Featured Lighting Designer - G. B. Stephen

G. B. Stephens Associate Professor of Design and Manager of the School of Theatre and Dance CADArts Center at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. G. B. was kind enough to let us show off one of his designs.

March 2009 Reviews

• HP EliteBook 8530w Mobile Workstation Includes Brains and Beauty - brushed anodized aluminum exterior, size is 14" x 10.4" x 1.1" and 6.3 pounds, 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU with 6MB of L2 cache, Intel PM45 express chipset, new additions, benchmark test, David Cohn, Desktop Engineering

• NEC MultiSync EA261WM - 26" flat-panel display, WUXGA resolution, fast 5-ms response time, HDMI capable, 1920 x 1200, moderate price, Ron LaFon, Cadalyst

• Big, Bold, and Beautiful: Lenovo ThinkPad W700 - Intel Quad Core CPU, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M GPU, and a built-in Wacom digitizer, LED lights illuminated keyboard, wide color gamut, fingerprint reader, integrated microphone, more, David Cohn, Desktop Engineering

March 2009 Articles

• Dimensions and Associativity - using AutoCAD DIMREASSOCIATE command to make old drawing associative, Ellen Finkelstein.com

• Round Up Those Wild XREFs by Using The eTransmit Command - AutoCAD method to send drawing file containing attached XREF's, Bill Fane, Cadalyst

• Creating a Surface From 3D Faces or 3D Lines in Civil 3D - LandXML import/export format to translate surface, Rick Ellis, Cadapult

• Create a Viewport with Holes - using AutoCAD LT to create non-rectangular viewports with empty spaces, Kate Morrical, LT Unlimited

• Drawing Recovery Manager - recover drawing files, resave when AutoCAD crashes, Kate Morrical, LT Unlimited

• Redefine Priorities to Survive Tough Times - versatility, managing projects, deadlines, sharpening skills for CAD managers, Robert Green, Cadalyst

• Capture the Perfect Selection Set in AutoCAD - using QSelect command to select set of certain type of object like text or block, Lynn Allen, Cadalyst

• Wipeout! - using Draw Order command in AutoCAD LT to add object to cover other objects with blank area, ate Morrical, LT Unlimited

• Comparing Drawing Differences Using Autodesk Design Review 2009 - compare AutoCAD drawing sets, Mike Rieben, AutoCAD for Civil's

• Creating Complex Viewports Inside Layouts - making use of MVIEW, POLYLINE, LAYER commands in AutoCAD, more, Erhan Toker, Daily AutoCAD

• Customizing AutoCAD to Fit Your Needs - complications and benefits of adding custom tools, tool pallets, toolbar, ribbon, Brian Benton, CAD-a-Blog

March 2009 News

• Autodesk Labs - A Brief Tour in San Francisco - overview of technology on display by Autodesk Labs, Brian Benton, CAD-a-Blog

• Apple First Out of the Block with New Generation Xeon (Nehalem) Processor - advance workstation, dual socket for multithreaded applications, supports hyperthreading, Greg Corke, Develop3D

The Pitch...

If you can find a CAD program that does everything that LD Assistant 08.5 does for under $15,000 we would like to buy it for you.

Get The VIP Treatment Plus Get A Fully Working LD Assistant 08.5 Demo

After receiving Design & Drafting's VIP Demo treatment, you will be able to create designs with lighting, video and audio playing as you walkthrough your creation. This jump start is for the serious designer who wants to learn more about LD Assistant and are considering moving up to the new industry design standard.

To receive your VIP Treatment and a fully working 30 day demo of LD Assistant Ac 08.5

Step 1 : Contact Design & Drafting sales at 708-499-0107 to schedule a time when you have a half hour to forty-five minutes.

Step 2 : Our support specialist will connect with your computer download and install the software using GoToMeeting.

Step 3 : The tech will setup LD Assistant Ac 08.5 and give you a brief overview of how the program works.

Step 4 : Play and have more fun, and let us know when you have questions.

Requirements : 1) Fast internet connection 2) XP Pro or VISTA Business OS 3) RAM 1GB for 2D, 2GB for 3D 4) Video Card 128 Meg for 2D, 256 Meg for 3D 5) Public email addresses including yahoo, hotmail, or gmail are not accepted

LD Assistant 08.5 Release With sACN & Support for ETC's Net3™

Entertainment Lighting and Event Planning's oldest and most technically advanced CAD developer, Design & Drafting, has released LD Assistant 08.5 with sACN support. This allows consoles that support ACN to connect with LD Assistant over a local network. One such console is Electronic Theatre Controls that support ETC's Net3™. "I believe that you will see GrandMa, Strand, Pathway, CK, and other manufacturers moving to the ACN protocol. With the ease of use that ACN brings to the table, it just makes sense," says Florin Nitu, Programmer and VP of Design & Drafting.

Included in the release is an enhanced JANDS VISTA & VISTA PC connection using Art-Net. This connection allows user to connect and operate both VISTA PC and LD Assistant 08.5 on the same computer, without needing ANY dongles.

Other new features include Save Views in any of the three Simulators for quick return, named views support, more moving light profiles, gobos, textures and movies. LD Assistant 08.5 receives and transmits sACN, Art-Net and Pathport using Ethernet, ENTTEC and LD Net using USB. As always, this is a free update to all LD Assistant Ac 08 & PL 08 users. LD Assistant users, click on your built-in Online Content to learn how to receive your free update.

With LD Assistant 08.5 you can

1) Connect lighting consoles to the CAD program using sACN, Art-Net and Pathport over a local network

2) Connect up to sixty-four universes using Art-Net without any dongles

3) Walk through event designs in Real-Time with audio, video and lighting all playing simultaneously

4) Create industry standard lighting, sound and event plots

5) Open and save Real DWG file

6) Remote viewing of live events from different locations

7) Have multiple independent users walking through a simulation

Because we are Autodesk Partners using the AutoCAD Real DWG file format, you'll never again have to tear your hair out trying to open a DWG file.

Click here to see how easy it is to run 8 Showguns with multiple independent light sources