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    • Three Pirates Build a Music Ship

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    What will you do if you take a month off work and can not travel anywhere due to Covid-19 travel restriction?

    The answer is easy: Stay home and build a musical instrument repair workshop from an old shed and learn how to build an acoustic stringed musical instrument using Autodesk Inventor.

    There are many steps in between, but two main steps of my project are:

    • Build a musical instrument repair/build workshop.
    • Use Autodesk Inventor for making an acoustic stringed musical instrument.

    1. Build a musical instrument repair/build workshop.

    How to build a musical instrument repair workshop?

    A piece of cake! You need 3 guys who are willing to turn an old dirty storage shed into a shop with just pizza and beers. I do have an old shed full of junks under my sundeck for the job. The three amigos are:

    Al – The mighty Builder who bought an old sailing boat in New Zealand, rebuilt it, and alone sailed back from New Zealand to Canada.

    Karim – The Luthier who builds amazing acoustic guitars, violins, ouds, and multiple acoustic stringed musical instruments. He is known as the musical instruments Doctor.

    Hung – The guy who has been teaching Autodesk Inventor since it was called “Rubicon”.

    Figure 1: Shop construction

    What are the plans and drawings for the workshop?

    After measuring the space, we used Autodesk Revit to quickly layout the plan, extract the material information, then calculate the budget with Revit’s schedule features.

    How long does it take to build the workshop completely?

    One week. It can be much faster if the three guys spent less time chatting over pizza and beers.

    How does it look after the workshop completed?

    Here are photos of the exterior/interior of the shop. On our opening day, we had local musicians dropped by to perform on guitars, violines, oud and cellos built by Karim the Luthier.

    Figure 2: Shop’s Interior/Exterior

     

    2. Use Autodesk Inventor for making an acoustic stringed musical instrument.

    How to use Autodesk Inventor for stringed musical instrument?

    You can use Autodesk Inventor for modeling, detailing almost anything out there. Musical instrument is just one of many examples. I love Arabian oud, Turkish and Persian barbat music. I bought an Oud a long time ago but wanting to have a new one with deeper bass voice. To deepen the bass notes, the oud needs a larger body with a full teardrop shape. Using Autodesk Inventor, I layout and detail the body shape from Karim – the Luthier’s sketch.

    Figure 3: Inventor model of Oud body with hand sketch and prints.

    After a few discussion and modification, we decided that the body of the oud should be divided into 14 sections along the curve of the body as shown on Autodesk Inventor drawing:

    Figure 4: Inventor Oud body detail drawing

    We needed the flat-out for each section of the oud. To archive this task, I used Inventor’s “Unwrap” feature that was introduced in Autodesk Inventor version 2020.

    Figure 5: Autodesk Inventor ‘Unwrap’ Feature

    The Inventor’s “Unwrap”  is an amazing feature and did a very accurate job. After printing the flat-out pattern as 1:1 scale on paper, we turned the prints into templates for cutting. The flat pieces were bent & molded to assemble the oud body precisely as the design.

    Figure 6: Oud body assembly is precisely as the design.

    After the oud body shell harden, Sound board with sound hole, fingerboard (neck), and head were made and installed.

    The oud is very similar to modern lutes, and to Western lutes. Similar instruments have been used in the Middle East, North Africa (particularly the Maghreb, Egypt, and Somalia), and Central Asia for thousands of years, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Caucasus, the Levant, and Balkanise countries like Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria; there may even be prehistoric antecedents of the lute.

    The oud, as a fundamental difference with the western lute, has no frets and a smaller neck as seen in these photos.

    Figure 7: Sound board with sound hole, fingerboard (neck), and head were made and installed.

    How does the Oud designed with Autodesk Inventor look and sound after finishing?

    It took 3 months with couple of hours here and there after work or weekend, finally the oud is completed. The oud has 11 strings grouped in 6 courses, but some models have 5 or 7 courses, with 10 or 13 strings, respectively. The pattern of tuning the strings is (low pitch to high): D2 G2 A2 D3 G3 C4 on single string courses or D2, G2 G2, A2 A2, D3 D3, G3 G3, C4 C4 for a course of two strings.

    Picture is worth a thousand words…Here goes the Autodesk Inventor Oud:

    Figure 8: Oud after finishing.

    If you’d like to hear this Autodesk Inventor’s Oud, check the sound here:

    My next project will be learning how to make this 21-string harp guitar with a super-treble bank with violin fine tuner mounted in the bridge. The challenge is making a mold for this harp guitar. I’ll have to turn back to Autodesk Inventor to construct a prototype and study the strength of material using Inventor Nastran in CAD before drawing a details plan and building it.

    Figure 10: Doolin’s Harp Guitar

    It will take some money and may be another 5 months of my life, but…Well, what can you do if you take time off work but can not travel anywhere due to COVID restriction?

    Until next time…

    The Basics of Document Control: What You Need to Know

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    With today’s shifting digital landscape, if your organization is not focusing on document version control, you maybe be costing your business money and efficiency by not using modern, practical engineering tools. 

    Without effective version control, your document controllers and editors may work on out-of-date, incomplete, or duplicate information. These issues lead to lowered operating efficiency and raised labor costs. 

    Legacy Document Version Control Comes with Challenges 

     Document storage and version control have changed significantly over the last several decades. The process has moved from manual pen, paper, and filing cabinets to the initial batch of online document storage systems. These first digital systems were complex, hard to maintain, with little to no integration support for surrounding platforms. Information was tough to locate in both scenarios, and users have had to deal with incomplete data. 

     These issues lead to the following consequences: 

    • Lower employee efficiency 
    • Incorrect document revisioning across different teams 
    • Reduced understanding of as-built files and sites 
    • Trouble adhering to regulatory compliance 

    Enter the Modern Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) 

     The new generation of EDMS systems emerged from the need to meet these challenges. They improve user experience with intuitive user interfaces and provide full integration into existing surrounding platforms. 

    A modern solution like Accruent’s Meridian EDMS, will provide your business with:  

    • A single source of truth for all your mission-critical technical drawings and data 
    • Compliance with all regulatory bodies 
    • Increased team effectiveness with improved data accuracy 
    • Complete document control and change tracking 
    • Streamlined collaboration between different teams

    Full Document Version Control 

     Automated document revision control and auditing ensure all changes are tracked across different teams and devices. These powerful capabilities lead to the following benefits: 

    Full History of Documents

    Having access to previous versions of documents safeguards against data loss, server crashes, and incorrect changes. The audit log also provides insight into who made changes and when they were made. 

    Enabling Team Collaboration with Concurrent Work 

    Allowing multiple team members to work on the latest version of a document increases throughput and prevents updates to out-of-date revisions. It also provides the ability for a single member to access the exact working copy on multiple devices. 

    Maintaining Regulatory Compliance 

    An EDMS can empower multiple teams to meet the challenges of modern-day compliance requirements by providing easy access to the relevant documentation required to meet these standards. This access is shared across various departments and streamlines the process. 

    Save Time Searching for Documents 

    Searching for a document can cost a business by increasing labor costs. Not only can time be saved across the organization by utilizing powerful search tools, but it can also improve data integrity by pointing key stakeholders to the latest document in real-time. An average operations team spends approximately 2 hours a day searching for the correct versions of documents. 

     

    Tips to keep your EDMS system running smoothly 

     Assign and train an EDMS Administrator / Document Controller 

    Hiring an EDMS Administrator is a great way to ensure your day-to-day activities remain streamlined and effective. They can assist the larger team by: 

    • Keeping the EDMS updated with the latest functionality 
    • Highlighting key metrics and KPIs 
    • Providing advanced training to the user group improving efficiency 
    • Maintaining compliance on all required documents 
    • Creating and providing data-driven reports to key stakeholders 

    This user can improve user adoption of your EDMS solution and build best practices to avoid pitfalls found with legacy Document Control environments. 

    To learn more about Meridian solutions and how they can help your team, please contact the SolidCAD Meridian team. 

    AutoCAD Printing and CTB

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    Do you use more than one CTB file when printing in AutoCAD?  More than 10?  40?  What if I said you really only need 1, the Monchrome.ctb file?  Read on to find out how…

    If you already understand CTB files, feel free to scroll down to the heading “Do This Instead”.

    Let’s look at what we have to work with:

    1.AutoCAD users use various colours.

    2.Typically, the colours used are chosen from this 256-colour “Index” palette.

    3.Those colours on the screen don’t always print that colour.

    4.Linework need to print to varying widths.

    On-Screen:

    Printed:

    CTB files are the intermediary between the drawing on screen and the final printed product.  If one is not used, what you see on screen is what is in the print.  They are used to transform what is seen on screen to what is displayed in the print.

     

    Many AutoCAD users rely on several CTB files to print documents to various regulatory standards.  Here is why…

    • The City of SolidCAD requires a sanitary sewer layer to be red on screen but print black and thick (1mm).
    • The District of Cansel requires that same sanitary layer to be red on screen but print red and not so thick (0.7mm).
    • 42 other standards exist and a unique CTB file is required for each of them.

    Here is the SolidCAD CTB file:

    Here is the Cansel CTB file:

    THESE ARE NOT REQUIRED!

     

    Yes, that was a little tongue-in-cheek.  Sometimes you’re sent a file and you just need to print and use the available CTB.  But if you have the time, inclination, and desire to make things a little easier on yourself, understand it’s possible.

     

    Do This Instead

    The solution here is actually very simple.  Follow these steps.

    1.Set the line weight properly for the layer based on the regulatory body standard.

    2.Use the out of the box monochrome.ctb file.  This file prints all 256 Index colours in black.

    How to print hat sanitary layer in red when the CTB file prints all colours black, you ask?  Well, I didn’t say the CTB prints all colours black, just the 256 Index colours.

    3.When colour is required set the layer colour, not to one of the 256 Index colours, but to one of the 16.7 million True Colours.

    4.You need to print a grey shade?  Again, choose a True Colour; just choose a colour at the very bottom.  Use the slider on the right to control the shade.

    You see, the CTB file does not control the output of True Colours, only the 256 Index colours.

    Enjoy!

    The Bluebeam Stapler—Making Working Life a Little Less Complicated

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by Bluebeam, Inc. on the Bluebeam Blog.

    Working on a job that requires numerous PDF files to be collated into one manageable document? It’s easy with Bluebeam Stapler.

    What is Bluebeam Stapler? Among other things, it’s a tool that helps users combine individual PDF documents into a single PDF. It can also batch convert a variety of document types, such as PDFs, Word docs, and Excel spreadsheets, into a single PDF file.

    If you’re working on a job that requires numerous PDF files to be collated into one manageable document or master file, and you’d like those files to be added to or amended, Bluebeam Stapler makes the tasks easier.

    Settings and the organization of the individual PDF files can be saved as a stapled job for future use, saving time and resources.

    Illustration by Nico Abbasi

     

    Making life simple

    Once a file has been established, updates to individual PDFs—which would usually involve creating a combined PDF again—can be done by opening up the previously created staple job, organizing the documents in the way you wish, hitting “staple”—and voila.

    Using Bluebeam Stapler helps your working life be more straightforward. It means not having to worry about slip-sheeting individual PDFs into the original PDF to replace outdated pages.

    It’s really useful when compiling a large document, such as a calculation package comprising many component PDFs.

    Easy to use

    The system’s interface is easy to use. One of the easiest ways to use it is “drag and drop.” You can take the files that you want to combine into a single PDF, select them, drag them over to the window, where you will see the normal Bluebeam combined PDF dialog.

    Naming PDFs using a numerical prefix makes identifying the files easier, as does showing the date that each file was last updated.

    Once you have everything where you want it, you just hit “staple.” The system automatically combines those PDFs, uses the file names of the individual PDFs and can bookmark those for you. Settings are also saved.

    If you want to update a couple of these files in the future, all you need to do is open up the file using the staple job file. It will automatically combine all those files in that single PDF again.

    Combination benefits

    You can create a master file, which will have a combined PDF package and can be easily bookmarked for future use. You can have as many or as few bookmarks as you like.

    Combining PDF documents used to take hours, not least when a document had possibly hundreds of individual PDFs that needed to be brought together.

    Using Bluebeam Stapler speeds up the process and helps increase efficiency. It’s that simple.

    Civil 3D and Infraworks 2022 are Here

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    Autodesk has released the latest version of their Civil Engineering package, Civil 3D 2022, and its partner in crime, Infraworks.  Click to peruse the Autodesk Documentation. Recap 2022 has also been given some new features.  Read on for some notable features.

     

    Civil 3D

    Grading Optimization: Takes the parameters that you have specified and generates, very quickly, an optimal grading solution.  After installing Civil 3D 2022, you’ll find sample files in the folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Grading Optimization 2022\samples.

    • Connected Alignments: Supports complex curve groups, offsets from parent alignments, curves larger than 180-degrees, and calculates the cross fall of the associated profiles.
    • Project Explorer: Pressure networks are now supported.  Multiple languages are now supported.

     

    Infraworks

    • Road Decorations: Allows users to add decorations to component roads or linked corridors from Civil 3D. The InfraWorks model will display the features more quickly compared to previous releases.
    • Decoration Library: Now users can create more realistic landscape environments to add to the model context.
    • Bridge: Provides for the definition of full-span complex parametric 3D bridge girders.
    • Model Builder: Enhanced with a new and streamlined interface to provide a more consistent experience and improve usability.

    Recap

    Scan to Mesh: Select all or a portion of a point cloud in ReCap Pro 2022 and have it create a low, medium, or high-quality mesh.  This was included in a previous version as beta software, but it was removed.  It is back!

    CTC 2021 Revit Product Updates!

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    CTC Software has been preparing to release updates to our AEC tools for Revit 2021. This release launched May 4th and affects most of our AEC offerings. HIVE has undergone a massive update, streamlining all aspects of user interaction and management. Our software suites have all been built to work on the new Autodesk 2021 platforms, and the SuperDoor Configurator and Casework Configurator content packs have been upgraded for 2021 as well. All of these tools will continue to support the 2017 versions of Autodesk products and newer, so they will also fit into your workflows for any version from the last 4 years. Additionally, the Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Productivity Pack content files have been upgraded to 2019, containing hundreds of updated families and a lot of new features and improved workflows. These tools are purpose-built to support your entire workflow from beginning to end, putting the right tools in the right hands so all team members gain efficiencies every day.

    Contact CTC or one of our partners for more information about the 2021 updates to our tools!

    HIVE specifically has had major changes to the user interface of the content management system (CMS). Many of you have provided feedback after extensively using the currently released HIVE system. We listened! The new HIVE has a major facelift, and the HIVE management portal on the web has been overhauled to make management easier, and to provide you with analytics for organization-wide use of CTC tools, project performance metrics and insights into how your teams are searching for content in the CMS. As always, we strive to develop our tools alongside you, so you and your teams can work efficiently. This update will be available May 11th. Feel free to share your experiences and ideas for how we can continue to improve.

    The other productivity tools in the software suites are all updated to work on the Autodesk 2021 platforms as well. This year we have decided to make sure that we support 5 version of Autodesk products, since we know many of our clients have projects with long lifecycles. While Autodesk may not officially support 2017, we felt that we should continue to make our tools available for that release since some of you have let us know that your projects are still being managed in that version. This new 2021 release of our tools will have the ability to communicate with the HIVE management portal so you can have a better understanding of the return on your investment this next year.

    CTC has 3 major Revit-based content packs. The two that install into the ribbon are the SuperDoor Configurator and the Casework Configurator. These, like our other suites, will be supported on Revit 2017-2021. The other content pack, the Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Productivity Pack (MEPPP), has been heavily updated in its latest version. It will be supported on Revit 2019-2021 with the actual content delivered in Revit 2019 format. We made this choice since most of the projects starting fresh in your firms will be on 2019 and later. We did not see value in building on older versions, as existing projects in production do not see huge benefits in transitioning standards mid-production. This MEPPP update has seen further standardization of the parameters used to help align our pack with metric users. The first release will be in Imperial units of measure, but a metric pack will be coming soon. This release saw heavy formula updates and further removal of unit dependencies. The lighting fixtures, electrical equipment and mechanical equipment have seen major updates, improving face-based and level-based hosting in a single family, and general ease of use. Many other categories have been touched as well, to ensure a uniform workflow and general consistent use. SuperDoor Configurator and Casework Configurator launched May 4th, the MEPPP will be available May 11th.

    As always, we encourage you to contact us at: sales@solidcad.ca

    Autodesk Desktop Connector Update

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    Do you use BIM 360 and AutoCAD products?  Do you have the Autodesk Desktop Connector installed?  If so, there is a new update.  This may not be news to you as there are frequent updates, but this one is somewhat unique.  Please read on.

    Read the official Autodesk documentation for all the details.  Below are the notable changes.  Note that some of these changes may affect your Autodesk references and some IT configurations.  It is recommended that you discuss these changes with your IT department and/or CAD manager prior to installing.

    • Due to the rebranding of BIM 360 to Autodesk Docs, the local folder will be renamed to Autodesk Docs from BIM 360.
    • If your files contain supported Desktop Connector file references, their paths will be automatically fixed to the new folder.  Should your files contain references that are not supported by the Desktop Connector, those that contain a full path, their paths must be manually fixed by the user.
    • Opening files in the Recent section may not open due to files being moved to the new folder.
    • BIM 360 local cache files found in %userprofile% are moved to:

    Grimco acquires Cansel Company, COBALT Graphics Distribution

    Posted on by Daniella Delgado

    Dear Valued Customer,

    The Cansel Group of Companies is announcing today that Grimco, a national wholesale sign supply manufacturer and distributor with close to 60 locations throughout North America has acquired our COBALT Graphics Distribution division effective May 1, 2021.

    What does this mean to you?

    There will be no change to your relationship with us.  We are committed to partnering with you and continuing to serve all your wide format technical needs.  This change strengthens the Cansel Group of Companies allowing us to focus on improved customer service and product offerings while providing the best customer experience possible.

    Thank you for being a valued customer.  We hope you will remain safe and healthy.

    Sincerely,

    Lovett Lewis
    CEO, Cansel Group of Companies

    How to Create an Empty/Smaller Catalog Database in AutoCAD Electrical

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    When we are working with AutoCAD Electrical, one of the keys features of the software is the ability to quickly grab information from the catalog browser so it can be later on be used in our reporting tools such as the Bill of Materials. We can also quickly add custom part number as the manufacturers keep adding new components to their catalogs.

    What is lesser known to a lot of users is the fact that this database (default_cat) has a considerable size of approx. 550Mb, as seen on Figure 1 and that file size can quickly add up if we constantly have the need to add custom part numbers to the catalog.

    Figure 1

    Depending on the speed and reliability of your internal network, having multiple users share this file can be quite taxing on the network’s resources and if you require to access the file over a VPN, you could see some serious lagging.

    If you are experiencing this kind of issues, AutoCAD Electrical comes with a feature that will allow you to create an empty database so you can significantly reduce the size of your custom database. As a best practice, we can work with a primary database which contains the main part numbers that come from the installation, and work with a secondary database which will only contain your custom/new part numbers with a much smaller file size.

    For us to create an empty database we need to fist create a brand new project and the proceed to create Project Specific Catalog Database, which will contain a database with only the part numbers used in that project, and since its new, the project’s catalog database will be empty. This command can be found in the Project tab, inside the Other Tools drop-down menu as seen on Figure 2.

    Figure 2

    Once we start this command we need to keep this new database as separate, as seen on Figure 3, and we will be able to create an empty database for us to us exclusively for or custom/new parts and we can rename it to custom_cat or secondary_cat so it’s easier for other users to understand its use. As default, the new database will be saved inside the project folder of the active project.

    Figure 3

    The last step is to compress the database by using MS Access, selecting the Database Tools, and use the command Compact and Repair Database. When the command is complete you can safely close MS Access and the database will have been compressed to a much more manageable size. As you can see on Figure 4, the database file size has been considerably reduced.

    Figure 4

    With a new empty catalog database, now we are ready to set it up as a secondary database for our project and start using it exclusively for our new/custom part numbers in AutoCAD Electrical.

    Matterport – Blur Brush Tool (Beta)

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    Do you need to censor something in your Matterport Tour, say a family photo, signage, license plates? Inside your Matterport Account, in the Edit Mode of a Showcase model, is the Blur Brush.

    The Blur Brush is brand new and we couldn’t be more excited to show it off. Many of you have been patiently waiting for this tool to help boost privacy and control over what to hide in your Matterport spaces. This, however, is only the beginning. What Amir covers in this video is only version 1.0 of the Blur Brush. As the tool develops, we’ll be adding new videos and linking to them from here.

    To enable the beta Blur Brush, simply login with as the Admin https://my.matterport.com/settings/account/manage

    Go to your Settings > Manage

    Below Turn on the Blur Brush:

    It will now appear in the Edit Mode:

    To see this tool in action, check out the video :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFuW1nfr1s&t=94s