Following the release of Autodesk AutoCAD 2016 in March, our team of consultants, trainers and technical support provided a review of how the new features can benefit you.
Our Senior CAD Support Engineers have taken a more in-depth look at how to create and use real backgrounds within the program.
AutoCAD’s image based lighting environments are stored in the program folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2016\Environments\Half_Hdr.
Make a backup of the standard HDR files in that folder and copy the new panorama, renaming it to the desired HDR image file. I used the plaza pre-set and named the new panorama to mi360_Plaza.hdr. Here’s our model of the Royal Enfield Motorcycle in front of the Symetri offices using the panorama we created.
If we zoom into a detail area of the image, reflections of the surrounding area add to the realism.
To demonstrate the difference between LDR and HDR images, I took another set of images at Tottenham Hale station and created an artistically modified version of the original. Here’s the stitched photography (with a bit of photoshop patching).
Apart from the ground texture having more definition, there is not much improvement in render realism.
And here’s the artistic version.
And the bike has a richer appearance.
Pseudo HDR from an SLR can save a lot of time compared with full HDR but it is also well worth experimenting with Photoshop effects and filters to improve the results.
The construction industry is entering a new era, and Bluebeam is once again leading the way. In 2026, Bluebeam Max will launch as a new premium subscription that combines the power of Revu with advanced AI technology. This blog highlights just some of features you will expect to see within Bluebeam Max.
In construction, the gap between the construction site and the office has always been a challenge. But by combining Bluebeam’s powerful PDF markup tools with GoCanvas’s mobile forms, companies can finally achieve seamless documentation that flows effortlessly from site to office.
Collaboration is the backbone of modern construction projects. Whether you’re reviewing drawings, marking up RFIs, or coordinating across multiple stakeholders, having the right platform makes all the difference. This blog reviews Bluebeam Studio (cloud-based) and Bluebeam Studio On-premise. While both enable teams to work together on PDFs in real time, the choice between them depends on your project requirements, IT policies, and security needs.