moiré

A major component of any effective design process is the overlay of multiple layers of information, requirements, systems, analysis and meaning. The emergent complexity of this overlay, the patterns, the moiré.. that's where design gets interesting.

20090513

Watch your license usage

For better or worse, nearly all Autodesk programs use Macrovision's FlexLM licensing system.
Sam Report is ok, but if you want to really watch usage, Here's a tool that provides a graphical interface.

FLEXlm License Statistics 2.3

20090320

Wall Panelization for Revit Structure


This is really nice looking! - : A Metal and Wood Framing module for Revit. Great features, includes built-in QTO, and even CNC output for framing fabrication.

20090306

i7 XEON version - Apple's first

Apple is selling new Mac Pro desktops with the new i7 XEON chip. This should be good! Looks like they're the first - also mentioned on Develop 3D.

The power of Xeon muliticores + Hyperthreading + i7's memory throughput.. should be wonderful for 3D work. Revit has typically not run very well on XEON cores. I wonder if this will change with the Nehalem architecture...

20090304

An argument for keyboard commands

Many pieces of software today are going to great lengths to improve the GUI... ribbon bars, Right-Click menus, etc.

That may be nice, especially for new users and people who don't understand computers, but we shouldn't forget the power of keyboard shortcuts.

If I assume I never let go of the mouse because I'm using a CAD or Drawing-type application, and I'm not using anything fancy like a 3D mouse in the left hand, that leaves my left hand resting on the keyboard and ready to instantly start commands.

For keys in Home Row, you can create

560 3-key combinations
120 2-key combinations
016 1-key combinations

696 total commands

this is for the following keys

qwert
asdfg
zxcvb
[Space] (16)

Back in the day I had a killer PGP file for AutoCAD that leveraged about 200 of those options to make me really, really fast. Only 50 of them were used very often, and I still remember them, they're so embedded now. Too many programs now take away my screen space for icons and forget that a daily user will eventually be able to memorize a few shortcuts and be much more efficient than a mouse-clicker.

20090303

Revit Content for sale

A new company called Andekan provides Revit content at a price from SF, CA.

What percentage of your projects are completed in Revit?

What Percentage of your projects are 100% Revit, No other CAD drafting involved?

What is the ratio of design professionals to Revit seats in your office?

Which of the following are true? (Check All that Apply.)

What is the average square footage of a project in your office?

What's your SQft-Per-Revit user average?