AECCafe Voice Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com. Bridging the Future: Microsoft and Nvidia Omniverse Transform Engineering and ConstructionApril 1st, 2024 by Sanjay Gangal
In an industry as foundational and transformative as engineering and construction, the advent of digital twin technology represents a seismic shift in how projects are conceived, designed, and executed. At the forefront of this revolution are Microsoft and Nvidia, through their strategic integration of Omniverse with Azure Cloud services, redefining the boundaries of architectural and engineering innovation. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the engineering and construction sectors, offering unprecedented capabilities in simulation, collaboration, and visualization. A New Era of Digital Construction with Microsoft and OmniverseThe integration of Nvidia Omniverse into Microsoft’s Azure Cloud platform is a game-changer for the engineering and construction industry. This powerful combination leverages the strengths of both entities—Microsoft’s robust cloud infrastructure and Omniverse’s advanced simulation and visualization capabilities—to provide a unified platform for the creation and management of digital twins. Digital twins, virtual replicas of physical buildings and infrastructure, enable stakeholders to visualize, simulate, and analyze real-world conditions and performance throughout the construction lifecycle. This technological leap forward facilitates a more integrated, efficient, and sustainable approach to construction projects, from initial design through to operation and maintenance.
Intel Unleashes the Power of Speed: The Core i9-14900KS Sets New Standards for Desktop PerformanceMarch 14th, 2024 by Sanjay Gangal
In the realm of desktop computing, speed and power are the twin pillars upon which the ultimate user experience rests. Today, Intel has once again affirmed its commitment to these principles with the announcement of its Intel® Core™ 14th Gen i9-14900KS processors, heralding a new epoch in desktop processor speeds. Intel’s latest marvel, the i9-14900KS, bursts through previous boundaries by offering a staggering 6.2 gigahertz (GHz) max turbo frequency straight out of the box. This isn’t just another incremental step forward; it’s a giant leap that cements Intel’s status as the purveyor of the world’s fastest desktop processor. For the legion of PC enthusiasts, gamers, and content creators, this represents not just an upgrade but a transformation in what they can expect from their desktop systems. “The Intel Core i9-14900KS showcases the full power and performance potential of the Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processor family and its performance hybrid architecture,” says Roger Chandler, Intel’s vice president and general manager of the Enthusiast PC and Workstation Segment. His words underscore a fundamental truth about today’s computing demands: they are evolving, and Intel is leading the charge in meeting these demands head-on. Bridging Eras: Tony Owen’s Architectural HarmonyFebruary 19th, 2024 by Sanjay Gangal
At the forefront of blending the historic with the futuristic in Sydney’s architectural landscape, Tony Owen, the creative mind behind Tony Owen Partners, is redefining the boundaries of design. In a revealing interview with Sanjay Gangal of AECCafe, Owen shares insights into his innovative projects, the challenges of integrating modern architecture into historic contexts, and the pivotal role of sustainability and technology in shaping the future of urban living.
Oxford Corner: A Modern Tribute to Historic PaddingtonIn the heart of Paddington, a suburb known for its winding streets and Victorian terraces, a new landmark rises. Oxford Corner, designed by the visionary team at Tony Owen Partners, is a testament to modern architecture’s ability to complement and enhance its historical surroundings. This project not only stands as a beacon of contemporary design but also as a bridge between Paddington’s rich past and its dynamic future. Read the rest of Bridging Eras: Tony Owen’s Architectural Harmony HD Hyundai Unveils ‘Xite Transformation’ Vision at CES 2024: Pioneering the Future of Sustainable ConstructionJanuary 16th, 2024 by Sanjay Gangal
HD Hyundai’s Vice Chairman and CEO, Kisun Chung, presented a groundbreaking vision at CES 2024 in Las Vegas on January 10, known as “Xite Transformation.” This initiative aims to revolutionize the construction industry by overcoming traditional barriers and contributing to a sustainable future for humanity. HD Hyundai’s expanded vision of Xite encompasses the development of intelligent construction sites integrating autonomous, digital twin, eco-friendly, and electrification technologies. Chung emphasized that the construction sector, foundational to human civilization, is ripe for technological and innovative advancement.
From Skylines to Streetscapes: How SHoP Architects Brings Innovative Designs to LifeOctober 13th, 2023 by Sanjay Gangal
New York firm’s director of visualization, Mengyi Fan, enhances real-time visualization workflows, bringing complexity and realism to her designs using NVIDIA RTX A5500.
At SHoP Architects, a New York City-based architectural firm, Mengyi Fan and her team aim to inspire industry professionals to create visual masterpieces by incorporating emerging technologies. Fan, the director of visualization at SHoP, has expertise that spans the fields of architectural visualization and design. She takes a definitive, novel and enduring approach to designing and planning architecture for city skylines and streetscapes. Fan and her team work on various architecture visualization projects, from still renderings to real-time walkthroughs. They use multiple creative applications throughout the course of their projects, including Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Revit and Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. SHoP also collaborates directly with architects at project kickoff, providing images and animations that facilitate quicker decision-making during the design process. The team consistently integrates new technologies that allow them to explore untapped innovation opportunities, as well as boost research and development. Fan often incorporates real-time and traditional rendering, extended reality and AI into her creative workflows. Nvidia’s Record-Breaking Earnings Highlight Looming Challenges for AI’s AdvancementAugust 25th, 2023 by Sanjay Gangal
NVIDIA announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, reporting record revenue of $13.51 billion, an increase of 88% from the previous quarter and 101% from the same period a year ago. The company’s Data Center revenue also hit a record of $10.32 billion, rising by 141% from the previous quarter and 171% from a year ago. GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $2.48, which marked a significant increase of 854% from a year ago and 202% from the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $2.70, up 429% from a year ago and 148% from the previous quarter. NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, stated that a new computing era has begun, with companies transitioning to accelerated computing and generative AI. The company’s GPUs, combined with its networking technologies and software stack, play a crucial role in the emerging landscape of generative AI. Read the rest of Nvidia’s Record-Breaking Earnings Highlight Looming Challenges for AI’s Advancement Cityworks Touts Full Lifecycle Asset Management for InfrastructureAugust 25th, 2022 by Susan Smith
Geospatial data and information is one of the most critical elements for infrastructure improvement projects and asset management. The GIS provides context for where infrastructure is placed, its attributes, topography, maintenance history, and much more. These attributes track an asset’s performance and catalog its proximity to other assets. Cityworks adds to this context by providing historical activity of when and how the infrastructure was placed, what type of work has been performed against the infrastructure, and the ability to identify the encompassing business risk should that infrastructure fail. With its platform architecture, Cityworks is able to consume various sources of data which inform organizations and assist with smart and efficient planning as stewards within their communities. Cityworks was acquired by Trimble in 2019. It is built as a GIS-centric, platform-based, software for asset management and permitting. across the asset lifecycle with added capabilities for project management, contract management, and activity-based solutions. Cityworks, alongside e-Builder, a Trimble BIM Solution that integrates on the platform, provides comprehensive asset management from the permitting phase through building and inspection into operations and maintenance. Recently within Trimble, a new sector was created that is specifically focused on owners of infrastructure and the public sector. The Owner and Public Sector includes Cityworks and e-Builder along with Trimble Utilities and Agile Assets, a pavement manager. They are positioned as part of the construction sector with a focus on the public sector and leverages these solutions that are focused on completing and fulfilling the different stages of the design, build, operate process to provide a comprehensive GIS-centric solution for the public sector. Read the rest of Cityworks Touts Full Lifecycle Asset Management for Infrastructure Digital Construction Works (DCW) Focuses on Construction Technology IntegrationJune 5th, 2022 by Susan Smith
Sanjay Gangal, CEO and president of AECCafe, recently interviewed Jason Hallett, CEO of Digital Construction Works (DCW). Founded in 2019, DCW is a separate services company offering digital automation, integration and digital twinning services and fit-for-purpose solutions. The aim is to simplify digital transformation for the construction industry. DCW solutions span every phase of the project – from planning to construction and operations through to asset management – creating a digital thread that connects technologies and workflows. Because DCW is a completely new separate company, it can be agnostic to technology and process improvement. This way, technology follows the operational process change but doesn’t lead it. Sanjay: Thank you so much for joining us, Jason. Tell us a little bit about Digital Construction Works? Jason: DCW was founded in 2019 as a joint venture between Topcon group and Bentley Systems. Our staff is comprised of construction industry subject matter experts and application developers. We’re focused on trying to really integrate the technologies that are out there used on construction projects and make the flow of information more seamless while executing construction. Read the rest of Digital Construction Works (DCW) Focuses on Construction Technology Integration Autodesk Acquires Immersive Collaboration Platform, The WildMay 5th, 2022 by Susan Smith
President of AECCafe Sanjay Gangal spoke recently with Montreal-based Nick Fonta, General Manager, XR division at Autodesk about Autodesk’s XR immersive experience and the company’s acquisition of The Wild, an immersive remote collaboration platform for architecture, design, and enterprise teams. Sanjay: Thank you so much for joining us, Nick. So, tell us about Autodesk XR Solutions. Nick: For sure. Autodesk has an interesting journey or history when it comes to XR. We started in the 1990s with our first project around XR, and it was a full 3D immersive experience with AutoCAD data that people could navigate into, a little bit like a first-person shooter. You could interact with basic interactions with the AutoCAD scene at the time. That was a project in prototype. And since then, we’ve been doing a lot of things, we have a research group who continued testing the limits of those technologies, but more recently, we’ve had a few things maybe worth noting. The first thing being about seven years ago, we moved into the real-time engine business, if you will, with our own engine, which was called Stingray. And we also built a first product in our trying to understand what that meant phase for Autodesk, and the product was called Revit Live. And both Stingray and Revit Live were our first real experiments to try to understand how real-time technologies, VR, and AR can can add value and solve real problems for our customers in the AEC and manufacturing spaces. We tried a lot of things there, and then finally, a lot more recently, we have products today that support mostly VR, a little bit of AR as well in a portfolio. We have VRED, which targets mainly the automotive industry. VRED is a very high end, high resolution, high level of fidelity when it comes to imageries and rendering. It comes with the collaborative VR experience, so you can bring multiple designers to review, do the design reviews typically on cars, but it’s also used in other manufacturing industries. So that’s one, as a product, it’s been around for about five years, maybe a bit more, and is still around. It’s very successful, we’re seeing a lot of adoption and growth there, and we also have a capability called Create VR that allows designers to sketch and ideate in VR from scratch in a 3D space for a very creative way of transferring your ideas as a designer into the 3D world. Recently we released a capability out of Fusion products, one of our Hero products in manufacturing that allows any Fusion model to be experienced in AR, experienced on iOS with a publish to a USDZ. This is what we have today. This is where this all journey started, maybe a couple of months ago, and I’m sure we’re going to talk more about that now. Read the rest of Autodesk Acquires Immersive Collaboration Platform, The Wild |