AU 2011 Classes Now Available Online

If you went in person or just virtually, you can now virtually relive the event or check out the classes you missed.

• AU Virtual classes are available to all AU members.
• AU 2011 Las Vegas attendees, Autodesk Subscription customers, and Autodesk employees with an Autodesk email address can access all class recordings and class materials from AU 2011 Las Vegas.
• AU members who did not attend AU 2011 Las Vegas can access class handouts, datasets, and other class documents, but not class recordings.
• Class recordings and class materials from AU 2009 and 2010 are available to all AU members

If you meet the requirements... go check it out.

AutoCAD WS is on Fire

Gosh, I hope I am the first to use that pun.

Autodesk just announced that AutoCAD WS is now also available for Kindle Fire through the Amazon App Store, allowing users to take designs with them anywhere. Use the Kindle Fire to view drawings, edit them and share them with colleagues. Also, you look really cool and less fortunate geeks will be jealous.

Ask Santa for a Kindle Fire and then download the app.

Final Thoughts on Autodesk University 2011

I am already missing all my AU friends old and new. I am not missing the sound of slot machines. Especially the one that yells out "Wheel! Of! Fortune!" at the airport. Tom and Brian from Virginia agree.

Other ways to know you are in Las Vegas.... Well you see a giant ad like this one in the airport!

I have to admit that I am still a little curious about what a "grease gun" is.

All that being said, mark you calendars, the place and time is set for next year.

Last Day of AU

Well, a lot of really cool things happened to me at Autodesk University this year.

I saw Lynn Allen. She turned and went the other way before I could say something stupid like "duh... I like AutoCAD too!" Thanks for that Lynn.

Santa Claus was looking at using Autodesk Inventor to crank up toy production. I am happy to report that only I am on the naughty list. My kids need only hold it together for a few more weeks in order to stay on the Nice list.

I ran into Kate Morrical author of LT Unlimited and said "Duh... I like AutoCAD LT too!" She was very nice and let me get a picture before enforcing that restraining order.

Lastly, a co-worker and I decided to go for broke and take the Revit Architecture Certification exams today.

I am proud to announce that we are both Revit Architecture 2012 Certified Professionals. Here is a picture of Andrea nailing it.

With all that, I have one more class, a nice meal, a short sleep and a plane ride home tomorrow. 


Next year, you come too and will get that picture with Lynn Allen.

The Exhibit Hall

On Wednesday I finally hit the Exhibit hall. As usual there was a ton of activity and lots to see. The annual beer bust was going on which tends to liven things up. I think I met everybody that works for IMAGINiT.

I met Martha Hollowell, who happens to write the book on everything for Ascent. I mean Architecture, MEP, Structural and CAD/BIM Management (AutoCAD and Revit based) books. Truly, an amazing woman.


Randy Swaim and Christal Vandecar were holding down the fort at the Eastcoast CAD booth. They showed me some awesome tools for converting Revit MEP files to AutoCAD MEP so they can be customized and sent to be manufactured.


My long time friend and one time boss, Lonnie Cumpton was burning the midnight oil over at the BIM9 booth.


Todd Saemisch at the Lighting Analysts booth, blew my mind with thier tool to do point by point lighting calculations directly in Revit using the same engine developed for AGI.


Oliver Turan was showing off Cad technology Centers' Revit Express Tools.


Steve Martin of CAD Works has a great story to tell with BIM Xchange 4.0.


On top of all that, (and there was very much more) they were giving out corn dogs and popcorn!


Best night of the event, hands down.