AEC Tech News (#209)

Designers Reap Rewards of BIM

The AIA recognized architects of nine projects for their designs at this year's BIM Awards.

The 2007 BIM (building information model) Awards, sponsored by the AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Committee, were bestowed on nine outstanding projects earlier this summer. Created in 2005 to highlight proven strategies and the latest trends in design and technology in the building industry, this year's program totaled 32 entries, down from last year’s high of 41.

Five projects were awarded citations from the jury and five received honorable mention, with KieranTimberlake Associates receiving three awards in two categories. Onuma also received two honorable mentions for its U.S. Coast Guard Web-Enabled BIM Projects and Open Geospatial Consortium Open Web Services. Projects were submitted in seven categories, but two categories --Academic Program or Curriculum Development and Outstanding Sustainable Design Using BIM -- were not awarded because no submission met the necessary criteria.

The jury was composed of Chair Stephen Hagan, FAIA, director, Project Knowledge Center, Property Development Division, GSA Public Buildings Service; Robert Ivy, FAIA, editor-in-chief, Architectural Record; Renee Cheng, AIA, head of the School of Architecture, College of Design, University of Minnesota; Lachmi Khemlani, founder, AECBytes; Douglas Garafolo, AIA, principal, Garofalo Architects; Michael Kenig, vice-chairman, Holder Construction; Deke Smith, acting executive director, buildingSMART, National Institute of Building Sciences. All winning projects and their architects will be featured at the December 2007 AIA conference, " The Future of Professional Practice." Read more>>

1-2-3 Revit (Column): BIM and Civil Engineering

By Rick Rundell, AIA

Autodesk recently announced that the number of users of its 3D model-based software has passed the one-million mark. Although 3D software for mechanical design, such as Autodesk Inventor, has been standard in the manufacturing industry for many years, the one-million-users milestone couldn't have been reached so soon without the growing adoption of 3D in the form of building information modeling (BIM) across the AEC industry. Read more>>

AutoCAD Architecture Test Drives
Various Dates September through November
Various U.S. Cities
Avatech Test Drives are designed for people who would like a chance to try out the technology quickly and easily with the guidance of experienced professionals. Autodesk-certified experts and industry leading instructors will walk attendees through some of the basic and more advanced functionality in each of Autodesk's latest versions of AutoCAD Architecture, Revit Architecture, Revit Structure, Revit MEP, and Autodesk VIZ. Read more

Civil 3D Test Drives
September 14 - November 16, 2007
Various U.S. Cities
Avatech Solutions invites civil engineers and others who use CAD software for infrastructure design, drafting, and surveying work to test drive AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 in a series of hands-on training sessions across the country this fall. Avatech's Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Experts and industry leading instructors will walk attendees through some of the basic functionality and workflows in Civil 3D.
Read more

Webinar: Subdivision Visualization
September 25, 2007
8:00 a.m. PDT
This 45-minute live Webinar session, presented by RDV Systems, is intended for those who would like to improve their skills and understanding of civil and land planning visualization projects. Topics covered will include working with finished ground triangles and incorporating 3D houses, fences, driveways, and vegetation. Read more

Webinar: Visualizing Bridges
October 9, 2007
8:00 a.m. PDT
The objective of this Webinar series is to provide knowledge, expertise, and suitable tools for civil engineers to employ visualization as a cost-effective solution throughout the project design process. This session, presented by RDV Systems, will cover extruding the bridge shape, barriers, guard rails, columns, and bridge heads. Read more

Webinar: Visualizing Tunnels
October 23, 2007
8:00 a.m. PDT
RDV Systems presents live Webinar sessions that will take a task-oriented approach aimed at solving everyday, real-life visualization challenges that face civil engineers and land planners. This session will cover extruding the tunnel shape, portals, and using transparency. Read more

BIM Best Practices Training
December 11, 2007
Washington, D.C.
At this workshop, which will take place at the Ecobuild America Fall Conference, leading U.S. architecture and design firms; the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce; and the General Services Administration will discuss how they are using BIM in their U.S. and international projects to create innovative designs and solve client problems. Read more

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