January/February 2011 >> Vol.52
AECMAGAZINE
DESIGN, MANAGEMENT & COLLABORATION IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Graphisoft launches budget BIM tool ArchiCAD Start Edition to shake up AEC market
Revit standard Rendering: from Revit to 3ds Max
Autodesk University 2010
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Vol.52: Contents 4 Newsdesk SolidWorks previews new BIM application Editorial Managing Editor: Greg Corke Email: greg@x3dmedia.com Consulting Editors Martyn Day Email: martyn@x3dmedia.com John Marchant Email: john.marchant@skilstream.com Digital Media Editor: Stephen Holmes Email: stephen@x3dmedia.com Design and Production Dave Oswald Email: davieos@gmail.com
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Advertising Manager: Tony Baksh Email: tony@x3dmedia.com
With ‘Live Buildings’, CAD developer SolidWorks is looking to offer ease of use with stairs, doors, internal partitions, curtain walls and columns all controlled through a push/pull user interface.
8 Event report Autodesk University 2010 The end of November saw the annual migration of CAD fans to Las Vegas for Autodesk’s huge University event. As usual, AEC magazine was there in force to see the latest design technology, writes Martyn Day.
10 Event report Autodesk University: the exhibition hall The exhibition hall is always a highlight of Autodesk University. Greg Corke reports on some of the standout technologies on show in Las Vegas last year.
12 Software ArchiCAD Start Edition Hungarian architectural software developer, Graphisoft, has just released a powerful yet low-cost version of its flagship Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool, ArchiCAD.
14 Comment Revit Standard: one year on Last year saw the launch of the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Revit. As we approach the first anniversary of its launch, we take a look at how the standard has been received. By Paul Woddy.
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16 Case study Dream catcher
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BUILD YOUR NEXT CAREER
19 Software Cadfaster Collaborate
With project teams and clients based all around the world, holding design meetings can be challenging. Cadfaster has a slick solution for Building Information Modelling (BIM), writes Martyn Day.
20 Software The link between Revit and 3ds Max
24 Case study Wimbledon retains advantage
Tim Power from architectural 3D imagery and animation company Virtual Resolution and Chris Senior from BIM consulting firm Revit Factory share their tips on how to best to use Revit BIM models to create advanced 3D visualisations.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) takes centre court in staging construction around championships, writes Cathy Chatfield-Taylor.
29 Hardware Intel ‘Sandy Bridge’ Intel’s second generation Core processor technology has arrived. With impressive performance and a very competitive price point, there’s never been a better opportunity to buy an entry-level or mid-range workstation, writes Greg Corke.
31 Hardware Workstations
26 Case study Water works Watts Water transforms its digital prototyping data into BIM content for AEC customers.
33 AEC Magazine Jobs
The website Buildnew yourdedicated next careerjobs with our new for Architecture, Engineering, dedicated jobs section and Construction website (AEC) professionals for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC)professionals. jobs.aecmag.com www.jobs.aecmag.com
Greg Corke casts a beady one over the latest entry-level and high-end machines from Workstation Specialists, BOXX and InterPro.
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CONTENTS
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Océ unveils new highthroughput CAD printer Océ has launched a new large format printer, the Océ TDS750, which is designed for use in central print rooms at architectural and engineering firms. The machine features an output speed of nine A1 prints per minute, no warm-up time, capacity for six media rolls and up to 1,200m capacity for uninterrupted printing. In addition it includes a number of secure print job management features and users can prioritise urgent jobs. www.oce.com
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Graphisoft to shake up UK AEC market with low cost BIM tool
CTC releases free suite of tools for Autodesk Revit CTC, a developer of Revit add-on solutions, has released its Revit Family Tools program as a free download. Developed for use with Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, and Revit MEP, the Revit Family Tools assist many aspects of Revit file management including the ability to compare and merge shared parameters, efficiently delete backup files detect family file versions. The company also offers a range of paid for applications, including the Revit Family Processor which can update/change materials and parameters of an entire content library, and WaterMark for Revit Families, which can protect Revit content from unauthorised use.
www.RevitExpressTools.com
Jamie’s Jewels blog site to offer top tips for design viz Design visualisation specialist and AEC Magazine contributor, Jamie Gwilliam, has launched his new blog website. Jamies’s Jewels is an evolution of his popular email newsletter and will focus on the use of 3ds Max/Design in architectural design visualisation. Jamie promises lots of gems of information and will also publish many of his past email newsletters as an archive. www.jamiesjewels.typepad.com
Nvidia to develop integrated CPU and GPU chip Nvidia has announced plans to build high-performance ARM-based CPU cores to support a range of products including personal computers, servers, workstations and supercomputers. Known as ‘Project Denver,’ the ARM-based Nvidia CPU will be integrated on the same chip as the Nvidia GPU. With this move Nvidia looks to compete directly with Intel and AMD who are leading the way with integrated CPU and GPU chips. www.nvidia.com
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Loxley House in Nottingham viewed in a self extracting Virtual Building Extension (VBE) model. Files can be distributed to clients so they can navigate a ArchiCAD SE BIM model. Image courtesy of City of Nottingham architects. Graphisoft has taken a bold step in the UK AEC market with the release of a fully functioning Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool for under £1,000. Based on the Virtual Building technology of ArchiCAD 14, ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2011 has been tailored to the needs of smaller architectural practices. The software contains a range of tools for the creation of a virtual building model from which architectural documentation can be derived. It also provides the latest DWG/DXF and IFC 2x3 interfaces for file exchange with external applications. ArchiCAD SE 2011 does have its limitations. For collaboration, it does not include the teamworking tools that were added in ArchiCAD 14. It also lacks the reference file capabilities of the full program, not supporting xrefs or
references. There is no sketching, slanting walls, curtain walls or complex profiles and no Lightworks engine for rendering, relying instead on the built-in OpenGL renderer. The final constraint is that ArchiCAD SE 2011 runs in only 32-bit, limiting the amount of RAM that can be addressed. ArchiCAD SE 2011 can also be extended with complementary tools. For £1,099, the software comes with EcoDesigner, so architects can analyse designs for energy efficiency. For £1,299, it comes EcoDesigner and Virtual Building Explorer (VBE), which creates a self extracting file for distribution to clients, offering real-time walkthroughs to explore the design. Meanwhile, for a review of ArchiCAD SE 2011 turn to page 12. www.graphisoft.com/products/acse2011
New enterprise licensing Escape to give away system for PDF software BOXX workstation Bluebeam, a specialist AEC software developer that focuses on the sharing, reviewing and distribution of PDF drawings and documents, is offering a new License Management System (LMS) for its enterprise customers. The new system automatically tracks license usage of Bluebeam PDF Revu product and releases inactive seats that, in turn, become available to install on other computers. The Bluebeam LMS is available to Bluebeam customers with 50 or more seats of Bluebeam PDF Revu and may be applied to both new and existing licenses. Meanwhile, for more on Bluebeam’s PDF-centric solutions, see our Autodesk University report on page 11. www.bluebeam.com
Escape Studios has become the exclusive reseller of BOXX Technologies machines in the UK. The partnership comes after BOXX announced a manufacturing deal which will see the company’s workstations built for the first time in the UK by Boston Ltd. To coincide with the agreement Escape Studios is giving away a 3DBOXX 4860 Extreme workstation. To enter the draw, which runs until the 31st May, visit techstore.escapestudios. co.uk/boxx-competition
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geometry
The Challenge: High-Performance Buildings The Solution: Bentley
Image courtesy Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Ltd.
Image courtesy Forman Roberts
Building informaTion modeling & more
Software for the design, construction, and operation of all types of buildings and facilities around the world, from the conventional to some of the most inspiring projects of our time. For projects small to large, simple to complex, each discipline-specific application provides an informed work environment – from conceptual design through documentation, to coordination and construction. Bentley’s comprehensive suite of software helps professionals productively deliver sustainable high-performance buildings.
Building energy deSign, analySiS & SimulaTion
design
geometry sustainability generative components architecture
geometry
design sustainability geometry
components
sustainability
architecture
generative
components
geometry
architecture
Image courtesy DP Architects Pte Ltd
design and deliver T Projects faster
reduce errors T
and omissions
optimize Building T Performance
multi-disciplinary T Coordination
work in T
generaTive deSign SofTware
Support large or T
GC facilitates the delivery of inspired sustainable buildings, freedom in form finding, use of innovative materials, exploration of “what-if” alternatives for even the most complex designs.
architecture
design
Bentley’s building performance software applications provide the fastest, most powerful, and most accurate design, analysis and simulation available for building load, plant energy, passive design, and dynamic thermal simulations. GenerativeComponents® (GC) enables architects and engineers to pursue designs and achieve results that were virtually unthinkable before.
generative
distributed Teams Complex Projects
Support The whole T Building lifecycle
Open a world of new possibilities while you work more productively than ever before.
www.Bentley.com/aeCmagazine © 2010 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the “B” Bentley logo, and GenerativeComponents are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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VisualARQ adds AEC features to Rhino VisualARQ is the latest version of the fullyintegrated Rhino plug-in that adds architectural features to Rhino 3D. The software enables users to model parametric 3D architectural objects like walls, columns, doors, windows, and stairs that are suitable for both 3D modelling and 2D documentation. VisualARQ includes a feature-based editor to enable users to create and edit their own smart/custom architectural objects. Users can work in 2D and 3D at the same time, as well as include solutions and architectural elements to architecture projects done in Rhino or Grasshopper. The new release includes a number of enhancements including support for IFC 2×3 export and the addition of beam objects. www.visualarq.com
Google SketchUp 8 now supported by 3D mice 3Dconnexion has added 3D mouse support for Google SketchUp 8 and SketchUp Pro 8. The mice provide SketchUp users with advanced control of their designs and workspace for increased productivity when modelling and enable simultaneous panning, zooming and rotating with one hand. The 3D mice also give designers working in SketchUp Pro 8 more control over new Solid Tools modelling operations for creating, editing or validating multiple shapes. www.3dconnexion.com
GEO-focussed event moves to London Elstree The UK’s independent ‘Geo’ event, ‘GEO-11’, – is set for a new venue. Subtitled ‘a world of geomatics and GIS innovations,’ GEO-11 will be held at the Holiday Inn, London Elstree on the 6th & 7th April 2011. GEO-11 will feature a range of seminars and demonstrations from the industry’s leading manufacturers of laser scanners, GNSS and total stations plus software for GIS, 3D modelling and visualisation. www.pvpubs.com
Graitec launches 2011 structural BIM suite Graitec has launched the 2011 versions of its AutoCAD-based structural BIM solutions, Advance Design, Advance Concrete and Advance Steel. For the 2011 release the company has focused on four key themes: intelligent data exchange and interoperability, an enhanced ergonomic user interface, greater automation in the production of documents and project management, and improved performance. www.graitec.com
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SolidWorks to take on AEC market with brand new BIM application
SolidWorks Live Buildings, as demonstrated at SolidWorks World 2011, showing stairs, doors, internal partitions, curtain walls and columns all controlled through a push/pull user interface SolidWorks is not a CAD brand you would usually associate with AEC design tools but at its recent annual user conference in January, it demonstrated a forthcoming new BIM application. Called SolidWorks Live Buildings, the software is actually based on Dassault Systèmes’ (DS) high-end modeller, Catia. In its current V6 guise, Catia is used in the design of aeroplanes and cars and installations can cost up to tens of thousands of pounds. SolidWorks, owned by DS, is one of the most popular mechanical parametric mid-priced modellers. Back in 2008, Bernard Charlès, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), DS, told AEC Magazine that his company was going to get into AEC and take on Autodesk Revit as ‘we used to own Revit and we think we can do it better’. The new software will be available everywhere via the cloud (Internet), will be compatible with Catia for analysis
and fabrication and should be able to handle large files. DS has developed a web backbone for all its products, called Enovia, which enables team access to models hosted on its servers. As most of the processing grunt work is handled remotely, it is anticipated that system requirements will be low. DS has touched the architectural market before through Gehry Technologies and its Digital Project product, which is based on Catia. With Frank Gehry’s designs having more in common with aeroplane fabrication than normal buildings, a high-end modelling tool was needed for this level of complexity. Digital Project failed to sell in volume, mainly due to price and lack of trained staff. However, it is used by a number of practices and Gehry Technologies deploys it as part of its consultancy on big projects. Live Buildings takes a different approach, more aimed at the everyday architect and should be at a much lower price point. Charlès explained that for DS to get into AEC, the product would have to be available via the cloud as DS had no channel or existing customers. This year it seems that the technology is ready for this. Even though Live Buildings is being developed by a DS team in Lyon, France, the product is being branded as a SolidWorks product, as it’s DS’ volume brand. It also marks how serious DS is about getting into the AEC market from pretty much a standing start. The demonstration given at SolidWorks World showed stairs, doors, internal partitions, curtain walls and columns with a very push/pull user interface. It was reminiscent of Google SketchUp but on steroids. We will keep you informed as this story develops. Meanwhile, more information about the product, including a video of a demo, can be found on the CAD blog of Deelip Menezes www.deelip.com/?p=5487
Intel’s new low-cost ‘Sandy Bridge’ processor to bring new life to entry-level workstations Intel has launched Sandy Bridge, the second generation of its Core processor family of CPUs. Sandy Bridge is initially being brought to market with eight desktop processors spread across the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 product range. The K suffix on the Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K denotes that the chip can be overclocked, right out of the box, and this is already being done by a number of specialist workstation system builders. Typical increases in speed are around the 1GHz mark for these K suffix chips. The 3.4GHz rated Core i7 2600K is reaching speeds of 4.5GHz with standard air-cooling. Sandy Bridge is already being made available inside workstations from a number of specialist system builders including Scan, Workstation Specialists and InterPro Workstations. A full review of Sandy Bridge and these machines can be seen on pages 29 and 31. We expect HP, Dell and Lenovo to launch entry-level Sandy Bridge-based workstations in the coming months, but whether they overclock their machines remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, NextComputing, a specialist in portable and small footprint workstations and servers, has added Sandy Bridge to its Radius all-in-one portable workstations, which are built inside a durable aluminium alloy chassis the size of a small briefcase. Features include a built-in 17-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display, up to 48GB RAM and a choice of highperformance professional graphics cards. www.Intel.com | www.nextcomputing.com
AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
31/1/11 16:27:21
13.0 Welcome to the next level of
structural mechanics simulation Today, mechanical engineers face intense market pressure to deliver both reliable and innovative products in ever shrinking design cycles. This is why ANSYS has introduced ANSYS 13.0, its latest release which gives mechanical engineers the performance they desire and the confidence they demand. With several new and advanced features, the ANSYS 13.0 structural mechanics suite of simulation tools offers: •
Greater accuracy and fidelity for more accurate results over changing operating conditions
•
Higher productivity through reduced setup times, resulting in more time to analyze and innovate
•
Optimized product performance across multiple physics
•
Increased computational efficiency, providing speedup ratios five to ten times greater than previous releases
ANSYS 13.0
Advanced Fidelity.
Higher Productivity.
Leading Performance.
For more information, visit www.ansys.com/structural13 or call us at: +44 (0) 114-201-0830
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Autodesk University 2010 The end of November saw the annual migration of CAD fans to Las Vegas for Autodesk’s huge University event. As usual, AEC magazine was there in force to see the latest design technology, writes Martyn Day.
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here are very few cities even in America with the necessary infrastructure to host Autodesk University (AU). In the past attendance has been as high as 12,000 but with the recession and the availability of many of the main stage presentations now online, attendance has dropped to around 7,000. That is still a lot of people to fit in a room. I am told that Autodesk University had over 40,000 people sign up and it is available all year for those that are interested (au.autodesk.com) The show is a week-long mix of general presentations, training classes, industry sessions and meetings, not to mention the lunches, cocktail evenings and parties. It is almost an Olympic endurance sport. Autodesk has settled into yearly releases of its products, usually around March, with mid-year (October) additional functionality for customers on subscription. AU falls at the end of the year and so while some new technology is on view, future technology is often disguised in the presentations, obliquely referenced or not mentioned at all. It is always a good game to spot never-been-seen products. Of course this is also limited, as Autodesk Labs online is mushrooming with technology demonstrations of future products. This year was no different and Autodesk Labs had some new technology previews to share with interested customers, but more on those later.
Neon Living Room: Project Neon is a rendering service that provides a lightning fast turnaround on delivering photorealistic images.
The cloud There has been a lot of talk about cloud computing and its future impact on how we will access design software in the future. At the moment, software is bought and installed on a local PC. In the future software will be hosted on powerful servers and will be accessed over the Internet remotely. As the software will be hosted, there will be no need for customer-installed updates, or a powerful local computer. Software and processing power becomes a service - this is termed SaaS (Software as a Service). Now, there are many questions that this architecture poses. What happens if my Internet connection is slow or fails? Where is my data stored? What happens if I am on the move? How much will this cost? The truth is nobody really knows yet as it is still in development. Autodesk has been pretty up front about its development in this area, with remotely hosted sessions of AutoCAD and Revit through its Project Twitch technology. There was Project Dragonfly,
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Project Photofly can automatically generate a meshed surface model from multiple photographs. which became Autodesk Homestyler — the first major cloud-based application from Autodesk for interior design (sold only in America at the moment), as well as: Project BlueStreak (online collaboration) and Project Photofly (photographs to 3D models). It is clear that there is a lot of research into cloud-based applications at Autodesk. Autodesk University 2010 was the first time that Autodesk brought this message to the main keynote sessions. Using the term ‘Infinite Computing’, company CEO Carl Bass and CTO Jeff Kowalski explained how this phase change in computing would benefit its customers. By moving applications to the cloud, software
would run on the most fast, fully equipped servers, running 128GB of RAM with banks of GPU graphics processors providing the ultimate in performance. When running computer-intensive tasks such as rendering, analysis or simulation, solutions would be delivered to the desktop in seconds as opposed to minutes or hours. The technology even allows for multiple results to be delivered at the same time, perhaps giving a range of options to aid decision-making. The computer moves from being a documentation tool to truly optimising the design by providing more options that meet the stated requirements. There is a big future in this technology and every major CAD developer is trialling systems. AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
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users to sketch conceptual infrastructure ideas within a multi-kilometre model space. The technology provides conceptual visual renders of huge models and can be used to better understand the impact of major infrastructure projects. Project Neon labs.autodesk.com/technologies/neon Project Neon is a rendering service that provides a lightning fast turn-around on delivering photorealistic images. While rendering is available on the desktop, Neon is powered by state-of-the-art 4-core servers. In the future, instead of waiting for a local render to complete, near instant results with higher quality and resolution will be available.
The interesting question in all this, is what happens to desktop machines and operating systems? If all you need is a computer that can run a browser to access all your software then what will future devices look like? From what I can see, the Apple iPad and Google Chrome machines indicate that we will be operating on low-power devices that have very simple operating systems. The upshot of cloud computing could well be the death of Microsoft Windows as we know it.
Above: 3ds Max now works seamlessly with Revit, AutoCAD and Inventor. Left: Autodesk CEO Carl Bass takes to the main stage at Autodesk University 2010.
AutoCAD WS
Revit
The second major cloud application that was released last year by Autodesk was AutoCAD WS, which runs on Apple iPads, iPhones and web browsers. Customers upload and share DWG files through the cloud, where AutoCAD WS can load them. This means you can have access to your drawings wherever you are in the world, and it is free. The initial release of AutoCAD WS required that there was a constant connection to the Internet, which was less than ideal. In time for AU an update, 1.1 came out which cached files locally on the machine. This means you can take an iPad loaded with drawing and go onsite or to clients and interact with the drawings, which works really well. AutoCAD WS is also a proto-CAD system, in that it can edit and create some basic AutoCAD entities. At the moment this capability is embryonic but Autodesk is quite keen to see how far it can push this technology and ideally would like to have something like AutoCAD running on mobile devices such as an Apple iPad. There are many other tablet PCs coming out this year and I understand that the way AutoCAD WS has been written means that it can be ported to any platform. I am assuming that is Google Android and Windows Mobile. So, soon there will be many platforms from which AutoCAD WS could be run. This is actually really good technology and should be evaluated. AEC will have a full review of AutoCAD WS in its March/April edition.
Having only just delivered the Subscription Advantage packs, many of the product demonstrations were concerned with the additional functionality that had been added. The AEC keynote concerned itself with mainly demonstrating how Autodesk’s products now share information seamlessly: using multiple AEC products to get a project done. The one little sneak I did notice was the version of Revit being used supported point-clouds natively — something which the current version cannot do. I suspect the next release will have this capability. Point-cloud support was added to AutoCAD last year; it makes sense for Revit and will enable ‘scan to BIM’, which will ideally create a building model from laser scanned data.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
Labs explosion With the decision a few years back to be more open about new technology, Autodesk has now made a wide range of tools available for download for architects and engineers to try out and give feedback on: Project Galileo labs.autodesk.com/utilities/galileo Based on the next generation of Autodesk Land Xplorer, Project Galileo is a planning tool for creating 3D city models. The database can collate and overlay buildings, civil and geo-models, enabling
Project Vasari labs.autodesk.com/utilities/vasari Named after the famous 16th Century architect and painter, Vasari is a stand-alone tool for creating building concepts with integration into analysis tools for energy and carbon footprint. The design can be easily imported into Revit to flesh out the details. The geometry modelling tools are parametric and are about performance-based design. The interface is fantastic and lets an architect or planner get valuable estimates on the suitability of a design concept. Project Photofly labs.autodesk.com/utilities/photo_scene_editor Photofly seemed like mad science and it still does. It allows users to take pictures of items destined for a 3D model with a basic camera. Upload the images to the cloud and in seconds you get a fully textured 3D DWG back. The initial version was impressive, as it had to do a huge amount of mathematical equations. Autodesk has significantly improved the technology with new algorithms. The end results are a lot more predictable and this eventually could rival expensive laser-scan surveys for getting geometry into AutoCAD and Revit sessions. I highly recommend a play.
Conclusion As usual, Autodesk University is one hell of a ride, with new products, new ideas and many new people with which to mingle. It is a great opportunity to meet the people who develop the tools you use and if you are very nice, you may get a heads up of what is in store. The future is all about the cloud and Infinite Computing. How we access our tools will be only a small part of this. It is more about how much more ‘grunt’ we will have at our fingertips and how clever developers will be at utilising this in their products. If our design tools are constantly running analysis on what we create, suggesting improvements or alternatives, at no loss of speed then what we produce will be ‘greener’ and have better quality that anything we could create with our currently processes. au.autodesk.com
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Autodesk University 2010 The exhibition hall
In between the main stage presentations, classes and labs, the exhibition hall is always a highlight of Autodesk University. Greg Corke reports on some of the standout technologies on show in Las Vegas in December 2010.
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he Exhibition Hall at Autodesk University (AU) is always a great opportunity to see new technologies, products and services. This year there was a major emphasis on the AEC sector, with lots of new faces presenting complementary Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools for Revit and other Autodesk applications. As always, not all of the technology at AU is available in the UK yet. However, increasingly these tools are being made available for download in online stores, or as services in the cloud, and the need for a dedicated reseller channel is becoming less critical. One of the major themes this year was rendering in the cloud. There were two companies promoting new services that enable architects to send their Revit scenes up to the cloud so they can be rendered in a fraction of the time that it would take to do on a standard workstation. This seems like a perfect fit for smaller architectural firms, which may not have the resources to invest in powerful hardware in-house, or simply may not render scenes that often to justify such expenditure. Of course, having access to such powerful compute resources in the cloud can help anyone on a tight deadline. Limitless Rendering (limitlesscomputing.com) is an online rendering service for Revit Architecture 2009-2011, which uses the mental ray rendering engine. The workflow is pretty simple: export a .FBX scene from Revit, upload it to the site for a preview and pricing, then simply click render. On the website there is a comprehensive step-by-step guide, and some example 1,024 pixel wide renders. Prices for these jobs range from $13 to $225 depending on the number of lights in the scene. We would expect prices to rise significantly as resolution increases. RevUp Render (revuprender.com) offers a cloud-based service called RevUp RealityServer. This uses GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) clusters instead of CPUs to process renderings. The company claims it can render a scene in seconds/minutes instead of the hours/days it usually takes to render inside of Revit. With such fast rendering times the process is interactive and users can navigate through a scene in real-time and watch it re-render as soon as the mouse stops. An ‘unlimited’ number of users can view the scene through any Flash-enabled web browser.
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3D point cloud model in Pointools of a Ford motor car plant in the US. The point cloud is comprised of approximately 4.5 billion points and was captured by a Faro Photon 120 scanner.
Architectural scene rendered online by Limitless Rendering’s cloud-based service.
This could also make it a very interesting solution for collaboration as well as a means to get renders back fast. The technology is still in the final stages of development and RevUp Render is looking for beta testers. On the subject of clouds, point cloud data also featured very strongly at Autodesk University. Point cloud data is produced by 3D laser scanners and is a very quick and efficient way of surveying a site or building. The data can be used directly inside a CAD or BIM program, and while the technology has been around for many years it is increasingly being used in the AEC sector, specifically for architectural refurb projects or when placing new BIM models in context. As always, there were a number of laser scanner hardware manufacturers at the event, but it was on the software side that there was the greatest interest. London-based Pointools (pointools.com) is one of the industry’s most established players and its ‘Vortex’ technology is widely regarded to be the industry’s fastest point cloud engine. Its ability to handle billions of points, very efficiently, means that it still remains a popular choice for AutoCAD users despite AutoCAD being able to work with point cloud data natively since the 2011 release. At AU, Pointools demonstrated the ease with
which its technology can work with huge datasets, with a demo that enabled a real time walkthrough building that had been laser scanned. The big news for Pointools actually came soon after AU with the launch of a new software bundle. The new Pointools Suite gives users a portfolio of applications and plugs-ins, which are designed to streamline the conversion, processing, and reuse of point cloud models. “By packaging these applications and plug-ins in a cost effective bundle, we are making it easier for project teams to work with 3D laser scan data inside their preferred CAD application environments,” explained Joe Croser, VP of products at Pointools. “For a very competitive price, users can now convert raw point data into detailed 3D point cloud models. They can process and edit point clouds to generate high-definition movies, and they can reuse the same point cloud models inside a broad range of Autodesk, Rhino, and Google SketchUp apps.” The new suite includes Pointools POD Creator (to convert the broadest range of 3D laser scan formats), Pointools Edit (for selecting, editing, segmenting, and animating the largest point cloud models), and Pointools Plug-ins for Rhino, Google SketchUp, and Autodesk applications including AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Architecture, Map 3D, and Land Desktop. AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
For architects, bringing point cloud data into a BIM environment as intelligent BIM objects is the holy grail of laser scanning. While fully automating this process is still some way off, there was a new tool on show from the recently merged Avatech Solutions and IMAGINiT Technologies that provides a stepping stone from dumb point cloud data to intelligent BIM models The company showed its new Scan to BIM software (avatech.com/scantobim), which it says takes the ordeal out of the process of getting 3D laser scanning data into Revit. The software enables users to import point clouds directly into Revit, view them based on colour, intensity or elevation, and then assist with the creation of Revit elements including walls, windows and other construction geometry. Bluebeam (bluebeam.com) has been a long-term attendee at Autodesk University, promoting its professional PDF creation and editing solution Bluebeam PDF Revu CAD Edition. The software offers one-button PDF authoring from AutoCAD and Revit, batch PDF creation, digital signatures, and a full suite of markup and editing tools. This year the company had two new enterprise solutions on show — Bluebeam Q and bFX. Bluebeam Q is a server-based solution that controls and automates PDF creation from a central location. PDFs can be processed and published through four different options: network PDF printer, watched folders, script engine and API (Application Programming Interface). bFX extends the reach of Bluebeam’s PDF markup tools by combining its Bluebeam PDF Revu software with an online project management system. All PDFs are stored online so project members can see the most recent revisions. Transoft Solutions (www.transoftsolutions.com), another AU regular, also had a new product on show to add to its growing portfolio of road and site-related design software. Nexus is a new CAD tool for planning and developing roadway junction designs for new construction and rehabilitation projects. Transportation engineers and planners are able to create geometry with surface grading and drainage patterns in their junction layouts. The software uses the Vehicle Envelope Method of design in its vehicle swept path and turn simulation software AutoTurn to handle the interdependent design components of a junction. Nexus comes with complete sets of standard design vehicles for different countries and custom vehicles can be imported from AutoTurn. Transoft also unveiled the second release of its roundabout planning and design tool, Torus. Elsewhere in the world of road design software, Savoy (savoy.co.uk) returned to AU with a new corporate identity and a brand new roundabout design tool called AutoTrack Junctions. The software enables users to not only design the roundabout geometry but also analyse flow and capacity in real time. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
between Revit (Structure, Architecture and MEP) and Microsoft Excel. Users can extract all manner of data from Revit, work on it in Excel (or externally with cost estimating, takeoff, or analysis tools), and then push it back into Revit. Once a link has been made its definition can be saved for re-use in subsequent projects. SkyBIM Estimator (digitalbuildingsolutions.com) is a cloud-based real time estimating solution for Revit. By hosting all the latest project data online, all members of the team, from architect to owner, can collaborate on an estimate, view the latest takeoff quantities, edit product costs and create reports. There were also a number of tools on show to help with quality control on BIM models. Finnish company, Solibri (solibri.com), was showing the latest version of its Model Checker software, which analyses BIM models for integrity, quality and physical safety. The software can be used for spatial co-ordination, quantity takeoff, or energy analysis. Like NavisWorks from Autodesk, the software is able to highlight clashing components, but Model Checker can also check that the model complies with building codes and internal best practices. Examples, include checking that there are no unallocated spaces that can be important for energy analysis, or that all load bearing structures, such as columns are properly connected to other load bearing structures. The latest 6.1 release includes what Solibri describes as ITO (Information Takeoff) functionality, which enables ‘data mining’ from the BIM model. ITO can be used for many purposes, ranging from quantity takeoffs to automated area calculations and extracting the information used in carbon footprint calculations. Model Checker uses the widespread IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format from BuildingSmart to bring in BIM data from a variety of sources. It also has a direct link to Graphisoft ArchiCAD.
Analysing escape routes in Solibri Model Checker v6.
ideateBIMLink (ideatebimlink.com) is an interesting little product that enables data to be pushed and pulled
Hardware Autodesk University would not be complete without the full complement of hardware. From workstations and graphics cards to large format printers and rapid prototyping technology there was something for everyone. AMD (amd.com) was showing its latest FirePro graphics cards, which feature Eyefinity technology so multiple monitors can be run off a single graphics card. The company was also promoting its recently released performance plug-ins for Autodesk AutoCAD and 3ds Max. According to AMD, with the new AutoCAD plug in its FirePro V3800 offers almost double the performance per dollar of a mid-ranged consumer graphics card, while the mid-range FirePro V5800 achieves more than 2X performance per dollar of a high-end consumer graphics card. Nvidia (nvidia.co.uk) had its new Fermi graphics cards on show including the recently released Quadro 600 and Quadro 2000. Also in the spotlight was iRay and RealityServer from mental images, which use Nvidia GPUs to accelerate rendering times. HP (hp.co.uk) showcased its Z series of workstations, and the new 2D and 3D DesignJet printers, while Dell (dell.co.uk) made a big splash with both its desktop and mobile Precision workstations.
Cad Technology Centre (cadtechnologycenter.com) was showcasing its range of Revit Express Tools. These include the Revit Family Processor, which makes it possible to automatically update Revit families and Revit Data Transfer Tools, which enables users to exchange data between Microsoft Excel worksheets and Revit element parameters. Batch Plot & AutoExport for Revit helps automate printing/plotting on user-defined plot sets, and automate the process of extracting AutoCAD and Microstation files from Revit. Worldviz (worldviz.com) attracted a lot of attention with its virtual reality solution for the AEC industry. The fully immersive system uses a head mounted display to help users navigate their way around architectural models in stereoscopic 3D. An automatic tracking system synchronises movement in the real world with that of the virtual world and the results are very impressive, although a little disorienting for beginners. Users have a wide field of view (111 degrees) and are able to interact with objects as they walk through the virtual building. It is a great way for clients to fully experience new projects before they are built, but constitutes a serious investment. The system is able to work primarily with 3ds Max and SketchUp data, but there is also a workflow to bring in BIM data from Autodesk Revit. Finally, Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) (iesve.com), a specialist in green building design software, was highlighting its recent partnership with Trelligence (trelligence.com). The deal will help integrate the sustainable analysis capabilities of the IESVE performance simulation software with the architectural programming and schematic design capabilities of Trelligence Affinity. In future it will be possible to carry out early stage sustainable analysis even when no geometry is available, through conceptual floor plans and stacking diagrams that are auto-generated from program data. Designers will be able to figure out which floorarea-ratio is the most efficient before room layout is considered, then, the fast iterative design capabilities of Affinity will allow different early design layouts to be similarly tested. Affinity’s integration with Revit will allow designers to continue to track the detailed design as it progresses against initial requirements.
EVENT REPORT
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ArchiCAD Start BIM Suite Hungarian architectural software developer, Graphisoft, has just released a powerful yet low-cost version of its flagship Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool, ArchiCAD.
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t is hard to escape all the hype and hoopla generated by the software industry concerning Building Information modelling (BIM). Autodesk, Bentley and Graphisoft have long been championing the benefits of using BIM to create intelligent models, which can automatically produce co-ordinated project drawings. In spite of this effort, adoption has been slow. In the UK it is estimated that only 10 percent of projects are completed using BIM technology versus traditional 2D technologies. This figure is way behind usage in America, where McGraw Hill Construction estimates 49 percent of practices use BIM tools. There are many reasons why architectural practices have not moved to BIM, especially in the last two years where the poor economy and drastic reduction in fees has put pressure on technology investment. However, early adopters have proven that 3D and BIM methodologies offer a better way of working. Firms such as Mott MacDonald, Aedas, Ryder and Laing O’Rourke all testified at Autodesk’s BIM conference in London late last year. The overall impression was that the benefits promised of coordinated drawing production, simplified management, better project team integration, increased productivity, improved scheduling, reduced risk and less waste, were all achievable given a pragmatic adoption methodology. As an added incentive it is looking highly likely that the UK government will soon mandate BIM on future public projects. Oddly enough, deploying BIM in these large firms is more difficult than in a small practice; the momentum of traditional methodologies makes it difficult to alter course. The benefit of BIM to small
firms is that more work can be done in less time, with higher quality, richer documentation. However, the cost of buying BIM software can be a key stumbling block for small companies. To answer this, Graphisoft has recently started to promote a cut-down version of ArchiCAD, called ArchiCAD Start Edition (SE), which retails at £999 for the entry-level package. This is a significant new price point and drops the seat price to a third of any comparable BIM offering. Even compared to non-BIM design tools, ArchiCAD SE is cheaper than a copy of Autodesk’s AutoCAD LT, which is dumb 2D, and only £600 more than SketchUp Pro (dumb 3D). In addition, should SE customers wish to upgrade to full ArchiCAD, the initial purchase price will be discounted off the full version. This is without a shadow of doubt, very aggressive pricing.
The company Before delving into what ArchiCAD SE offers, it is worth having a recap on Graphisoft and its position in the marketplace. Established in 1984, Graphisoft is a Hungarian CAD software developer, based in Budapest on the banks of the Danube. In 1987 the company came up with the Virtual Building model concept, which is now know as Building Information Modelling. As such ArchiCAD is the most mature parametric BIM modeller on the market. In 2006 German developer Nemetschek acquired Graphisoft, adding ArchiCAD to its other products, namely Vectorworks and Allplan. While in the UK Autodesk has more than 80 percent of the AEC market,
in Germany, Autodesk is the minority competitor. ArchiCAD is currently at Release 14, costs £3,000 and runs on both Apple Macintosh and Intel/Windows platforms. Out of all of the BIM solutions on the market, ArchiCAD is seen as being the more ‘architectural’ of the modelling packages due to its look and feel, as well as its primary focus on architectural tools, as opposed to structural steel and Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), although since 2008, there is an MEP add-on. As BIM modellers go, ArchiCAD is fast and handles large models and greater complexity better than most. Read our previous review at: www.aecmag.com.
ArchiCAD SE While this may be the first time that I have written about the ArchiCAD Start Edition, this variant of ArchiCAD has been around for at least four releases. However, SE has not been available in the UK until now. As cut down versions of software go, there is amazingly little removed from the program. If anything, the functionality is closer to the previous release of ArchiCAD. In ArchiCAD R14 some superb new team working tools were added, these are not included in SE as the ‘budget version’ is aimed at small practices or ‘one-man companies’. ArchiCAD SE lacks many of the reference file capabilities of the full program, not supporting xrefs or references. There is no sketching, slanting walls, curtain walls or complex profiles (but there are ways around these). There is no Lightworks engine for rendering and
A full 3D BIM model of the Moonstone project, displayed in ArchiCAD SE. This is the actual OpenGL display engine rendering quality. (See page 16 for full case study on this project). Image courtesy of: John Croft Moonstone project
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Loxley House in Nottingham is a complex, detailed ArchiCAD model, which has been saved as a self-extracting Virtual Building Extension (VBE) model. This file is 500MB in size and can be opened on any machine. It is possible to distribute this model to clients, planners, developers so they can fly or walk around ArchiCAD SE’s BIM models. Image courtesy of: City of Nottingham architects
Rendering options
the software relies on the built-in OpenGL renderer. To get around this I recommend users buy an external rendering tool like Artlantis. The final constraint is that ArchiCAD SE runs in only 32-bit, limiting the amount of RAM that can be addressed (4GB on a Mac). Other than that, ArchCAD SE is the real deal. If this is to be your first BIM modeller then there is absolutely loads of functionality to model any traditional commercial or housing project. ArchiCAD SE may have selected functionality missing but it works with all the Graphisoft goodies and third party applications that are available for ArchiCAD R14. This includes the excellent Framewright timberframe design tool from Encina as used by the Oak Frame Carpentry company. There is a full export and import capability, with excellent support for IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) and models created in SE will work with ArchiCAD R14. For those new to the product, for which I know there will be many, ArchiCAD SE comes with a comprehensive training book which will help new users get up to speed within a few days.
Virtual Building Explorer Graphisoft’s Virtual Building Explorer (VBE) really brings models to life. Any 3D textured model created in ArchiCAD can be saved as a self-extracting virtual environment, which offers real-time walkthroughs to explore the proposed building as if it were a modern computer game. VBE offers different graphical renderings, such as Hidden Line, Shaded OpenGL and Global illumination. VBE is available in a bundle with ArchiCAD Start Edition and it comes highly recommended. The ability to send a client a complete model, or use VBE to submit designs for pitches or competition really enhances the hard work put into modelling in the first place. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
While ArchiCAD SE does not come with a high-end ray tracing option built-in, users can opt to add-in external renderers such as Artlantis Render by Abvent (£675). However, Prices start from £375 for the base product with stills. Nemetschek’s Cinema4D and Maxwell Render are also two other worthy options. The built-in real-time OpenGL renderer also gives pretty good results.
Conclusion
Internal shots from the ArchiCAD VBE model showing office and entrance. Image courtesy of: City of Nottingham architects
EcoDesigner Energy consumption is a growing concern for both new build and renovation projects. Graphisoft has developed its own integrated tool for energy evaluation, EcoDesigner. Using EcoDesigner, architects can analyse their design, at an early stage, for energy efficiency. Providing invaluable feedback on the building’s energy performance means the architect can make better decisions on how to conform to regulations. The graphical output shows the design’s carbon footprint (Co2) and energy balance. While not in the base ArchiCAD SE package it is available for an additional £99, which is frankly a no-brainer.
The move by Graphisoft to create a new £999 entry point to BIM is the most significant thing to happen to the AEC CAD market since the creation of AutoCAD LT in 1993. It lessens the cost and risk of evaluating how a move from 2D to BIM would impact a small architectural practice’s workflow. Graphisoft has had to fight probably the most to gain some mind share in the UK for its modelling tools, which is odd considering the company invented the desktop parametric BIM modeller. This new price point will allow many more small firms to acquire a mature, powerful BIM tool and realise that there are other credible options beside Autodesk’s Revit. My recommendation would be to get the £1,300 bundle which includes the VBE and EcoDesigner applications, as a combination, there is nothing comparable on the market anywhere near this price on Mac or PC.
Product information Product: ArchiCAD Start Edition (SE) Windows and Mac Price: Base ArchiCAD SE package £999 ArchiCAD SE plus EcoDesigner £1,099 ArchiCAD SE + EcoDesigner+ VBE £1,299 www.graphisoft.com/products/acse2011/
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Revit Standard one year on Last year saw the launch of the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Revit. As we approach the first anniversary of its release, we take a look at how the standard has been received in the market, as well as the next steps in updating the content and expanding its market penetration, writes committee member Paul Woddy.
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or those not familiar with the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Revit, it was developed as an extension to the generic AEC (UK) BIM Standard, released in November 2009. This non product-specific document refers to the techniques and concepts utilised in Building Information Management (BIM) technology. The problem with any such text is in finding common terminology that does not favour or exclude any user base. The much larger Revit flavoured document has no such political pitfalls to avoid and looks to interpret and explain the generic theory with specific reference to the Autodesk Revit platform, supplementing it with further best practice and practical policy. In short, if you represent a design practice that is looking to adopt BIM methodology and has chosen to use Revit as the primary tool to do so, then this document should cover your requirements. Above all, the authors hope that this is a clear, concise and readable explanation of best practices in Revit and a solid foundation for efficient collaboration and communication. The no-nonsense language aims to be educational and informative as well as forming a basis of quality control.
Where did it come from? Through various conversations the committee realised that like-minded representatives from
several organisations had been tasked with adapting in-house standards to cope with the latest advances in technology and process. After reviewing what was available and coming up short, it was apparent that a new document would be required and so a committee was formed to pool resources and develop something that had a chance of receiving a wider acceptance than numerous independent standards. A user group locked themselves in a dark room
Atkins needed a standard and what it achieved in leading the push was a document which has been somewhat tailored towards its own requirements, while incorporating the thoughts and feedback of a much larger group of industry experts. What it also got is an increased chance that new recruits will already be very familiar with the standard and ready to slot right into the company. What the rest of the industry got is a document
“If you represent a design practice that is looking to adopt BIM methodology and has chosen to use Revit as the primary tool to do so, then this document should cover your requirements” and kicked things off by sharing everything they had developed to date, a move that was indicative of the collaborative attitude of the whole process. As with all voluntary committees, it is possible that this effort would have stretched on and fizzled out, with promises made and quickly forgotten with the dregs of the after-meeting drinks. In this case, however, one company in particular was willing to push the standards forward and ensure delivery in a sensible timeframe. By funding the chair of the committee and providing many hours of resource in different countries to collate and compile the information, Atkins is to be thanked in no small part for the end result.
delivered in a timely fashion that cuts through the technical jargon and fills a much-needed gap. Often the harder job is not to write a standard but to implement it and see it accepted by super-users in the team with their own ideas of best practice. Two things work in the favour of the AEC Standard; firstly the relatively new technology means that fewer strong opinions will have formed which are contradictory; and secondly, the backing of so many respected names within the industry.
Where is it now?
Project collaboration is a fundamental cornerstone of BIM.
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Twelve months later, is the standard being used? Does it require much work to fit it into the average practice and what do the end-users make of it? Well, obviously Atkins is using it around the world, more or less as it stands in the publicly available version. Along with his colleagues at Atkins, Richard Scott-Smith was instrumental in the authoring of the standard, and is now heading the Atkins BIM deployment in the Middle East. “Not only does the standard dictate actions within the project environment, but it also forms the backbone to all of the BIM training we give to staff,” says Mr Scott-Smith. “Having a good, workable standard in place from the first time that a user experiences the technology and process is making a big difference to the early success of the software adoption. “The industry is still learning what BIM is all about and we often find ourselves educating the client and supply chain. Introducing a strong AEC MAGAZINE
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standard to the team can really facilitate these discussions.” As for other organisations involved in the process, John Evans of Capita Symonds has the following to say: “In compiling protocols, Capita Symonds recognises that no one document can cover all bases and all circumstances, and as such has incorporated known industry standards enshrined in BS1192:2007/Avanti, CPIC, PIX Protocol, CI/Sfb, Uniclass, CAWS/NBS and AEC (UK) CAD Standards as well as the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Revit. “These standards form a foundation for the delivery of project data and the AEC(UK) BIM standard for Revit is a fundamental facilitator in the collaborative environment, helping to further drive Capita towards a more Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), a concept that is gaining ground following the lead by organisations and projects in the USA,” says Mr Evans. Aedas Architects decided to align its BIM Standards documentation with the AEC (UK) Standard throughout its thirteen offices in UK and Central Europe. Trevor Smith, Aedas’ production manager says:: “The adoption of a common standard is essential for a company the size of Aedas. We decided to implement the standard within Aedas as it follows very closely the principles of BS1192 which cross over from their previous BIM and AutoCAD workflows. BIM is still a very young marketplace; as such, more guidance is required
What next?
The standard looks to interpret protocols such as the BS1192 CDE for the Revit user.
to support the teams developing intermediate and complex projects in Revit and the AEC standards do just that. It has been actively running at Aedas for some six months and there have been very few issues raised by employees or even third party design teams who are keen to collaborate using these protocols. “As with all new documentation there are some teething problems and Aedas are keen to feedback their experiences to help develop and form a more robust standard.”
At Pointools we enable multiple software products to reference and reuse the same Pointools POD files, containing billions of measurement points all captured by the widest range of industry-leading 3D laser scanners.
Companies and individuals downloading the standard (www.aec-uk.org) are free to take on as much or as little as they wish, but the wider acceptance of the document as an industry standard would require that it remain as close as possible to the original form. If you download it and find it needs modification then the committee request that you let them know as it may be that a revision is required or deemed universally useful. One glaring omission from the standard is a section on Families, which was pulled at the last moment as we had too many aspects that were still open to discussion as we reached the selfimposed deadline. This will hopefully be rectified shortly. The committee would welcome any and all feedback in developing future releases, the next of which is planned for spring 2011, where we will incorporate changes and technological advances, as well as look to expand the scope and audience for the document into the wider BIM ecosystem, incorporating other professions in the design and construction process, such as quantity surveyors, specification writers, fabricators, manufacturers, contractors and facility managers. If you have any questions or feedback on the standard then feel free to contact myself on paul@revitguru.com or any of the other committee members as mentioned on the above web site.
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Best for environment
Dream catcher
An award-winning design in the heart of the Cotswolds integrates the very best in entertainment, security and environmental control together with a neutral carbon footprint.
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rom its first inception, developer John Croft had a dream to build his own home in the idyllic setting of the Cotswolds. It took a few years, a lot of patience, research and work to make this home the best it could be. Built between 2005 and April 2009 on the site of an old industrial building, the first challenge was to design a home that would cope with a valley sloping steeply to a stream at the bottom. While the isolation of natural waters seeping from the rocky slopes was a massive technical hurdle, the location allowed Mr Croft the opportunity to create a multilevel (seven in all) 16,000 sq foot/1,500 sq m home, with a third of the structure underground, filled with natural light and unspoilt views of the Cheltenham countryside.
ArchiCAD BIM Having been recommended ArchiCAD by a colleague from the University of the West of England, and armed with the initial 2D sketch design and xyz site survey data, in 2004 Mr Croft visited the Homebuilding and Renovation Show at NEC, Birmingham, where he first received a full demonstration of ArchiCAD Building Information Modelling (BIM) software. ArchiCAD’s Virtual Building model concept
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CASE STUDY
creates a digital model of a design, storing all related information in one single project file. From this integrated model database users can produce plans, sections, elevations, construction details, schedules and building management information. After just two day’s hands-on tuition Mr Croft was able to model the whole project from the base 2D drawings, highlight inconsistencies and potential design faults as well as incorporate the 3D landscape terrain of the site, placing the house in context. “ArchiCAD BIM is a tool we definitely could not have lived without. It saved us tens of thousands of pounds in cost savings on the project as we were able to analyse any design mistakes, clashes of materials, know where the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) runs were going to go as well as evaluate building performance,” said Mr Croft. “Virtual Building Explorer really is quite bizarre — playing around your house in a real time model is very, very impressive.” Fully integrated into the ArchiCAD BIM workflow EcoDesigner performs dynamic building energy evaluation including annual consumption, carbon footprint and monthly energy balance. Virtual Building Explorer (VBE) sets new standards in design presentation as, uniquely, its navigation and display includes the building information model instead of just a presentation model.
The house does not need external energy sources, nor is it connected to a mains water supply. Rainwater from the immense curved roof area and driveway is harvested and stored underground in giant tanks. Picture credit: Centaur Special Interest Media, Ascent Publishing
The house is designed to meet, or exceed, the very highest environmental standards, while providing a beautiful and practical family home. With fastidious attention to detail, Mr Croft has created an ultra-modern space filled with the best in environmental, security and entertainment technology, without sacrificing any of the interior design needed to create a comfortable home. The house does not need external energy sources, nor is it connected to a mains water supply — rainwater from the immense curved roof area and driveway is harvested and stored underground in giant tanks. A two-tier vertical reed bed natural filtration system converts black and grey water into a fresh supply for drinking, washing and flushing. All windows are triple glazed with U-values down to 0.7K, and the exterior wall has 0.5m of solid stone and a further 0.5m of solid state-of-the-art extruded waterproof insulation as a thermal skin, giving insulation values 65 percent better than the very best Passivhaus standard (U=0.06W/m2K). The inner wall is deliberately constructed from dense concrete block, which acts as a heat sink in summer and a heat source in winter. This means that, in theory, the house is so well insulated that the heat given off by the individuals inside would be enough to heat it. The house has, on average, around 0.5m of insulation incorporated within its walls, floors and roof. Eighty percent of the house’s energy is generated from photovoltaic cell arrays on an outbuilding wallside, which supply more electricity than the house uses, the surplus being fed back into the grid, generating an estimated income of £3,500 per year. As a testament to the energy efficiency of this home, the under-floor heating, powered from a 44 square array of solar thermal panels with a ground source heat recovery system backup, was used for a total of only six days during the bitterly cold winter of 2009-2010, when the outside temperature plummeted to minus 13 degrees celsius for a threeweek period. In fact the house derived 92% of all its hot water and heating demands entirely from its large solar thermal array, feeding two 1,500 litre stratified solar thermal stores. The house is lit entirely with energy efficient RGB-based LED lamps. Creating white light from component Red Green and Blue LED’s uses less energy, the capital cost is lower and the overall colour spectrum is much warmer than white LED lamps. The building won the Best Eco Home category at the 2010 Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards, which showcase the best recent self-build projects in the UK. A total of 150 entries were received and whittled down to a shortlist of 12. Displaying a totally unique and contemporary design, which integrates the very best in, quite literally, unseen entertainment, security and environmental control together with a non-existent operating carbon footprint, this must be the template for homes of the future. www.graphisoft.com/archicad AEC MAGAZINE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
BIM FOR £999! Introducing ArchiCAD START BIM Suite Powered by the NEW ArchiCAD SE 2011 Powered by the NEW ArchiCAD SE 2011 From £999.00 VAT forthan PC2DorCAD Mac users Proven up to 40% more+ productive ArchiCAD START BIM Suite enables: ` stunning visualisations ` quick and easy design evaluations and revisions ` automatic design and documentation co-ordination ` flexible design development with other consultants With ArchiCAD START BIM Suite you can: improve productivity, guarantee co-ordination, collaborate with ease and access new business opportunities. To find out more visit startbim.co.uk or call 0800 Proven up to 40% more productive than 2D CAD
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Cadfaster Collaborate
With project teams and clients based all around the world, holding design meetings can be a challenge. Cadfaster has a slick solution for Building Information Modelling (BIM), writes Martyn Day.
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n the world of CAD, there is a funny little area of development termed ‘collaboration’ tools. With such a broad meaning, this can cover anything from a document distribution system to a complete virtual meeting room environment. There has never been so many options in sharing design information, users are spoilt for choice. If you read the ArchiCAD SE review in this issue on pages 12 and 13, you would know about Graphisoft’s excellent Virtual Building Environment (VBE), which takes an ArchiCAD BIM model and creates a self-extracting ‘exe’ file to send to clients and team members. By clicking on this file, VBE launches and users can fly around the project in incredible textured detail. Meanwhile, Autodesk Revit customers can create 3D DWF files that can be read by the free Autodesk Design Review application. Or they could buy a copy of ArchiCAD SE and import a Revit model via IFCs (Industry Foundation Classes) to create these self-extracting VBEs. Alternatively, buy a copy of Autodesk Navisworks, which can import models from multiple sources to generate a lightweight model but it is pretty expensive. Even with all these solutions for Building Information Modelling (BIM), there is no way to control the view of the model and talk someone through aspects of the design. In effect, there is no ‘meeting’ aspect to the collaboration file. This is where a new product called Cadfaster Collaborate really shines.
Models from Revit can be quickly exported for use in Cadfaster Collaborate. Here an office building with site topology is being shared. On the left the feature tree lists the objects contained in the model, which can be searched for quick location. of the viewing space, with a feature/component tree running down the left-hand screen. From here it is easy to locate elements of the design. Across the top, a menu bar gives access to a variety of shading, sectioning and 3D mark-up tools. Multiple users can add comments independently, even when sharing a model. All comments are stored and can be viewed and collated for a meeting report at anytime.
Cadfaster Based in Finland, Cadfaster develops software for the real-time annotation and co-viewing of 3D CAD models in the design process. At the moment this is specifically for Autodesk Revit and Dassault Systèmes’ SolidWorks, with more to follow. Using Cadfaster Collaborate’s plug-ins for these packages, models and assemblies are exported to selfextracting files, which means that no other software needs to be installed. The compression of the original data means huge assemblies or building projects can be shrunk to a file size that can be emailed or downloaded from a link. Files are small enough to run on low powered laptops. These models can then be distributed for individual (solo) or co-viewing sessions (for teams of up to ten users), allowing annotation and discussion over the cloud (hosted on the internet). When mixed with another pervasive technology JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
Conclusion called a telephone, design reviews can be created. The great thing here is that when the master model view is adjusted (zoom, pan, section etc), all session members’ views are updated in real-time to reflect the component or building element that is being discussed. The rendering is not photo-realistic but is pleasant on the eye and optimised for speed and quick identification of different parts of the model. Cadfaster Collaborate has an intuitive user interface that does not take long to get used to. There is a main model view, taking up the majority
In a single or collaborative session, it is possible to add comments and attach them to objects in the 3D view. These comments are stored on the server and can be accessed at anytime when viewing the model.
There are many, many tools that operate in this ‘collaboration’ space. Cadfaster Collaborate offers distribution of lightweight models without the need to download a viewer and, while this has been done before, the product excels in its ability to host design sessions with a shared, co-ordinated view.. For me, this is actually the true meaning of collaboration as it allows geographically challenged teams to see and hear the same things. The product is set to get even better with an iPad version in beta. Cadfaster Collaborate is a great example of how cloud computing can benefit the design community. www.cadfaster.com
“Where Cadfaster excels is in the ability to co-ordinate and host design sessions with a shared view” SOFTWARE
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The link between Revit and 3ds Max
Tim Power from architectural 3D imagery and animation company Virtual Resolution and Chris Senior from BIM consulting firm Revit Factory share their tips on how to best use Revit BIM models to create advanced 3D visualisations.
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s the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) becomes more widespread, visualisation studios are starting to use BIM models to create advanced 3D visualisations. BIM is still a young environment and understanding the paradigm shift from CAD to BIM can sometimes be confusing for many design professionals. Does BIM mean 3ds Max is obsolete? Is a CAD technician now a visualiser? The boundaries are blurring so it is important to understand exactly how a BIM model should be used and the benefits of its interoperability with other software. Virtual Resolution has been working with Revit Factory for a number of years and has been slowly refining the workflow for the best import / export process from Revit to 3ds Max. There are an endless number of methods and steps to create an image from within a Revit model, or in a third party rendering package. To add to this, each visualisation studio will do it slightly differently. In this brief overview we have outlined the process that we tend to use. Some customers ask why use 3ds Max when you can create a visualisation image within Revit itself? In short we have reached the conclusion that it comes down to user competence, personal preference, the project stage, budget and time. The skills of the Revit user and quality of the model can hugely influence how the image is rendered in both Revit and 3ds Max. It is not just about balancing component complexity with performance. Ensuring materials apply correctly to Revit Families, sub-objects are assigned correctly and export options are carefully chosen, will all reduce issues further down the line. The four images opposite show the difference between a Revit image created completely within Revit 2011 and a 3ds Max Design 2011 image created with Vray as the lighting package. Both sets of images use the same base model as a starting point, but have then been separated into the two different rendering workflows. When put side by side you can see the physical differences in the two types of render. Hidden under the surface though are a number of key facts that may influence a decision of which rendering option to use, including shorter production time and render times for 3ds Max [See table at top of page 21].
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Rendered in Revit
Rendered in Revit
AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
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Details
Revit
Production time starting from same basic white model 11 hours for 2 Images
3ds Max 7 hours for 2 Images
Render time @ 4,000 x 2,244 pixels @ 300dpi
Internal day image 1.5hrs External night image 6hrs
Internal day image 1.5 hrs External night image 3.5hrs
No. Polygons
Unknown
800,000
No. Lights (Day shot)
1 Sunlight
Physical sun and 5 artificial lights
No. Lights (Night shot)
45 Artificial lights
10 Artificial lights
File size
12,890kb
379kb
Processor
Intel Core i7
Intel Core i7
RAM
12GB
12GB
Operating System
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Professional
Rendered in 3ds Max
Rendered in 3ds Max
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
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Revit export process Tips for exporting the model, by Chris Senior, owner Revit Factory. Optimisation: To optimise render speed, hide anything that is not visible in the camera view. If you cannot see it in the scene (i.e. behind the camera or behind a wall) hide it or delete it. Make sure you are working on a copy of the model if you start deleting elements. Another option is to use a section box, which will provide a 3D crop around the view (although these are sometimes tricky to manipulate in a camera view). WYSIWYG: What you see is what you get. Exporting the camera view will mean only elements that are turned on in the model will be exported so you do not need to worry about hidden elements coming out in the export.
Exporting to DWG: To export to DWG go to Revit Icon > Export > CAD Formats > DWG. Under View/Sheet Set, make sure the correct view is selected. Under DWG Properties set how the file will be translated into DWG format.
Layers and properties: Commonly overlooked, click the three dots at the end of this field to check that the sub-categories in Revit are exporting onto separate layers. A simple example of this is the Glass sub-category of Windows/Doors/Curtain Walls etc, which by default exports onto the same layer as the frame. Not very useful when you want to apply different materials. To amend this, go to the Revit Icon > Export > Options > Export Layers DWG/DXF and change the layer name for the glass sub-categories as required.
Max import process
Conclusion
Tim Power, owner of Virtual Resolution, walks us through the import process into 3ds Max.
A dialog box will pop up with some import options. Change the options as detailed below:
Importing files into 3ds Max: File> References> File Link Manager. Choose the relevant file to import and click OK.
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Export solids: There are two DWG solids formats both of which have their good and bad points to be considered. ACIS Solids export Revit elements as single elements and can include multiple materials. Render times in 3ds Max are more efficient than with Polymesh because the objects are not broken into separate individual surfaces. Polymesh Solids export Revit elements as individual surfaces with each one containing its own material identification. Although this makes life easier for material assignment inside 3ds Max it will slow down render times. Exporting to FBX: FBX is a newer file format developed by Autodesk for improving interoperability between Revit and 3ds Max. There are no options within Revit for how the data is exported so you are limited in terms of any customisation. To export to FBX, make sure the camera or 3D view is active and go to Revit Icon > Export > FBX.
Export methods: Revit can handle various output formats so choosing the right one for you could depend on what application you are importing to.
Generally this process is very simple and there are a number of file types that can be used when importing Revit files (DWG, ACIS, FBX). Each type of file has its own benefits and drawbacks; file size, number of objects, number of polygons, editability, etc). In most cases when we receive well-built models, we will use the native Autodesk FBX format. If the quality of the Revit model is very good then this is definitely our preferred option and there is much less ‘fixing’ work to do in 3ds Max afterwards. It can also reduce render times as well.
Tip: If the families in the project have not been built correctly with glass on a sub-category you will not see any difference. To check this, go to Visibility/Graphics and turn every category off and then turn on only the glass sub-categories. If all the glass stays visible, you know it is good to go.
FBX file link Preset: Autodesk Revit FBX - Change Combine by Revit family type — This will group the objects into basic layers/ components (ie, walls/lights etc) NOTE: Bind FBX to remove the link if required. Once the model is within your scene there will generally be a few items that have not come over exactly how you would like them. 3ds Max gives you that little bit more control of objects at the polygon level along with the ability to create more organic forms and detailed assets. It has the ability to drill down into material creation and lighting to get real world results, as well as having access to physically correct sun/ sky models and Gamma control for increased realism. The main items that have noticeably changed within this particular scene included using 3ds Max’s advanced editing tools to refine the recessed lights, mullions and staircase, we replaced the cameras and used camera correction to improve the verticals. We also replaced the default materials within the scene to Vray materials and created a new lighting setup.
Through our experience with BIM we have found that you only get out what you put in. It is important that the user who is developing the Revit model has a good grasp on BIM model development, content creation and model management. Lack of experience in these three areas will cause problems with any Revit render and any subsequent exports to 3ds Max. Rendering in Revit is getting better but is by no means a substitute for professional rendering. Fully understanding exposure, reflection, refraction, depth of field etc, is vital in achieving a quality result. Hardware limitations can also halt productivity on a workstation. As a result it could take a Revit user much longer to produce an image that is of a lower quality than those produced by professional visualisers. When creating a CG image produced both within Revit and within 3ds Max, understanding the limitations and stages involved when creating the image can help create better results. Also, in circumstances when a model is designed from the outset to pass over to a visualiation studio, it can help reduce costs, production and rendering times and help facilitate the communication of design ideas between designer and visualiser. www.virtualresolution.co.uk www.revitfactory.com
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Wimbledon retains advantage through co-ordinated refurbishment Building Information Modelling takes centre court in staging construction around championships, writes Cathy Chatfield-Taylor.
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four-year improvement programme at Wimbledon’s All-England Club was staged around the annual tennis championships, a feat that required collaboration among the design team, main contractor, and supplier fabricators. Initiated in 2005, the construction project included redevelopment of the east stand of centre court, extension of the terrace to provide an additional six rows of seating, and the addition of a retractable roof for play in adverse weather conditions. The refurbishment was part of the venerated club’s 25-year master plan, which was produced in 1992 to make the experience of the championship the prime tennis event in the world, says John Westmuckett, a director with structural consulting engineers Westmuckett Hawkes. Mr Westmuckett participated in the master planning and stage one structural design while associated with Building Design Partnership, an interdisciplinary design practice based in Manchester. The key proposals of the masterplan, he explains, were to construct a new No. 1 court and media centre, redevelop existing courts to make room for two more courts and additional spectator space, and redevelop the centre court to provide more debenture space. The preliminary design of the planned projects kicked off in the early 1990s and construction of
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CASE STUDY
the final stages was scheduled for completion in 2010. The design for the redevelopment of centre court commenced in the summer of 2003 with concept studies and schemes that took into account the whole process — from early enabling works, demolition of the original 1922 East Stand, and removal of the existing roof to reconstruction of the stand and new fixed roof as well as development and installation of a retractable roof that could be deployed in just 10 minutes. Centre court construction work commenced after the 2005 championship, with reconstruction of the east stand in 2006-2007, construction of the new fixed roof in 2007-2008, and completion of the retractable roof in 2008-2009. Each construction phase took place during the nine-month gap between championships. Throughout the project, 3D structural design played a vital role. The structural design of the retractable roof was modelled from the outset in Bentley Structural and MicroStation TriForma. The first task was to create a model of the existing structure and site constraints. “As the design progressed and the trade contractors became involved, their production models were incorporated and checked against this base model,” Mr Westmuckett says. “This ensured full co-ordination
“Each phase of construction not only had to be completed within the time period, but it also had to be adapted to allow a championship to be staged with no loss of quality of experience to the public, members, press, and players”
Centre court: The structural design of the retractable roof was modelled from the outset in Bentley Structural and MicroStation TriForma. Image courtesy of Bentley Systems
and understanding of these key interfaces.” Although originally employed as the project director for the main structural consultant Capita Symonds, Mr Westmuckett also had a hand in all subsequent stages of the redevelopment project while in the employ of various companies being retained as a sub-consultant to Capita. As structural director at Edge Structures, an engineering practice based in London and Leeds, Mr Westmuckett conducted design co-ordination sessions for multiple contractors and disciplines using Bentley software to promote creativity via open forums and design workshops. Drawings, sketches, and images combined into live models were manipulated on screen to communicate with stakeholders, which encouraged individual as well as collaborative innovation. The ability to quickly visualise how new proposals could be constructed was key to the phasing of work between the championships. Galliford Try, the main contractor, embraced this technology as a tool to inform major strategic decisions. This was vital to the success of the project. Each phase of construction not only had to be completed within the time period, but it also had to be adapted to allow a championship to be staged with no loss of quality of experience to the public, members, press, and players. For instance, the decision to have one championship without a roof was not taken lightly. “It was not possible to complete and clad the whole roof in one nine-month period, which included the construction of terraces in the east wing. Although the team considered several scenarios with a partially completed roof, the decision was made to forgo the AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
roof construction for this year,” Mr Westmuckett says. “Of course, that year it rained — a lot.” Speed of erection was vital once the team moved into each new phase. During construction staging, a trial testing and erection regime was carried out at a site in northern England. The 3D design models were built up in sections and presented in workshop sessions with the design and construction team to establish the erection procedure. “The whole process was carefully monitored and reported so that what was learned at this test could be applied in the more congested site at Wimbledon,” Mr Westmuckett explains. Solutions to speed on-site construction included prefabrication of sections of box trusses complete with air handling units that were fabricated and stored locally, ready for installation immediately upon completion of a championship. The 3D design technology facilitated procurement and communication of information with fabricators. For example, a CD of a complete model of the precast concrete terraces was given to the precast manufacturer, which then produced its JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
Initiated in 2005, the construction project included redevelopment of the east stand of centre court, extension of the terrace to provide an additional six rows of seating, and the addition of a retractable roof. Image courtesy of Bentley Systems
own shop drawings. The model also had the steel stools that supported the units. This was issued to the steelwork contractor, which then produced the steel raker beams and supporting structure. “It was difficult to find a better and simpler way of ensuring the accuracy of this interface,” Mr Westmuckett says. The use of Bentley Structural and TriForma in the development stages of the design and the integration of other professionals’ work in 3D minimised the necessary design resources. Rather than preparing and issuing 2D drawings and details, the presentation of live models on screen showing work in progress kept large meetings well focused on the key issues, enhanced communication,
and saved valuable time normally lost in digital exchange and long-distance commenting. “The ability to interface with different CAD and software files and to present in live working sessions to inform and discuss key issues was invaluable,” Mr Westmuckett says. Wimbledon’s centre court redevelopment was completed in 2009, including the finishing of the new retractable roof. The two new courts envisioned in the masterplan are also becoming a reality, with the new court No 2 — seating 4,000 spectators — opened in 2009 and the new Court No 3 — seating 2,000 spectators — opening in 2011. www.bentley.com
“The refurbishment was part of the venerated club’s 25-year master plan, which was produced in 1992 to make the experience of the championship the prime tennis event in the world” CASE STUDY
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Water works
Watts Water Technologies transforms its digital prototyping data into Building Information Modelling (BIM) content for AEC customers.
S
ince 1874, the Watts Water Technologies family of leading brands including Ames Fire & Waterworks, Blücher, Brae, Dormont, Febco, Mueller, Orion, Powers, Sea Tech, Watts Radiant, and Watts have designed and manufactured valves and related products that conserve and control water used in commercial, residential, industrial and municipal applications. A longtime Autodesk customer, Watts Water Technologies relies on Autodesk Inventor to digitally prototype new products. Now, the company is using its digital prototyping data to create BIM content and to make it readily available to its architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) customers. Using Autodesk software, Watts Water Technologies has been able to develop BIM content faster, repurpose manufacturing content for marketing materials, and capture market share by meeting customer demands.
engineers may want — such as weights, ordering codes, flow rates, and hyperlinks to specification sheets and installation instructions. “With AEC Exchange, we are producing BIM content for entire product lines in three to four hours,” Mr Hofmann says. “In cases where we have already created a template, we can turn the manufacturing data for a product line into BIM content that our customers can use in less than an hour.”
Autodesk Seek Watts Water Technologies publishes its BIM content to Autodesk Seek, a web service that connects architects and engineers with manufacturers. “Right from a Revit-based product, our customers can search for parts and insert them into their designs,” says Mr Hofmann. “Then they can do analysis on flow rates or generate an accurate list of building materials for the construction manager.”
The challenge Watts Water Technologies is committed to innovation. Past innovations have included converting to lead-free materials and designing a new type of thermostatic mixing valve. The company also strives to deliver exceptional customer service. So when it began to hear rumblings about BIM, it listened. “Increasingly over the last five years, mechanical, engineering, and plumbing (MEP) engineers have started requesting 3D and 2D CAD data to use in their designs,” says Steve Hofmann, marketing CAD designer and illustrator at Watts Water Technologies. “We realised that we needed to look into how to leverage our manufacturing data to produce the BIM content they wanted.”
Extending manufacturing data
analyses the digital prototypes it creates in Inventor using the software’s built-in simulation and analysis tools. Once it has validated product performance digitally, the company sends Inventor files to its shop, where they are used for manufacturing. “Using Autodesk software has definitely cut back on the number of physical prototypes we have to produce,” says Mr Hofmann.
Watts Water Technologies is finding other uses for its manufacturing data. With Autodesk Showcase software, the company has begun to develop realistic renderings of products it can use in marketing materials. “Everyone is wowed by the images,” says Mr Hofmann. Watts Water Technologies is also in the midst of implementing Autodesk Vault Professional data management software. With help from Vault, Watts Water Technologies plans to mine its Autodesk Inventor data to better understand how much material it needs to purchase for manufacturing. As a result, Watts Water Technologies will be able to project material costs as commodity prices change.
The solution
From digital prototyping to BIM
The result
Watts Water Technologies relies on an all-Autodesk workflow to produce its manufacturing data. The company develops new product designs using Autodesk Inventor, which helps speed the process of creating families of parts. Autodesk software is also instrumental in helping Watts Water Technologies reduce the amount of high-cost materials in its parts, while maintaining structural integrity and agency-approved flow rates so parts do not have to be recertified. To that end, Watts Water Technologies tests and
Watts Water Technologies uses AEC Exchange functionality in Autodesk Inventor software to efficiently turn the same Autodesk Inventor data used for manufacturing into the BIM content requested by its AEC customers. Creating and publishing this BIM content now takes a fraction of the time it once took. Mr Hofmann uses existing Inventor files and AEC Exchange functionality within Inventor to simplify and export them to Autodesk Revit-based software. He then adds additional metadata that MEP
With Autodesk software in its corner, Watts Water Technologies not only designs its products efficiently, but makes its manufacturing data readily available to sales, marketing and finance teams who can use it to generate more sales and lower costs. “We have heard nothing but good feedback. Many of our customers have told us that they will use us over anyone else because we give them 3D BIM content. Autodesk products are definitely helping us gain market share,” says Mr Hofmann. www.wattswater.com
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CASE STUDY
AEC Watts Water.indd 26
Creating and publishing BIM content now takes a fraction of the time it once took.
AEC MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
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AEC Magazine tracks the huge selection of software and hardware technologies at the disposal of architects, engineers and construction professionals.
AECMAG AZINE
5
and the impli cations on future proje cts.
from its inceptio n through its goals, to comple the lessons tion; how it met learnt and already affectin g other projects the implications .
data could be brough t more closely various iteration together. s of AutoCA Through Excitech, D-based togethe technologies, Laing O’Rourk r with BAA, BA, TPS, Mott McDon e and Arup, Astonishingly ald, demonstrated assembled the T5 project systems not just that years to the goes back that benefits it it was possibl late 1980s around twenty would bring with a first e but the in 1989 when and some would need design milesto the of the issues to be manage ne won the design then Richard Rogers which were applied d. In 1997 Partnership competition. these techniq to over four applications In 1993 plannin ues gigabytes and other were submitt companies of data from g a public ed and from involved BAA enquiry examin Heathrow. 1995 to 1999 in constru This vast ction at ed the of the design quantity of and merged before produc need and every aspect data was from the in governm ing a report. various formats manipulated systems ent approva This resulted and units , co-ordinates l in 2001, challenges though subseq (SME) conform to form a single and more model environ local approva uent ing to BS1192 until 2003. ment not a single l process part 5. This es lasted file, but it SME was Earlier projects ensured any represented item was demonstrated once and importance only was related to BAA the that single of a more to the whole model environ collaborative and this was through ment. design process reinforced Following this Proof in 1995 when into a tunnel Of Concep was appoint the investig collapse t, Excitec ed as CAD at Heathro ation hampered h consultant w Central and, togethe by the was to the project r with the In 1996 Excitec lack of a central design other supplie In 2002 constru commenced h comme data source. rs to BAA, setting out ction work nced a project how geograp “programme� CAD standar processes began on hical informa to investig entitled T5; a and procedu ds includin ate tion and down into but this was g the res that would implementation building some 18 further broken design ensure their major projects and succes were still process and s through , each of of signific the design beyond. which ant size. design tool That same was migrate year the main d to AutoCA (at the time D Archite called Autode AEC MAGAZ cture which made sk Archite INE JULY/A ctural Desktop the manage UGUST 2008 ment of 3D ), data and objects JULY/AUGUST 2008 AEC MAGAZINE
A brief hist ory
DESIGN, MANAGE MENT & COLLABO RATION IN THE BU ILT
ENVIRON MENT
CFdesign for Revit Co
“Building a 3D mod el from day to resolve one and issu then usin in this indu es before you get g that mod to site is stry. We el a have mad direction e a massive huge opportunity on T5. If we had not step forw not have ard used such built the Dr Chris terminal an approach in this Millard, as quickly Head of , we wou Technical Engineering and effic ld Leadership Terminal iently as BAA Capita 5 Programme we did.� l Projects and Head
The usual
fairground fodder was a shot of adrenaline given in this hyperrealistic image of Coney Island .
within the building (and the This resulted rest of the infrastructure). in enhanc ements to data and the design the establis object hment of databases links and external to processes the design for erection data. The of the innovat same year ive roof the detailed internal design commenced even while was still 2008 finally saw the opening evolving. of Termina l 5, with
CASE STUDY
WWW.AECMA G.COM his bright and brash concept redevelopment for of New York’s the resort comes Coney Island with a similarl Blade Runner y colourf on acid, ul tag: “It’s and you’re A combin in drag.� ation of photo-l visualisation, ayering and the images 3D are the result based design of London firm Squint/ two-day, Opera’s particip intense design ation in the workshop Organised ‘Imagine by the Municip Coney’. the idea was al Art Society to ‘put a , New York, spanner in city’s plan the works’ to turn of the bland condom the famous Coney fairground iniums. into The team provided a shot of usual fairgrou adrenaline nd fodder, to the working with Lightwave and a variety 3ds Max, of imaging convey the software, ideas behind aiming to the worksh into specific op without design detail. going to be sugges “The images tive were meant delicate balance not definitive, so we had to ,� says Jules strike a director of Cocke, co-foun Squint/Opera. der and The two-day limit to the the fanciful working process objectives and were clearly usual design different to process. their “The images storyboard were nearer pictures than to typical architec says Jules. “We created tural views,� the images design worksho during a p, alongsi two-day de teams planners, of designe theme park rs, experts and up as we so on, all went along. making The process it experimental. was very fluid and “There were huge round-t with the team he-table discussions, deciding what the the ideas best ways were. We to express took lots and whittled of photos those down around the area, to a few shots.� These photos provided 3D artists the backgro Nick Taylor and Tim Thornto und to which using 3ds Max and n, could Lightwave build respectively.
mputa Fluid Dyntional goes mai amics nstream
of
more efficien t. This was alongside including other softwar MX, CAD-D uct, 3D+, e applications Xsteel and including other In 2003 further NavisWorks. work went specification into a design as to how design data objects – could be – in the form used within of systems BAA mainten for subseq ance uent manage ment of the assets
2010 >> Vol.46
Fantasy fair ground
17
UK AEC
BIM standa rds
Autodesk Universit y 2009
Using Wi ndows 7
London desig n firm Squin fantastic t/Opera has at New seekers have York’s world famo been tripping the light us gathered for over 100 Coney Island, wher e thrill years. 24
T
www.squinto pera.com
The image s were nearer pictures to storyb than typical architectural oard views.
GALLERY
Squint/Opera
wanted
to dissua
de the city
from turning
the famou
s Coney
fairground
into bland
condominium
s.
GALLERY
25
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AECMAG AZINE May/Jun e 2008 >>
DESIGN, MANAGE MENT & COLLABO RATION IN THE BU ILT
Vol.37
ENVIRON MENT
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OcĂŠ Crystal Point
It’s not often a new print CrystalPo technology int from comes along OcÊ statemen and certa t for a techn is being seen by inly not one many as ology that the futur that prom distribute e of wide s its ink format colou ises so much. by rolling r printing, ce’s new balls down CrystalPoint a bold a chute. technology to bridge By Greg is designe the gap betwee d Corke. n LED and offering full inkjet, colour
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Below: The OcÊ ColorW cartridges ave 600’s are CMYK TonerPearls. packed full of resin-based These are imaging delivered device by to the gravity as and when requir ed.
Left: With six media rolls, four CMYK cartrid 500g ges and for 100 a top delive prints, ry tray ‘production- the ColorWave 600 has level colour all over printer’ it. written
Print qua lity
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AEC MAGAZ INE
2/2/11 12:09:14
MAY/JUNE 2008
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Intel ‘Sandy Bridge’ Intel’s second generation Core processor technology has arrived. With impressive performance and a very competitive price point, there has never been a better opportunity to buy an entry-level or mid-range workstation, writes Greg Corke.
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andy Bridge is the code name for Intel’s brand new CPU architecture launched at the beginning of January 2011. It represents the second generation of the chip giant’s Core processor family of CPUs and currently features two or four CPU cores on a single chip. Intel will retain the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 branding which it established last year. There are a number of architectural improvements for Sandy Bridge. The Turbo Boost system, which temporarily clocks up CPUs to help deal with peak processing loads, has been enhanced and now more CPU cores can be accelerated at once. The permanent overclocking of chips has also been made easier and is now handled directly inside certain Sandy Bridge chips. Processors with a K suffix are fully unlocked and can be overclocked by as much as 1GHz (up to 4.5Hz) with standard air-cooling. Speeds of 5GHz have also been reported when using liquid cooling technology. The integrated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
performance boost when rendering. Turbo Boost is included and speeds can be increased by 0.3GHz to 0.4GHz at peak load. The 3.3GHz Core i5-2500K is fully unlocked and can be clocked up to 4.4GHz across all four CPU cores with a standard Intel cooler. Sandy Bridge Core i7 processors feature the full suite of Intel technologies — quad core, HyperThreading and Turbo Boost. They also feature a larger L3 cache than the Core i5, which can help boost performance in certain CAE software. The 3.3GHz Core i5-2500K is fully unlocked and can be clocked up to 4.5GHz across all four CPU cores with a standard Intel cooler.
has also been enhanced and moved onto the same silicon die as the CPU. However, this is unlikely to be of interest to 3D CAD users as professional workstations use discreet professional graphics cards, such as Nvidia Quadro or AMD FirePro.
The line up Intel has launched Sandy Bridge with a nucleus of eight desktop Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The Sandy Bridge Core i3s are dual core processors. Turbo Mode is not supported and, together with the keen price Intel has given its high-end Sandy Bridge chips, it is also unlikely that these will be of much interest to users of CAD and Building Information Modelling (BIM) software. All Sandy Bridge Core i5 processors are quad core but do not support Intel’s HyperThreading technology, which uses spare CPU cycles to add virtual CPU cores, and can offer a 10-15 percent
Product info Product: ‘Sandy Bridge’ Supplier: Intel Price: Price from £117 Website: www.intel.co.uk
Processor
Core i32100 1
Core i32120 1
Core i52300
Core i52400
Core i52500
Core i52500K
Core i72600
Core i72600K
Base frequency
3.1GHz
3.3GHz
2.8GHz
3.1GHz
3.3GHz
3.3GHz
3.4GHz
3.4GHz
Turbo Mode
N/A
N/A
3.1GHz
3.4GHz
3.7GHz
3.7GHz 2
3.8GHz
3.8GHz 2
CPU cores
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
HyperThreading
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
L3 Cache
3MB
3MB
6MB
6MB
6MB
6MB
8MB
8MB
Price 3
TBC
TBC
£117
£124
£136
£145
£193
£205
1 Shipping end of February 2011
2 Chip unlocked to allow overclocking
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
3 Prices taken from scan.co.uk
Conclusion Sandy Bridge is a very exciting proposition for CAD and BIM. It delivers exceptional performance at a very keen price point, which is perfectly demonstrated in our workstation reviews on page 31. Despite its incredible performance, Sandy Bridge should still be considered to be an entry-level to mid-range workstation chip — at least for the time being. Later this year we should see six and eight core chips and the technology will make its way to the Intel Xeon platform. This will mean Sandy Bridge will be available in dual processor workstations and servers. ECC (Error Code Checking) memory will also be supported, which can reduce system crashes. It is certainly going to be an exciting year for workstation technology.
HARDWARE
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and rendering system technologies, we have a unique understanding of the industry and are able to customize EACH workstation, around the exact needs of EVERY customer, (Project, Budget or Application).
For your free consultation or demonstration please contact us.
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InterPro Workstations IPW-Ci5
Specifications
A CAD workstation which delivers impressive performance at a sub £1,000 price point.
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he Core i5 2500K is one of two Sandy Bridge chips that Intel has left unlocked and ready for overclocking. This is music to the ears of specialist system builders like InterPro, who has boosted the CPU from 3.3GHz to 4.3GHz and in the process produced an incredibly powerful entry-level machine out of a £150 processor. The InterPro IPW-Ci7 handled our tests with aplomb, and for pure CAD showed that it stands shoulder to shoulder alongside Core i7based systems. However, its lack of support for HyperThreading slowed things down a little in our 3ds Max rendering test. Nvidia’s new entry-level
Specifications • Intel Core i7 2600 (3.40GHz) Quad Core CPU • 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR-3 1333MHz memory • Workstation Specialists mainboard • PNY Nvidia Quadro 2000 (1GB) graphics card • 500GB SATA-2 hard drive • Windows 7 Professional 64-bit • 36 months full parts and labour system warranty
£1,169 workstationspecialists.com
Quadro 600 graphics card delivered respectable frame rates in our 3D CAD test. Despite its entry-level credentials, InterPro is still able to pack in a generous 8GB and keep its attractive sub-£1,000 price point. A new WD SATA-3 1TB hard drive gives plenty of no-frills storage. Even with an overclocked CPU, the machine was incredibly quiet in operation. It is compact, well built and would be a great investment for entry-level CAD users. However, even if you only dabble in rendering, an upgrade to the Core i7 2600K should be given serious consideration. Greg Corke
• Intel Core i5 2500K (3.30GHz — overclocked to 4.3GHz) Quad Core CPU • 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR-3 1333MHz memory • Intel DP67BG Mainboard • PNY Nvidia Quadro 600 (1GB) graphics card • 1TB Western Digital ‘Black Edition’ — 7,200rpm SATA3 hard drive • Windows 7 Professional 64-bit • 36 month return to base (RTB) (parts and labour) warranty
£995 (£945 for new customers)
www.ipworkstations.com
Workstation Specialists WS1410 A solid entry-level workstation which boasts impressive 3D graphics performance.
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or this ‘Sandy Bridge’ desktop, Derby-based Workstation Specialists has placed a big emphasis on 3D graphics with Nvidia’s mid-range Quadro 2000 card taking pride of place at the heart of the machine. Based on Nvidia’s Fermi architecture this new 1GB board looks to be an excellent choice for CAD and Building Information Modelling (BIM). While the WS1410 rates highly in our 3D graphics test, it does not make as much of an impression in our CPU-based benchmarks. It is the only machine this month not to be overclocked and this becomes evident when directly compared to the InterPro IPW-Ci7. The WS1410 relies on the 3.8GHz Turbo Boosted clock
speed of the Core i7-2600 processor and while it still performs impressively for an entry-level machine was a little behind the competition in our CPU intensive tests. Elsewhere in the machine, a standard 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive should satisfy most users’ storage requirements. 8GB of RAM provides plenty of memory for working with large BIM models and by using 4GB modules there are still two slots free for future expansion. It is very hard to fault the WS1410, and it certainly delivers when it comes to 3D graphics, but it is easy to get distracted by the current availability of overclocked workstations with similar price tags. Greg Corke
BOXX 3DBOXX 8550 Xtreme
Probably the fastest dual Xeon workstation on the planet, but it is a serious investment.
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OXX built its reputation developing high-performance hardware for professional visualisation and fills a somewhat unique role in the workstation marketplace. Its workstations are certified by the likes of Autodesk — a hallmark of a tier one vendor like HP or Dell — but it retains a custom-built ethos, typical of smaller boutique system builders. Headquartered in Texas, BOXX used to ship its machines over to the UK. However, a new manufacturing deal signed last year with Boston Ltd means BOXX workstations can now be built in the UK. This should JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 AEC MAGAZINE
ease the delivery problems experienced by some customers over the past few years. The BOXX 8550 Xtreme is an entirely different beast to the other workstations reviewed in this issue. This dual processor machine is targeted at design visualisation specialists. Our test machine featured two Intel Xeon X5680 processors, but instead of the 3.33GHz clock speed they usually run at, both chips have been overclocked to an incredible 4.2GHz. Naturally, this creates a lot of heat and a sophisticated liquid cooled sub-system is employed to keep them running within their thermal limits. Having two Xeon chips
Specifications • 2 x Intel Xeon X5680 (3.33GHz - overclocked to 4.2GHz) Six Core CPUs • 12GB (6 x 2GB) DDR3 ECC memory • EVGA SR2 motherboard • Nvidia Quadro 4000 (2GB) graphics card • 160GB + 500GB 2.5” 7,200RPM SATA hard drives • Windows 7 Professional 64-bit • Three year manufacturer’s warranty
£6,279 www.boxxtech.com www.boston.co.uk UK reseller
www.escapestudios.co.uk
run at such speeds is an exceptionally fast workstation. It recorded the fastest ever time our 3ds Max benchmark, using its 12 physical and 12 virtual HyperThreading cores to full effect, rendering our test scene in 96 seconds. The BOXX 8550 Xtreme is also well equipped in the graphics department. The 2GB Quadro 4000, one of Nvidia’s high-end Fermi graphics cards, recorded impressive results in our 3D CAD graphics test. Storage is a little underwhelming for a machine of this caliber, comprising one 160GB 2.5” 7,200RPM SATA hard drive for operating system and applications and a 500GB drive for storage. However, optional Solid State Drives (SSDs) are also available in sizes of 60GB — 256GB. All drives are tucked away behind the motherboard, one of the many unique design features that help make the machine particularly compact for a dual processor workstation. Overall, the BOXX 8550 Xtreme is an amazing piece of hardware. If you are serious about design visualisation it is an excellent choice to help transform productivity. We have yet to see a faster machine out there. Greg Corke
HARDWARE
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Welcome to AEC Magazine’s brand new jobs section. Every issue we will bring you the latest jobs for Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) professionals to help you kick start your career. We have also partnered with CADjobhunter.com to launch a new dedicated jobs website where you can find your dream job by searching by location, keyword or CAD / Building Information Modelling (BIM) software. Alternatively upload your CV to help your future employer find you. Register your details at
jobs.aecmag.com To advertise on the website or inside the magazine contact Matt Wells matt@cadjobhunter.com +44 (0) 1252 414007
JANUARY/FEBRUARY AEC MAGAZINE
To advertise in this section contact Matt Wells/Matt@cadjobhunter.com or +44(0) 1252 414007
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Specialists in Architectural, Interior Design & Technical Recruitment in: • Residential • D&B • Retail
• Education • Commercial • Healthcare
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Retained assignments Excellent Terms of Business Off market candidates Headhunting Experienced consultants Temporary and Permanent candidates Reference checks Market salary comparisons
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Interview techniques and tips Excellent selection of jobs Advice and tips on CV's and portfolio layouts Market salary comparisons Accounting advice (PAYE or Limited)
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AP Urbanism&landscape A4(4):Mise en page 1
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2011 www.imagina.mc
The european 3D simulation and visualization event
+ Urbanism and Landscape conference track: How can 3D improve the prospects of an urban area, town or city? How is georeferenced 3D adopted by engineering firms? Natural environments – can 3D help us to preserve them more effectively?
+ Architecture conference track: Digital modelling – in all its forms What BIM could and should be – and what it will be in the future
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The industry first BIM* Server technology from Graphisoft® allows teams of any size, located across offices anywhere, to easily develop BIM designs, even for the very largest projects. It’s simple, quick, secure, and highly cost effective.
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Proven on many projects around the World the Graphisoft BIM Server provides: A 5 minute learning curve Reservation and access to any element on the fly Working and collaboration via LAN and WAN, including the Internet A robust server infrastructure for safe and secure collaboration Fast data exchange
Find out how the Graphisoft BIM Server can make a real difference to the efficiency and effectiveness of your design teams visit http://info.graphisoft.co.uk/design-sharing-bim to download our white paper on “Design Sharing in BIM”
*BIM: Building Information Modelling
Copyright © Graphisoft UK Ltd 2011. All rights reserved world-wide. All other company and product names may be tradenames or trademarks of their respective owners.
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