Autodesk Vernor Lawsuit

A lawsuit has been ongoing since August of 2007, regarding Mr. Vernor’s alleged sale of R14 on ebay.  Some aspects of the case have been settled but the ongoing current issue appears to be Copyright law and the EULA.

It’s touted as the Big Bad Wolf is squeezing Little Red Riding hood.  It would appear that way, perhaps if I just looked at the headlines, and the face value information. 

There has been considerable discussion about the possibility that the software was already upgraded, at a reduced upgrade fee (there was also a statement that this was not in the case documentation).  If it is true, then the individual accepted an agreement to upgrade or move up to a new product at a reduced cost, and subsequently stop using the old version.

Upgrades

I view a normal upgrade in the following mechanical fashion:

If the product was upgraded, the original is now UPGRADED, and no longer exists.  You can’t sell something that doesn’t exist.

But of course the tiny detail that Autodesk says in order to purchase the license, you agree not to release any portion of the software to any third parties.  Right or wrong, the statement is in there.  Read the EULA. 

I read all of the agreements and summaries that go along with the products, including trademark uses, etc.  I don’t agree with every detail in there, but I do know before I purchase, that the general idea that I can’t sell it again without written approval for Autodesk.

Civil 3D – Data References

I wrote this some time ago, and figured I’d better get it out here before 2010.

Data Shortcuts are Cool. The list of reasons to use these is growing. One such reason is a small amount of companies have shunned Vault for varying reasons, including the learning curve involved. I have repeatedly been tasked to produce methods that would allow the greatest flexibility in sharing, with the least amount of interruption to workflow. In earlier versions, Land XML had always been my preferred method of transfer, allowing some anonymity of the data origin. When the origin has been updated, the XML is overwritten and the definitions would recreate themselves like a data XREF, only more stable.

In the past I have reserved certain procedures away from Data references, however since 2009 issued, these reservations are almost gone.

Data shortcuts provide references to objects that can be inserted into other drawings. These references are like the best combination of a MAP queried object, LandXML data, and an XREF all in 1. They lie in the drawing, and distribute information, in the form of the original object, as an uneditable shell. Labels can be applied, and objects can be derived from the reference. These limitation are that only surfaces, alignments, profiles, pipe networks, and view frame groups can be referenced. They provide a nice alternative to vault.

The Working Folder

The working folder encapsulates a work environment much like a Land Desktop project did, and will contain the shortcut information. It may include the related drawings and data shortcuts for a project. The Data Shortcuts node on the Prospector Tab shows the shortcuts in the current working folder. When an object is updated in the source drawing, notification appears in the main application window and in Toolspace Prospector.

Inventor 2009 – 2D Environment

The first volume of the vBook series for Inventor 2009 was released by the publisher, Retrieve Media, and is on the shelf today.

Inventor 2009 – 2D Environment is a complete reference covering the procedures and options regarding the beginning steps of creating Inventor parts. 

This volume contains detailed video lessons on:

• Sketching profiles and references
• Constraints and DOF
• Dimensions
• Parameters
• Edit features
• Inserting objects
• Application Settings and Options. 

We step through and explain every item and demonstrate the chapter exercises. You can download the exercise files, and follow along while you practice.

This reference is intended to give the Beginner a good head start with a solid foundation, and add some additional insight for the Intermediate skilled user as well.

The remainder of the series is in production, and will be released volume by volume, until the compilation is complete.

Inventor – Loft Angle and Weight

Lofting….I don’t know about you, but this has been one of the things I learned to hate.  Maybe because the application seems to have more control that I do during the process, or because I had some bad experiences with 3DS 10 years ago (pre MAX).  Whatever the reason, I just never liked Lofts very much.

Lofting is an extremely useful tool.  While you can reproduce the model by other means, the pain involved would be extensive.  The Loft Feature has so much control over the process, by weighted interpolation, there is no reason not to use it.  The trick is to control the interpolation to accomplish your goal.

Today, we’ll use Angles and Weights to create a transition between 2 other features, that would normally take a bit more time and planning to complete.

In the image below, you should see the part I needed to tie into another loft feature, with a specific angle at the transition.

While a Sweep around an extruded Feature might normally get a similar job done as easily, you would need more than 1 rail, adding complexity to process.  The Right side view (below) shows the problem with fillets and sweeps.  The rear edge is offset farther than the front, and the upper edge is not a typical fillet This is a perfect candidate for a Loft.

Civil 3D – Parcel segment bug again

This is an oldie but a goodie.

I get this about once per year, when I have to do some survey drafting. The last time it occurred on 2007 and I had some seriously wigged out geometry. No one could say why (not the big dogs either).

It happened again, and with brutally simple geometry; no overlapping segments.

The Arc length is good, but notice the Chord length in the label.  

In the Parcel Geometry Vista the chord information is correct, but using a report, the Chord is erroneous, like the label.

The solution is to kill the bloody curve and recreate it.  This is rarely a solution when you have complex parceling.

I am hoping someone will have a better answer or solution that we have already heard. If you come up with something, please post it.

Civil 3D – Service Pack 2 is available AGAIN

That’s right, they’re gonna try again.  Autodesk released Service Pack 2 in late February.

You may recall that Autodesk notified me that SP2 was available to fix my woes.  I sent the message out that day.  It was subsequently removed from distribution within 24 hours, but failed to notify anyone.  (Chuck from JBI Partners clued us in).  Thanks again Chuck.

So this time, I thought I would wait awhile before I sent out a link to something that would be taken away.

Here is Update 2.1

I was going to list the fixes, but it’s a big list.

Check out the readme for the list

Here are just a few tidbits, some useful, and some downright funny.

• WBlock Points works again
• Grip editing a pipe object with Osnaps enabled no longer causes the program to close unexpectedly
• Editing a parcel curve no longer causes the program to close unexpectedly
• Matchline text is now displayed in sheets that are placed into a new drawing.
• Promoting a data-referenced alignment no longer causes the program to close unexpectedly.
• A drawing that contains design criteria and was saved in a Windows XP environment can now be opened using Windows Vista. Previously, the design criteria file could not be found. (that’s hilarious)
• An issue with polylines not retaining their settings has been resolved. Previously, linetype settings would not remain defined when a drawing was saved and reopened. (also hilarious)

Inventor – Match Shape and Open Profiles

The Match Shape, and conversely the Match Contour option is available in the Extrude and Revolve Features.  These are not rocket science options, but do occasionally present confusion, either by the situation they are used with, or by the Inventor help available.

When an Extrude feature is created, it expects a closed loop profile, from which it will add a feature perpendicular to the plane the profile lies on.  Alternately, an open profile can be selected.

In the image below you should notice a small tray with a sketch containing an open profile dimensioned 20mm x 20mm.  The sketch was created on the face of the tray bottom.

Open Profiles

Notice in the image, the purple 2D sketch geometry that was referenced from the existing part geometry, and projected automatically when we selected the part face for the sketch plane.  This comprises a closed loop profile.  What will happen when we try and select the open profile in the corner?  This…