ArchBlocks.com Design Contest

Happy Holidays!

Here is your chance to show off your amazing creative abilities! ArchBlocks.com is holding a monthly design contest and the winner will receive $100.00!

Accepting entries now, so send in your CAD drawings, elevations, illustrations that show how you used at least one of the blocks from the ArchBlocks.com block libraries.

The entry deadline is December 15th, 2009. As my part to help with an economic stimulus package, the winner will be selected and the check sent by December 17th, 2009. Just in time for some Holiday gift giving!

For more information on the ArchBlocks.com design contest go to:

http://tinyurl.com/ylouzo6

AutoCAD Tutorial on Managing Screened Colors with Plot Styles.

There's a new AutoCAD tutorial on the http://www.archblocks.com/ website on how to manage screened colors when plotting, by using Plot Styles.

Example of screened colors when plotted.

Check it out:

http://www.archblocks.com/free-autocad-tutorials

If you have any questions, or comments about the tutorial, please let me know.

Take care,
Kevin

ArchBlocks October Newsletter

Hello!

Get all the latest happenings with the ArchBlocks.com website by checking out the October newsletter!

October 2009 http://tinyurl.com/yzmden9

A beautiful artist has passed away...

One of my favorite woodworkers, Sam Maloof, passed away this last Thursday.

He made the most beautiful pieces of art out of wood. Below is one of his most famous creations.


He will be missed...

Jim "Kimo" West

Kimo performs a solo "slack key" arrangement of "Akaka Falls" at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood ~Beautiful Guitar sound~

http://tinyurl.com/q6asn7

Very Cool Underwater Scupltures

This short film shows the early stages of coral regeneration on Jason deCaires Taylor underwater sculptures in Moiliniere Bay, Grenada. The UK-based artist is also working on the world’s largest underwater sculpture park, which is being developed off Cancun, Mexico. His sculptures offer aesthetic and artistic pleasure for divers and snorkellers, as well as perfect surfaces for young coral polyps to attach themselves and set up home. You can find out more about his unique work and maybe even contribute to one of his sculptures by going to: http://www.underwatersculpture.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrJJ4LgiePA

Great sites for Free Digital Textures

Here are two great sites for digital texure maps. 100's of images to choose from.


CG Textures;
http://www.cgtextures.com/


High Resolution Textures;
http://www.highresolutiontextures.com/

Your time is limited, so don't waste it...

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

~ Steve Jobs

A Creative Mind

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him, a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.

~Pearl Buck

Ukulele Virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro Drops In

Here's some surf vibe, good for the soul!

http://surfermag.com/av/flash/ukulele_virtuoso_jake_shimabukuro

Susan Boyle in "Britain's Got Talent"

You have to watch this video!!

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4853639/12942069

Installing AutoCAD 2010

Below is a step-by-step preview on how to install AutoCAD 2010.

AutoCAD 2010 CD case cover.

Select Install Products.

Select which products you wish to install.

Read the complete agreement always!! ;) and then select Agree.

Fill in your information, serial number, and product key. You will find these listed on the back of your AutoCAD CD case.

Review your information, configure if needed, then select Install.

If you have made no changes to the default configuration, you will get this message dialog. Select Yes if you're ready to continue.

Installing the compoents will now start. The time this takes will vary with your computer system.

Once the installation is complete, this dialog will appear and you can select Finish.

The install will place this shortcut for AutoCAD 2010 on your desktop.

You will be asked to migrate settings from previous versions of AutoCAD that have been detected on your computer.

This dialog let's you set your industry standard settings as default.

Here you can opitmize your settings for the type of work you do.

Here you can accept the default drawing template, or use a custom one.

You have the option to activate now, or within 30 days. It takes less than a minute to get the activation code if you're online.

Enter your activation code information. You will then be asked to restart your computer for the new settings to take place.

Above is the new AutoCAD 2010 screen menu with no changes from the default settings.

Enjoy!!

Autodesk Users Group International

If you're looking for a great reference for industry updates, AutoCAD news and tutorials, check the AUGI website!

http://www.augi.com/home/default.asp

ArchBlocks Web Site Updates

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been working on updating the www.ArchBlocks.com website. The website format will be changing and I have been adding new CAD library products. There will be many changes happening over the next month, so stop by the site when you can to see all the new products!

All my best,
Kevin

The New Year...

This post is just to wish everyone out there a happy and prosperous new year!

Peace ~Kevin