I am checked in and registered. I'm waiting for the certification test area to open. I'm planning to update my AutoCAD and Civil 3D certifications this week and maybe take the 3D Studio Max exam.

Only a few more days.

Everything is set for AU 2011. It's going to be a fun week.

Third Day of AU 2010.

The final day of AU 2010 was a success.

• First class on me list was AutoCAD® Civil 3D® and Infrastructure Modeling Solutions: Practically

The speaker displayed a number of tips and tricks on modeling in Civil 3D. This should be very helpful in the work place.

• Second class of the day was AutoCAD® Civil 3D®: Beyond the Back of Curb

This was another corridor class. The speaker displayed a number of cool ways to create corridors for parcel and pond grading. It seems like it may take a little bit to setup but once it is setup, it should make grading a lot faster.

• The third class was Endless Corridors with AutoCAD® Civil 3D

Yet another corridor class. I can’t get enough of corridors. This class displayed how to create corridors for parcels with driveways using conditional subassemblies. Once residential work picks back up, I’ll be able to use these tools.

• The forth class of the day was See How It's Done: Visual Road Design

This class was one of my favorite of the conference. The speaker displayed how to render Civil 3D sites using the Dynamite VSP extension for Civil 3D and 3D Studio Max Design. There are a lot of options in VSP for adding everything from vehicles, trees, lamp post and a number of other items. I was very impressed how easy it was to get a nice rendering quickly. I can’t wait to use it on a project.

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  The fifth class of the first day was Every Building Has Its Price: Finding It with Autodesk® Quantity Takeoff

I hate to admit it but I skipped this class. It was for a good reason. I sat for the Civil 3D 2011 Certified Associate exam. I passed it so I don’t regret skipping the class.

• The last class of the AU conference was Bridging the Gap Between AutoCAD Civil 3D and Autodesk Revit Structure

This class was a two hour lab. It was about creating Civil 3D models and importing the model into Revit. The was a very helpful class because I deal with this on a lot of projects.

All in all, I had a great time at AU 2010. I met a lot of new people from around the world. I passed three Autodesk certification exams. Two AutoCAD and one Civil 3D. I had a great time walking around the exhibit hall talking to companies about new products.

As much as I didn’t want it to end. I was ready to go home after spending eight days in Las Vegas. I will be looking forward to AU2011. See everyone next year.

Second Day of AU 2010

Day two of AU 2010 was also a success. .

• I had to skip my first class due to a few work task a co-worker and I had to take care of.
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  Second class of the day was AutoCAD Renderings: Simplified Workflow for Architects

Since I use 3D Studio Max, I usually don’t render with AutoCAD much anymore. I thought this     class would be fun to take so I can share with friends and co-workers who know AutoCAD very well. I do like how AutoCAD uses the Mental Ray rendering engine and that some items can be carried over to 3D Studio Max.

• The third class was AutoCAD Civil 3D to the Limits and Beyond

The speaker displayed a lot of tips and tricks on Civil 3D 2011. Some I knew and some I did not   know. I think a tips and tricks class is always helpful because I walk away learning a lot of new things.

• Forth class of the day was 3D Airspace Design in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011

This speaker displayed how to create large concrete surface areas such as runways and landing pads in Civil 3D. The tips were very helpful.

• The fifth class of the first day was My Model Management Methods W/O Madness: AutoCAD® Civil 3D® and Autodesk® Navisworks

This class was very helpful. The company I work for is planning to purchase Navisworks to help with the large projects we work on. I think the clash detection tools will benefit us a great deal.

• The sixth and final class of the day was Targets, Targets, Targets: Corridors, Targets, and You

This class was all about targeting corridors in Civil 3D 2010. There are many different ways to create corridors and target corridors so this class was very helpful.

All in all, I had a great second day.

First Day of AU 2010

The first day of AU 2010 was a success. I enjoyed the Welcome Address/General Session and all the classes.

• First class on me list was "Introduction to Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis"

This was the first time I had used this software. I really liked the user interface and how easy it is to input data into each object. The drawing area was very clear and easy to read. The lab was way too long for a one hour class. An extra half hour would have worked just right.

• Second class of the day was "Integrating Autodesk Quantity Takeoff and Timberline Estimating"

This was also the first time using this software. The lab was based on a Revit model which was a really good example. I was hoping the lab was based on an AutoCAD software such as Civil 3D.

• The third class was "Introduction to Photo-Based Reality Capture: Turn Photographs into a 3D Model in AutoCAD"

This was by far the best class of the day. This software is for anyone with a digital camera to create 3D objects from the photos they take. It was fairly easy to use and setup the photos. I visited the booth at the exhibit hall to have a model of my face created. I’ll post the model in DWF format when I receive it.

• Forth class of the day was Lynn Allen’s "Getting Up to Speed on AutoCAD 2011"

This is always a fun class to take. It’s good to see what’s new in the latest version of AutoCAD.

• The last class of the first day was "AutoCAD Civil 3D Caffeinated Tips and Tricks: A Yard Sale"

The instructor was very energetic. He talked about applications he and his company wrote that will make day to day tasks in Civil 3D easier and faster. I’ll have to download a few to try when I get back to work.

All in all, I had a great day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s classes.

AU 2010!

My wife and I arrived in Las Vegas a few days early. We visited a number of cool places such as the Hoover Dam and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Being new to the blogging world, I'm looking forward to meeting new people at the blogger social meet and the AU conference.


See everyone tomorrow.
Vince