Putting Point Clouds to Work: Then, Now, & Later

3D laser scanning technology is increasingly becoming a standard tool relied upon by a number of diverse trades and professions from construction to archaeology. This article by Kevin Nelson, who works extensively with this technology, uses real-world examples to show how capturing “snap-shots” of conditions before (pre-construction), during (construction), and after (post-construction) project phases can provide extremely useful scan data. He also envisions a future when laser scanning technology will become ubiquitous and will be paired with virtual reality to provide a totally immersive VR experience, blurring the lines between past and present.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2014/PointClouds.html

The “Internet of Things” in AEC

One of the technology catch-phrases that we are increasingly starting to hear more about is the “Internet of Things”—commonly understood as the notion that at some point in the near future, all devices will be Internet-enabled and able to communicate with each other. While this can certainly be used to make buildings with smarter controls and sensors so that they are more responsive to their occupants once they are designed, built, and inhabited, can the “Internet of Things” also be applied in the building design and construction phases? Can it help to make the tasks of AEC professionals simpler, smarter, and more efficient? It is precisely such questions that this article sets out to explore.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2014/InternetofThings.html

The Ins and Outs of Digital Signing in AEC

Digital signatures are taking off especially in high-volume signing applications such as banking and insurance documents, and electronic notarization is becoming more common, thanks to government regulations such as The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).  However, even as the AEC industry works to add efficiency and security with digital workflows, the process of applying signatures, seals, and stamps remains primarily paper-bound. Printing a page each time a signature is needed, then converting back to a digital file to send it, clearly is inefficient and impractical for many large-scale documents. In contrast, the use of digital signatures allows files to be kept online throughout the entire project, saving significant time, money, and resources. This article summarizes the many benefits of going paperless, explains the technology behind digital signatures that makes them so secure, clarifies the difference between certifying and approval digital signatures as used in AEC, and presents two case studies of organizations that have switched to digital signatures.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2014/issue_72.html

AEC Technology Updates, Fall 2014

This article captures the semi-annual update of the main developments from AEC technology vendors including new releases such as Vectorworks Architect 2015, Newforma Project Center Eleventh Edition, form•Z 8, and Vico Office R5, which is now a Trimble product. It also looks at the dramatic news of Trimble acquiring Gehry Technologies; the entry of Dassault Systèmes into the AEC industry with its “Façade Design for Fabrication” tool; VisualARQ, a Rhino plug-in that gives it BIM capabilities, enabling this very popular application for conceptualizing buildings with complex, organic forms to fit more smoothly in an AC workflow; progeCAD Architecture, an IntelliCAD-based application that allows a BIM model to be created in a familiar AutoCAD-like environment; the release of the free version of BIMReview, which allows models to be opened, reviewed, and visualized for design coordination; and finally, the introduction of real-time daylighting visualization and analysis in Sefaira’s Revit plug-in tool.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/newsletter/2014/issue_70.html

Autodesk’s Rebranded A360 Cloud Solution

It has been close to three years that Autodesk launched its cloud initiative called Autodesk 360 to serve as the umbrella for all its cloud-based services, (not just for AEC but for the MCAD and the M&E industries as well). The platform also has a project management and collaboration tool at its front end, which until now, was available as a technology preview, free for anyone to try out. Last week, Autodesk launched the commercial release of its cloud offering, now called A360. This article explores the interface and functionality of the rebranded product—the platform as well as the tool—and looks at how it compares to other cloud-based project management and collaboration solutions in AEC.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/feature/2014/Autodesk_A360.html

 

SketchUp Pro 2014

Originally the product of a startup company, SketchUp was acquired by Google in 2006 and subsequently changed hands once again in 2012 when it was acquired by Trimble, where it joins other AEC-specific products including Tekla and Vico that are also now part of Trimble. This review explores the key new features in SketchUp Pro 2014, the paid professional version of SketchUp, and, in particular, the increasing AEC-specific and BIM-related capabilities that are being added to it under the Trimble umbrella.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2014/SketchUpPro2014.html

Toward an Architecture of Performance: Reconciling Performance and Design

This article discusses some of the questions related to architecture and performance that emerged at the recent PER/FORM Live Design Competition held at Pratt Institute’s Manhattan campus in May, where competitors were tasked with designing a multi-family residential building that was judged on both energy and daylight performance as well as beauty, conceptual strength, and contextual appropriateness. It provides an overview of the winning designs as well as highlights the three very different approaches to achieving both excellent performance and high design that were in evidence in the competition entries: performance as subservient to design, design as subservient to performance, and performance as a partner in design.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2014/ArchPerform.html