Friday 22 February 2013

Inventor Fusion, Inventor - what's the difference? New tutorial coming soon!

Hi everyone,

You might have heard about Inventor, Inventor LT, Inventor Fusion, and wondered what it's all about. We've got a new course on Inventor Fusion coming out in a couple weeks, and in preparation for the release I've prepared this short blog entry. Inventor Fusion is not stand-alone software; it comes bundled with many other AutoDesk products like Inventor and AutoCAD. (Check out our Inventor tutorials and AutoCAD tutorials at www.video-tutorials.net.)

Personally, I don't think you're going to need Fusion if you're working proficiently with Inventor Professional. (As you know we have many hours of Inventor tutorials at our site). However, Inventor Fusion is really handy if you need to pull in files from other 3D modelers like SolidWorks and CATIA (yes, Inventor Fusion can open files from both these programs, as well as Inventor parts and assemblies.) That's because you can bring in these docs without converting to any native format; normally that causes some problems that have to be fixed. Fusion lets you open the part in whatever format, and get right to work. Now, it only exports to .dwg, but the other CAD programs can all handle .dwg so that's not a showstopper.  

Like Solidworks, CATIA, and Inventor, Autodesk's Inventor fusion is a CAD 3D parametric modeller, but with many fewer options and functions than these programs. It doesn't offer any of the tools for animation and simulation, and is best suited for static models, not, let's say, assemblies that require animation. Fusion comes bundled with AutoCAD, and this is where it can be most useful. AutoCAD rocks at the direct modeling of geometry, but once you're transferring your AutoCAD work to 3D, it gets clunky, and if you're used to SolidWorks or Inventor, you'll really be annoyed. But, bring Fusion to the mix and you get the basic 3D manipulating capabilities that let you get the job done.

Is Fusion better than Inventor LT? Inventor Fusion is not as dynamic as LT; when you change geometry sometimes your solid won't update. (A sketch might dissociate instead). Also, Inventor Fusion has fewer choices than Inventor LT. You get many of the same menus, just fewer tools or commands. You can still accomplish similar tasks, but it might take longer or some more creating thinking on how to get it done. 

For industries that require complex assemblies which are animated, Inventor Fusion would not be appropriate. But if you're looking to improve on AutoCAD's 3D capabilities, or work more freely with non-AutoDesk file formats, Fusion will fit you just right.
Rosanna D, Video-Tutorials.Net


Thursday 21 February 2013

What's the best way to learn SolidWorks?

by www.video-tutorials.net
SolidWorks has got the market on CAD design essentially cornered.  What do you do if you need SolidWorks training or tutorials right away? The people who buy my courses usually need to ace an interview, upgrade their resumes, make a big software switch at work, or get the edge on their classes and find a way to learn that's easier and more intuitive than a CAD book.


Once you've got the basics under your belt, the best way to get good at SolidWorks is actual practice with the software.  You can get a student version for a good price these days, and sometimes SolidWorks offers trial software.  But how can you get the basics under your belt? Here is a list of some resources:

Classroom training -  the big advantage of this method is the SolidWorks expert teaching the class, who you can hit up for tips and tricks on how to get something done.  Many colleges and universities offer training in SolidWorks these days.  It's even available for study at some high schools now; we have a few clients that are high schools.

You can also sign up for classes with a SolidWorks reseller. These days SolidWorks Resellers have a lot of free events for SolidWorks users, like in-person classes, or lunch webinars that you can watch live or download later.  The experts that host these events are usually very good.

Once you're comfortable, you can take the SolidWorks certification tests from your reseller, or online directly from SolidWorks. They are not expensive and they look good on your resume. We'll be publishing a certification preparation course in mid-2013. We don't offer the certification itself, but are more than happy to help you get ready for it!

Self-study training: some people don't have time or the extra budget to enroll in formal classes, which are usually very slow-paced.  If you find that self-study training is more effective than classroom training, because you can study at your own pace, and review the materials as you require them, then you are in luck.  Just  search on YouTube for"SolidWorks video tutorials" or "SolidWorks tutorials" and you'll see thousands of free training videos. We have a lot of free material posted up on YouTube also at www.youtube.com/videotutorials2.  We of course recommend our SolidWorks tutorials; we have the best price for the most hours, and, as you can see from our many positive testimonials, the quality and service are excellent. Here is a link to our SolidWorksvideo tutorials.  We find that many people prefer self-study video tutorials because they are more detailed, move along quickly, can be replayed immediately,  and are easier to reference much later on than classroom training.

User Groups & Forums - Solidworks has a superb forum and user group that I recommend you join.  You will get lots of tips and videos from other users, and there are many experts in the forums who share their knowledge very graciously.  There are also many independent CAD forums that are really useful; many of the expert users go into great detail for their explanations on how to get something done.

I hope you find this article helpful! For more information, please visit us at www.video-tutorials.net.

Vocal maintenance - music recording tips on vocal care for singers and for other vocal professionals

Why is this article in our CAD training blog? Well, I've been getting lots of questions about vocal care, and felt compelled to publish something here. As many of you know, I do the voiceovers for Video-Tutorials.net--that's hundreds of hours of video tutorials now --  and wrote our  Cubase  tutorial, ProTools tutorial and Recording, Mixing & Mastering tutorial, as well as my own music business.  I get a lot of questions not only from singers, but also voice-over artists, public speakers and others on how to get the best from your voice. 

In this blog entry, I'm sharing my rules for getting the best from your voice, whether in performance, recording, or general public speaking (also a performance!)
 
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE  - why the heck fine artists tend to be insecure ninnies is beyond me, but it's true.  Most of the singers I know require an unsustainable amount of external approval and validation.  It's like watching a train wreck about to happen: we end up addicted to drama or substances, or sucked into cycles of destructive relationships.  We waste a lot of time and effort with all this upheaval; it's totally ridiculous and wreaks havoc with our vocal instruments.  When you have a talent, it's not about you, or being famous, or better than someone else.  The talent comes from God or the cosmos or whatever you want to call the dimension of consciousness that connects us all.  It doesn't make you better than anyone else so stop trying to prove it.  You have a responsibility to use your talent to give people joy, in your own joyful way.  The rest of the emotional baggage that goes along with our insecurities is basically irrelevant and a complete waste of energy.  Keep the energy for your voice by calming your mind and nerves, and not getting caught up in your insecurities. This makes for dynamite vocal work!
 
TAKE IT EASY - if you've got a cough, try to cough as little and gently as possible.   Talk less, laugh less, and read aloud less close to performance or recording days.  I "dim" myself for a few days prior to a big show. You can "save" up your voice this way.  That's because we often talk in a guttural way that causes strain on the vocal cords. When you do a lot of public speaking, or many hours of voiceovers at once, do "diaphragm" speaking so that you take the strain off your voice. Don't hesitate to let your mic do the work for you. If you're a woman, don't try to deepen your voice to sound more authoritative; this puts too much strain on the cords.

NO SMOKING - does this really need explanation?  This is a terrible habit for singers and vocal artists, and if you want healthy, resonant pipes that don't tire quickly, give up smoking.  This includes pipes, cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, weed, etc. Just say no, to all of it.  Bleach!

NETI-POT. I love this invention, and am so grateful to Deepak Chopra and Oprah for exposing me to it.  I first began using it in 2008, and I haven't had a bad head cold or sore throat since then.  You fill it with warm salty water and dump up one nostril; it drains out the other, along with the yucky gunk that's stuck up your nose. Gross, but effective. Use it at the first sign of a cold; don't wait until you're really sneezy or sore.   

SLEEP - you need enough sleep for your voice to be big and strong, and not quick to tire.  If you travel a lot, or have young children that keep you up at night, you simply will be tired and will not have as strong a voice as you could.  Work it out so you can get enough sleep. Personally for me, sleep is more important to vocal strength and longevity than my diet! (Although, I'm not excessive in my eating)

PRACTICE, PRACTICE!  I hear "oh, I just wasn't warmed up." In fact, an experienced singer or vocal performer needs very little warm up time; you just need to clear a bit of sludge from the larynx  (that's the delicate organ through which air passes and vibrates to make sound) and phrarynx (that's the resonating chamber of your nasal passages & back of your throat). What you need is practice, to develop the muscle memory and confidence.  When you have enough practice, the song or text sits well and you can focus on the joy of sharing, rather than on the mechanism of delivery.

 STAY WARM - If you feel sneezy or a bit under the weather, wrap up your neck and keep your head warm; this will stave off colds. Running in the cold? Forget about it.  Keep your neck covered in any wind, actually.  Luciano Pavarotti had this one right.

NO COFFEE & STAY HYDRATED - try to give up caffeine if you can. It creates chronic dehydration and nodules on your larynx.  You'll hear them if your voice sounds grainy or constantly breathy and husky.  Keep yourself decently hydrated with water, herbal teas --not juice, which is too sugary, and coats your larynx. Don't drink too much wine, beer etc; this is very dehydrating.  What about hard liquor? Well, if you want to avoid future liver failure, moderation is the best practice!!

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT & HOW MUCH - low-calorie diets and fasting won't give you the stamina you need for singing and voice-overs, which are actually extremely physical.  If you're not eating enough, you will make way less volume and you will tire fast.  BUT, this doesn't mean you can pig out.  Overeating creates residue in your throat that you can't clear out with warm-up, and also doesn't leave enough room for your lungs and diaphragm to do their job.  Your guts are just too full of food and poo, and there's not enough room for diaphragm expansion to get a nice deep supporting breath.  Avoid dairy and gluten, especially if you're sensitive to these.  I have a lot more resonance without dairy and gluten, and a lot more stamina.    Avoid too much sugar; it coats your larynx and pharynx with gunk; your voice will not work well if you are eating too much sugary stuff.  Anything that makes your teeth kind of fuzzy after you eat or drink it will do the same to your larynx and pharynx. 

Thanks! I hope this helps.  I love writing about music and singing.  For more information about music recording, check out my Cubase, ProTools and Recording, Mixing & Mastering courses at www.video-tutorials.net.
Rosanna D

 

 

Thursday 14 February 2013

What's New with Inventor 2013?

My new updates course, What's New with Inventor 2013, is finally out! My apologies for the delay; my kids were actually pretty sick for a couple weeks and hence the release schedule got pushed back.  The course is 50 minutes long and consists of 40 videos; it's bundled with my Inventor 2013 Video Library, now 21+ hours.  

As you know, the big CAD software companies have been issuing annual updates to their products since about 2009. This is their way of cashing in on annual subscription revenue, but usually there is not a whole bunch of significant changes. Improvements to tools, to data management, and some cosmetic modernization, but Inventor 2010 is pretty similar to Inventor 2013.

Quite a few of the Inventor 2013 updates consist of applying some of the enhanced drawing capabilities of AutoCAD to Inventor. Eg, the three point rectangle and primitives. Some of the enhancements, like the use of equation curves, allow for the rapid creation of fairly complex geometry using trigonometric and calculus formulas.

Reminder that for the month of February, enter "valentine" in the coupon box upon checkout to save 10%. (www.video-tutorials.net).  You can also buy this course on eBay and Amazon.

Here's a link to the course on my website:

http://www.video-tutorials.net/vtn/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=245

Here's a link to my YouTube playlist for "What's New in Inventor 2013": http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx-VY2mDlK2HIWTfCm5J5WwpZ39IrDaiI

Find us on Google+:

What's New AutoDesk Inventor 2013 - Equation Curves




User Parameters applied to Sketch Text (Numeric, Text & Boolean) - What's New Inventor 2013



Using the Offset tool in the solid part modeling environment

Here's the table of contents for the "What's New in Inventor 2013" portion of the Inventor 2013 Video Library, for sale at www.video-tutorials.net.

AutoDesk Inventor 2013 What's New
01 Welcome Screen21 Measure Tool
02 Create New File22 Status Bar
03 Contextual Menu23 Associative Sketch Geometry
04 Enhanced Error Messages24 Primitives
05 Origin Plane Display25 Offset Base Solid
06 Sketch Scale26 Change Appearance
07 Rectangle Tool27 EOP Marker
08 Arc Length Dimension28 Hole Tool
09 Dynamic Trim29 Shell Tool
10 Dynamic Extend30 Work Plane
11 Precise Input31 Error Glyphs
12 3D Sketch Mirror command32 Material and Appearance
13 3D Sketch Properties33 Part View Representation
14 Align to Plane34 Remove Internal Voids
15 Control Vertex Splines35 Alignment of a Frame Member
16 Equation Curves36 End Treatment Support
17 2D Mirror Self Symmetric37 Open Component Drawing File
18 User-Defined Parameters in Sketch Text38 Delete Multiple Drawing Sheets
19 Find Sketch in Browser39 Copy Drawing Views
20 Sketch Icon40 Insert Images in Title Blocks
 

Saturday 2 February 2013

Write a good review and win a free course!

Or link to us from your blog or website. If you've used our training materials and like them, we'd appreciate your helping us let the world know by writing a good review!! And in return, we'll give you a course for free.  Here's a link to our Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Video-Tutorials.Net/e/B003WXNID8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Winner of our January draw for a free course...

Essa Ali! Write us to claim your prize. To enter the draw, Like us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Video-TutorialsNet/181276732005151

Save 10% in February on all video tutorials.

We love and are grateful for all our customers! Save 10% in February on all courses; enter this code during checkout: valentine www.video-tutorials.net