Advantages of CAD DWF vs. DWG »

In case you are still sending those huge .dwg files for others to view, here are a few reasons why you should instead be sending those neat little compact .dwf files instead:

1 – DWF is an as-plotted view of a DWG. There’s no need for Object Enablers, x-refs, special fonts, etc. As such, many reprography shops accept DWF files directly like plot files.

2 – DWF can contain an entire project’s worth of drawings, especially easy when using AutoCAD 2006 to publish a single DWF from a collection or sheet set of DWG files.

3 – DWF does not depend on which versions of AutoCAD may be in use across team members. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer reads all DWF files past and present. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer is typically a smaller download and footprint than DWG viewers.

4 – DWF files provide a basis for archiving legacy data. The DWF files capture original “as printed” record documents that anyone can access easily – now and in the future.

5 – DWF is a read-only, secure file format.

6 – DWF is a smaller, more compressed file format than native DWG files, making them easier to transmit over the web. This is particularly pertinent when attaching files through email.

Check out Scott Sheppard’s blog for more reasons, if you are still not convinced.

Vespa Beta 5 Released »

Shaan in his Autocad Between the Lines Blog alerts us to the latest release of Vespa from Autodesk. Beta 5 version has been released and is ready for you to review and provide feedback.

We previously wrote about Vespa in this post. In essence, it takes a plain 2D drawing and automatically “fancies” it up so that it looks like a rendering. At Shaan’s blog, he has some great screenshots to look at.  He also give instructions on how to register and download this for free.
If you want a professional firm to create high-quality 3D renderings for your next building project, contact us and we will be happy to show you what we can do .

Download Full Version of DWF Writer 3.1 »

Scott in his Beyond the Paper blog, alerts us to the fact that Autodesk offers a full version download of the DWF Writer 3.1 product. This is particularly handy when needing to install this software on a computer that is not connected to the Internet.

It is a rather large executable file (33Mb), but Autodesk also offers a zipped version (28Mb). In this post on his blog, Scott gives us instructions on how to download the full version through Autodesk’s web site Click here to read more »

Autodesk DWF Viewer 7.0 Issues »

Ok…so you have installed the new DWF Viewer 7.0 on your computer in record time, blindly clicking “Next”, “Yes”, “I agree” and so forth. But…you didn’t read the “Readme.txt” file. Shame, shame. You missed out on some pretty important alerts that, had you read the document, would have informed you of some of the limitations of the new DWF viewer. Now, you are wondering why your hatch patterns don’t print out correctly and you can’t view the .dwf file in IE 7.

Never fear! Scott, in his Beyond the Paper blog, has written a Reader’s Digest® version of that utterly boring document. He tells us things like:

• What to do if you are experiencing poor video display.
• If you are running XP SP2, you will have to disable IE’s Script debugger and how to do that.
• Internet Explorer 7.0 is not supported.
• and lots more.

Check out his blog for the full rundown. Maybe he could start writing all of the Readme.txt files for Autodesk. Hmmm…

New Autodesk Product Coming Soon »

It is codenamed “Vespa” (yeah…like the scooter ). It allows you to take a CAD drawing and create a rendering that looks hand-drawn. The rendering is even updated automatically to reflect changes you make to the .DWG file (woo hoo!).

The Autodesk program is released in Beta form and is very simple to use. Signup to Beta test it here and give it a shot. When you signup, use the Beta Code “Vespa01B”.

If you want a professional firm to create high-quality 3D renderings for your next building project, contact us and we will be happy to show you what we can do.