Project Artoo for AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 Now Available

seen on Autodesk Labs

Project Artoo for AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 is a free technology preview that lets you cleanup your geospatial data to improve the quality and accuracy of the data.

You can use the standard AutoCAD Map cleanup tools to correct common errors like for example under- and overshoots in AutoCAD entities that can be introduced during digitizing, importing, surveying, scanning, and drafting. With Project Artoo however, you can perform cleanup operations on FDO-connected data stores, including SDF, SQLite, ESRI SHP, geodatabase files or Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle databases.

Autodesk Announces AutoCAD WS for the Cloud

seen on Geoff’s blog – Between the Poles

I blogged previously about Project Butterfly, an Autodesk Labs Technology Preview that allowed AutoCAD users to edit AutoCAD drawings over the web just using a web browser.
Autodesk has announced the commercial availability of AutoCAD WS. AutoCAD WS is a web application that allows you to view, edit, and share drawings (.dwg) through a web browser or a mobile device.

  • autocadws.com – web application and online workspace
  • AutoCAD WS – mobile app for Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
  • AutoCAD WS Plug-in – to upload and synchronize files automatically from AutoCAD

You can sign up for the web application. The mobile apps are available from the iTunes store. The Plug-ins are available for AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD Map 3D 2011, and other AutoCAD based products at the download section of www.autocadws.com.

Project Butterfly Integrates CAD Drawings with Google Maps Over the Web

seen on Geoff’s blog – Between the Poles

Project Butterfly is an Autodesk Technology Preview project that allows AutoCAD users to edit AutoCAD drawings over the web just using a Web browser. With Project Butterfly, AutoCAD users can share and work on DWG files with colleagues and clients from any computer with an Internet connection.

In april a new version of Project Butterfly has been released that allows you to georeference and overlay AutoCAD drawings on Google Maps and edit and modify drawings in their geospatial context.

Discover new commands used by the community

seen on Autodesk Labs

Take advantage of the Customer Involvement Program (CIP) and receive command recommendations from the user community. CommunityCommands is a new plug-in for AutoCAD that compares your workflows with those of other users in the community and recommends new commands which might be particularly useful for you.
Compare this with the recommendations you get on iTunes or Amazon. When you buy music or books, you see also what others are buying in the same genre.

In addition to providing new recommendations, CommunityCommands provides a quick access panel to your most recently used commands.

To use this technology preview you will need to sign up for the Customer Involvement Program.

http://youtu.be/PTT30FbCJnk

Software as a service – the Cloud

Software as a Service – SaaS – or Cloud Computing is an online service where the software is not running on hardware at the enduser, but on a machine farm at an application service provider or directly at the software vendor.

The software licences are not purchased, but the software use is rented. For a certain period of time, for a certain project – there are several contractual options.
Software updates and hardware services are fulfilled by the service provider without overloading the IT department of the enduser.
Sometimes a small client utility is used to connect to the service, sometimes it runs over the HTTP or HTTPS protocols in a regular webbrowser.

Autodesk is currently running a pilot with the products: AutoCAD, Inventor and Revit op Autodesk Labs – Project Twitch.

ESRI has ArcGIS Online that provides ArcGIS users with a set of core services over the web.