new Connection Extension for Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010

Autodesk has released a new Connection Extension for Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 for subscription customers.

“Features and Benefits" (from the product information)

Enhanced interoperability with CAD packages – Bring solid models from many of your favorite CAD packages into 3ds Max Design 2010 for visual enhancement or conceptual design and export them back as solids when you’re done. A new high-fidelity SAT data translator helps make it easier to move solids-based data between 3ds Max Design and Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® Inventor® Professional, or certain third-party CAD products without translating to polygons.

Extensive connectivity with Google™ SketchUp™ modeling software – A powerful new SKP file translator enables you to bring SketchUp scenes into 3ds Max Design with minimal effort and get straight to work rendering or enhancing the visuals. Also, 3ds Max Design can now read numerous free models from the 3D Warehouse section of the Google website.

Streamlined compositing with OpenEXR - Create professional-quality cinematic narratives. A rewritten OpenEXR translator makes it easier to work with compositing applications, enabling you to blend computer graphics (CG) animation with live action footage.

Intelligent workflows – Help save time and avoid costly geometry clean-up work with new, more effective workflows for dealing with complex scenes.”

2009 UI in 2010

If you wish that you could use the 2009 UI in 2010, here is the solution for you:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13126336&linkID=9243099

Revit Support for the Mac

Autodesk Expands Support for Mac Users

Autodesk is expanding assistance for Macintosh® users by adding support for Boot Camp for select products in addition to offering native Mac OS products.

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The good news to Mac users is that you can now get official support if you are running certain Autodesk products like Revit via Bootcamp on a Mac.

Changing the File Association of Revit files

From The Revit Clinic

If you have multiple versions of Revit on your system and you open files by double-clicking on them in Windows Explorer, you may find that Revit doesn't launch the version you want it to. If you have trouble with this, please try the following:

This example will set .RVT files to open with Revit Structure 2010.

Go to the Control Panel > Folder Options.
In the Folder Options dialog, click the File Types tab.
Scroll down to the RVT file type. In the bottom pane, click the Advanced button (if you've already made changes, click Restore, then the Advanced button will appear).
In the Edit File Type dialog, click New.
Under Action, type Open with Revit Structure 2010.
In the Application used to perform action field, type "C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\Program\Revit.exe" "%1".
Click OK to exit the dialogs.

Building Skills with Skill Builders

This post is from The Revit Clinic

A friend of mine responsible for coming up with Revit Architecture tutorials asked me to announce some new tutorials that are available for everyone to download.

The User Assistance team for Revit Architecture has recently released the first of the Skill Builders for Revit Architecture 2010. The first skill builder is a tutorial covering the Conceptual Design Environment (new massing) in Revit 2010. The tutorial is a series of 6 short animations covering topics of making forms and applying parameters to them and creating panels which can be applied to your conceptual forms. The Conceptual Design Skill Builder can be downloaded from the flowing location, or accessed from inside of Revit Architecture via the InfoCenter.

Skill Builders: Conceptual Design

The Skill Builders give the User Assistance team the opportunity to deliver updated content on a regular basis. The traditional tutorials shipped with Revit give users a great foundation to start using Revit as soon as possible while the Skill Builders will expand on that base of knowledge and explore more specific topics in depth.

The User Assistance team is always looking for user feedback so let us know what you think of our first Skill Builder and what topics you might like to see covered in future Skill Builders. So please comment with your feedback and thoughts about other tutorials you would like to see.