April 2009 Reviews

• HP Z600 Workstation - innovative design based on Intel Xeon X5560 processor, quiet and compact mid-range product with excellent engineering, Ron LaFon, Cadalyst

• HP's New Z Line: Breakthrough Workstation Technology - Z line of workstations with Intel Xeon 5500 series chip sets was announced, Robert Green, Cadalyst

• HP Workstation Event: Z Series Take Serviceability to New Levels - innovative mechanism, tool-less in design, effective power saving mode, Greg Corke, Develop 3D

• PolyStation iQ470 - compact but noisy workstation with expanding options, good warranty, $699, Ron LaFon, Cadalyst

April 2009 Articles

• CAD Leadership 2008 - key concepts to create environment for positive technology use, CAD manager's personal and corporate assets, road to leadership, Mark Kiker, Autodesk University 2008

• Implementation Tools and Techniques That No CAD Manager Can Live Without - streamlining complexities of CAD management when handling multiple releases of AutoCAD-based software used in multiple locations, Steve Bennett, Autodesk University 2008

• Preventative CAD Management - developing CAD standard, reviewing it regularly, creating technology plan, organizing server, all data, Mark Kiker, Autodesk University 2008ftware used in multiple locations, Steve Bennett, Autodesk University 2008

• Supporting CAD Systems and Users - computer hardware - good hardware system, utilizing network vs. standalone licenses, justifying training, backing up data, Tom Conti, Autodesk University 2008

• Finding Those Who Care About CAD - caring people are constant learners, work as team, have transparent agendas, provide input, Mark Kiker, CADDManager Blog

• Turning Caring About CAD into Curing CAD Troubles - make group of caring people and move them to work on CAD issues, Mark Kiker, CADDManager Blog

• When Should a CAD Standard be Created? - create as soon as possible, start on small scale, one topic at a time, Mark Kiker, CADDManager Blog

• Draw 3D Walls with Polysolids - using existing objects in AutoCAD, Ellen Finkelstein.com

• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 - The New UI - quick access toolbar, viewports with menus, graphite modeling tools, Mark Gerhard, IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

• Autodesk Design Review 2010 - Application Window - key tips for keyboard, progressive tooltips on application menu, quick access toolbar, ribbon, Volker Joseph, Beyond the Paper

• Your, Recession-Proof - responsibilities of CAD manager , users to make organization more efficient during recession, Dennis Jeffrey, AUGI

• How to Standardize Everything in Your Corporate Environment - customizing standard software deployment installation setup, using standard user profiles and shortcuts, CAD standards checker, placing block libraries on tool palettes, Eric Bogenschutz, Autodesk University 2008

• Tangible View Cube - small, wireless hand held device used for controlling orientation of on-screen 3D model in Autodesk products, Sunith Babu, CAD Professor

• Collapse Layer Filters Pane - AutoCAD tip, Kate Morrical, LT Unlimited

• Reload all References - AutoCAD method to reload referenced file, Kate Morrical, LT Unlimited

Featured Lighting Designer - Geoffrey Platt

Geoffrey's background is in theatre, corporate events and touring. He specializes in lighting and set design. He's experienced in using today's major lighting consoles: Jands Vista, GrandMA, Avolites Pearl, Whole Hog 500, 1000, II, III and iPC, and he LOVES LD Assistant.

April 2009 News

• AutoCAD for the Mac - Autodesk indicated that the world's largest CAD software company is looking for new markets into which to expand its sales of CAD software. Click here to take the online survey.

• Autodesk Named In Business Week Top 50 Companies - Business Week includes Autodesk among its annual ranking of top 50 companies that are the "best in class from the 10 sectors of the Standard & Poor's index of 500 stocks." ... Nestled in the rolling hills just north of San Francisco, Autodesk is no Silicon Valley mover and shaker. The company is known mostly among engineers as the maker of the 3D software programs used by everyone from Hollywood animators to the architects designing the newest Manhattan skyscrapers. But Autodesk's bigger contribution to the U.S. economy may not be its role in such movies as Kung Fu Panda or the latest Indiana Jones epic. Rather, it's in helping manufacturers scattered across the Rust Belt compete against foreign rivals.

• 3ds Max 2010 to Integrate mental ray 3.7+ Rendering - SAN FRANCISCO, CA and BERLIN, Germany, Mar 27, 2009 - mental images, a global leader in rendering software and visualization tools for animators, visual effects artists and professionals who create high quality imagery, today announced that mental ray 3.7+, the photorealistic rendering software that now utilizes MetaSLä universal shader language to easily and efficiently create and deploy shaders across platforms, will be integrated into Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 software.

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 - quieter graphics card with many connectivity options, supports 30 bit color displays, certified for many CAD applications, Ron LaFon, Cadalyst

• Dell Unveils 3 Precision Workstation with Intel's Xeon 5500 - Dell officially unveiled its new range of workstation-class systems today with the launch of the Precision T3500, T5500 and T7500. Like all new workstations being announced this week, the new Precision family is based on Intel's Xeon 5500 Series (Nehalem) architecture, which offers incredible power for multi-threaded applications; particularly those that take advantage of HyperThreading, such as 3ds Max and HyperShot.

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