Google SketchUp Pro is a simple but powerful tool for exploring and presenting your ideas in 3D. SketchUp Pro is everything traditional CAD software isn’t — quick to learn and intuitive to use. This video shows some of the features of Sketup Pro:
The AEC Lens
Archive for August, 2011
SketchUp Pro Features
Wednesday, August 31st, 20113D Elevations and Dimensioning in Vectorworks
Tuesday, August 30th, 20113D Dimensioning is detailed in this Video Tech Tip by Vectorworks. Nice video!!!
Publishing the ArchiCAD model to Tekla BIMsight
Monday, August 29th, 2011Tekla BIMSight is a free application that improves design, construction and maintenance workflow processes by:
- Combining design models created by various disciplines;
- Identifying conflicts between elements with clash detection;
- Providing improved collaboration for all project parties.
This video shows how to publish ArchiCAD models to Tekla BIMsight.
Mosaic Project for Autodesk Users
Friday, August 26th, 2011Mosaic is an online peer-to-peer resource that provides an aggregate perspective into the existing set of Autodesk User Communities. The industry media, social media, AUGI, and discussion groups (just to name a few) are invaluable stores of knowledge. Mosaic aggregates these resources and connects users directly to them from one convenient web destination. For more information, visit mosaic.autodesk.com.
Roombook Extension for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011Roombook Extension for Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012 is available through the Autodesk Subscription Center
The Roombook Extension for Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software helps calculate the surface area of walls, floors and ceiling elements, room circumferences and the total number of furnishing elements within a project.
In addition to the automated detection of room areas and surfaces, this extension helps users configure these elements manually to local requirements, as well as achieve more accurate model take-offs. Quantified results can be exported to Microsoft® Excel® software and Autodesk® Quantity Takeoff (QTO) software.
Intergraph 2011 Golden Valve Award Winners
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011The 2011 Golden Valve Awards showcased innovative uses for SmartPlant® and SmartMarine Enterprise engineering design software. For the first time in the competition’s history, there was a tie for the “Best of Show” in the annual Intergraph Golden Valve Awards. COSCO Shipyard Group and Keppel FELS Limited shared the top honor. Both images were created using SmartMarine 3D and SmartPlant Review and depict an isometric view of a semi-submersible drilling rig.
The Golden Valve Awards competition is sponsored by Intergraph and recognizes the most innovative and well-executed uses of software supported by Intergraph Process, Power & Marine. The winners were announced on June 6, 2011, in Orlando, Florida at Hexagon 2011, Intergraph’s annual international users conference.
2 R’s Won’t Make Your U
Monday, August 22nd, 2011Article source: Engineering.Com
Architects and engineers spend a lot of time ensuring that the large buildings they design are well insulated, at least to code. But what if much of that insulation is wasted? New analysis shows that 2 R’s won’t make your U. Watch this informative video by Engineering.Com:
R value refers to the thermal resistance of a building material. The higher the R value, the more insulation the material provides. Most building designers simply provide enough insulation to meet the relevant building code or green building certification. New analysis shows that the R value of the material isn’t the only thing that affects how well a wall insulation system works. Common installation procedures can cut the effective R value in half. The culprit is thermal bridging. It’s a particular problem in the design of larger buildings that use steel and concrete studs and framing.
Steel is an excellent conductor, so any time you have steel running through the exterior curtain wall into the building, heat can follow that path either in or out of the building, essentially bypassing the insulation. This isn’t news to architects and structural engineers. What wasn’t common knowledge was how big the problem is, and how easy it is to fix.
By using sophisticated 3D thermal analysis, engineers at Morrison Hershfield working on the ASHRAE project determined that thermal bridging can result in more than double the expected heat loss. One common approach for installing insulation is with vertical Z-Girts that are in line with the steel studs. The alignment of the metal connection results in a very direct thermal bridge.
The ASHRAE study used 3D thermal modeling to follow the heat transfer across multiple types of girt connections. In addition to vertical Z Girts they modeled horizontal Z Girts, vertical and horizontal z Girts , and intermittent z Girts. As a result of this work, ASHRAE can develop new reference tables that will allow architects and engineers to truly understand the thermal performance of the buildings they design. And to improve the actual energy consumption, which is after all, the whole point.
