AEC Tech News (#168)

NCS v4 in the Works

Also, Wiley releases new National CAD Standard companion guide

Work has begun on version 4 of the U.S. National CAD Standard, which is anticipated to be a major upgrade to the NCS when it is completed in early 2007. NCS has been available and in use for more than seven years by a number of firms, to one degree or another, and has been regularly expanded and revised.

What is NCS? It’s the effort of the NCS Project Committee, under the auspices of NIBS (National Institute of Building Sciences). NCS, as stated on its Web site, "coordinates the efforts of the building design and construction industry by classifying electronic building design data consistently, allowing streamlined communication among owners and design and construction project teams." The goal is to reduce the costs of developing and maintaining individual office standards and transferring building data from design applications to facility management applications, as well as to facilitate greater efficiency in the design and construction process.

Published in 1999, NCS v1 was a simple compilation of three existing documents: UDS (Uniform Drawing System), developed by the Construction Specifications Institute; CAD Layer Guidelines from AIA (American Institute of Architects); and the Plotting Guidelines from the Tri-Service CADD and Technology Center and the U.S. Coast Guard. Read more>>

AEC from the Ground Up — State of the AEC Industry 2006

by H. Edward Goldberg, AIA

We can't discuss digital design in the AEC industry without mentioning BIM, but I believe that BIM has not yet been well defined. In defense of this statement, I propose my own definition of BIM.

I distinguish between the building information model and building information modeling, or virtual modeling. The building information model is an entire virtual building project, including all information about that project contained within the property lines from the sky to the center of the Earth. This information includes the structures and associated information, weather history, taxes, ground compaction, utilities, equipment and more—any information one could eventually want to query about the project. This database might appear as a building or as simple data, depending on its use. Read more>>

Mark Your Calendar: AEC Events

AUGI CAD Camp
June 8, 2006
San Diego, California
Official Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) learning and networking event is designed to help you gain knowledge and skills you can apply immediately to solve existing challenges and make you more productive. Read more 

For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here>>

Tech Forum: AECis the latest addition to Cadalyst's Discussion Forums.The new forum is moderated by Cadalyst Contributing Editor Ed Goldberg and brings together professionals to discuss issues related to CAD and BIM (building information modeling). Check it out today!

Cadalyst's New Job Search Now Live! Our new search tool offers a state-by-state list of CAD-related job openings, or you can customize a search to find your own list of U.S. job openings based on the keywords and locations you specify. Use the Job Search button on Cadalyst's AEC Web site or click here for a direct link. 

Productivity Corner (MicroStation Tutorial): Accurately allocate current and future water demands by using GIS data with Bentley WaterGEMS.

1-2-3 Revit (Tutorial): Mechanical engineers can benefit from the features in Revit Systems.

Solutions from Synergis (Tutorial): Master the interface differences in Autodesk Civil 3D by learning a new way to create styles.