Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials is now released and free, provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
I’ve used the beta for some months and it has been there in the background and I have not had any problems at all.

If you try to download it and get this message the direct links are available below:

Not available in your country or region


You appear to be in a country or region where Microsoft Security Essentials is not available. Thank you for your interest in Microsoft Security Essentials.



http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/3/8/A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-E44F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-x86fre-en-us-vista-win7.exe

http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/3/8/A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-E44F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-amd64fre-en-us-vista-win7.exe

DWG Explorer Column Handler released

Enhance Your Explorer Experience with the New DWG Explorer Column Handler.

• Show the DWG properties in Explorer columns or even in file dialog boxes within AutoCAD or other applications.
• Sort files in Explorer based on any of the columns available like a revision.
• Use DWGPROPS in AutoCAD and add information in the Summary or Custom tabs and you can show this information in columns in Windows Explorer.
• The columns can show the version of the DWG file, up to 10 custom properties, title, subject, author, comments, created, hyperlink base, keywords, last saved by, last updated, revision number.
• No need to have AutoCAD installed. That means that everyone at your company can see this information.
• No need to open the drawing to know information like revision and other valuable information in the drawing.
• Supported extensions are DWG, BAK, DWT, DWS, SW$ in any DWG file version.
• Column names can be customized for example from "DWG Revision" to "Rev" or into other languages.

Contact us for a trial.

ADN free Plugins of the Month for AutoCAD

Plugins of the Month now have Clipboard Manager for AutoCAD and Offset in XREF available.

Via It’s Alive in the Lab

Hide or isolate objects in AutoCAD freeware

I mentioned a few days ago that I wanted to release a freeware and here it is.

You can hide, isolate or unisolate selected objects with it.

It is free and without support and released as it is. It is a VBA program that you need to load with VBALOAD and then the form can be showed with VBARUN running IsolateHideObjects.dvb!Start.Isolate.
It can be called by AutoLISP like this:
(vl-vbarun "c:/temp/IsolateHideObjects.dvb!Start.Isolate")

Download here.
(notice the warning in the comments about the risk of saving a drawing without using UnIsolate so make sure to know about potential side effects)

For any questions please keep them as comment in this blog post.

License error. Your license is invalid - explained

This may be followed in some cases by an error "Unhandled e06d7363h Exception at 7c812a5bh".
This seems to be a memory problem. Find the details in this Knowledge Base document: Error: "License is invalid" when working in the program
Applies to:
AutoCAD 2010
AutoCAD 2009
AutoCAD 2008
AutoCAD 2007

Autodesk Navisworks 2010 Service Pack 1

Knowledge Base document with download: Autodesk Navisworks 2010 Service Pack 1

This SP applies to the following products.

Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2010
Autodesk Navisworks Review 2010
Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2010
Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2010

But wait did you notice that it’s named Service Pack as opposed to Update in the case of AutoCAD?

One vital fix for us programmers is that AutoCAD Visual LISP feature of AutoCAD 2008 and 2009 now functions correctly after Autodesk Navisworks 2010 is installed.

Top 10 AutoCAD Blogs includes JTB World

Cool to find JTB World among the Top 10 AutoCAD Blogs on Blogs.com. Congrats to the other 9 blogs.

I will celebrate this by releasing a freeware for AutoCAD. Keep your eyes on this blog.

AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Product Update 1

I installed ACA 2010 on a new machine today and noticed that Update 1 was available via the setup interface and was able to also download and include it directly during the installation. Very nice!

Knowledge Base document: AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Product Update 1 includes downloads for both 32-bit and 64-bit as well as the Readme.

The following defects have been fixed in AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Update 1:

AEC Dimensions

• Multiple overlapping windows may lead to incorrect dimensions.

API

• AutoCAD Architecture might crash when trying to define a Display Theme style using .NET API.

IFC

• Slabs may have the wrong elevation when imported from an IFC file due to an incorrect thickness offset.
• Exporting a drawing to IFC may create incorrect IFC GUIDs for AEC objects.
• Importing IFC files that contain certain material settings may crash.
• Space exported to IFC have the IFC type of IFCTYPEOBJECT instead of IFCSPACETYPE.

Layers

• The "New layer from Standard" button doesn't work in localized versions.
• Layer description fields are not automatically populated in all cases.

Performance

• Response is very slow when using Dynamic UCS and objects are Isolated.

Property Palette

• Changing an entry to one that is the first characters of the previous entry will not work in some fields.

Schedules

• Schedules are not sorted as expected when values are a combination of numeric and alphabetic characters.

Sections

• Some objects imported from Inventor display as points in 2D Sections.

Structural Members

• Custom block based on 3D Solids using Boolean operations are always placed at the start point.

Wall Objects

• AutoCAD Architecture might hang when opening certain drawings that contain modified Wall Endcaps.
• Window openings may not be created due to Wall Plan Modifiers.
• Using Refedit on a block containing Wall Object may cause a crash.

Xrefs

• Openings in Xrefs with negative Z value are placed at an incorrect position.

AutoCAD 2010 Update 1 (AutoCAD 2010 SP1) is included in AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Product Update 1

Other verticals updated are:

Knowledge Base document: AutoCAD MEP 2010 Update 1

Knowledge Base document: AutoCAD Electrical 2010 Update 1

A problem has been encountered while loading the setup components - solution

I tried to add and remove features in the Visual Studio 2008 setup as I needed to add a component and got the error "A problem has been encountered while loading the setup components. Canceling setup." Not very helpful.
The solution for me was to uninstall the latest updates and hotfixes for VS 2008 and then try again. (KB973675, KB971092)

JTB FlexReport 5.1 released

JTB FlexReport 5.1 adds the new feature JTB Process Monitor making usage reports on most any application possible.

This opens the door to monitor usage of standalone applications like Word, Excel, Outlook and AutoCAD LT.

There is a service part and a client part of the application and two separate installers. The data is saved into the main JTB FlexReport database JTBFlexReport.NET.mdb and reports on the usage can be done in the normal way. This means that JTB FlexReport also needs to be installed. The client computer does not need to be connected to the network all the time. It still can monitor the usage and when connected again it will send back the data to the server.

JTB Process Monitor is useful while preparing to covert standalone licenses to network licenses as it will help to know how much the applications are used and by what users.

Another usage scenario is to identify users that might not need a full license.

If you have a need to split costs of software based on usage JTB Process Monitor will be a big help.

Upgrade from 5.0 to 5.1 is only needed if you want the new functionality.

JTB Process Monitor is priced in relation to an estimation of number of clients. The price per license is approximately 1/5 of the price for the main JTB FlexReport application.

Existing customers that wants this feature can request a quote for the upgrade.

Download the JTB Process Monitor Documentation PDF for more details.

Download of the installers are available from the JTB FlexReport site.

Contact us to get a time limited license file for free. You can try it in your environment with your real data for a few weeks with full functionality.
Full support is provided during trial period.

Get ready to optimize network license and most any software usage.

License controls and investigations increasing

I read in the Swedish online magazine Computer Sweden that more and more companies are being audited and investigated by Business Software Alliance (BSA) or software vendors that checks for unlicensed copies of software.

Why this increase? A person responsible for software asset management at Insight mentions that some companies or organizations are being audited up to five or six times per year. One reason presented is that software vendors try to find extra income this way during the recession. Another reason is that when employees are fired they might want to hit back on their old company and report them or try to find a reward from BSA as an extra income in these hard times. According to BSA in Sweden they have not increased their controls but think that the increase comes from the vendors.

There are free software audit tools from BSA that are designed to help you audit, or identify and track, licensed and unlicensed software installed on your computers and networks. Audits are a key component of any comprehensive software asset management plan.

Is your company compliant? JTB World offers JTB FlexReport as a solution to help companies to have better control on their license usage and help to ensure software compliance. JTB FlexReport also helps to prepare for the need to increase or decrease the number of licenses you have.

AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 now available

AutoCAD Plant 3D based on the AutoCAD 2010 platform is now available with its first public release. With Plant 3D you can design, model, and document process plants.

Features like spec-driven design and standard parts catalogs help streamline the placement of piping, equipment, and support structures. Integrated AutoCAD® P&ID functionality and quicker generation of isometric and orthographic drawings support productivity, accuracy, and coordination.

• Get a Free 30 day Trial of AutoCAD Plant 3D (Download available from US and Canada)
• AutoCAD Exchange Plant Group
• AutoCAD Plant 3D Discussion Group
• AutoCAD Plant 3D Blog

Below are some of the features of AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010:

Project Setup

Use the project feature in the beginning of the project to quickly enter pertinent information such as project numbers and specs that will be used to help drive creation of piping and components. You can also identify and add a variety of stock and custom components and specifications, which will eventually populate the tool palette when design begins. All this information can be updated as the project progresses and then used to generate reports.

AutoCAD P&ID Integration
AutoCAD P&ID functionality is integrated directly into AutoCAD Plant 3D. Using these capabilities, you can create and edit piping and instrumentation diagrams, then reconcile the underlying data with the 3D model.

Specifications and Catalogs
AutoCAD Plant 3D helps streamline the placement of piping, equipment, support structures, and other plant components through spec-driven technology and standard parts catalogs like ANSI/ASME (B16) and DIN/ISO. When you need to create a spec, you can work directly with included content-rich catalogs, or you can modify the catalogs to meet your project’s requirements.

Piping

From the initial spec through the final design, AutoCAD Plant 3D software optimizes the creation and editing of spec-driven pipelines. With this feature, you can route pipe, edit a line of pipe and its component elements, and manage a system of connections. You have the option to route pipe semi-automatically or manually. As you route pipe, additional components such as gaskets or flanges are added automatically.

Equipment Elements

This feature enables you to create, modify, manage, and use equipment in your drawings. A comprehensive library of standard equipment elements is available for use from within the tool palette. You may add custom content to your library as well.

Structural Elements

Use this feature to identify issues such as interferences in your plant model. With it, you can parametrically create a small set of structural elements, including AISC steel members and structural trim, such as stairs and cage ladders. You can also externally reference structural drawings created in Autodesk® Revit® Structure software, AutoCAD® Structural Detailing software, and other applications.

Construction Document Generation
From the 3D model, you can more easily generate and share isometrics, orthographic, and other construction documents. Information is directly exchanged with the 3D model, helping to ensure that your construction documents are accurate, consistent, and up-to-date.

Report, Search, and Query
Use these features to search for, query, and manipulate the data contained in drawings. Generate materials lists and create reports based on your particular search criteria. You can then export the information as piping component format (PCF) files for integration into other applications like stress analysis and spool generation packages.

Autodesk Navisworks Compatibility

AutoCAD Plant 3D models are directly compatible with the Autodesk® Navisworks® family of products for smoother design review, visualization, and clash detection.

Press release - Autodesk Announces New AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 Software
New Product Brings Modern 3D Modeling to Mainstream Plant Design and Engineering Projects

Autodesk today announced the availability of AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010, a new software product that brings the proven benefits of model-based design to mainstream plant design projects. Purpose-built for the design, modeling, and documentation of process plants, AutoCAD Plant 3D makes modern 3D design more affordable and accessible to project teams of all sizes. Today's announcement was made at the SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition 2009.

Built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD Plant 3D allows project teams to increase productivity, and improve accuracy and coordination of shared information. The vast majority of plant design and engineering projects support the operation, maintenance and expansion of existing facilities. These projects are typically executed by small teams facing tight time and budget constraints. AutoCAD Plant 3D is tailor-made to increase the productivity of these teams by reducing setup time, facilitating straightforward information sharing, and minimizing the impact of changing project information.

"The value of 3D modeling is proven in the process plant industry, but existing design solutions are complex and expensive, serving primarily the largest projects," said Mark Strassman, vice president, AEC Plant Solutions Group at Autodesk, Inc. "The most common plant design and engineering projects today are retrofits, upgrades, and expansions that run on tight budgets and fixed shutdown windows. The teams that execute these projects simply can't afford to waste time and overhead with complicated solutions. Since AutoCAD Plant 3D leverages the familiarity of AutoCAD and the popularity of the .dwg file format, project teams can get up and running quickly, more easily share design information and finish projects faster - with potentially significant savings in time and cost."

Update from In the Pipes:

This particular release is most appropriate for piping design in Oil & Gas, Power, or Chemical projects up to $250 million total installed cost.  It does contain Isogen for Isometric generation. It contains a full release of AutoCAD 2010, so you can leverage all your AutoCAD techniques to help you model and produce documents.

While AutoCAD Plant 3D is not optimized to be an equipment design package (that would be Inventor), you can of course place basic plant equipment. It is also not intended as a structural design/detailing product, although we’ve included though  pipers’ steel for roughing in the structural elements. It is not for HVAC, nor for bent pipe.

Stockholm lighthouse

This is a suggested building project for Stockholm, Sweden. In Swedish it is “Stockholmsfyren”. With its 187 meter and 54 floors it’s aimed to be higher than Turning Torso in Malmö and Kaknästornet in Stockholm. Now we have to wait and see if this will become reality or not.

 

 

 

 

  

Architecture by Rosenbergs arkitekter and a Swedish article at ymby.