FlexNET Publisher - A License to Network (Part 2) - Getting the License

“Here in Hollywood you can actually get a marriage license printed on an Etch-A-Sketch.”
Dennis Miller

This weekend, I've decided  to continue last week's post, FlexNET Publisher - A License to Network.  For the purpose of this blog post, I'm going to use the steps for a single server.  There are also distributed and redundant servers, but I'll talk about those in a future blog.

So last week, I talked about how what FlexNET is, next, how do I get a license? 

Before you do anything, you'll need to know these things.   Autodesk will want that information before they give you the license.

1. Serial Numbers for your network enabled Autodesk products
2. The Hostname for the machine that will host your license
3. The Ethernet/MAC/Physical Address for your machine, which is the 12 digit number assigned to your network card.  It has the format XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX
4. Your company information

First thing to do, is take your license server, and obtain the ethernet address and hostname

There's several ways to do it, but I usually get it by going to a command prompt, and typing "ipconfig /all"  (without quotes).

Typing "ipconfig /all" in the command prompt

You can find that info in the screen that results.  You'll usually see more than one ethernet address. Any one assigned to a physical card will do.  I do however, usually avoid any wireless cards, because wireless cards are sometimes disabled, and I've seen this disable any licenses assigned to it.

Finding your information

Now, I'll need to obtain my license from Autodesk. There's a couple of ways to do this, one is to go via the web at the following link on the Autodesk website.  You can also call 1-800-551-1490, and follow the prompts to have your license issued.

The other option is to contact your reseller, such as KETIV.  They can help answer questions, and facilitate obtaining your network license.

Once you've obtained your license you can set up your network license.  I'll create a post on that next week.  Erin Gavlick has created a fantastic tech tip too!  You can find that on the KETIV website.

So I'll see you next week for the next step! 

Creating a Simple Release Reminder Using iLogic

“The best solutions are often simple, yet unexpected.”
 Julian Casablancas

The other day I found myself trying to find a way to get a release state (Work in Progress, In Review, Released, Obsolete) to appear on the drawing. 


That first part is no problem.  You can do that with iProperties.

A custom iProperty holding the release state.

But, how do we help the =remember to set the state.  We're all guilty of forgetting, right?

That's where a little iLogic can come in.  We can set a reminder to remind us to set the state.

First, we create some parameters in iLogic.  In this case, I've named it "Design_State".  Notice that this is a multi-value list.

The multi-value list.

Now I add rule to use this multi-value list.

Creating and naming the rule

Once the rule is named, you can use the wizard to build the rule. 

Typing the rule in the wizard

Here's the text itself.

'Updates rule when done

iLogicVb.UpdateWhenDone = True

'Creates input list dialog box & allows the user to choose the state

Design_State = InputListBox("Enter Current Work State", MultiValue.List("Design_State"), Design_State, Title := "Work State", ListName := "Available States")

'Writes values to Custom iProperty

iProperties.Value("Custom", "Release_Condition") = Design_State

'Saves file in this rule

ThisDoc.Save

This will create the rule.  But there's still one issue left over.  How can we trigger the rule so it reminds us to check this state, while at the same time not nagging us all the time?

We can edit the event triggers, and set the rule to fire when the document closes.  This way, the rule will ask us to check the state of the drawing.

Setting the event trigger

Here's a little tip on the rule.  You'll might notice that the rule saves the document at the end.  That's to make sure that the file is saved with the state I've set in the rule!

One last step, not related directly to the rule.  I place the custom property into my title block, so the text will show on the drawing.  

The iProperty called out on the drawing

Now, with the parameters set, and the triggers in place, I can close the drawing.  The event trigger fires the rule, and I can set the value of my state.

Firing the rule

There it is!  I hope this helps those who want to create a simple reminder, populate fields, or some combination of everything!  

For reference, here are some previous posts I've made on iLogic that may help if you want more information on some of the steps I've used here.

My post on Creating a Warning Dialog Box (shows process of creating a rule)

My post on Creating a Drawing Format (shows creating a multi-value list)

My post on using  Event Triggers to control when a rule fires

And for good general knowledge on iLogic.  Here's a video from Rob Cohee's Youtube Channel.

So there we go, another little midweek blog on iLogic.  Enjoy!

FlexNET Publisher - A License to Network

“Vote: The only commodity that is peddleable without a license”
 Mark Twain

Today's blog is rather short, for a couple of reasons.

First, as some of you who follow my Twitter feed have noticed, this weekend was another snowboarding escape to Mammoth Mountain in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

Me with the giant snowman.  He's celebrating a world record breaking 209" of snow in December 2010

Second are some last minute preparations for the first FlexNET class that I've done in quite some time.

Some of you may know this screen

So for this brief blog post, I thought I'd give a short description of what this FlexNET thing is, and what it's doing with your software. 

FlexNET Publisher is a licensing utility created by Flexera Software.  This utility allows you to float licenses of your Autodesk software across multiple machines, even allowing you to install your software on more machines than you actually have licenses for. 

I'm sure somebody out there in the cyberverse is scratching their head.  After all, didn't I just state something that implies, at face value, that you can have run more seats of software than you actually have licenses for.

This is where FlexNET Publisher comes in.  FlexNET Publisher is a utility that is installed on a central computer (referred to as a license server moving forward).  

This server takes your network licenses and floats them among the machines you've installed software on.

For example:

You have 10 licenses of AutoCAD  software, floating on a network controlled by FlexNET Publisher installed on a central licensing server.  But you've installed AutoCAD on 20 machines, how does that work?

The first 10 users to start AutoCAD will get the licenses.  The 11th person to request the license gets a message indicating that the licenses are in use, and they have to wait for a license to free up.  Once one of the licenses is free, they can go ahead and grab that license.

That's how you can install AutoCAD on several machines, but keep yourself from using more licenses than you have.

It's like checking out books from the library.  Once all the books are checked out, the next person who wants that book, has to wait for someone to bring it back.

In a nutshell, that's what a network license is doing.

Of course this is high level, there are nuances, tricks, and things to watch out for, like in any system. 

But if you want to centralize your license management by having the licenses reside on a central server (or servers, but I won't go into distributed systems here), a network license may be something to consider.

And on one last note.  FlexNET manages licenses for many of the Autodesk softwares, but also for other vendors too.  If you've worked in an engineering department of one form or another, you may have used it, and never even realized it! 

That's it for this post.  But leave a comment if you want me to create some blog posts on network licensing in the future.  I'm happy to provide what I can. 

Happy Inventing!

Autodesk Showcase Revisited - Doodling on a Friday Evening

“Sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that we forget that imperfection is happiness”
Karen Nave

Friday night I decided to take a wood working project I've been working on in Autodesk Inventor, and import it into Autodesk Showcase, just to have some fun. 

The project is a Prarie Sofa out of the book Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture.  I've been redoing the plans in Inventor

The sofa, up to know

Yes, this is what I do on a Friday night.  :-)


As I did this, I revisted some of the challeges that come from disconnecting my 'designer's brain', which I've found I need to disconnect when I start working in Showcase.

So what do I mean when I say I have to disconnect my designer' brain?

Well, my designer's brain thinks in decimals and tolerances.  It argues that ".1875" = "3/16? and anyone who uses ".188" isn't doing it right.  My designers brain thinks in right angles and precise calculations.

When you're working in Showcase, this line of thought can get in the way, believe it or not.  In reality, many things don't work in precise inputs.  No edge is perfectly straight, no angle perfectly aligned. 

Reality, by definition, is a bit imprecise.

So what did I try to do to create some of life's natural imperfections? 

First, I added in some cushions to the sofa.  Since Showcase can't create, them, I added them in Inventor.

With the cushions added

Looking at the sofa, I realized it was going to look too 'sanitized' in Showcase.  People would look at it and say: "That looks cool, Jon.  But I dunno, something isn't right."

Trust me, it's happened to me before!

So I went a step further.  I added two extra cushions to the sofa, but used the rotate tool on Inventor's Assembly ribbon to reposition the cushions.

Rotating the cushions

Now if you have a designer's brain, this part may make your eyelid twitch. 

Don't worry about rotating a given amount, just position it until it looks good. 

That's right.  I said 'eyeball' it.

In the end, I think you'll  be happy with the results.  Doing things like this breaks up those perfect lines, and gives you something that looks much more realistic, and therefore, much more appealing. 

Here's the finished result in Showcase.

Here it is, the end result!

I think addin the two pillows, rotated randomly added a bit of realism to it.  In the end, I'm glad I did it. 

As a matter of fact, I may go back and move some more cushions around, just to see if I can improve it. 

So if you find your self doing any presentation like this, be it in Inventor Studio, Showcase, or any rendering program.  Remember that in reality, nothing is quite perfect.

And that's the beauty of it! 

Stop Seeing Red! Using DWF Markups in Autodesk Inventor

“Skewered through and through with office-pens, and bound hand and foot with red tape”
Charles Dickens

Earlier this week, while reloading on coffee at my frequented haunts, Starbucks in Norwalk, Ca.  I was thinking about DWF files and Autodesk Inventor.

Yes, these are the things that go through my geeky brain while standing in line getting coffee.

I had been talking about marking up DWF files in Autodesk Design Review, and how you can take the DWF markups, and how you can overlay them on your Autodesk Inventor drawing.

Example of a DWF that has markups on it

As I discussed it, I found that I wondered how many Inventor users might not be aware that Design Review and Inventor could communicate on this level.

In short, Design Review and Inventor do have a cozy relationship here.  For years, you've been able to export your files as a DWF, send them to a user who has Autodesk Design Review, and have them mark up your files.

They can send that file back to you, and you can overlay the DWF markup right on top of your Inventor drawing, make your corrections with the redlines sitting right on top of your Inventor drawing.

It can save you the trouble of waiting for drawings to print, you can e-mail the files to someone off site, and yes, it can help you be a little bit more green.

Here's a video on making the full circle!  And don't forget, if you double click on the video, it opens in a new, full size window!

So the next time markup time comes around take a look at using DWFs instead of printing out all that paper!

Creating Searches in Autodesk Vault, and Remembering Them Later!

“New Year's Day - Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”
Mark Twain

First of all...  Welcome to my first post of 2011, and Happy New Years to everyone.  I hope you had a great, and relaxing holiday!

On one of my day's off for the holiday, while I was sitting down having breakfast at a local haunt in Whittier, I came up with a Vault question that I've been asked fairly often, and thought "I should post on that."

The question I've been asked, many times, in one form or another is, "How can I quickly check to see if I've got any files checked out?"

The answer is to create a search, and save it for later.  Start out by going to Tools>Find, and making sure you're on the Advanced tab.

The Tools>Find Pulldown

Creating the Saved Search

Once you create the search,  you can save it, and recall it any time you want. With the search saved, it shows up in the Vault browser, and you can recall it any time you want!

Recalling the search

Perfect for making sure that you check in all your files before a weekend or long vacation!

Without further delay!  Here's the video!