While I’m all over the map, I don’t want to leave you content-less.

If you’re looking for a great BIM presentation, check out this video of Christof Spieler giving a talk at a BIMForum event. Not familiar with BIMForum? Here’s a quick explanation:

The BIMForum’s mission is to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of building information modeling (BIM) in the AEC industry. We will lead by example and synchronize with counterparts in all sectors of the industry to jointly develop best practice for virtual design and construction (VDC). We will share our experiences and execute our goals via online forums, highly useful deliverables and practical industry conferences. We will revolutionize the building industry.

I met Christof a few times while I was at Rice University, though he graduated before I arrived. We both had a close relationship with my favorite (and I’d bet his favorite) teacher, Pat Moore (I can’t believe I’ve only written about Pat once). I vaguely recall my wife knowing Christof better than I did, since they both studied Structural Engineering at Rice. All that is just a tangent to this: Christof is one smart guy and has an amazing perspective on the world of BIM.

Are you ready to watch this BIM Presentation? The Fallacy of Design Intent

So during my month of travel and relocation, find 45-minutes to watch and listen to Christof talk about BIM and Design Intent. As Randy Deutsch said in the tweet that tipped me off to this presentation “Best BIM Presentation Ever?” It just might be. What do you think?

June and early July might be light on content, but we’ll make up for that in August and Beyond. Make sure to follow Shoegnome on Facebook and Twitter. If you’re not a social media person, RSS feed is also a great way to never miss anything either. Finally, regardless of what month you’re reading this post, I’m always looking for guest bloggers. Read more here.

The post The Fallacy of Design Intent – An Awesome BIM Presentation appeared first on Shoegnome.

Let’s face it. We love it. We reinvent every chance we get hoping to make things better. Without it our lives would be pretty boring, Does this mean however we need to re-invent everything? More specifically, do we need to reinvent our interaction with ArchiCAD for every project?

In our careers so far, each of us at [mac interact] have worked with and for offices that to various degrees worked with templates—mostly their own homegrown flavor, adjusted and improved by generations of staff. Some offices didn’t have an ArchiCAD Template at all and didn’t see the need for one—why would you want to be restricted by one anyway?

When it Matters

Truth is if you have a small office with just a few staff you can afford to be slightly less organized. After all, you communicate with each other and you will most likely remember how things were done. Once your office grows and multiple projects start running at the same time, or once projects require whole
teams, with most likely various levels of experience, being unorganized is no longer an option.

This is where a well set up ArchiCAD Template and structure acts like a set of warm and fluffy handcuffs, giving direction and ultimately peace of mind. You don’t have to worry about every team member doing their own thing; spreading work across many Layers; spending time making up and going through millions of settings for every single window; using 2mm line weights because it looks good on screen… you get the point. Instead you can spend your working hours creating architecture. It sounds ridiculously logical and yet it is hard to convince people to spend time and/or money on it before a project starts.

Times Have Changed

I remember how easy it used to be when all you needed was a pen, a piece of paper and an eraser to draw your project. ArchiCAD is a fairly complex piece of BIM software compared not only to how it used to be, but also compared to the competition. It has many tools with many settings in many different locations and many Attributes have an effect on each other in some way that isn’t always apparent to a less experienced user. This means you need a very good understanding of how the software works to set up an ArchiCAD Template that functions well and gets you the most out of it.

Improv Artist vs The Soup Nazi

How far should you go in setting up an ArchiCAD Template? Do you need to set up Complex Profiles for every single possibility? All the Layers you can think of, just in case? Which national or international standards should you follow? Which parts can you automate? Which Pen Sets do you need? The real question is how much should you define to facilitate project specific settings and how much just to make interaction with ArchiCAD easier.

International Standards

The conclusion we came to at [mac interact] is that international standards should be followed where they make sense. For example Omniclass already figured out a system for Zone naming—no need to come up with your own system as your clients most likely will require Room Data Sheets based on the same system anyway. The same goes for Layers, which for our template we have organized around the Australian NATSPEC standard. The benefit of integrating these predefined systems is that they are mostly well thought through, already documented and most importantly you don’t need to include all possibilities in your template. Instead there is a system that when new Layers, Zone Categories, etc. need to be added they can be created and will slot right into the relevant section.

Office Standards

This can include standardizing the Work Environment across all your computers so that the interface is familiar to anyone in the office, or maybe setting up Favorites for your most used tools and objects.

Guides

Composites tend to vary per project and in our experience typically benefit from a looser setup where you predefine some possible combinations, but leave it up to the project architect to set up the ones that are actually needed. This avoids a giant list of items you don’t need and don’t want to use by mistake.

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of how you can approach an ArchiCAD Template and obviously there is a lot more to think about (automation, Publisher sets and settings, markers, revisions, …). What is important to remember is that a template should serve to make your life as easy as possible by streamlining workflows and decreasing the chances for errors.

That said a template will never be a miracle drug for people who haven’t been taught how to use the software in the first place. Together though you will spend less time drawing, feel less restricted by the software and have more time to do architecture.

Who We Are:

Find out more about [mac interact]

Find out more about our ArchiCAD Template

The post Guest Blogger Arne Heeres: ArchiCAD Template Creation appeared first on Shoegnome.

Shipping starts with the International, US, and German versions – the first three of 26 local versions that, according to a busy release schedule, will all reach the market by the end of Q3 2013. For specific shipping dates in the various markets, please contact your local ArchiCAD reseller.

About ArchiCAD 17

The latest version of GRAPHISOFT’s award-winning BIM software provides a one-of-a-kind BIM-based documentation workflow.  ArchiCAD 17 simplifies the modeling and documentation of buildings even when the model contains a high level of detail. ArchiCAD’s end-to-end BIM workflow allows the model to stay live until the very end of the project.  In addition, ArchiCAD’s improved Energy Evaluation engine supports multiple thermal blocks, allowing users to evaluate their designs with standard compliant technology and making ArchiCAD the “greenest” BIM solution available on the market today. For more information about ArchiCAD 17, please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad or register for our live demonstration on June 18 here: http://www.graphisoft.com/learning/online_seminars/registration.html.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and EcoDesigner STAR™, enabling architects to use ArchiCAD’s building information model (BIM) directly as a building energy model (BEM).  GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate.  GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007.

The post GRAPHISOFT Ships ArchiCAD 17 appeared first on Shoegnome.

Daniel Dusoswa shared this on Facebook, but I’m reposting it here, with links. This is an amazing group, doing amazing events, and they have a knack for selecting insanely amazing locations. Seriously who doesn’t want to go to Cardiff in September 2013 for the ArchiCAD Summer School!?

We are pleased to announce that our Summerschool Website is fully up now and ready to take Early Bird bookings. This year we are in Wales at Cardiff Metropolitan University UK, read all about it. Before the Summerschool we have three full training days, Open BIM conference, Teachers Conference and between loads of interesting topics we give special attention to the newly launched Eco Designer Star software extension, introduced by the EcoDesigner STAR product manager Miklos Sved from Hungary and he will also give hands on workshops. No part of CAD software will become more topical over the next few years, we have to learn to work with this software asap whether we like it or not! I am afraid that there will be no future for us architects without being able to do thermal predictions straight from our models!!! Now a once off chance to familiarize yourself with this software and much more! Book your place now, best value ever! Including B&B and special rates for students and teachers. This year we also give special discounts to students who have left university and have not found work yet and other unwaged. See our registration forms!

Daniel also wrote a much more in-depth introduction and invitation to Archicad Summer School 2013 that discusses the history of the event plus all the amazing things that will be shared. Even if you’re not thinking about attending the event, Daniel’s text is worth a read. He always has great things to say about ArchiCAD and BIM. Need a teaser? How about the mention of  “local Extensions to Eco Designer”.

Read the full Introduction Here

Are you going to ArchiCAD Summer School 2013? Or are you jealous of everyone else who gets to hang out in beautiful Cardiff for the week? Follow Shoegnome on Facebook and Twitter and either gloat or commiserate.

The post Archicad Summer School 2013 – September 3rd through 7th appeared first on Shoegnome.

Like all other things, the first step to learn BIM is to Unlearn what is not BIM.

# 9 – BIM is a name of some software.

Truth – The term BIM is all about the thought process of the building industry professionals and the way they use computers to create their primary product (which is a building – drawings are ‘just’ by-products). There are dozens of software available for BIM and there will be hundreds more, in the coming years.

# 8 – BIM is a recent technology and underdeveloped.

Truth – BIM as a technology has existed since 1984, the term used then was Virtual Building.

# 7 – BIM is difficult to learn.

Truth – If one knows a little about how buildings are constructed, BIM is going to be child’s play for them. BIM requires the willingness to work in new ways and learn new things. If you love your comfort zone, BIM is not meant for you: learning, using and mastering BIM will challenge your comfort zones. The biggest effect of BIM is on the way we design and document buildings. Because of its Multi-Layered approach and data rich nature it doesn’t allow errors to go unnoticed. The best way to go about learning BIM is to follow the motto “clear understanding leads to better output”.

Our assumptions stop us from learning & exploring new boundaries.

# 6 – BIM comes with a big price tag.

Truth – BIM as a technology is as reasonable as conventional ways of using computers, yet one can extract more benefits from it. The byproducts (drawings) of the construction process become the byproducts here as well. BIM doesn’t come in a BOX, if you learn to exploit it, it will give you Drawings, BOQs, Details, 3D Documents, Energy Consumption Data, MEP data, 3D Views and Walkthroughs, Furniture details, etc. Remember it doesn’t come in a BOX but all these can come ‘out of the box’.

# 5 – BIM is useful only for large buildings.

Truth – Any built form requires hundreds of workers on site and more than ten different agencies to complete the work. If a building requires materials to get built and if those materials cost money, then yes you need BIM regardless of the size, complexity and scale of the project. If the building process requires labor then you need BIM. If the building has got some life span (which is obviously the case) you need BIM.

Unlearning the “drafting way” is the critical first step.

# 4 – BIM is just another way to draw.

Truth – It is actually easier for an Architect or Interior Designer or Plumbing consultant to visualize, discuss and try various design options in 3D when they are sure that their Plans, Elevation and Sections are taken care of by the BIM. I sometimes feel I am gifted with a magic wand when I can design more without worrying about coordinating various drawings and information as BIM does that for me. BIM is the way we build our buildings and perceive them. We never see buildings in TOP, BOTTOM or ORTHOGRAPHIC view. Those are just ways of expression that help to document our buildings. Similarly drawings in BIM are just documents of the Virtually Built environment.

# 3 – BIM creates only 3D models.

Truth – BIM can be used to create smart and intelligent building models plus it also creates plans, elevations, sections, details and material quantities and can also update them with the smallest of change anywhere in the building. No tension of upgrading elevations and sections after a design change in plan.

Break free from assumptions about BIM so that we can rise above together.

# 2 – BIM blocks creativity.

Truth – It is not that old technology that creates 3D Models using limited tools and libraries. It is the way of Virtually Building the building before you start building on site. BIM allows you to see how little moves may help to rectify the problems that can happen later on site. There is no compulsion to build the virtual building in conventional ways; in fact creativity and the right attitude towards technology help to expand your boundaries. There is also no compulsion to use the in-built libraries or objects, you can create your own. It is allowed and possible.

# 1 – Learning 2D Drafting is compulsory for learning BIM.

Truth – The concept of BIM is far above 3D box modeling. Learning 2D was required to extrude shapes to create 3D boxes, BIM is not a 3D box. BIM is a building model comprising all the Information regarding built mass such as 2D drawings, 3D details, Visual Presentations, Material Listings and Schedules of components as well as systems. Those who advocate learning 2D drawings before BIM do not understood BIM, or maybe they just want to overlook the reality to earn more?!

Shivang Rajvir is the Chief Strategist at dimension plus. If you’re interested in BIM or ArchiCAD in India, you should be talking to him. Learn more at dimension plus’s facebook page.

The post Guest Blogger Shivang Rajvir: Top 9 BIM Myths in India appeared first on Shoegnome.

I was too busy with my impending move to get this out the day everyone else was freaking out about SketchUp Pro 2013. But that’s okay, news like this deserves to be mulled over. And I think it’s going to take a while, especially with what my Summer is looking like, to digest all the implications of this new release. In general I’m very impressed; the people behind the development of SketchUp have a really good understanding of where the industry is going. They are clearly doing a good job of focusing on what I see as the major trends in the coming years: digitization, 3D printing, and connectedness.

Improvements to LayOut

One of my biggest complaints about SketchUp (let’s go ahead and say the biggest) is that compared to other architectural software, ESPECIALLY ArchiCAD, their documentation tools are a joke. SketchUp Pro 2013 takes documentation seriously, and this could be the start of a big game changer. I still think powerhouse BIM tools have plenty to offer over SketchUp and LayOut, but if the models can be traditionally documented better then that’s good news for SketchUp users. And bad news for the sales guys at Autodesk, Nemetschek, Graphisoft, and Bentley Systems.

I’m very intrigued by the addition of a full screen presentation mode for LayOut. This fits well with my recent discussions of reinventing our documentation. If your design and production tool can also handle presentations, not only do you not need to print, maybe you don’t even need to export. Granted, that might be a little farfetched at this junction. But there’s already a free version of SketchUp, why not a free version of Layout that’s just for viewing? I could see it. Or something like it. PDFs are great and all, but we can do better.

The Maker Movement

The free version of SketchUp has been re-branded SketchUp Make to better align and connect this free 3D modeling software to the Maker movement. This is a genius move. Highlighting SketchUp’s usefulness for non-professional, do-it-yourself 3D printing is great. Not just for Trimble, but for everyone really. The mass-customization that will come with ubiquitous 3D printing will open up so many possibilities. SketchUp will only be one option in this 3D printing ecosystem, but their involvement will be intentional and focused, not accidental or kludged. Of course SketchUp Make will only be for personal 3D printing. Using it to create STL files that are used to make salable items is a breach of the clarified license agreement:

Trimble Navigation Limited and/or its affiliates (“Trimble”) gives you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive license to use the executable version of the Software for non-commercial use only. Non-commercial use means: you may not sell, rent, lease or lend the output of the Software or the Services. If you are a for-profit organization of any kind, or an employee of a for-profit organization using the Software or Services in that capacity, you are engaged in commercial activity; therefore, in order to use the Software and Services, you must purchase a SketchUp Pro license.

The Center of an Ecosystem

To me the biggest strength SketchUp has is that it’s the center of a giant, vibrant, and growing ecosystem of add-ons, plugins, 3D models, etc. Historically this has been most obvious with the 3D Warehouse. So many people dump content (good and bad) in there that whenever you need some random object (even if you’re not using SketchUp), it’s probably already there. For instance when I was looking for zombies for my BIMx competition entry back in 2011, the 3D Warehouse gave me plenty of options. That huge mass of 3D stuff has been a great advantage for SketchUp, and I imagine it was an inspiration for Graphisoft’s own BIMcomponents—with luck BIMcomponents will attain a similar critical mass of usefulness. Well with SketchUp in 2013 they are introducing the Extension Warehouse, which is a central clearing house for plugins. Right from within SketchUp you can access a world of bonus functionality developed by a rabid ecosystem of developers. No more searching and scouring the web. This will definitely give SketchUp further clout and momentum. Of course what I want to see is some plugins or development of the core program to help it integrate into the OpenBIM movement. It is making baby steps in that direction. But if SketchUp is to ever become a real BIM contender then it needs to take IFC and OpenBIM seriously. Fortunately Trimble—the new owner of SketchUp—takes IFC and OpenBIM seriously. So perhaps we’ll see some developments in this direction in 2014…

It has a Year in its Name

When SketchUp Pro 2013 was announced the first thing that struck me was the appearance of a year in the name. I immediately thought “I’ll bet my 401k that SketchUp has joined the yearly update train.” No software company (these days) ever includes a year in their product name unless they are declaring that it’ll be superseded within the next 12 months. And in fact this is exactly what SketchUp is doing. They are now on a yearly update + subscription model, just like all the major BIM players. Of course since this is SketchUp, the cost of subscription is about a 1/10 of some other software’s yearly subscriptions.

All in all, the gauntlet has been thrown. Autodesk, Nemetschek, Graphisoft, and Bentley Systems better be paying attention to this release. SketchUp Pro 2013 appears to be the start of something big. There is a lot of potential and I’d wager Trimble has some exciting things in store for us in 2014 and beyond. I hope this competition spurs the other companies to counter with some great advancements of their own.

Want to read some of my other recent thoughts on SketchUp? Here’s some things I think SketchUp has to teach ArchiCAD. For more of my thoughts on all sorts of Architectural and Architectural Software related issues follow Shoegnome on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

The post Revit 2014 & ArchiCAD 17, please meet your friend SketchUp Pro 2013 appeared first on Shoegnome.

Back in February 2013 I made a tutorial video on making ArchiCAD Objects. If you haven’t watched it, you should. It covers the basics of object making that I completely gloss over in this new video. I’m assuming if you’re watching this video, then you’ve already seen that one or the recent videos by Eric Bobrow (of Master Template,  ArchiCAD Best Practices Course, and ArchiCAD QuickStart Course fame). All are worth watching.

Like all my recent videos, this one sprang from a question by a fellow user

Jon, an architect and friend in Minnesota, sent me an Object created by one of his coworkers. This Object somehow solved the biggest frustration most of us have with making Objects in ArchiCAD: the Object had a 2D symbol that was a different size from the 3D. If you haven’t come across this issue, the video will explain why this is a big stumbling block. Why is the separation of the 2D and 3D important? Think about the classic example of showing door swings on a cabinet. Making a beautiful cabinet is easy, but giving it the perfect 2D symbol can be a mystery, unless you know GDL. Or at least that’s what many of us assume.

Neither Jon nor his coworker knew what the coworker did when he created the ArchiCAD Object Jon sent me. And to be honest neither did I. But since we were all looking at the mythical 2D is bigger than 3D Object, it was obviously possible. I love a challenge so I began to investigate. There were floating hotspots in 3D and that gave me a clue—the 3D bounding box was the same size as the 2D symbol, that had to be the answer. But how did this user do it? He isn’t a scripter, so it’s not like he learned GDL and coded it. He did it by accident. That was the big clue. If it was by accident, then it had to be easy. Easy enough for an inexperienced user to stumble upon something we old-timers had been overlooking for years. Once I understood that, it was just a matter of untangling the solution by trying to solve the problem with some obvious moves hidden in plain sight. Well it turns out that with a little forethought getting a traditional symbolic floor plan view to be a different size from the 3D object is very, very easy. Here’s a video that shows you what to do.

Now that you’ve watched this video, like me, you now know HOW to get the 2D symbol you want with whatever 3D you need. But the why is still a little hazy. My guess is that when we create the 3D Object with the 2D symbol in the floor plan, there is some 3D script generated that makes the bounding box of the 3D match the extents of the 2D symbol on plan. If we could understand THAT and crawl through the code, I think it’d be easy to alter existing Objects. As it stands now if you want to update your existing Objects to have this 2D/3D split you’ll need to do the Object to Morph back to Object route and save the new object from the floor plan with the right 2D symbol set up to begin with (or at least hot spots that define the larger bounding box you need). Perhaps a GDL expert reading this can explain more?

Side Note: As I mentioned in the video, my next video will probably be recorded in Boston AND be done in ArchiCAD 17. Which are both equally awesome things for me to be able to say right now. If you can’t wait to learn more about ArchiCAD 17 and are impatient for me to talk more about it here on Shoegnome or over on BIM Engine, you should sign up for the ArchiCAD 17 Webinar on June 18th.

One More Thing

Saturday starts Guest Blogger Month, though the first guest post won’t be until sometime next week, probably; I’m still looking for people with stories, tips, and advice to share. You up for the challenge?

Like this video? Follow Shoegnome on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube for more…

The post Creating 2D Symbols for ArchiCAD Objects appeared first on Shoegnome.

In an effort to smash some of that stuff together, tonight I want to show how someone can set the elevation above sea level, latitude, and longitude of their project in ArchiCAD 17 and then show the model in Google Earth. And of course what better location to show off than where I’ll be living in Boston? Now I have the address, but how does one find the elevation, latitude, and longitude of a particular spot on the Earth? Well this is 2013, so it’s insanely easy.

I used this website: Veloroutes.org/elevation/, and I’d wager there are plenty of others that do the same thing. All I needed to do was type in my new address and I got all the information I needed. Then it was as simple as going into ArchiCAD, opening up project location and inputting the numbers in the right spot. Done.

So that’s cool. Just a few clicks and I can get pretty good data for just about any construction site that Google has information on. Which let’s be honest, is pretty much every construction site…

The Google Earth Part

In lieu of writing about the ArchiCAD into Google Earth connection, here’s a video that walks you through the process:

Getting this data into your BIM is important. Site Information is the foundation of not just understanding your model in a larger visual, spacial, and psychological context, it’s also the bedrock for energy modeling. So think of adding elevation, longitude, and latitude into your file as the start of both design and energy analysis.

If my youngest Daughter would only sleep later than 4:55 am, I’d have something witty to say here. Follow Shoegnome on Facebook and Twitter so that you don’t miss out. And while you’re at it, the RSS feed is lonely and could use more subscribers.

The post Simple Solutions: Elevation, Latitude, and Longitude appeared first on Shoegnome.