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AECWeekly is a news magazine featuring important industry news profiles, a summary of recently published AEC product and company news, customer wins, and coming events. Brought to you by AECCafe.
AECWeekly examines select top news each week, picks out worthwhile reading from around the web, and special interest items you might not find elsewhere. This issue will feature Industry News, Acquistions/Alliances/Agreements, Announcements, New Products, and Upcoming Events.
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Susan Smith, Managing Editor
Industry News
Email, Project Knowledge and Support for BIM in Newforma Project Center Fourth Edition
by Susan Smith
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As the first screen that appears upon launching Newforma Project Center, My Project Center gives you quick access to project information, enables you to customize your project list and provides quick links to recent files and Newforma Project Center activities. |
Director of Product Management Allen Preger talked about their current installed base, comprised of 53 design firms managing information for 7,000 projects our current installed base. Of those design firms, most are using it firmwide and have it deployed at multiple offices. The product is used for mechanical design firms, civil design firms as well as design build and A/E firms.
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Newforma Project Center software provides workflow to streamline the markup and review of three-dimensional models. The Snapshot tool creates screen captures which Newforma Viewer displays for markup and sharing. Anybody on the project team can easily browse, preview and comment upon the markups. The process provides an audit trail of decisions for a design or submittal review. |
There are three key areas where Newforma delivers additional benefit in the Fourth Edition:
- Email management. Preger said that the Fourth Edition builds on strength begun in the Third Edition, so a lot of firms are basing their decision to go to enterprise on Newforma Project Center. It has the ability to automate and streamline the management of their email. “Email is a big issue and headache for many IT directors for these firms, but also for the users,” Preger noted.
- Project knowledge and the ability to harvest the wealth of project information in archived projects and other projects, even in your own projects. “The searching capability of Project Center that extends into all the major native file formats has now extended to deal with not only the current project that you’re focused on but to also deal with any project the firm has ever dealt with,” explained Preger. “Now we’re finding firms are taking their archived data that’s sitting on tape backup drives and DVD drives and putting it onto low cost server media just so Project Center can search that information.
- Supporting the BIM process. There are three key areas where Newforma supports BIM:
- Coordination, review and markup. “We provided a powerful environment for marking up, reviewing and sharing those views and discussions among fellow project team members.”
- There’s also search that has been extended to support the intelligent object properties in BIM models so you can now search the hidden object properties in a BIM model.
- Compare. As you’re moving from milestone to milestone in a BIM environment, you have the ability to compare the upcoming milestone with the previous milestone to catch any unintended changes and to insure that any changes that were intended were properly documented.
- There are also 127 other customer requests and enhancements.
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The Project Email window allows you to sort messages using multiple parameters such as “From,” “To,” “Subject,” “Attachments” and more. |
One benefit of Project Center is the search capability. “For example, if I search for a term like LEED, I’m looking for information regarding a LEED credit, I just do a search of the project, it will come up with every match of the term LEED in my project, so I have PDFs, CAD files and a WinZip file,” Preger pointed out. “It tells me the file inside the WinZip, including email. You can filter the list for email too. I now have a central place for all my project email and can also search attachments.”
There is integration with Outlook that makes this possible. “Inside Outlook we have installed a Project Center toolbar, and if I get an email that I know is related to a project, I can simply file it in the project, it will move the email to a projects folder inside Outlook. So it will remove it from my inbox and it moves it within my personal inbox inside Outlook.”
“After having filed that project email with the project, I can then do a search as I have done with LEED to find emails that contain that term, or I can go to the project email activity center which is brand new in Fourth Edition. It provides a single view of all the email that’s been filed to the project no matter where it’s been filed. If I’m only looking for emails that have PDFs as attachments, and have RFI in the subject line and came from Bob Wilder and were sent to John Doe, it filters that list down. This gives you a powerful tool for finding email that’s associated with the project.”
The second key point in 4.0 is that searching has been expanded beyond just searching for information in the current project. “Every single project that HOK has done is accessible to all the project teams,” said Preger. “This demonstrates how firms can now make use of this archived information. Currently, if you want to access archived projects you must make a request through IT (because it’s generally on tape or DVD) which takes awhile to find.”
Many accounts are dedicating Newforma servers to archiving project data and taking that tape and DVD backed up data and putting it onto lower cost server media. They are creating former projects out of projects that never used Newforma. “All you do to create a project is point it to the data and Newforma starts indexing it and organizing it for you, and searching.”
 [ Click to Enlarge ] Remote users of Newforma Project Center can file email messages to project-specific Outlook folders from PDAs, smart phones or Outlook Web Access, or while disconnected from the network. Back in the office, one click of the Project Center add-in for Microsoft Outlook files emails to project folders. |
He will want to save his markup session to the project, and at the same time add the markup session to the RFI. So John can send a PDF of all the markups to Bob and at the same time, fill out a project transmittal so it will record this transaction in the project’s transmittal log. Everyone in the project will know that this occurred.” This gives Bob access to the whole project team. Currently, these steps are all separate, requiring the use of numerous programs.
Preger considers the BIM just another piece of information to take advantage of. He suggests a PIM, or project information management, is bigger than a BIM. And email is another big piece of that picture. “Look at the litigation on it,” Preger pointed out. “A lawyer asks to see every single transmittal in a litigation right away, including all the email, PDFs, transmittal logs, etc. Now it’s all right here, your records are great. You have the files you actually sent.”
“No matter how information is authored, we’re trying to make sure that information can be easily shared, searched, changes are tracked, the use of that information is audited, and in many cases, it can be used effectively downstream,” said Preger. Additionally, there is an audit trail of the exchange of information as a way of discouraging any behavior that otherwise might lead to distrust in a project.
People can apply Newforma Project Center to their existing processes without having to make a huge change. Project Center just overlays existing processes, such as Outlook, PDF, email, and makes the process smoother. Customers can deploy the software in two days. Newforma can install it, configure it and deploy the servers and create the projects in two days. It is an easy entry with just a couple of hours training, allowing customers to make use of all the capabilities. “This is very different from the transition to BIM,” noted Preger.
Acquisitions/Alliances/Agreements
Autodesk, Inc. announced it has completed the acquisition of NavisWorks for a purchase price of $26 million, plus a working capital adjustment. NavisWorks is a privately-held company based in Sheffield, England, that provides software for 3D coordination, collaboration and sequencing in design and construction. This acquisition extends Autodesk's 3D software leadership in the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), shipbuilding, and plant design industries.
Announcements
Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced that Manila Water, one of the largest water and wastewater service providers in the Philippines, has selected WaterGEMS V8 XM Edition, Bentley's water distribution modeling solution, to manage the water network serving more than five million people in the East Zone. This area includes eastern Metro Manila and portions of Rizal province.
For more than two decades, CH2M HILL’s Electronics and Advanced Technology division has planned, designed and built complex technology facilities for leading industry and academic clients. They pride themselves on providing innovative solutions based on experience and insight to help clients optimize performance, production and return on investment.
When CH2M HILL needed help streamlining their estimating processes, they turned to the powerful and reliable estimating solutions included within Sage Timberline Office.
CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, construction and operations firm, announced that it plans to add more than 1,000 jobs in California over the next five years, bringing its total California staff to more than 2,500 by 2012.
COADE announced the completion of the first part of the U.S. leg of the COADE Discovery Tour, a series of educational sessions featuring the just-released CADWorx Plant Design Suite 2008 that highlights new capabilities such as tighter integration between CADWorx Plant Professional and CADWorx P&ID Professional, allowing users to see and select components from the process and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) for placement directly into the 3D model. The May 17th Houston session had a record attendance of 65, and the July 18th event in Denver and July 26th event in Tulsa also drew big crowds.
Patti the Architect, a small, all-woman architectural firm based in Florida, is pioneering the use of Apple’s latest technological wonder to make building information modeling (BIM) documents into a productivity-boosting mobile resource for construction-site communications.
With Apple iPhone in tow, architect Patricia “Patti” Stough and her staff can now easily access their full library of design and construction documents and 3D virtual building models wherever they roam. The firm designs all its projects in ArchiCAD on high-performance Mac hardware, making the files effortlessly portable and displayable on iPhone’s high-res widescreen display.
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- The number of industrial plants under construction in the U.S. is currently at 759. As construction is completed and these plants begin operations more than 110,000 new jobs will be created.
WTWH Media, LLC announced that Autodesk will be sponsoring the Design World "Leadership in Engineering" program, an industry recognition event to acknowledge engineering leadership across several disciplines. The inaugural program includes over 40 manufacturers and has a featured print promotion along with an online voting site at designworldonline.com/leadership.
Archline, an international wide area networking CAD services company specializing in projects in a broad array of construction building types, announced that its President, Charles Traylor, AIA, NCARB, and Limited Partner, Greg Traylor, will be featured in an exclusive live interview to be broadcast on Market News First ( www.mn1.com) on Monday, August 13, 2007, at 11:30 AM Central Time.
The Traylors will discuss growth in Archline's first and second quarter 2007 projects and projected 2008 expansion. Highlights will include the growth realized as a result of its present international strategic alliances.
Avolve Software, developers of ProjectDox(R) communication and collaboration software, announced that the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, is deploying Avolve's ProjectDox electronic plan check solution.
Lincoln joins a list of cities and counties across the United States that are utilizing ProjectDox, as well as other web-based technologies, to manage complex internal processes and provide outward-facing tools to better serve their citizens and commercial partners.
New Products
Meridian Systems, provider of enterprise project management software for optimizing capital projects, programs and facilities, announced a new System Integrator (SI) relationship with RealFoundations, a full-service management consultancy focused exclusively on companies in the real estate industry and the real estate function of large corporations. RealFoundations will assist its clients in the deployment of Meridian's Proliance® software solution.
Nemetschek North America announced the release of the Spanish-language version of VectorWorks 12.5.2, a maintenance update for VectorWorks Architect, VectorWorks Fundamentals, and RenderWorks.
VectorWorks 12.5.2 builds upon the improvements released in version 12.5.1. Of particular note, the update fixes a problem some Macintosh users encountered when saving a file while other open files are minimized or docked. VectorWorks 12.5.2 also resolves cosmetic interface issues with Microsoft's Vista operating system. In addition, many users will see improvements to file size and PDF export capabilities.
Nemetschek has introduced a new method of cost calculation that combines the advantages of the CAD software Allplan, the cost calculation software Alltop together with local TAI solutions and construction-specific expertise and ease of use. With the help of Design2Cost, designers, contractors and prefabrication companies will be able to determine their costs quickly and reliably from the initial planning phase onwards. The method ensures the exchange of all relevant parameters and provides well-founded bills of quantities, including a quantity framework for cost calculation and tendering. Any company that does not strive for these results will be left behind in the construction industry of the future.
Events
| Webinar : On-boarding and Off-boarding | |
| Date: | August 21, 2007 |
| Place: | Online
NV USA |
| Bringing new employees into your organization is known as "employee on-boarding." With the goal of making new employees productive and ready to perform their new job functions, your business should make absolutely sure that new hires feel welcomed, valued, and prepared for what lies ahead during your new employee orientation or on-boarding process. | |
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| NeoCon Xpress | |
| Date: | August 22 - 23, 2007 |
| Place: | Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, CA USA |
| NeoCon Xpress will set the stage for the West Coast preview of the newest commercial interiors products fresh from NeoCon World’s Trade Fair. NeoCon Xpress is an Xtraordinary event created for today’s progressive design professional. At last, the stylish and sophisticated A&D and FM communities of L.A. have an Xclusive event designed to unite people, products and ideas for two stimulating days. | |
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| 5th International Symposium on Environmental Hydrology & the 5th Regional Conference on Civil Engineering Technology | |
| Date: | September 3 - 5, 2007 |
| Place: | Cairo, Egypt |
| The 5th Civil Engineering Technology &
5th International symposium in the Middle East are to show that Civil
Engineering is a global profession with a focus on economics and
natural resources preservation and utilization.
The issues to be discussed are related to the performance of engineered systems for sustainable development and the role of quality assurance and Quality Control in Civil Engineering, and environmental hydrology beside other multi-disciplines in infrastructure development. | |
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| 7th International Congress - Concrete: Construction's Sustainable Option | |
| Date: | September 4 - 6, 2007 |
| Place: | University of Dundee
Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| BudEXPO-Autumn | |
| Date: | September 4 - 7, 2007 |
| Place: | Palace of Sport
Lviv, Ukraine |
| Modern construction technologies. Construction units, materials and tools. Construction and decoration materials. Lifts and lift equipment. Architectural projects. Electrotechnical equipment. Sanitation. Energy-saving technologies and materials. Windows and doors from PVC, wooden and aluminium profile. Roofing and hydroinsulating materials. | |
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| PLASA07 | |
| Date: | September 9 - 12, 2007 |
| Place: | Earls Court Exhibition Centre
London, SW5 9TA United Kingdom |
| PLASA07 is THE international event attracting buyers and specifiers within the entertainment, event, corporate, architectural and installation industries from all over the world. If you work professionally with lighting, sound, rigging or staging, then PLASA07 is the event where you can see the latest innovations in one place at one time. | |
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| Wallingford Software International User Conference 2007 | |
| Date: | September 11 - 13, 2007 |
| Place: | Wallingford Software
Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8BA United Kingdom |
| This year's International User Conference,
will be held over three days from 11th to 13th September at Howbery
Park in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
The first and second days will be divided into three core streams covering the main water disciplines of collection systems (InfoWorks CS), water supply (InfoWorks WS), river systems and coastal engineering (InfoWorks RS) and flood management and forecasting (FloodWorks). The third day is dedicated to network data management and Wallingford Software's InfoNet solution. | |
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| Highway Construction Cost Conference | |
| Date: | September 11, 2007 |
| Place: | 10330 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO USA |
| This one day conference brings together highway and bridge construction experts from state and federal agencies and the construction industry to discuss and formulate recommendations for: the outlook for construction material costs, construction pratices that can be used to mitigate cost increases, and identify other practices impacting construction costs. | |
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| Webcast: Making the Move from 2D to 3D | |
| Date: | September 11, 2007 |
| Place: | Internet Event
USA |
| Productivity has never been more important.
Today, you need to see and experiment with your next project before its
real. Simply designing only in 2D is no longer enough.
Now you can discover how the power of 3D can take your designs to the next level with Autodesk® Inventor™ 2008 software at INCAT’s Autodesk Live technology webcast event taking place at the comfort of your desk. | |
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| Webinar : Accelerate and Improve Store Construction | |
| Date: | September 12, 2007 |
| Place: | Online
NV USA |
| Retailers look to real estate and
construction departments to improve bottom-line results. New store
openings alone represent as much as 50% of revenue growth for
retailers. Construction of new stores and store remodels represent 80%
to 90% of retailer's capital budgets.
The acceleration of store construction from site selection through the grand opening of the store increases revenue weeks and bottom-line profit. The automation and improvement of the project cost and schedule management of both new store openings and re-models reduces capital project expenses, significantly improving financial performance. | |
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| Central Reprographics Association Trade Show | |
| Date: | September 13 - 15, 2007 |
| Place: | Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
On Nicollet Mall, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MT 55403 USA |
| In the heart of downtown Minneapolis, you’ll find the 2007 CRA Convention host Hotel, the Hyatt Regency, one of the city’s premier hotels; located on Nicollet Mall, a mile long open air pedestrian mall with access to downtown attractions and shopping like: Macy’s, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Polo/Ralph Lauren and Crate & Barrel just to mention a few. | |
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| LEAF 2007 | |
| Date: | September 13 - 16, 2007 |
| Place: | ViB Events
55-57 North Wharf Rd, London, W2 1LA United Kingdom |
| The Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF)
is an international community for those involved with the architectural
environment, including architects and planners, contractors,
developers, and interior designers.
LEAF 2007 will enable architects looking for new ideas and inspiration to meet with established and emerging suppliers. Suppliers attending the event will be able to build and develop stronger links with the architectural community as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the market. | |
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| Dwell on Design Conference | |
| Date: | September 14 - 16, 2007 |
| Place: | Concourse Exhibition Center
San Francisco, CA USA |
| The Dwell on Design Conference and Exhibition
is an idea-driven, hands-on experience designed to ignite a creative
spark within anyone who is passionate about modern design,
sustainability, and smart growth.
Dwell on Design will feature presentations and conversations with influential product designers, architects, landscape designers, critics, innovators in green building practices and other industry leaders. | |
You can find the full AECCafe.com event calendar here.
To read more news, click here.
-- Susan Smith, AECCafe.com Managing Editor.