CAD (and BIM) Addict

List of BIM Software & Providers

There are a lot of choices on BIM software, see a list here
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Although BIM is relatively new, it is also a trend that is penetrating the Construction industry fast and I would even dare to say, with no way back. For those trying to choose an application, here comes a comprehensive list of BIM providers for the different categories.

Architecture

Sustainability

Structures

MEP

Construction (Simulation, Estimating and Const. Analysis)

Facility Managment

I am sure I am missing some, so please add a comment if you know any other. The category order is kind of in the timeline of a building lifespan (Design --> Build --> Mantain). The order of software systems in each category has no reason, first that came to my mind or that I found was first on the list. I know that some of the Systems are more liek add ons to some BIM programs or Analysis Systems. nevertheless, I think these add-on and analysis packages are an integral part of the BIM process and so must be listed together with "pure" BIM modelling tools.

Please Contribute with your knowledge commenting on this post!

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From CAD to BIM: Part II - From CAD 2D to CAD 4D

The transition from 2D CAD to 4D CAD that changed the way architecture is nowadays.
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Go to Part I
The Adoption of CAD software in Architecture firms was progressive, (I am still trying to find some information on a more or less exact timeline of CAD implementation in Architecture Firms) and it is nowadays widely spread in virtually all architectural firms. Some resisted the adoption of the CAD systems, and others have argued that CAD poses some challenges to creative design. Nevertheless, in 2009, the Architects Journal published the result of a study and poll amongst construction industry leaders, and the result showed CAD/CAM as the greatest advance in construction history.

Initially, CAD was used in Architecture Firms as a replacement for hand Drawing, meaning only 2D CAD was actually used regularly. This, was already an incredible step in terms of productivity, but it meant a less significant step in terms of work processes. Cad was in the beginning only a tool to draw faster. Until the adoption of 3D CAD, the proper change didn’t start.

Still, the initial use of 3D CAD was mostly as a presentation tool having not a very influencing role in the design process. Many companies still see it that way and only use 3D as a presentation tool. The truly significant change happened when 3D CAD started to be used a sa design tool. Its importance in the design process can be understood if one analyzes some of the latest building shapes and structure designed and built. Some of the latest buildings by Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, studio Morphosis, Asymptote and others, are hard to imagine before the advanced 3D CAD era. There are of course exceptions (complex shaped buildings entirely designed on the pre CAD era, one of my favorites is the Ronchamp Chapel by Le Corbusier) but you will agree with me that those complex shaped buildings have become much more common since 3D CAD has been adopted as a design tool.

Especially important on this late stage is the spread of complex surface modeling programs and explicit history and parametric capabilities. One of the big players on those two fields is Rhino with its explicit history plugin called Grasshopper. More and more buildings are being designed and the designs are being modified thanks to this sort of capabilities. The complex surface modeling features allows to model shapes and forms that would be impossible with simple 3D programs. The explicit history and parametric features allow the modification of these complex shapes without the need of remodeling them as it used to be common in primitive 3D CAD packages (and is still the common workflow in simple 3D CAD nowadays).

The 3rd dimension in CAD was conquered long ago and has been improved to the point that almost any imaginable shape can be modeled in a computer, and buildings can be built based on those 3D models. The 4th dimension (time) has been also explored with flythrough and animations being used in almost any big building project. But part of this 4th dimension of time can still be used more deeply. On the following documentary about the construction of the Yas Hotel by Asymptote in Abu Dhabi we can see this fourth dimension explored in depth.

Time is used not only for fly through animations, but to simulate the construction process and, that way, find possible collisions between building elements during the construction phase (the crane and some façade elements in the video). The logical step, is to use this 4D approach more and more to avoid conflicts during the construction phase.

What comes after the 4D dimension is the area where BIM means a real revolution. Incorporating the nD, or “n” dimension to the 3D Modell is what makes BIM so revolutionary and at the same time so necessary. We will explore this on the next issue of “From CAD to BIM”.
Go to Part I

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Free Online Generic BIM Object Library #01

Trying to find free BIM Objects online? here comes resource number 01
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I have started to scan the web in search of good BIM object Libraries. I have found some interesting ones so I'll keep posting them here. The first one I am sharing is a generic object library by BIMsmart (Reed Construction Data). It serves the purpose to populate your model with some basic objects. See a preview below.

Of course the goal of BIM is not (only) to generate a 3D of your building, so if you are trying to go into more detail, like calculating costs out of your BIM model you'll need to use manufacturers BIM Objects / Families, or add cost dimensions to these generic objects.

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Engage Investors with BIM

Six reasons to use BIM to engage investors in your project
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Reedconstructiondata has recently published an article to try to answer the question "How can BIM, Building Information Modeling, effectively communicate the design of a new multi-sport facility in order to engage investors in financial participation?". The article, as I see it, gives the main 6 reasons why you should adopt BIM in your firm as soon as possible.

The six given reasons, summarized, are the following:

In ten years developers will have adopted BIM and will request it
It lowers project costs
It allows better Design, Visualization and Contract Documents
It reduces "Design Waste", specially if IPD is also adopted
It allows to incorporate Facility Management tools that will reduce the operating costs of the building
For the above mentioned reasons, BIM will produce a better product (the building) with higher ROI

I think they are key reasons to go for BIM. BIM is not (only) a new tool with better functionality and capabilities compared to traditional CAD Programs, BIM is a new process in itself and part of a bigger process that is already revolutionizing the construction industry. It's time to embrace BIM and embrace the transformation towards a more efficient construction industry.

You can find the entire article here.

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AutoCAD: 90 Tips to Work Faster and Smarter

This is the Lynn Allen lecture at Autodesk university 2009
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Lynn Allen Lectured at Autodesk University 2009. The Lecture contained 90 quick tips to work faster with AutoCAD. The tips range from things you might find very obvious to little pearls that will open your eyes to a new and quicker way to do what you had been doing somehow differently for so long. You can find the video here. It is a long one (around 90 minutes) so you might wanna watch it in little sessions to be sure you get the most of it.

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Autodesk's BIM Deployment Plan

Autodesk has a public BIM deployment Plan. A very interesting read.
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Autodesk has published a "BIM Deployment Plan" Document. The Paper, 42 pages long, explains in detail the strategies to adopt to implement (deploy) BIM in your company. As explained in the executive summary:

"The Autodesk BIM Deployment Plan outlines practices and provides a framework for using building information modeling (BIM) technologyand practices that can help to deliver projects faster, more cost-effectively, and more sustainably".

I am just in the process of going through it and will add to this post more details in the future. For now I'll just share the link for those with more time than me. Please feel free to comment.

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ArchiCAD: New Found website and Tutorial video

I found a website that aims to specialize on ArchiCAD tutorials.
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Just came across this blog called ArchiCADMonkey by Apollo Spiliotis. It has some good tutorials to learn how to use ArchiCAD.

I´ll just post the latest one here as an example. For more videos, check ArchiCADmonkey.

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Free Tools: Sweet Home 3D

A tool to model house interiors quickly, free and "cloudy"
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Just got this forwarded from a friend. A free tool to model your home interiors for free, with an interactive 3D view to visualize what you are easily modelling in plan. See the following video.

I wouldn't use it for serious stuff, but I think it can be a nice tool to play with to introduce kids to 3D or for those who feel themselve 3D challenged but want to give it a first try. Very simple to use, with many options and you can use it without even installing a single piece of software. It can be run from your browser on the cloud.
Try it here. Thanks Chait for the link.

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Google Building Maker: Model for Google Earth without SketchUp

Model Buildings for google earth using your web browser.
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Google has a new tool to crowdsource the 3D modelling of the earth. It is called Google building Maker, and it allows users to model Buildings from pictures that Google itself provides. See this video to understand the process.

It seems a pretty brilliant idea on the path of making the modeling of buildings available to everyone. Of course Google will get cash out of your free labour, but still, it is worth a try just for fun. Try Building Maker Here.

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From CAD to BIM: Part I - History of CAD

A brief history of CAD to understand the path that led to BIM
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I mentioned on a previous post my intention to go into BIM and IPD. Unfortunately for now, I have not the luck to be working on a daily basis with either, so my initial approach here will be more theoretical. I am trying to build the basis of what my Master Thesis is going to be, so forgive me if sometimes things sound a bit basic or repetitive.

BIM, as I see it, is still Computer Aided Design, but it allows you to add an “n” number of dimensions (like costs, scheduling, etc), and strongly modifies the work process to design, build and maintain a building. But since it is in my point of view an evolution of CAD, I think it is important to start with brief history of CAD.

In 1957, Dr. Patrick J. Hanratty had developed the first commercial CAM (Computer Aided Machining) program. It was a numerical control (NC) machining software developed in Pronto , the first NC commercial programming language. Hanratty is regarded as the father of CAD / CAM since these two branches became slowly one.

The first CAD software with a graphical interface was Sketchpad, developed in 1963 by Ivan Sutherland. Sketchpad was a Program in which the user could graphically interact with the program through a screen, a light pen used to draft, and a set of buttons that allowed the user to enter parameters and constraints. Although it never became commercially available, the ideas on Sutherland´s PhD dissertation became highly influential for future generation CAD developments.

First-generation CAD software systems were 2D drafting applications developed by a manufacturer's internal IT group and primarily intended to automate repetitive drafting tasks. During the 1960s, Hanratty himself developed DAC, a CAD system, while working for General Motors Research. Other companies like Ford (PDGS - 1967), McDonnell-Douglas (CADD - 1966), and many others followed soon after that.

During the 1970s the transformation from 2D to 3D began. The French Aerospace Company, Avions Marcel Dassault, developed CATIA, after purchasing a source code license from Lockheed Martin. CATIA is still nowadays leading software in the Aerospace, Automotive and Shipbuilding Industries. One of the most important research dissertations of the decade was K. Vesprille's (at Syracuse University) 1975 PhD dissertation "Computer-Aided Design Applications of the B-Spline Approximation Form" on Complex 3D Modeling. It is from the end of this decade that one of the first books marketing CAD for architects appeared. “Computer Aided Architectural Design” by William J. Mitchell from 1977 is a hint that CAD was already being marketed to architects. The widespread adoption by architects would take still years.

During the 1980s the CATIA, Pro/Engineer, Unigraphics and I-DEA became the leading CAD software packages. All of them powerful 3D modeling software systems with their core business on the industrial production (for this reason sometimes referred as CAE systems rather than CAD) and their main hardware platform being UNIX. On the 2D and PC Platform Autodesk, with AutoCAD, was gaining market share.

It was on the 1990s, that the PC explosion happened and with it the raise of a new player. Autodesk had been focusing on the PC platform since its AutoCAD version 1 released in 1982. The licensing of the ACIS 3D Kernel, allowed Autodesk to release in 1993 AutoCAD Release 13. For the first time AutoCAD had 3D Solid Modeling Functions. AutoCAD became widely spread, but other packages like Bentley’s Microstation, soon became strong competitors on the mid-price market. The widespread adoption of CAD by architectural offices was happening slowly and soon would burst into being the dominant trend. We will see more on that on the next post on this series

Sources: CADAZZ, American Machinist

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Book of the Month: LEED Visual

Study for the LEED GA exam from this great book.
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If you are studying or thinking to study for the LEED GA Exam, you need to get this book in your hands. The amount of information to memorize is not few. This book turns all that information into useful and easy to remember and understand diagrams. LEED Visual is a new publication that aims to help everyone who wants to study for the LEED GA exam. The book is available via Amazon (click on the picture below)or directly on the LEED VISUAL website.

Some of the customer reviews say "it's the best book available currently for LEED GA. By converting the pages and pages of written information from the official USGBC study guide into easy to remember visual diagrams, this concise book is a fantastic guide for the exam. Visually Appealing, Easy to carry, Compact and Graphically rich, this is a MUST BUY for anyone planning to give the Leed GA Exam".

Find more information and a preview of the book at www.leedvisual.com

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Photoshop: Shortcut to select all the contents of a layer

Select all layer contents wit a single click
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When working with Photoshop sometimes we might want to get a selection of the entire content of a layer. This is useful for man reasons. An easy way to do this is to go to the layers tab and click on the thumbnail of the layer with the left mouse button while holding CTRL (I guess command key in MAC??)
If you point at the layer thumbnail with your cursor and press CTRL, you will see how the cursor will change from a pointing hand to a pointing hand with a marquee on top. This means that when you click there instead of selecting the layer as active, it will use the contents of that layer to create a selection.
This is very useful to create selections based on the shapes of layers such as texts. See this example that I created using this method. From the following two images...

...i used the one on the right with the multiple CAD-Addict.com texts to create the selection using the explained method. Then, I used the slection to erase parts of the layer on the left. The reslult is as follows

This is a very useful trick to speed up you workflow in pshop.

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