Here at TrueShare we are always looking to expand our features and usability. So with businesses and designers in mind, we are pleased to introduce the newest feature addition to the TrueShare online file system: Autodesk Freewheel

Ever thought it might be cool to publish interactive versions of your AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, and Design Review drawings on your website or present them in a blog or newsletter? Autodesk Freewheel is a tool produced by Autodesk that allows you to easily present, collaborate, and share your 3D and 2D designs as DWF files.

Just like TrueShare, Freewheel is an application available to you without software downloads, and is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac, and all popular web browsers.  Autodesk Freewheel integration now comes standard with all TrueShare accounts for easy and powerful review and presentation of your designs.

You can use Freewheel to access any DWF file in your TrueShare file system in either of two ways:

The first and fastest way is to simply log in to your TrueShare, navigate to the folder containing the DWF file, click the File Action Menu for the DWF file you want to open and then select the “Freewheel” option to load the DWF into a pop-up window (turn off pop-up blockers first!).

The second way to present DWF files in your TrueShare system via the AutoDesk Freewheel technology is to embed the Freewheel application in your website. The example below is a sample drawing from the Freewheel gallery and contains 29 different views of the drawing. Essentially, what you’re looking at is a DWF file presented via the Freewheel API. Coding couldn’t be simpler, it’s just an iframe containing a source for the API and a TrueShare Direct Link to the drawing.

Here’s the code for the example below:

< iframe src=”http://freewheel.labs.autodesk.com/dwf.aspx?path=http://www.TrueShare.com/DirectLink/FileAccess.aspx?DLID=82suOPTwBHfLxrMj2rWM” scrolling=”no” height=”450″ width=”500″>< /iframe>

The width and height attributes can be set to whatever you want, so it’s very easy to configure the Freewheel interface to suit your site.

Interact with this Live Demo

Once you have your DWF file displayed in Freewheel, you can zoom in and out, rotate it 360° on the x, y, and z axis, and pan up, down, left or right.  Not only does Freewheel let you view your design in these different settings, but you have the option to print or even share your DWF file in the viewer via email.

Autodesk Freewheel adds a powerful feature to the TrueShare online file system that can be an advantage to engineers, designers, architects, and many other businesses using and sharing CAD drawings. It’s a new component that furthers the collaboration and multipurpose uses of the TrueShare system.

To take advantage of what TrueShare and Autodesk Freewheel can do for your team, your clients, and your website, sign up for a free TrueShare 7-day trial business account. For more info on Autodesk’s Freewheel see www.labs.autodesk.com/technologies/freewheel.

Today there are many ways to share pictures with friends, family, colleagues and clients.  Images can be found everywhere online, and any social media site worth its salt provides a photo album or gallery application.  With such an emphasis on sharing pictures, and so many outlets to do so, it can be hard to decide where to upload your image files.

I am a bit more traditional, and maybe even conservative when it comes to posting photos of my friends and family on the web. It seems safer to just make copies of pictures and pass them out at the next family function. Unfortunately, that’s not very cost effective or timely.

Email has come a long way as far as using attachments to send large files is concerned, but it is very inefficient unless you have the time to send three pictures per email. If you’re trying to share a vacation’s worth of photos, email is not an option.  Online profiles usually provide an outlet for pictures, but they frequently limit images by size and sometimes dimension.  Dedicated photo sites are also great for sharing, but are often inadequate with security.  I’ve read stories of personal pictures ending up in advertisements in foreign countries despite strict copyright protection.

The solution for me is a widget within the TrueShare online file system called PhotoShare. Not only can I safely keep my pictures in online storage in their original resolution, but I can share them with friends and family without allowing the rest of the world to see. It’s actually a revolutionary concept: A photo album that doesn’t take up shelf space (or disk space for that matter) and is accessible to anyone I choose, at any time.

Here’s how it works: I use TrueShare to send a direct link that’s associated with the photos I took last weekend to my sister. Yes, this is cloud computing, but it’s simple and easy to understand. TrueShare, in this instance, acts like a virtual thumb drive or a virtual hard drive “in the cloud”. My sister just clicks the link and there are the 150 photos I wanted her to see, viewed from their online storage through a flash viewer that starts automatically. The images are also not downloaded to her computer (unless she wants them to be) so they don’t take up any space. No more worries about attaching pictures or navigating complicated websites where pictures can be stolen.

Of course sending a direct link is not the only way to use PhotoShare to share pictures.  If you have a website, a blog, or even a newsletter, you can link a PhotoShare album easily using a simple image tag.  There are also embedding options for website integration, and slide shows you are able to connect to your blogs, sites, and articles.  So if you’re like me, and need a way to share your photos efficiently and affordably, check out PhotoShare. It’s changing the way we view things!

Each PhotoShare viewer can be set up with a number of configuration options. You can:

• Allow viewers to download one or all of the (full-size) images from the viewer
• Set up a number of different picture transitions
• Allow printing of the image from the flash viewer

With terms such as cloud computing and online file storage cropping up among the news and media, its evident there has been a shift in the way businesses are approaching communication and technology. Much like the printing press, which innovated communication and documentation in the 20th century, online file storage and sharing is revolutionizing the way we handle information. The latest change has come in the form of internet filing systems such as TrueShare, which can be organized and presented to anyone in the world at any time.

Evolving with Cloud Computing

Sure, the concept of “working in the cloud” or cloud computing has been around since the 60’s, but it has only began to appear in connection to internet services in recent years. As the global economy has evolved, it has become more important for companies to be integrated with the rest of the world. Clients, customers, and employees need to be connected with each other, and able to store and share files at will. The advent of the TrueShare online filing system into cloud computing allows everyone to synchronize their efforts to achieve maximum business opportunities.

The Benefit of Online Filing

What makes an online filing system better than other electronic or paper filing systems? The answer is instant access to files and documents for anyone, anywhere in the world. Few companies have a business solution in place to meet constantly evolving business requirements, and instant access is proving to be a major player in business success. What we need is a true online filing system that provides a folder tree and multi-user access with controls and permissions, just like a traditional operating system. TrueShare is this internet filing system.

TrueShare.com and its Advantages

TrueShare online file storage and file sharing is designed to bring unmatched productivity. It allows a business to organize, manage, and deliver files to clients, employees, and even suppliers. TrueShare is accessible from all major operating systems and browsers, making it ideal for integration without changing current setups. It also offers mobile phone support for ultimate connectability. The system is easily administered, and comes equipped with high security and encryption options. An internet filing system like TrueShare can also help eliminate rising costs of information technology with low and competitive prices. The age of thumb drives, email attachments, and the excuse of “it’s on my work computer” is over.

Cloud computing is an opportunity waiting to be embraced, and it’s time we take ultimate control over our files and documents and use it to our businesses’ advantage. TrueShare is that ultimate control, and a must have utility for any evolving business. It is the answer to capitalizing on investments, and seamlessly merges into the global economy with features such as online file backup, email notification, work groups, website integration, unlimited users, transaction logs and more. Make TrueShare your complete business solution to an online filing system.