Archive for category New Technologies
BIM As Built : Laser Technology
Posted by Jim Foster in As Builts, BIM, Laser Scanning, New Technologies, Revit on December 1, 2009
Speaking to a colleague from Europe who moved to the US because he stated, ‘there’s a survey shop on every corner in the UK, I could only find a handful here.’ However, that’s changing. HDLS, high definition laser scanning is starting to take off, especially now that the GSA issued the laser scanning awards. Additionally, more and more people are reworking existing assets / adaptive reuse projects so it is becoming more and more important to get the existing conditions data. While everyone is waiting for the day we can walk around with a magic wand and wave it around the room we have to build a bridge from here to there. HDLS in creating a 3D database is an excellent start. I believe HDLS, from firms like Leica and FARO, performs fantastically in certain circumstances such as inaccessible or difficult geometry, exposed MEP intensive projects, however, for typical conditions especially the interior of buildings it might be akin to using a sledgehammer rather when you need a fly swatter. We, PointKnown, have been developing a product that bolts on to Revit and takes laser range finder data and builds objects as you measure. This has been defined as PPLT (Point to Point Laser Technology). It allows a surveyor to move quickly and accurately from room to room or object to object. We do not intend for it to usurp laser scanning but rather augment current surveying teams, allowing them the most flexibility depending on the situation.
Most importantly is to define the deliverable and type of model needed for the project. This can start at the basic architectural model using generic library items to, well , anything goes but most of our clients want dimensionally correct space and then they apply the material and details they need as that is what they want to control.
We are now accepting people and firms into our public beta that starts January 2010, if you have any interest please feel free to contact us at info@pointknown.com and put beta in the subject line.
Sketch Up Goes BIM : #sketchup #bim
Posted by Jim Foster in Autodesk, BIM, New Technologies on November 19, 2009
If you still look at sketch up as a designer tool, and scoff at its less than robust ‘data’, start rethinking. The fact is google has an open app, and google is taking over the world, and they want ‘their’ data to go across as many platforms as possible and delivered to you in anyway possible. So it is no surprise that more robust plug-ins are being offered.
Recently ecoscore card, annouunced:
…a technology platform that helps building product specifiers evaluate environmental attributes of products, today revealed the new ecoScorecard plug-in that works with Google SketchUp and provides a critical link between popular BIM (Building Information Modeling) tools and important environmental rating systems such as LEED…
There will be more. Autodesk watch your back, BIM users rejoice
BIM sure to bring creative disruption: #BIM
Posted by Jim Foster in BIM, New Technologies, Virtual Construction on November 16, 2009
I wanted to bring some attention to a recent article in the Daily Commercial News & Construction Record by Korky Koruluk, and included the first 2 paragraphs below.
Once in a generation, perhaps, a new technology comes along that enables rapid innovation and change. Sometimes, too, such change leads to a whole new batch of companies that pursue the changes aggressively, while their older, larger competitors are still trying to figure out what happened.
I’ve a hunch that Building Information Modeling—BIM—is one such technology. And I suspect that it is going to cause problems for some firms that have, perhaps, become too comfortable in their own markets.
Transformative technology has led to major disruption in the past, and there may still be a few construction veterans around who remember at least the tail end of one big one: the evolution of mechanical excavators.
Clay Christensen, a professor at the Harvard Business School, wrote an influential book in 1997 called “The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail.”
I don’t think this is so much a warning anymore but a reaffirmation of what most firms in the A/E/C space realize which it is now time to invest in technology to help you manage projects better but also help differentiate you in the marketplace. If last 1/4 is any indication of the next one, the market will remain squirrelly and cost at bid and cost controls will be the defining factor and whatever tool will help you lock that down, get it, use it, win it.
BIM, There’s an App for that: #BIM
Posted by Jim Foster in BIM, cloud, New Technologies, ROI, Virtual Construction on November 3, 2009
What is the future of BIM? While this may seem premature as many people are new to BIM and IPD and their implications we can see parallels in the computer industry itself. And we look at the computer industry what we are really looking at is the storage/management and use of data since the computer is only a tool and if we are not using it really its just a paperweight.
The computer originally was used to compute data, numbers, and one of its first big hits for mass consumption was Visi-Calc, an electronic spreadsheet that did the math for you, which took the place of paper. That was good. The spread sheets got more robust in power and features. New entrants came in, remember Lotus 1-2-3. It started getting really popular and more entrants came in, Microsoft brought out Excel, and now Microsoft Office, which Excel is a part of is the main revenue generator for the company. Companies were created to add functionality to these programs, in templates and automated worksheets, bolt ons and the like. It became such a big industry that a consortium lead by Sun created Open Office, free for the taking. Google then created its own spreadsheet program on the Web utilizing cloud computing. And google, if anything, is about the data, and cloud computing with its data available to all allows firms and individuals to add value with products and services and bid on projects immediately accessible to them.
BIM is the format for data that will allow this same revolution take hold in the A/E/C Community. And its already starting to happen. The building in 3D allows all sorts of data to be embedded or available in the project. Revit, Microstation, ArchiCAD all allow you to build on a 3D platform. Navisworks for collision detection, Ecotect or IES for performance analysis, etc. Now with the adoption and creation a new data portability standards IFCxml, AGCxml, etc. it starts to become easier to work cross platform. Companies like Onuma are working on BIM servers that will host the models so everyone can start to work together. Once the BIM gets up in the cloud it afford more firms to add value through products and services.
Andersen comes up with an app that can pick out the windows and provide bids for replacement windows, with ROI and energy savings calculators built in, Trane same thing for retrofitting. Contractors can bid on the digital projects, anyone who fabricates or installs building products can so digitally. Rendering firms, etc. The building becomes the operating system that people build on. This type of platform breaks up the hegemony that is Autodesk, but that acquire companies to fortify it, like the purchase of Naviswork and Ecotoect so you can program a building from design to destruction within their family but their business model will also have to shift. IBM made the transition to a powerful services vendor. But you need to get energy analysis on a building, get bids on a new roof, find a new commercial cleaner, yea there will be an app for that.
Summer Thaw, Projects on the Rise: #BIM
Posted by Jim Foster in 3D, architects, As Builts, BIM, Built Environment, Laser BIM, New Technologies, Revit on August 19, 2009
I have always thought companies like mine are like the canaries in the coal mine for part of the industry, like box companies as an indicator for the overall economy. When companies start ordering more boxes they are expecting to ship more product. Our company surveys buildings and provides as builts in both 3D BIM and 2D CAD formats. When times are flush we operate much like others enjoying the benefit, but as projects start to dry up, firms will immediately pull back outsourcing to keep employees busy rather than laying them off. This impacts us greatly. When the economy turns the inverse is true, and firm wary of hiring yet or not having enough stuff turn to us to augment their services without increasing head count. While I might argue that might be a prudent way to do business generally we ride the tide like everyone else. Having said that there has been a very perceptible uptick in business and companies asking us for proposals. More germane to the BIM world is people asking about Revit and asking for more Revit deliverables. A University even asked us after our presentations to deliver their dorms in Revit even though they did not even have an installed seat of Revit but wanted to plan for the future. Yesterday an architect I spoke to said they are now doing 70% of their work in Revit and that clients love seeing their projects in 3D, so even with the economic benefits of working in BIM are real no one should discount the importance of visual communication. This has been a rough ride but I believe more strongly than ever that a fundamental shift has taken place in the building and design community and investing now in training in BIM will pay dividends well into the future.
ASHRAE Issues Grant for Interoperability: #BIM
Posted by Jim Foster in 3D, BIM, Energy Analysis, Green, New Technologies on August 17, 2009
ASHRAE, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers just issued a grant to Texas A&M for “ensuring that a common language of ‘energy efficiency’ is spoken by the both building information modeling software used by architects and energy analysis and simulation software”. I have not played around with Ecotect or IES enough, but I know it had required separate 3D modeling outside of standard BIM authoring software, getting to a point of seamless data exchange you would think would be a starting point not the end point, but glad we are moving that way.
Laser to Revit : Laser to BIM
Posted by Jim Foster in As Builts, BIM, Built Environment, Existing Conditions, Laser BIM, New Technologies, Point to Point Laser Technology, Revit on July 30, 2009
PointKnown website www.pointknown.com has its splash page up and expects to be in beta within the next 6 weeks. PointKnown has developed a system that takes laser range finder data and builds Revit models in the field. Point to Point Laser Technology (PPLT) increases the capture of existing conditions, speeds the production of BIM and Revit Models of the built environment and decreases data gathering and draft time by over 50%.
Revit: As a Service? BIM As a Service? | SaaS
Posted by Jim Foster in BIM, Entrepreneurship, New Technologies, Revit, SaaS on July 3, 2009
I read this morning through a linkedin update of an individual/firm that is running Revit on a 16-core Intel i7 Xeon 2.67GHz, 1GB Video Card, 12GB RAM workstation, and was asking if anyone was interested in using it for design/rendering/etc. I guess this was only a matter of time, but it begs the question of SaaS entering the AEC Software Marketplace. AutoDesk has Dragonfly that allows to export directly into a Revit format. I am not sure who the target user is for this, although they mention that “it can streamline your next home improvement. ” Again is the regular home user or enthusiast going to pick up dragonfly for an improvement project? Or is some who has a visualization program going to change workflows or programs to use Dragonfly? Or better is it Autodesk trying to work the kinks out of what could become a full blown SaaS (Software as a Service) effort? Certainly, they have to be thinking of this, especially when everyone can spit out SaaS or Cloud Computing fast enough to show they are with it.
What would the pricing model look like, free, freemium, premium, etc? I think it would be important from a data point of view, not a legal who owns the data point of view, but imagine actually having data stored centrally, and and then the building becomes the OS (operating system) and everyone adds value to the building through analysis and management, and 3rd parties writing apps, etc. Not that does not happen now, but it in the standard software, mostly stand alone, environment. Cracking this nut open as a marketplace, interesting to ponder. ANd it could bring a whoel new vitality to the marketplace beyond the current BIM movement. Keep an eye out on Dragonfly it might just tell us.
OGC 3D Fusion Summit @ MIT
Posted by Jim Foster in 3D, Built Environment, New Technologies, Point to Point Laser Technology on June 22, 2009
This event is being put on by the Open Geospatial Consortium, tough to type, tougher to say but it is one of many pushing for open standards and interoperability. They will be speaking about these issues and new tchnologies. I hope to stop by for some afternoon sessions and our lead technologist will be going so I hope to post on the presentations and findings.
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