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What do you mean the global origin is wrong?

Saturday, 7 February 2009

What’s all the fuss?

By Rick Dewitt
In the many years I have worked with CAD professionals, one area that seems to be consistently misunderstood is “global origin”. What exactly is it? What happens if you change it? How do you change it? How does it affect reference files? Does Axiom have any products that can help with this?

So let’s clear the air in this article by starting with exactly what the global origin is and give some explanation of how it is used. The “global origin” of a MicroStation design file (V7) or model (V8) is a setting which defines where, relative to the MicroStation design plane (2D) or cube (3D), the point where X=0, Y=0 and, for 3D files, Z=0 is located.

It helps when visualizing this concept to think of the MicroStation 2D design plane as a big piece of paper and the global origin as a point on this big piece of paper that we refer to as X=0 and Y=0 in the coordinate system. Although you could put the global origin outside of the piece of paper, we’ll assume, for this example, it’s on the paper. You could set the global origin point, as one example, to be the lower left-hand corner of our piece of paper. (See Figure 1.) If we decided to set our MicroStation design plane with this global origin setting then all the elements we draw on the design would have to have positive X and Y coordinate values because we are not allowed to draw elements outside the piece of paper.

If we set our global origin to be in the middle of our piece of paper then we would have the ability to draw using both the positive and negative X and Y axis directions.

Figure 1. If you set the global origin as the lower left-hand corner of a 2D design plane, then all of your drawing coordinates will be positive numbers.

So what’s all the fuss about global origins? Why not just set the global origin in the center of the design plane or cube for every drawing and get to work? Well, for example, one of the main reasons for difficulties with global origins stems from the fact that, in MicroStation versions prior to V8, the design plane wasn’t big enough for many users’ needs. To solve this problem, many companies and government entities developed CAD standards that demanded the use of a global origin that was located far away from the center of the design plane and still insist on this location today, in order to remain compatible with older (pre-V8) designs. If you will indulge me, I shall elaborate on this so you will have a complete understanding of what I just wrote.

Figure 2. If the center of your design plane was, for instance, the center of a city, then setting the global origin in the center of the design plane would allow you to draw or place elements to the left (a negative “X” coordinate) or below the center of the city (a negative “Y” coordinate).

Prior to V8, the design plane was limited to 4,294,967,296 (232) accessible points on each axis. The accessible points in a design plane were called “positional units”. Depending on the degree of accuracy required, these accessible points were divided by the number of positional units assigned to each master unit (such as feet or meters) to determine the overall “real world” size of the design plane (how big it is in feet or meters). A common usage would be a master unit of “feet” with a resolution of 1,000 positional units for each foot. So if we divide our total number of accessible points by 1,000, we get the total length of each axis in feet. In this case 4,294,967.296 feet. Now let’s say we put the global origin in the middle of our pre-V8 design plane. This would then give us 2,147,483.648 feet in both the positive and negative direction for each axis (in MicroStation). For many MicroStation users, this size was sufficient. However, for civil designs that use real-world coordinates, the number of feet required can easily exceed 4,000,000 on either axis. For these users, setting the global origin outside the design plane was the only way they could place design elements on the design plane when drawing to locations that required large coordinate values.

Example: A road to be built in Oregon has to be drawn using exact locations based on a recognized geographic coordinate system (a standard). In the United States, one common standard requires that geographic locations be represented by the number of feet that a location is to the east and to the north of a specific point (which point is also defined in the standard). In parts of Oregon, the X coordinate (based on this geographic standard) can be in the neighborhood of 4,298,000 feet from that fixed point. Therefore, when attempting to draw a road at this location in MicroStation V7, users had to have the global origin well off the design plane in order to draw their road at the correct “real-world” geographic coordinate point. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. Prior to MicroStation V8, some users such as civil engineers would sometimes have to set the global origin off the 2D design plane as the design plane simply wasn’t big enough to accommodate elements placed in design files with very large coordinate values.

Fortunately, as of MicroStation V8, the size of the design plane is now approximately 2 million times larger on each axis, which allows for a “real world” design plane that is much larger than available in previous versions of MicroStation. But even with this huge increase in size, many CAD standards still require global origin settings that match those of the earlier pre-V8 design files. This fact alone frequently causes confusion when other companies (that don’t still have this old requirement) create design files that are not based on this CAD standard.

Hopefully this description gives you a better understanding of “global origin” and of one of the main reasons global origins can cause difficulties. Unfortunately, the Editor informs me that I have already exceeded the column inches available and must wait until next issue to finish my explanation and answer the other questions posed at the beginning of this article. See the next part of this article in an upcoming issue of MicroStation Today.

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How to speed up MicroStation production — CADsmart CEO, Rory Vance, talks about technical competence and production speed

Saturday, 7 February 2009

Clearwater, Florida, USA — CADsmart, headed by CEO Rory Vance, has created a software tool that is designed to help CAD managers assess what’s needed in order improve efficiency and increase production.

Rory takes time off from helping companies meet project deadlines to spend time with his family (and monkey) at the Rock of Gibraltar.

MicroStation Today: CAD managers are more overworked and overstressed today than ever before. How does your program help with that?

Rory Vance: They’re overworked partly because they or their users aren’t as technically proficient as they could be. The stress comes from having too much to do in not enough time. Training in general can both increase someone’s speed as well as proficiency which handles both of the problems you mentioned. What we offer is the ability to determine what specifically they need training on. If you increase someone’s technical expertise, designs can be completed faster and with fewer errors. This leads the way to getting projects done faster.

MST: How much improvement are companies actually experiencing with your program?
Vance: Our goal, which is often exceeded by our customers, is to help increase performance by just five percent in a year. Research has shown that significant productivity gains can be achieved by targeting simple performance improvements each year. For instance, a target of five percent annual improvement in performance is worth 12.5 extra days per person per year. [Editor's note: Example given is for 50 weeks (two weeks off for vacation) per year times 5 work days per week. Multiplying 250 days by a 5% performance improvement equates to 12.5 extra days per designer.] For a firm that has 20 designers, if you increase each of their performance by just five percent, the company gains the equivalent of an extra person working full-time at no extra cost. These days, with competition the way it is, that extra person could be crucial to the success of a company.

MST: Can your program reduce the amount of time — and therefore expense — that someone has to spend on training?
Vance: Yes, it certainly can. Training for the sake of training isn’t smart. If someone is already proficient at 80% of the software they’re working on, why waste time and increase company expenses training them on the part of the software they’re already good at? Instead, tailor the training to the 20% that needs improvement. The assessments show what areas a person is weak in as well as which areas they’re strong in. They also give companies the ability to monitor and manage performance improvements. We have a saying at CADsmart, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” At the end of the day, if you don’t know what your staff don’t know, then you’re not maximizing your efficiency.

MST:> You call them “assessments” but they sound like tests to me. Most people don’t like taking tests. What’s different about CADsmart? Vance: A test is where you study something and then find out if you retained and can apply the information you studied. Our software provides an assessment of skills in a live, real-world scenario. All we’re interested in doing is helping to show where users are strong and where additional training is indicated. After someone takes a CADsmart assessment, they receive a certificate with a full breakdown of how they did in each area of the assessment, along with a detailed training-needs analysis. Our software also has a discreet recording feature, so sessions can be replayed for training or support purposes afterward. With a test, you either pass or fail and you either go on or don’t. Our assessment is different. We provide an exact “road map” on how to increase performance and proficiency. This will result in faster production and fewer errors. We’ve found that the combination of both assessment and training can bring about a dramatic increase in both width and depth of knowledge of our customers’ CAD users.

MST: The assessments only seem to be part of the issue. The users would need training as well, which you don’t provide. When are you going to add that to your line of products?
Vance: We don’t offer training nor will we ever offer training. Yes, training is the other element needed after assessing. However, CADsmart specializes in assessing CAD skills. It could be viewed as a conflict of interest if we also provided the training. We leave the training to others. Ideally, companies would use a system like LearningBay, which provides on-demand, tailored training on specific areas. That way, users get training on the exact area that they need training in. Again, the idea is to determine what the weak areas are and then provide training targeted to those areas and not spend a lot of time and money grinding away at areas that a person already knows well.

MST: How often are the assessments done?
Vance: Companies only need to assess their employees and contractors once or twice a year. First, you do an assessment and then you let the person complete some training in the area or areas that were weak. A training program can then be created based on the results of the detailed training-needs analysis. This process of assessment and training is then repeated over and over. The results of the repeated assessments provide CAD managers with ongoing skills assessment of users and gives a roadmap for training that will improve both the quality and the quantity of work produced. It’s a continuous improvement loop.

MST: Can CADsmart be used as a method of screening contractors and new employees?
Vance: Yes. Originally, CADsmart was developed as a way to automate CAD skills assessment for Human Resource personnel. In addition to benchmarking CAD performance and targeting training needs, Human Resource personnel use our software to help determine CAD skill levels. How do you know if a job candidate — employee or contractor — is as good at CAD as they say they are? Our unbiased skills assessment not only helps determine the actual skill levels of both employees and contract workers, but can also be used to negotiate pay rates.

MST: Where do you see the future of CAD going?
Vance: More and more there’s a big push for “sustainability” both in the CAD environment and in the world at large — sustainable life-styles, sustainable communities, sustainable economies. Right now, in the CAD arena, Bentley is pushing sustainable infrastructure. Autodesk is pushing “sustainable design” and has even created a position called “Director of Sustainability”. A lot of factors go into the concept of “sustainability”. But it means more than just being “green” and making responsible choices in materials. No matter how you look at it, creating a sustainable anything comes down to creating a sustainable company, which is built on the individuals that work there. If you empower the individual to be able to be more proficient and more able, then the company is more likely to survive. A community that has thriving companies is more likely to be sustainable than one that doesn’t. The same goes for a city, state or country. At the end of the day, it’s the individual with the right tools and the right know-how that makes the difference.

MST: Thanks, Rory.

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Tips & Tricks — Replace text strings with Global File Changer.

Sunday, 1 February 2009

By Rick Sewell
Global File Changer is exactly what it sounds like. This thing can change just about anything in your design files and fast. It is my personal favorite Axiom product due to its amazing versatility.

While it is true that Global File Changer is incredibly multifaceted, the single most utilized feature by far is its ability to change text. Global File Changer allows you to change a number of text attributes such as font, justification and size to name a few. However, the most commonly desired text-changing feature, in my experience, is the ability to replace an existing text string with a new text string. For this reason, I wanted to write it down for all to use.

Global File Changer’s main dialog box is jam-packed with goodies. Its bulk file-changing capabilities are limited only by your imagination.

Replacing text with Global File Changer
For this example, let’s say “Linkin Street” was misspelled as “Lincoln Street”.

  • First, load Global File Changer from the Axiom pull-down menu.
  • From the Global File Changer main dialog box, choose Custom|Modify text… and then select the “Replace Text” tab.
  • In the field labeled “Search string”, enter “Lincoln”. In the field labeled “Replacement string”, enter “Linkin”.
  • Since Global File Changer has the ability to process more than one set of search and replace parameters, it is necessary to confirm what you have entered into the “Search string” and “Replace string” fields. Press the <Add> button to commit your entries to the list.
  • Choose File|Save As… to load the “Save Modify Text File” dialog box. Enter a name and then navigate to a convenient location to save your text change parameters. Then press <Save>.
  • Press the <OK> button to return to the main Global File Changer dialog box.
  • The “Key-in File:” field will automatically be filled in with the command needed to change your text, based on the parameter file you created. Ensure that the “Design Files:” field lists the files you intend to process and the “Report File:” field contains the path and file name for the report file you want created.
  • Press <Start>!

Global File Changer’s Modify Text dialog box allows you to replace a text string with another text string in multiple design files at the touch of a button.

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How to save time and increase profits

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Taking the CAD manager’s power to a whole new level

Clearwater, Florida, USA — “Companies like ours are under enormous pressure and are trying to ‘fast-track’ projects by leveraging and re-using existing design data.

Axiom’s enterprise-level programs such as Global Workspace Manager boost production and save time.

“I was asked to ‘convert’ approximately 200 drawings for re-use in a new project. The project manager unsuccessfully tried to find and replace the new project numbers manually in a trial-run. He was skeptical when I told him I could make all of the changes in one afternoon.

“It took me less than 3 hours to process all 200 drawings. To do this manually would probably have taken us weeks! Instead of being slightly behind schedule, the project is now a few weeks ahead of schedule!

“Axiom products have saved us hundreds of hours in time!”
— C.A., CAD Manager

Since Axiom’s 2008 introduction of MicroStation Acceleration Garage (a cost-efficient package of nearly all of Axiom’s time-saving software products and e-learning courses plus an entirely new line of enterprise-level, productivity-boosting applications), CAD managers have discovered that combining time-saving MicroStation add-ons with effective training leads to huge savings and more company profits.

MicroStation Acceleration Garage includes e-learning!
Axiom’s self-paced MicroStation, GEOPAK and InRoads training courses are also included in MicroStation Acceleration Garage. Users can now learn from MicroStation, GEOPAK and InRoads gurus without wasting valuable production time traveling around the country or sitting in a course room. In fact, any user can learn new skills or brush up on existing knowledge without leaving his or her desk!
“We had an employee who hadn’t touched CAD in 7 years — and she had only used AutoCAD. We got your MicroStation V8 Essentials CD and she started training with it. Within two weeks she was doing billable work. It was very impressive. We are very happy with the training.” — D. L., CAD Manager

V7 and V8 Toolkit applications in a single package for the first time
Axiom’s V7 and V8 Toolkits have never been offered together before — this is a first for the MicroStation Acceleration Garage. MicroStation Acceleration Garage also includes Axiom applications which have never been part of Toolkit before: Title Block Manager, English-to-Metric and RasterDgn are included!

Global Workspace Manager, an enterprise-level application, allows CAD managers to modify any machine’s settings, copy settings from one workstation to another and move standard files and projects between workstations or servers without leaving their desk.

Manage every MicroStation workspace without leaving your desk
MicroStation Acceleration Garage also includes new enterprise-level MicroStation applications, taking the CAD manager’s power to an entirely new level.

Tired of trying to figure out which workstations are running which version of MicroStation? Losing time due to having to personally walk (or drive) to inspect the workspaces of each of your designers? Too much re-work having to be done due to wrong workspace settings on some machines? The first of the new enterprise-level applications can actually manage dozens, hundreds or thousands of MicroStation workspaces, all from one computer. It’s called Global Workspace Manager and is included in Garage.

Global Workspace Manager allows CAD managers to analyze, manage, modify and control every workspace they have. With Global Workspace Manager, CAD managers no longer have to guess who is working on which project, hope that they’re using the correct resources and pray that something doesn’t go wrong with a MicroStation installation or workspace that one of their users is working with. Now, without leaving their desks, CAD managers can monitor who is working on each specific project, verify that the correct project or company standard CAD resources are being used for each project and make changes to the workspaces including all of the configuration files. It also allows CAD managers to copy an entire project along with all its resources (seed files, DGN Libs, fonts, line styles, color tables, etc.) to another network server or to an individual computer. Global Workspace Manager shows which MicroStation versions are installed on each workstation, shows when projects were last worked on, shows who has worked on each project (this helps planning for allocating manpower) and compares several machines to easily pinpoint errors on a specific workstation. Global Workspace Manager lets a CAD manager view and control any MicroStation environment variable in any MicroStation workspace on any computer in his company that MicroStation is installed on without leaving his desk.

If Google and MicroStation had a baby, what would you get?
Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone about this one just yet. It’s still a secret. Here’s an inside scoop on another of those new enterprise-level applications that is about to hit the MicroStation universe (and AutoCAD too, for that matter). How would you like to have instant access to just about anything you can imagine regarding your design files? How would you like this access not just in your local CAD shop, but anywhere in your company? How would you like to find, for example, all instances of “Main Street” in all project files — instantly? And once you found them all, how would you like MicroStation to zoom in on any instance of one and show it to you — instantly? How about getting an instant count of every instance of cell “Transformer 211″ in every design file at your site?

How about being able to instantly find every instance of a cell named “Oil Well” close to a piece text containing “Dallas” everywhere in your whole corporation? Proximity searching is just one of the many features of this new product.

What should we call it? Global EdG one customer suggested, but we’re still debating. We welcome your suggestions.

Coming to a MicroStation Acceleration Garage near you in 2009.

Want to save time and look like a genius at the same time?
If you’re a CAD manager or MicroStation user who is interested in saving time and increasing productivity in the coming year, you should attend a free, on-line demonstration of the suite of products included with MicroStation Acceleration Garage.

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Optimizing MicroStation workspaces for faster production

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Part two in series of articles on how to customize workspaces to make your life easier

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Do you sometimes find yourself groping around trying to locate the resources (such as fonts, text styles, line styles, macros, seed files and dimension styles) needed for a design file? MicroStation workspaces can greatly improve productivity and help ensure that the correct resources are being used for each project. In the last article, we discussed workspace components including the user configuration file, the project configuration file and the user interface. [Editor's note: See MicroStation Today, Volume 15, Issue 12.] We also touched on configuration variables. This article adds to your knowledge of workspaces, which will help you get your projects done faster.

Figure 1. You can easily select which customized workspace to use by selecting various workspace components before opening your design file. This can reduce errors by ensuring that correct resources are used for a particular design session.

Workspace benefits
Anyone working on more than one project will benefit from optimizing workspaces. If there’s more than one person working on the same project, the benefits will be compounded. Improved productivity and quality are two benefits of a well-designed workspace.
When using a correctly configured workspace, MicroStation can automatically make available to you the correct levels, cells, line styles, seed files and fonts as a default choice. You don’t have to remember where resources are stored for a particular project or go digging through a bunch of directories. MicroStation workspaces can be used to pre-configure many of the choices that CAD users are confronted with on a daily basis. The time spent on the front-end to set up workspaces is more than recovered later when using these workspaces.

Getting started with workspaces
[Editor's note: If you are not familiar with configuration files, please see part 1 of this series — MicroStation Today, Volume 15, Issue 12.] Be sure to make a backup of your original files and don’t make changes that will affect other users unless you are authorized by the powers that be.

When MicroStation starts up, it processes configuration files in a predefined sequence. The various files are grouped into “configuration levels”. These levels are then processed one at a time. Configuration files contain the information that MicroStation uses to set up workspaces. The various configuration levels are the system level, the application level, the site level, the user level and the project level. (See Figure 2.) We’ll go through each of these levels in this article.

MicroStation processes the information in a particular order which gives you (or your CAD manager) the exact control needed to set up a workspace that is customized for your needs. In this article, we will explore the configuration levels and see how we can put them to use.

The system level sets the stage.
The first level processed by MicroStation is the system level. Many MicroStation variables are set at this level. For example, the variable “MSDIR” stores the path to the location of the MicroStation application (“ustation.exe”). This variable and many other system variables are used in defining other variables that tell MicroStation in which directory to look for various files. By having a starting point, or root directory, other directories can be located by using a path that is relative to the root directory. Bentley warns against modifying settings at this level. Instead, it recommends that you do your customization in subsequent levels. If you ever have to re-install MicroStation, customizations done in system files would be lost as configuration files on the system level are overwritten by default when reinstalling MicroStation. (Here’s a fun fact: a default installation of MicroStation V8i has 202 unique, system-level MicroStation variables.)

Enhancing MicroStation with applications
The next configuration level processed is the application level. MicroStation processes all “.cfg” files that reside in the “C:Program FilesBentleyMicroStationconfigappl” directory. This is where MicroStation searches for configuration files of applications that work with MicroStation. This would include many of the applications in Axiom’s MicroStation Acceleration Garage such as FileFixer and Title Block Manager. Generally, this level is reserved for applications that enhance MicroStation.

Working with company standards
Site level configuration files are processed next. This is the level where you would customize your configuration to the company or workgroup standards. Any “.cfg” file that resides in the “C:Program FilesBentleyWorkspaceStandards” directory is processed by MicroStation. At this level, you might want to create a file called YourCompany.cfg. In this file, you could customize variables that direct MicroStation to look on a file server for resources that have been standardized. Using a centralized location to store standardized resources helps to ensure that CAD standards are maintained.

Increasing user production with the right interface and tools
The next level that gets processed by MicroStation is the user level. The user configuration file (“.ucf”) that will be processed by MicroStation is selected in the “User” component of the MicroStation Manager dialog box.
Each time a user selects a different “Project” or “Interface” workspace component from the MicroStation Manager dialog box, that information is stored in the user’s configuration file. (The particular user configuration file that will be modified is the one set in the “User” setting in the MicroStation Manager dialog box.) By default, the user’s configuration file is stored in “C:Program FilesBentleyWorkspaceUsers”. Changes made to variables at the user level take precedence over any settings of those same variables on any other level unless the variable was locked in a previous level. A locked variable cannot be changed in subsequent levels. For instance, if a given variable is locked at the application level, then it can’t be changed at the site, user or project levels. (See Figure 2 for a summary of configuration levels.)

Figure 2. Configuration levels (processed in the order above) provide CAD managers and users the exact control they need to optimize their production.

Making sure project resources are used
The project level is the last level processed. The project level is designed to make changes that are specific to a project. This allows project-specific settings or resources to be predefined and available. This level is a big, underused productivity booster. Setting each project’s standards once in a project configuration file and using it over and over saves hours in making corrections to design files (because the wrong resources were used) and browsing around the network looking for project resources. You think that’s an exaggeration? What is the cost of twenty plots sent to the plotter using the wrong plot configuration file? Be sure to add in time and materials to re-plot.

The user gets to have the last word.
In general, a variable defined in a lower level will take precedence over the definition of that same variable in any level above it. For example, the value given to a certain variable at the site level will overwrite whatever value was assigned to that same variable at the system level. The one exception to this general rule is that the project level (which is processed last) cannot modify something set at the user level. In other words, if a given variable is set at both the user level and the project level, MicroStation will use the settings from the user level instead of the settings from the project level. In cases where a given variable is set at the system, application or site level and that same variable is also set at the project level (but not set at all on the user level), then MicroStation will use the setting from the project level for that variable.

Although this sounds odd (for a variable from an earlier level to override a variable from a later level), there is sound logic to this. MicroStation has to process the user level so that it knows which project is being worked on. Once a project has been identified at the user level, then MicroStation can process that particular project configuration file. Therefore, it has to process the user level before it processes the project level. Nonetheless, MicroStation considers that the variables set at the user level take precedence in the event that a given variable is set at both levels. This gives the user the final say on how his or her environment should be set up for optimum performance and efficiency.

How to prevent variables from being changed
If you do not want a subsequent level to modify a setting for a particular variable, then you can lock that variable. Once a variable is locked, later levels cannot unlock or modify it.

Most users do not need to write to or modify CAD standards files or settings, as the CAD manager would set these up. With MicroStation projects configured in a centralized location, all networked workstations will use the master copy of the project resources. Once set, these variables can then be locked by the CAD manager so that everyone uses the files in the centralized location. Anyone using a computer that will be used while not connected to the network will need to copy over the project resources to that computer. Axiom’s Global Workspace Manager can help with this task as it has the ability to copy a project configuration file, the project directory structure and supporting files like cell libraries, fonts and seed files for a particular project to any computer that is set up to work with Global Workspace Manager.

Putting the pieces together
Wow, we went over a lot very quickly. Here’s what we know:

  • MicroStation is configured (set up) through the use of configuration files that contain variables.
  • The variables can be defined (given a value) and changed at any configuration level.
  • You can also lock variables. Once a variable is locked, subsequent levels cannot change or unlock that variable.
  • Customizing the information on the various levels can dramatically increase productivity and reduce CAD standards violations.
  • MicroStation processes hundred of variables when it starts. Think of that while waiting for MicroStation to initialize.

In the next article in this series, we’ll show you some examples of how to set up specific variables that can greatly increase your production and cut down on wasted time.

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Five reasons why LearningBay training could be dangerous

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Before you consider any LearningBay MicroStation, GEOPAK or InRoads training, read the following

By David McDaniel
Clearwater, Florida, USA — Let’s get right to the point. This whole election season has been about “change”, and with the presidential inauguration just around the corner, there are still plenty of you out there concerned about what that might mean. Change is a pain. In order to “change” you’ve got to learn new things. Or get better at the things you’re already doing. Change can be dangerous. With that in mind, and because of the potential dangers involved with the growing use of LearningBay, I felt it was important to make a public service announcement:

CAD managers and users alike are susceptible to the dangers of training.

Be prepared before you buy LearningBay online training.
To help clarify, I’ve summarized five key effects that show why you should take care before purchasing LearningBay.

1. LearningBay revives the overworked and overloaded CAD manager.
Seventy-nine percent of CAD managers are responsible for providing internal training, while tasked to keep production levels high and projects on schedule. Fifty-three percent of CAD managers rely on the user to request training or seek technical support, which means that training occurs at the last possible minute. (Source: Evolve Consultancy CAD Manager’s Survey 2007.) Ninety-five percent of CAD Managers perform the actual training. (Source: Cutting Edge CAD Management 2008.) This training is almost always done in addition to their regular workload.

LearningBay online training provides CAD managers with over 100 browser-based courses on MicroStation, GEOPAK, InRoads and Microsoft Office. These courses consist of more than ten thousand pages, videos, hands-on exercises and technical illustrations, all in one easy-to-find location. And to make it even easier, nothing has to be installed on the employees’ computers. Imagine designers having access to any training they need whenever they need it, without ever having to leave their desks and without overworking the CAD manager.

Okay. That all sounds great. But think about it. Can you imagine a bunch of “revived” CAD managers running around and all the trouble this would cause management in having to find something for them to do to keep them busy because all their projects are completed ahead of schedule? Just thought you should know.

2. LearningBay becomes your own in-house CAD expert and is just one mouse-click away.
Here’s the scoop: A MicroStation expert authors each LearningBay course on MicroStation. The same goes for each of the GEOPAK, InRoads and other courses offered by LearningBay. The full power of that experience is applied to all aspects of the technical information in the courses. A professional interface walks the user, step-by-step, through the materials with descriptions, videos and “hands on” exercises. Areas of interest can also be accessed directly, allowing users to easily learn or brush up on specific topics.

Now, if you’re up for that, great. But the danger here is that your users will become more enabled and therefore less reliant on you or others for help. Keep that in mind when considering LearningBay.

3. LearningBay improves production levels.
Clearly this is dangerous. If you’re doing more in less time… well, you don’t need me to add it up for you. No boss likes free time. People should be grinding away from the time they clock in to the time they clock out. You’d have to find something to do with all that extra time you now have available. This is definitely a scary prospect.

With projects done ahead of schedule, you’ll need to find something for your users to do before they start getting bored.


4. LearningBay can get you an extra CAD designer — for free.
You see, LearningBay provides courses for new and advanced users, designed to improve performance. Training increases proficiency in using CAD tools which raises both production and quality levels.

For example, assuming 250 workdays in a year (50 weeks x 5 Days [2-week vacation]), if an employee improves his or her speed and efficiency by just 5%, that’s equivalent to getting 12.5 additional days’ worth of work out of that designer for the year. For a company of 20 CAD users (all training on LearningBay), this increases production level by an additional 250 workdays (20 x 12.5 = 250). Or, to put it another way, for every 20 CAD users training with LearningBay, you essentially get a 21st user for free.

I don’t think I need to point out the danger in that — somebody might get a pay raise or even a promotion. Yikes!

5. LearningBay extends the workweek.
Possibly the most dangerous result of owning LearningBay is that users would have more time during the week to work on projects. Since many students often don’t have the time or resources to attend instructor-led training, online training provides access to training materials anytime, allowing users to train at their own pace and refer back to the materials as needed. Rather than spending hours going back and forth to another location for training, employees can now spend more time on their projects, thus extending the workweek without actually having to put in more time.

Problem is, “everyone knows” that students can’t learn unless they’ve got someone standing over them, breathing down their neck. Who cares if LearningBay lets you check up on them and review their progress? It isn’t the same. And “at their own pace”? Come on. Students need to learn as one, all together like cattle. It really is the only way.

In summary, there’s no substitute for knowing how to use your CAD tools in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Now that you’re aware of the likely results of owning LearningBay, you can proceed with appropriate caution.

Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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Will AutoCAD lose market share? — Bob Moeller points to untapped market.

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA — With MicroStation’s new release of Athens, the battle of MicroStation versus AutoCAD is heating up. Bob Moeller, suggests a plan that could give MicroStation a strategic victory in the marketplace.

With over 30 years in the drafting and design industry, Moeller knows what it takes to capture a market sector.

MicroStation Today: As a veteran in this industry, I’m sure that you’ve run into your fair share of problems. What has been your biggest frustration?
Moeller:It’s been frustrating that there’s not more support for machine design from MicroStation. This especially impacts a whole industry of smaller manufacturing plants. MicroStation is a great CAD system and they could be taking away market share from AutoCAD if they focused on this area more.
For an example, Bentley used to supply a “NUTS.CEL” cell library with each MicroStation software package. However, the last couple of upgrades did not include it. I’ve learned to keep my old cell files when upgrading or purchasing another seat of MicroStation. Providing some basic, standard parts in a cell library like nuts, bolts and fasteners would be a good sign that Bentley was interested in this area.

I have been using MicroStation for machine design since 1987 and it’s a great software package. But Bentley doesn’t seem to know that there is a whole industry of small businesses that use MicroStation to design a variety of products such as assembly machines, drill fixtures and welding fixtures. If you go to Bentley’s site, there’s little if anything to support this market segment.

MST: What are some of the most interesting projects you’ve worked on over your 20 years of working with MicroStation?
Moeller:There have been two that really stand out. On one, I was given $100,000 to design and build a plastic-lined, pipe-flanging machine. [Editor's note: A "flange" is a "rib" or "rim" used for strength, guiding, or attachment to another object.] It tightened a flange on a pipe to proper torque, left the proper amount of liner protruding out the end and aligned the flange holes up with the flange holes on the other end of the pipe. Prior to building this machine, all that was done by hand, using a pipe wrench.
The second was a washing machine that washed window glass. We had looked for a glass washing machine on the market but couldn’t find one that would clean the glass to our customer’s specifications. So, I was given the job of designing one. One of the problems that we needed to address was to prevent water from spilling on the floor as that creates a wet, slippery and dangerous environment. The glass needed to be able to enter a wall of liquid, stay submerged while being washed then leave the washing machine tank without spilling any liquid on the floor. The other problem was that the glass had to enter, move through the washing machine and come out the other end all on a horizontal plane. This was quite a trick to do.

MST: How did you first hear about Axiom products and how have they helped you?
Moeller: I found Axiom years ago when I was looking for a program to prevent the MicroStation manager window from coming up in the gutter. That’s when I found Dual-Screen Window Manager. [Editor's note: When using two monitors, the "gutter" is the space between the monitors. Dual-screen Window Manager not only handles the top level "parent" application window, but also adjusts the "child" windows used by an application — such as multiple documents opened by a word processor or multiple views displayed by MicroStation. The program works with MicroStation and most Windows-based programs.] I then saw that Axiom had a lot more to offer. For instance, I now use FileFixer when I import pesky AutoCAD files. It is amazing how many errors there are that FileFixer is able to completely clean up after importing or attaching these files.

MST: Over the last 30 years, I’m sure you’ve seen quite a few companies come and go. What would be your advice to companies that want to get ahead?
Moeller:A company’s life-blood is the cash-flow generated through customers. No customers means no cash-flow! So, treating customers right is paramount and that includes vendors and supplies. I know of one company who always paid their invoices the day after receiving them. If there’s ever a shortage of material, their supplier always makes sure that they receive their shipments on time. When I asked the supplier about this, I was told, “They always pay their invoices. We never have to ask for payment.” Because they pay their invoices promptly, this company had favor with the supplier and always had finished product to ship even when the competition didn’t.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
Moeller:If such a position existed, I’d trade places with the person who had the authority to fire all those in Washington that stand in the way of drilling our own oil so the USA would no longer be dependent on the middle east. That would bring down the price of gas at the pump.

MST: What do you think MicroStation (or AutoCAD) should do to win the hearts of engineers and CAD designers?
Moeller:Well, a big step has already been taken when they both agreed to read and write each other’s formats. The next step would be to have one CAD software package that would have an on-screen button that would switch from MicroStation to AutoCAD look and feel and then back again. This would minimize or eliminate the training required to learn the other CAD program when new employees come on board. Think of the training dollars that would be saved by engineering departments. Companies would also have the advantage of having a larger pool of candidates to choose from.

MST: Thanks, Bob.

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Tips & Tricks — How to use a configuration variable to customize the Axiom menu

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

By Rick Sewell
Often, it is beneficial to change what products are displayed on your Axiom pull-down menu for individual users or different classes of users working in different disciplines. It removes the potential confusion of what products are available to be used and restricts user access for any products that the Administrator does not want the user to use. The aximenu.cfg file lists what programs a particular user can choose from the Axiom menu.

While it’s beneficial for users to have the Axiom menu customized with just the products they will be using, Administrators need to have access to the full array of Axiom products. With that the case, you may find it advantageous to set up an aximenu.cfg file for the Administrator and one for each of the different types of users. This is not a difficult task and is described in detail below. Once you’ve modified the file, simply save it somewhere logical for you. If there are multiple users or Administrators that will use this menu, save it to a shared location. If it is only for a single user or Administrator, it may be best to save it to their local machine.

Making changes to your workspace configuration can significantly enhance your design environment.

How to use a configuration variable to load the Axiom menu
What displays on your Axiom pull-down menu is determined by the contents of a simple text file called “aximenu.cfg”. This file can be modified in various ways to customize the Axiom pull-down menu.

The aximenu.cfg file is located in the aximenu folder that is directly underneath your Axiom base directory (the location where you installed your Axiom products). The default location for the Axiom base directory for V7 is “C:Program FilesAxiomV7″ and for V8 the location is “C:Program FilesAxiomV8″. To modify the file, simply open it up with your favorite text editor and remove lines that you don’t want to appear in the menu. You can also change the order in which the menu items appear. When you’re done, simply save the file either to a shared location (if more than one person will be using this file) or to the local machine of the person who will be using it.
In order to load your modified aximenu.cfg file, you will need to set a configuration variable, “AXIMENU_CONFIG”, in MicroStation and enter the location of the modified file. By providing a path to the modified aximenu.cfg file, MicroStation will open the modified aximenu.cfg file instead of the aximenu.cfg file located in the default directory mentioned above. The steps on how to do this are shown below.

How to set the MicroStation configuration variable
Let’s say that your default aximenu.cfg file is located in “C:Program FilesAxiomV8″ and you have a modified file located in C:Bentley. If you want to be able to use the modified file, you would do the following steps:

  1. Load MicroStation and open a design file.
  2. Select Workspace|Configuration… and MicroStation’s Configuration Dialog box will open.
  3. Press the button labeled <New…> and the “New Configuration Variable” dialog box will come up.
  4. In the field labeled “Variable:” enter the variable name: AXIMENU_CONFIG
  5. In the field labeled “New Value:” enter the name and location for the aximenu.cfg file you want to use. In this case, we want to use the modified file in C:bentley, so enter the following:
    C:Bentleyaximenu.cfg as the new value.
  6. Press <OK> to exit this dialog box and then <OK> on the Configuration dialog box. You will be prompted with an Alert dialog box to “Save changes to your configuration file.” Press <Yes> to accept the changes.
  7. Restart MicroStation.

Select the Axiom pull-down menu and you’ll now see the menu as defined by the newly specified aximenu.cfg file.

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MicroStation's little-known secret saves massive amounts of time and money.

Monday, 8 December 2008

Greg McKinney shows how to save time and boost productivity in this series of articles on workspaces.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — In this series of articles, I provide power user tips (and some little-known inside data) on using workspaces that will save you time, increase your productivity and help maintain project standards.

Using incorrect resources can cost thousands — even tens of thousands — of dollars in lost production. Using workspaces correctly saves time and also helps ensure that project specifications are maintained.

As the product manager for Axiom’s new Global Workspace Manager, I have talked to many users over the years and am amazed at the number of people who are not aware of the amount of time they could save by correctly setting up workspaces. Some MicroStation users that I’ve spoken with simply use a workspace delivered to them by their client and have no idea why it works or what to do if something goes wrong. So first, let’s go over some basics.

What is a workspace?
A “workspace” is a MicroStation environment or configuration. Customizing workspaces on a per-project or per-user basis goes a long way in helping users comply with standards and increase production speed. It can reduce potential errors caused by using incorrect resources and also saves on mouse clicks. A basic workspace consists of a user configuration file, a project configuration file and a user interface.

Configuration files are text files that are processed by MicroStation when MicroStation is loaded and as it opens each design file. The user configuration file stores information specific to the user such as interface name and file-saving options. Interfaces are one of the workspace components selected from the main MicroStation window. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Selecting pre-defined “User”, “Project” and “Interface” workspace components can save production time and help ensure compliance with project standards.

Once an interface has been selected, MicroStation writes that information to the user configuration file. The interface information will be used for all design files that the user opens, until a different interface is selected from the workspace components. Either an existing interface can be selected or, by selecting “New…” from the Interface drop-down menu, a new interface can be created. If “New…” is selected and a design file opened, the interface can be customized to show specific tool boxes, tool frames, menu items, view borders, view pop-ups, and palettes. (See Figure 2.) The customized interface can then be saved and used in different workspace environments.

Figure 2. From the Workspace menu (“1″ above), the workspace environment can be customized (“2″ above) to display tool boxes, tool frames, menu items and other settings a CAD manager or user wants. The customized interface can then be saved by clicking on the <Save> button so that it can be reused in different workspace environments.

Some companies use customized interfaces for specific disciplines (such as civil, electrical and plumbing), project-specific menus, tool frames or a combination of these. This is done using the Customize dialog box under the Workspace menu as described earlier.
The project configuration file stores information about the location of project-specific resources such as seed files, DGN libraries and reference files. The user interface stores customizations that control the appearance of toolboxes, pull-down menus and other interface settings.

The workspace components are selected from the MicroStation Manager dialog box when opening a MicroStation design file. When configured, these workspace components will make MicroStation dialog boxes open to the proper directory for selecting resources such as cell libraries, DGN libraries and reference files. Other resources like color tables, user preferences and interface settings can be set without requiring user interaction. Resources such as fonts, text styles, line styles, macros, seed files, and dimension styles will be picked from a list of choices that are approved for the project. The three workspace settings shown in Figure 1 are the only workspace interaction that most users will need. Behind the scenes is a whole world of ways to make your interaction with MicroStation a more productive — and pleasant — experience.

Working with configuration variables
Configuration variables contain user-defined information that MicroStation uses to customize your MicroStation working environment. (Examples are given later.) Configuration variables are stored in configuration files. MicroStation recognizes hundreds of configuration variables that affect the behavior of MicroStation. A simple example of a configuration variable is the MS_OPEN variable which controls the behavior of MicroStation V8 when a V7 design file is opened. Setting MS_OPENV7 = 2 will open a V7 design file as “read only” and not display an alert dialog box.
Anything that can be changed with the workspace is defined by a configuration variable. There are four main types of configuration variables:

  • Path variable — This variable specifies the directory or directories that store resources or that are to be searched when MicroStation is looking for specific resources.
  • Filename variable — This variable stores the location of a specific file or list of files.
  • Keyword variable — This variable contains a keyword such as “V7″ or “DGN”.
  • Boolean variable — This variable contains a “0″ (representing “off” or “no”) or a “1″ (for “on” or “yes”). For example, some variables (such as “MS_DESIGN_HISTORY_OWNERSHIP_WARNING” which specifies if the user should be prompted to confirm when opening a file that contains changes made by another user and not yet committed) only have two possible values. Either a user is prompted to confirm (value set to “1″) or not (value set to “0″).

Here’s a look at some real-world examples of using configuration variables. Let’s say that Urban Town Department of Transportation uses a pathname that is generally seven to nine folders deep. The path might look like this:
C:StandardsProjectsCityURBANDOT123456160RoadDesignMappingTopo

Aside from causing an exhausted mouse finger and wasting countless hours looking for project resources, this would drive me insane. If the CAD manager sets a few configuration variables like “MS_DEF” to specify the directory to search for design files and “MS_REF_DEFAULTATTACHDIRECTORY” to specify the directory that contains reference files, it will cut the file opening and referencing tasks down to a couple of clicks. These variables are set in the project configuration file. The project configuration file contains information that MicroStation uses to customize the working environment for a particular project.

Now let’s look at an example of working with multiple project configuration files. Joe’s a CAD manager who works on several different projects at a time. Throughout the course of a week, he switches back and forth between the various projects many times. If these projects have different standards and requirements (different project resources, for example), valuable time is lost changing configuration variables every time he switches from one project to another. The solution is to set up a project configuration file for each project. Each configuration file redefines the configuration variables so they are correct for each project. Each project configuration file has both a file name and a workspace name so that it can be selected from the Workspace drop-down menu later. Each time you open a design file, MicroStation uses the workspace configuration variables in the configuration file for that project to customize your working environment. Figure 3 shows an example of several projects that have been set up that a user could choose from.

Figure 3. Selecting a project from the MicroStation Manager dialog box with previously configured settings can save time when switching between projects with different standards and requirements.

Joe simply selects the correct project from the workspace pull-down menu and all his settings are pre-configured. No time is lost re-configuring color tables, fonts, DGN libraries, reference file paths and a whole “mess” of other settings when switching between projects.

As another example, one company that I worked with had several projects going at the same time that all used different font resource files. Users would tend to forget which font was supposed to be used for which project. The CAD manager would be called several times a week because someone else working on a machine had changed the settings, which changed the font resources needed for a particular project. The font problems would often go unnoticed for days. Sometimes it would go unnoticed until the project was plotted with the wrong fonts! Not only did correcting these mistakes take time, expensive plot media, like vellum or Mylar, had to be thrown away. This is the kind of problem that is easily solved by the CAD manager simply setting up project configuration files.

Setting up a project configuration file
So, how would a CAD or project manager change a project configuration file? Let’s say Bruce is a project manager who has users that keep compressing design files — which purges empty and unused levels and text styles from the files. (It’s fine to compress the design files, but if done before the design is complete, you will often lose things you would have needed later when designing, such as levels and text styles.) To prevent losing some needed levels and text styles, Bruce will need to set the compress options for “textstyles” and “levels” to “disabled”. He will also need to lock down the options so designers working on that project will not inadvertently change them and thereby compress these resources. Bruce can do this by opening the project configuration file and adding two statements to it. The steps to do this are as follows:

  1. Open the project configuration file, such as “nameofproject.pcf”, using your favorite text editor.
  2. Add a statement to disable the compressing of text styles and levels. The statement to do this is: MS_COMPRESS_OPTIONS = -TEXTSTYLES;-LEVELS # disabled due to wild users.
    The variable name is”MS_COMPRESS_OPTIONS.” This is followed by an equal sign (“=”). Next comes a list of items. In this case, the list is “TEXTSTYLES” and “LEVELS”. Each item in this example is preceded by a minus sign (“-”) indicating that this option will be disabled. A semi-colon (“;”) separates the items in the list. Finally, an optional comment can be added to the line by putting a pound sign (“#”) in front of the comment.
  3. Add another statement to lock the “MS_COMPRESS_OPTIONS” variable to prevent users from changing the compress options. The statement to do this is: %lock MS_COMPRESS_OPTIONS
  4. Save the project configuration file using your text-editing program.
  5. Finally, restart MicroStation.

You’re all set! Users working on this project will still be able to compress design files but doing so will no longer purge text styles and levels from the files. Users will also not be able to accidentally modify (or undo) the compress options you just set.
If you’re working with a number of users, I also highly recommend using Global Workspace Manager, which allows you to set and monitor (among other things) workspace components on any number of workstations — all from one location. [Editors Note: see "Manage every MicroStation setting on every MicroStation workstation without leaving your desk!" in this issue of MicroStation Today.] As a word of caution, before you start changing your configuration files, please be careful to follow the first three rules of customizing MicroStation.

  1. Always backup the original configuration files before you make any changes.
  2. Be sure that you have permission from your CAD manager.
  3. If you are the CAD manager, see rule number 1 above.

In the next article in this series, I’ll show you more ways to save time and increase productivity by modifying workspace configuration files.

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Fight back!

Sunday, 7 December 2008

How to increase your profits in a slow economy

Clearwater, Florida, USA — In a slow economy, software add-ons that consistently save dozens, hundreds or thousands of man-hours aren’t just “nice” things to have, they’re vital.

How much money are repetitive, time-consuming tasks costing you?

David Evans & Associates saves $19,596 per year by using Microsoft Office Importer. Oregon DOT saves $42,000 per year in man-hours by using FileFixer. Barone-Shultz saved just one of their clients $5,400 on just one project using CellManager, a savings of 90% of the total project cost.
Washington Group saved $16,400 using MicroStation Productivity Toolkit on just one project over one weekend and potentially saved millions of dollars in lost income. Valero Paulsboro Refinery saved an estimated $125,000 on just one project using tools included in MicroStation Acceleration Garage.

Increase profits and reduce expenses.
Axiom creates tools for CAD managers and users that not only make their jobs easier, but also help them get projects done faster. In addition, LearningBay’s e-learning courses make users more effective and efficient when using MicroStation and MicroStation products such as GEOPAK and InRoads. LearningBay’s “on demand” e-learning courses produce better results and yet are less than a quarter the cost of offsite training and less than half the cost of onsite training. What’s more, the training can be done over and over to keep skills fresh. That’s simply not possible with either onsite or offsite training without incurring additional costs.

CAD managers spread too thin
According to Robert Green’s “CAD Manager 2005 Survey”, 26% of CAD managers reported that “their number-one frustration was not having enough time to do their job well.” Surprised? Here are some other numbers from the survey:

  • Only 31% of CAD managers perform their management duties full time (meaning they have other duties as well).
  • 61% are in salaried positions (average base salary: $53,847, or roughly $27 per hour.
  • A CAD manager supports an average of 41 CAD users.
  • 16% have purchasing authority.

Cost justification
No matter how good a product or service is, you still have to explain its value to decision-makers in a language they understand: money. This is why the CAD manager has to be business savvy and where cost justification comes in handy. The below, real-life examples show savings in terms of man-hours. In each case, one or more Axiom products greatly improved the productivity of the user or users involved and saved the company large amounts of money. According to the previously mentioned survey, the average salary for CAD managers was $27 per hour. Typically, taxes, insurance, benefits, training, management, overhead and other employee-related expenses are about 20% of salary costs. Thus, the following examples use $33 per hour as the company’s cost for the employee’s time. The actual cost of each Axiom product mentioned in the following examples was only a fraction of the overall amount saved by the company by using the product. All of the products mentioned below can be purchased separately or as part of MicroStation Acceleration Garage.

Example 1
One customer needed to change 200 drawings from an existing design for re-use in a new project. The task required all existing reference numbers on all drawings be re-mapped to new project numbers. The estimated time to do this manually was approximately 80 hours. At an average of $33 per hour, total cost would have been $2,640. Using Global File Changer, the actual time spent was 3 hours at a cost of only $99. This is a savings of $2,541 or 96% on this one three-hour project.

Example 2
Another customer, who regularly uses FileFixer, comments, “FileFixer ends up saving us approximately 400 man-hours a year. We couldn’t be nearly as productive without it.” Again, applying a $33-per-hour cost to this example, this results in a $13,200 savings in man-hours each year. Keep in mind that the $13,200 is only the figure for the savings. It doesn’t even begin to take into account the extra profit from all the additional work that gets done in those 400 extra man-hours.

Example 3
Another customer states that, “whenever any MicroStation file came back from the client, our drafters would spend an average of about two hours finding and correcting the CAD standards violations. If one figures that we get about 20 files per submission sent back to us by the client, that it takes a drafter about two hours to spot and correct the violations and that there are about two to three submissions in the lifecycle of our design projects, then there are approximately 120 man-hours per project spent in corrections — time spent not earning any new revenue!” Instead of doing it the hard way, the firm now uses SpecChecker and gets the work done in five minutes instead of two hours. In dollars, that saves $3,960 in man-hours on each and every project.

Example 4
Another customer had 400 design files in a project where a non-standard set of cells was used throughout the design process. They had to replace literally thousands of instances of multiple cells throughout all 400 design files. They were looking at 330 man-hours to fix this and a late delivery of the project. However, using Global File Changer, they were able to update all 400 design files with the “Replace Cells” function in a little over three hours — only 20-minutes of which required an operator to be present. The remaining time was simply the processing time. The total time, including the processing time, was only 1% of the time the design team estimated it would have taken to make the changes by hand. They saved $10,879 just by running Global File Changer — once!

Savings plus increased production
The money saved in man-hours is only part of the picture. What these examples don’t take into account the value of the additional work that the users involved can now get done. In other words, for each hour of work that one of Axiom’s products can save a company, that hour can then be used to generate more income on another project. Free advice on increasing profits

Make the vendors vying for your budget dollars work for you. Use their resources to get your projects done faster and more accurately and don’t be afraid to try and implement new technology. Contact Axiom and schedule a no-obligation, one-on-one, online demonstration with one of our product managers to discuss how the products included in MicroStation Acceleration Garage can greatly increase your rate of production and maximize the return on your budget dollars.

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