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Judging from your response, I would say that the eDispatch
is a great success. We have received a great deal of positive
feedback regarding the useful tips and tricks and the interesting
news pieces. Thanks to all of you who gave us the thumbs-up;
we are glad that you have found this new format worthwhile.
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In this issue you will find additional timesaving tips and
tricks along with our news update and our project profile of
the month. If you are interested in seeing your firm or project
in the eDispatch, please contact dkidd@nemetschek.net.
And, if you have your own tip that you would like to share,
please let us know; we would love to use it.
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Sincerely,
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Richard Diehl
CEO
Nemetschek North America
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| Tips & Tricks |
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Featured User
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Peter Abrahamson
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BattleBots: Ronin
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Peter Abrahamson knew by the time he
was fourteen that a career in special effects was for
him. Since 1987, he has designed and built robots, animatronics,
puppets, creatures, aliens, monsters, and animals for
movies, TV shows, commercials, and theme parks.
Robotic combat was a natural extension of his work and
passion, and he has been competing in robotic combat
events since the first Robot Wars in 1994. When Robot
Wars went under in the US in 1998 due to legal issues,
BattleBots started up. He has been with it ever since.
Peter is currently designing a battlebot toy for Jakks
Pacific.
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The design of the battlebot toy is based
on Peter's robot Ronin, Japanese for masterless samurai.
While Ronin is a fierce looking robot with tank treads,
Peter explains that treads for his robot proved to be
a rather complicated endeavor.
"When I decided I would build a large robot with treads,
I needed to find treads. After an exhaustive search of
chain attachments, conveyor link, and rubber tracks,
I found nothing I liked. The arena is a harsh place and
I wanted something that would not fly off at the first
hit of a hammer or saw. I designed my own treads, links,
drive sprockets— the whole system. I researched
how chain works, how treads are done on real tanks, and
how to keep the costs down with manufacturing. This was
a time-consuming process and it wasn't cheap, no matter
how I simplified it, mainly due to the number of parts
I would need; 200 tread links in total with sprockets.
All said, Ronin is one of the only treaded robots to
never have lost a tread in combat."
Peter's design process generally starts on a napkin or
other scrap of paper he finds laying around when he is
having a discussion with a teammate or fellow robot builders.
He spent many hours plowing through catalogs and the
Internet to find parts for his needs. After finding the
right pieces, he starts putting them into the CAD puzzle
and designs the parts that join all these elements together.
This is where VectorWorks plays a role in Peter's success.
"With machining and sending drawings out to CNC shops,
the ability to give them a DXF file for use with their
CAD/CAM software saves huge amounts of time (and my money)!
Much of the geometry and calculations are done by VectorWorks,
rather than me getting out the books and doing the math
longhand. I have learned how valuable time is; I have
so little of it these days, that if I use VectorWorks,
I save others and myself many sleepless nights."
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For more information on Peter and Ronin,
visit his website, http://home.pacbell.net/roninsfx/
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How do I prevent my palettes from automatically
docking?
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To prevent palettes from docking automatically,
hold the Control Key down while dragging them.
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Can I pan the view of my drawing while in the
middle of using a tool?
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You may hold down the Space Bar during the use
of a tool in order to pan the drawing.
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How can I deselect objects easily?
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Double-click the 'X' key on your keyboard to
quickly deselect objects and access to the 2D Selection tool.
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What is a quick way to select objects that had
been previously selected?
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Access the Edit menu and choose the Previous
Selection command.
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How do I draw a Wye Join 2 Wall?
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Drawing Wye Joins can sometimes be a little
tricky. This short tutorial will take you step-by-step on how
to create
clean Wye Join connections.
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How do I assign different types of trim styles
to my door objects?
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VectorWorks Objects are powerful production
and presentation tools. This short tutorial shows you how to
add trim to a door and use styles to easily add detail to a
presentation drawing.
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| News |
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9.5.2
Maintenance Updates Now Available
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Nemetschek N.A. has released the 9.5.2 English-language
maintenance updates for VectorWorks, RenderWorks, ARCHITECT,
ARCHITECT with LANDMARK, LANDMARK, MECHANICAL, and SPOTLIGHT.
The 9.5.2 update corrects a few important bugs that affect
both Mac and Windows users. These free updates are available
to all registered VectorWorks users as a download from the
web site, or on CD for a nominal fee.
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RenderWorks
Training CD Now Available
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The final installment of the VectorWorks 9 Training
CDs is complete. The RenderWorks training CD explains topics
such as VectorWorks preferences, creating a 3D workspace, light
types, lighting techniques, how to light a model, RenderWorks
modes, texture libraries, placing textures, texture shaders,
creating new textures, and printing and exporting renderings.
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New
Dealers Join the VectorWorks Team
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Three new distribution partners have signed
on to sell VectorWorks in their respective countries. Datalogics
will sell VectorWorks in India, CAD System UL in Poland, and
Mad Macs Hong Kong Distributions Limited in Hong Kong and China.
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Forward
Migration Kit: Software for Architects
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This article found on MacCentral takes a look
at several CAD options for architects. VectorWorks is at the
top of the list with, "Far and away, the most mentioned application
by architects with whom we talked is VectorWorks ARCHITECT
from Nemetschek North America." To read this article in its
entirety, visit http://maccentral.macworld.com
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VectorWorks
9.5.1 is Rated 9.5/10
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MacNut reviews VectorWorks 9.5.1 and states,
"The Macintosh Architects are all pretty much using VectorWorks
and they are very happy with the package. Let me emphasize
that. Very happy and productive." To read this article in its
entirety, visit http://mac-nut.com
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| Upcoming Events |
|
Trade Shows
|
Date
|
Location
|
|
National Education Computing Conference
|
June 17 - 19
|
San Antonio, TX (Booth #1614-1618)
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PCBC 2002
|
June 26 - 28
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San Francisco, CA (Booth #2137)
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MacWorld Expo
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July 17 - 19
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New York City, NY (Booth#1849)
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AIA NW & Pacific Regional Conference
|
Aug 7 - 11
|
Tacoma, WA
|
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Training Seminars
|
Date
|
Location
|
| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
June 19 - 20
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
| VectorWorks
Hands-on 3D |
June 21
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
July 17 - 18
|
Columbia, MD
|
| VectorWorks
Hands-on 3D |
July 19
|
Columbia, MD
|
| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
August 21 - 22
|
San Francisco, CA
|
| VectorWorks
Hands-on 3D |
August 23
|
San Francisco, CA
|
|
AIA Accreditation
NNA is pleased to offer AIA Continuing Education credit
for our seminars. Architects can earn 16 learning units
by attending the VectorWorks Fundamentals course, and
8 learning units by attending the VectorWorks Hands-on
3D course. For additional information, contact marketing@nemetschek.net
|
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Contact Us
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Call us at 410-290-5114 to speak to customer
service or technical support.
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Fax us at 410-290-8050. Visit us on the web
at www.nemetschek.net
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For ordering and pricing information, call
1-888-646-4223, or e-mail sales@nemetschek.net
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E-mail questions about upcoming shows, User
Group events, or any marketing concerns to marketing@nemetschek.net
|
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E-mail your technical questions, solutions,
and wish list items to technical support at tech@nemetschek.net
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