Autodesk Software Assistance

This is nice news. If you are out of a job in the design industry there is an opportunity for you to get free software and maybe even training within the next few months. Please read the full press release here...
http://pressreleases.autodesk.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=553%3C%2Ftd%3E

A little extra,
If you are in Ontario, Canada and need a business loan or grant check out this site...

http://www.grants-loans.org/ontario-grants.php

Revit 2010 When and How

The Revit Architecture 2010 release is fast approaching.

The when is the middle of April.

The how is a little more difficult...
Subscription customers must choose how they would like their software upgrades to be delivered this year (in Canada).

The delivery options are:
1. Do nothing. Your 2010 Autodesk software DVD / CD will automatically be shipped to you in 30 days. (add on top of this the delivery time which can take anywhere from a few days to weeks)
2. Download your 2010 Autodesk software using the Autodesk Subscription Center.
3. Login to the Autodesk Subscription Center to request a DVD / CD copy of your 2010 software and Autodesk will ship your DVD / CD after you submit your request.

If you need full instructions to get into subscription center call your reseller.

Get Paid to Play with Newport!

Greetings all Ontario Revit users! Having a say in Autodesk product development is a unique opportunity that we enjoy in this city. Having done some testing myself I can assure you that Newport is going in the right direction. It's also nice to see how seriously the developers take our opinions...

If you are interested in participating contact Ian Hooper at ux.tester@autodesk.com .

March 4th Meeting Photos

Thanks to the 40 people who attended and participated last week! Our three main topic tables were busy with conversations. The ideas were flowing like wine. Jay opened the

meeting with a little preview of Autodesk's 2010 offerings. Then Caesar Ruest from Autodesk let us in on a few RFPs and current Revit projects.

The AIA Document E202 - 2008 (shown above) provides a concise outline for a BIM based contract.

Project managers discussing contract, legal and other issues.


BIM managers talking API and more API...

More notes to follow...

Special guest...Darth Caesar (pictured below)

Revit Wishlist and Meeting Notes Update

Hello All,

Thanks coming and participating last week. There were many good ideas which came out of it. We are working on compiling your notes, photos and presentations and will post them this week.

In the meantime, maybe you would like to vote on the Revit Architecture Wishlist...

Autodesk does pay attention to the results of this.

Game Engine for Architects

This may be of interest....




Autodesk® Project Newport - real-time 3D story building technology for architectural visualization and presentation. With game-engine technology and breakthrough ease-of-use, Project Newport enables architects to show their design in context, rapidly explore design options, and create vivid and immersive 3D presentations. Newport brings architectural designs to life by expressing design intent at every stage of a project.






If you want to join the beta testing...




http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/newport/

ORUG Summit March 4,2009

ORUG Summit - Wednesday March 4th 6:30 - 9:00 PM

Please join us for our first ORUG Summit. We will have three topic discussion tables: CAD Manager Issues, Project Manager Issues, and Miscellaneous Topics.

Date: Wednesday March 4, 2009Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Location: Alice Fazooli's, 294 Adelaide St W, Toronto ON, M5V 1P6. Click here for map.

For those taking the TTC, it is conveniently located near both Osgoode and St. Andrew stations on the Yonge-University-Spadina line.

Guest: Charles Simco is a Toronto Litigation lawyer at Shibley Righton LLP who will be available to offer his opinion at the Legal Contract issues discussion table.
CONTENT
RSVP

Introductions, Welcome and News

Jay Polding will update us about Revit 2010 and what's been going on for the past four months.
If you would like to become an ORUG member or attend this meeting as a guest, please contact Jay Polding at jpolding@cadmicro.com. There is no charge to attend.

Topic Discussion Tables

CAD Manager Issues

*API*

Office Standards and Templates

Project Manager Issues

*Integrated Project Delivery

*Legal Contract Issues
Miscellaneous Topics

*Revit 2010*Tips and Tricks

*There will be 1 moderator at each table and 2 note takers. Notes will be posted to the ORUG Blog at http://www.orug.ca/.


CAD MicroSolutions Inc.65 International Blvd Toronto ON M9W 6L9P: 416-213-0533 or 1-888-401-5885 F: 416-213-0538http://www.cadmicro.com/ solutions@cadmicro.com

Revit 2010 Build Checker

Looks like this might be useful...

The Beside The Cursor Revit Build Checker has been updated to support Revit 2010 products when they are available. No need to launch Revit and search for the build number...just launch my script to get a report on installed versions of Revit from Release 9.1 through 2010.Also works with 64 bit Windows XP and Vista. Also works with Revit MEP and Revit Structures.

http://www.integr-8.com/besidethecursor/

Useful links on various forms of the IPD Contracts docs

Pierre Hoppener from Autodesk sent me this very interesting email and wanted to share it with the group...

The following are websites where customers can find examples that illustrate the current American Institute of Architecture thinking and suggested implementation of an IPD leveraging BIM.

AIA California Council Docs

IPD Working Definition:
http://www.ipd-ca.net/images/Integrated%20Project%20Delivery%20Definition.pdf

IPD Guide:
http://www.ipd-ca.net/IPD%20Definition.htm

Level of Detail Matrix:
http://www.ipd-ca.net/LevelOfDetailMatrix06.xls

March 4th Meeting Topics

Here is some great input from our members on topics for the next meeting. There is a poll on the sidebar of this blog in order to vote for topics which interest you. Please send Jay Polding an email if you have other topics or would like to present something yourself.

'Today I was working on the site plan and realized that it takes a long time to develop the skills to to a good site plan in revit, from importing contours from cad to taking cut/fill values, even how to draw curbs. You could do one meeting on site plan and another on stairs. Get some people to present samples of work and step-by step tips on development. You should followup with a blog summary for all to share the notes...'

'I think we should attract New comers to Revit meetings by spending half an hour or around that telling everybody new tips and tricks in Revit. Even sometimes the Basics of Revit so the novice would also think of coming to the meetings.'

'Revit & Integrated Project Delivery
Solid Modelling & best practices for custom family creation.
Revit - Material and Cost Estimating
Templates and Office Standards'

'Well, it could be anything that supplements the building design but I'm thinking specifically about structural and mechanical.
There is a promise there that I don't think is being lived up to, at least in my limited experience. It would be interesting to hear from people who have had some (hopefully better) experience trying to make it work.'

'I’d like to see some examples of how people are using the Revit API and .Net to automate processes.'

Try Ecotect for Free

Autodesk has recently purchased Ecotect and is making the software available for free (trial basis) on this site...

http://ecotect.com/downloads

Ecotect is an environmental simulation software.

Revit 32 and 64 Hardware Benchmarking

Towards our ongoing conversation regarding hardware I found this blog which is benchmarking with Revit(32 and 64).

http://archin3d.blogspot.com/2008/10/revit-64-bit-benchmark-results.html

ORUG at Autodesk University 2008

This year we were happy to send one of our own members to Autodesk University, Andrew Murphy of Robert Murphy Architects. We hope to make this a yearly tradition! Andrew's photos were lost on his memory stick so if any of you who attended have some photos, please send them our way. (jpolding at cadmicro.com) Also, if you would like to share your experiences on this blog please send me the text and photos which I will post for you.

Andrew wrote down a few thoughts from his first experience at AU...

I have often heard it said that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This need not be the case with Autodesk University 2008, which I recently had the good fortune to attend. Imagine five solid days immersed in the puzzling minutiae of your favorite AEC software…did I mention the AUGI Beer Bust?

I suppose I had always imagined that my first visit to Vegas would take the form of a bachelor party, riverboat gambling trip, title bout etc., however, an opportunity to attend Autodesk University seemed to be at once both exciting AND practical (in a way that a riverboat gambling trip did not).

Weeks before my departure date it was clear to me that I was not merely to attend AU, but rather to experience it. Emails filled my mailbox alerting me to an incredible range of events, keynotes, mixers, unplugged sessions, networking opportunities, and so on. Autodesk’s organization and attention to detail from start to finish were impressive.

As I learned that I would be making the trip rather close to the date, it was tricky to find space in the classes and labs that most interested me. The demand for REVIT and LEED-oriented classes seemed to far outweigh the proposed supply. Two sessions in particular, “Revit® Architecture: LEEDing the Way” and “Sustainability Tools for Revit® Architecture: The IES Sustainability Toolkit Plug-in”, appeared to have equal numbers registered and waitlisted. Despite being ‘waitlisted’ for many classes, I never had any trouble finding space on a first-come first-served basis, the above sessions included.

On the whole, the classes and labs were very well designed and equally well run, while the venue(The Venetian)was as ambitious as the itinerary of AU itself. To suggest that the classes were necessarily the highlight however would be untrue. The Opening Keynotes, General Session, and Design Slam, in my opinion, captured the heart of AU 2008.

On one hand, AU is definitely about improving one’s chops. For me, that meant classes in model management, Green Building, parametric families, custom stairs and railings among others. Simply put, attending classes, labs, and unplugged sessions to improve my technical skills was the goal of the trip. On the other hand there is something greater than the acquisition of a set of skills to be taken from AU. I think that the success of AU lay in the excitement and buzz which defined the event from start to finish. Leaving Las Vegas on Friday morning I was excited to get back to work, not because of anything the city had done, but because I was leaving with a new appreciation for what can be done with my software and also an appreciation for the ability of the Autodesk community to come together for collective gains.

For anyone interested in AU 2009 I would encourage you to make it out to the keynotes and evening events. The class materials and podcasts will be made available once you return, but the real excitement, the heart of the event, is to be found in the event halls beyond the classrooms.

Get paid by Autodesk again...

The only catch is that you have to use AutoCAD for 20hours a week :-)

"Autodesk Research is continuously investigating revolutionary ways to further enhance Autodesk products. We are currently performing a study and seeking AutoCAD 2009 users to assist us in our efforts. Volunteers must use AutoCAD 2009 (or one of the domain specific verticals) at least 20 hrs/week.

Volunteers will be paid $100 in Amazon Gift Cards.

The study consists of the following components:

1) Run a short configuration script on your computer
This will take less than one minute and will have no visible effect on AutoCAD or your system. This script will allow us to collect information about which commands you use and when you use them. User names, company information, and underlying data are never transmitted.

2) Continue to use AutoCAD 2009
We will be collecting the command information over a period of approximately 2-3 months. This requires no action on your part; just continue to use AutoCAD 2009 as you normally do.

3) Complete a post-study questionnaire
The questionnaire will be sent to you by email, and will take approximately one hour to complete. The survey will ask you questions about your like and dislike of various AutoCAD 2009 commands.

Volunteers will be paid $50 upon signing up, and $50 upon the completion of the study.


If you would like to participate, or would like further details, please contact:

AutodeskStudy@Autodesk.com"

2-Year Anniversary Expo Notes

Thanks to the 41 people who attended, presented and volunteered at our 2-year anniversary party. We had a great time, the presentations were concise and packed with quality. Plus we gave away some great prizes and swag (thank you autodesk!).

Congratulations to A Robert Murphy Architect Inc on winning the all-inclusive ticket to Autodesk University! And a copy of 3dsMAX! We will be getting some updates on their experience which we will post right here.

In his presentation, Robert showed us how two people were able to complete a large seniors residence. The building is now built and there is talk of a second.

David Constable from KPMB showed us how one can use Revit from small items like furniture to large urban plans. They wowed us with their design, videos and renderings.

Kathy from Stephenson Engineering presented two beautiful Revit Structure models complete with renderings. The first (pictured) which had some very large custom trusses. The second was a project which is built on granite. Using the Revit model Stephenson was able to predict the amount of blasted material to within a metre.

Peter Kurkjian from Sweeny Sterling Finlayson and Co. Architects showed us a local building project. &Co has been making great use of the light and shadow capabilities in Revit. Peter presented some rendering studies that described visually how the natural light would penetrate the building.

Thanks also to Sheena Sharpe from Coolearth architecture who showed her latest school project done in Revit.

Entire Imaging Solutions had an Exhibit table filled with their many interesting creations. They also gave away two scale models of Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Falling Water' (which was 3Dprinted from a Revit model) and $300 towards imaging services. Thank you Entire!

Other News:

Caesar Ruest started the following group:

BIM Executive Group - an informal group of Architectural Partners who’ve adopted Revit in their office, comprised of Executive/Partners from across Canada. The call took place mid September for 1 hour where Partner strategies and concerns were shared. All participants considered this a valuable session and would like to schedule more calls. Another action item from the call was to compile a list of MEP and Structural Engineers who are using Revit and to share the list across Canada. I am compiling this list now.

Reno C Negrin Architects, Vancouver
Richard Zeigler Architect Inc., Toronto
HIP Architects, Edmonton
zeidler partnership architects, Toronto
Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo, Thunder Bay, ON
Clive McKenzie, HMA Architects, Kelowna, BC
Kasian, Vancouver
IBI, Ottawa
WHW Architects, Halifax

Last week:
November 2008:
BIM Executive Event Toronto – November 13th – Partners only, David Jefferies of Zeidler Partnership will be in the spotlight presenting BIM on The Bow. (attachment) Registration is up to 52 people at this point.
Who Should Attend? Executives, Directors, or Senior Level Managers responsible for setting the direction of their organizations

New as of last week:
Visit Seek.autodesk.com for lots of content.
Request for Proposals issued for The MUHC’s Glen Campus (McGill University Health Centre), Redevelopment cost of almost $1.6B
The proposal includes a requirement essentially mentioning that:
“The project is required to be completed in BIM, with a software compatible with Revit.”
Halsall BIM Event (attached)
80 people in attendance
Sep 2008:
PWGSC presents BIM at IIDEX - http://www.iidexneocon.com/2008/index.php/conference/seminars/t22/
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is developing a formal BIM strategy.

Thanks as usual to Alice Fazooli's downtown Toronto who always do a great job!

Hot Rod Results So Far...

And the trophy goes to...

Q9450 Quad Core 2.66Ghz processor 1066 FSB
Nvidia GeForce 6600LE 256 Mb
Vista 32
2 X 2 Gb dual channel 667

Non-Scientific Observations:
high gigahertz quad core chips seem to win consistently and provide the biggest returns
Vista 32 is marginally faster than XP
4GB RAM is marginally faster than 2GB
Most had NVidia cards so we couldn't see a difference.

Points for the future:
Try a variety of video cards if possible
Try tasks other than rendering, like zoom extents, who can open the biggest model etc.
Let's revisit this using Revit 64 bit on a high RAM screamer...

it's not too late to post a time...

Please follow these easy 7 steps (it should only take 10-20 minutes)
1. Open ftp://206.210.97.180/ user: ORUG password: ORUG
2. Open Ed Speed Test.rvt in Revit 2009
3. Open Revit render test blank report .xls
4. Set screen resolution to 1280 X 1024
5. Go to the Test Rendering View
6. Click Rendering, Set to Medium and Render
7. Fill out Revit render test blank report.xls, rename and post back to ftp site.

2 Year Anniversary Meeting Oct. 29, 2008

Date: Wednesday October 29, 2008
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Location: Alice Fazooli's, 294 Adelaide St W, Toronto ON, M5V 1P6. Click here for map.

For those taking the TTC, it is conveniently located near both Osgoode and St. Andrew stations on the Yonge-University-Spadina line.

ORUG is proud to announce its 2-year anniversary. To celebrate, we're holding our first annual EXPO! Members are encouraged to bring and showcase their projects to the group. Participants will be entered to win prizes.

Any ORUG member can bring and show their projects but we would like to request that expositions to the Expo have the following minimum criteria to be eligible for the draw:

Revit Model
One exterior rendering that will be submitted to Jay Polding prior to Wednesday October 29. This rendering will act as registration for the prize draw
One interior rendering
One floorplan
One elevation
One section
Brief explanation to the group about the project and the Revit Model
Laptop with the files mentioned above

We are looking for 3 eligible entrants to do "pecha kucha" presentations about their projects. Pecha Kucha presentations require each presenter to use a slideshow of 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds. This results in a total presentation time of 6 minutes 40 seconds.
If you are interested in entering and participating, please email jpolding@cadmicro.com.

Format

Exhibition - ORUG EXPO 2008

Jay will provide a brief introduction of the exhibitions in slideshow format.

Our 3 “Pecha Kucha” entrants will then present.

Exhibitors will then set up at individual tables and be able to discuss projects with other members.

Finally, we will be conducting a draw from registered participants. The draw will include two seats of 3dsMAX Design 2009 (Not For Resale version).

Autodesk University 2008
Are you attending Autodesk University this year? Please let us know if you have registered by emailing alau@cadmicro.com

If you would like to become an ORUG member or attend this meeting as a guest, please contact Jay Polding at jpolding@cadmicro.com. There is no charge to attend.

Revit 64 is Out!

Just to let every one know, if you don't already. Revit 64bit is now available for download for Architecture, Structure and MEP. You need to log in to the Autodesk Subscription site to get this. Here's a press release from Autodesk...

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc.,(NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that versions of its Revit software applications for Building Information Modeling (BIM) specifically designed for personal computers using Windows 64-bit operating systems are now available. This marks the company's first venture into 64-bit BIM applications and applies to Revit Architecture 2009, Revit Structure 2009 and Revit MEP 2009. The 64-bit versions are now available to existing Revit platform software subscribers. Customer beta testers reported that the newsoftware applications offer significantly improved performance and stabilityfor memory intensive tasks such as rendering, printing, model upgrading andfile importing and exporting. Some examples of their experience include:

"In every single test I threw at the Revit Structure for the 64-bit system it beat the 32-bit system," said Ken Murphy, BIM manager, Thornton Tomasetti. "On average, we observed approximately a 20 percent performance gain on operations such as saving files and exporting models to other formats for outside consultants. And when it comes to rendering images of large project models, such as an American football stadium with thousands of members, we saw up to a 50 percent performance improvement over the 32-bit platform."

"With 64-bit Revit Architecture we can completely load a very large project into a session and work on it at one time; and that is something that represents a significant efficiency improvement over the 32-bit environment,"said Lonnie Cumpton, Revit task force manager for the Friedmutter Group. "For example, we have a large project that consists of 2.9 gigabytes of Revit data contained in 22 individual files. With 64-bit Revit Architecture we can link all the pieces together into one big model and cut an entire building section to gain an understanding from a section elevation standpoint of the entireproject at one time. Using 32-bit Revit Architecture we'd have to cut individual pieces of sections in each model and then piece them back together. It took us a day to do that. Now we can do it in less than an hour."

"We've been beta testing the 64-bit Revit Structure software and the increases in efficiency and productivity are impressive," said Jamie Richardson, Associate & CAD manager, Ericksen Roed & Associates. "Cutting sections and switching between views is much faster. Moving within the viewsand rotating the model in a 3D view is also noticeably faster and smoother.With what we have seen in our beta testing, and what we're hearing from userstesting the beta on their current projects, we see no reason not to go to the64-bit version of Revit Structure."

The English language versions of new 64-bit Revit software applications areavailable now to existing Revit Architecture 2009, Revit Structure 2009 andRevit MEP 2009 subscribers via the online Subscription Center. The 64-bit software will release in other languages at a later date.

"We're very excited to hear our beta testers report stunning performance gains with the native 64-bit versions of the Revit software applications,"said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. "Breaking the four gigabytes RAM barrier is an important milestone, which helps ourcustomers experience the power of BIM in even their largest projects."

Autodesk Project

Please take a look at the following request...

Autodesk is looking for sample Revit files to use for testing purposes. We are looking for high quality project files of any type of architectural, or architectural-concept designs. We are specifically looking for projects that also include landscapes, surrounding context, urban planning or details such as streets, street furniture, parking lots, vegetation etc. in Revit format. The larger the project the better. We want to use it for rendering purposes as well as real-time performance testing. All files will be kept in a secure location and not shared with any architecture company.
The files must be in RVT format, with ones created in Revit 2009 with applied render appearance materials preferred. The files will be used for internal testing only.
We are also looking for similar scenes to use for usability tests with external people who will only be shown the project under a non-disclosure agreement. If you have a project we can use in this way we will contact you to arrange an agreement for the rights.
If you think you might have a file that fits these requirements please contact Ian Hooper at ian.hooper@autodek.com or 416-874-8523.
Thank you,
Ian

Revit Goes to University...

University of Southern California School of Architecture Earns Autodesk Revit BIM Experience Award

School Honored for Integrating Revit Architecture Software for Building Information Modeling into Curriculum and Encouraging Sustainable Design Skills

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., August 4, 2008—Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), announced that it has presented the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture with a Revit BIM Experience Award. The award honors the school for teaching building information modeling (BIM) to graduate and undergraduate students to give them the skills highly sought after by leading architectural firms. The award also recognizes the school’s ongoing efforts to promote BIM, including the recent BIM BOP 2008 symposium, which brought together practicing architects, students and faculty to discuss BIM, sustainable design and other key trends in the building industry.

“BIM, and its ability to facilitate integrated project delivery and sustainable design, are transforming the architecture and construction professions,” said Karen Kensek, associate professor of the practice of architecture for USC's School of Architecture. “Offering our students experience with BIM helps them think in 3D so they can fully understand the entire building and start to come to terms with issues of constructability. We also know from our annual architecture career fair that experience using Revit Architecture for BIM makes our students very attractive job candidates.”

BIM is an integrated process built on coordinated, reliable information about a project from design through construction and into operations. By adopting BIM, architects, engineers, contractors and owners can easily create coordinated, digital design information and documentation; use that information to more accurately visualize, simulate and analyze performance, appearance and cost; and reliably deliver the project faster, more economically and with reduced environmental impact.

BIM Courses at USC School of Architecture
USC’s School of Architecture teaches Revit Architecture software to introduce students to the principles of BIM and 3D design. The school also uses the Autodesk Sustainable Design Curriculum to instruct students in the use of BIM for sustainable design. Students can export their Revit models to a wide variety of energy-performance analysis software tools, such as Autodesk Ecotect, Autodesk Green Building Studio and IES Virtual Environment, to conduct daylight and shading studies. The architecture students also learn how to create stunning, photo-real animations and renderings of their projects using Autodesk 3ds Max Design software.

“We applaud USC’s efforts to provide students with highly marketable, real-world skills based on a curriculum that includes Revit Architecture for BIM and sustainable design tools,” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “We hope that as they enter the workforce they will evangelize BIM and sustainable design practices.”

About the Revit BIM Experience Award
The Revit BIM Experience Award celebrates building industry professionals and educators around the world who are helping to transform the building industry through building information modeling. Autodesk honors organizations with this award for innovation and excellence in implementing the Revit platform (including Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP software applications) for building information modeling on one or more projects.