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Manage all your MicroStation workspaces without leaving your desk!

Sunday, 7 December 2008

Axiom’s first enterprise-level MicroStation application brings massive time savings for CAD managers.

Clearwater, Florida, USA —Axiom, the world’s most experienced developer of time-saving MicroStation solutions, announces Global Workspace Manager, the first in a series of ground-breaking, enterprise solutions that save MicroStation CAD managers time.

Using Global Workspace Manager, a CAD manager can set up and manage all the workspaces on all the computers associated with a given project. For example, a CAD manager can view which cell libraries are being used by each workstation. All workspace configuration variables can be monitored and modified from this interface. The CAD manager can monitor and control workstations anywhere in the world without leaving his desk.

Global Workspace Manager allows CAD managers to set up, monitor and change MicroStation workspaces and workspace configuration settings on multiple workstations from a single location. Until now, managing MicroStation configuration variables has been a nightmare. CAD managers have had no easy way to ensure that MicroStation workspace configurations were properly set up and maintained. They either had to rely on each user to correctly set up and maintain his or her own workstation or walk around to each user’s workstation and manually set up and maintain its configuration. Even if CAD managers use a protected, central network workspace, they still don’t know who’s working on which project, when a project was last worked on or even which version of MicroStation is installed on which workstation. With this new add-on, all that is about to change.

With Global Workspace Manager, CAD managers are now able to not only analyze and control MicroStation workspaces, but they can also see who’s working on which project and which version of MicroStation they’re using. CAD managers can analyze, monitor and control a few workstations — or a few thousand workstations — all from a single location.

“A major problem that we hear from CAD managers is that users change their workspace configurations. This has resulted in them not using the fonts, line styles, cell libraries, reference files or other resources that the CAD manager needs used for a given project,” said Greg McKinney, Axiom Project Manager. “Global Workspace Manager gives CAD managers control over system, application, site, project and user workspace configuration files on all MicroStation workstations at their site or in the company, even configuration files that reside on a networked server. CAD Managers can set up, monitor, debug and change these configuration files on a single workstation, a group of workstations or thousands of workstations — without leaving their desks.”

Global Workspace Manager consists of two separate applications: a manager’s console (for the CAD manager to use) and a client (which resides on each MicroStation workstation). The manager’s console receives MicroStation workspace configuration data about each workstation that is running the client. The manager’s console has the ability to view, sort, filter, group, analyze and modify all the workspace configuration variables on the workstations. These capabilities allow CAD managers to view all configuration variables or specific configuration variables by workstation, location, project or any combination of these. The manager’s console has the ability to view configuration variables on one workstation, all workstations or any number of selected workstations. CAD managers can also ensure that all workstations are using the most up-to-date resources such as cells, fonts, dgnlibs, and linestyles. The manager’s console also provides powerful analysis tools to help the CAD manager pinpoint exactly why one workstation or workspace is behaving oddly or different from the others.

In addition to the analysis tools, Global Workspace Manager gives CAD managers many other useful tools. Using the manager’s console, CAD managers have the ability to copy an entire project along with all its resources (such as seed files, dgnlibs, linestyles, fonts, and color tables) to another network server or to an individual workstation, show which MicroStation versions are installed on each workstation, see when projects were last worked on, see who worked on each project (this helps planning for allocating manpower) and compare several machines to easily pinpoint errors on a specific workstation or just verify that workspaces are correct.

Global Workspace Manager can monitor the workspace settings on every MicroStation workstation at your site or even in your whole company. Every change to a MicroStation workstation’s User, Project or Interface setting is tracked in a central database. You will be able to see — and even change — every single MicroStation configuration variable, in every single workspace, on every single MicroStation workstation at your site or even your whole company, without leaving your desk!

The Global Workspace Manager client runs on each workstation that will be monitored by the manager’s console. The client sits quietly in the background, until the user makes a change to a workspace component. For example, when a user selects a different user, project or interface, the client notifies the manager’s console of the change.

The process of the client updating the manager’s console when changes occur ensures that the Global Workspace Manager manager’s console always has the most current workspace information from each workstation. This lets the CAD manager 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 needed changes to the workspaces without ever having to leave his desk.

“CAD managers often spend too much time walking from one floor to another or traveling to remote offices to troubleshoot or modify workspaces. Global Workspace Manager eliminates wasted time by bringing the monitoring and management of workspaces on all workstations into one location,” said Oscar Albornoz, Axiom’s Vice President for Technology.

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Making your MicroStation life easier

Friday, 7 November 2008

by TJ Crabtree, Maintenance Service Consultant
Clearwater, Florida, USA — Have you ever bought some software and then had to struggle with getting it up and running? Here at Axiom, we are not satisfied to just sell software. We want our software used. That’s why we make it — to make the MicroStation user’s life easier.

Rochester, New York, USA — Bergmann Associates CAD Manager, Melcher Mack, has been in the CAD industry for over ten years. He gave us some insights on changes he’s seen in the industry as well as his prediction on where it is going.

Melcher Mack — on a crusade for true BIM

MicroStation Today: What is your background?
Melcher: In high school, I took an architectural elective course where I worked on designing my dream house. Later, I went to college for Marketing Management but found I was more interested in designing things than selling them. So, I went back for Mechanical Technology.

MST: I’m sure Bergmann Associates was happy about that. What type of work does your firm do?
Melcher: Bergmann Associates has been around since 1980. We offer an extensive range of engineering, architecture, planning and design services for commercial, institutional, retail, education and industrial leaders as well as agencies at all levels of government.

MST: What have been some highlights for you personally in this industry?
Melcher: After I started working at Bergmann Associates, we began looking at 3D design packages. This is when I really “got it.” Once I could see more of what we were drafting instead of 2D lines and arcs, I really got into CAD. Helping the company transition from primarily designing in 2D with just a few design packages to using 3D in our design process and using multiple design packages tailored to specific disciplines has definitely been a highlight for me.

MST: What are some of the most challenging aspects of your job?
Melcher: Bergmann Associates is engaged in a number of both small and large projects. For instance, we’re one of four firms working on the Renaissance Square project here in Rochester, New York. For me, the most challenging part is maintaining all of the software packages that we use on our different projects. Keeping multiple design packages working efficiently in multiple disciplines across multiple offices can be very challenging, to say the least.

MST: As a CAD Manager, what kinds of problems do you encounter?
Melcher: Anything from “how do I get this icon on my screen” to “I just lost three hours worth of work”. It’s frustrating losing work or trying to get software to do something that it should do but doesn’t. Axiom’s tools help with that. Although I first heard about Axiom through mailings, it was at the BE Conference where I really saw what software options Axiom developed. [Editors note: The "BE Conference" is an annual conference sponsored by Bentley Systems.] Axiom tools have increased our productivity with software like Microsoft Office Importer. We have been very impressed with what that tool can do.

MST: What do you use Microsoft Office Importer for?
Melcher: We have several people who use Microsoft Office Importer on every project they do. They use it with Microsoft Word for general notes and with Microsoft Excel for extensive tables like schedules or bill of materials. One of my colleagues recently told me the product was great, worked well and really saved hours of time on each of their projects.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Melcher: As long as I’m involved with design technology in some fashion, and not just pushing paper, I’m sure I’ll be content.

MST: What book do you wish you’d written?
Melcher: The types of books I have read are not the types of books that I would want to write. For an example Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. In order to write it, I’d have to experience it and that’s one I’d rather not.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
Melcher: If it’s during the workweek, my Father — he’s retired!

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Melcher: The big issue in CAD today is true interoperability. If we can accomplish that, we will see technology really take off in this industry. The buzz in the industry right now is BIM. [Editor's note: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data such as geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, quantities and properties of building components (like manufacturing information).] We all say we are “BIMing” or attempting to do BIM, but until true interoperability exists, I don’t believe you can accomplish it. The major CAD companies are acquiring a lot of software packages to cover each phase of a project to accomplish BIM. I think their intentions are to have software in each phase of BIM that’s interoperable. The problem is, we all use a different lineup of software to accomplish our goals on a project. Most likely, it will always be that way. This industry will accomplish more once there is a certain level of true interoperability between multiple software companies. I believe International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) has the most potential to make interoperability happen.

MST: Thanks, Melch

That’s where I come in. My name is TJ Crabtree and I am your friendly Axiom Maintenance Plus gal. We really do go to great lengths to ensure that our software gets used. As a matter of fact, there is a sign on the wall here that lists one of our major goals as: “Outstanding products successfully being used.” The “being used” part is key. We have a policy here that someone from Axiom’s Customer Service Department calls everyone who purchases an Axiom product within a few days after they get the software to make sure they were able to get it installed and working. Axiom not only provides technical support for the Axiom products that help you to be more efficient with MicroStation, but often we can help with your MicroStation-related issues too.
There are many things Axiom does to ensure our products are successfully being used. For example, we routinely send Axiom technicians all over the globe. Recent trips include Kansas City, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Germany, Canada and England, to name just a few. (I volunteered, but I didn’t get to go to England.)

Axiom Maintenance Plus
More than your average maintenance program, Axiom Maintenance Plus combines tech support, software upgrades, training and custom programming to cover all the bases. The technical staff here at Axiom strives to ensure that, as a user of Axiom’s products, you always have all the benefits you need to really get the most out of your Axiom products.
The Axiom name for customers that have Axiom Maintenance Plus is “Maintenance Plus Holders”, but I like to call them “VIPs”. My father is a civil engineer, so I understand my customers and what they do.
With Axiom Maintenance Plus you get:

  • The latest updates for the products you own, provided at no charge.
  • Unlimited technical support via telephone, fax, e-mail or mail. If you are having a problem, just let us know.
  • Bug fixes and work-arounds. We specialize in solving production snags and MicroStation workflow issues.
  • High priority given to your enhancement requests. We get lots of requests for easier ways to do things in MicroStation. That is how we know what new features to add to our software. We look at Maintenance Plus holders’ requests first.
  • The latest version of the product, sent automatically at least once a year.
  • One hour of free user training via the Internet or two hours of free custom programming, for every $500 paid on annual maintenance.

MicroStation Productivity Toolkit, MicroStation Acceleration Garage and Axiom Maintenance Plus
Both MicroStation Productivity Toolkit and MicroStation Acceleration Garage combine many of Axiom’s top, time-saving utilities into a single, cost-efficient package. Occasionally we add new programs to both Toolkit and Garage. As a bonus for Toolkit or Garage owners with Maintenance Plus, you get any and all new products that get added — free of charge.

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Will true interoperability change the CAD industry? Melcher Mack, CAD Manager for Bergmann Associates, talks about 3D design, multiple disciplines and the future of CAD.

Friday, 7 November 2008

Rochester, New York, USA — Bergmann Associates CAD Manager, Melcher Mack, has been in the CAD industry for over ten years. He gave us some insights on changes he’s seen in the industry as well as his prediction on where it is going.

Melcher Mack — on a crusade for true BIM

MicroStation Today: What is your background?
Melcher: In high school, I took an architectural elective course where I worked on designing my dream house. Later, I went to college for Marketing Management but found I was more interested in designing things than selling them. So, I went back for Mechanical Technology.

MST: I’m sure Bergmann Associates was happy about that. What type of work does your firm do?
Melcher: Bergmann Associates has been around since 1980. We offer an extensive range of engineering, architecture, planning and design services for commercial, institutional, retail, education and industrial leaders as well as agencies at all levels of government.

MST: What have been some highlights for you personally in this industry?
Melcher: After I started working at Bergmann Associates, we began looking at 3D design packages. This is when I really “got it.” Once I could see more of what we were drafting instead of 2D lines and arcs, I really got into CAD. Helping the company transition from primarily designing in 2D with just a few design packages to using 3D in our design process and using multiple design packages tailored to specific disciplines has definitely been a highlight for me.

MST: What are some of the most challenging aspects of your job?
Melcher: Bergmann Associates is engaged in a number of both small and large projects. For instance, we’re one of four firms working on the Renaissance Square project here in Rochester, New York. For me, the most challenging part is maintaining all of the software packages that we use on our different projects. Keeping multiple design packages working efficiently in multiple disciplines across multiple offices can be very challenging, to say the least.

MST: As a CAD Manager, what kinds of problems do you encounter?
Melcher: Anything from “how do I get this icon on my screen” to “I just lost three hours worth of work”. It’s frustrating losing work or trying to get software to do something that it should do but doesn’t. Axiom’s tools help with that. Although I first heard about Axiom through mailings, it was at the BE Conference where I really saw what software options Axiom developed. [Editors note: The "BE Conference" is an annual conference sponsored by Bentley Systems.] Axiom tools have increased our productivity with software like Microsoft Office Importer. ™ We have been very impressed with what that tool can do.

MST: What do you use Microsoft Office Importer for?
Melcher: We have several people who use Microsoft Office Importer on every project they do. They use it with Microsoft Word for general notes and with Microsoft Excel for extensive tables like schedules or bill of materials. One of my colleagues recently told me the product was great, worked well and really saved hours of time on each of their projects.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Melcher: As long as I’m involved with design technology in some fashion, and not just pushing paper, I’m sure I’ll be content.

MST: What book do you wish you’d written?
Melcher: The types of books I have read are not the types of books that I would want to write. For an example Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. In order to write it, I’d have to experience it and that’s one I’d rather not.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
Melcher: If it’s during the workweek, my Father — he’s retired!

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Melcher: The big issue in CAD today is true interoperability. If we can accomplish that, we will see technology really take off in this industry. The buzz in the industry right now is BIM. [Editor’s note: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data such as geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, quantities and properties of building components (like manufacturing information).] We all say we are “BIMing” or attempting to do BIM, but until true interoperability exists, I don’t believe you can accomplish it. The major CAD companies are acquiring a lot of software packages to cover each phase of a project to accomplish BIM. I think their intentions are to have software in each phase of BIM that’s interoperable. The problem is, we all use a different lineup of software to accomplish our goals on a project. Most likely, it will always be that way. This industry will accomplish more once there is a certain level of true interoperability between multiple software companies. I believe International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) has the most potential to make interoperability happen.

MST: Thanks, Melcher

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FileFixer dispels myth.

Friday, 7 November 2008

Automatic design file repair was once thought to be impossible.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Before Copernicus, mankind believed the Sun orbited the Earth. Before FileFixer, mankind believed design file corruption could not be repaired automatically.

If you remember this ad, then we would like to congratulate you on your upcoming retirement!

We now take for granted that the Earth orbits the Sun, but there were some who didn’t think that a software program could ever, all by itself, repair design-file corruption automatically. To illustrate the historical significance of FileFixer, here’s a quote from a previously confidential document, recently de-classified and released from Axiom’s archive: “We believe that design file repair is far too subjective to be automated with a satisfactory degree of success,” wrote an Intergraph executive on 8 November 1989.

David Greenbaum, Axiom founder and creator of FileFixer, disagreed with this. His fluency with design file format, intimate familiarity with customer requirements and unrivaled ingenuity made him uniquely qualified to not only prove that idea false by implementing FileFixer automatic design file repair features, but to also make FileFixer easy to use.

The 1989 release of FileFixer is a distinguished milestone in the history of CAD: Design file repair can be automated successfully. After the release, Greenbaum did not stop there. Before the New Year’s confetti floated to the ground in 1990, fewer than 75 days after the quoted statement above, Greenbaum single-handedly adapted FileFixer for Unix workstations and Intergraph VAX mainframes.

The positive impact on the MicroStation (and Intergraph) communities is reflected by this typical customer anecdote from that era: “To put it bluntly, FileFixer is crucial to our CAD technicians’ production. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run FileFixer and cleaned up problems which otherwise would have burned up days and days to repair. This is important because when file corruption problems arise, they not only waste our time and delay project completion, but they end up costing the public incredible amounts of money,” wrote E.S., System Administrator, DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit).

Some MicroStation users, boasting even 20 years of experience, hadn’t yet started their MicroStation careers when FileFixer first offered automatic design file repair. How many software applications can you think of that have been best sellers in their field for almost 20 years? FileFixer’s longevity as a perennial favorite is a testament to the brilliance of its concept and execution.

Early on, Axiom promoted FileFixer with campaigns such as the one above:
Note the tape reel symbolism. (Yes, early versions of FileFixer were delivered on reels of tape!)

And then there was MicroStation V8.
By the time MicroStation V8 was first released commercially, back in October 2001, Axiom’s FileFixer development team had already been working on FileFixer for V8 for more than a year.

V8 introduced the first design file format change ever for MicroStation — really a file format overhaul — and with it came an entirely new universe of design file corruption.

MicroStation users had not previously encountered structured storage corruption (when a V8 file’s internal directory is destroyed), disappearing level definitions, duplicate level definitions or elements existing beyond the edge of the design plane. These forms of corruption are unique to MicroStation V8, necessitating Axiom’s invention of entirely new design file analysis and repair techniques. Although FileFixer for V8 retained the outward appearance of FileFixer, there was an entirely new engine under the hood.

Even though it was rebuilt from the ground up, our customers continue to praise its results: “I like the tools in MicroStation Productivity Toolkit, particularly FileFixer. I use it a lot. FileFixer has saved me many hours of lost work. With FileFixer, I don’t have to go into the archive or rebuild an entire drawing from scratch. FileFixer alone makes MicroStation Productivity Toolkit worth it,” stated R. Saldivar, Pacific Gas & Electric.

If you’re a CAD manager or MicroStation user, you should attend a free, on-line demonstration of this legendary application to learn about common forms of XM file corruption and FileFixer’s automatic search and repair capabilities.

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Axiom releases InRoads Vertical Geometry Tools e-learning course.

Friday, 7 November 2008

New course release smashes all previous records.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — With the release of the InRoads Vertical Geometry Tools course, Axiom, the world’s most experienced developer of time-saving MicroStation solutions, hits a historic mark: One hundred new or updated e-learning courses since January 2008.

Training increases speed and quality of design work if it’s the right training. Now with well over 100 courses on MicroStation, GEOPAK and InRoads, LearningBay has a proven track record of reducing costs and increasing income.

With all these online courses, CAD managers can train their users on MicroStation, GEOPAK and InRoads in less time and with less expense than traditional training methods. Users train at their own desk, on their own schedule and at their own pace. The courses are “always on”, which means they can be accessed as often as users like, for review or refresher training whenever it’s needed.

“This has been a banner year for the release of MicroStation training content from LearningBay. Since January, we’ve completed 20 InRoads courses, a dozen XM courses and numerous specialized courses such as GEOPAK 3D. We’ve also made updates to our V7 Essentials, V8 Essentials and GEOPAK courses,” states Mike Arroyo, world-renowned MicroStation evangelist and Axiom’s Vice President for Learning. “Before 2008 is out, we intend to add even more new courses to our InRoads and XM lineups — bringing those totals to 30 InRoads and 20 XM e-learning courses. That’s 50, brand-new courses covering just those two subjects alone.”

InRoads Vertical Geometry Tools is the latest InRoads e-learning course released by LearningBay. The course covers all the necessary InRoads tools, including all concepts needed to fully grasp vertical layout. As with all of LearningBay’s InRoads e-learning courses, instruction is done through step-by-step, “hands on” exercises where the student works on actual project files. “The training is always available to fit whatever level of expertise is needed and can be delivered whenever most convenient,” adds Arroyo.

Collectively, Axiom’s system of online training is called LearningBay. LearningBay provides computer-based training for MicroStation and MicroStation products, with several options for delivery, including LearningBay Enterprise, LearningBay Professional and LearningBay Hosted. Enterprise is designed specifically for very large organizations, Professional is a leaner system designed for small to mid-size companies, and Hosted is for companies that would rather not manage their training system themselves, no matter what size they are. All of Axiom’s e-learning courses are available via any of these methods.

In addition to the high volume of courses produced this year, the number of students enrolled on LearningBay Hosted is also at a record high. These students use LearningBay’s managed web site to deliver their MicroStation training. Through the use of a log-in, students are able to access training anytime via an Internet connection and browser. According to Arroyo, “The popularity of our hosted solution has continued to rapidly grow and we expect to double the number of students enrolled in short order.”

“Our e-learning solutions answer two key questions that we often hear from the MicroStation community: ‘How can we make users billable faster?’ and ‘How can we reduce our training costs?’ These releases, along with the delivery options we offer, reconfirm our commitment to deliver what’s needed and wanted by the MicroStation community,” concludes Arroyo.

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The secret to making money as a CAD manager

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

How to get a pay raise and a promotion

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Increasing your income is never a wrong thing to do in any economy. With today’s economy, having the edge you need to get paid more is critical. Training is one of the fastest and easiest ways to make yourself more valuable to your company and increase your chances of higher pay. Putting in longer hours is not the answer to higher pay. A fast employee that produces high quality work will always be more valuable than a slower one with lower quality work.

There are better ways to making money than putting in longer hours.

Just like Axiom’s software and services, LearningBay’s training courses are designed to: 1) save you time, 2) help improve your quality of life at work and 3) make you look even more like a genius. The courses also have the added potential of increasing your pay.

“Training saves you time by making you faster and even more proficient at what you do than you already are. Based on our experience in dealing with thousands of customers, only a fraction of CAD designers are using MicroStation to anywhere near its full capability,” stated Mike Arroyo, Axiom’s Vice President for Learning. “Knowing all the tricks of how to more effectively use MicroStation and MicroStation add-ons such as GEOPAK and InRoads increases your proficiency and speed in using these programs. This makes training an excellent way to pass your competitors, especially the ones who aren’t training.”

Today, users who neglect training are really missing out on functionality developed from the experience of others in a similar situation. Knowing exactly what tools to use and having complete confidence in how and when to use them can greatly increase your productivity as well as the quality of your work. This confidence will also make your work easier because you’ll have complete certainty on what you’re doing. From here, the formula for getting a pay increase is simple: Higher quality work done in a shorter period of time equals a pay raise and possible promotion. Training has also been known to make people happier, more confident and more self-sufficient.

LearningBay makes it easy to train anywhere, anytime. The courses are convenient, flexible, interactive, available 24/7, completely under your control and designed from the ground up to make learning smooth, fast and effective. Whether you need to learn a particular topic from the beginning or simply want to advance your skills, Axiom has the training solution you need. “Training gives you the knowledge and confidence you need to move forward on the road to financial success,” concluded Arroyo.

Call now!

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The curse of the mummy’s deadline

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

An interview with Romulus III — Chief Architect to Ramses II

Cairo, Egypt — In search of an appropriate interview for the October edition of MicroStation Today, I found myself in Cairo, wandering the streets and looking for a story. A few of the locals informed me that the Egyptian Museum had a healthy collection of mummified ancient Egyptian kings, so I thought — being the Halloween issue — it couldn’t hurt to take a look.

In ancient times, missing a deadline could mean your death.

After wandering through halls laden with artifacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun, I located Ramses II, arms crossed and with a gold mask covering his face. I kept walking and a few displays down, there was another mummy in an open casket, a roll of papyrus and ancient Egyptian pen laid at his feet.

Intrigued, I picked up the papyrus and was startled to discover… it held blueprints for a pyramid! If I could interview this chap, the article would fit right into the October edition! I picked up the pen and thought for a bit. My eyes darted to the inscribed plate in front of the casket: “Romulus III — Chief Architect to Ramses II”. Suddenly, the mummy started to move!

MicroStation Today: My god!
Romulus III: Aaaaauuuuuuuurrrrrgggghhhhh! Who disturbs my slumber?!

MST: Um… Er, hello. That would be me. I’m a reporter for the monthly periodical called MicroStation Today. It’s a CAD-related magazine… MicroStation specifically. I was wondering, could I do an interview on you? I’m sure our readers would love to hear about your experiences as an architect in ancient Egypt!
Romulus III: Hmmmm… As you have taken my drafting pen, you have incurred the wrath of the dreaded Romulus III — Chief Architect for Ramses II. This, I cannot forgive.

MST: What if I were to replace the pen immediately after we do our interview? No harm, no foul right?
Romulus III: Well, I suppose that would be alright. It is a tad drab just sleeping all the time. What have you got?

MST: Well, you must have a pretty interesting story on how you began as an architect. Can you tell us about that?
Rumulus III: I started off as a mason [someone who builds with cement and materials like stone and brick] when I was 15, carving stones and such. There was a complete lack of wood, so most of our buildings were built of stone, which was just as well, I heard that a lot of them are still standing today. You can’t say that about most structures that old. Anyhow, I wasn’t that fond of manual labor, so I apprenticed under a master architect, and he taught me a lot. By the time I turned 24, I was Ramses’ Chief Architect. I had a lot of respect, but also a lot of responsibilities. Structure design is no walk-in-the-park, let me tell you. I would have given anything for some way to speed it up and handle the problems that kept popping up.

MST: You know they have something like that now, it’s called “MicroStation”. It’s a Computer-Aided-Design software program. It lets you design entire structures with pinpoint accuracy and much faster than traditional pen and papyrus.
Romulus III: That’s amazing! And there are no problems with it?

MST: Sometimes there are, but there are tools like FileFixer and Title Block Manager that help sort those out quickly and painlessly.
Romulus III: Wow! Sounds like those would have been life-savers!

MST: Yeah, I know.
Romulus III: I don’t think you do! I was executed for not finishing the designs for Ramses’ “Thebes Temple Remodeling Project” in time! That man was an insane multi-tasker! He wanted all existing monuments to reflect his divine nature and power, so we had to come up with plans to redesign dozens of existing temples in his image, and he wanted it done in a month!

MST: You could have done it in a week with MicroStation and Toolkit.
Romulus III: Exactly! Now you know what I mean when I say “life-savers”. Anyhow, at least I was given the gift of eternal life by mummification. He must have liked me to some degree.

MST: Yeah… Next question: What do you think is your greatest accomplishment?
Romulus III: The Ramesseum, hands down. [Editor's note: The Ramesseum is a memorial temple that was built by Pharaoh Ramses II in 13th century B.C. It currently lies in ruins across the Nile river from the city of Luxor.] There were three statues of the man [Ramses II], one of them weighed over 1,000 tonnes! It was preceded by two courts and had giant pillars, huge walls, the works! I am definitely proud of that one. I heard it’s not doing so well today though. Pity.

MST: What is your favorite movie?
Romulus III: Well, you’d think that I don’t watch TV, stuck here in my display. However, the museum guard booth is just down the hall a bit, as you can see, and last year one of the guys (“Bakari”, I think his name is) brought his daughter to work. She sat in there and watched a cartoon called “The Prince of Egypt”. Excellent film, very true-to-life stuff. I pulled my wrapping down a bit from over my eyes and watched the whole thing. I laughed so hard, I started coughing up dust!

MST: Yeah, I saw it too, good stuff. Now, what do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Romulus III: I had always thought it would be wonderful if they made a special table with instruments attached that helped you measure distances and draw perfect lines and curves on your papyrus.

MST: Yeah, that’s already been done. It’s called a “drafting table”.
Romulus III: Ah, I see. Well… then how about some sort of magic box that can hold thousands and thousands of designs. Maybe even simulate the designing process — allowing you to draw faster and more accurately!

MST: Yeah, we’ve got that too. It’s called a “computer”. And the “Computer-Aided-Design software” I told you about earlier is what simulates the designing process.
Romulus III: So that’s what a computer is? Fantastic! I heard you say “computer” earlier, but I just ignored it. Didn’t want to tie you up for too long here. Anyhow… So you’ve already got that, huh? Okay, well I’m sure there are things that could be improved, like, say a guy needs to make bulk changes to all of his designs? Changing all circles to squares or making all of a certain type of line thicker, that would be a “next-big-thing” wouldn’t it?

MST: We’ve got that too, it’s called Global File Changer and it’s part of Axiom’s Toolkit.
Romulus III: What about when something goes wrong and you can’t open your designs?

MST: FileFixer handles that. It’s also in Toolkit.
Romulus III: Well you know what? You just may have asked the wrong mummy!

MST: That very well may be the case, Romulus. I’ve got to catch a flight in about half-an-hour. Are you ready for me to replace the pen?
Romulus III: (Yawn) Yes, I think so. I’m growing rather sleepy. This is the most excitement I’ve had in the last 700 years!

Romulus crossed his arms and laid back in his display case. I placed the pen and the papyrus back at his feet and made my way outside to flag down a cab. “The Editor is not going to believe this,” I thought, clutching my notebook to my chest. I hopped in the cab and said, “To Cairo International Airport! And step on it!”

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Update design file settings fast!

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

How to update your entire project in minutes.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — At various times, during almost every project, it is necessary to prepare project design files for submittal to the organization or executive who authorized or is paying for the work to be done. Part of this preparation includes updating each design file’s view attributes and other design settings to make sure they meet the project’s requirements.

To make this whole process an extremely fast and easy task, Global File Changer has a custom feature called “Update Design File Settings”. This custom feature copies the settings and view attributes you want to use from an existing design file and then, based on your choices, updates all your project files to match.

To show you how simple and powerful the “Update Design File Settings” custom feature is, we will run through the procedure on a hypothetical set of 150 project design files. To keep this example brief, we will only update the “View Attributes” of these files, but the same process works for just about anything else you’ll ever need to update. “Update Design File Settings” can be used for updating any or all design file settings at the same time. This includes working resolution, global origin, color table and coordinate readout.

To begin, open a design file that has the view attributes set the way you want them for all your project files. With this design file active, load Global File Changer by selecting it from the “Axiom” pull-down menu on MicroStation’s main menu bar. From the “Custom” menu of Global File Changer, select “Manage Design File Settings|Update Design File Settings…”. This opens the “Update Design File Settings” dialog box.

The “Update Design File Settings” dialog box lets you specify the exact attributes and view or views you want to update. You can update your project’s design files in batch — hundreds or thousands at a time.

Now, select “File|New” from this dialog box. This initiates the default settings for this custom feature and unloads any previously active settings file. The next step is to select the design file that contains the standard settings we will use. Do this by clicking the <Browse…> button at the top of the dialog box and selecting the active design file. You could also select any design file that has the settings you want to use; however, for the purposes of this example, we’ll assume the active design file is the one containing all the settings set the way you need them.

Since we are only interested in the view attributes for this example, we will clear all the other categories by clicking the <Clear All Categories> button and then selecting the “View Attributes” category from the “Category” list box on the left. [Editor's note: If you are already a Global File Changer owner and your dialog box doesn't look like the one above, you should call Axiom to obtain the most recent Global File Changer update. For active maintenance holders, all updates are free.] With the “View Attributes” settings selected, click the <Select All> button. This activates all the view attribute checkboxes and selects all 8 views to update. For this example, we will only update views 1-4, so deselect views 5-8 by clicking on each of the <Views to update> buttons 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Keep in mind that each checkbox only determines whether or not we will update that view attribute based on the selected design files settings. It does not mean that we will turn that view attribute on. To see which way the view attribute will be set, for each view selected in the “Views to update” section of the dialog, click the <Display the current view attribute settings> button.

When you are done creating your settings, click the <OK> button at the bottom of the dialog box. This opens a “Save As” dialog box so you can save these settings to a file that can be reused at a later time. In this example, we will name the file “ViewAttributes.dsu”. After saving the filename, the “Update Design File Settings” dialog will close and the custom key-in command Global File Changer uses to update settings will be loaded by default into the “Key-in file:” field of the main dialog box.

Global File Changer is ready to update the settings on all 150 design files in the project — in one processing run. Yes, it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true and will happen in just a few minutes too.

The last steps are to simply tell Global File Changer which design files to process, which models to process and the name of the report file to create. When you’re ready to process the files, simply click the <Start> button. After just a few minutes every design file you selected will have the correct view attributes for views 1 through 4.

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Axiom releases new InRoads XM Corridor Modeling courses.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Browser-based, interactive courses teach roadway design.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Axiom, the world’s most experienced developer of time-saving MicroStation solutions, announces the release of the latest InRoads online training courses for MicroStation XM called InRoads XM Corridor Modeling Part 1 and InRoads XM Corridor Modeling Part 2.

The browser-based InRoads XM Corridor Modeling courses use videos and interactive material to cover both theory and application of corridor modeling in InRoads XM.

These browser-based courses demonstrate how to use geometry, surface, typical section and superelevation information to create roadway designs. Roadway modeling, or “corridor modeling” as it is often called, is the action of taking a typical section or sections and making them travel along the path of a horizontal and vertical alignment. As a result, InRoads is able to create both “planimetrics”, which is a two-dimensional representation of geographical space, and three-dimensional surfaces of the new design based on the horizontal and vertical geometry. The newly released InRoads courses reinforce the student’s ability to confidently accomplish roadway design, both by watching informative videos and by doing real-world step-by-step examples.

LearningBay courses combine in-depth instruction with hands-on labs, videos and practice sessions, in a self-paced setting with centralized monitoring and examination. This combination of materials and approaches has proven itself to be an effective training method for both new users and experienced users who want to refresh their skills.

Instructors can keep tabs on student progress, identify trouble areas (either slow students or difficult subjects), set requirements and more. Students learn InRoads at their own pace, on their own schedule, right from their own desk. Further, LearningBay can automatically build review content based on missed test questions. Students have the materials available to them at all times for reference or review.

The InRoads XM Corridor Modeling browser-based courses are the collaboration of Axiom’s LearningBay team, renowned for it’s learning technology, and InRoads guru Mark Ditko who brings over 20-years of experience working with grading, paving, water, sewer and other utility design. “Our professionally created, online courses reduce training costs and assist users in learning the materials faster. Helping CAD users to be able to produce billable hours quickly is a hallmark of LearningBay’s online courses,” stated Mike Arroyo, Axiom’s Vice President for Learning.

Collectively, Axiom’s system of online training is called LearningBay. LearningBay provides browser-based training for MicroStation and MicroStation products, with several options for delivery, including LearningBay Enterprise, LearningBay Professional and LearningBay Hosted. Enterprise is a learning management system (LMS) designed specifically for very large organizations, Professional is an LMS designed for small to mid-size companies, and Hosted is for companies that would rather not manage their training system themselves, no matter what size they are. All of the InRoads online learning courses are available via any of these methods.

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Axiom releases color raster reference file editor!

Sunday, 7 September 2008

New tool from Axiom can edit monochrome, grayscale and color raster reference files.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Axiom, the world’s most experienced developer of time-saving MicroStation solutions, announces the release of a new tool for easily editing color, grayscale and monochrome raster reference files — RasterDgn.

Editing color and grayscale raster reference files is now affordable.

According to Eiren Smith, the product manager for RasterDgn, “We took a careful look at RasEdit and asked ourselves how to really make it our own. How could we make it as good as we could imagine — even if we had to rewrite it?”

RasterDgn includes the same core features as RasEdit, albeit expanded in numerous ways. A good example of this is RasEdit’s ability to “stamp” vector data into raster files. The Stamp feature has been completely redesigned in RasterDgn, resulting in support for situations that RasEdit did not support, such as filled shapes.

RasterDgn’s settings are easier to change than in RasEdit. Where RasEdit users had to edit the settings file (RasEdit.ini) with a text editor, RasterDgn has a settings dialog box, saving users’ time and potential errors. Mr. Smith added, “We looked under every rock. If we found someplace we save MicroStation users’ time, we went after it in RasterDgn.”

Another place where Axiom says they found room for improvement was RasterDgn’s compatibility with MicroStation’s “Undo” function. While RasEdit’s basic features supported “Undo”, some of its more advanced features did not. RasterDgn’s Despeckle, Deskew and Stamp features support “Undo”.

Finally, there’s RasterDgn’s entirely new color and grayscale raster reference file attachment support mentioned above, two abilities absent in RasEdit. RasterDgn will include color and grayscale support from its first release, giving customers the ability to edit practically every type of raster reference file without leaving MicroStation.

RasterDgn is the direct successor to RasEdit, the monochrome-only raster reference file attachment editor Axiom acquired earlier this year from Mill Creek Systems. RasEdit owners with active Axiom Maintenance Plus contracts can upgrade to RasterDgn free of charge.

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