It’s that time of year again, winter is upon us and public works and transportation agencies are looking at ways to keep a close tab on salt supplies. Shortages are a common occurrence. Unexpected storms and unpredictable snowfall amounts can wreak havoc with salt supplies.

If you are like most people, the first time you opened your AutoCAD 2015 the first thing you probably did is start closing all of the palettes that popped up on your screen, (like everyone did with AutoCAD 2014 and so on) to get it back to the way old way you are used too. That’s typical human behavior. So I figure it is my job to explain what that palette you closed does. From there you can make the decision whether you think that this is something you feel could be useful in your normal everyday workflow to help communication with your Coworkers, Clients, Consultants or Contractors.

Happy 2015! And what better way to kick off the year than with Lynn Allen and her always awesome and useful AutoCAD tips and tricks.

Lucky for us, Lynn is joining forces with our friends at Synergis Engineering Design Solutions to share her tips via a live webinar.

Here we are again, another New Year, another opportunity to look back and plan ahead!

We’ve published over 100 articles this year, featuring insights, tips, best practices and commentary on all aspects of public sector digital design. A big thank you goes out to our stable of guest bloggers and partners, including Line//Shape//Space, Synergis Engineering Design Systems, CADD Microsystems and CADSoft Consulting.

With all the 3D products available today, you might think that Autodesk is not investing in AutoCAD any more and that just isn’t true.  AutoCAD is the flagship product that has more users than any other because of its speed and recognizable interface. Today, with Desktop Subscription allowing purchasers to scale up or down their software needs easily, it is a great first step.

The promise of field-accurate site conditions inside a 3D building information model is becoming a reality on construction sites and in early design discussions, thanks to better software import capabilities and newer, less-expensive field scanning technologies.

Autodesk has made some enhancements to the Cursor in AutoCAD 2015. A minor improvement was the crosshair lines that used to run through the pick box have been removed to make it easier to view what you are selecting. You can still use the PICKBOX system variable or the OPTIONS Dialog on the SELECTION tab to change the size of the pick box and the length of the crosshairs in the Display tab (or the CURSORSIZE system variable) to your personal preference.

New York City’s Empire State Building – one of the Top 20 tallest buildings in the world. Completed in 1931, this iconic skyscraper was designed the old fashioned way, with pen to paper and physical tools. Of course, they weren’t constructing something like the Shanghai Tower or Dubai’s Burj Khalifa building.

For many of us, productivity is always an issue, as well as the time it takes to perform each individual task. If you can save a few seconds here and a few seconds there, before you know it, you will have increased your productivity without the need for big changes. With this simple AutoCAD guide to shortcuts, you will soon find yourself flying through your projects and saving time one click at a time.

One of the most popular blogs on Acronym has to be this one: 8 How-To Video Tutorials for Transportation Infrastructure Designers & Engineers. In the blog, we cut through product pushes and lined up eight tutorials and webinars that help engineers and designers better master their craft.