Computer Aided Business Systems Technical Blog

Announcing the AutoCAD® WS mobile application for iPad™ and iPhone®

2010-09-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Link

AutoCAD on the MAC

2010-09-01T02:38:00.000-07:00

Autodesk have just announced that a fully native Mac version of AutoCAD will be available soon....................

LAYDEL - Express Tools

2010-08-27T01:59:00.000-07:00

This command has now been integrated within AutoCAD; it used to be part of the express tools:

Link

Update 1 for AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011

2010-08-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

AutoCAD 2011: Details

32-bit
64-bit

AutoCAD LT 2011 Details

32-bit
64-bit

Outlook 2003 and Exchange 2010

2010-08-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

Data exchange between the client (Outlook 2003) and the server (Exchange 2010)needs to be encrypted; by default this is enabled in Outlook 2007 & 2010; in Outlook 2003 it is disabled by default. To encrypt the data you will need to edit the settings for the exchange email account:

Adobe PDF

2010-07-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

When you print a PDF document using the adobe PDF printer; the document auto rotates; regardless of the application that you print from. To disable this set Auto-Rotate Pages: Off.

Autodesk software and hosted operating system environments

2010-07-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

You want to know if a hosted operating system or a virtual machine is a supported environment for Autodesk® software.

Common hosted operating systems and virtual machines include:

VMware Workstation
Windows terminal services
The Citrix family of products and services
Parallels Desktop

AutoCAD® Map 3D 2009 is supported for Citrix Presentation Server 4.5, also known as XenApp 4.5, on Windows Server 2003.

AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010 and AutoCAD® Raster Design 2010 are supported for Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 and XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2003.

Other Autodesk® products are not supported on hosted operating systems. Such usage is unsupported and is a violation of the End User License Agreement (EULA).

Fade Control

2010-06-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Fade Control

Controls the fading intensity value of DWG xrefs. This is enabled by default (70) in the 2011 product range.

Help in 2011 Products

2010-05-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Help file within the 2011 products have now been moved from a local location to the web (good for updating the help files and information for customers)

That link is where the customer is taken when they ask for help (F1)

Do not fear if you do not have an internet connection as help will still be available; you just need to download and save the .chm files in the right location (these will not be updated though).

Ribbon Icons become Inactive

2010-03-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

The ribbon becomes grayed out when the acad.cuix is loaded at the same time than the aca.cuix.

To enable the icons, unload the acad.cuix. Follow these steps:

1. Type MENULOAD at the command line.
2. In the Load/Unload Customizations dialog box, select ACAD in the list.
3. Click Unload.
4. Click Close to close the Load/Unload Customizations dialog box.

If you want to use ribbons, menus from the acad.cuix file, use the Transfer tab from the Customize User Interface (CUI).

dwfx

2010-03-18T02:21:00.000-07:00

If you have a customer that does not have the software need to open a .dwg; simply send the the file as a .dwfx and they can open the file in Internet Explorer without the need to download any additional software.

Office 2010

2010-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

A nice new feature. You are not allowed to attach emails that exceed your message limit (defined in exchange). This should elimiate the huge problems that exchange can have when sending large emails.

Project Butterfly

2010-03-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Project Butterfly is an Autodesk Technology Preview that enables AutoCAD® users to edit and collaborate on AutoCAD drawings through a Web browser. With Project Butterfly, AutoCAD users can share and work on DWGTM files with colleagues and clients from any computer with an Internet connection.

Link

Quick and dirty clicks and drags in AutoCAD

2010-03-15T05:02:00.001-07:00

I’m sure most of you draw your objects with great precision. But sometimes even the most precise among us may want to make a quick and dirty move or copy of some drawing objects and are not too bothered about the exact place they end up. Text, for example.

As always in AutoCAD, there are many ways of doing this. Long-termers like me may automatically gravitate towards the short-form commands for Move and Copy, but there are various alternatives.

In this post I’m going to cover the click-and-drag method. This isn’t grip editing; although you will see grips appear when you select the objects, you’re not going to use them. To move an object this way requires just two clicks and no commands. Admittedly, one of the clicks is a long one and you also need to move the mouse and then release one of the clicks, but it’s still pretty efficient.

Move
1. Left-click the objects to preselect them.
2. Long left-click on one of the selected objects (not on a grip) to initiate the drag process.
3. Move the cursor to the desired location and release the left button to drop the objects there.

Copy
1. Left-click the objects to preselect them.
2. Long left-click on one of the selected objects (not on a grip) to initiate the drag process.
3. Once you have the little rectangle glyph on the cursor, hold down Ctrl to change the mode from move to copy. A little [+] symbol will be added to the cursor.
4. Move the cursor to the desired location and release the left button to drop the objects there. Release the Ctrl key.

Alternative method
1. Left-click the objects to preselect them.
2. Long right-click on one of the selected objects (not on a grip) to initiate the drag process.
3. Move the cursor to the desired location and release the right button to drop the objects there.
4. Left-click Copy here or Move here on the cursor menu that appears.

Portable License Utility

2010-02-15T01:29:00.000-08:00

If you are transferring your license to another machine because you have upgraded or because the system has failed minimise the disruption caused by reactivating your software by transferring the license using the portable license utility.

For full details download the required documentation here.

Note: A user name and password is required to access this documentation.

AutoCAD Clipboard Manager

2010-02-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

This plugin can be used with AutoCAD to manage multiple clipboard entries, storing and renaming them for later use.

Download

When I select Open I am prompted to type the file name into the command line. Where is the dialogue box?

2010-01-29T09:02:00.001-08:00

Ensure that the following variable is set to '1'.

FILEDIA

News

2010-01-29T08:53:00.000-08:00

Please look out our news pages for updates on Autodesk promotions and up-to-date information about the new product releases.

http://www.cabs-cad.com/news.htm

Five cool Microsoft applications that are completely free

2009-12-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

Microsoft isn’t known for giving away its products, but if you know where to look you can find a handful of pretty cool, free applications. During this episode of TR Dojo, I’ll show you five free Microsoft programs that can be useful and fun, such as:

1. Paint.NET
2. Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
3. WorldWide Telescope
4. SyncToy
5. ServerQuest II

Tip 10/10 - Install and configure a router

2009-12-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

This last step may seem like an unnecessary added expense to some, but in this age of viruses, worms, and other nasty Internet infections, a router standing between you and the outside world coming at you at broadband speeds offers another significant layer of protection. Connecting a PC directly to the Internet means that PC gets its own IP address, which means it can be seen by every sleazebag with malicious intent. By adding a router to your broadband setup, the router gets the visible IP address and gives your new PC an internal address. In addition, routers have hardware firewalls and other features that help block the bad guys before they get to your new PC.

This is especially helpful because the first thing you should do when you do actually connect to the Internet is head directly for Windows Update. This is the most important tip in this guide—the only place you should be heading on the Web when you first connect your PC to the Internet is the Windows Update page. You will not have time to check movie times or football scores. The 12 minute countdown to possible infection starts as soon as connect.

Simplify file management with the XCopy Tool

2009-12-21T02:53:00.000-08:00

xcopy is useful program that is included with Windows. Some of the things it can do include: copy directories recursively, copy just the folder structure, copy files changed on or after a given date, exclude files, only copy files that already exist in the destination, overwrite read only files, etc.

Tip 9/10 - Establish a system restore point

2009-12-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Now that you have performed the first eight steps you should take a moment to establish a system restore point. To manually create a Restore Point, you launch the System Restore utility by clicking Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore and then follow the steps in the wizard. This step will establish a fall back point if something happens to go haywire later.

Tip 8/10 - Turn off all unnecessary Windows services

2009-12-19T06:01:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has been doing a better job of this with the release of SP2, but there are still numerous unnecessary Windows services and processes running by default on most PCs. If you'd like to see how many there are just perform the three finger salute (CTRL-ALT-Delete) click Task Manager and then the Processes tab. All of those applications, services, processes, etc. are operating in the background on your PC. The problem is that many can actually open access to your PC to the outside world without your knowledge or active consent. That access is usually justified for what the process is supposed to be doing, it is just that many times your PC doesn't need that process at all—Web servers, network messengers, debuggers—are all processes you probably don't need on your personal PC. (Check out this TechRepublic download for an in-depth examination of these services and for some suggestions for which can be deactivated.)

Tip 7/10 - Create a new user account with a password

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is almost as equally important as password protecting your administrator account. For general day-to-day activities, you do not want to be using your admin account. Instead, you should be using a user account that is also password protected (a password that is different than the one you are using for the admin account, please). This adds another layer of protection for your new PC because a user account does not have the same all-access permissions as an admin account. In some cases, malicious software will be thwarted by this level of permissions restriction alone.

Tip 6/10 - Install Printers and other peripherals

2009-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Before you connect to the Internet it is a good idea to install your other peripherals to your new PC. Performing this step means that when you do connect to the Windows update page, it will see your devices and make suggestions for new Microsoft-tested (WHQL) drivers if they are available.

Tip 5/10 - Turn on a softwre firewall

2009-12-15T05:55:00.000-08:00

Windows XP SP2 comes with a modest but still useful software firewall. Before you start surfing the Internet you should turn it on—or you can install an alternative third-party software firewall like Zone Alarm. Any alternative firewalls should have been included on the startup CD-ROM you made in Step 1.

Tip 4/10 - Install Printers and other peripherals

2009-12-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

Tip 3/10 - Install anti-virus software

2009-12-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

Install the antivirus software that you burned onto a CD-ROM in step 1. The assumption is that any PC purchased after this document is published will have Windows XP SP2 installed, but if SP2 is not installed, you could have that update ready on your disk too. In fact, if you know how, you could have some of the more important Windows patches and updates on your disk also. This would be a good time to install anti-spyware software too.

Tip 2/10 - 2. Remove the promotional apps

2009-12-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

After going through the initial setup process where Windows identifies devices you may be asked to register and/or activate your copy of the Windows operating system—hold off on that for now, you can always do that later. This first thing to do is to clean up the mess that shipped in your PC. You should remove all of the promotional and trial software that you do not intend to use from your new PC. This is usually the first thing I do, because invariably one of those apps will ask if I want to activate it or register it—a process that usually involves accessing the Internet. (Some times they don't ask—they just assume I want them on my pristine PC). At this point you should have no connection to the Internet at all, wireless or not.

The applications to be deleted are usually ISPs advertisements like AOL and Earthlink, an antivirus app from a competitor of your current application (something you should already have ready on your CD-ROM), trial versions of Money or Quickbooks, etc. If you are not going to use these, go to the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel and remove them completely.

Project Cooper

2009-12-10T08:14:00.002-08:00

Ideal for quick design work, Project Cooper sketching software enables you to draw accurate, detailed plans and layouts to scale using simple 2D drawing tools, predrawn symbols, and sample drawings. Because the software produces files in one of the most widely used design formats, it’s easy to share your drawings with clients, architects, and other project partners.

Please contact the sales department for more information.

email: sales@cabs-cad.com

Project Cooper

2009-12-10T08:14:00.001-08:00

10 things you should do to a new PC before surfing the Web

2009-12-10T02:15:00.001-08:00

It is only natural, when you get a brand new PC, especially one with broadband capabilities built-in, you want to connect to the Internet and see it action. For many, the browser and the World Wide Web are the "killer-apps" of the modern PC—the Internet is what you have a PC for, everything else is just extra fluff.

However, connecting to the Internet with a new unprotected and unpatched PC is practically inviting the nefarious and malicious to infect your PC. According to research published by Sophos in July 2005, there is about a 50 percent chance that an unpatched PC will be infected with malicious software within 12 minutes of connecting to the Internet. Once infected, it is almost impossible to get a PC clean again without completely re-installing the operating system.

Tip 1/10 - Check back for the rest of the useful tips

1. Make a starter CD-ROM

Before you disconnect your old computer, take a few minutes to burn a starter CD-ROM that contains the latest version of your favorite anti-virus software. I prefer to keep this simple and inexpensive by using AVG from Grisoft, but if you like Norton or McAfee those will work just as well.

To save time later, you should put other security applications on this disk like Spybot Search & Destroy, AdAware, etc. It would also be a good idea to include any updated drivers you might need—drivers for your video card for example. Just like Windows, your video card drivers are likely to be a little old also. You should also put drivers on this disk for peripherals that you will be connecting to your new PC, like cameras, scanners, printers, and game interface devices. Having all of these device drivers residing on a single CD-ROM means you will not have to go to the Internet to retrieve them as you set up your new PC.

Windows 7

2009-12-04T07:33:00.001-08:00

Are you thinking about installing Windows 7?

Please contact our support department to discuss the compatability of your existing hardware and software to ensure that the changeover is as smoothe as possible.

Technical Support Contract

2009-12-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

We have now expanded the support options available to all of our customers that will try to cater for their individual needs. Please find below a table that shows how a different level of support may suit your individual requirements.

The Software Support Agreement provided by Computer Aided Business Systems Limited satisfies the operator's demand for comprehensive technical support on your software programs using telephone, email and remote assistance to resolve any issues or queries that you have efficiently and effectively.

A software support contract is essential to ensure full utilisation of your computer system, thereby guaranteeing minimal interruptions to the working day. With a Support Contract you will gain direct access our support team who are available to answer your queries. All incoming fault calls are logged and a solution will be provided, or, if necessary, an appointment made to come on-site to help resolve the problem.

All queries are managed to conclusion and an annual report will be provided regarding the number and type of requests that have been made.

Where is my command?

2009-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

While there is so much debate about the introduction of the Ribbon interface in the 2010 versions of the Autodesk applications, I thought that I'd highlight the fact that there is a useful new item in each of the 'Help' menus that should ease the transitional headache somewhat.

It is titled simply, 'Where is my command?' and is available in each of the AutoCAD and Revit platform-based solutions.

This actually lets you navigate to the required function in the help navigation bar using the same route that you would have taken in the old user interface. In the list you will see the menu and Design Bar headings from the previous versions and when you select these you will receive a handy reference to where these are now located.

Although I don't use this a lot now, as I've persevered to adapt to the new interface and am now getting used to it; I must admit that I found it a great help on a number of occasions when I just couldn't find some of the less commonly used tools (especially those on the Ribbon flyouts that you can't see). It will certainly come in handy for those of you who are making the transition and want to avoid a lot of unnecessary exploration!

Although this is the first attempt at changing the Revit interface since it's inception, I for one am fairly happy with this effort; and although there are some notable frustrations with certain aspects of the way it works, I'd safely say that the benefits easily outweigh the annoyances. I know that there has been a lot of debate over the lack of a 'classic' mode but I have to say that I am somewhat relieved that this has been left alone and that they can concentrate on developing a single interface that can meet the demands of both existing and new users effectively.

With the AutoCAD solutions, most of the old methods are still available but I would recommend that the Ribbon be used wherever possible as there are a number of benefits to be had.

Always group objects that are unique

2009-10-13T08:47:00.002-07:00

Always make components of objects such as doors and windows, this way if you change one the others automatically update.

Make sure when using Sketchup the white face of the object points in the direction the face should be seen, if the blue face is visible select the face and right click the mouse and choose reverse faces from the option list.

When I draw a spline and try to pan it cancels the spline command. How can I pan the viewport and draw at the same time.

2009-10-13T08:47:00.001-07:00

While drawing a spline make sure weld vertices automatically is checked on, also instead of using the pan tool "middle mouse button" press "i" on the keypad. You will find that the viewport moves to the position of the mouse cursor.