I lost what??

I have had a few calls about this in the last 2 weeks and while for many of us who have been using AutoCAD for a decade or longer it is easy, for new folks this is an important topic. “FATAL ERROR. THE PROGRAM HAS CAUSED A FATAL EXCEPTION AND MUST CLOSE.” Whether I get an error like this, or the battery on my laptop dies the end result is that the program is terminated abruptly and abnormally (in some cases catastrophically).

It is not always the end of the world. The first thing to do is grab your horseshoe, 4 leaf clover, rabbit foot, and jar of salt….

In the video below I am documenting steps for recovery when we are talking about Carlson Field with the IntelliCAD option. Much of the same information works when using AutoCAD or other Carlson programs such as TakeOff or Survey with the Embedded AutoCAD engine. Because my most recent and most urgent call involved Field and IntellICAD that is where I am focusing.

First let me explain a little about the data. Carlson stores the graphics in a DWG file and this applies to AutoCAD, AutoCAD OEM, and IntellICAD. For each drawing file created you should have a BAK file which is stored in the same location as your drawing file and should be current up to your last save. Beyond that there is an AutoSAVE file being stored based on the AutoSAVE settings specified in the program. This is not always good news for us old guys because one of the first things we often change is the interval of those AutoSAVE files. First check the time interval and make sure it is set to something reasonable (5-10 minutes perhaps, if you are a belt & suspenders kind of person go with every 1-2 minutes).

Now after the graphics we have the data. In Field we have both a CRD file AND a RW5 file. The CRD file contains all of our coordinates and the RW5 has all of our angles and distances and setup information. The video below shows how to verify where this is stored and what you can do with it.

The reality is that upon a fatal crash it is not always bad news. Often times much of what we were doing can be recovered. Take a deep breath, rub your lucky rabbit foot, toss some of the salt over your shoulder, and begin looking at the recovery options shown below.

GIS and Surveying

Are G.I.S. and Surveying and Engineering moving closer together?  Should they move closer together?  If you follow the old joke about what G.I.S. stands for you may not think so.  If you look at what G.I.S. actually stands for and what it is capable of you might ask yourself why we have not been taking advantage of this more than we have.

Geographic Information System.  Surveying is Geographic so that is good right?  Information is good right?.  A system is good right? So why then such the push back from combining GIS and Surveying?  For so long GIS has been used as a general representational location as opposed to an exact location and I think that has been the big hold up.  Surveyors are trained that close enough is not good enough (except in the old adage of close enough for government work, but that is a topic on my other blog).

One of the things I think has kept  this natural merging is the lack of ability to easily combine the data source and the data.  Meaning there have been few methods over the last few years to move data from our survey platforms to GIS platforms.  Or perhaps they have been there and we just didn’t know about them or how to take advantage of them.

We were given dxf as a means for moving CAD drawings from one program to another, and xml to move data from one package to another, but what about GIS data?  Enter the SHP file.  The problem is, many of us know so little about the SHP file.

Shapefiles store primitive geometrical data of points, lines, and polygons in coordinate formats of x and y (or most often latitude and longitude). These primitives are of limited use without any attributes to specify what they represent. Therefore, a table of records will store properties/attributes for each primitive shape in the shapefile. Shapes (points/lines/polygons) together with data attributes can create infinitely many representations about geographical data.

While the term “shapefile” is quite common, a “shapefile” is actually a set of several files. Three individual files are mandatory to store the core data that comprises a shapefile: “.shp”, “.shx”, “.dbf”, and other extensions on a common prefix name (e.g., “lakes.*”). The actual shapefile relates specifically to files with the “.shp” extension, but alone is incomplete for distribution, as the other supporting files are required.

The mandatory files include the .shp, the .shx, and the .dbf.  The optional files are the .prj, .sbn and .sbx, .fbn and .fbx , .ain and .aih, .ixs, .mxs, .atx, .shp.xml, and .cpg.

Now that we know the details of the files how do we get them in and out of our Surveying programs and in to G.I.S. applications?  Watch the short video below on how to export a SHP file out of Carlson Survey.

Autodesk Announces AutoCAD for Mac and AutoCAD WS App for iPad and iPhone

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced AutoCAD for Mac software. This version of AutoCAD, one of the most widely used software for professional design and engineering, runs natively on Mac OS X and will increase choice of hardware for millions of users around the world. Autodesk also announced the AutoCAD WS mobile application, a new app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch that will allow users to edit and share their AutoCAD designs in the field.

“The AutoCAD WS app is a bold new idea, a mobile version of industry-leading design software for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the world’s most innovative mobile devices.”

“The release of AutoCAD for Mac marks the return of professional design and engineering software to the Mac platform and an important convergence of power and design. Over 5000 customers have helped develop this product through our beta program and they are delighted to have the choice of a native Mac version of AutoCAD,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business. “The combination of this new version of AutoCAD and the extension of AutoCAD to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is a big step in Autodesk’s efforts to accelerate design and make design more accessible for an ever-greater number of people so they can shape the world around them.”

“Apple is thrilled that Autodesk is bringing AutoCAD back to the Mac and we think it’s the perfect combination for millions of design and engineering professionals,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The AutoCAD WS app is a bold new idea, a mobile version of industry-leading design software for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the world’s most innovative mobile devices.”

AutoCAD for Mac Built for Mac OS X

AutoCAD for Mac has an intuitive interface that will be familiar to Mac users and makes available many of the powerful AutoCAD features and functionality to customers who choose to work natively on the Mac. AutoCAD for Mac takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of Multi-Touch gestures on Mac notebooks, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad for intuitive pan and zoom features. User experience design patterns, such as the visual approach to drawing and layout management, have also been incorporated into AutoCAD for Mac.

With support for native creation and editing files in the DWG file format, AutoCAD for Mac also offers easy collaboration with suppliers, customers, clients and partners regardless of platform. Files created in previous versions of AutoCAD will open seamlessly in AutoCAD for Mac, boosting productivity by reducing time-consuming file translation and cleanup of converted data. The value of AutoCAD for Mac is further extended with an extensive API (application programming interface) and flexible customization options that allow for tailor-built workflows, simple application development and adaption, custom configurations for settings and screen real estate options to suit individual workflows and project demands.

AutoCAD Extended to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

Autodesk also announced the AutoCAD WS mobile application, a new free* app soon to be available through Apple’s App Store that will extend AutoCAD to Apple’s iOS. The AutoCAD WS mobile application will enable AutoCAD users to edit and share AutoCAD files on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch so they can have real-time collaboration even while on the go.

AutoCAD for Mac will also be offered free* to students and educators through the Autodesk Education Community, where more than 25 Autodesk software products are available for download to inspire learning and help prepare students for successful careers. Autodesk recognizes the popularity of the Mac platform among students and is providing AutoCAD for Mac so they can build needed skills by having access to the same software that design professionals use every day.

Availability

AutoCAD for Mac and the AutoCAD WS mobile application will be available beginning this fall. AutoCAD for the Mac will be available in North America and Europe and the AutoCAD WS mobile application will be available worldwide. For details and purchase options, visit http://www.autodesk.com/autocadformac

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries – including the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects – use Autodesk software to design, visualize, and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

*Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies download of the software. The software is for personal use for education purposes and is not intended for classroom or lab use.

Autodesk, AutoCAD and DWG are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autodesk, Inc.
Noah Cole, 415-200-6310 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              415-200-6310      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
noah.cole@autodesk.com

Running out of data?

We have all had times where we did or had a survey done for us and just didn’t have quite enough data to do all of the things we wanted to do.  I am not talking about missing a point or two I am talking about acres of topo data, or data in places we couldn’t get to.  We have all been faced at some point with the task of looking to augment the data we already have, or at least find ways to get massive amounts of topo data without re-surveying it.

I remember surveying a large manufacturing plant back in Tennessee and having large areas around the plant we needed to topo.  Walking around with a prism for two weeks was NOT an option.  We “mounted” our GPS rover on the truck and took off.  The topo was crude, but it got us the data needed.  Since that time LiDAR and other types of data have become more readily available.

You often hear people talking about DEM files from the USGS.  These data sets were widely available but not many people knew what to do with them.  Today we even find the National Elevation Dataset, or NED available from the USGS, but again what can we actually do with those files?

Working with data is something I have spent years doing.  Over the last 10 years I have spent time teaching others how to do it as well.  To me data is all the same, I just need to know what format it is in and what the desired output needs to be and from there we can do anything.  It does not matter if you are a contractor with a roll of paper needing points to layout a building, an officer with a crime scene that moves from a residential street inside a building, or an Engineer looking to augment the survey data you have.  Start by determining what you have, figuring out what youwant to accomplish and then figuring out how to get from A to B becomes easier.

Recently for example we had a client looking to use NED data to augment the survey work they were doing.  How could they get profiles from this file that no one knew about?  Bring it into MAP, generate a surface, and then the rest just happens.  Once you know what you have and what you need, overcoming the obstacles preventing you from getting there become easier.  For example now that you know you have NED data and you need to get data out of that into MAP you know you need to be looking for ways to import the NED files into MAP.  Have no fear the video posted below will show you just how to do that!

Time in jail for a good cause…

On Thursday June 24, 2010 I went behind bars for a good cause, Jerry’s Kids.  Every year Muscular Dystrophy Association does various fund raising drives and their “Lock-up” is just one of the ways they work to raise money for the kids affected with Muscular Dystrophy.

If you followed me on Facebook or Twitter or were one of the lucky ones to get the emails from me asking for “bail money” then you know the story of why I volunteered to do this (aside from it being a great cause).  Our oldest daughter has been involved in the Miracle League at Town and Country for the last few years now, going to every game possible to help as a buddy.  You can learn more about the Miracle League by going to their website here.  She signed up the first year and for a young teenager I have to be honest I thought she would make one or two games and get bored and move on to something else.  She proved me wrong and I am very proud of her for doing that.

When I got the call from M.D.A. to get locked up, I said yes.  I got a chance to help out Jerry’s Kids, as well as follow in the footsteps of our daughter and help others.  By helping children living with a condition that some of her baseball players live with it was also my own little way of giving back to her for her hard work.

When I arrived at lock up I had already raised just over $1500 and was very close to reaching my “bail amount” of $2000.  I raised an additional $200 during my lock up and am inching my way closer to the finish line.  Even though I am out of jail donations can still be made by clicking here to make a secure, tax-deductible, online donation.  I have a little under 30 days from today before my site is closed and I would love to not only see that $2,000 but possibly even $3 or $4,000!  Big dreams I know, but you never know what big hearted person is going to come across this blog and give to a great cause.

Thank you to M.D.A for letting me be a part of this, and for doing such a great job for some very special people.  Thank you to Shelby for being my inspiration and for all that you do.  And to my friends and colleagues that took time out to go to the site and make a donation, thank you.  Thank you for supporting me and for supporting this wonderful cause and giving to these deserving children, for making a difference in their lives.

To learn more about what M.D.A. does go to www.mda.org
To learn more about the Miracle League at Town and Country http://miracle.tandcsports.org/
To make a donation on my MDA site go to https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/134209/Participant/pmcarlson/Default.aspx