AECCafe, in the form of Editor, Susan Smith, will be at the AIA National Convention in Chicago June 26-27th.
What that means is that our focus remains on architecture, engineering and construction from a CAD and Building Information Modeling perspective. As I ready for this conference, I would like to hear from more CAD and BIM companies to have an awareness of your booth presence and events you might be hosting.
The areas we cover are quite vast: building information modeling, visualization, CAD, 3D printing, document management, project management, laser scanning, conceptual design, integrated project delivery, and specifications.
If you wish to set up a meeting during the convention, please contact me at susan.smith@ibsystems.com. Look forward to seeing many of you there!
Trimble SketchUp Mobile Viewer for iPad was just released, a product that should make model viewing on a tablet more dynamic. Below are some responses from John Baccus, Product Management Director, SketchUp at Trimble Navigation regarding the new release:
Tekla has acquired SVS Innovations’ (SVSi) construction software business and its advanced Field3D mobile technology. The acquisition further strengthens Tekla’s position in
Tekla Structures BIM software version 20 is now available, with changes in the configuration at the product packaging level. “We have basically changed the construction management configuration, now called Construction Modeling,” said Mark Allphin, business manager of the North American Steel Division. “The functionality is the same but the price has dropped significantly.”
“We also revamped our viewer configuration what we called the Project Viewer Configuration, and are now focused on model consumers. We’ve always created models for those people creating highly detailed models but we want to also bring solutions to folks who are consuming and using these models.”
The Project Viewer fits that bill, as a viewer that opens up functionality around adding information to the model. Users can’t create model objects but can add any information to model objects such as schedule information, finish information, part numbers, for scheduling or project management.
Tekla are big supporters of the Open BIM initiative and officially IFC is a big part of their business plan. Everything is designed to have high end IFC import and export, and facilitate that open exchange.
“Where sometimes standards haven’t been fully developed yet within the industry, we’ll extend that with proprietary connections to different things,” said Allphin. “We’ve enhanced integration between Revit and Tekla Structures by going beyond IFC into more proprietary information exchange, an example – we try to stick with neutral files that the industry can leverage, and pass back and forth. Where those fall short we extend that with a proprietary type of extension.”
Tekla Structures has largely focused on steel fabricators, detailers, concrete contractors, rebar detailers, and engineers wanting to do more detailed design.
“Within Trimble Buildings we have software for construction management and Prolog, estimating tools in Winest, the field solutions where we’re taking information from the model and putting into robots in the field for layout ,” said Allphin. “We are focusing on the complete workflow and taking information from the office and making it leverageable in the field.”
Just within Tekla Structures, engineers are using Tekla for conceptual design and turning that into more detailed design. They can put all connection information in there or they can pass it down to the steel detailer who works for the fabricator where they can add that information. From the detailed model they can produce fabrication information to be used in the shop. The same model can be used to put rebar or concrete in the model before getting to the field.
The model can be taken to the construction side where contractors can manage the schedule and tie it to model objects. The model information can be used to feed into total stations that will tell them where to hang the concrete or steel.
The level of detail is greater in version 20, with real welds in the models for steel customers. The product is intelligent and automatically cuts the material where the weld is to go. On the engineering side, interoperability is huge between architects and plant designers, so Smart 3D, PDMS and Revit integration has improved in version 20.
“On the concrete side, we’ve stepped up our level of importing complex geometry, whether coming from SketchUp or other design software,” said Allphin. “You can bring in complex geometries and add associating objects that are connected to it. There are more tools to manipulate geometries and Tekla directly via the visual interface rather than a dialog, which we refer to as ‘direct manipulation of objects.’”
On the project management side, the tools available to organize models have been made available to anyone with a Tekla Structure license for all configurations.
John Bacus, director of SketchUp product management, spoke about Trimble’s recent release of Trimble SketchUp 2014, the popular 3D modeling platform for architects, engineers, design and construction professionals. SketchUp 2014 features major enhancements to SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse—a world recognized large repository of free, high-quality, 3D content—as well as new tools that improve the classification of design objects, have more interoperability with other products used in BIM workflows, and make professional documentation more efficient.
Bryan Williams, segment manager, Field Solutions with the General Contractor Division and construction manager of Trimble Buildings, spoke with AECWeekly about the recently released Trimble Field Points software for construction field layout. This application makes it possible for building construction contractors to create layout points in their CAD models. By matching the digital design on the physical construction site with points created in the field, field layout work can become much more accurate and save time.
Here is a video of the Vico Office 4.2 download link so you can get up and running with the latest functionality. Vico Office 4.2 is virtual construction software, augmenting 3D models with constructability analysis and coordination, location-based quantity takeoff, 4D (time) scheduling and production control, and 5D (cost) estimating that has just been released. This software is part of Trimble’s new data integration capabilities between a variety of its planning, estimating and management software applications.
See what the new interface between Tekla and Vico looks like in this video, narrated by Marcel Broekmaat, Market Manager of Project Controls, with Trimble Buildings’ General Contractor Division:
Trimble announced SketchUp 2013, the latest version of their 3D modeling platform. The new release features an Extension Warehouse for add-on tools for professional architectural, construction and design users, as well as rebranding of the software’s free version, to SketchUp Make.
Huw Roberts, Bentley Systems vice president, core marketing, shared some predictions on important market trends for 2013:
There is a focus in construction on integrated projects, so my top-level prediction for the year is that the characteristic of projects and project teams will continue to become increasingly integrated. Infrastructure owners have been looking to integrate project delivery types for a number of years. There are many models, including IPD in the U.S., design-build-operate, joint ventures, and project alliancing. It’s really not important which model becomes the frontrunner; what matters is that the trend toward finding ways to integrate project teams and processes, and of eliminating silos of activity that only act sequentially, will continue to become the dominant way of delivering projects.
This is already creating some needs in the market and shaping what happens this year. To begin with, there is growing demand for information modeling for all aspects of infrastructure projects – for building design, site design, utilities, fabrication, construction, and so on – and this is fast becoming the norm. Information modeling deliverables are what owners want to receive and what designers and contractors want to produce. Design firms and construction firms see value in this approach and that perception is going to grow and accelerate demand for it.
This change in attitude is being driven by the realization that the best solution is not a “one size fits all.” What information modeling means to a building design team is different from what it means to the folks working on the roads and developing the land around that building, and also very different from what it means to the construction crews and the teams that will eventually be charged with operating and maintaining that building. So there’s a growing awareness in the market of the need for those different information modeling approaches to work together, and support for an iterative process is taking hold. Many project organizations and enterprises recognize that they have different tools, processes, and skillsets that have to work together in order to achieve an information modeling approach that serves their own purposes.
Here’s a case in point. A few years ago everyone was excited about the fact that architects and engineers were moving to smarter 3D models, and then that constructors were moving to 3D. Today, owners are soliciting projects that require the delivery team to not only design but also build and operate the building. These delivery teams quickly recognize the need to integrate multiple information modeling approaches to serve their various needs across the infrastructure lifecycle. And all of this awareness is driving growth at project and enterprise scales.
Some firms are working to apply various technologies in new areas, and many struggle by trying to “mash” information or processes into a tool or technology that’s not suited for their workflows or purpose. Increasingly, they are beginning to realize that multiple technologies need to be involved on every project. Why? Because some information is best suited to be in a CAD system, while other information can be better processed and managed in a BIM system, database system, operational control system, discipline-specific analysis system, machine control system, and so on. Anyone familiar with real-world projects knows that it makes no sense to put everything into a single system.
