For those of us who were fortunate enough to have attended Autodesk University last week in Las Vegas, today is our second day back to reality. If you’re anything like me, you’re no doubt energized, excited, and looking forward to applying some newly found knowledge to your real job.
The AU experience has often been described as “drinking from a firehose.” There is so much information, and it comes at you so fast. Class sessions range from deep, deep dives into products via labs or technical discussions, to the more lighthearted, but still educational tips and tricks presentations. If you’re one of the nearly 10,000 attendees who are enjoying their second day back at work, take a deep breath, and try out something you just learned.
Have You Heard the Good News?
But what about all the others who couldn’t make it to AU? No doubt to this point all I’ve done is make you jealous. But there is good news for you too. Most AU sessions are recorded and available for free (yes, free!) from AUonline. You can browse classes by topic, product, or industry. This year’s selections should become available soon.
Once you land on the overview page, you can dig even deeper for exactly the content you need. Click on the link that reads “Browse more from AU 2017 Las Vegas.” From here, you can filter for software, language, conference year, and even conference location. (Did you know that AU is held in other countries throughout the year?) You can even search for keywords to find exactly what you want.
Viva Las Vegas
You did notice I said this was free? What a great deal, and possibly one of the more valuable tips I’ve supplied in this series. You can access and learn from AU content year-round without having to deal with all that annoying glitz and glamour that is Las Vegas. Umm… just kidding. Attending any AU, especially the main event in Las Vegas is something every Autodesk software user should do at least once. In fact, you can start the process of convincing your boss to send you next year with this handy costcalculator and sampleemail provided by Autodesk University.
So, what happens in Vegas doesn’t have to stay in Vegas – at least when it comes to Autodesk learning. Whether you’re one of the lucky ones who is just back from AU, or someone who aspires to attend in the future, you can still get in on the benefits of all the shared expertise by making use of free AU online classes. And be sure to check out the AutoCAD blog’s “Best of AU 2017” series featuring not-to-miss AU 2017 videos, too. More for 2018 will be coming soon!
More Tuesday Tips
Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you. Do you have any favorite AutoCAD tips? Tell us in the comments!
Hey Frank, not sure if this is where I need to ask this question but, figured you might be able to point me in the right direction. I've been using Autocad since 1989, worked as an AE in Anchorage and for a short time in Portland, OR, I've used and taught countless classes in NavisWorks to high end clients in Hillsboto, OR, Phoenix, AZ, even Dublin Ireland where I was a BIM Coordinator and at one time supported 250 designers and engineers on one project in Chandler, AZ. So lately, I've started my own littley company creating plans for clients to build everything from outhouses to commercial "grow" operations here in the Pacific, NW. I use Autocad Mobile and 2 of my 3 Leica Distos when out in the field and creating my asbuilt drawings that I might be modifying for the clients in order for them to get permits and make changes. Anyway, enough about all that. What I'm wondering is if you've heard anything from AutoDesk about development of a NavisWorks "Freedom" like version for tablets and possibly even a Revit LT for tablert as well. It sure beats trying to read your own dimensions on a sheet of paper when you get back to the office, even with my manual drafting lettering style. It would also be great for taking measurements in the field and emailing them back to your office so you can make sure the things they need for the design are done right the first time. Like I said, I use Autocad (An OLD version) which suits me just fine but, Revit would make things a lot easier and faster meaning more time in the office to work on changes to the building/house, etc.. and less time driving back and forth to the project site. Believe me, even sending a /pdf to a client of an area you need a dimension is painful at best. Any help or suggestions as to who I can send this request to would be greatly appreciated. Paul Jordan Grumpy's Designs grumpygrizzly@gmail.com