I have Word 2003. If you go to Tools, Templates and Add-ins you'll see the Document Template you're using (named 'normal.dot' by default). If you hit the Attach button you'll see where that file is located. This file holds the default settings that Word uses when it starts up. What you need to do is set up your document exactly how you'd like to see it when you open Word, then save it as a template overwriting the normal.dot file.

(I suggest making a backup of your normal.dot before doing this, by the way)

Hope this is what you're looking for.

Hey CADken, how about updating YOUR profile so I know where you're coming from. I'm in the Philly area too and am always looking for a good brewer. I haven't found many notable micros around here but still like to buy local beer. Stoudt's is kind of local (Adamstown, near Harrisburg), they nail every style they make and Troegs has done some great beers too. Can't forget Yuengling either, they're solid. I went to college near them and their lager was a staple everywhere, it is one of a kind.

I agree that it's the same as alcohol or tobacco (or even less severe), IMHO the reasons it is illegal pretty much everywhere are political and economic. I see no physical side effects that are any worse than those from alcohol or tobacco and had never had anything but FUN with it. I've also had friends that have used it with great results to help them through chemotherapy. Ever seen a guy on chemo devour a 18" hoagie? I have.

Smoke up, Johnny.

Do I get extra points for mentioning the White Stripes? Only 2 members.

Tough question, so my answer is break away from the mainstream, Robert! I often get tired of the guitar/bass/drum/vocals formula and reach for some Morphine. They invented and perfected the sax/bass/drum/vocal formula. Great stuff you should check out. A bit dark but give it a shot.

Not at all John, my 3 year old son has better manners. I have trouble getting past stuff like that (despite what my avatar might make you believe), and I think it's pretty telling of one's personality.

I don't have a gym membership, I have a wood stove and a wooded lot. Keeps the back strong, the stress down, and the house nice and toasty. I also have a gorgeous mountain bike that used to take up most of my free time but is currently saddled with a kid's seat. The bike rides aren't nearly as long or intense anymore but it's the best way to keep the kids involved with whatever I do and he loves bombing thru the woods with me.

Anybody seen this video yet?

Videotrace is software for tracing 3D models from objects in a video. Kind of like the video version of SU Photomatch. Software is currently being beta tested.

A bit about the project: http://www.acvt.com.au/research/videotrace/

Couple this technology with the rumor about Google technology to read text in video and it gets even more interesting, eh? Whizbang!

Anssi mentions a coulple things you may want to try in THIS POST

to quote him..

@unknownuser said:

To make SU go faster you can, for instance

• turn off textures and shadows
• hide parts of your model that you are currently not working with
• use 2D cutouts (with alpha-channel transparency) for trees and people instead of 3D components
• replace taxing 3D components with simple placeholder objects, and reload them when your model is finished.

The last bullet in that list would probably help you a lot in this case, especially if you're using 3D trees.

That's a pretty useful tid-bit Jordan, thanks for sharing.

That's funny, my son just this week started to be scared of the dark so I'm looking for ideas. I'm not sure this is the solution though, this thing may be scarier than the dark. (maybe not so bad if it wasn't mounted mere inches from his sleeping face) Think I'll stick to the traditional outlet mounted soccer ball shaped night light.

The kid looks like he's swatting at it.

The demo he did at TED shows some different functionality...

Thanks Eric, a rare nod to the mapheads out here.

To build on Chris's idea, intersect with model, then hide the geometry you don't want for the desired result. Wouldn't hidden and not hidden states of the geometry be the boolean 'attribute'? Are you looking to have this functionality in your work with excel tables and the hidden attribute is not doing the trick?

I love how you got the mountains to reflect in the windows in the second one. Impressive.

(I have no idea how you did it, by the way)

Great story, Roger. I'm very curious about where you were in AZ, I lived there for years and am pretty familiar.

I find this topic fascinating. A favorite book of mine is called 'Topophilia, A Study of Environmental Perceptions, Attitudes and Values' by Yi-Fu Tuan. It examines the cultural and social differences in the ways we interpret our surroundings. It's a great read on this subject.

One story he relates is about a visit to an indigenous people living in a dense forest. None of them had strayed far from their village for generations, nor had any of them left the forest. The author then takes one of them to the edge of the forest to a vast plain where they could see for miles. The man asks the author about a figure he sees on the horizon, to which the author replies it is an elephant. The man breaks into hilarious laughter and tells the author not to be so silly and that everyone knows that elephants are enormous animals, not small like insects. (recalled from memory so please excuse any inaccuracies, it's been a while but you get the idea)

No problemo, I'm on WinXP Pro, SU6 Pro. I plan on using this script a bunch next week on a project I'm starting up, I'll let you know if I find any gremlins. And thanks for the pdf, it's very helpful and will help me learn my architectural terminology quicker.

Have a good weekend!

TIG, this script is awesome. I tested it out a bit and it did everything I would expect it to do without a hitch. I work mostly in geographically large models where I need to build many houses in a neighborhood or along a steet and this will be a huge timesaver for me, especially on overhangs. I like that I can simply input the rise:run ratio and other desired dimensions and presto (I just need to learn the terminology a bit better, I'm a GIS guy by trade). Great guidance while working with it too, making sure things are selected correctly.

I did notice that none of the images show up on your help page, is that something I overlooked at install?

Solid work, thanks.
Eric

Welcome to the forum, Mike.

Getting the image from GE is always going to be B&W, it's still useful for geolocating your model and getting terrain. Here's a bookmark I've got for adding color to your GE terrains in SU, hope it helps...

Adding color to your Earth snapshots

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Great model and render. Nice to know that Dirk the Daring will be making a comeback. (I was a total junkie)