Cadopolis AutoCAD 2009 Feeds

SketchUp Plugins: Google's Ruby Scripts

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04 GMT

Google has a set of Plugins (ruby Scripts) on the SU website
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Google has a set of Plugins for SketchUp that can be downloaded directly from their website here.
The list includes:

Bezier: to create Bezier curves
Rotated Rectangle: for creating rotated rectangles.
Shapes: to create and editing a number of parametric shapes.
Window Maker: for creating parametric double-hung and slider windows. (different than the Windowizer Plugin)
Grids: to create parametric grids.
Onion Dome: to create onion domes.
Simplify Contours: it simplifies the geometry, making it easier to work with.

Most of them are for very basic operations, but once you have them you'll miss them if you don't have them anymore, so keep the link for when you transfer to a new workstation.

I Thought You Might Like A CAD Application Like This

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:45 GMT

Eddy Kuo is one of our Autodesk Labs developers. Eddy has worked a great deal on multi-touch. Eddy worked with Hans Kellner to integrate the multi-touch capabilities into our demo version of Autodesk Design Review. Many of you have gotten your hands on this version at the past two Autodesk Universities. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say that based on his research and development, Eddy is interested in human-computer interaction in general - not just multi-touch. So it was no surprise to me last week when Eddy shared some of his thoughts on brain-based interaction with computers.

Stepping into Future of Human Computer Interface NOW with Brain Computing

Imagine using brain computing technology to control a design application.
You could convert visual feedback quickly and make adjustments, e.g., The wall is too thick, make it thinner.
The application would materialize abstract concepts from the brain.
This would perhaps even bring out the unconscious? Secretly I do want the walls to be lime green.
It would provide immersion beyond the visual feedback. Sight and sound are easy. What about touch and smell?
A brain-based approach would provide the most intuitive interface yet (when it is working). Oops I just sneezed. The application interpreted that as an AutoCAD wipe-out. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to "undo" by thinking "undo."

To see that this is not total science fiction, there are two companies selling brain–computing hardware, for more info please visit:

And games that are currently using this technology:

Thanks Eddy. Technologies like this would really put the "aid" in computer aided design. Thinking about our friend, the brain, is alive in the lab.

Hip Tip: Aligning Text Using Quick Properties.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:02 GMT

Hello Dear friends, I have been talking for quite a while about using the quick properties window to change the geometrical values of objects. Fig.1 Text I want to align. If your Quick Properties window is active in AutoCAD 2009 (activate it using CTRL+SHIFT+P), all the porperties of the selected object appear in the window. If the selection [...]

AUGI 2009 Special Election is underway - please vote!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:04 GMT

I am echoing the BLAUGI post and various other blog posts on this subject with the hope that we will have a much improved voter turnout compared with the last election in December 2008.

The AUGI Board of Directors Ballot is OPEN - 2009 Special Election

The AUGI 2009 Special Election is underway...

We have four candidates on the slate. Only two seats are open for the Board.

Each candidate should be considered individually. A candidate is elected based on total Yes votes counted. You may vote on all four candidates, but you may only vote Yes on a total of two candidates. The two candidates receiving the largest number of Yes votes will be elected.

The process of narrowing down the number of qualified nominees to the four candidates included on this year's ballot was a difficult one. The candidates that are elected will serve the remainder of a two year period that continues through December, 2010.

We commend all the nominees and candidates for their willingness to serve and be part of this process. Their credentials and dedicated service are one of the reasons that AUGI is such a strong organization. It is through members such as these that we continue to expand the offerings, programs, events, and training to AUGI members.

NOTE: You must have been a member of AUGI for at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations (May 24, 2009) to be able to vote in this year's Board of Directors election.

Your Vote Counts!

Please VOTE NOW

Rhino Plugins: VisualArq - Architectural Tools for Rhino

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:35 GMT

Need some ACA like tools when using Rhino? This might be the Plugin you are looking for.
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Rhino is a great modeling software, but you will agree with me that when it comes to simple tasks like creating Walls, windows, Stairs, etc. it is not as efficient as AutoCAD Architecture or SketchUp (specially if you have the 1001bit tools Plugin).
Well that might change if you add to your set of Plugins the VisualArq set of Architectural Tools. This set of tools aims to improve the work speed for Arquitects, Interior Designers, Etc by adding a set of Parametric Architectural Objects and Documentation Tools.
I haven't had the chance to check it since I only have access to Rhino at work, but from the Gallery on the VisualArq website, the Plugin looks promising.
You will need Rhino's Service Release 5 to be able to use this plugin.

The AUGI Board of Directors Ballot is OPEN - 2009 Special Election

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:43 GMT

The AUGI 2009 Special Election is underway...

We have four candidates on the slate. Only two seats are open for the Board.

Each candidate should be considered individually. A candidate is elected based on total Yes votes counted. You may vote on all four candidates, but you may only vote Yes on a total of two candidates. The two candidates receiving the largest number of Yes votes will be elected.

The process of narrowing down the number of qualified nominees to the four candidates included on this year's ballot was a difficult one. The candidates that are elected will serve the remainder of a two year period that continues through December, 2010.

We commend all the nominees and candidates for their willingness to serve and be part of this process. Their credentials and dedicated service are one of the reasons that AUGI is such a strong organization. It is through members such as these that we continue to expand the offerings, programs, events, and training to AUGI members.

NOTE: You must have been a member of AUGI for at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations (May 24, 2009) to be able to vote in this year's Board of Directors election.

Your Vote Counts!

Vote Now

Review the Candidates perspectives on the AUGI Board Candidates Discussion Forum

Import X,Y Coordinates from Excel into AutoCAD

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:45 GMT

I am currently on vacation but wanted to share a great AutoCAD Tip from my friend the AutoCAD Trainer Guy Michael Beal. Michael always has great tips and clear instructions in his monthly “Michael’s Corner” available on the web as well as a monthly newsletter.

The following tip is from Michael’s Corner May 2009.

Prerequisite: The X and Y values need to be in a single cell in the format of X,Y for this to work. If X and Y have their own column, you will need to make the necessary adjustments to get them to X,Y format.

Instructions to Create a Drawing with X,Y Coordinates from Excel

In Excel, highlight and Copy the column of X,Y coordinates to be used to generate the drawing.
Open Windows Notepad (Start All ProgramsAccessoriesNotepad).
Before pasting the coordinates, type LINE as the first word in the file (this will launch the Line command when the script is run), then press [Enter].
Now Paste the column of coordinates into the file and you should see something like that shown in the figure.
Close and save the .SCR file (remember where you're saving it).
In AutoCAD, launch the SCRIPT command, then navigate to where you saved your file in the previous step, then select it and click Open. AutoCAD will launch the Line command then, beginning at the first set of coordinates entered, will draw line segments from one point to the next.

You may also want to consider…

Replacing the LINE command with the PLINE command.
Adding the word CLOSE as the last word in the script to have the linework close back to the start point.
Dragging the .SCR file out of Windows Explorer and dropping it into the drawing window.

Do you have an AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture,AutoCAD Mechanical, or AutoCAD MEP you would .like to share with the thousands of readers of this Between the Lines blog? Send me your favorite tips

New BIM Magazine from AUGI

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:21 GMT

Alright, looks like the AEC crowd has a new magazine from AUGI (I believe that, if it does well, they will look into branching out into other disciplines).

We're just starting to use Revit here on my campus, and, coming from the Engineering group, we're interested in MEPFP content mainly, and I'm thrilled to see that the debut issue of "AEC Edge" doesn't just focus on the Architectural industry.
They're talking Architectural models, IPD (integrated project delivery), Training, Implementation, Coordinate Systems, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing building systems), Structural, Analysis, education and API. Loads of content.

Don't take my word for it, check out the Table of Contents below, then download the current issue (available in the interactive format AND pdf).

Also, please don't forget, TODAY is the last day to participate in the 2009 AUGI Annual Salary Survey! Just 19 short questions, it will take about 5 minutes (there's a link to a currency convertor for any non-US folks who want to participate, I LOVE international participation!), results will be presented in broad categories in AUGIWorld Magazine this fall. If you've already participated, please, feel free to send the link to your colleagues and invite them to take part as well.

____(1)fest 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:06 GMT

____ing (2) in a ____ (3)can? Better than that!!!

First off to Virginia Gardiner, the Designer of the Loowatt, I apologize for the low-brow nature of this post; It's really ____y(4) of me...

I truly respect and advocate this kind of work. I am impressed and inspired by your expression of great creativity!!!

I just couldn't help myself.

Besides the articles and videos I linked to are so good on their own that anything additionally written should (I thought) be completely distinct.

That said I have to go (on). (5)

If you never have, already have or ever do plan on using a toilet then these articles will truly inspire -and if you have never used a toilet and yet are reading this please reply back and tell us how it is to have internet connectivity and yet have no toilet... really; I know there are some of you out there.

I am really trying to hold it in (6)... no, no, no (7), you know, all the ____(8) humor, uhh sorry... ____(9) humor... this ____(10) is no joking matter!!!

The Waste Opportunity (NOT wasted)!!!

The crapper reinvented Thanks also to Thomas!!!???

Made from ____(11) and ____(12) made into it and into energy too (all ____(13) puns intended ;-) after all)

Oh ____(14); ____(15) is no longer a dirty word YAAY!!! one down, six to go!!! See the more complete videos here...Part 1 and here, Part 2 and here Part 3. I am sure those who posted these all got legal clearances too!!! If not they are really up ____(16) creek with no paddles...

Finally perhaps we can tell Matt & Trey that (__)__'s(17) ok to say again!!! well I only came up with 17, not 162...

AUGI Special Election – voting opens

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:31 GMT

The AUGI Special Election voting page is now live, and will be open until 12 July 2009. I encourage all AUGI members to carefully consider the candidates and participate in the electoral process.

I do not like some of the restrictions that have been placed on this election, but it is the first real election (i.e. with a choice of candidates) that AUGI has had for several years, so please make it a success by taking part.

Disconnect Markers

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:52 GMT

If you are like me, (and I trust that most of you are not), you don't really rely on disconnect markers in AutoCAD MEP that much. So image my surprise when I noticed the new disconnect markers with no real idea what they were. See the image below with the new markers on the left and the old on the right.

I may be even dumber if indeed these showed up in 2009 which I skipped. If you have not upgraded past 2008, I thought I would mention it, so when you did see the new ones, you will look so very smart and get a big raise.

New version of SI Xchange for Autodesk Revit Structure 2010 and STAAD.Pro

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:00 GMT

Structural Integrators, LLC has released the new version of SI Xchange for Autodesk Revit Structure and STAAD.Pro. The Link for Revit Structure 2009 release was ready about a month ago and they just posted the 2010 release couple of days ago.

This version includes a number of enhancements, including sending walls, load cases, load combos, point and line loads to STAAD.Pro, bringing size changes back from STAAD and it now works even if STAAD and Revit are installed on different computers.

For more information: http://structuralintegrators.com/products/si_xchange.php

Thanks,

Wai

Need Help Identifying A Painting? Revit3D.com to the rescue...

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:08 GMT

"Corps à corps bleu" by Gerard-Fromangert

Isn't technology a beautiful thing? Isn't the community we have formed using a the internet like a family? In response to my posting Need Help Identifying a Painting, I received this email from Gregory Arkin who mans the Revit3D.com blog.

Dear Scott:

I always love a challenge, so after failing at Google image searching for words like silhouette, bicycle, Paris, artwork, etc. for a very long while (thank goodness for Firefox autopager), I decided to go a different route. Instead of searching for the image using Google, I used Google to search for a tool that would be of assistance. I Googled "upload image search," found a website called TinEye.com, uploaded your image, and came up with five results within 15 seconds:

http://tineye.com/search/a35254b1e5003017472218a4e6bbf53e3801aa87

None of the results were very helpful, and one was a non-existent website, but alas, one did return a clue. The file name had "Gerard-Fromangert" in the name. A little more research uncovered http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9rard_Fromanger and there you have it.

"Corps à corps bleu" is the name of the piece of art and it was housed at Paris-Sienne (2003-2006) Centre Beaubourg, Paris

I am not having so much luck finding the availability of reprints, but I'll keep looking. I hope I'm the first to come up with the information for you. It was well worth the effort for the appreciation I have of all you've done in "The Lab." Keep up the great work. I love what you guys are doing.

Good luck finding a copy for your daughter.
Gregory

Thanks Gregory! As this is the kind of investigatory work that Gregory does, you Revit users should check out Revit3D.com to garner the tips and tricks Gregory has unearthed. I'm sure you'll be as grateful as I am.

Appreciating the help from our Labs family is alive in the Lab.

New Build - Not Available Just Yet

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:49 GMT

Last evening I read on Twitter two separate "tweets" about an hour apart and a bit later on a blog post that the update for Revit 2010 is now available. Great to see one is coming and the list of issues/items addressed shared too. Unfortunately it isn't actually available yet though, not for another week or so according to my sources. I'll post the information on the update once it is released.

In the meantime if you want to read the list of issues addressed you can read it HERE.

Hang in there...just a bit longer. Maybe it'll get posted sooner because of the early release of information?

Filter Unplaced or Unenclosed Items

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:06 GMT

Every once in a while I discover something I didn't know was there. It appears this feature was added in Revit 2009.

After you've created a Room or Area Schedule and populated it with rooms/areas you have the option of filtering unplaced or unenclosed Rooms/Areas. The three options are: Show all, Hide unplaced, and Isolate unplaced.

Autodesk Shutdown for US Employees Next Week

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:00 GMT

Taking some vcation time in 2009

Autodesk is observing a company shutdown next week. All United States employees will take the week off with our vacation time. So although it may seem like something's amiss with the RSS feed for this blog, it really just us relaxing. And if you don't get an immediate response to your feedback request like you normally do, fear not, we'll reply as soon as we get back. We will return ready for action. We do have Project Cooper and other technologies on deck.

The Magic of COFES

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:06 GMT

As I was asking the bartender for a beer at the Scottsdale Plaza during COFES 2009, so was another person. We shook hands, introduced ourselves to each other and began a conversation, which then spilled over to another beer.

This person was Francis Cadin, the CEO of DATAKIT, a French CAD software company that specializes in data exchange software. Technically, DATAKIT and SYCODE are business rivals because we have have a few products that overlap. So needless to say, Francis and I, knew quite a bit about each others companies, but we knew absolutely nothing about each other. However, a warm handshake followed by a couple of beers had changed all that. We really enjoyed our conversation, at the end of which, we exchanged business cards and decided to stay in touch.

And stay in touch we did. So much so that today DATAKIT and SYCODE issued a joint press release announcing a collaboration to offer hi-end Data Exchange solutions. DATAKIT's strength lies in their ability to read and write native file formats like CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Inventor, etc. whereas SYCODE's strength lies in developing plug-ins for a wide range of CAD systems. DATAKIT also developing plug-ins, but not for as wide a range of CAD system like SYCODE and SYCODE also has the ability to read and write native file formats, but not as wide a range as DATAKIT. So by simply adding the two together we will now be able to offer hi-end native file format import and export plug-ins for almost all the major CAD systems.

Its a win-win situation for everyone - DATAKIT, SYCODE and our customers. Funny thing is that this kind of a partnership never struck either of us in all these years. Its a wonder what a couple of beers and the right kind of atmosphere can do to business rivals.

And that, precisely, is the magic of COFES.

YouTube Project Showroom Overview Video

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:00 GMT

Electrolux kitchen appliances with Behr wall paint

Electrolux kitchen appliances with a different Behr wall paint

Project Showroom is a technology preview that establishes a vision for a service for home furnishing suppliers to enable their customers to visualize their products in real-life room settings. It is our software as a service approach to kitchen design software and bathroom design software. The basis of Project Showroom is photorealistic rendering using a farm of computers that are "in the cloud." Accessibility to numerous computers in the cloud makes solutions like Project Showroom practical. Typical consumers would never buy 120 computers just to see a synthetic photograph rendered in 8 seconds. Normally users have one computer and wait 960 seconds (16 minutes). On the other hand, manufacturers might be willing to rent 120 computers for 8 seconds. Eight seconds later, it could be another user's turn. You get the idea.

A tenant of Project Showroom is photorealism. Consumers and manufacturers have to get the sense that they are experiencing something before it is real. The products are real. The manufacturers are real. The computer rendering looks real. Our Product Manager, Noah Kennedy, was keen to point out how blue wall paint reflections appear on white cabinets in his YouTube video:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i15PcjMGLqo
non-YouTube: showroom_overview.mp4 (5957.0K)

The video also features a demonstration we participated in with Jenn-Air at the Kitchen/Bathroom Industry Show in Atlanta.

Keeping it real is alive in the Lab.

John Hodgman roasts President Obama

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:45 GMT

John Hodgman, known best as the PC in the "I'm a Mac" commercials and ads, spoke to Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner about nerds, Trekkies, and President Obama's favorite "name-brand smartphone [he] shall not name, for contractural reasons."

Personally I feel releaved that President Obama pushed to use technology. The obvious name-brand smartphone John Hodgman was not able to elaborate on due to contractual reasons is the Blackberry that Obama pushed to continue using after becoming President. It's true that this type of request has not been traditional in the past, it can only force better security techologies to be implemented. I think this type of push drives improvements in security technology that will eventually make its way into public use.

Watch John Hodgman roast Obama and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

New Autodesk Beta Website

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:21 GMT

New and exciting changes have been introduced to Autodesk’s Beta Program where we invite customers to test and provide feedback on pre—release product so that we ship the highest quality of product possible.

The Autodesk MyFeedback Beta platform was retired by May 31st, 2009 at which point the new Autodesk Community officially came to life at http://beta.autodesk.com.

Autodesk beta participation has grown considerably since we started our online beta communities in 1999. I joined Autodesk in 1998 on the Beta Team back when we still shipped CD and printed guides. I had been an Autodesk customer and involved in multiple Autodesk betas. I knew I could make a difference for customers and loved a good challenge. We went from a small email lists and doing a couple products to well over 30,000 participants in over 140 countries using over 60 Autodesk products. It is time to upsize again to a new Autodesk Beta Community.

Make sure to sign up for the new Autodesk Feedback Community site before the busy beta release season in the fall. The sign up takes only a few minutes to enter the information about your Autodesk product use and hardware you intend to use to test the pre-release beta software. We need you to provide the critical customer feedback which is vital to shape the future of all Autodesk products.

http://beta.autodesk.com –> New User Signup

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Assists Customers Garner Stimulus Dollars

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:01 GMT

"Federal stimulus dollars are putting Americans back to work on the nation's highways, but companies behind the scenes are reaping rewards as well.

At Autodesk's Manchester, New Hampshire, office, engineers are hard at work on simulations for shovel ready projects, thanks to the money states now have for infrastructure improvements through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."

The complete article and an accompanying video are available for viewing here.

Thank you.

AUGI | AEC EDGE is out!

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:07 GMT

As I mentioned in an earlier post the new magazine was nearly complete. When I wrote the earlier post my editing work was finished and just waiting on the publishing side of things to get wrapped up.

I just received the announcement from AUGI that other members should be receiving over the next couple days as the email "bot" does its work.
If you'd like to cut the wait short you can DOWNLOAD it now.

Thanks to each of the twenty contributing Authors and to Extension Media for helping make this a reality!! I hope that you enjoy it!

AUGI Special Election – Candidates

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:54 GMT

There are four candidates for two positions on the AUGI Board of Directors. The voting page is now open, although it will not go active until voting commences on 29 June. The candidates are (in alphabetical order):

Mark Kiker - Current AUGI President, runs the CADDManager Blog, one of the candidates in the failed election of 2008. Will remain President until end of 2009, regardless of this election result.
Kenneth Leary – Prominent contributor on the AUGI Forums (as Augi Doggie), AUGI Training Program Coordinator and AUGI General Survey Manager, runs the autocad power user blog.
Marv Muston – Former AUGI President (2004)
Dario Passariello - Educator for Autodesk products, developing a web site for AUGI Italy, runs his own site.

I encourage you to read their profiles (click on the names above) and examine the PDFs of their answers to a fixed set of questions. Also, check out the candidates' responses in the AUGI Board Candidates Discussion forum.

If you have anything to say about the candidates, their suitability for the position or their responses to questions, feel free to add your comments here. Such discussion is banned on the AUGI forums, but you won't find any such censorship here. As long as your comments are not actually libellous, I won't be modifying or deleting anything.

In a comment, R.K. McSwain raises the spectre of people being banned from the AUGI forums for their comments outside it. Having made one Streisand Effect error of judgement on this issue already, I wouldn't have thought the BoD would be silly enough to immediately repeat that error by getting even more heavy-handed, but you never know. I'm prepared to wear the risk, but if you're worried about it, you don't need to use your real name or AUGI forum name here. Even if you did, there's no way of the BoD proving that the person using that name here is the same person on the AUGI forums. I won't be handing out any identifying information to anyone, so go for it and say what you like.

AutoCAD MEP Panel Schedule Whitepaper

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:00 GMT

In AutoCAD MEP 2009, we made some changes to how electrical panel schedules are created. In prior releases, the panel schedules were generated by VBA code and were difficult to customize. They are now based on AutoCAD tables and users can create their own schedule "templates" to match their company standards. You can even bring in an existing Microsoft Excel schedule to speed up the creation process.

We have published a white paper which explains in more detail how to create your own custom panel schedules. Link to whitepaper: AutoCAD MEP Panel Schedule Whitepaper

Toby Smith, PE, LEED AP
AutoCAD MEP Product Manager

Pondering Password Possibilities for Autodesk Labs

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:00 GMT

Gyorgy Ordody is one of the software developers in Autodesk Labs. In response to our consideration of requiring Autodesk Labs login to download utilities, Gyorgy wrote this blog article.

Modern browsers have "remember password" features:

Firefox - Password Manager (Options/Security/Passwords)
Chrome - (Options/Minor Tweaks/Passwords)
IE6,7,8 - "Remember Passwords"

However, there is more: some sites support Yahoo Login, some support Google Login, Microsoft LiveID (formerly Passport), and there are independent initiatives like OpenID. The goal of all these to make it easier to log in, however they are not well adopted and their security features are not fully trusted. Mozilla Labs is trying to help this. They state the problem well here:

The current state of identity on the Web is not so great. Much of the ongoing discussion and efforts around user identity on the Web focuses on tying identities to new or existing networks and using various protocols for federating it. User experience in general suffers as protocols for federation (e.g. OpenID) involve complex redirects which jump the user from page to page and leave them open to phishing attacks-not to mention other "ajax" methods which are even worse from a security standpoint. So last week the Weave team took advantage of the Mozilla all-hands, and decided to sprint on the Weave Identity component to open it up to the Web. After only a few days of hacking we came up with some very exciting stuff to share!

The Mozilla Labs solution is Weave. It gives users more control over their information in the browser. For example, it syncs user preferences between Firefox instances. One feature, Weave Identity, securely shares login information among browsers of the same user on different computers. (Almost like user profiles in Windows.)

Advantages: 1 password controls all passwords and all preferences, works with the password manager.
Disadvantages: Only in Firefox, the users still have to sign up and sign in everywhere.

However, the Weave team reflects on a real problem: "The current state of identity on the Web is not so great." The biggest problem seems to be that security and user friendliness are in conflict: the simpler it is to login, the easier it is to phish. For example, banks employ the following solutions: The login window has images chosen by customers, no auto password can be used with randomized password field names, etc. Some banks hand out Secure ID key fobs as well. This might be anti-phishing, but it’s anti-user friendly as well: you have to remember all the user names and all the passwords for all the sites and type them in every time, too.

Another solution for this is Roboform a for pay product that keeps track of all passwords and logins and even synchronizes them between computers. The disadvantage is that it’s a Windows-only application that fully supports Internet Explorer but only supports Firefox to some extent.

There are other initiatives to achieve the single login on the web though. The foremost one is OpenID. "OpenID is a free and easy way to use a single digital identity across the Internet."

How does it work?

The user establishes an identity, at an independent and secure provider, that can be the user itself (http://willnorris.com/openid-support).
There are a set of well known, established OpenID providers, like Google, Yahoo, Wordpress, etc. or smaller, better known, simpler providers, like ClaimID, MyOpenID, VeriSign Labs, myid.net and myvidoop. You can compare the feature sets: http://willnorris.com/openid-support. Finally, here’s some info about how to create your own: http://www.intertwingly.net/blog/2007/01/03/OpenID-for-non-SuperUsers.
After the identity is established with a provider, that provider is used to verify users by the sites that support OpenID.

Question: Would you be interested in an Autodesk provided OpenID implementation? Would you use it? Let us know at thelabs@autodesk.com.

There is a problem with the adoption of these mechanisms: users are now accustomed to creating a new login for every site for which they sign up. Questions arise frequently about trust and security, and it’s a question what happens if the provider’s server goes down? For answers, here are some OpenID resources:

The last one is on http://blogs.com - the host of http://labs.blogs.com- that is running on the blog software Moveable Type, which also supports OpenID.

We could also use a trusted 3rd party login that comes with an API: the Google login, the Yahoo login, Live ID, Facebook connect. (you can see a comparison between Live ID, OpenID and Facebook Connect here: http://identity20.com/?p=153). This article brings up a good point about the benefits of Facebook Connect:

The killer feature though is something that will be hard for other potential platforms to do. Facebook strives to only have real identities. In the participatory web, the enemy has been the lack of accountability. Trolls pollute the conversation, spammers fill the web with garbage, and promoters try to game the system. Facebook kills off accounts that are not real people. I know. We had an account for Sxipper on Facebook. Sxipper only lived a few weeks. With the rich profile and feed data that a real user has, the barrier to creating what appears to be a legitimate account is very high. For many Facebook users, losing their Facebook account would be a catastrophe - so the motivation to behave is high for many which is why there is little spam in Facebook. Put this in sharp contrast to the barriers to creating an OpenID at Yahoo!, Blogger, AOL or MySpace. (There is little, Orange being an exception for OpenIDs associated with their customers.) Other social networks such as MySpace, Orkut etc. can’t provide the same level of assurance of accountability.

Facebook will support OpenID to a certain extent (http://www.secpoint.com/Facebook-Becomes-More-Open-with-OpenID-Support.html): "New users of Facebook will now be able to make accounts using their Gmail ID, while existing users should be able to link their ID with their Facebook accounts and therefore log in with their Gmail ID or any other OpenID account that supports 'automatic login'."

There are competitors to OpenID as well, for example SlashID: (http://www.slashid.com) - "SlashID stores an encrypted personal profile for each user and encrypted credentials for every site the user is registered with." However, it’s revenue based, one company is trying to manage your personal info (even though it’s encrypted). If the service goes down, the user will have to fall back to the old login/password.

Question: what would the readers feel comfortable with?

Thanks Gyorgy.