Don't know how many of you all are headed to the national AIA convention in May, but here's a great two day forum that they will be having discussing BIM and IPD which is where this ship is headed.
http://www.aia.org/ev_tap_may2008_conf
Should be pretty good. Longer blog tomorrow on how to manage keynotes linked to spec numbers and/or how to identify and estimate from Revit using Innovaya on a TI project we got going on. Depends on how much coffee I have...
Monday, January 21, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Section Perspectives Do Help
This is a quick demo of section perspectives and how they help visually spell things out to an owner. We put this video together to explain the space we could recapture by moving a basement wall back 5' for potential meeting space. I gotta say this worked pretty well!
BIM and Project Modeling
So I had an interview with Ed Goldberg from Boston about BIM and how construction companies are currently utilizing their BIM's and how they are interfacing both with the software they have and with the project team as a whole. I was kind of shocked to learn that fully "collaborative modeling" like our shop has set up isn't that common, in fact, it's rare.
I've been asked a couple of times why we do it differently, why we choose to do single / same model coordination. The reasons are simple, but ultimately BIM in and of itself is really only part of the greater pie.
With technology advancing (finally) in the AEC industries, I don't think we are about to see a slow down in the amount of information and coordination that affects the teams decisions and coordination. Ultimately, I think that by setting up the flow and management of information correctly now we won't have to reinvent the flow of processes the next time.
Secondly, I know the opportunity for improved communication and growth is a real need. The opportunity in using a singular BIM forces the issue of communication and coordination. Just as your "forced" to model walls to exact dimensions, BIM pushes the team to collaborate and define, just where are those construction joints? how is this panel going to be constructed? what is the necessary aesthetic for a space? what is the owners program and can we design those spaces first?
What we've started to see, is yes it's the "harder way" to construct a BIM. And that's the point. The point is to make sure that everyone involved has access to input and share the same information regardless of the others undertanding of what that teammate might need.
When we start to see overlap and questions pop up of "Well how are we going to get the ductwork through that? etc..." is when we know we are in some way creating savings.
I've been asked a couple of times why we do it differently, why we choose to do single / same model coordination. The reasons are simple, but ultimately BIM in and of itself is really only part of the greater pie.
With technology advancing (finally) in the AEC industries, I don't think we are about to see a slow down in the amount of information and coordination that affects the teams decisions and coordination. Ultimately, I think that by setting up the flow and management of information correctly now we won't have to reinvent the flow of processes the next time.
Secondly, I know the opportunity for improved communication and growth is a real need. The opportunity in using a singular BIM forces the issue of communication and coordination. Just as your "forced" to model walls to exact dimensions, BIM pushes the team to collaborate and define, just where are those construction joints? how is this panel going to be constructed? what is the necessary aesthetic for a space? what is the owners program and can we design those spaces first?
What we've started to see, is yes it's the "harder way" to construct a BIM. And that's the point. The point is to make sure that everyone involved has access to input and share the same information regardless of the others undertanding of what that teammate might need.
When we start to see overlap and questions pop up of "Well how are we going to get the ductwork through that? etc..." is when we know we are in some way creating savings.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Stale Fruitcake, Champagne Stains and BIM
I don't know about you all, but I am dragging in a major way today. Maybe it could be because it is currently -1 degrees outside and my body got accustomed to watching soccer games on the couch over the break. Regardless the show must go on, so I'm going to post my first video tutorial tomorrow in anticipation of nothing blowing up or the file being so large no one can view it.
Thought I'd let every one know that I (my fiancee) will officially be bringing another life into the world come mid-July.
And yes I've already created a 3dBIM model of a crib design as attached. Still working on the design, but in the end this thing is going to be an elephant! After production, maybe I can post a video on MTV called "BIM Cribs." It's late.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Six Phases of Revit
Alright Aaron this ones for you...
Six Phases of Revit Copyright 2003 Chris Zoog
Phase One - Initial Excitement!!!"Holy Crap! Look what I can do with this thing!"
Phase Two - First bump"Hmmmm...? Why won't it do what I want? That's not how I do it in (insert other cad software here)!"
Phase Three - Creamy Middlemmm... things are going more smoothly, now......mmmmm"
Phase Four - WTF stageThe family editor "eats you up and spits you out"!
Phase Five - The EnlightenmentThings really begin to click! You understand why things are happening in your model, and better yet how to control them and avoid problems. You have conquered the family editor.
Phase Six - Zen of RevitYou have mastered nearly all things Revit. You "know" what Revit "likes", and what it "dislikes" during model construction, a sixth sense, really. You spend your time exploring and tweaking advanced scheduling, OBDC, external parameters, AR3. You have a template to beat all templates, families for every situation.
Six Phases of Revit Copyright 2003 Chris Zoog
Phase One - Initial Excitement!!!"Holy Crap! Look what I can do with this thing!"
Phase Two - First bump"Hmmmm...? Why won't it do what I want? That's not how I do it in (insert other cad software here)!"
Phase Three - Creamy Middlemmm... things are going more smoothly, now......mmmmm"
Phase Four - WTF stageThe family editor "eats you up and spits you out"!
Phase Five - The EnlightenmentThings really begin to click! You understand why things are happening in your model, and better yet how to control them and avoid problems. You have conquered the family editor.
Phase Six - Zen of RevitYou have mastered nearly all things Revit. You "know" what Revit "likes", and what it "dislikes" during model construction, a sixth sense, really. You spend your time exploring and tweaking advanced scheduling, OBDC, external parameters, AR3. You have a template to beat all templates, families for every situation.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Master Builder Meet Master Craftsman
So I'm sure most of you have had the chance to read Michael Tardif's article,
http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek07/1221/1221rc_face.cfm and if you haven't you should, I believe the discussion needs to be started.
Of course, I had a couple of thoughts on it. The first is that we are dealing with stronger and apparently incorrect symantics when the demeaning term "master builder" is used. The article goes on to say that the title "captain or quarterback" might be better suited terminology, I think although it wasn't clear what he suggested be a better nomenclature for the new and emerging digital age of architects.
When it comes down to it we are talking about titles in names, but names are still very important. The reason why I still believe the terminology "Master Builder" to be the more effective of the two, (although I have still to hear a better terminology), is really simple. When you get down to the root of what we do and how we work everyday it's who we are.
The name architect was derived from the Greek arkhitekton (arkhi, chief + tekton, builder"). And if you really dig into the history and prolific artists of our profession, very few architects were just architects. Many were sculptors, painters, and musicians, many wrote poetry, studied photogrpahy and film. In essence, our profession has always been an artistic expression of form and use in the landscape. If you don't believe this and can plug your computer into a USB port in your head to avoid any apparent artistic impression then I am apparently incorrect, (however it could stilll be viewed as artisctic.) I digress, what I do know is that I have colleagues right now working for LucasFilms and Pixar creating 3d worlds that are increasingly becoming just as real as the worlds we percieve and walk around in and for certain are more real and intelligent than any BIM model to date. Realize that I'm talking about the digital landscape, the one we draw/model in every day to better communicate to our team mates how to build our creative visions and interpretations of space and form. Not too much of a stretch when you think about it, and I would strongly caution against not realizing the basic core of an architects need to build and create. To me captain is way too vague and frankly reminds me of a ship or Hunt for Red October scenario and I won't even start with quarterback.... as my Knasas City Chiefs haven't done too well this year.
Ultimately, what we are getting down to is a return to Master Architects. This is my suggestion. Just as Master Craftsmen, from a variety of trades perform the work and bring to fruition the vision of the artist/architect, so should the architect be realized. There is a reaon that in unions you go through the ranks as apprentice, journeyman, and foreman/master mason master carpenter etc.... It is because with experience and training you achieve a level of undertanding and a more proficient use of your time and leadership abilities. I believe that in our profession we do two things wrong here:
1.) We for some reason put an age limit on how quickly one advances in experience with years.
2.) We have so many titles at different firms that no one really knows what the other does.
The first is sort of a fundamental misgiving in our industry that with grey/no hair and experience you become more achieved as an architect. Although I undertand the basic concept and notion, what most people fail to realize is that the generation x and yers (generally speaking) are quick studies. For the most part, we don't need to draw a wall section 13 times to understand it. And as a result, we are starting to see more and more successful younger firms who have abandoned the 5-7. 7-10 and 10+ experience pattern have gone out on their own and fused technology and innovation with their practices to achieve results that might not have been possible in other firms. Ex. (David Adajaye, FACE NY and ElDorado KC)
He suggested Brunelleschi was a good example of a "bad" master builder. And of course this fella, if you've done your homework, wasn't exactly a "team player", but what I would like to see in our profession is a new and increased pride in what we do and produce. To be realized again by fellow professionals and contruction leaders as knowledgeable resources that increase productivity and make the building process go more smoothly and *gasp* even fun is my vision for the profession and believe me it has very little to do with my egocentric desire to take over ther world and have everyone worship me as our ego-less colleagues suggest.
And for heaven's sake Captains?! How about we all give each other tele-com names like Network Operations Technical Specialists and give each other mindless tasks like putting cover sheets on the TPS reports!
PS> Good architects are the ones who guide and direct the process encouraging collaboration among the team members. Great architects know that there is no other way but through teamwork and increased capabilities through collaboration and communication brought about by technology to make a project successful.
http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek07/1221/1221rc_face.cfm and if you haven't you should, I believe the discussion needs to be started.
Of course, I had a couple of thoughts on it. The first is that we are dealing with stronger and apparently incorrect symantics when the demeaning term "master builder" is used. The article goes on to say that the title "captain or quarterback" might be better suited terminology, I think although it wasn't clear what he suggested be a better nomenclature for the new and emerging digital age of architects.
When it comes down to it we are talking about titles in names, but names are still very important. The reason why I still believe the terminology "Master Builder" to be the more effective of the two, (although I have still to hear a better terminology), is really simple. When you get down to the root of what we do and how we work everyday it's who we are.
The name architect was derived from the Greek arkhitekton (arkhi, chief + tekton, builder"). And if you really dig into the history and prolific artists of our profession, very few architects were just architects. Many were sculptors, painters, and musicians, many wrote poetry, studied photogrpahy and film. In essence, our profession has always been an artistic expression of form and use in the landscape. If you don't believe this and can plug your computer into a USB port in your head to avoid any apparent artistic impression then I am apparently incorrect, (however it could stilll be viewed as artisctic.) I digress, what I do know is that I have colleagues right now working for LucasFilms and Pixar creating 3d worlds that are increasingly becoming just as real as the worlds we percieve and walk around in and for certain are more real and intelligent than any BIM model to date. Realize that I'm talking about the digital landscape, the one we draw/model in every day to better communicate to our team mates how to build our creative visions and interpretations of space and form. Not too much of a stretch when you think about it, and I would strongly caution against not realizing the basic core of an architects need to build and create. To me captain is way too vague and frankly reminds me of a ship or Hunt for Red October scenario and I won't even start with quarterback.... as my Knasas City Chiefs haven't done too well this year.
Ultimately, what we are getting down to is a return to Master Architects. This is my suggestion. Just as Master Craftsmen, from a variety of trades perform the work and bring to fruition the vision of the artist/architect, so should the architect be realized. There is a reaon that in unions you go through the ranks as apprentice, journeyman, and foreman/master mason master carpenter etc.... It is because with experience and training you achieve a level of undertanding and a more proficient use of your time and leadership abilities. I believe that in our profession we do two things wrong here:
1.) We for some reason put an age limit on how quickly one advances in experience with years.
2.) We have so many titles at different firms that no one really knows what the other does.
The first is sort of a fundamental misgiving in our industry that with grey/no hair and experience you become more achieved as an architect. Although I undertand the basic concept and notion, what most people fail to realize is that the generation x and yers (generally speaking) are quick studies. For the most part, we don't need to draw a wall section 13 times to understand it. And as a result, we are starting to see more and more successful younger firms who have abandoned the 5-7. 7-10 and 10+ experience pattern have gone out on their own and fused technology and innovation with their practices to achieve results that might not have been possible in other firms. Ex. (David Adajaye, FACE NY and ElDorado KC)
He suggested Brunelleschi was a good example of a "bad" master builder. And of course this fella, if you've done your homework, wasn't exactly a "team player", but what I would like to see in our profession is a new and increased pride in what we do and produce. To be realized again by fellow professionals and contruction leaders as knowledgeable resources that increase productivity and make the building process go more smoothly and *gasp* even fun is my vision for the profession and believe me it has very little to do with my egocentric desire to take over ther world and have everyone worship me as our ego-less colleagues suggest.
And for heaven's sake Captains?! How about we all give each other tele-com names like Network Operations Technical Specialists and give each other mindless tasks like putting cover sheets on the TPS reports!
PS> Good architects are the ones who guide and direct the process encouraging collaboration among the team members. Great architects know that there is no other way but through teamwork and increased capabilities through collaboration and communication brought about by technology to make a project successful.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Revit Blog Info
I received a bunch of questions about how to create a multiple trade coordinated model if the design team isn't using BIM and then how to use the model for phasing and estimating. We've officially been through this process now about 7 times and what I have found works best is that if at ALL possible, talk your ownership or IT director to get a combination of a fiber optic data line we are getting one of these after the first of the year and let me tell you we have seen these things in action and they are sweet! Forget kilobytes/per second or megs/per second these new lines can actually transfer TERABYTES of data/per second! This starts to quickly put an end to the connect ability issues of being able to network everyone's computers together. This technology costs quite a bit as you can imagine every month and is really up to the amount of field personnel you have networked and the amount of data and connectivity that you need to transfer on a daily basis. Right now I believe Verizon in particular is moving into this market in relation to land lines.
The second option is zip and data transfer software called RiverBed. Essentially it makes a typical T1 line run about 5 times as fast when transferring data. The software automatically zips and then unzips the data to increase transfer speeds.
Regardless, what works best is the ability to have all Revit users be able to save to a central file at the end of each working day. By hosting the model on a server either at the architects or contractors office the need for additional models and copies is eliminated. Additional revision information can be tracked and logged in the model
and I'm going to have to continue this later because I have to go watch a movie now with the newly engaged Ms. Revit for Real....
BIM until it hurts...
The second option is zip and data transfer software called RiverBed. Essentially it makes a typical T1 line run about 5 times as fast when transferring data. The software automatically zips and then unzips the data to increase transfer speeds.
Regardless, what works best is the ability to have all Revit users be able to save to a central file at the end of each working day. By hosting the model on a server either at the architects or contractors office the need for additional models and copies is eliminated. Additional revision information can be tracked and logged in the model
and I'm going to have to continue this later because I have to go watch a movie now with the newly engaged Ms. Revit for Real....
BIM until it hurts...
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