It is that time of year that my Autodesk subscription is up for renewal, so it makes me think about the latest pricing system that Autodesk has been implementing lately.
I had been on the “Subscription” plan for years, but that name was changed to be called the “Maintenance” plan in 2016. The new “Subscription” program is entirely different than the old subscription program even though it has the same name. Yes, that can be confusing.
Many people are now aware that Autodesk has released the 2017 version of its various software packages. There are many great blog posts about the enhancements in the packages and I really like some of those enhancements. Before discussing any of those 2017 enhancements, I thought I would post some links to official Autodesk pages for you to peruse.
As most Autodesk software users have learned, Autodesk has modified its method of selling the various software packages and how users pay for ongoing usage of the software. I won’t go into those actual methods as they are well documented at Autodesk. However, since “words mean things”, I am posting this notification from Autodesk. When you see information from Autodesk, it is important to know what they now mean as the old terminology we previously used may not mean the same thing now.
Here it is….
Dear Autodesk Customer,
On February 1, 2016, we are making some simplification changes to our subscription offerings by:
If you have questions about the new terminology or changes to our Global Travel Rights policy, contact your Autodesk Authorized Reseller or your Autodesk sales representative.
Not very long ago, I was talking with some Architects about Revit and they made the comment that Revit doesn’t work for residential design. I was surprised at their comments, especially with Revit’s roots being in residential design. After talking with them, I learned that they use AutoCAD now and they were just interested in producing 2D construction documents and didn’t care about any 3D features or any intelligence that might be inside Revit. They all had used AutoCAD for many years and had their AutoCAD blocks created and systems in place to produce 2D documentation quickly. They were very efficient at their system, didn’t see any reason to change, and only looked for excuses to not make any change.
I will state that Revit works fantastic for residential design and can produce construction documentation quickly.
For AutoCAD users, the latest big news is that Autodesk has released their 2016 version of AutoCAD. Along with AutoCAD, you can also get the 2016 versions of AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Electrical, and AutoCAD Mechanical.
As with each release, there are features that you will love and some that you really don’t care about. However, which features are preferred vary per person and per discipline. I will try to give a basic description of some of the new/updated features of AutoCAD 2016.
AutoCAD for the Mac is becoming more popular and Autodesk has kindly provided a shortcut list for AutoCAD for Mac 2015 users. Most AutoCAD users utilize keyboard shortcuts and this list includes all of the “Out of the Box” shortcuts for the Mac version.
Link to webpage for AutoCAD for Mac Shortcut Key Guide
Get a printable PDF version of the AutoCAD for Mac Shortcut Key Guide
Autodesk has kindly provided a keyboard shortcut list for AutoCAD 2015 users. Most AutoCAD users utilize keyboard shortcuts and this list includes all of the “Out of the Box” shortcuts, including the CTRL and Function keys.
Link to webpage for AutoCAD Shortcut Key Guide
Get a printable PDF version of the AutoCAD Shortcut Key Guide
Autodesk 2013 products allow you to create a library that contains the most commonly used and standard materials within an organization. It can be daunting and confusing to users when they go to specify a material for something and there are many materials from which to choose. Autodesk provides many materials Out-Of-The-Box (OOTB), companies will develop materials in-house, and materials may be downloaded, all of which creates a large collection of materials. This article will describe how you can create a central library on the company server in 3 easy steps, from which users can select the preferred material.
Whether linking files in Autodesk Revit or xreferencing files in AutoCAD, choosing to Attach or Overlay is an important decision. As I perform software training at companies, I routinely encounter many users who do not understand the difference between using the Attachment or the Overlay options. There is not a global right or wrong answer to this decision, but understanding the difference helps you to determine which option to use to achieve the results that you require. When you link or xref a file into your current file, you are doing that to see information that is in another file. The Attachment/Overlay option determines how that file will be seen downstream in other files.
Applying Technology to Architecture 