software for users to create, manage and modify piping and instrumentation diagrams. It gets user interface enhancements to help automate the regular tasks and streamline information access in a way that projects can be started easier, carried out better and finished quickly.
5] AutoCAD Raster Design is used with various AutoCAD 2009 software applications to provide raster editing, raster data preparation abilities and raster-to-vector conversion, which add to the value of maps, scanned drawings and satellite imagery.
6] AutoCAD LT 2009, the best-selling 2D drafting application has new software features incorporated which are intended to better the productivity of drafting tasks. These include user interface enhancements, streamlined annotation features, improved dynamic blocks plus improved publishing and data exchange abilities.
7] AutoCAD Map 3D acts as a bridge between geospatial information systems (GIS) and CAD information and provides direct access to all data. It also enables the utilization of the latest AutoCAD software tools to maintain a wide range of geospatial and design information.
8] AutoCAD Mechanical 2009, which is intended to speed up the mechanical design process It has standards-based symbol libraries, engineering calculators plus a mechanical-specific workflow developed to greatly improve productivity and efficiency of AutoCAD users in manufacturing field.
9] AutoCAD MEP 2009 is the AutoCAD software intended for MEP businesses [mechanical, electrical, plumbing]. It has intuitive system drawing and design tools as well as inbuilt design calculators to help create more efficient and accurate designs.
10] AutoDesk Design Review is software that can be downloaded for free at http://www.autodesk.com/designreview-download. It also ships with all AutoDesk design software. It allows members of a team to take part in every digital review process and provides them various tools to view, revise and mark up designs electronically.
11] AutoDesk Impression illustration software, which can be used to create presentation-ready graphics, is provided to subscription customers of AUTOCAD 2009. It enables users to create presentation-ready graphics quickly and easily. These graphics have a hand drawn look and can be created directly from AutoCAD .dwf and .dwg files. With this Impression functionality added to the AutoCAD set of features, an AutoCAD subscription customer can create excellent images and share them with clients as well as members of their design team.

You can get more details and examine various purchasing options for all these software at http://www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions

Making the process of Building Design faster and easier

Autodesk highlighted how architects are adopting its design software, 3ds Max Design for 3D visualization and its Architecture software, Revit for BIM (building information modeling), at the recent VisMasters Conference. According to the company, around 300,000 designers, engineers and architects are using Revit platform for building information modeling.

3ds Max Design, the most recent version of the 3D graphics application 3ds Max is a product from Autodesk specifically designed to meet the needs of designers and architects. It runs exclusively on windows and possesses a highly flexible plug-in architecture plus strong modeling capabilities. It is widely used by architects and allows them to create everything from initial concept models to presentations that are fully animated and of cinematic quality, which allow them to creatively visualize and communicate their designs. Among its notable features are Exposure, a potent lighting analysis and simulation technology and Reveal, an iterative rendering technology which allows quick feedback and completed renderings

Revit Architecture is a windows based architectural BIM software that allows users to utilize parametric modeling & drafting elements in their design. BIM permits intelligent, parametric and 3d object-based design. A single file database, which multiple users can share among themselves, Revit Architecture helps keep the whole team’s work coordinated, free of clashes and errors. All views are automatically updated when a change is made anywhere, so documentation and designs are always complete and consistent. A building’s entire life cycle is contained in a BIM model, from concept and construction to its decommissioning. Revit’s relational database architecture or parametric change engine, as the company calls it makes this possible. Specially built for the purpose of building information modeling, Revit Architecture software helps to maintain all design information complete, free of errors and fully coordinated.

Working together

3ds Max Design has a new FBX-based scene-loading technology called Recognize, which allows the import of geometry, materials, cameras and lights from Revit scenes to Autodesk 3ds Max Design, in a quick and accurate manner. This makes it much easier to enhance visual BIM (Building information modeling) data. Moreover, the tools SteeringWheels and ViewCube strengthen interoperability across all Autodesk 3d products.

A potent combination

3ds Max Design plus Revit Architecture is a potent combination that enables designers to best utilize the power and capabilities of BIM over all their processes. When teamed together, 3ds Max design and Revit architecture allow users to easily aggregate additional scene elements, add special effects or animate objects and also offer advanced modeling and texturing tools for fast iterations of rendered images.

3ds Max may be used in the initial stages of a project for conceptual and pre-schematic design. Various aspects of a drawing set can then be produced in Revit Architecture, also including construction documents and design documents. 3ds Max can be later utilized to obtain photo real renderings that can be utilized to market projects effectively. The Revit model can be used for construction coordination. The daily presence of the architect firm on-site will be useful to ease the use of this model.

Much of an architect’s work depends on deliverables. The usage of Revit Architecture along with 3ds Max design reduces the effort and time and effort, which goes into a project’s various aspects. You can easily manage a drawing set utilizing Revit Architecture, because the software makes it easier for architects, by allowing them to focus more on a building, while worrying less about other issues. 3ds Max design gives the architects the ability to speedily and loosely model as well as render various building elements throughout the process of design. The usage of Revit Architecture along with 3ds Max on projects allows firms to test and analyze a variety of design options in a fast and easy manner. Referenced linked files and grouped components can be used widely for every modular unit in both Revit Architecture as well as 3ds Max design. This lets an architect update the model and make design changes, in a very short time period.

The conventional 2D drafting views and shaded 3D camera views of Revit Architecture can be used alongside extremely detailed photorealistic renderings made in 3ds Max to communicate design ideas for a project more effectively. When the time comes to go from conceptual digital sketches to high resolution photorealistic images for marketing purposes, high quality material can be provided in a very short period of time, which will leave clients highly impressed.

Thus, the two software’s complement each other well. Autodesk has taken steps to improve the interoperability between these two and is sure to introduce further enhancements in this direction. So 3ds Max Design & Revit Architecture is a useful combination for an architect.

uildings can be made out of various materials and the materials used to fabricate the building have a direct effect on the stability of the building. Many developers are now choosing to use steel frames as the structural support for their buildings. There are many advantages to using steel to produce the frame of the building, especially if the building is expected to stand for a long period of time. One of the major advantages of using steel for the frame of the building is the stability that the steel lends to the building. So just how stable are steel frame buildings?Using steel to create the frame of the building will result in a building that is exceptionally stable. Steel is considered a superior construction material and the proper use of steel for building the frame of the building will produce a building frame that exceeds all building codes. Out of all of the possible building materials, steel has the highest strength to weight ratio, resulting in a building frame that will not warp or crack. It is also resistant to expansion and contraction due to changes in the weather, which helps ensure that the materials used to create the rest of the building will not crack or buckle. The properties of the steel make the frame of the building very strong, resulting in a building that is very stable.

Whether the building is a house or a skyscraper, using steel for the frame of the building should be considered. The numerous advantages of using steel for the building frame greatly outweigh the additional cost of using steel in the construction. Steel frame buildings require less maintenance in the long run and the structure ages more slowly than structures made of other building materials. Because the material is inorganic, it will not split, crack, or warp. It is also invulnerable to the ravages that are produced by termites, fungi, or rotting. These qualities help make buildings with steel frames some of the sturdiest buildings available.

The strength of steel allows developers using the material for building frames to ensure that the walls of the structure are straight and the corners of the building are square. Steel will not bow when great amounts of weight are placed on top of it and will not shift during construction. Because the beams used to create the frame will stay in place through virtually any circumstance, the doors and windows installed in the building should close properly for the life of the building. Steel is also lighter than other types of framing materials making it easier for developers to use.

There are many advantages to using steel for building frames and many individuals consider steel to be the best building material for the job. The increased stability of the building will save the owner money over time, offsetting the initial higher cost of using steel in the construction of the building. Steel frame buildings are some of the sturdiest and strongest around, which is the main reason why they are so popular with builders today.

As a person who resides in the Pacific Northwest of the United States I get to observe the timber industry in action. Harvesting timber takes a lot time, heavy equipment, and now also involves a lot of taxation, and red tape. Hence the high cost. Building with lumber is always a pleasure, but the current high cost can be constraining. If you’ve ever drove a truck load of 2×4’s out the parking lot of your local home improvement superstore you know what I’m talking about. I once spent $1700 at The Home Depot for the lumber, drywall, doors, and insulation to build an 10 ft long wall and a vestibule. I could of purchased a nice 40 ft steel container for less.Ah, but that was the late 90’s. Most of us are more careful with our money these days. Taxes, restrictions, and the current U.S. ban on Canadian softwood imports has caused lumber prices to jump up and sock the weekend builder in the eye.