LD Assistant 2010 - Better Predict What Your Event Will Look Like -

A realistic rendering of a model can give a production team or prospective client a clearer vision of a conceptual design than a plotted drawing. Most drafting time is spent working on line representations of a model. On occasion, however, you might need to see a more realistic image involving color and perspective—for example, when verifying your design or when presenting a final design.

LD Assistant's advanced rendering tools produce highly detailed and photorealistic images.
   
Ray-traced Reflections and Refractions: Ray tracing traces the path of rays sampled from the light source. Reflections and refractions generated this way are physically accurate.
    
Benefits of LD Assistant's Indirect Illumination: Indirect illumination techniques, like global illumination and final gathering, enhance the realism of a scene by simulating radiosity, or the interreflection of light in a scene.
    
Final Gathering: Final gathering is an optional, additional step used to improve global illumination (GI). It increases the number of rays used to calculate GI to smooth out and eliminate adverse lighting artifacts.


LD Assistant is the only Entertainment Lighting and Event Planning CAD program that's 100% AutoCAD DWG

December 2010 Featured News

• Autodesk 3ds Max News
Web-Based Rendering for 3ds Max On the Way - allowing 3ds Max users to tap into reality server, mental images' cloud-hosted rendering platform powered by Tesla GPUs, rendering faster, Keneth Wong's Virtual Desktop - The CPU and GPU in your workstation may be top of the line, but they cannot possibly compete with a cluster comprising 32 NVIDIA Tesla GPUs. So what if you can dial up (so to speak) the rendering horsepower of that cluster, or some other remote cluster with far more cores than your own machine?


• LD Assistant 2010 Photometric Lights
For more precise control over lighting, you can use photometric lights to illuminate your model. Photometric lights use photometric (light energy) values that enable you to define lights more accurately as they would be in the real world. You can create lights with various distribution and color characteristics, or import specific photometric files available from lighting manufacturers.

Photometric lights can use manufacturers' IES standard file format. By using manufacturers’ lighting data, you can visualize commercially available lighting in your model. Then you can experiment with different fixtures, and by varying the light intensity and color temperature, you can design a lighting system that produces the results you want.





• Protect Your Drawings - You can collaborate on design projects using passwords and digital signatures in LD Assistant 2010. When a drawing has a password, it cannot be viewed until the password is entered. When a drawing is signed, the signature identifies an individual or an organization through a digital ID (certificate).
      
You can provide a safe environment for sending and receiving data, and maintain the authenticity of drawings. A password protects a drawing with encryption, and a digital signature identifies an individual or an organization through a digital ID (certificate).
      
• Encryption Password-based encryption helps secure drawing data when you collaborate on projects. Specifically, when you maintain a password for a drawing, you can help prevent unauthorized viewing of the drawing when it is sent to others.
• Protect Drawings with Encryption If you add a password to a drawing and save the drawing, the drawing is encrypted and cannot be reopened until the password is entered.
• View Password-Protected Drawings To view the data in a password-protected drawing, you must first obtain and enter the password. After you enter the password, it stays with the drawing, even if you modify and save the drawing, unless you remove the password.

LD Assistant 2010 Below are a few of the LDA commands found in Help (F1)

3A 3DARRAY
3DO 3DORBIT
3P 3DPOLY
A ARC
AA AREA
AL ALIGN
AR ARRAY
B BLOCK
BR BREAK
C CIRCLE
CH PROPERTIES
CHA CHAMFER
CO COPY
D DIMSTYLE
DED DIMEDIT
DI DIST
DIV DIVIDE
DLI DIMLINEAR
DST DIMSTYLE
DT TEXT
DV DVIEW
E ERASE
EL ELLIPSE
EX EXTEND
EXIT QUIT
EXP EXPORT
EXT EXTRUDE
F FILLET
FI FILTER
G GROUP
HI HIDE
I INSERT
L LINE
LA LAYER
LEN LENGTHEN
LI LIST
LT LINETYPE
LTS LTSCALE
LW LWEIGHT
M MOVE
ME MEASURE
MI MIRROR
ML MLINE
MO PROPERTIES
MS MSPACE
MT MTEXT
MV MVIEW
O OFFSET
OP OPTIONS
ORBIT 3DORBIT
OS OSNAP
P PAN
PE PEDIT
PL PLINE
PO POINT
POL POLYGON
R REDRAW
RA REDRAWALL
RE REGEN
REA REGENALL
REC RECTANG
REG REGION
REN RENAME
REV REVOLVE
RO ROTATE
RPR RPREF
RR RENDER

December 2010 Articles

• I (Still) Don't Get What's Great about Macs - Windows 7 better than OS X in many small details, limitations Apple imposes on its hardware/software, Android makes more sense, WorldCAD Access.
• AutoCAD for Mac Available - AutoCAD for Mac has an intuitive interface that will feel familiar to Mac users and takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of Multi-Touch gestures for pan and zoom on Mac notebooks, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. Autodesk is making a free* 30-day trial of AutoCAD for Mac available for download and will offer free* educational licenses to students and educators.
• CAD Manager's Survey 2010 - CAD managers working, employment arrangements, insurance benefits, demographics, Robert Green, Cadalyst.
• Using OFFSET Command - creating instances of object offset by distance in AutoCAD, command options, OFFSETGAPTYPE system variable, Orhan Toker, Daily AutoCAD.
• About AutoCAD for Mac, Linux, Clouds and Competitors - Miikka Arala, EMEA Industry and Marketing Development Manager at Autodesk on project Twitch, 3D parameterization, AutoCAD for Linux, Isicad.
• Get a 3D View with the VPOINT Command - displaying current view's vector information in AutoCAD, displaying model in 3D, Orhan Toker, Daily AutoCAD.
• Get Plugged In - the AutoCAD WS Plugin - installing plug in version required, online tab added to AutoCAD interface, auto-sync function, managing uploads, sharing drawing, Iris Shoor, AutoCAD WS Blog.
• 4 Viewport Tips: Configurations, Irregular, Clip, and Scale - using viewport configurations in AutoCAD, viewport spacing, creating irregular viewports, converting a viewport to other viewport shape, scaling by choosing from scale list, Edwin Prakoso, CAD Notes.
• AutoCAD WS Plugin for AutoCAD, a Quick Test - uploading files directly from AutoCAD without opening browser, permission settings, drawing file security, Edwin Prakoso, CAD Notes.
• MIRRTEXT System Variable Let's You Configure Text Mirroring - MIRROR command in AutoCAD, changing MIRRTEXT command variable to 1, Daily AutoCAD.
• AutoCAD for Windows on Mac 3D Graphics Performance - using BootCamp is better than running on OSX, Deelip Menzes, Deelip.com
• PDF to DWG...DWF to DWG...Hack - exporting PDF to DWG using Adobe Illustrator, opening DWF in Autodesk Design Review, PDF using Acrobat writer, David Light, HOK BIM Solutions.
• How to Hide Some Parts of Blocks - using wipeout in AutoCAD, CLIP/XCLIP, choosing block to clip, new boundary, inverting/modifying, XCLIPFRAME variable, Edwin Prakoso, CAD Notes.
• Create and Edit 2D Objects - AutoCAD for Mac, using mouse/tools in user interface/prompts, YouTube
• Use Gestures to Navigate a Drawing - AutoCAD on Mac, gestures for trackpad/Magic Mouse, YouTube
• What's Missing from AutoCAD MAC? - list of missing key features, Brian Benton, CAD-a-Blog
• Autodesk Updates Photo Scene Editor, Project Photofly - Although it's only been a short while since the last Project Photofly update, Autodesk released another update yesterday. Recall that Project Photofly is a technology preview of service for creating 3D scenes from photographs. The Photo Scene Editor is an application that you use on your computer to upload the photographs and work with the photo scenes returned by the service.
• McAfee and Autodesk Products Performance Issues and Solution - steps to reduce impact of anti-virus software on Autodesk product performance, JTB World - ISSUE You are experiencing performance issues with Autodesk products on systems where McAfee anti-virus software is installed and active. These performance issues may include sluggish response times within the product and slow refresh of the UI.


HOW TO...
• Aligning Text Using Quick Properties Window - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker
• How To Attach Lines Onto POLYLINE Objects - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker
• How to Create Backwards Text In AutoCAD - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker
• Copying All Layers From One Drawing To Another - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker
• How To Plot Multiple LAYOUTs at the Same Time - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker
• How to Maximize Your Workspace? - Daily AutoCAD by Orhan Toker

December 2010 Reviews

• Dell Precicion M4500 Mobile Workstation


Starting at $1,449.00
To build your mobile workstation.
Contact: Clifton Poff
Direct line: 512-513-0237
Email: Clifton_poff {at} dell.com


Maximized Performance
Working on the go has never been so powerful and productive. A robust mobile workstation, the Dell Precision M4500 features: Advanced 3D graphics featuring NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 1800M graphics engine with 1GB of dedicated graphics memory for demanding tasks such as computer-aided design (CAD) manipulation. Pick from Intel® Core i7 740QM, 840QM or the Core i7 Quad Extreme Edition processors for number crunching performance. 15.6" high resolution displays, including the 100 percent Adobe® Color Gamuts RGB LED Display. Choice of 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems makes a trus mobile workstation.

Recommend for LD Assistant.

• Intel® Core™ i7-840QM Quad Core 1.86GHz 8MB
• NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1800M Graphics with 1GB dedicated memory
• 4.0GB, DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS for 32 bit Win 7
• 8.0GB, DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS for 64 bit Win 7
• 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Wide View Anti-Glare LED Display

LD Assistant 2010 - Better Predict What Your Event Will Look Like

A realistic rendering of a model can give a production team or prospective client a clearer vision of a conceptual design than a plotted drawing. Most drafting time is spent working on line representations of a model. On occasion, however, you might need to see a more realistic image involving color and perspective—for example, when verifying your design or when presenting a final design.





LD Assistant's advanced rendering tools produce highly detailed and photorealistic images.
   
Ray-traced Reflections and Refractions: Ray tracing traces the path of rays sampled from the light source. Reflections and refractions generated this way are physically accurate.
    
Benefits of LD Assistant's Indirect Illumination: Indirect illumination techniques, like global illumination and final gathering, enhance the realism of a scene by simulating radiosity, or the interreflection of light in a scene.
    
Final Gathering: Final gathering is an optional, additional step used to improve global illumination (GI). It increases the number of rays used to calculate GI to smooth out and eliminate adverse lighting artifacts.

LD Assistant 2010 Set Isometric Grid and Snap

Simulate a 3D object from a particular viewpoint by aligning along three major axes.

Isometric drawings simulate a 3D object from a particular viewpoint by aligning along three major axes. 

By setting the Isometric Snap/Grid, you can easily align objects along one of three isometric planes; however, although the isometric drawing appears to be 3D, it is actually a 2D representation. Therefore, you cannot expect to extract 3D distances and areas, display objects from different viewpoints, or remove hidden lines automatically.

If the snap angle is 0, the axes of the isometric planes are 30 degrees, 90 degrees, and 150 degrees. Once you set the snap style to Isometric, you can work on any of three planes, each with an associated pair of axes: 

Left. Aligns snap and grid along 90- and 150-degree axes. 

Top. Aligns snap and grid along 30- and 150-degree axes. 

Right. Aligns snap and gridalong 30- and 90-degree axes.





Choosing one of the three isometric planes causes Ortho and the crosshairs to be aligned along the corresponding isometric axes.

For example, when Ortho is on, the points you specify align along the simulated plane you are drawing on.

Therefore, you can draw the top plane, switch to the left plane to draw another side, and switch to the right plane to complete the drawing.

Pre-LDI Show LD Assistant Las Vegas CAD Training

A very special thank you goes out to Pat Bash of In-House Production (left) for making the LD Assistant. Pre-LDI Show CAD training a huge success. LD Assistant CAD users came from as far away as Germany to "see the light". Lighting designers Sebastian Weis, Raimo Piper and Tobias Morell from PIPER WEIS MORELL Partners made the long trip to take advanage the three day LD Assistant class.

Meet The LD Assistant 2010 Class

AutoCAD WS Web, Mobile Application Officially Launched

 Oct 2010 - Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced the availability of AutoCAD WS, a new free* web application that uses cloud computing technology to enable AutoCAD software users to view, edit and share their AutoCAD designs and DWG files through web browsers and mobile devices. The AutoCAD WS mobile application for iOS is also now available as a free* app in the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Click here to keep reading.

AutoCAD WS Exceeds 125K Downloads, Autodesk 'Overwhelmed'

 Within the first 24 hours of availability of the AutoCAD WS mobile application on the iTunes App Store, it has been downloaded over 125,000 times. Over 80,000 new user accounts were created and more than 35,000 drawings have been uploaded. Click here to keep reading.

IES Standard File Format & LD Assistant 2010

IES standard file formats can be created and modified.

You can create a photometric data file in the IES format using the IES LM-63-1991 standard file format for photometric data. (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society.) However, only the information relevant to LD Assistant Ac is described here. For a complete description of the IES standard file format, see IES Standard File Format for Electronic Transfer of Photometric Data and Related Information, prepared by the IES Computer Committee (http://www.iesna.org).

The luminous intensity distribution (LID) of a luminaire is measured at the nodes of a photometric web for a fixed set of horizontal and vertical angles. The poles of the web lie along the vertical axis, with the nadir corresponding to a vertical angle of zero degrees. The horizontal axis corresponds to a horizontal angle of zero degrees and is oriented parallel to the length of the luminaire. This type of photometric web is generated by a Type C goniometer and is the most popular in North America; other types of goniometry are supported by the IES standard file format but are not discussed here.

The photometric data is stored in an ASCII file. Each line in the file must be less than 132 characters long and must be terminated by a carriage return/line-feed character sequence. Longer lines can be continued by inserting a carriage return/line-feed character sequence. Each field in the file must begin on a new line and must appear exactly in the following sequence:

1) IESNA91
2) [TEST] The test report number of your data
3) [MANUFAC] The manufacturer of the luminaire
4) TILT=NONE
5) 1
6) The initial rated lumens for the lamp used in the test or -1 if absolute photometry is used and the intensity values do not depend on different lamp ratings.
7) A multiplying factor for all the candela values in the file. This makes it possible to easily scale all the candela values in the file when the measuring device operates in unusual units—for example, when you obtain the photometric values from a catalog using a ruler on a goniometric diagram. Normally the multiplying factor is 1.
8) The number of vertical angles in the photometric web.
9) The number of horizontal angles in the photometric web.
10) 1
11) The type of unit used to measure the dimensions of the luminous opening. Use 1 for feet or 2 for meters.
12) The width, length, and height of the luminous opening. It is normally given as 0 0 0.
13) 1.0 1.0 0.0
14) The set of vertical angles, listed in increasing order. If the distribution lies completely in the bottom hemisphere, the first and last angles must be 0° and 90°, respectively. If the distribution lies completely in the top hemisphere, the first and last angles must be 90° and 180°, respectively. Otherwise, they must be 0° and 180°, respectively.
15) The set of horizontal angles, listed in increasing order. The first angle must be 0°. The last angle determines the degree of lateral symmetry displayed by the intensity distribution. If it is 0°, the distribution is axially symmetric. If it is 90°, the distribution is symmetric in each quadrant. If it is 180°, the distribution is symmetric about a vertical plane. If it is greater than 180° and less than or equal to 360°, the distribution exhibits no lateral symmetries. All other values are invalid.
16) The set of candela values. First, all the candela values corresponding to the first horizontal angle are listed, starting with the value corresponding to the smallest vertical angle and moving up the associated vertical plane. Then, the candela values corresponding to the vertical plane through the second horizontal angle are listed, and so on until the last horizontal angle. Each vertical slice of values must start on a new line. Long lines may be broken between values as needed by following the instructions given earlier.


The following is an example of a photometric data file.