Autodesk See the Advantage Virtual Event, Tue, Oct 5

Register for the "Autodesk See the Advantage Virtual Event," Tue, Oct 5, 8am-2pm PDT (10am-4pm CDT). They will pack as much into the thirty minute sessions as possible and there is a one hour session on "Renovating for an Energy Efficient Future" worth 1 AIA HSW/SD credit.

http://aec.experience.autodesk.com/

The Virtual Expo Hall will be open from 8am-2pm PDT (10am-4pm CDT). Topic presentations only last until 12:30pm PDT (2:30pm CDT).

This event is less than a month away, so register today and get it on your calendar.

Autodesk "Get Current" Promotional Pricing Benefits BIM and Digital Prototyping Implementations

Autodesk has changed their annual effort to bring designers into the world of subscription and the latest software. In the past there have been stair stepped promotions throughout the year to encourage people with old or retiring* Autodesk products to upgrade before the coming retirement date. The best discounts occurred soon after a new release. The worst discount – or no discounts – occurred just prior to the retirement date. Autodesk has changed things up this year and it can have some unexpected cost benefits for some CAD/BIM Managers. More about that later. Here’s the new promo:

With Autodesk’s “Get Current” promotion you can save up to 50% by moving to Autodesk 2011 software. This promotion includes upgrades, crossgrades**, retroactive subscriptions, and Legacy purchases***. Subscription Only products that have been retired are included in the Legacy portion of this promotion****. This offer expires Jul 18, 2010.

The discounts are 30%, 40%, or 50% depending on the product you are moving to and the type of transaction to get there. The FAQ listed below has a chart of what discounts are available for each product.

Here is the part that may help some CAD/BIM Managers who already have their software on subscription and are transitioning to BIM with Civil 3D or Revit Suites or Digital Prototyping with Inventor. Question/Answer 3 from the FAQ below:

3. Are upgrades from 2011 versions included in the Get Current Promotion?

The focus of the Get Current Promotion is to help customers upgrade their software to the latest 2011 versions. Advertised discounts do not apply to upgrades from 2011 products,

(Note: upgrades from 2011 products were formerly known as cross-grades)

Autodesk has taken care so that customers upgrading from 2011 versions are not charged higher prices than those taking advantage of the Get Current Promotion. As a result, a number of cross-grades from 2011 versions have been discounted at a variable percentage to match upgrades from prior versions. Where an upgrade from a 2011 product was already less than the Get Current pricing, no discount was applied.

This means that a few 2011 to 2011 “upgrades” (I still prefer the term crossgrades) are also discounted during this promotion. Here is a list:

You will need to verify this pricing with your reseller.

The FAQ is available at http://www.get-current.com/autodesk_getcurrent_faq.pdf

*For those of you who are new to CAD/BIM Management of Autodesk products, Autodesk supports the current release of software (now 2011) and three releases back (2010, 2009, 2008). They just retired 2007 on Mar 15, 2010, so 2008 software is next on the chopping block.

** A crossgrade is a move from one software product to another, e.g., a crossgrade from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite. Autodesk has started lumping these transactions into the term “upgrades”.

*** Retired software cannot be upgraded. Autodesk’s Legacy Program allows discounts on new software licenses if you have retired software licenses (back to R14).  For each retired license you can typically get a 30% discount on a new license of software. Other terms and conditions apply – for example, retired AutoCAD LT licenses are not included in the Legacy Program.

**** Typically, Subscription Only products are not included in the Legacy Program. With Subscription only products you either stay on subscription or pay retroactive subscription fees to get back on subscription. Once your version is retired you had to purchase new software to get current. Autodesk is making an exception for this promotion.

Autodesk Assistance Program Extended to Jan 31, 2011

The Autodesk Assistance Program provides software and other benefits to help displaced employees improve their employability. This program has been extended to Jan 31, 2011 and expanded to include these and other enhancements:

·         13 month student licenses of over 25 Autodesk software products (formerly 18 products)

·         Online learning now includes access to Autodesk University Online

·         Eligibility has been expanded to include military veterans

Software provided in this program is for educational purposes only and cannot be used commercial purposes. For additional terms and conditions or to register for the program go to www.autodesk.com/assistance.

Apr 19 Autodesk Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event

Autodesk Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event is Apr 19, 9am-4pm Central Time. Learn more about Autodesk 2011 software at this virtual event. To register go to http://experience.autodesk.com. Attendance is free.

Autodesk 2011 Product Portfolio

Learn about the Autodesk 2011 portfolio of software today, Mar 25, at 11am Central. Join Autodesk CEO Carl Bass and Senior Vice President Amar Hanspal to learn about updates to Autodesk’s design software for general design, AEC, and manufacturing. Register for the webcast at www.autodesk.com/webcast.

 

Read the official press release for AutoCAD 2011 here: http://news.autodesk.com/portal/site/autodesk/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100325005401&newsLang=en
for Building Design, Infrastructure and Construction here: http://news.autodesk.com/portal/site/autodesk/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100325005433&newsLang=en and
for Manufacturing here http://news.autodesk.com/portal/site/autodesk/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100325005443&newsLang=en :

 

Watch the Autodesk blogs for posts about new features www.autodesk.com/blogs.

 

The following 2011 products are available for download today through Subscription Center, www.autodesk.com/subscriptionlogin. Expect additional products and local language versions in the weeks to come:

 

AutoCAD 2011 English

AutoCAD 2011 French

AutoCAD 2011 Multilingual

AutoCAD Architecture 2011 English

AutoCAD MEP 2011 English

AutoCAD Inventor Suite 2011 English

AutoCAD Mechanical 2011 English

AutoCAD Electrical 2011 English

Autodesk DirectConnect for UG NX 2011 English

Autodesk Alias Automotive 2011 English

Autodesk Alias Surface 2011 English

Autodesk Moldflow 2011 English

Autodesk Moldflow 2011 English

Autodesk Vault Collaboration 2011 English

Autodesk Vault Professional 2011 English

Autodesk Vault Workgroup 2011 English

 

 

 

Autodesk BIM Deployment Plan Available for Download

Autodesk BIM Deployment Plan is now available online. Read the press release here http://bit.ly/by3ngA and download the plan and worksheets at www.autodesk.com/bimdeploymentplan. I’ve spent the last few days going through it and it aligns very closely with the implementation plan we have used very successfully with our customers at work. Nice bonus to have the editable worksheets.

Last Chance to Upgrade Autodesk Products before Mar 16 Price Changes

Mon, Mar 15, 2010 is the last day to upgrade Autodesk 2007, 2008, or 2009 licenses using Autodesk’s tiered upgrade prices. Autodesk's Simplified Upgrade Pricing begins Mar 16, 2010. At that time all upgrades from 2008 and 2009 products will be half the price of a new license of software. All Autodesk 2007 products will also be retired on that date which means they will no longer be supported or upgradeable.

 

You can read more about Autodesk’s Simplified Upgrade Pricing at www.autodesk.com/upgrade.

Autodesk BIM for Construction Recorded Screencast

There is a great overview of BIM for Construction at this link: www.bim-screencast-construction.com. It discusses tools you can use to gain a competitive advantage by improving planning, cost forecasting, project control, and collaboration.

ENR Virtual Design & Construction Webcast Recordings

All three of the recent ENR webcast recordings for Virtual Design and Construction are now available at http://www.autodesk.com/enrwebcasts

“Collaborative Virtual Design & Construction for Infrastructure: Teams, Technologies, Projects
Part I: Transportation's Transition to Information Modeling (Dec 9, 2009)
Part II: Gaining Ground in the Utilities Market Using Information Modeling (Jan 13, 2010)
Part III: Information Modeling for Government Facilities (Feb 10, 2010)

These webcasts were sponsored by Autodesk.

AutoCAD Civil / AutoCAD Civil 3D Consolidation & AutoCAD Civil 3D $1500 Discount

Autodesk is consolidating AutoCAD Civil and AutoCAD Civil 3D software into a single product. Existing AutoCAD Civil subscription contracts which are current as of April 20, 2010 will receive AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 when it becomes available.

 

Along with consolidating AutoCAD Civil and AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk is lowering the price of AutoCAD Civil 3D. Now though March 25, 2010, new licenses of AutoCAD Civil 3D are eligible for a $1500 discount when purchased with subscription.

Important Autodesk Deadlines

Here are some important deadlines coming up:

• Jan 15 – 10% discount on upgrades from 2007, 2008, 2009 ends.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/10/autodesk-upgrades.html
• Jan 15 – AutoCAD $500 rebate ends.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/11/autocad-rebate.html
• Jan 15 – AutoCAD LT $300 rebate ends. Extended to Feb 28.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/10/autocad-lt-rebate.html
• Jan 15 – AutoCAD Civil 3D migration from Eagle Point promotion ends.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/11/eagle-point-transition-program.html
• Mar 16 – Tiered Upgrade Pricing ends, Simplified Upgrade Pricing begins (all upgrades go to half the price of a new license).
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/10/autodesk-upgrades.html
• Mar 31 – Autodesk Assistance Program for displaced workers ends.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/10/autodesk-assistance.html
• Apr 18 – Rev It Up for Green Renovation promotion ends. Autodesk Ecotect Analysis for discounted price with purchase of AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite or AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite new license, crossgrade, or subscription renewal.
  http://scottdurkee.blogspot.com/2009/11/rev-it-up-for-green-renovation.html

Jan Autodesk Webcasts

Upcoming webcasts from Autodesk:

• Jan 13 – AutoCAD LT to 3D with Autodesk 3ds Max Design Webcast.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=13297183
• Jan 14 – From Design to Cost with Autodesk Construction Solutions Webcast.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer?siteID=123112&id=14063012
• Jan 14 – Webcast Series: Plotting and Publishing in AutoCAD LT 2010.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=14153269&ch=US%20dotcom&src=ADPB&mktvar001=159611
• Jan 15 – AutoCAD Civil 3D Webcast Series: Hydrology & AutoCAD Civil 3D.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=13172138
• Jan 20 – Revit Architecture Webcast Series: The Path to BIM for Small Firms Webcast.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=12463937
• Jan 26 – Revit Structure Webcast Series: Tips & Tricks for Wood Framing.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=13203888
• Jan 27 – MEP Engineering Webcast Series: Speeding Production in Plumbing with Revit MEP 2010.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/event/view?event_id=13204786&siteID=123112&catID=3831701&id=6662921
• Jan 29 – Road Design Webcast Series: Start to Finish.
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/oc/offer/form?siteID=123112&id=13050361

 

When you register for these webcasts be sure to check the box at the bottom to receive future email from Autodesk.

 

Jan 22 AutoCAD Civil / Civil 3D Online Training

Learn Civil 3D from your own Desktop or Conference Room and Save!
Applied Technology Group (my day job) is offering classroom training courses on the web. The classes are live and instructor led, not pre recorded.

January 22, 2010 AutoCAD Civil/Civil 3D Session Topics and Schedule (CST)

Session 1
9:00am - 10:30am Grading with Feature Lines and Grading Objects
When and when not to use them. Site and other related Issues.

Session 2
11:00am - 12:30pm Data Shortcuts
Distributing information for all to view and see, when required.

Session 3
1:30pm - 3:30pm Automated Cross-Section Plan Sheets
Quickly build Cross-Section Sheets with just a few simple clicks of the mouse.

Buy 1 session for just $175.00 per location (train multiple people in your conference room for the price of one). Buy all three sessions for just $525.00!
1.5 PDH Each

Contact the instructor, John Sayre, at jsayre@appliedtg.com with any questions. Call 800-935-4894 to register. Tell them you heard about the classes from me.