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Due to popular demand, and to tie in with the CADsmart Cutting Edge CAD Management conference, EatyourCAD will be hosting a unique, one-off training day of organisational skills and inspirational thinking specifically designed for CAD Managers. The day’s training will be given by business performance coach,

The UK CAD Managers Survey 2008 is now live! The UK Architectural, Engineering & Construction CAD Manager's Survey 2008 is the fourth annual survey that aims to compare the roles performed by CAD and Technology Managers in the UK construction industry. Topics covered include role...

Transitioning to building information modeling requires much more than a change in software.

See Answer to the tip: (ACAD2008,ACAD)

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Deelip Menezes launches IntelliCAD.net as a social forum -- IntelliCAD users gathering to aid each other. 

The forum section has these categories:

• General topics of discussion on IntelliCAD
• Wish List
• Bug Reports, Improvements, Suggestions, etc.
• I Need Help
• Customization (DRX plug-ins, SDS DLLs, LISP programs, scripts, etc.)

All that hype and now in the coldest, darkest days of August (the current weather here on the west coast of Canada -- where is The Goracle's global warming when you really need it?) Siemens PLM Systems is finally shipping Solid Edge with synchronous technology. (The other nine language groups need to wait until September.)

You can try out the software for free by ordering the DVD from Siemens here. Or maybe not:

You may qualify for a completely FREE 30 day Evaluation of the FULL Solid Edge product. The evaluation software will be hand-delivered by a highly qualified Siemens representative or Solid Edge certified channel partner who will ensure the software is loaded and operating correctly. 

So no trying out things on your own.

Mid Continent MicroStation Community Summer Conference Overland Park, Kansas August 26-27, 2008 Registration is now open! Here are just a few reasons to attend this year's conference: • Interesting and informative sessions on MicroStation, including MicroStation V8 and the latest, MicroStation V8 XM Edition • The latest information on the current MicroStation, GE...

Table of contents for Four T's of CAD

1. Four T’s of CAD
2. First “T” of CAD - Tools
3. Second “T” of CAD - Talent
4. Third “T” of CAD - Technology

Tools - Talent - Technology - Training

These four T’s can be used to define your efforts in you job. Combine these four and you get a balanced approach to CAD.

Turning now to the technology of CAD

Technology is your approach to using the tools and the talent. Who gets to use what? What mix can they have? When do they select the tools? When do you push toward the next great tech tool.

In the Tools post we talked about selecting individual tools.  Now we will turn to the mix of tools that you have and how you effectively blend that mix.

If you are like most firms, you have several tools that you use.  Some of them are focused on one area and doing one function.  Some are broader and can be used for just about everything.  Your selection of what tool to use for what job falls under your use of technology.

Merriam-Webster defines technology as “a manner of accomplishing a task especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge”.  Within this definition is the concept of what processes and methods and tools you use.

The CAD Manager is in a perfect position to suggest how best to use the tools.  What tools are used for early conceptual design?  What ones are best suited for rendering?  Which ones do the best at producing hardcopy output?  Some of the tools overlap.  They do multiple phases of work.

Defining the mix of tools allows the end user to not have to struggle through selecting them themselves. You should have a preferred selection of which on to use for each step.  Make a list of all the software and what phases of work it can cover.  Then select the preferred one for each phase.  Seek to have everyone use the preferred tool.

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If you want to keep in touch with AUGI at Autodesk University 2008:

• Join the AUGI Group on AU Connect by clicking here:   
• If you use Twitter join:  

* And say Hi to Mike, who prompted this post, for me

A few days with my feed disabled, to trace a fault, showed how many of you already use a feed reader. The drop-off in readers was very apparent in the statistics, so thanks for subscribing and coming back!

However, feeds & readers are still a mystery to many but Common Craft's one minute guide to Google Reader explains it all. If you're reading the same web sites frequently without using a reader watch this video, get a reader, then subscribe to this feed

See Answer to the tip: (ACAD,LT)

[[ this is only a preview of a tip - for all CAD tips, block libraries and discussion visit www.cadforum.cz ]]

A rousing discussion of angry users over at Matt Writes and most other independent SolidWorks blogs on the subject of DS SolidWorks charging hundreds of dollars for skipping a year of subscription/maintenance services. For example, skip two years and the cost to resubscribe is, Matt Lombard calculates:

$1,700 + 2*(annual subscription)

Annual subscription fees are something that users feel just as helpless over as the end-user license agreements forced by software companies on end-users without mutual agreement.

In particular, read the train-wreck of a response from DS SolidWorks' vp of customer services:

It costs [Dassault Systemes] SolidWorks money to continue to provide subscription-level support to people who aren’t paying for it. 

Eh? DS SoidWorks is charging more for those people who aren't paying for support, because of the cost of supporting them. The logic makes my head hurt.

There must be a problem with DS SolidWorks customer tracking software if they find themselves supporting people who don't paid for it.

Of course, this has nothing to do with subscriptions (or lack thereof) but a means of increasing the all-important ASP [average selling price] to satisfy Wall Street.

Via Steve, I learnt of a new'ish Aussie based BIM Blog. Judging from the content there already, Michelle Louw's* take on the meaning of BIM is well worth following. Subscribed!

BIM BOOM BAM - bimboombam.wordpress.com

Welcome to my blog page and I encourage you to use this and other forums to begin to challenge our understanding of BIM (Building Information Modelling) to move beyond 3d modelling, automated drawings and some sexy schedules or dare I mention the promise of the golden egg… “ODBC”

* I didn't attend, but remember seeing Michelle was a speaker at RTC 2008

Company plans to expand professional services for structural engineering and plant application users in North America.

Engineers can present data from different design solutions side-by-side.

Turn layers on and off, or lock them on the fly to suit your various needs.

CADKEY is a name that stretches as far back as AutoCAD and VersaCAD, yet got dropped when Kubotek bought out CADKEY the company, renaming the software "KeyCreator." But this week, it's b-a-c-k due to popular demand.

Kubotek has introduced back to the marketplace a wireframe version of the familiar CADKEY workhorse environment for customers to purchase at an attractive price of $695. [$495 until the end of the year.]

A CAD package with a long history needs a long name: CADKEY Wireframe Silver Edition.

I am officially on week three of my sabbatical and it is all spinning away much too quickly!  Believe it or not there is a blog completely dedicated to people on sabbatical called YourSabbatical.com and they asked me if they could link to my blog...how cool is that?  Now does that mean I need to have some type of epiphany while I am on sabbatical in order to remain worthy of their website?  I guess I'd better get going on the "epiphany hunt"...Click here to see my blog referenced on their site as seen below.

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Matching Dimension Scales:

If you've ever wandered into someone elses drawing where they used multiple dimension scales  you may have found yourself doing a little trial and error to create a new dimension that matched up with an existing one.  Quickly find the dimension scale of an existing dimension by selecting the dimension, going into Properties and you will find the option "Dim scale overall" in the Fit section (okay...not intuitively obvious).

 

So there is your Hip Tip to kick off your week! 

See Answer to the tip: (ACAD)

[[ this is only a preview of a tip - for all CAD tips, block libraries and discussion visit www.cadforum.cz ]]

Table of contents for Four T's of CAD

1. Four T’s of CAD
2. First “T” of CAD - Tools
3. Second “T” of CAD - Talent

Tools - Talent - Technology - Training

These four T’s can be used to define your efforts in you job. Combine these four and you get a balanced approach to CAD.

Now let’s look at Talent

Talent relates to who is using the tools. Do they have a gut level understanding of how they are used? Do they get it? Do they push the limits?

The Talent that comes to your firm is you raw material.  The actual personal make up of the person that is using CAD.  This is not training, not a learned response, not a list of steps followed.  I am talking about the ability of your team to “get it”.

Dictionary.com defines talent as:

1. a special natural ability or aptitude
2. a capacity for achievement or success; ability

This is the innate natural ability to understand or figure out CAD and BIM tools.  You do not learn it - you appear to be born with it.  Talent can be enhanced by learning, but there is a internal aptitide that is there waiting to come out.

People with talent are a smaller percentage than some would wish.  Some think that every person can be and do the same way.  This is not true with CAD and you don’t have to look very far to see it in action.  I bet you can rank your users by their ability to use CAD.  I am sure that some will rise to the top and others will fall toward the bottom of the list.

Talent is what sets some users apart from others.  They just seem to figure things out. They can see through the difficulties and find answers.  They seem to be a step ahead of others.  They approach technology without fear.

These users are your best bet for enlisting for assistance.  Get them on your team and you stand a better chance of success.

Spotting Talent:

The CAD Manager needs to hone their skill of spotting talent. By keeping your eyes and ears open, you will improve your speed at finding the ones that have that special spark.  Listen to the questions people ask. Look for the ones that are asking questions beyond the process and procedure level.  Talented people will ask “why” and not just “how”.  Keep your eyes out for who is being sought out by others as the go to person.  These are the ones that have the talent you need.

Attracting Talent:

Spotting talent is not enough.  You have to attract talented people.  You do this by having an environment that provides the raw materials of CAD and the space to mix these materials in the lab.  You set up an environment of learning and sharing.  You do it by hosting user meetings at your offices and invite in those outside.  You share your knowledge with the industry this way and others will want to join your firm.

Talent is what makes your team shine.  Nurture those with talent and they will help you make progress.

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