AEC Tech News #196

Simulate before Constructing

A general contractor’s lessons show the value of putting BIM into practice.

Fifteen thousand. That’s the number of construction corrections Barton Malow had to make in a recent project, a 1.3 million-square-foot auto production facility in Mexico. In a job of this magnitude, building systems invariably collide: pipes clash with trusses; beams and walls intersect; and columns sit where the crew needs to be. The project managers had two choices: They could tackle these issues in the field by relocating mortar and steel, or they could deal with them virtually by pushing pixels. The company chose the latter. It’s easier, smarter and (to the delight of the client) much cheaper.

Debugging the Building

Founded in 1924, the general contractor and construction management firm Barton Malow is practically an octogenarian, a Michigan institution unto itself. With Daimler Chrysler and General Motors for clients, the company is at the top of the food chain. It’s also a BIM (building information model) practitioner. Two of its staffers literally helped write the book on BIM, called The Contractors’ Guide to BIM. (For more, read “How Many Contractors Does It Take to Scale a Wall?”Cadalyst Daily, December 11, 2006.) The company has been putting the principles outlined in the book into practice in a series of pilot projects. The Mexico site was one of those.Read more>>

From the Trenches: Creating Symbols

By Anthony Kitsmiller

For those of you who must add individual blocks that are commonly used but not available from AutoCAD or Autodesk Building Systems, the following information will be helpful. When I first came to work at Frankfurt Short & Bruza, we used Autodesk Building Systems and Architectural Desktop 2004 in conjunction with Project Navigator to coordinate drawings with the other disciplines. We now use Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems 2006, and we plan to jump to 2007 versions and possibly Revit. Read more>>

Mark Your Calendar: AEC Events

Avatech's Autodesk 2008 Rollout Events
Various May Dates
Various U.S. Cities
Products from Autodesk allow professionals to explore ideas and experience designs virtually before construction or manufacturing begins. Avatech Solutions' experts will take attendees on a tour through the latest features that will affect the way they work and open up a world of innovation. Events are offered for architects, building design professionals, mechanical engineers, manufacturing design professionals and civil and survey engineers. Read more

Rhino User Meeting for Architects
May 31, 2007
Delft, Netherlands
With the theme of Freeform Future for Contemporary Architecture, Dutch Rhino Resellers, in cooperation with the industry, will host a Rhino for Architects User meeting. Attendees will be able to share their experiences and spend time with other Rhino users. Read more

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

what's new at cadalyst.com

Cadalyst Labs Review: AutoCAD 2008
Reviewer Bill Fane analyzes Autodesk's latest release, including new automatically scaled annotation capabilities and interoperability with Inventor. Read more

CAD Manager (Column): Your Workplace Action Plan Implemented
CAD management expert Robert Green tells how, after creating a CAD management action plan, you'll need to help employees adapt to change. Read more

April Bug Watch (AutoCAD Tutorial)
Cadalyst contributing editor Steve Johnson outlines how to make the best of things to come with 3D, Vista and drivers. Read more

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