Autodesk Design Review (ADR) 2009 is worth updating to. Go to www.autodesk.com/dwf and download the new version.
Buzzsaw users can use ADR as the default viewer for looking at dwf files. I recently got a call from a user that couldn't see a feature in ADR and we determined that he was on version 4.
Uninstall the old version before installing the new version.
Here are a few of the features in ADR 2009 that people are excited about.
- Freewheel is now on the file menu in ADR. Freewheel is a web viewer for dwf that is zero client. A plugin can be downloaded from the Autodesk Labs site that allows Freewheel to be used in a collaborative environment. You can launch a web session and invite others to view files. Launch a telephone conference and you are in collaboration mode. Constructware users might find that this will fill the gap for a similar feature that previously existed in File Director.
- File Compare. This is not a new feature, but it may have been overlooked. You can compare 2 files to see what has changed in the revision.
Ask your design professional to provide dwfs the next time she sends you files. DWFs contain data that can be mined by using ADR. Something you won't get from that other file format.
Senior Public Relations Manager for Autodesk, Marie Domingo brought this article to our attention. It further demonstrates the power of moving away from paper based processes and sharing designs with the masses in digital formats. I think that Jonathon Knowles, Director of Worldwide Market Development for Autodesk Collaboration Solutions, summed up what we try to do very well when he said: "Reducing errors is a pretty big thing for most of our customers," "By moving away from a paper-based workflow into a completely digital workflow, they are reducing the amount of errors." 