Leaderboard AdX

July 31, 2012

Inventor of the Month - July 2012

Autodesk has selected California Analytical Instruments, Inc. (CAI) as the Inventor of the Month for July 2012 for using Autodesk Inventor software and other digital prototyping tools to develop gas analyzers and custom systems that help companies monitor and measure the emission of greenhouse gases.

CAI has more than 1,700 customers in various industries that use their gas analyzers and systems to monitor emissions from a wide variety of pollutant sources, including smokestacks, power plants, refineries and machines powered by internal combustion engines - a category that runs the gamut from automobiles to lawnmowers.
  
Additionally, CAI’s systems are used to monitor less obvious, but equally potent, sources of emission such as landfills, cattle ranches and even breweries and mushroom farms - all of which release significant amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. CAI’s analyzers are capable of detecting methane - as well as other dangerous gases including carbon dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide - to within just a few parts per million.

California Analytical Instruments (CAI) uses Autodesk Inventor software to develop gas analyzers and custom systems that help monitor and the emission of greenhouse gases. (Photo: Business Wire)CAI builds its analyzers relying primarily on Autodesk Inventor software as part of Autodesk Product Design Suite and AutoCAD Electrical software. The interoperability between the software programs allows CAI to design all aspects of a custom analytical system, ranging from the console that houses the analyzer, to the motor that powers it, to various pumps, I/O monitors and other ancillary equipment.
  
When designing its FTIR analyzer - a complex system that relies in part on infrared waves and concave mirrors to measure gas levels - CAI was able to validate the mirror system entirely within the Inventor environment. As a result, CAI avoided having to build multiple physical prototypes, a projected savings of $5,000 per prototype.

California Analytical Instruments, Inc. (CAI)

Inventor of the Month - July 2012 Official Press Release

Here is a YouTube video about California Analytical Instruments, Inc. (CAI)

July 27, 2012

AutoCAD WS Updated to 1.5

Autodesk has released an update to AutoCAD WS to bring it to version 1.5 available for iOS and Android. You can download version 1.5 of the AutoCAD WS Mobile App now on the App Store or from Google Play. The web version of the app will be automatically updated the next time you log in with your browser at www.autocadws.com.

AutoCAD WS 1.5 delivers improved overall performance. A couple of other things that Version 1.5 adds is as follows:
  • Design Feed
    • Post comments to specific locations within a drawing for easy reference and categorization.
    • Attach images to posts to add clarity and help build consensus.
    • Tag people in posts to bring them into the conversation for further feedback or collaboration.
    • Respond to posts in indented thread or hide resolved posts.
  • Attach Image
    • Instantly attach images to specific locations within a drawing for visual clarity or to inspire new ideas.
    • Easily move or resize images within a drawing.
AutoCAD WS 1.5 Tutorials Update

AutoCAD WS 1.5 Announcement



Image Credits: AutoCAD WS

July 25, 2012

Inventor Fusion for Mac


Inventor Fusion for Mac is now available in the Mac App Store along with through Autodesk Labs and it is still FREE. It is also compatible with OS X Mountain Lion.


Along with these new annoucements, this release of Inventor Fusion for Mac leverages key Mountain Lion features that will help increase productivity and help the communication and socialization of 3D CAD designs.
They are as follows:
  • Notifications - Receive notifications when files are edited, updated, and more when you combine the 3D CAD modeling power of Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology and Autodesk 360 cloud services.
  • Share Sheets - Show off your new designs or edits to existing designs via Share Sheets. iMessage to coworkers, E-Mail to clients, Tweet to your friends and to the world.
  • Full screen - Take your 3D CAD modeling full screen to maximize your productivity and bring your design to the forefront.
  • Airplay Mirroring - Show your designs off of the big screen! Airplay Mirroring helps you take charge in your meeting with clients, coworker, and more.

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2

Screenshot 3

Screenshot 4

Screenshot 5

July 18, 2012

Inventor Fusion for Mac Updated - Mountain Lion

Inventor Fusion for Mac has been updated with fixes to support OS X Mountain Lion. So if you are trying out the Inventor Fusion Technology Preview for Mac and plan on upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion you will definitely want this update.

Download Inventor Fusion for Windows or Mac via Autodesk Labs




Don't forget to leave feedback to the Autodesk Labs team.

You can look back at my previous posts about Inventor Fusion for Mac to view information and some videos about the technology here:


Image Credits: Autodesk Labs, Apple

July 17, 2012

Autodesk Labs - Mesh Enabler for Inventor 2013

Fotolia_10310035_XSThe Inventor Mesh Enabler is a free Technology Preview that enables Inventor users to work with imported Mesh data. As shipped Inventor 2012 can import mesh data from Catia files. In addition to Catia files, Inventor 2013 can import mesh data from STL files and from JT files. The Mesh Enabler for 2013/2012 adds the ability to post process the imported mesh data to convert the mesh features to Inventor Base features. The resulting Base features can then be used for further operations including drawings and measurements.

After installing the technology preview, users can right click on one or more imported mesh features of interest, and convert them into Base features (solids, surfaces, or composites) through a new context menu command. The graphical mesh data is converted into B-Rep Model data that can be used similar to imported solids and surfaces. As part of the conversion process, the technology preview also does some simplification of the faceted data by merging multiple mesh triangles into a single face when possible.

The Inventor 2012 compatible preview is available until January 31, 2013 at which time the license expires and the function will be disabled. Similarly the Inventor 2013 compatible preview is available until January 31, 2014 at which time the license expires and the function will be disabled. It is not known if this technology will be incorporated into a commercial product.

Download Mesh Enabler for Inventor 2012 or Inventor 2013

Here is a very detailed tutorial that Paul Munford(The CadSetterOut) did on his blog about the functionality of Mesh Enabler: An introduction to the Inventor Mesh Enabler from Autodesk Labs