Archivo etiqueta Revit
Interioreview Surveys & Models 28 Story DuBois Library with PKNail Pro
Por Jim Foster - BIM, Built Environment, New Technologies - May 15, 2012
Interioreview, utilized PKNail Pro, an add in to Revit, combined with Leica Disto D8 laser range finders as the main surveying tool and software for capturing and modeling the 28 Story DuBois Library at UMass Amherst. The structure designed by Durell Stone in 1966 is tallest library in the United States. While intially considering combining LIDAR and creating a pointcloud for the exterior and utilizing PKNail Pro for the interior it turned out the exterior was the easiest part of the job and it was interior that was the most difficult. Every 3rd floor contained 90+ rooms with study carrels combined with classrooms where very few technologies would work well. Nico Martinez, a Project Manager with Interioreview, commented,”Without PKNail the survey work could have taken 5 times, 10 times what it was.”
The project was completed to support the design and retrofitting a fire protection system.
Interioreview, an architecural surveying firm founded in 2003 specialzies in documenting the built environment in both 2D CAD and 3D Revit formats.
PointKnown, a software firm, founded in 2008 develops productivity tools for the built environment / AEC (Architectural, Engineering, and Construction) Industry
PKNail Pro, allows a user to measure and model objects in real time directly in Revit.
Autodesk® Revit® software is specifically built for Building Information Modeling (BIM), helping building professionals design, build, and maintain higher-quality, more energy-efficient buildings.
Open BIM? Who really has a vested interest in the care and feeding of an open platform?
Por Jim Foster - Autodesk, BIM - March 14, 2012
So straight out of Budapest….and Boston comes the PR Release of Open BIM. I am for Open BIM, I love the idea of working in a platform agnostic environment and make the building all about the data not the platform, however, when Open BIM is made up of a consortium of companies that have a vested interest in the process, such as Nemetshek, Tekla and Trimble at least the antennae are going to go up.
“Open BIM Programme is a marketing campaign initiated by GRAPHISOFT®, Tekla® and other members of buildingSMART® to urge and facilitate globally coordinated promotion of the Open BIM concept throughout the AEC industry, with aligned communication and common branding available to programme participants.” This is taken right from the buildingSMART website. Now buidlingSMART appears to be the outgrowth of the IFC initiative which was started by Autodesk in 1994, however, Autodesk now does not appear to be a part of this? Why not?
I think fighting against the hegemony of the Autodesk dreadnaught is okay but one has to a question an open standard in this space. As far as I know there is no open source BIM authoring tool, which would be super cool; so then who has a vested interest in the ‘open’ standard and supporting it? I know if I have an ancient CAD file I can still open it in AutoCAD because you have a for profit company investing in itself and it’s long tail, open standard? Not sure if it works. Would I be able to open a file that was saved in an IFC format twenty years from now? I can still open a Revit file that is 7 years old. Is this a capitalism vs. socialism equation? I would not go that far but there is a whole lot invested in software to design/manage buildings digitally so what does Open really mean in this case besides just a ‘marketing campaign initiated from Graphisoft…” As my dad always says, usually when you want to know the motivation for something, “follow the money.”
I’ve written about this before and I think in the ideal world the building, the BIM, is open and people just write apps for the model, as current apps put a nice wrapper around open data so can BIM apps. Need energy analysis, buy the app, space management, buy the app but the initial creation and file formatting lies in the BIM authoring tool, Revit, Archicad, etc. How does the centralized BIM server model work when changes are made, etc. and what file format is it kept in that will have the legacy to support it? Perhaps after the building is designed or existing building is captured in a BIM platform it can be translated into the IFC, whathave you, open platform and then becomes the defacto standard for existing buildings (EB), but during the design process? There are a lot of people with a vested interest to keep it in their ecosystem. Who will invest, support and nurture an Open BIM standard and to what end?
BIM….It’s like Legos
Por Jim Foster - BIM - January 12, 2012
In an article in the Boston Herald Robert Murray, the President of Bond Construction stated that BIM sped up construction by 10%, or in the case of a current project at Boston University, 2.5 Months. The new building 122,000 square feet in all will be mixed use with restaurants, offices, and classrooms and comes with a price tag of $48 million. While the article mostly emphasizes the increased speed that buildings can go up, especially important in the academic community to get a building on-line for a new year, how about the cost savings? You have a full crew off the building 2.5 months early?
“In the future, we’ll build the whole building in sections, not just the systems,” he said. “That’ll be the standard, almost like Legos.” – Robert Murray – President Bond Brothers
The project manager mentioned that they analyze every piece of equipment that comes into the building to make sure it has a clear path. A giant room size air conditioning unit was checked digitally to see that it could fit.
“At the project office next door to the site on Commonwealth Avenue, Bond superintendent George Antonucci sat at a desk with five computer monitors running software such as Revit, NavisWorks and AutoCad that chelp model the building’s components. An iPad running an app called Vela Mobile lets workers take the 3D model onsite. All of that technology makes it possible for workers to map every duct, pipe and wire in detail beforehand, instead of fitting them as they build. “
“It’s a hell of a lot faster …..,” Antonucci said.
Current Technologies for Reality Capture : #Revit #BIM #AU2011
Por Jim Foster - BIM, Built Environment, New Technologies - December 14, 2011
I was at the recent Autodesk University in Las Vegas and sat in the session for Reality Capture for Rapid Energy Modeling by Jess Miller who discussed the current technologies and work flows to document existing buildings digitally in Revit. As it stands the 4 available today are:
- Satellite Imagery
- Laser Scanning
- 123D Catch (aka Photofly)
- PKNail Pro
All of these technologies with the exception of PKNail, yes I do have a horse in this race, require a user to extract geometry from one program and draft in another. PKNail allows a user to survey and model directly in Revit. However, the most important task is choosing the right tool for the job and usually this is driven by the scope of the project/deliverable, what the model is going to be used for, and conditions and access of the building. First, let’s look briefly at the current technologies and how they work.
Satellite Imagery
this requires getting oblique images from a source such as bing maps or Pictometry, that then can then be scaled and traced over in Revit. While it could be the least expensive of the methods it is generally a lot less accurate, requires something that allows you to scale the photos properly either on site measurements, existing plot plan, or CAD floor plan and any real details will not be included. This might prove to be an okay method to extract geometry for energy modeling but the model would end there, you could not use it to move forward with an architectural model. Additionally, it requires a sophisticated users knowledge of Revit through linking photos and extracting geometry.
Laser Scanning.
This is generally done as a service, that is you hire a company who has a laser scanner to create a pointcloud of the building you need. Estimates range from $3-$5K per day to have someone scanning a building. I know from experience that I have been quoted almost $60,000 to scan the exterior and interior of a single story industrial building and that did not include the Revit model we needed. We would have to build that ourselves from the point cloud. However, if you need an accurate 3D data set of an existing structure it is an excellent resource. You will need to import the pointcloud into Revit and trace over it to create the geometry making it at least a 2 step process. There are some technologies available such as Imaganit from Rand Technologies that will allow a user to extract some geometry to Revit but it is still a manual process. I have seen excellent use of this technology is extensive exposed MEP projects, think boiler room or oil rig, or difficult and inaccessible geometry, such as the Capitol Dome.
123D Catch,
is a program that allows you take pictures of building, send them up into the cloud and have them stitched together and served back to you as a 3D Photo model that you can then scale and extract geometry from. I have not had success using this product. I want to be successful using this product because I think it would be awesome but the few times I have sent something up to the could I get back something that looks like I am looking through a kaleidoscope. I highly recommend you take a look because as the technology progresses and computers get more powerful this will only get better.
PKNail Pro for Revit,
this is an add in to Revit that allows you to create real Revit objects, driven wirelessly from laser range finder (Disto D8) and from measurements in the field. That is measure wall, press a button and the wall is created directly in Revit. This is the only software that works within the actual BIM software so there is no need to translate or extract geometry. PKNail Pro automates current workflows and data capture and allows a user to finish the model on site. It excels at creating dimensionally correct 3D models of the both the interior and exterior. However, if you need a lot of exterior detail you may want to pair it with another of the technologies to create gutter sweeps, cornice work, etc. if that is needed on the project. PKNail also recognizes any Revit wall so you could another technology/method to create the exterior and use PKNail Pro to capture all the interior fit outs.
What it boils down to is what is needed based on the scope of the project and your budget. Choose the right tool for the job and don’t limit yourself, because who wants to use a hammer when you need a screw driver, or use a jackhammer when you need to hang a picture. I’ll work on my metaphors, you work on capturing reality.
Two great tastes together, Revit and AutoCAD make RevitCAD…
Por Jim Foster - BIM, CAD, Revit - November 18, 2011
So I am just adding to the rumor mill, first started, or first heard by me, by Steve Stafford on his twitter feed, so I’ll throw him under the bus if it does not come to pass that the next release of Revit will be “Revit and AutoCAD glued together in one product called ReviCAD….” There has been a lot of bundling going in the recent years such as buy AutoCAD get Revit with it, etc. but not before has it been under one hood, so interesting if you could use AutoCAD’s drafting tool inside of a Revit view, as I’d like that but how about as a tool to increase migration to Revit, although arguably AutoCAD and Revit lead their fields as CAD drafting and BIM authoring platforms, this doesn’t require anyone to make the leap if it’s true, your just in it. So if true, as those guys in the Guiness commercials would say, “Brilliant.”
PKNail : Hand Held Laser Direct to Revit Building Surveying Software Let’s you Fly.
Por Jim Foster - As Builts, BIM, Built Environment, Laser BIM, New Technologies - November 16, 2011
Flying Squirrel at Yosemite
November 16, 2011 – Boston, MA
7,000 Square Feet of Mixed Medical Office Space, Single Floor, 4 Hours. All Surveyed in Revit. All Revit Objects. In 3D. All Doors and Windows sized in 3 Dimensions. Exterior and Interior Fit Outs. Considering the shell had to be done. other floors would go faster, 20,000 SF a day per person not uncommon, Office Space within the same shell, even faster. Build, Document in Real Time using a hand held laser, driving Revit through the laser key pad as long as your laptop is close by no need to stop. Measure, build, boom…done.
PKNail was designed by field professionals for anyone who has ever had to document a building, to put a tool in your bag that helps you be successful in what you do. Do things quicker, do them better, produce for your clients, produce for yourself.
PointKnown will be at Autodesk University in Las Vegas to launch PKNail for Revit, compatible with both Revit 2011 and Revit 2012 and then at EcoBuild in Washington DC the week after.
You can catch Jess Miller’s session at AU where she will present her own findings for PKNail for Reality Capture.
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=event_class&session_id=9855&jid=1742242
And why the flying squirrel? Well, look at him. He’s sitting on the precipice and he’s going to jump, and when he does he’s going to fly.
BIM Gets Wet : MWH uses Autodesk Suite of Products for Third Set of Panama Locks
Por Jim Foster - BIM, Revit - November 15, 2011
I can’t write it better than the PR folks at Autodesk so excerpts from the Autodesk Press Release copied below.
November 08, 2011 at 8:58 AM
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Nov. 8, 2011 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that MWH Global, a leader in wet infrastructure projects and programs, including water, hydropower and civil infrastructure, has been selected to receive an Autodesk BIM Experience Award. The firm is being honored for using a Building Information Modeling (BIM) process, together with Autodesk BIM software, to help design the Third Set of Locks project for the Panama Canal, intended to double the canal’s shipping traffic capacity.
To help meet the challenges of the project, MWH Global used a BIM process and Autodesk BIM solutions to address the following tasks:
- Autodesk 3ds Max Design software is being used for conceptual and detailed design and was used to produce design visualizations to help the client understand several design options.
- Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit Structure and Autodesk Revit MEPsoftware is being used for detailed design of the canal’s new lock structures, buildings, control towers and a multitude of supporting facilities
- AutoCAD Civil 3D software is helping create more efficient and accurate site designs.
- Autodesk Navisworks Manage software is being used for improved multidiscipline coordination and collaboration, helping resolve design conflicts prior to construction, increasing the quality of the project and helping to prevent costly field changes.
- AutoCAD Electrical software is being used by the electrical subcontractor to MWH Global for the electrical schematics and panel layouts.
- For project handover to the Panama Canal Authority, the team is capitalizing on its use of a BIM workflow to capture asset information such as equipment identification tags for inclusion in an operations manual incorporating project models and data.
Gehry Does Revit : Pigs Fly Addition : BIM
Por Jim Foster - Adoption, BIM - October 26, 2011
So off business wire the other day I read that Gehry Technologies has teamed up with Autodesk to offer ” to transform business and design workflows with Autodesk BIM solutions.” Now there Digital Project built on DSS’s Catia Engine is a competitor to Revit, No? However, Gehry Technologies sells technology, services and consulting to firms wanting to implement BIM. And now they are offering Revit as a platform. That’ some feather in the cap for Autodesk. ”This new business relationship with Autodesk is a key element of our growth strategy,” added Dayne Myers, CEO of Gehry Technologies. And there you have it, Revit equals growth, Revit equals the future. I am not saying that some BIM 2.0 Platform might come along and knock everyone off their feet, but for now Revit’s got the lead and its pulling away.
PRESS RELEASE
Oct. 19, 2011, 9:30 a.m. EDT
Autodesk and Gehry Technologies to Work Together to Improve the Way Buildings are Designed and Constructed
BIM Survey : It’s a Process : Second Place – It’s Revit : 5th Place – Korean Food
Por Jim Foster - Adoption, BIM - September 29, 2011
There are more discussion threads on what BIM is then I care to mention or dive into. Usually it turn’s into a bowl of alphabet soup with VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) and IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) etc. and the fact is it means different things to different people. So I put up a poll on the website, and I feel fine about the argument that the people who A) come to my web site and B) respond to the poll are industry professionals with a vested interest in BIM and all it entails, otherwise, really how would you get here? Certainly not by googling, “Jersey Shore” or “Justin Bieber”.
My interest here was not to put a stake in the ground and define BIM. It was to see how the market defines it, and the market defines it as a ‘process’ that they understand that the ‘I’ (Information) is more than lip service but more interestingly, at least to me, is that Revit comes in second, even before “It’s a technology”. What impact does that have? For developers, I think a large one. If you are developing software for a BIM platform, and as much as we want open standards, seamless cross platform migration, etc, the fact is until is there is an open source BIM Engine / BIM authoring tool you have to choose, and if you are a developer it makes more and more sense to choose Revit, at least at first. Now all you Revit haters, let’s hear it ArchiCAD people, I don’t care what you think is superior technology, the world is littered with “superior” technology has beens never was. For my purposes I follow what’s market driven. The history of what technology takes off and why is more interesting, a’la the VHS vs. Betamax war, and why many people thought Sony lost with superior technology.
Why you chose what technology you chose, is entirely up to you and your process. I’m just the messenger.
Revit Standards : ANZRS has them : Good on ya
Por Jim Foster - BIM, Revit, Standards - August 8, 2011
For everyone who has asked the question about standards from CAD to Revit and beyond and wondered why everyone has their own, and the wasted time documenting it, translating it between companies, etc. well thank ANZRS for taking on this monumental task, and also for those of us standardizing on Revit, thank you for those folks in the Southern Hemisphere, in general for what they are doing in the Revit Head Space.
So is switching or adopting a new or different standard worth the effort? Is it worth documenting and teaching your standards to every single employee that walks through the door when you have a board of smart people documenting and keeping it current if for you? Certainly you need to check it out for yourselves but seems like a no brainer. Thanks ANZRS, good on ya.
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