Variable Length Grab Bars in AutoCAD

Dynamic blocks have been a part of AutoCAD since release 2006 and have some really nice usages for all disciplines.  Unfortunately, it seems that the architectural community that uses AutoCAD has not incorporated dynamic blocks to a very large degree for whatever reasons.  An item category that architects specify all the time that are conducive to being a dynamic block are grab bars of varying lengths.  I remember having different blocks for each of the different grab bar lengths that I would need on projects.  All of those different sizes can be incorporated into one dynamic block.

Finding Rooms in Revit with Default Name

When using Autodesk Revit Architecture, users typically place Rooms in the model and give each Room a name.  By default, the Room will receive the name of “Room”, unless the user selects a predefined name for that Room or changes the name.  When a project contains hundreds (or thousands) of defined Rooms, it is easy to lose track of Rooms that may not have been renamed to something other than the default “Room” name.  This article will show you how to create a filter that accentuates any Rooms that have the name of “Room”.

AU2011 in Review

Autodesk University 2011 is now in the history books and I thought that I would summarize my thoughts on this year’s conference.  Held last week in Las Vegas, NV at the Venetian resort, it was attended by over 8000 people from around the world.  This was my 16th consecutive year to attend AU and I found this year’s AU to be one of the good ones.