The Dirt

Bridge Design w/ Civil 3D & Revit Structure

 
Some cool new stuff up on Autodesk Labs specific to bridge design using Civil 3D:  http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/civil3D_bridge/

Doyle Drive (Presidio Parkway) Groundbreaking

This past Saturday (October 17, 2010) I was invited to the groundbreaking ceremony for the (then) Doyle Drive, (now) Presidio Parkway project in San Francisco.  In attendance were Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Administrator of the Federal Highways Administration, Victor Mendez.

Check out the PP websitefor the stunning Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) videos produced by Parsons Brinckerhoff. . . done with Autodesk products!

Mr. Mendez (above) is a fellow Arizonan so I introduced myself and asked for a photo.  That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

New MAP 3D Courseware from Cadapult

I'm a bit late in getting this out, but old friend Rick Ellis of Cadapult Software Solutions has recently completed his Map 3D 2010 courseware.  Check it out.

The Travel Channel & Easter Island

 

This past May I returned to Easter Island to assist the production crew of "Secret Worlds," film a documentary about the island and its history.  Do I need to say that is was a blast?

I got the call because the producer was so impressed with the story he saw in Fortune Magazine last year that he wanted to try and capture the story on tape.  I actually got some camera time explaining laser scanning, Autodesk technology, etc.  Much to my surprise I'm told I may make the final cut.  Typically (lol) I wind up on the cutting room floor.

It was GREAT to see Sonia and my friends again on Rapa Nui as well.  As expected Sonia steals the show and rightfully so.  Her work on the island is so important.

 Watch for Secret Worlds on The Travel Channel this fall!

US California State Kit for Civil 3D

For those of you using Civil 3D in the state of California the folks at CAD Pilot have released a new California "state kit" for Civil 3D 2009 and 2010.  Check it out

Civil 3D Style Creation Wizard!

Below is a link to download a new Civil 3D Style Creation Wizard extension!  This extension is designed to help our 1 to 5 seat customers create basic styles quickly and easily in Civil 3D.  This will improve the customers first experience with Civil 3D by allowing them to build styles to display the objects in a familiar way (using their layers, colors, fonts, and linetypes) so that they may focus on learning the new tools and workflows that Civil 3D offers.

 

This extension is designed to help small companies who:

 

1.       Can’t afford to hire a reseller to define the styles - Where style creation fees exceeds the price of the software itself. 

 

2.       Are struggle with defining the styles themselves - Styles don’t make sense until you understand the fundamentals of Civil 3D and creating them at the beginning of the Civil 3D learning curve is challenging.

 

3.       Don’t want to standardize on National Cad Standards – Most companies have a signature look to their drawings and using a generic set of standards is not always preferred.

 

When circulating this extension to your customers please emphasize that only a subset of styles and components will be defined through the “Style Creator Wizard”.  The intent is to create the styles that are most commonly used.

 

Instructions for use:

 

Download Setup.zip

 

Installation:

Copy the attached “Setup.zip.txt” file to your machine and remove the .txt extension.

Extract the files from the zip file to a folder.

Double click on the “Setup.exe” file to install

 

Execution:

Launch Civil 3D and type the command AeccXStyleWizard on the command line.

Follow the specific instructions detailed at each step of the style creation process.

Autodesk Networking Event - Waltham, MA USA

Meet, greet, and learn.
Join Autodesk, the Boston Society of Architects, and Microdesk for a networking event at the Autodesk Gallery Boston on Trapelo Road.

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Time: 6 p.m.–8 p.m.
Location: 1560 Trapelo Rd, Waltham

In partnership with the Boston Society of Architects and Microdesk, Autodesk is hosting a networking event for job-seeking architects, engineers, and designers in the Boston Area. Meet potential employers in your field, network with peers and learn more about how you can benefit from the Autodesk Assistance Program.

Please RSVP to autodeskAAP@fleishman.com by Friday, July 17, 2009.
Registration is limited.

World's Oldest Man (a Land Surveyor) Dies at 113

Wow!  Must have been all the fresh air and exercise!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31439522/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

BIM / VDC: An Evolutionary Step in Engineering

 

I am long overdue for a post, but I think I have the perfect one.  Are you ready?  I am convinced that we are witnessing the next evolutionary step in engineering.  That being the wide scale adoption of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and/or VDC (Virtual Design and Construction).  What are BIM and VDC?  Follow the links:  BIM  VDC  My two cents . . . they are esentially the same thing!

CAD, GPS, Laser Scanning each in and of themselves represented evolutionary steps for engineering.  Today, BIM / VDC is here and here to stay.  Still not convinced?  Have you seen the recent cover stories  from both CE News and ENR?  Check them both out and get ready to retool, rethink and reengiineer your current processes.  If you don't I believe you will no longer be able to compete, much less win any size-able, stimulus related contracts.  The recent GSA RFP that requires BIM models as part of the submittals is proof enough.  This is a 5 year, $35M contract.  If you want a piece of the action BIM and/or VDC is the way forward.

You know you are getting old when you have witnessed more than three of these evolutionary jumps in your career.  I was hired at my first civil engineering firm to migrate the design shop from ink and mylar to CAD.  That makes me about 102 years old.  But I am never too old to adopt new, necessary and inevitable processes / technologies - except for reality TV.  Not going there.

Autodesk Assistance Program

Autodesk Assistance Program Offers Help to Displaced Workers Designers, Engineers and Architects Can Receive Software, Training, Certification and Other Company Resources to Help Extend Their Skills and Improve Employability SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Recognizing the impact of today's economic challenges, Autodesk is launching the Autodesk Assistance Program. The Autodesk Assistance Program will provide Autodesk customers and partners with design software tools, education and resources that will help them to enhance, maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills and remain competitive in the marketplace. The program will offer free* student software term licenses, free online training and a path to certification to unemployed architects, designers and engineers in all industries. "Everyone has been touched by the economic downturn," said Steve Blum, senior vice president, Autodesk Americas sales. "Autodesk has a tradition of supporting the needs of its customers and partners. The Autodesk Assistance Program is a fast-tracked way for our customers to improve their productivity and competitiveness during this challenging and volatile time by accessing the multiple resources we offer them to best position themselves for the future." Autodesk Assistance Program tools and resources will be made available through an online portal, where users can access: Free* Software License: Any 13-month term student license of AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Inventor Professional, and/or AutoCAD Civil 3D software. Free Online Training: On-demand training available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week provided online through vBooks - powered by Retrieve Technologies, Inc. (internet access required) Reduced-Cost Classroom Training: Many Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) partners are offering classroom training at their training facilities for free or for a significantly reduced fee. Certification: Certification preparation and exams are available at discounted rates through Autodesk Authorized Certification Centers. In addition to the Autodesk Assistance Program, Autodesk has partnered with various industry organizations on local initiatives. For instance, the new Autodesk office in Waltham, Mass., is teaming with the local Boston Society of Architects to offer free volunteer-led immersion seminars on building information modeling (BIM) to unemployed design professionals in the Boston area. Autodesk resellers and Chief Information Officers from different Boston-area companies are all pitching in to help teach the seminars. Seminar attendees receive a free* Revit Architecture student term license, and can also receive American Institute of Architects (AIA) continuing education credit for the seminars. Partners who participate in the Autodesk Assistance Program will be designated as official Autodesk Assistance Program members on the program's website. Offers for certification and classroom training will vary depending on each ATC. Locate an Autodesk ATC in your area for details. The Autodesk Assistance Program is being launched in North America. The company hopes to roll the program out in other countries over the next few months. Listen to Steve Blum discuss the program in a video on the Autodesk YouTube channel. Autodesk currently provides training and online resources to end users through Autodesk University Online (AU Online), Autodesk User Group International (AUGI), various online industry communities and the Autodesk YouTube Channel. For more information about the Autodesk Assistance Program, please contact your local reseller, or contact Autodesk directly at assistance@autodesk.com or visit www.autodesk.com/assistanceprogram.