LD Assistant 08.5 – People Walking and Dancing in Real-time!
Easily integrate actors into your designs and see them come alive in real-time as you walk through your creation, while you control the lighting with your console. Have audio and video all playing back at the same time… in real-time.
Click below to see people dancing
Small Flash Movie 1 Large Flash Move 2
Featured Designer – Matt Timmer
Matt Timmer: As the Director of Audio Visuals at Bacara Resort & Spa – Santa Barbara, California, Matt keeps it real for SWANK AV by creating the wall sconces and chandeliers for his ball rooms. Matt’s CAD background stems from his college days where he was trained in another CAD program, but he likes LD Assistant for its ease of use. “LD Assistant has all the tools to make my job easier, unlike other programs I’ve used in the past,” says Matt. “With the real-time walkthrough, I can give my clients a real feel of what the event is going to look and feel like before they set one foot into the room.”
Industry News
• Autodesk at NAB 2009 - Autodesk to Showed New Versions of Visual Effects Systems for Film and TV and to Launch Flare – Hot Addition to the Product Line-up.
• Autodesk Kynapse Middleware Licensed for America’s Army 3 Computer Game – “Autodesk Kynapse will allow us to enhance game play for America’s Army 3 in several ways,” explained Michael Barnett, chief engineer for the America’s Army titles.
• Autodesk Introduces Smoke 2010 – Autodesk tools have been used on some of this year’s highest profile entertainment projects, including the TV shows “NCIS,” “Bones,” “Prison Break,” “Smallville” and “Dexter”; as well as blockbuster movies such as “Milk,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Changeling,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. The software was also used to help shape the Super Bowl commercials Pepsi “Pass” and “Refresh,” General Electric “Scarecrow” and Pedigree “Crazy Pets.”
• Autodesk Partners with Clinton Climate Initiative to Provide Technology to Help Build More Sustainable Cities -
Autodesk is joining CCI and Microsoft Corporation to help sponsor the Project Two Degrees initiative. The sponsors, working with Project Two Degrees stakeholders–including ICLEI, Ascentium Corporation, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology–are developing the Project Two Degrees emissions tracking software. The project’s Web-based software enables cities to calculate the carbon footprint of both municipal operations and the communities they service in a uniform way.
• NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit 2.2 Released – This latest release supports several significant new features that deliver a major leap forward in getting the most performance out of NVIDIA’s massively parallel CUDA-enabled GPUs.
LD Assistant and MA Lighting GrandMA Consoles
Design & Drafting is pleased to announce that the LD Assistant development team is now implementing MA NET. For the first time ever, LD Assistant and AutoCAD users with LD Assistant PL will be able to connect to GrandMA consoles without DONGLES!
LD Assistant NOW supports Streaming sACN Multiple Source and Channel Priority
LD Assistant NOW supports Streaming ACN Multiple Source and Channel Priority. Both Send and Receive Streaming ACN are included in the new service pack SP2 that’s FREE to all LD Assistant 08 users.
Industry News
• Autodesk Software Now Free to All (Unemployed) In these uncertain economic times, many companies have had to let good people go. If you were one of them, you might be wondering how to advance your career in this challenging global job market. • Free Software License*: Any student license of AutoCAD®, Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® Inventor® Professional, and/or AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software .• Free Online Training: On-demand training available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week • Reduced-Cost Classroom Training: Many Autodesk Authorized Value Added Resellers and Autodesk Training Center (ATC®) partners are offering classroom training at their training facilities for free or for a significantly reduced fee. (Offerings will vary, please check with your local reseller or ATC to get details) • Certification: Certification preparation and exams available at discounted rates.
• Autodesk Appoints Mark Hawkins as CFO – Hawkins comes to Autodesk from Logitech International where he has been CFO and senior vice president of finance and IT since 2006. At Logitech, Hawkins led the company’s financial operations, investor relations, and the worldwide IT team supporting Logitech’s business units and sales and marketing operations.
• NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS Available for Graphics Workstation – This new technology delivers a faster, more efficient workflow to maximize productivity and lower the total cost of ownership for professionals in markets such as: digital content creation, sciences, manufacturing, and oil and gas.
• AutoCAD for the Mac – Autodesk indicated that the world’s largest CAD software company is looking for new markets into which to expand its sales of CAD software. Click here to take the online survey.
• Vista vs. XP: Windows On the Mat – initial shortcomings of Vista may have been overcome, advantages of Vista could make it OS of choice for future, David Cohn, Desktop Engineering,
• Paul Wonsek uses AutoCAD & LD Assistant at NAB SHOW
Quick and Easy 3D Scenery and Lighting Production Designs
Speaker Paul Wonsek designed a small three-person broadcast news set from scratch in Sketchup, quickly creating a design idea to communicate concepts to the production team. The initial design was exported to Autocad and LD Assistant 08, providing a platform to control the actual lighting for different cueing situations. Drawings and lighting plots were created from the initial design concept. Other finished 3D design projects created with the same methods employed in this seminar were included from professional theatre, television and architectural venues.
From the LAB & It’s Free
Project Draw is a new feature-rich web-based vector drawing application Use it to create simple floor plans, electronic-circuit diagrams, network diagrams.Click here it’s FREE to use
Project Showroom Project Showroom is a vision of a new web-based tool. It allows you to browse product selections from leading manufacturers, and get a feel for how those products will look in real-world settings. Try it! It’s free to anyone.
Autodesk Design Review Accelerate your projects with the integrated way to review, mark up, measure, and track changes to 2D and 3D models, and drawings.Free Download click here
Autodesk Freewheel Free web service to view and share 2D and 3D designs—all without the need to install any software.Free Downlaod click here
Project Dragonfly is ideal for anyone who’s ever wanted an easy, intuitive floor planning tool to dream, organize, and envision. click here
Featured Lighting Designer - G. B. Stephens
G. B. Stephens Associate Professor of Design and Manager of the School of Theatre and Dance CADArts Center at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. G. B. was kind enough to let us show off one of his designs.Click here to see his DANCE-F10-1 Plot
LD Assistant 08.5 – Built-in sACN, Art-Net & Pathway Support
• No Fees For Profiles • No Fees For Blocks • No Subscription • Easily Create Your Own Blocks & Profiles
Use JANDS PC & LD Assistant on the same computer
Open JANDS PC on the same computer as LD Assistant is on – without a dongle.
No setup needed to connect your ETC console
With sACN, you just plug your LD Assistant computer into the same network as your console.
Use any console that supports sACN or Art-Net and
connect to LD Assistant and start having FUN!
All In One Stand Alone Program:
• Remote viewing of live events or pre-cueing
• Real-time Simulation with Video & Audio Playback
• Have multiple independent users walking through a simulation
• Walk through in Real-Time with audio, video and lighting all playing simultaneously
• Real Autodesk DWG – not a reverse engineered DWG like others
• Real Industry Standard 2D Drafting & 3D Modeling tools set
• Advanced High End Rendering with FX
Because we are Autodesk Partners using the AutoCAD Real DWG file format, you’ll never again have to tear your hair out trying to open an AutoCAD DWG file.
Get The VIP Treatment Plus Get A Fully Working LD Assistant 08.5 Demo
After receiving Design & Drafting’s VIP Demo treatment, you will be able to create designs with lighting, video and audio playing as you walkthrough your creation. This jump start is for the serious designer who wants to learn more about LD Assistant and are considering moving up to the new industry design standard.
To receive your VIP Treatment and a fully working 30 day demo of LD Assistant Ac 08.5:
Step 1 :
Contact Design & Drafting sales at 708-499-0107 to schedule a time when you have a half hour to forty-five minutes.
Step 2 :
Our support specialist will connect with your computer download and install the software using GoToMeeting.
Step 3 :
The tech will setup LD Assistant Ac 08.5 and give you a brief overview of how the program works.
Step 4 :
Play and have more fun, and let us know when you have questions.
Requirements :
1) Fast internet connection
2) XP Pro or VISTA Business OS
3) RAM 1GB for 2D, 2GB for 3D
4) Video Card 128 Meg for 2D, 256 Meg for 3D
5) Public email addresses including yahoo, hotmail, or gmail are not accepted
Featured Lighting Designer - G. B. Stephen
G. B. Stephens Associate Professor of Design and Manager of the School of Theatre and Dance CADArts Center at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. G. B. was kind enough to let us show off one of his designs.
Industry News
• Autodesk Labs – A Brief Tour in San Francisco – overview of technology on display by Autodesk Labs, Brian Benton, CAD-a-Blog
• Apple First Out of the Block with New Generation Xeon (Nehalem) Processor – advance workstation, dual socket for multithreaded applications, supports hyperthreading, Greg Corke, Develop3D
LD Assistant 08.5 Release With sACN & Support for ETC’s Net3™
Entertainment Lighting and Event Planning’s oldest and most technically advanced CAD developer, Design & Drafting, has released LD Assistant 08.5 with sACN support. This allows consoles that support ACN to connect with LD Assistant over a local network. One such console is Electronic Theatre Controls that support ETC’s Net3™. “I believe that you will see GrandMa, Strand, Pathway, CK, and other manufacturers moving to the ACN protocol. With the ease of use that ACN brings to the table, it just makes sense,” says Florin Nitu, Programmer and VP of Design & Drafting.
Included in the release is an enhanced JANDS VISTA & VISTA PC connection using Art-Net. This connection allows user to connect and operate both VISTA PC and LD Assistant 08.5 on the same computer, without needing ANY dongles.
Other new features include Save Views in any of the three Simulators for quick return, named views support, more moving light profiles, gobos, textures and movies. LD Assistant 08.5 receives and transmits sACN, Art-Net and Pathport using Ethernet, ENTTEC and LD Net using USB. As always, this is a free update to all LD Assistant Ac 08 & PL 08 users. LD Assistant users, click on your built-in Online Content to learn how to receive your free update.
With LD Assistant 08.5 you can
1) Connect lighting consoles to the CAD program using sACN, Art-Net and Pathport over a local network
2) Connect up to sixty-four universes using Art-Net without any dongles
3) Walk through event designs in Real-Time with audio, video and lighting all playing simultaneously
4) Create industry standard lighting, sound and event plots
5) Open and save Real DWG file
6) Remote viewing of live events from different locations
7) Have multiple independent users walking through a simulation
Because we are Autodesk Partners using the AutoCAD Real DWG file format, you’ll never again have to tear your hair out trying to open a DWG file.
Click here to see how easy it is to run 8 Showguns with multiple independent light sources
LD Assistant uses Autodesk’s AutoCAD DWG file format
When working with AutoCAD drawings, does your program act more like a turkey?
LD Assistant uses Autodesk’s AutoCAD DWG file format. DWG is the native format for AutoCAD software and AutoCAD-based products. Autodesk owns, develops, and iterates the DWG file format.
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The DWG format changes every few years, as Autodesk adds new features to AutoCAD.
Several reverse engineered software libraries exist that simulate the DWG file format with various levels of success in providing DWG read and write capabilities.
With eight million users and over a billion AutoCAD DWG files in existence, no wonder other CAD software companies want you to believe that they can import and export to DWG without any problems!
Powered by Autodesk Technology means LD Assistant is the ONLY CAD program that’s 100% AutoCAD DWG.
No Other Program in our industry can make that claim.
ETC ACN LD Assistant Beta Testers Needed
Electronic Theatre Controls’ ACN console connection with LD Assistant PL 08
Do you have an ETC Console with ACN? Do you have LD Assistant PL 08?
We’re looking for LD Assistant users that have an ETC console to test the new LD Assistant’s ETC Connect Plug ‘n’ Play console function. Contact us at 708 499 0107 for more infomation.
News
• Intel moves up rollout of new chips – Chipmaker is stepping up the introduction of new silicon, moving up the release of processors expected in 2010 to this year. By Brooke Crothers in Nanotech – The Circuits Blog
LD Assistant 3-Day Training – Feb. 18-20, Austin, TX
Join ETCP Recognized Trainer Richard Cadena for a 3-day training session on how to use LD Assistant. This intimate class will cover building a lighting plot from scratch, modeling in 3D, applying materials, creating renderings, patching instruments, and programming with visualization. This is your chance to enhance your design and documentation skills using LD Assistant. Classes will be held in Austin, Texas from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, February 18-20. The fee for the 3-day course is $600. To register, please call 512-280-0384 or fax your registration information to 512-292-0163.
About the trainer: Richard Cadena is an ETCP Recognized Trainer and an ETCP Entertainment Electrician. He is the author of “Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician,” “Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Light,” “Lighting Design for Modern Houses of Worship,” and “ Focus on Lighting Technology.” As a freelance lighting designer/consultant he has designed many lighting systems using LD Assistant and has toured as a lighting designer/director. He is also the current editor of PLSN magazine.
Design & Drafting Launches New Online Support and eStore
We are delighted to announce the opening of our New Online Support and eStore. In the coming weeks, Design & Drafting will be using the eStore as a tool for users to download the latest support documentation and product updates. Once an update is ready, users who have created an account will via notified be email.
All LD Assistant users are encourage to register at Design-Drafting.com.
Major LD Assistant Update Coming
Final testing of LD Assistant 08.5 is nearing completion, and we expect to release the final product update within the next few weeks. This is a major update and all 08 users are encouraged to migrate to 08.5.
Click here to visit the Design & Drafting Online Support and eStore
New features include:
Electronic Theatre Controls’ ACN console connection, Save Views and Return to Views in simulators, over 2,000 new and redefined blocks, 500 new gobos and textures, AVI & WMV movies, multiple light source fixtures (High End Systems’ Showgun), new moving light profiles and a lot more.
Some companies charge for updates; at Design & Drafting you will never be charged for what should be free!
Visit LD Assistant.com to see how we can help take the Gobble Gobble out of your CAD!
Did the salesman who sold you that Turkey tell you that you wouldn’t have any problems opening AutoCAD files and working with architect’s drawings?
Powered by Autodesk Technology means LD Assistant is the ONLY CAD program that’s 100% AutoCAD DWG.
No Other Program in our industry can make that claim.
Featured Lighting Designer – Ted Hennings
Ted Hennings is the Northwestern Regional Technical Director for SWANK AUDIO VISUALS. Ted was kind enough to let us show off one of his pre-concept designs. “The concept only took me a few hours to complete and it made the sale!! I like the way the truss came out in this image,” says Hennings. “None of this could be done in 04.” Ted was one of the winners of the Show Me Your Renderings contest in 2008.
News
• Way to Go, Carol. Now, Back to Basics - Autodesk ex-CEO to lead Yahoo,
Once the leading search and directory site, it is now a conglomeration of desperate attempts to attract attention. I go there now and there is a story about “Girl in Bikini Talks Smack to New ‘Idol’ Judge.” I mean, what the hell? Then there’s movies, gossip…
LD Assistant & AutoCAD – LDI2008 CAD Training News
A very special thank you goes out to Ellen Lampert-Greaux, consulting editor/conference director Live Design/LDI, for making it happen and to G.B. Stephens, Associate Professor of Design, University of South Florida for leading the training.
The Good, The Bad and The Beginners all can see clearly now!
The one-day Beginner LD Assistant 08 & AutoCAD® 2008 workshop attendees:
Steve (Boz) Bodzioch, Sean Atkins, Bud Beauchamp, Gary Bleisch, Bill Bunnag, Neil Fleitell, Hilario Gonzalez, Jimi Herr, Harold Holm, Collin Joseph, Noreen Kimura, Scott Payne, Jeffrey Reeks, Mark Testa, David Zarembka
The two-day Advanced LD Assistant 08 & AutoCAD® 2008 workshop attendees:
Steve Burket, Kevin Denzel, Neil Fleitell, Tony Giovannetti, Ted Hennings, Rachel C. Hinton, Harold Holm, Vaseem Koya, Justin Mack, Jean Marc Montmejat, Scott Payne, Tim Saxton, Charles Scott, Mark Vilensky
News
• NVIDIA Releases Quadro FX 4800 Graphics Card for MCAD
• Free Electric Symbols Library Available for AutoCAD
• Would You Use It? The First High-Quality 3D Printer On Your Desktop – Alaris30 Desktop 3D printer creates a high-resolution, fully cured, resin model of 3D design, efficient, extremely accurate, portable, Josh Mings, SolidSmack
