20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
Shaan's CER Viewer 1.0 helps users analyze crash reports from Autodesk products by reading XML and binary .pb files. It's a free, portable tool that requires no installation or internet connection. The viewer organizes crash data for easy comparison and includes features for batch analysis and anonymization, making troubleshooting efficient.
A day-by-day look at AU 2026 in Las Vegas - product team meetings, keynotes, a crashed live demo, my standing-room-only session on AI and the CAD manager role, Rebelution at Brooklyn Bowl, and the 36-hour crash afterward.
Autodesk moved CER crash reports from XML to binary protobuf with the 2025 products. Here is the viewer I built to read both, the parser bug that made me misreport the data twice, and the real numbers on the drawing field.
In March I said the v7 protobuf crash format had lost most of what made CER useful. The data was there. Two mistakes in how I decoded and parsed the files hid it, and here is what I found once I fixed them.
In scanning through LinkedIn today I noticed a fun diversion that combined places I love from around the world, and ESRI ArcGIS. Yes, all those in a fun web diversion where you can fly around the mapped terrains in your…
I gave Illoca's Plamo three photos of my house and a one-sentence prompt. Here's what the AI architectural modeler got right, what it got wrong, and why it feels like a smart SketchUp.
I updated my AutoCAD Release History and Autodesk Product Codenames page, covering versions from AutoCAD 1.0 in 1982 to 2027. The new entries include AutoCAD 2027 with the codename Xenon. Notably, the Civil 3D 2027 codename remains unconfirmed, while AutoCAD 2027 continues using the AC1032 DWG format.
Shaan will be in Las Vegas from September 13 to 20 for Autodesk University 2026, highlighting events and attractions beyond the conference. Key activities include his session on AI's impact on CAD management, immersive experiences at The Sphere, concerts by The Eagles and iHeartRadio Music Festival, as well as immersive art and outdoor activities.
The post discusses common mistakes that beginners make when using Civil 3D, emphasizing that many experienced users continue to repeat these errors due to outdated habits from treating the software as a drawing tool rather than a modeling tool. It suggests that beginners have an advantage, as they haven't developed these incorrect practices yet. Establishing effective checkpoints can help users recognize and correct their mistakes, ultimately fostering better modeling habits.
Two milestones, one stubborn habit: I still write because figuring things out—and saving time—still wins the day, even as software fades and treats fall.