You can download individual cabinets, an entire cabinet series
or Hamilton's entire Revit family libraries. Consider using the
"ZIPS" folder to bring down the latter.
I'm conducting a
Revit
Architecture 2010 Fundamentals Class in our Chicago Loop
office June 16-18th.
Search our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule for a Revit Architecture, Revit
Structure or Revit MEP class and/or a web-based class that fits
your busy schedule.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Senior Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager if this 3-day Revit Architecture
Fundamentals (New User) training class fits into your schedule.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
CANSTRUCTION Design Competition is in Chicago this week; I'm
anxious to see the models built by Chicago's design firms to
fight hunger...and get more pics from this cool event @ the
Holiday Inn Mart Plaza | Sun Times Ground Level Lobby!
My personal thanks to
Michael Pavlovich, Business Development Manager for our
IMAGINiT Australian Offices for a related question that
prompted this research.
American Stair
Corporation has been an iconic supplier | fabricator for stairs in the
construction industry for more than 50 years.
They are expanding their
CAD
deliverables to include Revit-BIM deliverables.
American Stair's first task is to provide general 3D Revit-BIM
stair-railing models to general contractors that are coordinating
the clash detection of a BIM-based project model.
Visualization for the fabrication of complex stair systems, is
just one key benefit; that American Stair is beginning to realize
internally.
Below is 1 of the 12 project stairs we began modeling during
my visit this week. The West Coast GC is using
NavisWorks
(in the job trailer) to coordinate the BIM deliverables from the
subcontractors.
American Stair began modeling these stair-railings from 2D
architectural and structural AutoCAD DWG files.
...many firms and companies are rushing to develop new
processes that can bridge on-site construction techniques with
the innovations that have been emerging on the design end of the
process.
Jason Panter's program and company,
PointStake, grew out of his
frustration with the inefficiency of the industry's general
practice for plotting points on a construction site.
Traditionally, a field engineer's job is to take the
architect's plans and manually calculate the points, corners and
distances one-by-one. The process is slow and equations
calculated by engineers up all night in order to have points
ready for the next day are plagued by human error.
PointStake works as an
application to
AutoCAD®.
Based on detailed equations Panter developed, the program takes
the digital rendering of the design and immediately translates
coordinates into real-world measurements and points.
Go to article for more details...
Mr. Panter sent me an email confirming, "...PointStake v1.5
works well on all versions of AutoCAD® that support VBA
modules including AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD 2010."
PointStake is just one of a few emerging construction
technologies featured in this
NashvillePost.com article.
Visitor Comment 2009-June-04
Hey Dan, it has been a while since we have connected. Probably
about 5 years ago at the AIA in Madison was the last time we
spoke. I’m now in Nashville, TN...I have had the good
fortune of meeting Jason Panter and his team from PointStake. He
shared with me you mentioned him in your blog. I can tell you
that he and his business partners are quality people and are
great to work with. His software and services bring a lot of
value to the table. Should you uncover that type of need with one
of your clients, I can highly recommend Jason, his team, and his
services.
We pause a moment to reflect on the "ultimate price" paid by
those fallen patriots; that defines the real meaning of Memorial
Day weekend.
We also gratefully acknowledge and honor the loss to the
families and friends they left behind by their sacrafice.
Thank You!
A few years ago; I bought an extra poppy on Memorial Day...to
carry on my computer case...providing me a daily reminder that
freedom is not free...someone paid and continues to pay for the
freedom I enjoy everyday.
Hope your weekend was memorable with family, friends and
freedom!
Mike's key points | comments from his
comprehensive article
"As I read more and more articles about
Integrated
Project Delivery (IPD), I am concerned about how little
discussion there is on what I believe is essential to a
successful IPD project--
the need for an organized/structured TEAM
building process as a part of the project plan."
...my experience indicates that to maximize the full potential
of IPD, we also
need to focus on team building as an
organized step in the process.
More effort and planning needs to be put into establishing
the components of TEAM (Trust, Enthusiasm,
Appreciation, and Mutual respect) that can be continued
throughout the duration of the project and maximize the full
potential of IPD.
There are
four aspects of team building that
need to be considered: First, how do you build a team? Second, is
the relocation of the team to one central location worth the
investment? Third, how does BIM figure into the team equation?
And finally, after the team planning, is everyone performing as a
team? This article attempts to address each one of these
aspects.
Mike Whaley, Architect | PreConstruction Director
Mike's background includes over 25 years in the profession of
architecture, including being a partner in firms in suburban
Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin, before joining the Findorff team.
In addition to his role at Findorff, Mike currently serves on the
AIA
Committee on Integrated Project Delivery.
In his role as Preconstruction Director, Mike leads a team of
sixteen professionals involved with Timberline estimating, BIM
and construction visualization and integration, LEED initiatives,
scheduling, constructability reviews, and Owner preconstruction
project management services.
Related IPD / BIM Design Process | Contract
Articles:
In 2003, a couple small design firms provided their business
cases (return on investment) for choosing Revit® Building
(now
Revit®
Architecture) for their firms. Autodesk captured their Revit
success stories to video.
Oculus Inc's Revit
success story was captured in the video below. They are a St.
Louis-based architectural-interiors design firm.
To summarize but not overstate the video; "
In a down economy, this small firm is winning
bigger business, increasing profitability, increasing project
turn around and client satisfaction while expanding their
business market using Revit."
In the first year of its release, I shared their video in more
than 50 client presentations and to hundreds of architects,
designers, and principals as an educational speaker for their
association events.
Three laptops later, I still have this video on my desktop.
Oculus continues to develop the use of Revit for their
architecture and interior design business.
Council of Educational Facility Planners International
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
makes billions of dollars available through grants and bonding
authority to states and localities for the construction, repair,
renovation and modernization of K-12 and higher education
facilities.
Hear from the experts on how these funds will be allocated,
distributed and administered, and how design, construction and
school facility professionals can partner with state and local
agencies to utilize this funding.
Seminar Topics
How funds from the Department of Education State Stabilization
Fund can be used for school modernization, renovation and
repair
How the Build America Bonds, Qualified School Construction
Bonds and Qualified Zone Academy Bonds can be used Additional
sources of funding for school facilities in ARRA, including
Impact Aid and Indian schools
Presenters
Judy Marks, Deputy Director, National Clearinghouse for
Educational Facilities
Timothy Jones, IRS Chief Counsel, Tax Exempt Bond Branch
Bob Canavan, Rebuild America's Schools Coalition
Space is limited, so register today.
Registration
To register, send an e-mail to
webregistration@aia.org
and include the word "register" in the subject line. You will
then receive the web and phone log-in information. For more
information, e-mail
govaffs@aia.org.
Their website indicates; "A. O. Smith is pleased to be the
first Water Heater Manufacturer to offer you 3D Revit models."
and "Check back frequently as we will add additional Revit
models."
New Educational Opportunities for Unemployed
Workers
Americans with more education and training have more secure
jobs and higher earnings. With jobs hard to find, it may be a
good time to consider going back to school.
The President recently announced that unemployed workers
receiving unemployment benefits may qualify for a special hand in
paying for education and training. And aid can be significant: In
particular, the Federal Pell Grant program can provide up to
$5,350 for educational costs at community colleges, colleges and
universities, and many trade and technical schools. This is only
one example of several federal student aid programs available to
assist unemployed workers.
Utilizing the theory of electrostatics, we have designed a
low-cost human-computer interface device that has the ability to
track the position of a user's hand in three dimensions. Physical
contact is not required and the user does not need to hold a
controller or attach markers to their body. To control the
device, the user simply waves their hand above it in the
air.
A
LINKEDIN membership is free.
Once registered, you can "apply for a membership" to a GROUP. So
be sure to fill out as much information about yourself in
your LINKEDIN
Profile; PRIOR to applying for a Group Membership. It will be
reviewed prior to your approval.
Yes, software user groups are valuable. I've had my
RevitCity and my
AUGI memberships for years.
Including the AUGI Revit forums that date back and originated
from the "
days of Zoogdesign.com".
The LINKEDIN Groups have both focused topics and field
expertise that I've found valuable and refreshing.
BTW; you can start your own LINKEDIN group for your topic or
for your user group; get creative.
YourFonts.com is an online font generator that allows you to create your
own OpenType fonts within a couple of minutes.
Revit uses only Windows Fonts for it's annotation objects;
(dimensions, tags, text, schedules, etc). Revit users are always
looking for presentation or unique handlettering fonts for a
variety of tasks.
I'm conducting a
Revit
Architecture 2009 Fundamentals Class in our Chicago Loop
office April 28-30.
Search our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule for a Revit Architecture, Revit
Structure or Revit MEP class and/or a web-based class that fits
your busy schedule.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager if this 3-day Revit Architecture
Fundamentals (New User) training class fits into your schedule.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
The
Autodesk
Assistance Program which provides Free or Reduced Cost Software, Training and
Autodesk Certification was announced today.
Autodesk Assistance Program
Description
The
Autodesk
Assistance Program is designed to help displaced employees in
the Architecture, Engineering, Design and Manufacturing
industries update their skills and improve their employability in
a down economy.
Program Benefits Include:
Free* license of Autodesk software for non-commercial
use
Free online training available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week
Reduced cost classroom training from participating
partners
Certification preparation and exams available at discounted
rates
* Free products are subject to the terms and
conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies the
software.
IMAGINiT Sponsorship of Autodesk Assistance
Program
As Autodesk has finalized their program details; IMAGINiT will
be posting the details of our participation early this week.
Please watch this page for updates.
Contact your
IMAGINiT
Sales office or your IMAGINiT Account Manager regarding the
details of our program participation.
Seize the opportunity now. Don’t just
survive, thrive!
I'm conducting an AutoCAD® 2009 Essentials training class
(new users) in our Chicago Loop office from April 7th-9th.
I started using AutoCAD almost 25 years ago. It was AutoCAD
1.x for a design firm,
Potter Lawson in Madison,
Wisconsin. Who knew the influence that "little-known" AutoCAD
would have on my career path.
Traditional classroom or mobile training classes may be
searched on our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule. Search for a Revit Architecture,
Revit Structure, Revit MEP or AutoCAD Architecture training class
and/or a web-based training class that fits your busy schedule.
Contact your IMAGINiT Account Manager for dates that meet your
timelines.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager if this 3-day AutoCAD 2009 Training
Class fits into your schedule. If you prefer; call Tiffany 312
431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312 431-0125 x25
Three Revit 2010 3D | 4D Construction YouTube Videos [
set to music] that simulate-animate
the construction-phasing process. Site preparation, crane
placement, construction material storage and staging, concrete
pours, steel erection, glazing installation and more.
These Revit 2010 construction videos demonstrate "how do contractors and
builders use Revit or BIM within the construction process?"
Zipcar® was founded around the European concept of car-sharing 10
years ago. While teaching in Chicago; I learned of this
innovative, green alternative to car ownership and rental.
Here's how the car sharing concept
works:
First Sign up and create a member account
Obtain your physical Zipcar ZipCard.
Locate a Zipcar car near your location.
Schedule a reservation via phone, web or smart phone.
Go to a car's location and swipe your ZipCard to unlock the
car.
At the end of your reservation; return the car to the
original location.
Use your Zipcar ZipCard to lock the car.
Your membership account will be debited for your reservation
time.
Zipcar posts 4 significant "green
benefits to car sharing" that they've been tracking through
and from their members' responses.
Now that I'm "car-sharing aware"; I saw a car with a "
CommunityCar" logo on it; while attending my daughters' Fine Arts
Fair in Lake Mills, Wisconsin this weekend.
CommunityCar is a car-sharing service located in Madison, Wisconsin.
"
CommunityCar Green Roots: Every gallon of gas burned emits
20 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - a greenhouse gas - into the
atmosphere. Community Car is a member-based carsharing service
that
provides cars by
the hour for individuals and organizations. Members share
access to a fleet of
high gas-mileage and hybrid-electric vehicleslocated in
reserved parking spots throughout the city."
My thanks to
Matthew Zoccola, our
Academic Account Executive for Illinois, for presenting this cool
green idea of car-sharing.
Car-Sharing provides service for business, students and your
everyday errands. You may find the means to
divorce one of your
cars.
Revit Architecture 2010 | New Features Video
- Part 1 of 3
Chico Membreno, Technical Marketing Manager for Architecture
Products, Autodesk, narrates a slide show highlighting new
features of Autodesk
Revit
Architecture 2010. This segment includes an introduction and discussion of
Conceptual Design Features.
Revit Architecture 2010 | New Features Video
- Part 2 of 3
Chico Membreno, Technical Marketing Manager for Architecture
Products, Autodesk, narrates a slide show highlighting new
features of Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010. This segment
includes a discussion of User Interface features .
Revit Architecture 2010 | New Features Video
- Part 3 of 3
Chico Membreno, Technical Marketing Manager for Architecture
Products, Autodesk, narrates a slide show highlighting new
features of Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010. This segment
includes a discussion of Performance and Interoperability
features.
Revit
Architecture 2010 features a sleek new user interface that offers optimized
desktop organization, a larger drawing window, quicker access to
tools and commands, and the ability to customize tool locations
based on your workflows.
The Ribbon Process in Four Minutes | The Revit 2010 Ribbon |
Designing the User Experience
This Revit Architecture 2010 video was part of a February 6,
2009 press webcast. The demo highlights the new Revit 2010
massing environment for conceptual design in Revit Architecture
2010.
Revit Architecture 2010 Video highlighting the Revit 2010 User
Interface (UI) enhancements.
Revit Architecture 2010 Video Demonstration with Autodesk 3ds
Max Design
OWP/P |
Naomi Berkove is busier than ever. "We're increasing our
learning activities in opposite proportion to the economy," said
Berkove, the firm's learning and development manager. "We see
learning as something that can be our competitive advantage,"
Berkove said.
Chicago Tribune
MindingYourBusiness
writer,
Ann Meyer, writes an insightful article documenting
innovative stimulus strategies of a few Chicago design firms.
Rena Klein, a Fellow with the
American Institute of Architects:
"Small businesses in any industry stand to gain from updating
their skills, sharpening their focus and mentoring new leaders
within the organization."
Harley Ellis Devereaux |
David Moehring, co-chairman of
AIA Chicago's practice
management committee. While holding the line on costs, the firm
is paying for staffers to earn certification in Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Deborah Pierce, architect and chairwoman of the
American Institute of
Architects' Small-Project Practitioners committee: Having the
chance to learn new software, upgrade a computer or research
greener materials and design approaches is a luxury for small
firms, whose principals often wear many hats.
Massey Hoffman
Architects |
Bill Massey, partner at Massey Hoffman Architects: "We're
using surplus time to get projects published in architecture
magazines, enter design competitions, expand its Web site and do
pro bono work." The Chicago firm launched a Web site in January;
it's already paid off with a new client. "Nowadays, people are
going to check you out on the Web before ever making a call,"
Massey said.
Joseph Trojanowski
Architect of Oak Park has optimized his Web site, participated in
online discussions about architecture and increased his
professional networking. The idea is to be "active and involved
and connected to people," he said. He has more clients than a
year ago, but the projects are smaller.
As Architects, we always are striving for Equilibrium in our
designs and practices. We strive for a good balance between
design and client needs and between design and the effect of the
project on the environment and surroundings. Architects seek
balance between the best and most efficient design and client
budget. Architects work to create Equilibrium through good master
planning and the design of green buildings that are
environmentally friendly.
Continue Reading on Website
Glenn Mattison (WI Senior
Account Manager) and I will be located again in
Booth 207; very close to the food and
beverages. Stop by for a visit.
Project
Compassion was featured on our Milwaukee news last night. A Milwaukee
family of a fallen American Patriot was honored by this final
tribute, a professional, artist-painted portrait of their
son.
We are honored by the service of all of our country's patriots
that serve/served and to those that paid "the ultimate
sacrafice".
...for a fallen American military service member who has
passed away in active service since the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, regardless of the location or circumstances
of death."
The Milwaukee family's reaction to the delivery of their
special gift, was overwhelming. I felt compelled to make sure the
families of our fallen patriots are aware that they are eligible
to request and receive these portraits at no charge.
Here is the
Project
Compassion Sponsors Page that is listing all of the sponsors
that are underwriting this service of honor for these fallen
patriots and their families. Thank You!
I'm conducting an AutoCAD® 2009 Essentials training class (new
users) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from March 17th-19th. It will
conducted in the technology park at the intersection of Mayfair
Road and Watertown Plank Road.
I started using AutoCAD almost 25 years ago. It was AutoCAD
1.x for a design firm,
Potter Lawson in Madison,
Wisconsin. Who knew the influence that "little-known" AutoCAD
would have on my career path.
Wisconsin Revit | AutoCAD Architecture |
AutoCAD | Training Classes
Contact
Bree Casari, IMAGINiT's Midwest Training Coordinator to schedule this or
other Autodesk product (Revit Architecture, Revit Structure,
Revit MEP, AutoCAD Architecture) training classes that meet your
needs. If you prefer; call
Bree Casari 800 236-2070 x16.
Glenn Mattison, our Wisconsin Senior Account Manager is
attending Autodesk training this week. Please direct your
inquiries to Ms. Casari.
Traditional classroom or mobile training classes may be
searched on our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule. Search for a Revit Architecture,
Revit Structure, Revit MEP or AutoCAD Architecture training class
and/or a web-based training class that fits your busy schedule.
Contact your IMAGINiT Account Manager for dates that meet your
timelines.
IMAGINiT Technologies |
Chicago sponsors food and beverages for both the evening and
lunch Chicago Loop Revit User Group (CLRUG) meetings that convene
each month.
Newcomers, please contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager for monthly schedule of the two
Chicago Loop Revit User Group Meetings.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
I'm conducting a
Revit
Architecture 2009 Fundamentals Class in our Chicago Loop
office March 24-26.
Search our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule for a Revit Architecture, Revit
Structure or Revit MEP class and/or a web-based class that fits
your busy schedule.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager prior to Friday, March 20th; if this
3-day Revit Architecture Fundamentals training fits into your
schedule. If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck
312 431-0125 x25
I'm conducting another onsite Revit Architecture 2009
Fundamentals Class in Appleton, Wisconsin from March 4th-6th
using one of our 3 mobile training labs. A client is hosting this
private class at their facility for their staff and the staff
from one of their consultants.
Every year hundreds of architects, engineers and contractors
choose the convenience of our onsite, mobile classroom training.
Based on clients' requests, we pioneered and began perfecting the
delivery of mobile classroom training; more than 7 years ago.
Our clients have mentioned these advantages
that onsite classroom training provided to their
organizations:
"Our senior staff were immediately available for quick
questions prior to and after class, during breaks and over the
lunch hour."
"We brought project drawing files and rolled sets to our
class...the class catered to our firm's project-types...more
effective teaching."
"The instructor got to experience our working
environment...he made recommendations to our processes that
couldn't have been made in a traditional classroom
environment."
"We did half-day sessions. A portion of our staff attended
the morning session and another portion attended the afternoon
session. Over the 5 days we trained more staff that could
immediately apply what they learned."
"No travel time or costs...and no waiting for a class."
"We could discuss-disclose company or project details that
helped the instructor train us specific to our immediate
needs."
"Our managers visited the class learning more about the BIM
design process. They also met with the instructor over the lunch
hour to discuss their project specific questions."
"The class delivery of training content "moved at our speed"
and based on our staff's level of talent."
What is a Mobile Training Lab?
A mobile training lab is a shipping case(s) of laptops with
installed Autodesk software, electrical cords, training books and
a projector; that are shipped directly to or near a client
site.
The client(s) provides a conference room in their facility or
we can conduct the class at a local hotel conference room. Our
Midwest offices have two labs with 6 laptops each and one lab
with 3 laptops.
Wisconsin Revit | AutoCAD Architecture
Training
Contact
Glenn Mattison, Wisconsin Account Manager to schedule a convenient, onsite
Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, Revit MEP, AutoCAD
Architecture or AutoCAD training class that meets your needs. If
you prefer; call Glenn Mattison 920 338-8812
Classroom training, mobile or traditional may be Searched on
our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule for a Revit Architecture, Revit
Structure or Revit MEP class and/or a web-based class that fits
your busy schedule. Contact your IMAGINiT Account Manager for
dates that meet your timelines.
AutoCAD® Architecture 2010 features a new Space Separator
tool, allowing you to automatically divide spaces that are not
bound by walls with plain AutoCAD linework.
DrawOrder for Spaces is now automatically set to Back, helping
to ensure that space plans will always show the underlying walls
(and linework) whenever they update.
A new flip text position grip for AEC Dimensions has been
added, giving you additional control over the placement of
text.
This tool is ideal for situations when vertical dimensions are
rotated greater than 90 degrees. This includes AEC dimensional
support (align) for angular walls.
Wall endcap editing has been improved by the expansion of how
individual wall components can be edited.
Common
AutoCAD 2010
commands such has Trim | Extend have been joined by Fillet and
Chamfer, providing even more control in designing walls as they
will actually be constructed in the field.
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 IFC Export
Enhancements
When exporting designs via IFC (Industry Foundation Classes),
relevant space boundary information is now attached for proper
energy analysis for
AutoCAD®
MEP 2010 software.
Additional IFC physical quantities can now be reported, such
as:
IfcQuantityCount
IfcQuantityLength
IfcQuantityTime
IfcQuantityVolume
IfcQuantityWeight
Dialog boxes can be suppressed for those who prefer to import
and export to IFC via the Command Line.
Did you know that both Revit Architecture
2010 and AutoCAD Architecture 2010 support IFC Export | Import of
their files?
The
Industry Foundation Classes [IFC] file format is an evolving
methodology to export | import (share/exchange) the building
components and data from Building Information Modeling (BIM)
models.
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Import Inventor
Files to Create MultiView Blocks
Autodesk®
Inventor® 2010 part files and assemblies can be exported
to
AutoCAD
Architecture 2010 software as MV Blocks (Multi-View). Since
the content becomes MV Blocks, it utilizes the AutoCAD
Architecture 2010 Display System, meaning that 2D and 3D views of
the imported content is possible.
The expanded functionality provides many uses as professionals
exchange data between both products. Consider a manufacturer
exporting furniture designs from Autodesk Inventor as MV Blocks
so that they can be used for furniture layouts. MV Blocks can
also be added to the Design Center for reuse.
Stairs have been improved through the inclusion of a distinct
"ramp" type, which comes complete with its own display and
annotation tags (Percentage Tag, Degree Tag, and Numeric Tag),
giving users the ability to more accurately design and annotate
their drawings.
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Navigation
Tools
The ribbon spans the top of the application window and
replaces the menus, toolbars, and design bar. Extensive user
research showed that this simplified, unified format enables
users to more quickly find the tools they need.
The ribbon organizes tools into a collection of tabs, which
represent workflows such as creation, annotation, and
collaboration. Each tab contains a series of panels. A panel is a
group of tools used to accomplish some part of the workflow.
The ribbon is organized around the way you work, enabling you
to quickly find the appropriate tools to accomplish your
tasks—without searching all over the user interface.
To help ensure that all Autodesk products that implement the
ribbon have a common look and feel, a set of companywide
guidelines was developed for the supporting icons. These
aesthetically appealing, yet simple icons have a distinctive
style that speaks directly to the specific tool or task they
represent. The end result is a visual language that is unique to
Autodesk.
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Additional Wall
Clean Up Enhancements
Building on the substantial enhancements to wall cleanups in
the previous release, AutoCAD Architecture 2010 software helps
improve wall drafting productivity to intuitive tools that allow
you to draw wall layouts that better reflect actual
construction.
Most of the enhancements to walls involve the ability to
modify wall cleanups at a component level. Because of this,
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 has improved handling of common wall
conditions such as:
Angled walls
Cornered walls
Intersecting fire-rated walls
Are you expanding your firm's business,
marketing and design toolsets with
Revit
Architecture 2010 this year?
Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 provides some brand new
modeling tools as well. Revit 2010 includes a full-featured set
of complex surface modeling tools. Users can create
doubly-curving NURBS-like surfaces with the same simple steps as
a basic extrusion.
Bring your conceptual designs into reality with new tools
which allow you to divide, pattern and panelize your surfaces.
Schematically study curtain system designs, structural framing
layouts or even begin to apply real curtain panels to your form
with these new and easy-to-use tools.
Revit 2010 Import | Publish Integration With
Autodesk Seek
Publish to and search Autodesk Seek right from the Autodesk
Revit Architecture UI. Search for content in Autodesk Seek from
the Insert tab of the ribbon. Publish your custom content to
Autodesk Seek through the Application Menu.
Revit Architecture 2010 provides a new family editor
environment for massing, which still allows you to work either in
the project or in the stand-alone family editor. The modeling
environment includes improvements such as gradient backgrounds
for 3D views, anti-alias display and improved selection and
pre-highlight graphics.
Revit 2010 | Import Content From Autodesk
Inventor
Import custom content from Autodesk Inventor via the Autodesk
Exchange File format [.adsk ]. This functionality will provide
users access to specific and accurate manufactured content.
Revit Architecture 2010 Customizable User
Interface
Revit Architecture 2010 provides immediate access to the
commands you use most through the new Quick Access Toolbar. It
can be customized in several ways to include your favorite and
most frequently used tools.
Revit®
Architecture 2010 Software preview tools (PDF files) are
centrally located on this page and we'll provide updates as they
become available from Autodesk®.
Four YouTube
AutoCAD®
2010 videos demonstrate PDF output | printing enhancements,
3D printing output features and a few miscellaneous "every day"
command enhancements.
Sure its a camera; but why can't it be the surface of a
building with a complex curtain wall or roof system?
What if we imported this solid into a
Revit
mass family; then apply a wall, curtain wall, roof or floor
system directly to the surfaces in the project?
As these are base AutoCAD 2010 features; what new design
features does this provide
AutoCAD
Architecture 2010?
As architects, designers, engineers, contractors and building
owners completed my
Revit®
Architecture 2009 classes; I emailed them these learning
links as their Revit class handouts.
The Revit-BIM design
process accelerated dramatically in 2009; creating better
solutions for using a Revit-BIM design process throughout the
whole project. New content for 2009, is listed at the top of each
category.
I'm conducting a Revit Architecture 2009 Fundamentals Class in
our Chicago Loop office-training center February 24-26.
Search our
IMAGINiT National
Online Training Schedule for a Revit Architecture, Revit
Structure or Revit MEP class and/or a web-based class that fits
your busy schedule.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager by early next week; if this 3-day
Revit Architecture Fundamentals training fits into your schedule.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
Integrates a multi-material physical and an independently
editable analytical model, to help provide for more efficient,
more accurate documentation, analysis and design.
Enhanced conceptual design, modeling and analysis to handle
more complex architectural forms.
Improved user interface with a new customizable ribbon
toolbar.
Improved performance and interoperability, including native
64 bit support.
Stay tuned as more Revit Structure 2010 product information
becomes available.
An intuitive conceptual design workspace to create complex
geometry more easily.
A new user interface (UI) that works the way designers think,
providing a smoother and more continuous design workflow.
Improved interoperability with programs such as AutoCAD Civil
3D 2010 software, Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 software and
Autodesk Inventor 2010 software.
The updated Autodesk Revit 2010 platform also allows a
greater level of interoperability for green building analysis,
providing support for the green building extensible markup
language (gbXML) format.
Stay tuned as more Revit Architecture 2010 product information
becomes available.
Each year,
SchoolDesigns.com adds hundreds of new school design projects, which makes it
one of the most comprehensive online educational design sites
I've found.
Both websites are great online resources for
educational building design. They showcase exterior | interior
designs and master planning from educational facilities across
the country. Their archives provide hundreds of projects with
project scope, costs, design features highlighted with sample
plans, photos and project images.
Are you looking for a design-engineering firm that
specializes in school design?
Is your company role to market school design services for
your firm?
Are you a designer for educational facilities?
Do you need current design ideas for educational facilities
that have been LEED certified?
What are the design trends for school designs?
What are the latest lifecycle management costs for
maintaining and operating school facilities?
What if you could showcase your educational design projects
or enter national design competitions on a website dedicated to
educational facilities?
You can access an extensive database of hundreds of schools
and universities.
Target your search using the "advanced search" by school location (city or state), name of school,
architectural firm, keyword or project category. I entered the
keyword LEED in the
SEARCH BY KEYWORD field to find
school projects that obtained LEED certification.
If you're planning to build a school or specialize in the
design of educational facilities, you can
find an architect or list your firm with the Directory of Design
Professionals. Read through the Construction Guide for helpful
construction tips, or check out School News for information on
recent projects from across the country.
Contact
Tiffany Money , Account Manager or
Chuck Cook , Chicago Branch Manager by early next week; if this 3-day
Revit Architecture Fundamentals training fits into your schedule.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
How many more structural engineering projects can you attract
to your firm; with Revit Structure in your expanded toolset?
AIA Continuing Educational Sessions for Building Information
Modeling and Integrated Project Delivery processes are presented
each day in the four day schedule.
Here are just a few sessions that present the evolving
Business Value of these design processes.
F06 | Applications of BIM to Sustainable Design: Performative
Environments, Strategies for Incorporating Green Approaches into
BIM
F26 | Architect-Led Design-Build: Integrated Project Delivery
with the Architect in Charge
F32 | Lessons Learned from Applied Integrated Project
Delivery: Identify, Explore, and Understand IPD From Real
Projects
F39 | Electronic File Transfer and BIM Risk Management:
Protection From Unauthorized Use of Instruments of Service
F47 | Historic Restoration Using Building Information
Modeling
F61 | Diversity, Sustainability, and Integrated Project
Delivery: Pursuing the Triple Bottom Line Through AIA's Strategic
Initiatives
F62 | Comparing Design-Build and Integrated Project
Delivery
F71 | New Technologies in Practice: A Case Study on Using
Building Information Modeling Technologies and the Role of
Integrated Design
F79 | Using BIM as an IPD Tool: Exploration from concept to
clash detection to people
F102 | BIM 1.0, BIM 2.0, and BIM 3.0, Where are You?
F103 | Integrated Design Tools for Sustainable Design:
Building Information Modeling and Related Tools for Design
Through Documentation
S23 | Integrated Building Design: The Value of Comprehensive
Modeling
S24 | Applying BIM Principals to Your Architectural Practice:
Information Exchange in AEC Firms
S27 | Integrated Project Delivery: Theory and Practice
S38 | The Top 5 Legal Issues of Building Information
Modeling
T42 | BIM: New Era for Design = New Era for
Communications
T49 | Integrated Project Delivery: It Really Works
T60 | BIM as an Enabler of Diversity
W49 | TAP Update on BIM for Design: Latest tools and Trends
Plus Tour of California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco
Federal Building
There's an advantage to registering early; as registration
fees are automatically calculated based on the date of
registration.
Early Bird through February 17, 2009
Advance through March 16, 2009
Full Registration after March 16, 2009
The AIA 2009 Convention education sessions, can help you meet
the
new
sustainable design mandatory continuing education
requirement; for AIA membership renewal, which will be
implemented in 2009. Choose from more than 70 workshops, seminars
and tours that focus on sustainability.
My January Chicago Revit classes continue with a Revit
Architecture 2009 Intermediate Class in our Chicago Loop office
January 27-29th.
This is a public class. I typically teach this as a
"closed" class for a specific company that has hired us to help
them implement Revit.
If you need to stay in downtown Chicago; hotel rates appear to
be considerably lower than any time during the year. At least
based on my last 7 years of Chicago hotel reservations.
Contact
Tiffany Money, Account Manager or
Chuck Cook, Chicago Branch Manager by early next week; if this 3-day
Revit Architecture Fundamentals training fits into your schedule.
If you prefer; call Tiffany 312 431-0125 x23 or Chuck 312
431-0125 x25
Cheers to a Happy New Year; we'll see you in
Chicago!
Contact
Tiffany Money early this week; if this 3-day Revit Fundamentals training
fits into your schedule. If you prefer; contact Tiffany via
phone | 312 431-0125 x23
Cheers to a Happy New Year; we'll see you in
Chicago!
"
Let's Build" is the theme of the
2009 AGC Convention |
CONSTRUCTOR Expo held on March 4-7th in San Diego,
California. The celebration continues as this is the 90th annual
AGC Convention.
Topics surrounding the BIM design process are once again
highlighted in the AGC Convention Educational Sessions.
How BIM is Dramatically Transforming the
Construction Industry
AGC co-sponsored a comprehensive research study by McGraw-Hill
Construction to determine how the rapid emergence of BIM is
affecting the construction industry.
BIM Educational Sessions
Join us to receive an update on the latest activities of AGC
of America’s BIMForum whose mission is to facilitate and
accelerate the adoption of BIM in the AEC industry. receive an
overview of the recently developed BIM Educational Program and
the first two courses, BIM 101: An Introduction to Building
Information Modeling and Introduction to BIM Technology.
Information Technology Forum
AGC’s IT Forum is a meeting of construction industry IT
Professionals in an open floor format where you can discuss
issues relevant to the industry with your peers. Any IT topic is
welcome—from budgeting to BIM to disaster recovery.
Construction Law
An Overview and Comparison of the
ConsensusDOCS 300 Tri-Party Agreement, the 301 BIM Addendum and
the AIA document on Integrated Project Delivery
The ConsensusDOCS and AIA contract documents have both
released contract documents that provide a new more collaborative
and integrated contractual method to deliver projects more
effectively. Come learn from two of the leading experts in this
cutting edge area by gaining an overview and comparative
perspective of the ConsensusDOCS and AIA contract documents
approaches. Learn how these new contracts facilitate the use of
BIM and may actually decrease your risk and improve your
efficiency.
Construction Law
BIM, Integrated Project Delivery &
Design Liability: Cashing in on Collaboration
The goal of this session is to prepare contractors for the
unpredictable developments that accompany predictable efforts of
clients to cut costs and delivery times.
AGC has become an Authorized
Provider with several organizations in order to offer you the
highest quality service. Look for sessions marked with the
following logos.
International Association for Continuing Education and
Training (IACET)
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education
Systems (AIA CES)
Society for Professional Marketing Services(SMPS)
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
Last night, one of the Hollywood news shows featured the
opening of the original "
A Christmas Story
House" located in Cleveland, Ohio. The renovation is
complete with "A Major Award" shining brightly in the front
window.
A couple months ago, I was touring a client's design
department. We turned the corner and there it was; "A Major
Award" from the movie placed atop a cubicle wall.
Taking the picture was easy; remembering that I took the
picture required the TV news story to jar my ole memory.
TurboSquid-Revit Market, is defined as the first paid
marketplace for user-generated Revit content. They plan to
certify all Revit families to ensure quality in every sale.
TurboSquid is holding a
Revit
Contest with cash prizes up to $2500. Deadline is January 31,
2009. The contest is designed to encourage users to publish Revit
families for sale.
Important: Before publishing any
company, client or vendor Revit family files; that you have not
authored, please verify they are not copyrighted and/or you have
permission from the author|company to publish them.
Our thanks to
Michele Bousquet,
TurboSquid, Inc. for providing us their information regarding
their unique fee-based method of providing and getting Revit
family content.
You'll need to register at McGraw Hill Construction to
download the FREE PDF format of this report.
You can also purchase the hardcopy version for $25.
Here's an excerpt of the BIM report
description:
Building Information Modeling (BIM): Transforming Design and
Construction to Achieve Greater Industry Productivity is a
45-page printed report (available as hard copy or PDF) that
examines the results of research conducted by McGraw-Hill
Construction Analytics regarding perceptions among BIM users
about BIM adoption, implementation, value and impact within their
firms. The study sheds light on the role of BIM in reshaping the
way project teams work together in today's industry.
The report is based on extensive interviews with hundreds of
owners, architects, civil, structural and MEP engineers,
construction managers, general contractors and trade contractors
who are currently using BIM. The goal of the research was to
examine perceptions of BIM users and also measure perspectives on
the developing elements of a BIM infrastructure and the use of
BIM on green building projects.
He was describing a professional networking site called,
Construction
Exchange. They have a really amazing construction photo
gallery; from their member photo submissions.
Oh...the photo. Well here's the description of the photo above
as posted on
Construction
Exchange.
The Bagger 288 built by the German company
Krupp is used for strip mining operations. It is 312' tall, 705'
long and weighs over 13,500 tons. This piece of equipment comes
with a price tag of 100 million and a 10 year lead time (5 years
to design and 5 years to assemble). The most amazing thing about
it though is that it only requires 5 people to operate according
to the article that I read. It also has the capability of
removing over 240,000 tons of material each day.
Mark Buckshon is a publisher-author of hundreds of
construction articles, I featured his Construction Marketing
Ideas blog last year;
A
Vico Software press
release announced that its 5D Virtual Construction™
solutions and services will be integrated with Autodesk's leading
technology and solutions for the AEC industry.
Vico has not announced a date for general availability.
Freeman adds, "Integrating our virtual construction solutions
with Revit is a very high priority, and we will be going to
customer beta test soon. Importantly, our internal Virtual
Construction Services team is already contracting work on
projects using Revit models in conjunction with our software, so
we are quite confident in the quality of the integrated
solution."
IMAGINiT Technologies has expanded our
Autodesk University
(AU) 2008 exhibit presence (via the Internet) to the rest of
North America and the world through a virtual trade show.
IMAGINiT's AU2008 Virtual Show will feature downloadable
content; including collateral, brochures, white papers, and
pre-recorded demonstrations.
Join informative sessions featuring what's new with many of
the latest Autodesk products. Several sessions include Tips and
Tricks that will enhance your experience with the software you
already use.
Anyone located at AU2008 or anywhere in the world may visit
our trade show space online.
IMAGINiT staff have volunteered to staff the virtual trade
show, allowing visitors to interact with IMAGINiT live via a chat
client.
Any attendee who visits the
IMAGINiT Virtual Tradeshow will be registered to win a
Nintendo Wii and other daily prizes!
As design firms, manufacturing and fabrication companies seek
to integrate their 3D building models and solid modeling
manufacturing files, exchanging-importing SAT (
ACIS) files is
becoming more prominent in the building design industry.
How can I auto-attach my office's transmittal disclaimer with
my AutoCAD-based eTransmit Zip files?
First, copy the contents of your disclaimer and paste it into
a Windows NOTEPAD file.
Second, save the file using this exact name;
ETRANSMIT.TXT
Third, copy the ETRANSMIT.TXT file into the directory that has
your acad.exe file. (C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Architecture
2009)
Now, when you start the ETRANSMIT command, it automatically
reads the contents of the ETRANSMIT.TXT file.
The contents of the ETRANSMIT.TXT file now appear in the
ETRANSMIT notes box. They will be inserted into the transmittal
log file that is attached with your ZIP file.
The contents will also appear in the "email body" if you
select "attach to email" in the ETRANSMIT command options.
I gave myself 30 minutes to create it; using the new Revit
2009 Swept Blend modeling tools. It's a GENERIC MODEL family.
When you load it into a project; it's listed under COMPONENTS for
insertion.
While in the FAMILY Editor, pick any of the pumpkin's VOID
openings; (eyes, mouth or nose). Then pick the EDIT button in the
Options bar to begin re-carving your own openings.
Place a Revit light source in the pumpkin, add a couple
material texture maps and your good to go.
Sometimes, doing something fun can be a way to learn your
software.
It doesn't look like Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin; but it can
rise and float above the pumpkin patch...if you export it from a
project file to 3ds MAX using the new (FBX) format.
Lexington, Kentucky, September 30, 2008 – Launched
earlier this month, ArchVision Revit video tutorials are designed
to provide users with tips and tricks for everyday workflow.
Revit 2009 users have access to over 100 licensed RPC Trees,
Shrubs and Grasses and may easily access ArchVision Revit video
tutorials via the Autodesk Communication Channel. ArchVision
Revit video tutorials focus on a variety of topics including
rendering with mental ray, swapping and modifying RPC Content,
and placing RPC Content.
How does an architect start the conversation and demonstrate
the value of using the BIM design process to their MEP
consultants?
"We were looking for methods to communicate the value of the
BIM process to our MEP consultants. As we expand our use of BIM
(Revit Architecture) we see the value of working with MEP
consultants that also use a BIM design process."
ESA-Chicago facilitates their discussion of "Why use BIM or Revit
MEP?" by sharing this
Revit MEP Resource Center. It includes streaming videos, MEP consultant case studies,
online quick tutorials and webcasts that focus on a few of the
best design/production processes automated within a BIM design
process.
ESA continues the discussion using this "
Top 10 Reasons to
use Revit MEP" web page; to help answer the question, "What's in it for
us?" for their MEP consultants.
My personal thanks to Chicago architectural design firm,
Eckenhoff Saunders
Architects (ESA) for prompting this discussion and to
their architect, Sloan Lavery for her contribution of these Revit
MEP links.
"Newly launched addendum clearly defines roles and risks of
BIM contracts"
Excerpt:
ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum was launched on June 30 as the
first standard-form document ever to comprehensively address BIM.
This document has been endorsed by 17 organizations and admirably
achieves its primary goal of helping construction professionals
safely and efficiently implement BIM now.
One concern about BIM is whether it blurs the lines between
design and construction. Is the designer responsible for the
means and methods of construction? Does the contractor assume
some responsibility for design?
The BIM Addendum answers these questions with a resounding
"no."
In July, I published an extensive article that defines the
purpose, people and processes that brought ConsensusDOCS to
fruition for the building industry.
SkyscraperPage.com features unique skyscraper diagram
illustrations, a world-wide buildings database, one of the
world's busiest skyscraper-themed discussion forums and
one-of-a-kind skyscraper posters.
1998 - The First Year of the Diagrams
On December 12, 1997, Dylan Leblanc, then a young college
student, launches Nalyd's Skyscraper Page to display his own
to-scale illustrations of the world’s tallest buildings.
Within a year the popularity of SkyscraperPage grows and several
other illustrators highly enthusiastic about the concept begin
supplying the site with their own illustrations of the world's
skyscrapers and effectively help launch the famous illustration
collection.
As of January 2008, SkyscraperPage features 28,000 diagram
illustrations, 70,000 buildings in the Cities buildings database
and over 17,000 registered members in its discussion forum.
I ask these questions during my Revit, AutoCAD Architecture
and AutoCAD classes.
These questions usually generate the "sound of crickets"; as I
look out into the audience during my speaking engagements.
How many people have heard of PDF? The hands shoot up in
the air.
Well, a DWF (Design Web Format) file is
created in a similar fashion. It is created from the free
Autodesk®
DWF™Writer 2009 Windows print driver. Yep, the windows
driver is FREE.
How many people have used the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader?
Again the same hands fly up?
A DWF (Design Web Format) file can be viewed
using a free downloadable viewer;
Autodesk®
Design Review 2009 that comes with your Autodesk
products...since the AutoCAD 2000 Release.
The DWF videos and the AECbytes review are perfect for your
next lunch and learn.
Consider sending them to your consultants, contractors and
building owners for their review. Digital, green collaboration is
a credible way to "walk the green talk".
CSI defines this release as a "significantly enhanced link
that allows for data exchange between ETABS® v9.5.0 and
Revit® Structure 2009." CSIxRevit2009 now supports true
round-tripping, specifically four different workflows of data
interchange:
1) Exporting from Revit Structure to create a new ETABS
model
2) Exporting from Revit Structure to update an existing ETABS
model
3) Importing from ETABS to create a new Revit Structure
model
4) Importing from ETABS to update an existing Revit Structure
model
(NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that versions of its Revit
software applications for Building Information Modeling (BIM)
specifically designed for personal computers using Windows 64-bit
operating systems are now available. This marks the company's
first venture into 64-bit BIM applications and
applies to Revit Architecture 2009, Revit
Structure 2009 and Revit MEP 2009
.
The 64-bit versions are now available to
existing Revit platform software subscribers. Customer
beta testers reported that the new software applications offer
significantly improved performance and stability for memory
intensive tasks such as rendering, printing, model upgrading and
file importing and exporting.
InterSpec Inc. announced today
that it will begin shipping Building Product Manufacturer's (BPM)
proprietary BIM and specification content with its
e-SPECS for
Revit
software solutions. The requirements and functionality have been
established together with the company's lead Charter Customer,
USG Corporation, a leading
manufacturer and distributor of high-performance building
systems.
While I received this notice via email today; E-Specs
indicated this and more information will be posted in the
E-Specs press release
webpage.
InterSpec's patented e-SPECS software solutions automate the
preparation of construction specifications and selection of
products and materials, used by thousands of architects,
engineers and construction professionals to help them keep their
construction models and specifications in sync while reducing the
overall cost of development. With the inclusion of BPM's content,
architects and engineers will be able to supplement their project
manuals with specific proprietary information directly from their
e-SPECS programs. As a manufacturer's Revit family is used in a
Revit model, the corresponding detailed specification criteria
will automatically be included in the e-SPECS project manual with
coordinated detailed keynotes for Revit.
USG is taking a leadership role in the use of technology to
facilitate selection and integration of their product
information, as witnessed by the variety of online tools that are
available to their customers.
USGDesignStudio.com, for instance, allows users to refine their product
selections with the assistance of an online graphical selection
guide. Architects can step through a simple point and click
interface get access to BIM and specification content for the
products and materials that best suit their needs. Now
incorporating their content information directly into e-SPECS,
their customers can get even more automation and ensure internal
consistency between their Revit content and the resulting
proprietary specification information that is inserted into the
project manual.
The American Institute of Architects (
AIA) September 24th press release
announced the upcoming release of
six new AIA
Contract Documents on October 17, 2008. These new documents
are collectively called
the 3.5 Release
Here's a summary and AIA Factsheets (PDF Download) of each
document type.
New BIM Exhibit
"...the new
E202™-2008 was written by industry practitioners as a
practical tool for managing the use of BIM across the entire
project. Among other things, it sets the requirements and
authorized uses for BIM content, and identifies BIM authors at
five progressive levels of development. It also establishes
protocols for model ownership, conflict resolution, storage,
viewing, and archiving."
A free sample of the E202-2008 BIM Exhibit will be available
at
www.aiacontractdocuments.org
after October 17, 2008.
The American Institute of Architects and the AIA California
Council have created the Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide
(IPDG)Version 1-2007 which is available for download. This
62-page guide (PDF) provides insight for integrated project
delivery with a strong emphasis on business and legal topics that
reference the Building Information Modeling (BIM) design
process.
Contractually addressing the risk management of a BIM design
process ALWAYS seems to be a hot topic during my association
speaking engagements. The most recent document I've encountered
is the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum which was published on June
30, 2008.
Download the Freedom Flag history; an idea designed and brought to life from a simple sketch
of restaurateur, Richard Melito in Richmond, Virginia.
The nation's educational community support by students and
educators toward this simple symbol, has been overwhelming. Find
out how you can
sponsor a Freedom Flag for a school of your choice.
The Revit Clinic author, Harlan Brumm, is originally from Wisconsin with a Bachelor's Degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a technologist and the Global Technical Lead for Revit Architecture within Autodesk Product Support.
Autodesk continues to reach out to the global design
community, with more than 30 niche
Autodesk Blogs. Welcome Mr. Brumm to the blogosphere.
Our thanks to
Jonathan Servedio, Application Engineer in our New York
City office for sharing this link with us tonight.
Here is a description of "
Who is ARCAT?" from their home page.
"ARCAT provides information on building materials for
architects, spec writers, engineers and contractors. Including
10,500 manufacturers with thousands of their cad details,
specifications, BIM families, wizards, links to every web site
and other information. This data assists professionals in making
informed product selections."
Free Revit Component Family and System
Family Content
[free downloads]
Download BDC's individual ranking lists (PDF) of this year's
largest ranked design-construction companies.
Companies are ranked across six categories based on the volume
of commercial, institutional, industrial, and multifamily
residential building work they completed in 2007.
More than 2 dozen individual rankings by sectors reports can
be viewed from
BDC's
2008 Giants 300 Report webpage. Top government, schools, healthcare, university,
institutional, mixed-use and hotel design and contracting
firms.
On September 28, 2007, AGC, in conjunction
with
20 other construction associations representing designers,
owners, contractors, subcontractors and sureties launched more
than 70 collaboratively drafted construction contracts, called
ConsensusDOCS. The release represented the first
time that broad industry representation has had an equal voice in
collaboratively drafting construction contracts. The
unprecedented buy–in for these contracts reflects a genuine
effort to identify and employ best practices to better the
industry.
McGraw-Hill Construction Video Library has a 2+ minute video
interview with Richard Lowe, Attorney at Law, regarding the BIM
Addendum. It's titled;
BIM Bliss.
Who is Richard Lowe?
Richard Lowe, is a construction lawyer in the Philadelphia
office of
Duane Morris LLP, he is also
chair of AGC's PIAC BIM Forum Legal Subcommittee and an active
member of AGC's Contract Documents Committee.
I "found" Mr. Lowe last year after
AGC Constructor
Magazine featured his legal commentary;
Buckling Up Risks (Jan/Feb 2007) regarding the
Real Risks of Using BIM. I've referenced this article
numerous times during my BIM educational lecturers.
The Donovan Hatem document makes reference to the
AIA's Integrated Project Delivery
Guide (IPDG). The new AIA IPD contracts became available in May
2008.
Douglas Look, Senior Strategic Designer for
Autodesk Labs was the
guest speaker at the June
Chicago Revit User Group meeting. As a graduate of
IIT, Douglas has been a
licensed architect for 20 years and is still licensed in New
York.
Don't be shy! Autodesk Labs is always looking for design
organizations to test some of their experiments. You can almost
hear Boris Karloff walking around in this virtual lab.
The free Revit Global Light Utility for 3ds Max Design, developed by IMAGINiT Technologies, globally turns ON/OFF lights coming from Revit. In addition to 'All ON/All OFF', the utility allows you to separate each specific kind of light (Daylight, Photometric, etc.) or Selected Lights. This utility can be used for standard lights as well, once in 3ds Max.
I've been vacationing with my family the last 2 weeks in the
Wild West. No email. No internet. No Sprint cell phone
connections. Cheers to getting back in the saddle
again!
I was greeted by the local CANSTRUCTION model competition as I
entered my Chicago hotel lobby.
Canstruction® is
the most unique food charity in the world!
A foundation of the
Society for Design
Administration (SDA), Canstruction® is a design/build
competition currently held in cities throughout North
America.
It is a unique collaborative design sponsorship by architects,
engineers, interior designers, contractors, building owners and
facility managers that Compete to design and build giant
structures made entirely from full cans of food.
In September 2007, I posted a photojournal of CANSTRUCTION's
national model winners from their national competition.
Visit my previous post to view past national model winners and
see how you and/or your organization can participate.
Congratulations to all Chicago CANSTRUCTION participants.
These and the remaining models will be on display through the
weekend in the Sun-Times / Holiday Inn-Mart Plaza Lobby.
Presenters:
Robert Middlebrooks, AIA, and Brad Milton,
AIA, serve on the AIA Documents Committee and were involved
integrally in the AIA's 2007 update, drafting the Integrated
Project Delivery Guide, and Integrated Project Delivery
agreements. They will share details of the development of the new
agreements as well as highlights of the documents. They also will
highlight features of the AIA's digital practice
documents.
CES:
The program provides 1.5 LUs/HSW for AIA
members.
Requirements:
Tuition for the Web seminar is $135 per
site; one registration fee allows for group participation in your
office. Participation in this seminar requires a telephone and a
computer with Internet access; groups will also need a projector
and screen.
This 62-page IPD guide provides insight for integrated project
delivery with a strong emphasis on business and legal topics that
reference the Building Information Modeling (BIM) design
process.
I have the unique opportunity to share our clients' BIM
(Revit) implementation success stories during this forum; when I
present
"Lessons Learned: Harnessing the Momentum of
the BIM Process"
This accredited presentation will be Tuesday morning from
10:15-11:45.
Membership in CMAA includes more than 4,000 firms and
individuals. Owners, engineers, architects, contractors,
educators, students...everyone with a stake in the construction
industry's success.
Noteworthy are the ongoing
CSI-CONSTRUCT 2008 Educational Events. Check the events
schedule for those classes that provide educational credits that
qualify for
CSI
Continuing Education Units (CEUs),
AIA Learning Units (LUs) and Health,
Safety, Welfare (HSW) and PDH credits.
The
Educational Schedule Event Schedule is packed with several
class sessions featuring Building Information Modeling (BIM) as
it pertains to
CSI members.
Check the class description for credits, time, speaker and the
learning track assigned to each event. Here's a list of BIM
Educational sessions
What BIM Users Need to Know About the Uniform Drawing System
and the National CAD Standard
The BIM BOOM: A Construction Manager's Collaboration
Revolution
What Specifiers Need to Know About the UDS, the NCS, and
BIM
BIM Technology and Component Assembly Specifications
BIM to BIM - How the International Framework Dictionary
(IFD)Enables Interoperability and Specifying
Omni Class as the Process Classification for BIM
BIM Legal Issues and Risk
SMART Codes – Automated Code Compliance and
eGovernment
FREE Exhibit Hall Admission and Discounted
Seminar Packages available through Thursday, May 8, 2008!!!
CONSTRUCT 2008 Registration
e-SPECS® automates the preparation of the project
specifications from
AutoCAD®
and
Revit® based
applications, linking your favorite design program with your
specification master documents. e-SPECS is integrated with all
versions of MASTERSPEC®, the industry standard for
construction specification documents as well as the integration
of your firm's Office Master.
Several IMAGINiT professionals have
submitted AU 2008 class proposals;
Jon Luby, has several FMDesktop
class proposals. Jon was honored last year when his student votes
placed him on the
AU2007 Best Speakers List.
Doug Benoit, PE
and
IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blogger has several Civil 3D class
proposals. Just use your browser's FIND tool to search for "
Benoit" on the Civil 3D class page. Doug is a former
presenter at
Autodesk University.
Jill Bernhardt
,
AutoCAD MEP / Revit MEP Expert has one MEP class proposal
titled;
Building Performance Analysis Utilizing
Revit MEP
I submitted a 3.5 hour Revit Architecture lab class proposal
titled;
Revit Family Development for the Life of
Your Project
The
AU2008 conference is
scheduled for December 2-5, 2008 in Las Vegas. Your responses
will help AU select the over 600 sessions designed to help you
work smarter and grow professionally.
In this survey, they have divided the almost 1500 class
submissions into 20 tracks. Each track focuses on either a
product or industry. You can vote for sessions in one or more
tracks. Select up to 15 sessions that interest you.
Instructions: Only one submission per
computer is permitted. It should take you less than 10 minutes to
vote for 15 sessions.
To complete the AU Class survey:
1. Select a track. Please note that information has not been
reviewed or edited and session titles may change.
2. Vote for up to 15 sessions you would be interested in
attending.
3. If you are interested in sessions in other tracks, you can
repeat steps 1 and 2, but select no more than 15 sessions
overall.
4. At the end of the survey, click Done to save your
votes.
5. Sign up to receive notification of which sessions were
voted on and will be part of AU.
Please note:
The survey allows you to select
an initial track;
and at the end of this initial track, either select (
YES) to continue voting for classes
on another track or [
NO] to complete-finish your
voting.
Architects and allied professionals by
nature are in the business of transformation. We master plan,
design and execute projects at all scales that ultimately
transform the built and urban environment. Similarly, the
challenges to the profession and practice of architecture have
never been greater. Client demands, new technology and societal
concerns are transforming the design and construction
industry.
Sustainable design, integrated project
delivery, BIM and new contract documents are some of the
catalysts in the transformation of our profession. With that
Transformation comes significant risk—but also the real
possibility of an enhanced status that taps the skill set of
architects and creates new possibilities in leadership,
environmental design and profitability.
On behalf of the 2008 Convention Committee,
I invite you to attend Transformation . . . where we will explore
current transformations in design, practice and
technology.
I will be providing another accredited educational session on
May 1st from 2:00-3:30 PM Spotlight III:
Mylar to Modeling – The Shift to BIM |
IMAGINiT Technologies (1.5 LU hrs.)
Once again I have the privilege of sharing our global
clients' (architects, engineers, contractors and building owners)
winning strategies when using the BIM design process.
The adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is
accelerating and increasing the ability to control, modify and
analyze information. This seminar by Daniel Hughes with IMAGINiT
Technologies will look at how BIM provides the intelligent
computable information to re-evaluate business and documentation
practices into a streamlined and cohesive workflow. You’ll
also learn how this technology tool opens doors to entirely new
business models that are ripe with value.
Please convey, that interested folks can attend your
presentation without registering for the full conference. So,
people on your invitation list can come to your seminar and visit
the Expo for FREE!
Our thanks to IMAGINiT Application Engineer,
Nader Bakhoum, P.Eng. (located in our Mississauga, ON,
Canada office) for sharing the link for the new Revit MEP 2009
download site.
Chris Zoog authored this "
Six Phases of a Revit User" several
years ago. Although I've seen it several times, I couldn't
readily find it for a client last week. I found it again
tonight.
Personally, having taught Revit to several hundred users over
the last 6 years, I can attest to Chris' Revit User Phasing. It
hasn't changed since he first published this little gem.
Phase One - Initial Excitement!!!
"Holy ****! Look what I can do with this thing!"
Phase Two - First bump
"Hmmmm...? Why won't it do what I want? That's not how I do it
in (
insert other cad software here)!"
Phase Three - Creamy Middle
mmm... things are going more smoothly, now......mmmmm"
Phase Four - WTF stage
The family editor "eats you up and spits you out"!
Phase Five - The Enlightenment
Things really begin to click! You understand why things are
happening in your model, and better yet how to control them and
avoid problems. You have conquered the family editor.
Phase Six - Zen of Revit
You have mastered nearly all things revit. You "know" what
Revit "likes", and what it "dislikes" during model construction,
a sixth sense, really. You spend your time exploring and tweaking
advanced scheduling, OBDC, external parameters, AR3. You have a
template to beat all templates, families for every situation.
Copyright 2003 Chris Zoog.
Before the days of Revit blogs,
RevitCity, the
Autodesk Revit Technical Support Page or the
Revit AUGI
forums,
Chris Zoog's website,
Zoogdesign.com was "THE Revit portal"
to chat, post tech support topics and exchange Revit families
with other global Revit users. There were less than 20,000
registered Revit Building licenses in those days.
While we reflect nostalgically on the "good
ole days" of CAD or AutoCAD, how many of us would fall back to
relive those "good ole days"?
I had the good fortune to encounter AutoCAD in late 1984,
version 1.4. We started with and then upgraded the following
software/equipment over our first 12 months of operation.
Operating Systems:
We had several brands of PCs with various operating systems;
Microsoft (MS-DOS), Radio Shack-DOS and Texas Instruments-DOS and
CP/M.
Computers:
IBM XT
computer, no hard drive, (2) 5-1/4" floppy drives - 1 floppy
drive ran the OS and the second drive ran AutoCAD
Computer upgrades:
Within months, we upgraded to
IBM
ATs with 20MB hard drives with enough RAM to load the OS. Oh,
we had to order the computers with a math co-processor to
accommodate AutoCAD's precise method of calculating objects.
Graphics:
Each computer had 2 monitors; one monochrome monitor that
displayed the AutoCAD command screen and one 14" CGA/EGA
resolution graphics monitor with 64 color graphics display. We
eventually updated to 19" EGA interlaced colored monitors.
Plotting and Print Sharing:
Calcomp
1043 8-pen pen plotter, E-size with a manual A/B switch box
that provided two 2 computers access to the plotter. Once a
drawing was plotted, you could throw the switch and plot your
drawing...one drawing at a time.
Input Devices:
Keyboard to type the commands (no PGP file) and a
digitizer
pad with a stylus for picking points and commands from the
side screen menu. Within a year we upgraded to 4 button pucks
rather than using the stylus.
Billing-Utilization:
We recorded our hours on our timecards separately; hours for
hand drawing and hours for CAD drawing were recorded
separately.
Limited Implementation:
During our implementation and transition period, we limited
our use of CAD to floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, furniture
plans, demolition plans and enlarged plans.
Standardized Procedures/Graphics
Standards:
As we developed procedures and standards; we were able to
reduce our labor by 15-20% on future projects.
Autodesk,
MEP Blogger Kyle Bernhardt provides a collection of Revit MEP
2009 New Features Video Blogs. Here's a sampling of video blogs
he's been posting. So grab the popcorn and enjoy the show!
...the next logical step...creation of Zones. Those of you
familiar with Groups, MEP Systems, or MEP Circuits will feel
right at home with the user interaction that's been implemented
around Zones.
Simply adding up the peak loads for the individual volumes
just won't do the trick. Enter the Zone Element. I hope the above
video helps to explain the justification for the creation of the
Zone Element.
I'd like to maintain my momentum today and continue our
discussion on Volumes in Revit MEP 2009. We've been discussing
best practices for their creation and today we are going to
explain an important concept for Volumes, the Calculation
Height.
Revit Extensions are a series of easy-to-use applications that
extend the capabilities of Revit® Structure 2008 software in
various key areas, including structural analysis and reinforced
concrete drafting.
AUGI Revit Forums - I created a "starter thread" Tuesday
night titled, "
Revit Architecture 2009 New Features" in the "
Out There" Forum. However, it was deleted by someone with
ADMIN privileges.
("Pay no attention to that man behind the
curtain!" Wizard of Oz)
Fortunately, Google indexed the thread prior to the deletion.
Unfortunately, the Google link no longer works. I provided the
AUGI Forum Managers with the screen shots from Google so they
could restore my original starter thread. So far, they haven't
resolved the security breach to my original thread...
We'll continue to update our Revit® 2009 and AutoCAD®
Architecture 2009 product pages as Autodesk provides us with
additional information.
I'll be carrying this past week's Revit® 2009 enthusiasm
into our downtown Chicago classroom this week. I have 9 students
taking their first
3-day
Revit 2008 Fundamentals class.
After nearly 10 years of market changing
innovation, Green Building Studiois delighted to announce we have
signed an agreement for Autodesk, Inc. to acquire our assets. In
other words, our Green Building Studio (GBS) web service will
soon join the Autodesk product family. (
read complete GBS article)
Our thanks to
Tom Wilkins, AEC Team Manager for IMAGINiT Technologies
for providing this late breaking news.
AutoCAD®
Architecture 2009 features were officially announced today at
Autodesk World Press Day. Here's a short list of additions and
enhancements in this release.
Wall Enhancements
Endcaps: modify endcaps using the "Auto-Calculate" feature
and the integration of AEC Modify Tools. It's now possible to
extend, trim, and even merge wall components with AutoCAD
linework, allowing you to create the endcap condition that you
want… in fewer steps!
Layout Tools:
In-Place Justification allows you to change wall
justification on-the-fly during layout by pressing the SHIFT key.
Pressing the SHIFT key again allows you to select between right,
left, center, or baseline justification.
In-Place Offset you can offset walls from the center or
the face of any of its components. You are also able to offset
walls a set distance from another object.
In-Place Flip/Reverse command you can change the direction
of a wall as it is drawn by pressing the CTRL key.
Wall Clean-ups: Perhaps the biggest improvement to walls
in this release--their ability to cleanup with other walls in
both the current drawing and across external references. Some
basic redesign to core cleanup functionality such as the merger
of wall justification and graphlines, multiple instances of the
same external reference will cleanup with multiple walls in the
same drawing.
Space Enhancements
2009 provides improvements in how spaces interact with other
objects and with AutoCAD linework. With linework bounding
functionality integrated directly into the Properties Palette,
you can easily distinguish linework for room creation from all
other types of linework. More importantly, linework can act as a
means to divide spaces that don’t have objects such as
walls bounding them… even across xrefs!. The Space Auto
update functionality did not previously extend to changes made to
walls that bounded spaces across external references. This
enhancement will help ensure that space and room information is
always up-to-date!
Annotation Scaling
By linking pre-made or custom scales to pre-made or custom
display configurations, you automatically adjust the detail level
of the design when the annotative scale is changed.
Multiline Tags
You have more control over the way text appears in your
construction documents by specifying text wrapping, rotation, and
alignment in its tags with intuitive grips
Multiline leaders
This new feature allows you to efficiently annotate multiple
objects with a single text reference. The updated annotative
tools are accessible via the Design Center and include: leader,
Sheet Keynote, Reference Keynote, Reference Keynote (Straight
Leader), Square (Straight Leader), Text (Straight Leader).
IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) Data
Exchange
AutoCAD Architecture natively imports and exports the most
current Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). Improved import and
export functionality gives you the ability to specify which
objects are included during exchange.
Additionally, style names can be preserved during import and
IFC files can be converted to projects, complete with Project,
Site, Building and Building Storey Information.
Export Layout Space to Model Space
A new option in AutoCAD Architecture enables you to export
layout geometry to model space in a new drawing. With this
ability, it's now easy to archive drawings that use both model
and paper space layouts.
Since the resulting drawing retains layer and text
information, data exchanges with other CAD systems that do not
recognize paper space are now possible, without losing vital
design information!
GEO Enabled DWG Files
The new GEOGRAPHICLOCATION command (GEO alias) enables you to
enter the location values for a geographic location or import
them from various sources including XML or XMZ files as well as
from Google Earth™ mapping service.
With this ability, imported data can be used to create
sunlight studies based on the site location for design and
visualization purposes!
Subscription 2009 Members Only
Toolset
Autodesk Impression Available for download. Provides 2D
presentation graphics that look hand drawn
Drawing Compare Available for download. Visually compare the
differences (revisions) between DWG files
This is a short list of Revit® Architecture 2009 Feature
Improvements and Enhancements
Wish List Projects
Mirror Project Tools: Link Scale to Display, Create Custom
Scales, Create Custom Displays
View Templates: A new dialog box features an easier-to-use
tool providing users the ability to pick and choose which view
properties they apply from the view template
Quality Rendering and Performance
Mental Ray® Rendering, Material Libraries, Physically
Accurate Lighting, Photometric Lights, Real Sun and Sky,
Optimized Rendering Solution
New Mass Geometry for Complex Forms
Swept Blend: This new type of mass geometry can be
combined with the existing parametric capabilities of Revit
Architecture 2009 to create new forms based on algorithmic design
variations. Extending the range of what is achievable during
conceptual design and family creation, swept blend functionality
offers more opportunity to express complex forms.
New Revit Start Up
Revit® Architecture 2009 displays a graphical
representation of recent projects and recent families that have
been opened by the user. This allows quick visual access to
recently used files as well as faster Revit Architecture 2009
start-up.
New Autodesk 3D UI
The Autodesk 3D UI provides an intuitive, standardized
navigation experience across multiple Autodesk 3D design
products. I find it similar in appearance and functionality to
the current system in the DWF Viewer or Design Review
software.
Data/File Exchange
FBX export increases interoperability between Revit
Architecture 2009 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design software
New DWG enhancements make collaborating with those relying on
DWG-based workflows easier
Dimension Improvements/Enhancements
Dimension to Intersections, Dimension to Arc Centers,
Dimension Text Formatting
Text Overrides: Replace Dimension with Text, Add Text Above,
Below, Prefix, or Suffix
Room Tag Improvements
Tag All Not Tagged, Move Tag When Room is Relocated, Rotate
Room Tags, Align to Rotated Dependent View
Room Enhancements
Room Behavior in Sections: Graphical Display, Selecting Rooms,
Adjusting Vertical Limits and Color Fills
Plotting Enhancements
New plotting improvements allow drawings that rely on Hidden
Line Removals (e.g. many Floor Plans, elevations, etc) in Revit
Architecture 2009 print faster.
Revision Enhancements
Sequences: Revision Order Numbers, Letters, or both, New
“Issued By” Field, Display Revisions on Sheet
Layout: Build Order Top Down or Bottom Up, Rotate Schedule on
Sheet, Fixed or Dynamic Sizing
Subscription Members Only Toolset
The Worksharing Monitor gives actionable, real-time
information to users on the project team. For example, team
members can Be aware of the current status of central files,
Monitor progress of editing requests and notifications, Plan for
the best time to save to central
As architects, designers, engineers, contractors and building
owners complete my
Revit®
Architecture 2008 or
AutoCAD®
Architecture 2008 classes; I email the attendees these
learning links to them as their class handouts.
For elementary, middle, and high school buildings, which have
a wide variety of heating and air-conditioning requirements.
Options for daylighting, an important component in schools, are
included. I-P units
Small Retail Buildings
For retail buildings up to 20,000 ft2, the bulk of retail
space in the U.S. Addresses typical uses: retail (other than
shopping malls); strip shopping centers; automobile dealers;
building material, garden supply, and hardware stores; department
stores; drugstores; equipment and home furnishing stores; liquor
stores; and wholesale goods (except food). I-P units.
Small Office Buildings
For office buildings up to 20,000 ft2 the bulk of office space
in the U.S.; and provides benefits and savings for the building
owner while maintaining quality and functionality of the office
space. Awards: USGBC 2005 Leadership Award; Stars of Energy
Efficiency Award, Honorable Mention (Alliance to Save Energy);
and Best Sustainable Practice Award, Honorable Mention (SBIC).
I-P units.
You can purchase the printed versions of these guides from the
ASHRAE
Bookstore.
The winning design, a residential project by Stuart Narofsky,
with interior design by Helen Grubel, was chosen the overall
audience favorite in
Architectural Digest's Open Audition-New York online
poll.
This Narofsky Architecture project was designed and documented
in
Revit Architecture
2008. We appreciate the opportunity to share these photos
provided by
Narofsky Architecture.
Our thanks to Keith Hughes, IMAGINiT Account Service
Representative (New York, NY) for sharing his client's success
story. Special recognition to Scott Burke, IMAGINiT Senior
Application Specialist (Manchester, NH) that delivered the Revit
training and consulting services.
Effective on, 14/01/2008, Autodesk will be
simplifying accessibility and offering greater value to customers
using Revit Structure by providing all Extensions for Revit, both
fee and free, through the Autodesk Subscription Program.
In addition to having access to all
previously fee based extensions for free in one repository, Revit
Structure customers will also be delighted with new
functionalities in current Extensions, new Extensions and much
more.
Do you own a computer or laptop? How about an MP3 player or
iPod?
If you said yes to any of these, you can download and play
back a global library of free audio and/or video podcasts.
Podcasts
(audio-video files) are a significant toolset of free, portable
learning tools to enhance yours and/or your organization's
professional development.
Architecture
Consider the learning and professional development podcasts
from the
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
AIA PodNet and
AIA-COTE
Podcasts
Consider using podcasts at your next lunch and learn, expand
your marketing appeal with project podcast/videos from your
website or forward the podcast links throughout this article to
your project team and consultants.
The
2008 International
Builders' Show will convene in Orlando, Florida from February
13-16 2008. It is promoted as the industry's largest annual light
construction trade show and exhibition boasting more than 100,000
in attendance at the 2007 show.
The
IBS website
indicates they've extended the original registration
deadline:
"Due to the high volume of people attempting
to register, we've extended the deadline past January 4th. Watch
for an e-mail update about the extended deadline."
This 31-page survey (PDF) reflects the rising use of Building
Information Modeling (BIM) by facility owners for design,
construction and lifecycle management of their buildings.
Facility owners (your clients and/or peers) have shared a
volume of data in this late 2007 CMAA/FMI survey. Consider it as
you plan the direction of your design and/or construction firm or
facility planning department in 2008.
ElfYourSelf.com website is
one of the hottest websites for Christmas 2007; according to the
webstats site,
alexa.com.
The site takes 4 "head shot" photos (supplied by you) crops,
scales and centers the heads and attaches them to a dancing line
of 4 elves. You can also choose "random elf" photos supplied by
ElfYourSelf in case you don't have photos. Attach an audio file
(optional, via the phone) and email these dancing elves to your
Christmas card list via your email program.
The site is sponsored by
OfficeMax. I found it to
be a unique and entertaining way to engage the public (community)
during the Christmas season.
The "elfing" ends January 2, 2008.
Personal Thanks to All of You
My personal thanks for your visits to our architectural
solutions blog. My extended thanks to the IMAGINiT architects,
engineers, application experts, account managers and clients that
contributed their ideas and stories to our community blog.
Your global visits, content contributions and personal stories
created more than
32,000 pageviews of our blog in 2007. If you have a
software story to tell, a company experience to share or an event
to promote in 2008, just use the email button on this page.
Thank you for entrusting us with your business throughout
2007.
Special thanks to the professional associations that gave me
and other IMAGINiT authors-speakers the opportunity to share our
client stories (field experiences) with you and your
organizations.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, your families and
your organizations.
Wishing you a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year
2008!
The
BIM & BEAM
Blog is co-authored by Autodesk bloggers
Nicolas
Mangon, Structural Product Line Manager for Autodesk® and
Wai Chu,
Revit Structure® Product Manager.
Stop by to gain insight on product development, downloads and
analysis partner resources available for
Revit Structure®
Primavera
will continue the link between its solutions and Autodesk's
Navisworks software. The agreement is through Autodesk's
membership in Primavera's Technology Partner program.
Where can I find more Revit wall styles?
Download
the USG 22mb Revit wall library of rated wall systems. The
zip file includes more than 50 Revit template files with multiple
wall styles stored in each file. Chase walls, plaster walls, mold
tough walls, shaft walls, exterior walls, fire rated
walls...well, you get the idea.
Remember, wall styles are system families. Unlike component
families (doors, windows); you must use the
Transfer Project Standards command [
File > Transfer Project Standards]
to transfer wall styles between projects.
You can request a copy of the Visa Lighting Revit family
download on a CD. Use the email address on page above.
About Visa
Lighting: Since its establishment in 1943, Visa Lighting
Corporation has purveyed the highest quality, most innovative
products available to the specification grade lighting
market.
With an initial focus on ecumenical lighting for religious
structures, Visa Lighting (Milwaukee, WI) capitalized on growth
opportunities to become the leader in decorative architectural
lighting products.
Our thanks to
Bryan Cowles, IMAGINiT BSD Applications Expert-Utah, for
providing this information and the respective download links.
Internationally renowned interior designer expert
Ms.
Cecil Hayes discusses the importance of "
getting noticed" which drives a designer's livelihood and the
recognition of their name and brand.
[Video snippet]
Michael Graves, Seth Godin, Kenneth Brown, Barbara Barry, and
Cecil Hayes provide advice for
how entrepreneurs can get their work published and
self-promote their way to success.
[Video snippet]
The Revit MEP® Content Extension provides new content for
Revit MEP 2008 users.
Both Imperial and Metric versions of the content are available
for download in ZIP format. After download, users can then
uncompress the file to the desired content location.
Review the disclaimers and choose your Revit MEP content for
download; Imperial, Metric or both.
Our thanks to
Bryan Cowles, IMAGINiT BSD Applications Expert-Utah, for
providing this information and the respective download
links.
This 62-page guide provides insight for integrated project
delivery with a strong emphasis on business and legal topics that
reference the Building Information Modeling (BIM) design
process.
This Thanksgiving, as we pause to reflect on the good fortunes
of our business, careers, family, health and friends, keep in
mind
how you might help those less fortunate both now and in the
upcoming year.
Our thanks to Jill Bernhardt (IMAGINiT-Milwaukee) for sharing
this online HELP article with me while I was onsite last
week.
Jill has a Master of Architecture Degree from
University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Bachelor’s of Science in
Interior Design from
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jill's more than 22 years of
Autodesk product expertise has been invaluable to the success of
our building design client organizations.
