Beyond Design

New AEC API Developer Blog

We know that many of you are looking to improve productivity and access to your information models using the API. This new AEC DevBlog will cover Revit, Navisworks and other AEC and BIM technologies and their APIs from Autodesk.

So far there are already posts about the following topics:-

• New features in the Navisworks 2013 .NET API
• How to access the Revit SDK
• How to get a primitive from solid of Navisworks
• More details on the BIM Coordinator (we'll be featuring more on this blog soon)

Head to the blog and subscribe to the RSS feed for new posts: -

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/aec/

You can also ask API related questions through the Navisworks API forum.

Quantity Takeoff 2012 – Hotfix 2 now released

Quantity Takeoff 2012 - Hotfix 2 has been released and is available for download from the Autodesk Website.

Please note: This installer requires that QTO Hotfix 1 is already installed on the system.

This hotfix is designed to resolve some specific PDF file related issues:

• Large PDF sheets consuming too much memory
• PDF sheets not displaying after the project is reopened
• Error message "There was a problem displaying the page"

  

• QTO shutting down after switching sheets

The hotfix can be downloaded from here: -

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=18403022&linkID=10381885

Additional Currencies for QTO

 
I thought I'd share this quick tip I've just found out for how to add additional currencies to Autodesk Quantity Takeoff (QTO).

All default currencies are stored in a configuration file (Currencies.xml), which for users of QTO 2012 running Windows 7 can be found here:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Autodesk, Inc\Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2012\5.0.16.0\Currencies.xml

The contents of which look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<qto>

 <definitions>

 <default unit="" currency="" />

  <currencies>

   <currency prefix="$" suffix="USD" default="imperial">US Dollar</currency>

   <currency prefix="€" suffix="EUR" default="metric">Euro</currency>

   <currency prefix="£" suffix="GBP">Pound Sterling</currency>

   <currency prefix="SFr." suffix="CHF">Swiss Francs</currency>

  </currencies>

 </definitions>

</qto>

To add another currency, simply add another 'currency' line to this file.

NOTE: It's advisable to make a backup copy of the Currencies.xml file prior to making any modifications

Here are a few examples of additional currencies:

   <currency prefix="¥" suffix="JPY" default="metric">Japanese Yen</currency>

   <currency prefix="R$" suffix="BRL" default="metric">Brazilian Real</currency>

   <currency prefix="AU$" suffix="AUD" default="metric">Australian Dollar</currency>

   <currency prefix="NZ$" suffix="NZD" default="metric">New Zealand Dollar</currency>

Similarly, if you want to change the order of the listed currencies in QTO, simply reorder the currencies in the XML. Alternatively, if you always use a particular currency, then you can set any listed currency to be your Default:

 
Let us know how you get on, and share with us the currencies you add!

Autodesk Quantity Takeoff (QTO) 2012 Hotfix Released

Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2012 Hotfix Released!!!!

Here is a snapshot of some of the features that have been updated by the hotfix:

• Some projects cannot be opened in QTO and the message "The selected file is not a valid project file" displays.
• Switching between different sheets takes a very long time to complete. (ex 3D to 2D)
• The memory consumption increases dramatically with "Snap to point" turned on.
• A dialog prompts to say "Not enough memory to continue" when saving some projects in QTO.
• QTO crashes after setting the display unit for one 3D model.
• Some model takeoff markup scales incorrectly on canvas if you zoom in to some extent.
• Some PDF files may be displayed in a wrong direction if they are copied for multiple versions and one of them is rotated.
• Exporting quantities with some 3rd party applications sometimes exports an XML file instead of an ATQ file.
• Formula 1 and Formula 2 are missing in the exported *.atq quantities file.

You can download the hotfix here:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=17326646&linkID=10381885

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a011570b0bc2a970b01538fd61b3b970b

Thanks to Jason Dodds at doddsandends.typepad.com for this information.

Autodesk Construction on Fox Business News

Here's a great video from last week's Fox Business News where Autodesk's Jay Bhatt talks about the use of 3D and BIM and how customers are using it to save money in the construction industry.

Whilst for many, this ‘looks like science fiction’ and is ‘really cool’, for those in the industry, this is essential to the way you work.

Let us know what you think of the video, especially if you're new to Autodesk software and 3D modeling

See this blog inside Navisworks!

Did you know you can subscribe to this and other blogs from inside your Autodesk products? Just follow the steps below and you'll be notified whenever there's a new blog post without having to open Outlook, Google Reader or whichever other product you use.

1. Go to the InfoCenter at the top right of the program
   
   


2. Select the Satellite Icon
   
   
   
   


3. Go to InfoCenter Settings
   
   


4. Go to RSS Feeds > Add
   
   


5. Enter the Feed address of http://feeds.feedburner.com/beyond-design
   
   


6. Add the feed
   
   


7. And there we go! The Communication Center will display the latest posts on the RSS feed
   
   

Let us know how you get on.

Subscribe to this blog, RSS feed

To any of you who have subscribed to the RSS feed of our blog, you may have not noticed anything coming through. This was due to a small change we made a couple of weeks ago.

You will now need to subscribe to this feed

http://feeds.feedburner.com/beyond-design

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Here’s a couple of great posts you may have missed

1.21 Gigawatts, 1.21 Gigawatts! Great Scott!!
Creating Smooth Animations

Blank Drop Down boxes in QTO 2012

Have you experienced blank drop-down fields in Quantity Takeoff 2012? This can sometimes happen in a couple of places.

When you create a new project, the currency options can be missing:

When you create a new project, no catalogs are available:

When you try to set your mapping preferences in the Edit > Preferences option, no mapping options are available.

You can reset these field values by removing your user configuration file and having QTO create a new one for you.

1. Close Quantity Takeoff.
2. Open Windows Explorer.
3. Navigate to the following location:
   C:\Users\**YOUR_USERID**\AppData\Local\Autodesk,_Inc\
4. In this folder you will notice one or more folders labeled "Autodesk.Takeoff.exe_Url_***********\". The proper folder should have the most recent date. Enter this folder.
5. Enter the 5.0.16.0 folder.
6. Delete the user.config file.
7. Start Quantity Takeoff. QTO will reset the fields and create a new user.config file.

The currency fields are back

There are the Catalogs

And Mapping is back

Do you have any QTO issues you'd like us to discuss? Leave a comment or use the Suggest a Topic option.

Installing Autodesk Construction 2012 Products

The links below will take you to a series of short videos showing you how to Prepare For, Install, Deploy and Activate Autodesk Construction 2012 products like Revit, Navisworks and QTO.

Preparing for installation

Configuring and Installing

Activating and Post Installation

With half a dozen short videos per topic, they're really useful and comprehensive, for a busy System Administrator or contractor you may find them easier to take in than the User Guides. This two minute video for example talks about what you need to do to your system to prepare for installation, including Admin rights, Anti Virus Software and .NET details.

Even though the videos use the Autodesk Design Suites as an example, the concepts and procedures that you see apply to all 2012 products.We'll be adding more details about Construction specific options over the coming weeks including Navisworks Exporters and Site Options. Hope you find these useful!

Welcome to Beyond Design

Over the past 29 years, Autodesk has become recognized as a leading 2D and 3D design software provider, but less known for how it goes beyond design, especially within the construction industry. The knowledge and insight that is held by construction professionals and engineers can be used to make better design decisions, which will ultimately benefit all phases of a project, from design, through pre-construction services, fabrication, project execution, operations and maintenance, even renovation or demolition.

The intention of this blog is to show how BIM design data can be utilized and repurposed throughout a project lifecycle, by providing insight into Virtual Design and Construction workflows and the use of Autodesk Construction solutions. By giving you the information and tools to better manage projects, increase productivity, improve workflows and influence the design, we want to empower you to get the most out of products you use every day.

We will focus on the functionality, workflows and interoperability between Autodesk Construction solutions, including Navisworks, Revit, Quantity Takeoff, Constructware, Buzzsaw, Vault, and AutoCAD based products.

Over the next few weeks and months we'll be acquainting you with the 2012 releases of the Autodesk Construction products, with suggestions of use for the new features, as well as hints, tips and tricks on how to make use of existing functionality. But overall, we want to hear from you - the people that rely on these tools every day - we’d like you to share your stories and your tricks; we’d like to hear your suggestions for topics that you’d like to know more about; and most of all we want to hear your feedback.

Welcome to 'Beyond Design' and we hope to hear from you soon.