Little Case Study – One Firm’s Migration to the Cloud

In this article, Chris France, the author of many previous AECbytes articles on the implementation of the “cloud” in AEC, presents a detailed case study about the successes and challenges that Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, an international architecture and design firm, encountered on its journey to the cloud. It comes from his 11 years experience as the CIO of the firm, and his first-hand knowledge of its cloud initiatives captured in this case study, along with the lessons learnt, can be used as a strategy document for other AEC firms embarking on their cloud journey.

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

AEC Technology Updates, Spring 2014

This article looks at recently developments in AEC technology, including the new version of Tekla Structures that has just been released; a new  ColorByNumber plug-in for Revit; the ability of Sefaira to now perform daylighting analysis in addition to energy analysis; the launch of EcoDesigner STAR by Graphisoft for ArchiCAD-based energy analysis; a new cloud-based project collaboration and workflow management solution called Kenesto; a new version of the collaboration and model review solution, BIMreview; the next generation of the ArchiCAD-based FM tool, archifm.net; and finally, the ability to create accurate building floorplan survey data using the Orthograph app on an iPad.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/newsletter/2014/issue_68.html

Future City Competition

This article provides an overview of the Future City competition, an annual competition where middle school students design a “future city” based on a specific theme, creating a virtual model using SimCity as well as a physical model. It takes a closer look at how SimCity is used and discusses the many benefits students get from participating in it, while also highlighting some of the key problems with the competition itself and how it is conducted.

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

BIMx Docs

This review takes a comprehensive look at GRAPHISOFT’s new BIMx Docs app, which includes the sophisticated and intuitive 3D model navigation capabilities of its predecessor, BIMx, and extends the scope of the viewing and navigation to 2D content as well, enabling all the models as well as the accompanying 2D drawings of a BIM project to be accessed and explored from a handheld device.

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

Performance Based Design: Why Real-Time Feedback is Better Than Intuition

In this article, Ara Massey, Sustainable Design Manager at Slaterpaull Architects, describes how important it is for her to try and understand the impact of early stage design decisions on building performance when designing green buildings. In the absence of better methods, she had to rely on rules of thumb and intuition. However, since Slaterpaull started using Sefaira’s performance based design software, she uses data analysis from the moment she starts working on a project, which has not only changed the way she designs but also tested her intuition.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2014/issue_69.html

AEC Exhibitor Highlights from Autodesk University 2013

This article provides an overview of some of the key AEC technology products that were on display in the Exhibit Hall at Autodesk University 2013 last month, including ArchVision’s upcoming RPC Creator, Axomic’s OpenAsset BIM plug-in for Revit, Sefaira for Revit for easier early stage energy analysis, ElumTools which provides integrated lighting analysis for Revit, the latest versions of Trelligence Affinity and Solibri Model Checker, updates from FM:Systems on its BIM for FM capabilities, the new Revit add-ins for CTC’s Revit Express Tools, updated versions of Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Explorer, the enhancements in the TurboSite app for documenting site visits and fieldwork, and Transoft’s AutoTURN for Revit which now enables vehicle simulation and swept path analysis without leaving the Revit environment.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/feature/2014/AU2013_Exhibitors.html

Autodesk University 2013

This article captures the AEC-specific highlights of the just-concluded Autodesk University 2013, with the latest technology updates and upcoming developments from Autodesk including  the expansion of its Autodesk 360 cloud platform and services, the integration of Dynamo with DesignScript, a new browser-based version of FormIt and its new built-in energy analysis capabilities, and several new products and services, as well as several case studies of projects and firms using Autodesk products.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/newsletter/2013/issue_67.html

AEC Project Presentations from the 2013 Be Inspired Awards

This article follows up on the recent overview of Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2013 Conference, with a dedicated look at the projects that were selected as the finalists in the building-related categories of Bentley’s annual Be Inspired awards, the winners of which were announced at the conference.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2013/BeInpired2013.html

 

 

Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2013 Conference

This article discusses the main updates from Bentley at its recent Year in Infrastructure 2013 Conference held in London, including the official launch of its cloud
software service called Bentley CONNECT, updates to its suite of mobile solutions including the introduction of its Field Supervisor app, and new and upcoming features in MicroStation, ProjectWise, and AECOsim Building Designer. It also provides an overview of some other sessions at the conference, including a fascinating look at the London 2012 Olympics, the planning that went into the design of the infrastructure for it and how the execution was accomplished.

URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/newsletter/2013/issue_66.html

Comparison of Bentley ProjectWise and Autodesk Vault for AEC

The  objective of this research was to compare the applications, Bentley’s  ProjectWise and Autodesk’s Vault, for data management and collaboration in AEC.  The impetus was to respond to a number of readers who  have written in over the years to find out if such a comparison exists. Rather than a detailed  analysis of the individual features of ProjectWise and Vault, the report provides a brief overview of each in several key categories,  enabling a high-level, at-a-glance comparison of the two applications.

For more information about the report and how to purchase it, please visit:

http://www.aecbytes.com/report/2013/PW_Vault_Report.html