Mark Reid, Vice President of Product Management at GeoSLAM Ltd talked about their recent announcement of the real-time upgrade option for the ZEB-REVO, their handheld mobile mapping system. Demonstrated for the first time at SPAR 3D 2017 in Houston, the optional upgrade includes a revised datalogger capable of undertaking SLAM registration in real-time. It has its own integrated Wi-Fi, with results that can be displayed live, as they are captured, on any web browser enabled device including tablets and smartphones.
Thornton Abbey Scan
AECCafe Voice: What are some indoor map applications for ZEB-REVO?
The ZEB-REVO handheld mobile mapping device employs a highly robust 3D Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping (SLAM) algorithm, which enables the rapid creation of a 3-dimensional model of any space.
Since it does not require a GPS signal, the ZEB-REVO is at its best in complex, enclosed, multi-level environments, without compromising on the accuracy of data collection.
User cam
ZEB-REVOs are regularly used by surveyors and non-experts alike in the construction and development sector, whether for the recording of heritage buildings in need of restoration, generating footprints of vast structures, real estate valuations or scan-to-BIM.
As the ZEB-REVO is non-invasive and easy to use (requiring minimal training for non-expert users), the device has also been lauded as an ideal scanning product for both dangerous and sensitive environments. This includes time-limited projects, such as in a precarious building prior to renovation or demolition, or occupied environments, such as colleges, nursing homes and hospitals.
Large building scan – Courtesy Geomeasure
AECCafe Voice: Can you describe your ‘modular approach?’
Structures with unusual layouts or complex networks are not a problem for the ZEB-REVO, thanks to both the modular and compact nature of the product. Unlike heavy single-function trolley-based SLAM systems, the lightweight, handheld device is ideal for adapting to difficult-to-access environments, whether that is down a narrow shaft while attached to a pulley system, or using a birds eye perspective when secured to a drone.
The ZEB-REVO can also be mounted to cars, boats, UAVs and other small-scale piloted and autonomous vehicles; making it ideal for surveying challenging indoor and outdoor multi-level environments. ZEB-CAM, which also is a modular add-on, can be quickly attached or detached depending upon the application and deployment method being used. This allows for an easy upgrade path that futureproofs the ZEB-REVO against the latest developments. (more…)
Kimon Onuma has been hosting webinars on various aspects of SEPS2BIM, the Space and Equipment Planning System (SEPS) is a standalone Government off the Shelf (GOTS) web based application and database. The recent webinar focused on how architects could tap into owners’ data, and gather more information from them for the BIM process.
SEPS2BIM authors baseline Programs for Design (PFD) and Project Room Contents (PRC) for Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Health Agency healthcare projects.
Marty Chobot, vice president of Marketing for Invicara spoke with AECCafe Voice about the latest BIM Assure 1.2 release.
Configurable report templates let users export model data to Excel for review or further analysis. Data slices and related element data reports help users get the right data for the right elements in a very familiar and easy-to-use format.
Dave Low, Network Liaison for the private-sector led 2030 Districts, spoke about the recent development of that group’s establishment of a non-profit separate from Architecture 2030, an organization that provides support for the goal of reaching carbon-neutrality in buildings by the year 2030.
After five years of support and oversight from Architecture 2030, the fifteen 2030 Districts across North America have established their own non-profit.
As part of this move, the 2030 Districts have selected the following thirteen members to its initial Board of Governors:
Carl Storms, Senior Applications Expert, for Rand IMAGINiT and Matt Mason, director of Software Development, for Rand IMAGINiT spoke with AECCafe at Autodesk University in November 2016 about the direction of the AEC industry. Rand IMAGINiT is a consulting and software development firm and Autodesk Partner. Carl Storms is “out in the trenches,” working with real world problems in AEC while Matt Mason is behind the scenes in the software development department, realizing the solutions to those challenges.
When asked about popular products and trends in AEC, Storm said, “Dynamo and visual programming are still a big thing. It’s been around a couple of years and now people more comfortable with it. Autodesk’s latest release of Dynamo Player is for people who are maybe not well versed in technology. They can just hit a button and play something. It’s like a playlist, you can pick a track you want to play. It accesses the information inside of your Revit model. It will, for example, have your text go from lower case to upper case with just the click of a button. It really gives people the benefit of using the technology without spending a lot of time learning the programming.”
According to Matt Mason, “Dynamo is still used by the power users, but to make it available to the rest of the people in the firm it needs to be more approachable. It’s been a challenge historically because you had to open the power users’ big complicated graph and understand it. From a usability standpoint, for the other 95% who aren’t at the level of doing Dynamo, it really helps democratize and leverage the Dynamo concept. The players can take advantage of the power users’ skills and have pretty much on-demand access.”
“Another big thing is augmented and virtual realities,” said Storms. “It’s now in more client and consumer based products. You have things as simple as Google Cardboard where you spend $12 to get the little lens and use your own smartphone, to high end devices, but they all allow you to immerse yourself in the data. Whether it’s a virtual reality type of device where you get immersed in the world of your model, you can walk around in your model and see what’s going on. Or you bring the reality into your reality so you can still see people and have conversations. You can see your interaction. People have been talking about it and have lots of thoughts and ideas for using it, and it will become more mainstream.”
One of the exciting developments that came out of The Year in Infrastructure 2016 Conference was the growth of Bentley’s ContextCapture reality modeling offering over the past year. Introduced at the 2015 conference, and derived from the acquisition of Acute3D, ContextCapture is used to process digital photos from a variety of cameras including smartphone cameras, and aerial photography, including UAVs, to provide engineering-ready reality meshes.
Winner Innovation in Reality Modeling: City of Helsinki – Helsinki 3D+ Helsinki, Finland. Image Courtesy of Bentley Systems
It’s difficult not to be inspired when attending the Bentley Year In Infrastructure Conference, with so many talented professionals gathered to show off their infrastructure projects.
Innovation in Building Winner: Morphosis – Hanking Center Tower. Image Courtesy of Bentley Systems
Sefaira, a Trimble Company, and Architecture 2030 announced Design Guidance at Greenbuild 2016, taking place in Los Angeles October 5-7, a new functionality in Sefaira Architecture. Design Guidance uses real-time analysis results in Sefaira Architecture to deliver customized guidance on how to improve a building’s performance, and points the designer to relevant passive design strategies collated in Architecture 2030’s 2030 Palette.
Sefaira’s Design Guidance for 2030 Palette
In the following interview, both Edward Mazria, founder and CEO Architecture 2030 and Kerger Truesdell, product manager, Sefaira respond to questions about the announcement and future of Design Guidance and 2030 Palette. (more…)
