AMP ADDICT

2011 SOFTWARE ROCKS

2010-04-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, I want to give you a quick update on the latest releases of Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical, plus new favorites I am working with.

First, Inventor. SKETCHING, Dynamic Input. Yes Dynamic Input, now we can input the length of a line as we sketch it and it becomes a driving dimension. this reduces sketching time by 50%.

Second, Inventor. For those who did not know this. Dialog Box auto hide, Yes those "on the way" dialog boxes are able to collapse (minimize) for you and combined with the new direct Manipulation is making the need for dialog boxes a thing of the past. this has been there for the last few releases, but with heads up display you can really leverage this.

To Be Continued......

AUTOCAD TROJAN

2009-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

beware of new Trojan targeting computers with Autocad loaded.

http://blog.webroot.com/2009/07/01/autocad-adware-trojans-target-techies/

VISTA 64 AUTOCAD/INVENTOR HOTFIX

2009-06-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Just found this hot-fix, got it for as customer and this morning my PC would not load Inventor 2010. no errors came up, in task manager the Inventor.exe would just dispensary. installed the hot-fix and all is OK again:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13401936&linkID=9240698

AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL GOING GREEN

2009-06-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Circuit Builder
AutoCAD Electrical 2010 facilitates the drafting of electrical circuits. It dynamically generates rules-based controls circuits based on defined functional requirements such as components, wiring, ratings, and Catalog data.
Green Design
The Circuit Builder tool lets you use calculations to analyze energy efficiency, meet code requirements, and make “green” engineering decisions. It displays parallel energy loss calculations for a range of conductor sizes against various installation and ambient factors. To create a green design, for example, you might choose to oversize a motor’s conductors to reduce heating losses; Circuit Builder can tell you whether the resulting reduced energy loss over the life of the motor will recover or surpass initial materials and labor costs.
Other Circuit Builder features for increasing productivity:
• Wire conductor sizing based on electrical code requirements.
• Support for split-parallel conductor sizing—so you can substitute multiple smaller-diameter conductors to meet equivalent ampacity requirements of a single large-diameter conductor.
• Fuse, breaker, disconnect switch, and overload calculations based on electrical code requirements.

Clean uninstall of Autodesk Inventor 2009

2009-05-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

for those of you who are having to uninstall 2009 Inventor products, lets do it clean:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=11914635&linkID=9242018

AUTODESK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

2009-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am proud to introduce the Autodesk Assistance Program for helping unemployed users. It will allow you to keep your skills sharp or learn new areas of your filed. go to:

http://students2.autodesk.com/?nd=assistance_home&lbon=1

for more information.

RIBBONS

2009-04-20T14:30:00.001-07:00

I want to announce that after a long personal wait, ribbons are now here for AutoCAD Electrical. I had gotten a chance to trial test them a while back and have been using them with the beta testing, talk about context sensitivity. They are a little strange at first for existing users, but new users will get the benefit of a smaller learning curve. I had been using them with AutoCAD (vanilla) beta 2009 and was dying to have this technology added to Electrical. feel free to check out my video:

http://screencast.com/t/dqzgd4Mlq

George.

AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL HOTFIX!

2009-04-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Share with Autodesk Seek Hotfix

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=12944376&linkID=9240738

AUTODESK DISCUSSION GROUPS

2009-04-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Looking to grow your auto desk software knowledge, try:
http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/index.jspa?categoryID=1

AUTOCAD UTILITIES

2009-04-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Index to 100+ AutoCAD Electrical Utilities

Nate has added more utilities to the manufacturing website, check them out:
http://mfgcommunity.autodesk.com/blogs/blog/view/7/Index_100_AutoCAD_Electrical_1/

AUTODESK SHOWCASE 2009 CLASSES

2009-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to learn showcase, we are offering classes. visit us at:
http://www.uscad.com/index.html

or email me at george.sanchez@uscad.com for information on it.

BETA TESTING INVENTOR 2010

2009-01-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

WOW, i am dying to share the new tools in 2010 Autodesk Inventor Pro. It is simply powerful, just stay cool and wait for it!!

Jaja, just wait for it ;-)

AUTODESK SHOWCASE 2009

2008-11-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before we are now Both PSP and able to sell Autodesk Alias Studio and Autodesk Showcase. I recently received training on Showcase at Itasca IL. Here is a still shot of an assembly I have been working with. feel free to contact us at U.S. CAD for these two new tools fof Industrial design.

AUTODESK AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL 2010 BETA

2008-11-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

YES, I am now testing the soon to be released Autodesk AutoCAD Electrical 2010. Stay tunned for more about this next release. I am very exited with the new features, but got to keep them to myself for now.

U.S. CAD MAKES MSD PSP

2008-11-18T20:31:00.001-08:00

It is with great pleasure that I want to inform you that we have attained PSP for the MSD U.S. CAD team. We are also now able to sell Showcase and Alias tools for incrementing the DIgital Prototype arsenal your company needs. please stay tunned for posting regarding this tools. I traveled to Itasca IL last week for 2009 Showcase trainning.

2008 AutoDesk University

2008-11-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

I want to remind you of this years AUtodesk University in Las Vegas. It will be on the SANDS convetion center, I wil attend and hope to meet you there, U.S. CAD will have a booth, come by and ask for me, I look forward to meeting and talking about the MSD Digital Prototyping tools we implement. remember, what happens in Vegas stays in ve...

2008 BAJA 1000 PREPARATION

2008-11-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year, tim for the BAJA 1000. my Inlaws in Tijuana are ready, the Ramcharger is ready, I am ready. We will venture down thursday afternoon and find a camp spot arounf Ojos to see the morning back to back passing of the Bikes and cars. Then we will move to an area close to Tres Hermanos. I will bring some picures back. If you get a chance go down and see the race, I recomend it.

DATA MANAGEMENT ARTICLE

2008-09-17T13:27:00.002-07:00

I have done it again, I could not control myself, I was diying to wrte about how Vault has made my life easier. please feel free to read my article at Inventor Connections:

http://www.inventorconnections.com/

Let me knwo what you think and if you are interested on this technology, and remember if you have Autocad Electrical, you already own Vault.

George Sanchez.
Shocking the world.

SCCS RECAP

2008-09-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

I want to thnak al of you who joined me for the SCCS last Thursday in San Diego. It was my pleasure meeting with you and learning about issues and how the software is being used in industry here on my own city.

I wan to remind yuo about my AUGI ATP classes and about AUGI CAD Camp in Anaheim next month. I will be doing 2 classes and look forward to meeting those of you who where not able to jopin me at SCCS.

http://www.augievents.com/anaheim/tabid/290/language/en-US/Default.aspx

AUGI VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH

2008-09-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, I feel special. Thanks to all my fellow volunteers at AUGI and those members who have taken advantage of my weekend work ;-).

http://www.augi.com/volunteering/default.asp?page=524

ELECTRICAL SCCS CLASSES

2008-08-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Make sure you sign up for my classes at this years SCCS to be held in San Diego.

http://www.uscad.com/cad_summit_classes.html

Session 4 (2:30 PM - 3:45 PM)

Electrical libraries- AutoCAD electrical and Inventor Routed Systems

Instructor: George Sanchez

Who Should Attend: Users of AutoCAD Electrical and Autodesk Inventor.

Session 5 (4:00 PM - 5:15PM)

How Shocking- Schematics, Digital Prototyping and Drawings

Instructor: George Sanchez

Who Should Attend: Users of AutoCAD Electrical and Autodesk Inventor.

Mr. Sanchez is a Technical Specialist in Manufacturing for U.S. CAD with over 16 years of experience in Electro-Mechanical design. Prior to joining the Autodesk reseller channel, he worked in the Aerospace, Oils and Gas, and Consumer Products industries working on projects from conceptual design through production. He has real world experience using AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, Autodesk Inventor, Computer Vision, Pro-E and Solid Works. Mr. Sanchez is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and an Autodesk Manufacturing Implementation Certified Expert. He regularly provides implementation services, customization, training, and support on AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, Inventor, Autodesk Vault and Productstream.

2 NEW ATP CLASSES

2008-08-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have 2 more AUGI on-line classes scheduled:

ATP231 AutoCAD Electrical fourth level

Category: AutoCAD

Course Title: ATP231 AutoCAD Electrical fourth level

Level: Intermediate

Instructor: George Sanchez

Course Start: Monday, September 8, 2008

Status: Open for Registration

This class will show you how to create additional panel layouts. This is the area of AutoCAD Electrical where we allocate “real state” for out devices. Start from a panel and insert components and nameplates. Assign panel footprints to schematic components, to avoid having to choose a foot print every time you use the same schematic component. You will learn how to insert DIN rails and terminal strips, add spare terminals for customers as well as spare terminal strips. We will also cover foot print balloon insertion to document your panel layouts.

ATP232 AutoCAD Electrical fifth level

Category: AutoCAD

Course Title: ATP232 AutoCAD Electrical fifth level

Level: Intermediate

Instructor: George Sanchez

Course Start: Monday, October 6, 2008

Status: Open for Registration

On this class we will cover how to insert parametric as well as full unit PLC’s into our schematics, leveraging the large library included in AutoCAD Electrical. We will also learn how to create new parametric modules to supplement the large out of the box selection. Additionally, we will harness PLC based tagging for our components and/or wires, to match existing drawing documentation styles of some industries. Finally we will learn to create drawings based on spread sheets; we will create a set of drawings by means of a spread sheet by means of the “Spread sheet to PLC I/O utility”.

Please sign up and have fun!!

George Sanchez.

2008 SCCS IN SAN DIEGO

2008-07-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

It is time to register, come and learn more about the auto desk products, I will be doing a couple of Inventor and AutoCAD electrical classes, and yes it is in San Diego.

Look forward to meeting you .

http://www.uscad.com/cad_summit_classes.html

AUGI JULY CLASS

2008-06-13T08:06:00.001-07:00

ATP228 AutoCAD Electrical Second Level

Category: AutoCAD

Course Title: ATP228 AutoCAD Electrical Second Level

Level: Intermediate

Instructor: George Sanchez

Course Start: Monday, July 7, 2008

Status: Scheduled

This class is the continuation of a series of courses intended to provide the new user with the skills required to fully understand and use AutoCAD Electrical. First you will learn how to edit schematic diagrams. Secondly you will learn how to use source and destination signals on your designs. Third, you will apply wire numbers and re-tag them and components as necessary. Fourth, you will learn the power of the schematic report tool. Fifth, you will see how to use MS Excel to update drawings. Lastly, you will learn about behind the scene files intended to increase productivity, how to create, use and edit them.

MICE AND NEW ARTICLE

2008-06-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

I want to announce that I have received MICE certification for 2009 products (Manufacturing Implementation Certified Expert) last week in Itasca Illinois. I am the only reseller technical specialist on the west coast with this certification.

secondly, i have published my second article, it is on 2d vs 3d please take time to read it at: http://www.inventorconnections.com/feature_full.php?cpfeatureid=28151

Remember to check out my AutoCAD Electrical classes on AUGI.

George Sanchez.

AUGI ATP CLASS

2008-05-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

for those of you who are AUGI members I am currently running a class via the web.It is the first on a series of auto cad electrical classes intended to bring you from entry level to intermediate level.

You can find them here: http://www.augi.com/education/schedule.asp?page=292

Enjoy.

p.s. if you are not a member, join is free and very powerfull.

AUTOCAD AND INVENTOR TAG TEAM

2008-05-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

I want to invite you to spend a few minutes reading my article on AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor Routed Systems for creating wire harnesses. I felt I should let people know how this tool has made my design work easier.

http://www.inventorconnections.com/

Thank you for your time and hope you enjoy he read. feel free to contact me for any questions.

INVENTOR 2009 WORLD PRESS VIDEO

2008-04-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

here is a video I found regarding the release of inventor 2009, I know most Amp Addicts as myself use both Acad E and Inventror fro their multiple hat designs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGrYyZ3kEnc&eurl=http://mfgcommunity.autodesk.com/blogs/blog/view/6/WorldPress2009/

ACAD E 2009 WHAT'S NEW: BROWSER MENU

2008-04-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am happy to announce that AutoCAD Electrical 2009 if now out. I had been working with Betas for the past few months and am pleased that all of the new features I liked where released. This latest version is sure to be a noticeable upgrade to both new and existing AutoCAD Electrical users.

I want to talk about Ribbons, you can now get rid of all toll bars and use ribbons to access commands. Combining this new feature with "left anchoring" of the "project manager"It makes for a cleaner User Interface.

The way you access the commands is by left clicking on the red "A" and a pull down appears with sub menus.

MUDNTAIN BIKING IN SAN DIEGO

2008-02-20T11:34:00.001-08:00

Hello, spring is not here yet, and it never rains in Southern California... NOT

We have been getting a lot of rain and me, my sons and my nephew are getting hooked into MUDTAIN Biking. Yes, MUD trail riding. It is a lot of fun and a lot more physically draining than our regular cross country rinding we do. The mud is thick, sticky and it accumulated in the bottom bracket area as well as the tires.

I challenged my nephew to a little race, he is 23 and is always looking for a chance to "smoke me" as he likes to say, I learned that you can not get a lot of traction on mud covered with a foot of water. Need less to say we had to walk IN water a few times.

There was a very funny incident where JR ( my oldest son, 13) stopped in the middle of a mud puddle and decided to step in some standing water, there was a 1 foot hole where a truck had been stuck and he slowly rolled and fell into the mud, wish I would have had the camera ready.

My wife is not too happy about cleaning muddy clothes, but I clean and re-lube the bikes and the boys clean shoes.

This is proof that it does rain in southern California.

COMPONENT DESCRIPTIONS TRICK

2008-01-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

When inserting components I like to take advantage of a set of standard descriptions, being that I am not an avid fan of typing. I take advantage of a file called "wd_desc.wdd".

It is a simple text file which I can edit to store my most commonly used descriptions via AutoCAD Electrical for future use.

To add entries via AutoCAD Electrical, first "insert component" then under "descriptions" select "defaults". Now the "new entry" dialog box appears:

You will then be able to edit the file via notepad. Optionally, my favoriteway, you can select "edit file", and you will be able to edit the file via notepad:

There it is a way to keep from typing, now you can concentrate on designing, not naming components.

Cheers, feel free to provide me with any comments and see you at PDMS in a couple of weeks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New year to all, I am now beta testing 2009 AutoCad Electrical and Inventor. I took some time off between the Holidays to spend time with my family, Biking, eating and even Karaoke. I hope all of you had a pleasant time off.

OPEN DOOR EVENT IN SD

2007-10-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

I will be doing an open door event next titled: Custom Parts, Libraries & Catalogs, at our San Diego Office, I will go thru the steps of creating a new AutoCAD Electrical Symbol, adding it to the Icon Menu and adding records to the catalog database. It will be on November 8th 2007. I look forward to helping one interested in AutoCAd Electrical. Seats are limited so please let me know if you plan to attend or go to the U.S. CAD web site (http://www.uscad.com/) and sign up for it.

Look forward to working with you.

OCTOBER 2007 WEBCAST

2007-09-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Please join me for the next AutoCAD Electrical web cast I will do on Friday October 26th at 10 am. It will be titled "Creating User Specific Components, Catalogs and Libraries in AutoCAD Electrical". I will show you how to create those smart blocks that are missing on the Out of the box AutoCAD Electrical libraries. Also you will learn how to add new entries to the parts catalog. finally, I will show you the Pneumatic, Hydraulic and P&ID libraries included in AutoCAD Electrical.

Please feel free to visit our U.S. CAD web site for more details.

SCCS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAD SUMMIT

2007-06-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hey do you want a chance to meet me in person?? see you at this years Highest electrical cad meet.

You can do it. Take the plunge into the latest Autodesk® technology

Southern California CAD Summit 2007
August 23

Anaheim Convention Center

SCCS 2007 is here and once again it’s making waves as the largest annual CAD training event in Southern California. We’re creating a splash with a full day of training, offering 40 industry-specific classes covering the latest technology for Architecture, MEP, Structural Engineering, Civil, Geospatial, Design Visualization, Mechanical and Electrical. We’ve also invited the industry’s best talent join us as our featured guest speakers, as well as select vendors that offer top technology to compliment your Autodesk solutions. Now is the time to swim (not sink) on the latest technology. Expand your pool of knowledge and register today at www.lacad.com/cad_summit.html.

Tying into Routed Systems

2007-06-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hello, you are cordially invited to join me:

==============================

AutoCAD Electrical: Tying into Routed Systems

July 12, 2007
10:00am - 11:00am

In this one-hour on-line demonstration, our resident Amp Addict, George Sanchez, will show you how to take the wiring information from an AutoCAD Electrical drawing into Autodesk Inventor Professional to make the device wire connections and create a wire harness.

You will learn:
* How to create AutoCAD Electrical schematic drawings
* How to create a wire harness based on AutoCAD Electrical schematic drawings inside Inventor Professional

Registration is free! Each attendee will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card* as our token of our appreciation for your time.

* Restrictions apply

OC SOLUTIONS TOUR

2007-06-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

I want to invite you to our Solutions tour this following Wednesday:

Tour Location:

Wyndham Orange County

3350 Avenue of the Arts

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Event Date and Hours:

Wednesday, June 6^th

7:30am – 8:00am – Registration and Breakfast

8:00am – 12:00pm – Event

You will have a chance to meet me, and learn about AutoCAD Electrical. It is a perfect opportunity to learn about the product and about your potential Value Added Reseller.

I hope to see you there.

AUTOCAD 2008 ICON MENU TIPS AND TRICKS

2007-05-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am now working with AutoCAD Electrical 2008, I am very pleased with the stability and the many improvements. I want to make special mention of the new "ICON MENU WIZARD" it is now very intuitive to use. I do have the following tips/tricks for those of you who are now using this new tool:

1-change the Auto cad background to white, this will allow the thumbnails (icons) to have a white background. I made a coupe with my standard black background and they take away from the ascetics of the new interface.

2- open the user block drawing and change the geometry ti a BOLD line type. this will create a symbol that is legible, the standard linetype is too slim once shrunk to thumbnail size.

3- stretch the geometry horizontally, because the autocad window is rectangular and the thumbnail is square, it will shrink the width of your geometry. This will create a narrow looking icon.

I want to ask you if you have any other ideas, and/or questions to contact me. I will keep updating with new tips and tricks as time allows.

SCCS Success

2006-08-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

It is with great pleasure that I can declare that the SCCS (Southern California CAD Summit) was a great success. I instructed 3 classes on AutoCAD Electrical, and the audience was very enthusiastic about the material covered and the latest version of the software (2007).

The titles of the classes where the following:
1-Schematic creation tools and error checking.
2-New component libraries and their customization.
3-New point to point schematic tools and report generation.

In these classes I covered such tools as the new connector command and the improved wire tool, improvements on the point to point schematic creation arena. Also, we covered the new P&ID, Pneumatic and hydraulic libraries. We created some new schematic symbols ("Intelligent blocks"), some new catalog entries and even some new manufacturers. Best practices for snap where discussed, as well as an overview of "Projects".

I found it very rewarding to take questions and discuss with the attendees, how AutoCAD Electrical 2007 can help them in their day to day electrical control's design projects. I had people from various design fields, from defense contractors to single user consultants. The knowledge level was from beginner to mid user level. A few of them where still using “Vanilla” AutoCAD to design control systems.

I look forward to next year's SCCS.