A CAD/Carlson Software buddy – Dent Cermak – passed along a response from FEMA to questions regarding the features available on FIRM maps. The FEMA rep recommended using National Flood Hazard Layer data to view flood data overlays on aerial, street and other imagery. The NFHL data is available  via an online viewer here: http://fema.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=cbe088e7c8704464aa0fc34eb99e7f30.

Another way to access the NFHL data is to download it as a KMZ file that can be opened in Google Earth: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/wps/portal/NFHLWMSkmzdownload.

So, I thought this was pretty cool and when I asked for Dent’s permission to share on my website, he passed along a couple more .kmz files that were even more cool! These are courtesy of Ladd Nelson at Carlson Software.

If you have Google Earth installed on your computer, you only have to double-click to open these files in Google Earth.

KMZ file with US State Plane NAD83 Zones overlay – ZIP file

KMZ file with UTM Zones overlay – ZIP file

Problem: You’re running Carlson Software and need a new computer… What do you need and how much do you need to spend?

The shortest answer is to follow this link to Carlson’s website: Carlson Software System Requirements

The short answer, if you’re running one of Carlson Software’s programs with embedded AutoCAD/OEM or on top of a full AutoCAD, is to follow Autodesk’s system recommendations/requirements for the platform. The Carlson part that runs on top has a relatively light footprint compared to the AutoCAD underneath, so you’ll need to make sure your new computer can run the AutoCAD-engine and the rest will be fine.

Carlson running on top of IntelliCAD also has a pretty light footprint compared to anything developed by Autodesk. Unless your drawings are loaded with a lot of layout tabs and viewports, there’s a very good chance an off-the-shelf computer from Best Buy or Wal-Mart will be sufficient.

Since I’m a self-described hardware “dummy” and that’s not the most technical answer, I asked Leonid Entov, the Assistant Director of Office Software Development at Carlson Software, for a better, layman’s-terms answer:

In one sentence, I would summarize recommended computer as i7 processor, discrete graphics (not integrated), preferably Nvidia chip since we seen more of driver issues with ATI/AMD and 8 gb of RAM (Windows tends to eat too much of 4gb these days). You do not have to go to gaming computers, something like this would be possible to find in $700+ range in laptops.

Since there are too many CPUs on the market, this site helps to compare individual CPUs : http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Thanks Leonid!

And I can’t post this without reminding everyone that Carlson’s tech support team is great and will be happy to answer any specific questions you have. Their tech support is free, all the time, whether you’re using a 30-day trial or if you’ve already purchased and whether you’re using the most current version of the software or one that’s 10 years old.

Click here to request a 30-day trial of Carlson Software

It’s workshop and PDH time again!

We’re mostly following the same calendar as last year with a 1/2 day in Asheville and 2 full days in Statesville and Raleigh. Each event includes drinks, snacks, lunch, door prizes/giveaways and “day-of-show” pricing for Carlson Software including new seats and maintenance renewals.

Register for the Statesville events by Sept 30^th or for the Raleigh events by Oct 31^st for early registration discounts. Late fees will be applied to registrations within one week of each event.

Carlson Software Workshop in Asheville NC, Monday Nov 17^th
View Announcement  –  Register Now!

Statesville Workshop for Surveyors and Contractors, Tuesday Nov 18^th
View Announcement   –  Register Now!

Statesville Workshop for Engineers and Designers, Wednesday Nov 19^th
View Announcement  –  Register Now!

Raleigh Workshop for Surveyors and Contractors, Tuesday Dec 9^th
View Announcement  –  Register Now!

Raleigh Workshop for Engineers and Designers, Wednesday Dec 10^th
View Announcement  –  Register Now!