He's the Guv'nor
And these are the chaps!
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He's the Guv'nor
And these are the chaps!
]]>You can then download and explore some of the winning entries in the 3D gallery here....
http://www.acrobatusers.com/tech_corners/3d/3d_gallery/?msglink=77
I particularly like the “Heart Structure, Function and Arrhythmias” [PDF: 6.6 MB] publication, it took first place in the Technical Publishing category.
It allows users to interact with objects through various means, including rotation and frame sequencing to show three-dimensional movies.
Also check the 3D human body model... ewwww! Well done Christian Lietzau :-)
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Moscow here we come for an all English final!
]]>I spoke today with someone using Acrobat but wondering how to convert a large number of existing documents, both PDF and Word into Accessible PDF. I believe he had almost got to the point of looking for some server based solution, when I reminded him of the batch processing commands in Acrobat professional.
Just look under
Advanced >> Documenbt Processing >> Batch Processing
Here you can easily create batch jobs that encapsulate many/all of the major commads that are available from the Acrobat menu system. Give it a try, it's ludicroulsly easy!
Oooh Matron!
If you use Adobe LiveCycle Designer, the Windows-only forms tool that comes with Acrobat 8 Professional and Acrobat 3D, you’ll want to log in to the second of our free, 75-minute Designer-related eSeminars — on April 16 (10 a.m. PDT) —
“Extending LiveCycle Forms with JavaScript and FormCalc.”
Thom Parker of Windjack Solutions will show how you can use JavaScript and FormCalc to extend the behavior of XML forms created in LiveCycle Designer. JavaScript enables automated forms handling, Web and database communication, commenting, additional user-interface capabilities and more.
This interactive session will cover:
• An introduction to the LiveCycle Designer scripting environment
• Practical script development, testing, and debug techniques
• Basic scripting examples in XML forms created with LiveCycle Designer
• Adding custom calculations
• Hiding and showing sections of a form
• Changing Form Field properties, such as border color
• Using check boxes, buttons, and combo boxes to control dynamic form features
I've had a cold that knocked me back for the best part of a week! Now I know that none of the women reading this will give me an ounce, nay even a scintilla of sympathy on this one.... The phrase "Man Flu" will rear it's ugly head and I'll be thought of as some complaining work-shy malingerer. I do think chaps suffer from discrimination when it comes to illness in the workplace.... Still, 'twas my first illness this winter, I almost made the whole season without a cold.
Back at work, we were visited last week by my colleagues from San Jose and I was reminded about a great blog from my colleague Joel Geraci, his blog is called "PDF developer Junkie" and I reccommend a read, it's at..
http://blogs.adobe.com/pdfdevjunkie/
I'm regularly asked about creating forms using Acrobat 8. Now, I may have coivered this before, but I thought it might be worth a reminder...
Create your form
So, you can design a form in your favourite layout program (or any program, Word for example), turn it into a PDF, open it in Acrobat 8, and choose Forms > Run Form Field Recognition.
Acrobat looks through the document and searches for anything that looks like a form field (such as "Name: ___________") and adds the interactive form field logic on top of the underscore part. The form field name is derived from the text preceding the underscore ("Name" in this case) and is sized appropriately.
The form field is now ready to accept data as is. You can use the Form editing tools to do things like change its appearance, add actions, and so on.
Choosing the Run Form Field Recognition command not only creates the fields (in a couple of seconds), but it displays a "Recognition Report" that lists all the fields it detected -- each one linked to the actual field for easy selection -- and includes "Hints for Repair" that explains why some of your fields may not have been detected.
I would say that overall, this works for around 75-80 percent of fields on a form, but it varies. I've had forms that were 100% recognised and some that were only 50% recognised.
Share your form
Once completed, simply "Save As" the form and you can send it to your intended recipient. Don't forget, if your target audience uses the free Adobe Reader, you should also use the "Distribute Form" option..... This will allow Free Reader users to add digital signatures to the form and also perform a "Save As" directly from the Reader....
I'm pleased this feature is generating interest as I think it's a great way for people to gradually move from paper based forms work towards eForms without a massive upfront cost in terms of labour and software expense.
Oh yes, and as people have been reporting all over the place..
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Software maker Adobe Systems Inc. beat Wall Street's expectations in the first quarter with profits that rose 52 percent on continued demand for its design and Acrobat products. For the three months ended Feb. 29, Adobe posted a profit of $219.4 million, or 38 cents per share, according to an earnings report after the close of trading Tuesday.
A pretty good start to the year, the best part for me being the continued strength on the Acrobat business, yes, I'm a bit biased.
Distance learning boosted by downturn – Financial Times, 17-03-08 PDF These are good times for distance learning. Steve Allison, a technical evangelist at Adobe, predicts significant changes in online learning. With employees increasingly mobile and working in remote locations, individuals will rely far more on e-learning. “With on-demand learning and instant access, the technology will allow you to push out all the information and it is then that you will get a change in the habit of learning,” he says. He says Adobe has found one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the acceptance of new technology is a traditional mentality, with older people reluctant to use the latest IT. To counter this, Adobe tries to ensure its products are easy to use.
Here's the link to the full article...
I'm back from the cold (averaging minus 25 degrees overnight, minus 9 during the day) I can reccomend Mont Tremblant in Quebec for anyone who like their skiing a bit on the cold side. That said, the snow was flipping awesome, we had a 16" dump overnight on one evening, as you can imagine, things were fluffy, then bumpy on the following day.
On the Acrobat news front, it is now possible to try Acrobat out for free in an online hosted version. This real-time TestDrive does not require product installation or download — it's the fastest way to try Acrobat 8 Professional. In just minutes you can start exploring Acrobat through your web browser on your own, or follow a series of video tutorials to experience some of the newest features.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/tryout.html?promoid=BONQG
Worth a look I'd say....
]]>I'm back in around 2 weeks so don't expect anything new, unless I fall, it rains etc. In which case I may get bored and post some pics.
]]>Anyway, back in the real world, I'm referring to the time spent yesterday with our training partners, many of whom work with Acrobat. They spent a day with us at Stockley Park and I hope they enjoyed the news and product updates etc. It was really good to see some familiar faces.
Since there's not too much to cover that's new with Acrobat, I simply ran through some recent news, Leopard Support, the new Acrobat 3D update etc... I then looked at some new stuff on Adobe labs, in fact, I reckon you should have a look too...
BRIO
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/brio/
Built on Adobe's Flash platform, Brio operates inside most popular web browsers, so you can start a meeting without worrying if others have a compatible system or the right software.
Brio beta allows you to:
* Host unlimited online meetings with up to 3 meeting participants.
* Interact with easy-to-use screen sharing, chat and whiteboards.
* Access your meeting instantly with a personalized, easy-to-remember URL.
* Distribute documents and files to meeting participants.
* Use integrated VoIP, teleconferencing and multi-point video.
SHARE
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/share/
Preview Adobe’s latest online offering codenamed "Share", a free web-based service that allows you to easily share, publish and organize your documents.
With Share you can:
* Send documents without email attachments.
* Access your documents from anywhere.
* View all the documents you have shared or received in one place.
* Post a link to your document on a wiki or blog.
* Embed a Flash® preview of your document on any website.
* Limit access to a document to a list of recipients.
I'm using both technologies at the moment, let me know what you think.
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) released the list as part of their 2007 Anti-Piracy Year In Review report.
Two lists were of note in the report - the 10 most frequently pirated by companies and the Top 10 most frequently pirated on the Internet. The lists are as below:
2007 Software Titles Most Frequently Pirated By Companies
1. Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
2. Adobe Acrobat
3. Symantec PC Anywhere
4. Adobe PhotoShop
5. Autodesk AutoCAD
6. Adobe DreamWeaver
7. Roxio Easy CD/DVD Creator
8. Roxio Toast Titanium
9. Ipswitch WS_FTP
10. Nero Ultra Edition
2007 Software Titles Most Frequently Pirated on the Internet
1. McAfee VirusScan
2. Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
3. McAfee Internet Security Suite
4. Intuit TurboTax
5. Adobe Photoshop
6. Adobe Acrobat
7. Intuit Quicken Home and Business
8. Symantec Norton pcAnywhere
9. Symantec Norton Ghost
10. Adobe Creative Suite
The SIIA have been busy trying to protect consumers as well as prod businesses into ensuring they buy legal copies of software.
“As we continued to aggressively pursue those who illegally sell or distribute pirated software and content, we also increased our educational outreach efforts in 2007,” said Keith Kupferschmid, SIIA SVP of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement. “By balancing enforcement with education, SIIA was able to crack down on illegal software sales and help consumers avoid purchasing pirated software. We also made strides in helping legal, public relations and other professionals effectively do their jobs within current copyright law.”
SIIA’s Corporate Anti-Piracy program has been in operation for 20 years but of all 2007’s 427 reports of alleged corporate end-user piracy, SIIA found only 17% sufficiently reliable to pursue. Productivity software is a favourite target for pirates, which shows there is demand.
]]>This free update provides support for more recent versions of CAD file formats for Adobe Acrobat 3D and the 3D Toolkit. See the table below for details of the CAD formats and versions supported with this update.
Please link to www.adobe.com/go/a3d_update to download this update. Please share this link with anyone that can benefit from this update.
This download includes translator updates for the following CAD file formats:
CAD Format Supported Versions
Autodesk Inventor Up to 2008
I-deas Up to 13
JT Up to 8.2
NX (Unigraphics) Up to NX5
OneSpace Designer Up to 2007
SolidWorks Up to 2008
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/captivate/articles/movieclip_to_pdf.html
That's a great link to an article from the deveoper centre, enjoy.
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