Revit to Inventor and Back again

Interesting YouTube video from Autodesk Technical Evangelist Rob Cohee on taking a Revit Architecture model to Inventor and back again to Revit.

Win a FREE pass to Autodesk Univeristy 2009

From au.autodesk.com

The Autodesk University 2009 YouTube Contest

Contest Overview

The Autodesk University 2009 YouTube Contest is your chance to win one of (3) Three AU 2009 Las Vegas 3-Day, All-Inclusive Passes (Includes conference, classes and hands-on labs, hotel, meals, and social events).

HOW TO ENTER:

Create and upload a Video Response to the YouTube Video Reasons to Attend Autodesk University. In your video, tell us why you want to attend AU 2009 Las Vegas.

WINNER SELECTION:

On October 12th, 2009 the (5) Five top viewed Video Responses will be posted to AU's Facebook Fan Page. AU Facebook Fans will then vote for their favorite videos by utilizing the "Like" action.

On October 16th, 2009 the individuals with the (3) Three highest number of "Likes" will be declared the winners. Each winning contestant will receive an AU 2009 Las Vegas 3-Day, All-Inclusive Pass.

The more creative and entertaining your entry, the more likely you are to win! Please read the Official Rules section below for additional details and eligibility requriements. To vote for your favorite video submissions be sure to become a Fan of AU on Facebook. Follow AU on Twitter for real time updates and contest announcements.

Official Rules

1. ELIGIBILITY: No purchase necessary. In accordance and compliance with these Official Contest Rules ("Rules"), this contest (“Contest”) is open to individuals who are legal residents of the United States and Canada, including Hawaii and Alaska, 18 years of age or older at the time of entry, but excluding Florida, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and the Province of Quebec; and who register for and submit entries between August 26, 2009 and October 12, 2009. Employees of Autodesk, Inc. (“Sponsor”), Autodesk Canada Co., their partners, their suppliers and respective advertising and promotional agencies, members of their household, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of winner. U.S. and California law govern this contest.

2. ENTRY: The AU 2009 Las Vegas YouTube Contest begins at 10:30AM Pacific (U.S.) on August 26, 2009 and ends at 12:00AM Pacific Time (U.S.) on October 16, 2009. To enter the Contest, record and upload a video response to the AU YouTube Channel Video, “Reasons to Attend Autodesk University” . All entries must be submitted via YouTube using the “Video Response” feature on the above noted web page. Submitting a video as noted above constitutes acknowledgement that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions of the Contest as described in these Rules. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. MULTIPLE ENTRIES MAY DISQUALIFY ALL YOUR ENTRIES. ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED, AND THE COMPLETED ENTRY VIDEO SHALL BE THE PROPERTY OF SPONSOR. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for lost, late, stolen, damaged, misdirected, illegible, incomplete, or mutilated entries or other errors, regardless of cause. Entries are deemed made upon their acceptance by authorized Sponsor personnel. The Sponsor reserves the right to reject any video entries that are deemed to be unsuitable or that violate YouTube’s posted community guidelines: http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines . All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned to entrant. An eligible entrant must enter via the method described above. By entering, entrants acknowledge compliance with the Rules, including all eligibility requirements. Sponsor and its affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, advertising, and promotion agencies are not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate transcription of entry information, human error, or technical malfunctions, related to or resulting from any materials in this drawing or any other error or malfunction. Any liability of the above persons for any special, incidental, or consequential damages howsoever caused whether in statute, contract, or in tort arising out of this Contest is expressly disclaimed by you and excluded. Entrant further agrees that any and all claims, disputes or actions arising out of or connected with this contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to class action, exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Marin County, California. Entry materials that have been tampered with or altered are void.

3. WINNER’S SELECTION: The winning Prizes entries will be selected as follows:

Winners Announced October 16, 2009: The (5) Five top viewed video submissions as of 12PM Pacific Time on October 12, 2009 will be posted to the AU Facebook Fan Page. http://www.autodesk.com/au_facebook AU Facebook Fans will vote for their favorite video using the “Like” function. The individuals who have submitted the three videos receiving the highest number of “Likes” by 12AM Pacific Time on October 16, 2009 will be declared the winners.

The Prize winners will be selected on the dates noted above and the prizes will be awarded. Winners need not be present to win. The winners will be notified via YouTube message and Facebook Fan Page Wall Post within two (2) days of selection. Sponsor will oversee all submitted entries and shall make final decisions as to eligibility of entries. It is Autodesk policy to assist government employees in meeting their obligations under their Standards of Ethical Conduct and that any gift received or won in violation of those rules should be returned at Autodesk’s expense or destroyed.

4. PRIZES: The Prizes for the Contest consists of the following: One (1) AU 2009 Las Vegas 3-Day, All-Inclusive Pass (Includes conference, classes and hands-on labs, hotel, meals, and social events. Check in Monday, November 30, 2009. Check out Friday, December 4, 2009). Sponsors will award one prize to 3 individual winners. Unless otherwise noted herein, no substitution or transfer of prize or cash equivalent is permitted. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any Prize with another prize of equal or greater value if advertised Prize is not available. Return of any prize notification as undeliverable may result in the disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Winner agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Autodesk, Inc., its affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, and advertising agencies from and against any/all loss/injury/damages now and in the future as a result of acceptance, use/misuse of any prize and/or participation in this Contest.

5. GENERAL CONDITIONS: All entrants agree to abide by the terms of these Rules and by the decisions and selections of the Sponsor, which are final on all matters pertaining to the Contest. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Entrants further grant to Sponsor the right to use and publish their proper name and state of residence online and in print, or any other media, in connection with the Contest. Acceptance of a Prize constitutes permission for Sponsor, its advertising and promotional agencies to use winner's name and likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation unless prohibited by law.

6. CONDUCT: Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the game; to be acting in violation of the Rules; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. Entries may be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Autodesk, Inc., in the event that any attempt is made to subvert the letter and/or spirit of the Rules of this Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

7. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Decisions and selections made by Sponsor are final and binding with respect to this contest. Taxes, custom duties, fees and other expenses in connection with the prize are the sole responsibility of the winner. If, in the Sponsor's opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or other tampering with this promotion, or technical difficulties compromise the integrity of the sweepstakes, the Sponsor reserves the right to void any suspect entries and/or to modify or terminate this contest in whole or in part at any time without notice. CONTEST INFORMATION/PRIVACY: BY ENTERING THIS CONTEST ENTRANTS CONSENT AND GIVE SPONSOR THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCE, DISTRIBUTE, LICENSE, SELL, MARKET, AND OTHERWISE USE ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON ENTRANTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE REGISTRATION, FOR MARKETING PURPOSES OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES NOT PROHIBITED BY LAW. Entrants who opt to join the Sponsor's electronic mailing list agree to be contacted by email by Sponsor.

8. WINNER'S LIST: The name of the prize winners may be obtained after October 16, 2009 by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: John Kraft, Autodesk, Inc., 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, CA 94903. All requests must be received by October 30, 2009.

9. SPONSOR: Autodesk, Inc. is the Sponsor of this Contest and is located at 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, California 94903.

September User Group Meeting

For the next meeting (September 8th) of the Kansas City Revit User Group, Brian Myers from Seiler Instruments will be presenting:

Yes, you can do that in Revit

Topics include:
• Interesting families created in Revit and how they were created.
• Various modeling techniques to create designs you didn’t know were possible.
• Less talked about features in 2010.
• Optimizing the Revit project for best performance!
• Tips and Tricks

Here are some pics from the last meeting.

Friend's Trip to Alaska

Some of you might know Daniel Hurtubise. In addition to being a very talented BIM Manager / Consultant, he is also an awesome photographer. He recently traveled to Alaska to spend some time with the bears. Why, well he is Canadian. The link below will take you to some of the photos.

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/08/22/brownbears/

9-8 User Group Meeting Notice

KCRUG_Seiler Sept09 Invitation

Autodesk's show reel from Siggraph.

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.”

KC firm to design 'sport city' in Iraq - Kansas City Star

Congratulations to 360.

KC firm to design 'sport city' in Iraq - Kansas City Star

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Mid West CAD Technology Expo - 9/22

Mid-West CAD hosts a technology expo at Unity Villiage in Kansas City, MO. This year's event takes place on September 22.

www.mwcad.com/cadmidwest.pdf or, you can sign up via Autodesk here.

Texas adopts BIM capability for State Design and Construction Projects

Contact: Mike Blackwell, TFC Marketing and Communications Specialist (512) 463-4237/(512) 791-9189 Michael.blackwell@tfc.state.tx.us

Austin - The Texas Facilities Commission (TFC), the agency within the State of Texas that oversees the state’s real estate development as owners and operators of state facilities, today announces its adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for state design and construction projects. For over a year, the Facilities Design and Construction (FDC) division within TFC has diligently worked to standardize the use of BIM for its future projects. FDC is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of state facilities throughout Texas. Currently, FDC manages 125 projects valued over $500 million, in addition to maintaining the Facilities Master Plan. In an effort to promote workflow efficiency, streamline productivity and increase the return on investment for the State of Texas, FDC has adopted and encourages the use of BIM’s digital design technology.

This digital design technology, in the form of coordinated, data-rich BIM models, gives TFC and its architectural and engineering design professionals the ability to explore early design concepts in 3D, visually analyze and simulate projects before construction begins, help identify and reduce costly design conflicts, and work in a more collaborative way to produce a better, faster, and more cost-effective state building. After construction, the BIM model becomes an evolving, digital representation of the actual building that can be used throughout a building’s life to facilitate the sharing of coordinated, consistent data among TFC’s design and construction partners; as well as TFC divisions tasked to maintain energy efficiency and maintenance services.

“Modernization has always been a central theme of my administration at the Texas Facilities Commission, and the BIM implementation is another part of that effort,” said TFC Executive Director Edward L. Johnson. “Modernization of our business practices, modernization of our real estate strategy, modernizing building design and construction . . . a part of everything we do is making use of the most innovative, state-of-the-art developments in both the public and private sector. Three years ago we embarked on making the Texas Facilities Commission the most sophisticated and professional real estate management and building design and construction organization that exists in the public sector. Becoming a leader in Building Information Modeling is an important step in that direction.”

The BIM model and process is a powerful tool for an owner of any size; but due to the number and scale of the TFC’s building and renovation ventures and the varied nature of construction types, ranging from office buildings and hospitals/labs to deferred maintenance projects, the integrated process allows for better informed decision making for all involved. The BIM process helps architects, engineers, constructors, sub-contractors and vendors collaborate with an intelligent model, allowing them to visualize and simulate using precise data before any building material is purchased, brought to the site or erected. Further, by making BIM the standard for all new buildings, TFC can begin to gauge energy usage, as well as forecast energy consumption based on model simulations; model multiple high-performance building scenarios based on minimal design time, simulate or identify security issues related to building type, and connect the model to existing databases or control systems for bi-directional, real-time data exchange.

“The BIM process allows the TFC and our private sector partners to collaborate from the start, share important data accurately and make better informed decisions earlier in the design process,” said Chris Tisdel, TFC’s Director of Building Information Modeling. “The added visibility and workflow efficiency reduces unexpected delays, unforeseen costs and overall construction time, which is of great value for our large operations across the State of Texas.”

As a part of the adoption of BIM, TFC recognizes that the private sector will be looking to it for guidance and a clear definition of what BIM means to the state. To that end, the FDC has developed a clear set of standards and guidelines that all private sector partners will have access to prior to any involvement in a state project. Along with the guidelines, FDC has created an interoperable BIM template that all private sector partners will have made available to them for any State project. The combination of the guidelines and template will enable any private sector partner just getting into BIM to save time and effort and provides them with a framework to build their own workflow and standards around. TFC is committed to educating and working with those who design and build projects for the State, in a collaborative manner with the clear goal of making the BIM approach a positive one for all involved. (See video describing TFC’s adoption of BIM)

The State of Texas leads the way in BIM adoption and implementation, providing support, education and best practice standards to other state and local agencies that are also in varying stages of BIM adoption. The pool of owner-entities adopting BIM within Texas is growing at a quickening pace as the state leads the way in encouraging a better way to design and build. Industry and trade association leaders acknowledge that Texas has taken an innovative leadership role in adopting BIM. By doing so, Texas closes the gap between it and the General Services Administration, the first major governmental agency to adopt BIM for new construction and leads all other States in the way it leverages BIM to support construction, energy, maintenance, and facilities operations within Texas.

Finally, BIM provides a coordinated, informed understanding of the design and building process for owners, designers and constructors. As new construction grows at the state level, project expectations that include increasing complexity, a high level of transparency for decision makers, and accountability to taxpayers requires a new, but tested equally innovative approach to the traditional understanding of concept, design, scheduling, cost and implementation. TFC has adopted that innovative approach in BIM and by doing so is leading the way on a national stage into the future of digital design and construction.

Transferring Site Data Between Revit Architecture ad Civil 3D

Autodesk offers something called "Skill Builders" that are available to all users, regardless of your subscription status. One of the local Kansas City Autodesk resellers sent me an email about a new skill builder series on "Transferring Site Data Between Revit Architecture and AutoCAD Civil 3D"

Below is from the Autodesk web site.

This skill builder is a series of videos that show how to share and manipulate site data in Revit Architecture and AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Creating a Toposurface in Revit Architecture
Learn how to import a DWG file into a Revit Architecture project, establish a survey point for coordination with AutoCAD Civil3D, and create a toposurface for site layout.

Exporting a Revit Architecture Project for Use in AutoCAD Civil 3D
Learn how to prepare a 3D view of a Revit building site and export it to an ADSK file for import to Civil 3D.

Importing Revit Architecture Data into AutoCAD Civil 3D
Learn how to import an ADSK file from Revit Architecture into an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing.

Exporting an AutoCAD Civil 3D Surface to Revit Architecture
Learn how to extract contours as 3D polylines from a proposed ground surface and write the polylines to a drawing file that can be used to update the Revit Architecture model.

Updating the Revit Architecture Toposurface with an AutoCAD Civil 3D Site Design
Learn how to update the linked drawing file in Revit Architecture and recreate the toposurface. Then, see how to use the Globe Link Extension (available for subscription customers) to upload the Revit model to Google Earth and further explore the design.