LTCC "To see things in the seed, that is genius". Lao-Tzu

News about an upcoming event…

Registration for the 2010 Mid-Continent MicroStation Community Conference is now open! Be sure to register soon to qualify for our early registration discount.

Register at: http://www.tmcmcmc.org/modules/confreg/

What: 2010 TMCMCMC Mid-Continent MicroStation Community Conference

When: August 10th and 11th

Where: Overland Park Convention Center

Costs: Early Registration: $85/day/person (Early registration ends July 23rd at 5pm!)
After 7/23: $95/day/person Workshop fee: $60 per workshop

Click for the current agenda be sure to check back, we’re still working on the final version of the agenda.

Special Event:This year’s Special Event will once again be held at The Power Play in Lenexa, KS. This is a great opportunity to spend time with your peers outside the conference setting.

University of New Mexico is conducting a survey on BIM, related to the future of FM. If you are a facilities owner, please take a look and fill out the brief (5 min) survey. It consists of two parts, starting with a set of questions on current FM practices followed by a mock-up of FM BIM (read: not real), then a set questions on potential benefits and impact of BIM on FM.

Click here to take the survey.

In the last post I discussed the Stand Up Meeting concept.  Now I want to give you an example report.

I mentioned that the four questions each person should answer were:

1. What have you done since the last meeting?
2. What will you do before the next meeting?
3. Do you need anything from anyone before the next meeting to keep you on track (are there any roadblocks that need to be cleared, help needed?)
4. Are you on track with the overall plan? (if the plan or task extends beyond one meeting)

Here is what you might hear in a report…

“Since the last meeting I completed the upgrade of 15 computers to AutoCAD 2011.  I also started investigating the licensing management software and the subscription site.

Before the next meeting I will complete another 15 upgrades to 2011.  I will also define the tasks needed to move forward with our new licensing plan.

I need someone to help me gain access to the subscription site as I do not have a login yet.

The overall upgrade plan for AutoCAD 2011 says that we will be done in three more weeks.  I think I am on plan to get that done.”

or you may hear…

“Since the last meeting I completed only 10 of the 15 upgrades to move to AutoCAD 2011.  It is taking longer than we thought.

Before the next meeting I will complete another 10 upgrades to 2011.  I will also refine the overall plan to reflect the new information and time line we uncovered that is causing the delay.

I need someone to help me if we want to maintain the existing roll-out schedule.

The overall upgrade plan for AutoCAD 2011 says that we will be done in three more weeks. I think it will take an additional week to get that done.  We will also have to push back the licensing conversion”

Working collaboratively means boosting communications.  One way to do that is with quick – short meetings.

I personally call it a “Stand Up Meeting”.  I have heard it called “The Huddle” or other things.

Here are some basic ground rules for the meeting.

Meetings start on time.

Meeting last 15-20 minutes or less (depending on attendee count)

It should be short and sweet.  Direct and to the point.  No chit chat.

Everyone stands up.  No seating provided or used. (hence the name Stand Up Meeting)

Round-robin reporting.  Each person goes in turn.

If you cannot attend – send a representative.

Each person answers four questions:

1. What have you done since the last meeting?
2. What will you do before the next meeting?
3. Do you need anything from anyone before the next meeting to keep you on track (are there any roadblocks that need to be cleared, help needed?)
4. Are you on track with the overall plan? (if the plan or task extends beyond one meeting)

The meeting will not discuss solutions, options or planning – take that offline.

The leader will be tasked with running the meeting, staying on topic and moving conversations offline.

Meetings can be daily or weekly depending on the needs of the tasks, plans and group.

These meetings can be effective in exposing delays, increasing accountability and encouraging collaboration.

In my BIM travels I have had the honor of being a guest lecturer in Karen Kensek's classes at the USC School of Architecture. So to help get the word out for some events this summer I am happy to share these with you all... though if you are in or around the Los Angeles area it may be more applicable...

Prof. Karen Kensek is putting on The Fourth Annual USC Symposium on Building Information Modeling + Analytics Plus: Karen, along with Dr. David Gerber; also from the USC School of Architecture; are putting on LA: Kill BIM (BIM for a transforming profession)... you can find information and links for registration by clicking the 2 images above...

In my BIM travels I have had the honor of being a guest lecturer in Karen Kensek's classes at the USC School of Architecture. So to help get the word out I am happy to share these with you all... though if you are in or around the Los Angeles area it may be more applicable...

Prof. Karen Kensek is putting on The Forth Annual USC Symposium on Building Information Modeling + Analytics Plus: Karen, along with Dr. David Gerber; also from the USC School of Architecture; are putting on LA: Kill BIM (BIM for a transforming profession)... you can find information and links for registration by clicking the 2 images above...

Table of contents for Last Gasp

1. The Last Gasp for CAD
2. The Last Gasp for CAD – What made me think of this?
3. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 2
4. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 3

What will make it the last gasp for CAD?  What will be the final nail in the coffin of 2D CAD?  Will there be one final function that will move everyone to 3D?

Here are some events, items of functions that could make CAD be gone forever…

1.  We move away from hard copy deliverables.   As long as we push out designs out to flat 2d hard copy then 2D CAD will remain.

2.  3D fabrication for all objects becomes a reality.  There are many trades that have pressed toward 3D fabrication.  Manufacturing has made leaps and bounds in this direction.  They have always been 3D in fabrication and finally the tools have caught up with their desire for them.

3.  When Owners and end users want the 3D functionality from a perspective of really understanding it.  This has started happening.  Many owners are asking for more 3D, but they have not really understood the process or demands that it takes to make it a reality.  When they know the impact and the cost (time and money) and still want to fully embrace it, 2D CAD might be doomed.

4.  When design review can take place 100% electronically.  On screen review, markup and correction.  All of it – All Digital – All the time.  I know that this is happening now.  But not everyone is doing it.

5.  When some grand must have tool comes along.  What will be the Killer App in 3D CAD that will push everyone over the edge? I have no clue, but when it arrives, it will  change everything.

6.  When the Government “forces” people to move – kind of like Digital TV.  If you are not moving in the direction that your State government may be headed or the feds, you may be left behind.

Previous in series

Table of contents for Last Gasp

1. The Last Gasp for CAD
2. The Last Gasp for CAD – What made me think of this?
3. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 2
4. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 3

Last Gasp for CAD…  maybe not…

Here are some reasons that CAD may not be closing in on end of life.

1.  The developers of CAD software are still making strides in adding tools to the 2D world of CAD.  Each new release brings improvements.  They may seem small to most, but out there somewhere is a very happy user (many of them) that the new release does this or that.  And sometimes there are major upgrades that bring new functions.

2.  The trickle down of functions end up in the base CAD products. There are many items that use to be part of the advanced tools in the past that are now resident in the newer releases.  These improve the basic CAD functions and provide greater productivity.

3.  CAD is the basic 2D drafting function that everyone needs.  Face it – there are a lot of functions that you do that do not need to be in 3D.  They just are not 3D objects.  They do not need to be displayed in 3D.  Annotation comes to mind.

4.  CAD platforms are the guts of many advance tools.  Most of the migratory programs (those that continue to mature from a 2D platform) are based on 2D CAD code and functions.

5.  There are way too many people that just need 2D.  Scores of them.  Tons of them.  Dare I say – most of them?

Previous in series Next in series

Table of contents for Last Gasp

1. The Last Gasp for CAD
2. The Last Gasp for CAD – What made me think of this?
3. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 2
4. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 3

Here is the article that started me thinking about the Last Gasp of CAD.  It was an article in Harvard Business Review and one more in HBR.

In the article, Daniel Snow warns of a surge in old technology as new technology threatens to overtake it.

It is worth the read.

Previous in series Next in series

Table of contents for Last Gasp

1. The Last Gasp for CAD
2. The Last Gasp for CAD – What made me think of this?
3. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 2
4. The Last Gasp for CAD – Part 3

Technology transitions usher in new software, but the older technology may exhibit a resurgence or “Last Gasp” before it goes under.  A “Last Gasp” is a valiant attempt to revitalize a technology that appears to be reaching the end of it’s useful life.

A recent example of one such technology that might be nearing it’s last gasp is the standalone GPS devices like Garmin produces.  They produce a lot of differing devices, but the consumer level products lit the in car navigation are being impacted immensely by the GPS enabled Smartphones.  iPhones, Droids and the like have fully enabled GPS turn by turn directions that make the Garmin’s less needed.  Why buy a single purpose device?  Garmin is now trying to produce GPS devices that also make phone calls.  Too little, too late?

The reason I bring this up is that I was wondering if CAD is experiencing it’s last gasp.  AutoCAD has been around for over 25 years.  The CAD industry has begun the long promised move the better 3d Design tools like Revit and Inventor and Civil 3D.  Is AutoCAD finally near the end of the line?  Will there soon be little need for “drafting” tools that focus on 2D?

Next in series

So I decided to take Eddy Krygiel up on his challenge to model the volume of oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico by the BP disaster because it was just announced that the actual oil spilled may now be double the original estimates. Reuters says that approximately 2 million barrels may have leaked since the event on April 20.

2 million barrels =
84 million gallons/317 million litres =
415,895 cubic yards/317,975 cubic meters

How big is that? I started to build some masses in Revit to visualize this volume. First, I used an American NFL football field (160’ x 300’ – end zones excluded). The mass would be about 234 feet (71.3 m) tall. I then linked in a model of the Lever House office building (SOM) in New York. If I modeled a mass based on the footprint of the tower, the oil spill volume would be almost 1,400 feet (426 m) tall!

Here’s a link to download a 3D DWF file of this model to explore the scope of this disaster on your own.

Well, if you ever wanted to "Analyze the effects of solar radiation on various surfaces of your conceptual building model." right from Revit, then check out The Lab's newest Tech Preview video (for Revit) and click the link below the vid to get your own!!! This one's mine :-)

SOLAR RADIATION TECHNOLOGY PREVIEW for Revit

P.S. There are larger videos available from the link as well... Cheers

There are three exciting BIM-related events coming up this month in New York City – two of them are scheduled for Thursday June 10.

NYC Revit Users Group

What’s New in Revit Structure and MEP 2011
June 10, 6:00 pm

As a followup to our previous presentation on the new features of Revit Architecture 2011 (recording available on Vimeo), the June monthly meeting will focus on the latest and greatest enhancements to the Structure and MEP programs. Brian Johnson, PE – a Technical Specialist with Autodesk – will demonstrate the new stuff in Revit Structure while Jeremy Snyder, PE, LEED AP and Chad Konrad, PE, LEED AP from Buro Happold will show off some fantastic new tools in Revit MEP.

RSVP for the NYC RUG meeting by clicking here or register for the webcast.

RICS Americas

The X Factor for Building Information Modeling Success
June 10, 5:00 pm

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is hosting a panel discussion at NYU focused on the benefits in using uniform measurement standards and BIM. Moderated by Simon Taylor, FRICS, Principal of Questant Corportation, the panel will consist of:

• James P. Barrett, National BIM Director, Turner Construction
• David Burney, Commissioner, NYC Department of Design + Construction
• Greg Schleusner, Associate, HOK New York
• Andrew Mann, FRICS, Managing Director, Gardiner & Theobald Inc.

For more information and to register for this event, click here.

NYC BIM + NYC RUG Joint Event

BIM Construction to Assemblage: A New Perspective on Supply Chain
June 15, 5:30 pm

A special joint event between the NYC BIM Group and the NYC Revit Users Group will take place at the Gunlocke Company LLC. The presentation will consist of three speakers representing different viewpoints of BIM and the construction supply chain:

• Dr. Layek Abdel-Malek, PhD from NJIT will speak about the theory of tele-manufacturing
• Brian Frank, Manufacturing Industry Manager for Autodesk will discuss tools and software that are available or being developed
• David Campbell, Vice President of Operations & Technology at Hunter Roberts Construction Group will show how BIM is being applied and implemented with specific case studies

For more info and to RSVP, visit the NYC BIM group. NYC RUG members can RSVP by clicking here.

Click the image above to see more; or less ;-) unique Architecture.
Thanks to the Strange Buildings and the Bored Panda... HUH, Who knew Pandas liked to blog???

BTW: I used these images since a friend and I traveled to Rotterdam (during a trip to Amsterdam & England, in the ...well, a long time ago), just to see these buildings.

We had a great time (as far as I can remember)!!! The Lesbian bars there are great in Europe (a friend and I were in our 20's and kept finding bars full of women (YAAY!!!)... then we found out that we were in 'foreign' territory (read as: Lesbian Bars) ...damn and no-one bought us drinks... or did they??? I guess since I don't recall all of those years they probably did get us drinks... and most likely kicked our asses too...

Anyhow, once we traversed some 2-way roads (in a nearby village) that can only fit one car, in any direction at any one time (yes, that's what I said) we got to the 'Kubus woningen' and were lucky enough to get into a few of them... Fucking brilliant work!!! Views looking both up and down... Very good vibe...

Editorial Alert!!!
We need more individual expressions of creativity (especially in Architecture) since these types of buildings are still thought of as odd... THEY ARE NOT ODD!!! too many people are simply too boring!!!

There are more than the OOTB families 'out there', as we have discussed herein and elsewhere around the Blogosphere and by clicking the image above you will find 50 or so of these manufactures that provide Revit Content... just for YOU!!! OK, me too!!!

Be sure to check in on Bim.Construction.Com to find more from the McGraw Hill Construction family of publications.

My excellent colleague Greg forwarded this video to me. It was created by the developers of Archicad and it shows collaborative workflows between their BIM platform and Revit Structure as well as Revit MEP. This integration is enabled completely through the use of IFC files (Industry Foundation Classes) which are supplemented by free Revit plug-ins that optimize the IFC output. The IFC files are then merged into Archicad using specific filters based on the origin of the export. After merging, the imported model geometry is fully editable.

Recent blog posts on Revit OpEd and Bolt Out of the Red diminish the importance of IFC’s in a Revit BIM environment, but I say that this type of sentiment is short sighted in realizing the bigger picture. I can see the value of developing a direct and specific port for data using a fully open API, but does that mean that every program in the AEC market needs to develop a Revit plug-in for interoperability? Surely, Autodesk needs to spend some time improving the IFC import/export capabilities of Revit and we intend to share some necessary (and reality-based) areas for improvement.

As an aside, I have written a complete chapter in Mastering Revit Architecture 2011 titled “Interoperability: Working Multi-platform” which has all sorts of real world scenarios for sharing data with Revit. I hope you find it useful when the book hits the shelves.

<< Also published on Arch | Tech >>

Follow up to post from last week on Bentley Navigator and the iPad. Okay, Bentley - time to get it into the development cycle.

That question is also asked as:
WTF computer do we buy for Revit 2011???

I have gotten that question so much and expect it more so here goes... If you want to know what computers the experts recommend to buy for Revit 2011 I'd suggest the following as guidelines... As to manufacturers, that is more personal and let's not get personal here :-)

My recommendations:
OS = 64bit Mandatory
RAM = 16 GB Recommended; 8 GB Bare Minimum
Processors = Dual 6 Core Xeon Get the job done fast...-OK Dual Quad Xeons are OK too...
Video Card = 1TB, (I meant GB...Doh) If it's on the list below
Screens = Two 24" flat panels (Yes 2 monitors for everyone!!! even for support staff, etc... this boosts productivity 20 to 50 percent!!!)

Workstations: Autodesk Revit Architecture System Requirements

Use the ADSK recommendations above and consider them as a baseline for your options... meaning if you can afford more then you should get more; how much more? As much as your budget limits allow... Do I want to have this machine for more than a year (or two if we're lucky)? That is always the question I ask myself; because software is always pushing computers, not the other way around.

Video Cards: Graphics Hardware List

Get the "Supported, Recommended" video cards or choose others at your own risk.

SURF ABOUT IN THE NUMEROUS ADSK DISCUSSION GROUPS or THE AUGI FORUMS to see (or actually search for) even more...

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The technology subforum of the BIMForum has developed an interoperability survey in an attempt to get users to begin to articulate their needs.

Although there are many long term initiatives around interoperability, the technology subforum is focused on interoperability today - right in line with the BIMForum's mission of 'make BIM work now'.

Please take the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JX8Z2FR

The Revit Factory is surely busy and one of the great resources is The Revit Clinic... By clicking the image above you will get to a Structural specific posting regarding beam cutbacks, that many will find useful... That is if they use Revit Structure... Don't forget to surf the links therein...

Revit Architecture & MEP users/abusers will likewise find many many many postings there that will prove extremely valuable, so "word to the wise...".

Another resource for Revit Structure-ers is the book: Mastering Revit Structure 2010, by Thomas S. Weir, Jamie D. Richardson, David J. Harrington The 2011 book will be out soon, I hear... (Update: See the comment section below this post... sad faces all around, as no 2011 book is planned... 2010 book will suffice for 99.875% of 2011 learning needs though...)
BTW: If you are in LA and come to one of our LARUGs, I am sure we can get him to autograph your copy, (as Tom and I are Co-Chairs I may have pull :-)