I am in the habit now of shredding my outdated financial files at home. I am concerned about identity theft and think it is a good idea to not place old bank and credit card statements in the recycle bin intact.
The shredder is a great thing when used to slice up files that you don’t want anyone to use again. When it happens to your CAD files – it is not good.
CAD Shredders attack your files when a project team is not consistent with the application of the CAD Standard. I call them shredders but no one may have done it on purpose, but the files get twisted into a knot of random applications of the standard. Either the Standard was not followed or it was totally ignored.
Here are some reasons that it happens:
1. Lack of understanding of what the CAD Standard says. No one has read it. No one remembers what it says. No one goes back and checks.
2. No time to check the Standard. Production deadlines are looming and the #1 job is to get the hard copy out the door.
3. Grabbing content from other projects. This may be the number one way of gathering scattered standards. One project is following a client standard and the other is following another standard.
4. Not knowing how to use entities that others have created. When someone else passes a file on to you, and you don’t know how they made it or what tools they used to create the data, so you explode, break apart, edit, disassociate, and otherwise obliterate the data.
5. Users who are not trained in all the tools that are being used in your office. Not all users have the same knowledge. Those that lag behind are hurting those who have pushed ahead. (check out my blog on How differing levels of CAD expertise infect your files)
Don’t be a CAD Shredder!
Are you a subscriber?
In this months issue…
CAD Manager Job Description – Starting with the basics
Going Beyond the Job Description – Moving your career forward
Narrowing your Job Focus – Working one goal at a time
February Survey Says – Are you testing you new hires?
CAD Managers are a pivotal connection point in the software purchasing process. They are the starting point for forecasting CAD growth, determining the tools to be used, testing tools, recommending software, completing purchases and implementing software deployment. Their voice is the direct line from the users, management and owner for the selection and purchasing of CAD products.
Software developers and Resellers – pay attention. The CAD Manager is your starting point for reaching into many firms. They are the ones who have to “sell” your products internally. They are the ones that have to convince users to move ahead. Any help you can provide in assisting them to make progress will fatten your bottom line.
Convince a CAD Manager and you reach the budgeting and purchasing command and control center.
Bentley announced that it has connected MicroStation to Google Earth. As a result, for the first time, users can view and navigate 2D/3D models of projects in the context of the Google Earth environment.
Check it out for yourself. Google is connecting to the CAD Market!!
After a large and successful Beta test, Bentley is rolling this out now to existing Select subscribers. No need to wait for XM.
I was a demo of the product and it is impressive. There are several new functions that have been added to the Google Earth interface to assist in:
- Hyperlinking between documents, drawings and spreadsheets
- Publish and view saved views from MicroStation to the Google Earth environment
- Add 2D drawings and other high resolution raster overlays to Google
- Turn level and views off and on with transparency
It all works with DGN and DWG files (since Microstation reads them both)
WOW – Check this out…
It is most often the case that the CAD Manager is planning for software purchases, rollouts, migrations and expansions. They are the forward thinkers that take the time to strategically look toward the future. CAD Managers are most likely to be the first adoptors of new releases and new tools. They drive the firm toward the future by getting there before others do.
Users tend to follow the lead of good CAD Managers. They know that the CADMAN has the best interest of the firm and the users in mind. They tend to mostly go along with their suggestions and roll-out plans.
Users often bring new tools into the firm also, but the global use of that tools is still defined by the CAD Manager. The CAD Manager has to be a leader of technology change. They need to prep users and move them forward.
A great post by Mark Douglas on his blog “In the Dynamic Interface”
He may be the King of DWF!
There is another good DWF blog posted by Scott Sheppard called “Beyond the Paper”
You should be reading these, if DWF is in your future!
Take the latest CAD Manager Survey!
It concerns CAD Manager Longevity…
How long have you been a CAD Manager?
How long have you worked for your current firm?
How long do you expect to remain a CAD Manager?
Do you expect to move higher in the company than CAD Manager?
Give us a feel for where your career has taken you and where you expect to go.
I think that the most promising development in the 2007 suite of tools from Autodesk may be the DWF “Underlay” which allows you to display a DWF file under your DWG file.
You can adjust the display of the DWF and Clip the display and even snap to the geometry.
They even included it in with the list of XREFs
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