Rising back up...and getting ready for AU 2013!

I just realized it's been about 4 months since I posted anything. It's mainly due to the fact that we've been pretty busy, with a lot of new work, different software packages and new work processes we're trying to get out to the masses.

So, it's time for my annual Autodesk University pre-game show (twitter: #au2013; au.autodesk.com). This year, I've got three classes, plus two that I'm helping with.

First up - Wednesday, Dec. 4th, 8:00AM PST, is MP1523-L, Fast Track for Autodesk AutoCAD MEP Power Users, takes an out-of-the-box look at how to leverage projects that are designed using AutoCAD MEP, and how to get more detailed models for better results. We'll be looking at traditional and non-traditional methods to build MEP models, using custom UCS features in addition to the project level controls.

IFC compatibility is becoming a larger issue in the design industry, and this class looks at IFC functionality both ways - coming into an AutoCAD MEP project, and heading out for use with other tools such as Revit. We also will be examining space and zone usage to go with the model, which is leveraged to build gbXML files for external analysis tools like Green Building Studio. The class wraps up with a couple of quick lessons for leveraging manufacturer's 3D content, editing a part directly from a drawing, and adding custom symbology to inline accessories such as valves. The class goes by fast, needless to say...and should help you do the same with your AutoCAD MEP models.

Immediately following this lab on Wednesday, Dec. 4th at 10am PST  is MP1304, Autodesk Revit MEP in Process and Water Resource World, is mid to high level course about how we, Gannett Fleming, are using BIM tools to work on this particular types of projects. This class reviews some examples of water treatment projects that we've recently been working on, and discusses how we defined the models to get the most benefit for our design teams.

We're also looking at tips on working with various, non-traditional BIM suppliers of content, and how we work with and convert file types into something usable on our projects. The class also covers how we leverage our design models with different analysis tools, such as Autodesk's Simulation CFD and Green Building studio products, and others. We wrap up on the long term benefits to the client and contractor. This includes ideas for where our Design Build team can leverage the work we've done to keep control of project costs and deadlines, and where the owner gets more value from a BIM model that supplements traditional 2D documentation.

Thursday, Dec. 5th at 8:00am PST is one of my favorite classes to teach, MP1507, It's a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD Autodesk Revit MEP World. This out-of-control tip sand tricks class is here to make sure your last day at AU starts with a bang, and gives you valuable help for solving MEP secrets. We start off talking about customizing templates for maximum efficiency. and move right into family customization tips. We spend some time talking about view control with templates and custom views for non-traditional (re: not flat) plans, sections and elevations. The course wraps up with examples of how leverage your BIM model for Simulation CFD, Fusion 360 and more. It's my chance to have fun with my fellow BIM fans and friends, and give you junk to fill up your bag for the ride home.

One recent addition is a panel discussion I was asked today to participate in. Joshua Benoist, a senior support specialist with Autodesk that's had to put up with all my challenging (and sometimes dumb) support questions about the Autodesk BIM products, has asked me to help offer some insights on Autodesk's 360 products. MP3174, Come Fly with Us in the Cloud: BIM Panel Discussion is Thursday, Dec. 5th at 2:30 pm PST. I'll be joining some long-time cohorts to offer up our opinions and advice on how to use the Autodesk Cloud services in a BIM collaborative workflow. This one should be really entertaining and interesting, and gives you a chance to interact with your peers in a wide open discussion. Get there early - this could get packed!

I'm really looking forward to this years event - with fewer classes to teach, I'm really looking forward to attending some sessions on really interesting topics this year. And the best part of AU is the networking, so hunt me down - and let's talk shop this year!

See you in a month! David B.

Back to Autodesk University 2013 - 3 Classes this year!

The powers to be at Autodesk University have decided to give me another shot...I've got three classes this year:


Class ID: MP1304 Class Title: Revit in the Process Project World
Class Type: Lecture

This lecture is about how we are centering our process project designs around Revit, and how we are using it along with other tools to develop a more complete project and deliverable.


Class ID: MP1507
Class Title: It's a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, Revit MEP World
Class Type: Lecture

Since Dr. Shots was outlawed last year, we decided to go with a different theme for my annual tips and tricks class - so expect the unexpected...

Class ID: MP1523-L
Class Title: Fast Track for AutoCAD MEP Power Users
Class Type: Hands-on Lab


The good news is that I actually get to attend some classes and do a little more networking. I'll also have more time to meet with people, so I'm looking forward to a little more networking. If anyone's interested in meeting and comparing notes, give me a buzz - or just send me a message through the AU contacts site.

We'll see you in Vega$!

later - David B.

 

AVB Part 2 – On a Clear Day….You can See the Data….

To start this analysis of Autodesk versus Bentley off, it’s best to start with a little perspective. First up, I’m a layman. I’m not the smartest guy in the room, nor do I want to be. But my job requires me to be two things. First and foremost, I’m an analyst. It’s my job to objectively understand the what, how and why for our design approach. Understanding what it takes to get a project out the door, meeting the code and client’s needs, are first and foremost. Putting the art into the project, while important, is a bonus, but critical towards gaining wider acceptance for future work.

Once you gain knowledge of how things work, as the analyst, I have to take that information and figure out how to make it work better. It’s at that point the specialist begins and the subjectivity kicks in. We develop the solution and implement it, train it and support it. Most cases, we’ll get it right, sometimes we get it wrong…but then the analyst kicks back in and we start over.

And all of this is based on understanding the information that we receive. In today’s society, information is everywhere – in our personal finances, in our job, in our culture…even in our refrigerator. And it’s out there, unfiltered, for everyone to see. Just ask Google, Facebook, the IRS and the NSA how important data is…they live and exist off of it.

How that data is shared is what drives nearly everything we do. And we’re constantly in overload, being bombarded daily with information, whether it’s personal, professional or trivial. It’s being able to pick out the relevant data is what keeps us from going nuts.

So, to make BIM work, you have to create filters, and understand information sources. All too often, we don’t get it the way we need it, so for my own sanity, I had to break it down into categories. Here’s my stab at the 100k foot perspective on information or data.

Personal – the priority in everyone’s lives is the personal information that relates to everything you believe and do. We see the world in a lens of information that directly pertains to us as individuals.  Personal information is raw data, and it’s what affects most of our decisions.

Here’s an example. My wife is a mortgage loan officer, and in order to make a decision about getting a loan approved, she needs to know personal information – where you live, what you make, what your bills and expenses are. One of the things she’s good at is helping people interpret their personal data, and make decisions about what they can and can’t afford. I know she’s a rarity in the world, but she does care about the people she works with, and tries to help them not get into a bad financial situation. But it’s all based on the raw data they provide. If it’s incorrect, or falsely provided, it can affect their lives in profound ways. But if you don’t know the raw data about yourself and what you do, then it’s hard to make decisions correctly.

Apply this to BIM. The personal data is the specific information assigned to an environment that we are designing around. This could be specific information about a piece of equipment, or the area requirements of a room. If the data is incorrect or falsely presented, it can cause all kinds of problem. Have you ever gotten a set of plans or specs that don’t match how something exists in the real world? That’s what I’m referring to. Getting this personal data correct, and making sure it’s properly filtered and shared, determines the success or failure of a design project.

Mutually Shared – at this point, you are entering into a relationship where more than one person is involved. Two or more people have a mutual understanding about the provided information, and they both agree on it. This requires common knowledge of personal information, and agreement on how it’s presented.

In the BIM world, this is the relationship between multiple design sources. And it’s the most broken part of the system, since the majority of our design tools aren’t made to communicate with each other. Sure, there have been some attempts – IFC, for example – but it isn’t seamless. Part of this comes from the inherent human nature and desire to protect their personal information and intellectual property.

The other part comes from the way it’s presented. In most design applications, all the data is shared. Take a look at the Revit DB link tool – it dumps everything right down to the lines used to cheat, and make something look different (or more like the way we did it in CAD, to get the documentation to look pretty). Every CAD file, model, detail is nothing more than a graphical database. It’s easy to share this, but sometime we’ll get stuff we really don’t need, or isn’t relevant. This causes overload – and can also allow for items to be missed, or misinterpreted.

Mutually Beneficial – there’s a big difference between shared information and beneficial information. Just because data is shared, doesn’t mean that it provides a benefit. If the data is in conflict, then it can affect the design. An example would be a specification that states one manufacturer for a part, and a schedule in a drawing that says something else.

At some point, you have to decide what information is mutually beneficial. In our world, we are deciding what data needs to be shared between databases, design programs, specifications and client applications. It’s one thing to share everything, which is what happens now. It’s more important to filter this list to what’s mutually beneficial, and needs to be coordinated.

So let’s back up and look at these parts. In order for us, the end user, to gain productivity, reduce costs and increase accuracy, we have to start with the personal information. We have to assimilate it and share it with multiple sources. And we have to make it mutually beneficial, so we’re not overloading each other with irrelevant facts, that don’t affect the outcome – the design.

So how does this pertain to Autodesk versus Bentley? Simple…step back and look at both companies. Look at their product offerings, and how they approach the design world. While there is commonality, mainly along the output side, everything else is pretty different. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the common threads are too thin. Even internally, you look at different products within the Autodesk world, and see the silo effect – for example, class definitions and properties in the Plant 3D/P&ID products, versus categories and parameters in Revit, and object styles/property set definitions in AutoCAD Architecture/MEP. Bentley’s not immune to this either, but both products have infrastructure in place that makes determining and sharing the mutually beneficial information tough to do.

What BIM is doing is affecting the tools we use, and how we gather this information. BIM is not software, it’s a process – we’ve said this a million times. And it’s the “I” in BIM that needs the most work, mainly due to both company’s different perspectives on how we need to handle the information.

Next up – we’ll look at this in more detail, and talk more about the silo versus silo-free approach.

CORRECTION: Norb corrected me on my previous post. Bentley does allow you to use the ESC key to cancel the current command (although it’s not the default – so there). Look under Workspaces, then Preferences. In the Input section, you can change the right mouse button to all ESC to cancel the command. OK – when I’m wrong, I’m wrong…but I ain’t sayin’ I’m sorry…yet..

Thanks – David B.

Let’s Get Ready to RUMBLE…Autodesk versus Bentley in the 21st Century…Part One…

Man, if you have told me 5 years ago I’d be in this spot, I would have said why the heck wasn’t I there two years earlier…I’m loving working at Gannett Fleming, mainly due to the great work environment and attitude of the employees. And it’s given me a chance to step back and take a look at the whole big picture of where we are in the design world right now. There are some parts that make me just go “wow” and other parts that make me go “c’mon…”. And that’s what my next series of articles will be about.

You all know I’m an Autodesk guy. We’re family, no matter how dysfunctional it may be. I grew up with them, and they’ve made my career…so you know what camp I’m in. But out in the real world, I’m faced with different priorities – with number one being to make sure I take care of my team, no matter what the circumstances are.

Enter the Bentley…we do a lot of work with government agencies, and as most of you know, they’ve had a long standing relationship with the brothers from PA. We have several projects where BIM has become a topic, but because they’re bound like Siamese twins to Microstation products, we had to make a decision – take the work on that platform or leave it. It ain’t smart to turn down opportunities like this, so you know what we’re doing. And besides – we’re already good at the design part, so I’ve been psyching myself up by saying it’s just a tool, and we can do anything we set our minds to. One saving grace is that most agencies that are not tied to GSA are just now figuring this out, so it looks like we're all going down together...or up, depending on the outcome.

So last month, I did the unthinkable – I went to the Bentley LEARN Conference, which was an experience for me...going to the "dark side". On a comparative scale, you can tell who owns the market by looking at the annual conferences. I had classes where there were only 5-10 people on the buildings and electrical side, with the most in one class being about 30. I’ve had bad classes at AU that had double that number, and that still doesn’t come close to the body counts we pile up in Vegas every year.

One thing I noticed right off the bat – Bentley users are every bit as loyal as Autodesk users…actually more like Ron Paul supporters (if you’re not into politics, you may not get that joke). My other observation about Bentley – please forgive me for this – is that they’re more like the hot Brazilian model that has multiple personality disorder. They’ve got some sexy stuff going on, but can’t decide who they want to be. But I was also really surprised to see familiar faces from the Autodesk world. Apparently, we’re not the only ones having to learn how to live in both worlds and get the most out of them...go figure...

And here’s my equal time for Autodesk. Yes, we’re family. And like the drunk on Saturday night hanging out with his pals, you know I’m going to be the one to say “I really love you guys…” before passing out on the floor. But like family, you got your own issues with identity…and I’m blaming the short attention span, app-based world we live in for doing that. You’ve gotten away from taking care of the core, and are playing around with these hot little numbers like Force Effect, Flame and Photofly. I know I’m the old spouse that will always be there when you get done with your infatuation, but come Monday, you’d better be ready to get back to work.

For this post, I’m going to keep my observations down to a couple of generic points, mainly about the user experience. Autodesk wins this hands down, but it doesn’t mean I totally dislike what Bentley has done. For starters, the ribbon interface that’s common to most Microsoft-based applications make learning these tools easy. And having common mouse button functionality also makes program hopping work smoothly. For example, being able to pick it and right click to change objects has been a mantra of mine for years. The context sensitive ribbons are making me like them more now, especially since they always show up in the right (side) place.

Microstation – c’mon. After all these years, let the ESC key get you out of a command. I know you want to be yourselves, but this ain’t 1990. I like the toolboxes, but give me something to replace the exclusive cryptic letter entry keys. You shouldn’t have to type in Y to get a feature similar to otrack – make the tool visible and clear on the screen. DOS is dead, guys…

Every tool should be available in specific graphical areas, especially ones that control alignments, snaps, etc. And the tools should follow the workflow process. For the most part, they do that in the toolboxes, but finding something anywhere else was pretty maddening.

 

The view controls in AutoCAD and Revit and view cube trump Microstation navigation, although I didn’t have any trouble getting around once I figured out the view number icons. Overall, the bottom line is that the user interface is in bad need of overhaul. Get out there and study ribbon technology – if you want to be competitive in the future market, you’ve got to figure out a way to make the user experience easier, not harder.

Now I will say this – since my focus is going to be the Substation and AECOSim products, the hook feature you have in substation is an improvement on the snap tool, since it can control direction. Sort of like the connector in Revit, it gives you a little more flexibility when it comes to adding a wire to a connection point. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to impress me. I could go on for a while, but it’s time to wrap this up.

And my next topic will cover one of the most important concerns I have in regards to BIM applications – the “I” and the relationship with the data. Bentley has definitely been playing in the database game a lot longer. What Substation brings is linking data the way AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD P&ID and Plant 3D should have brought to the Revit world...let's leave it at that. There are definitely two approaches going on, but I’m going to spend a little more time figuring out how Autodesk and Bentley plan on handling this before I comment on it. It’s one of the deciding factors in who’s going to be the real player in the market in the foreseeable future, so let’s see what these guys - both companies - are going to do about it.

Happy BIM’ing – David B.

Getting STEAMED about Training...on Autodesk Products

I've been riding the high horse about training for years. but one of my biggest complaints was that the education community wasn't keeping up with the technology. I know, it's tough...usually they move at the speed of government...

While I was cruising around looking for some online materials about energy analysis and simulation for the 2014 release (here's a great link, by the way - http://autodesk.typepad.com/bpa/2013/03/advanced-energy-analysis-with-green-building-studio-doe2-and-energyplus-support.html), I came across the Autodesk Digital STEAM Workshop.

This site is gear towards the Education community, and demonstrates how new technology, from AutoCAD to Revit, Inventor, Maya and 3D studio, can be integrated into a core curriculum from the high school level and beyond. It works in 3 levels:

- Level 1 provides the overview of working in a 3D world, reviews the industry and careers, and the relevant Autodesk software. Other resources cover emerging technology and packages such as Mudbox, Sketchbook, and videos on design and teaching. A section on sustainability covers what this means from the industry side, so students gain perspective and common sense on the importance of designing smart. A list of core competencies is included, so the instructor and student know what to expect, and what's important to understand in the software packages. Certification and skills testing is also provided in this level

- Level 2 gets into the expectations of the course, providing project examples that are sorted by software, subject, difficulty and time. By providing real-world project examples, the students and instructors get an idea of the effort involved, and the endgame results.

- Level 3 is the meat of the course. The students can produce their own projects, from a 30 hour individual project to a 90 hour team project. Putting real-world examples and work in front of the users is critical to retention.

The beauty of this is that it provides education institutions that are still mired in providing board drafting, basic  AutoCAD, or 3D modeling training on packages that are most likely not related to what the student will use in the real world, a clear path forward using the most widely recognized design tools. It's a shame that some schools refuse to do this - for example, one of my former schools still only offers Solidworks training for the engineering curriculum, including civil, mechanical, electrical and other programs that focus on building design.

So check out this website: http://curriculum.autodesk.com/student/public/index/index, and see what you think. If you want to position your students to have the greatest likelihood of getting a job, and be prepared to use the most common tools, then start here...

thanks - David B.

How to Mess up a Revit plan view...Fat chance!

You know I would have bet a million bucks that somebody in our office would never screw this up...but it happened, so let me explain, and tell you how to fix it.

Our example includes a project with multiple small buildings in one file, at the correct elevation and location on a site. One building's ground floor level sits 3' higher than an adjacent building. Normally, when you set a project up, you would link the architectural model, then copy/monitor the levels from the architectural model to have one common set of levels. From the copied levels, you would create a floor plan view for each level, for each building.

Now stop and think about this - how would you do it in 2D AutoCAD? You'd take a site file showing the buildings, and either do a separate drawing for each floor plan (old school) at 0,0 in each building. But if you were doing both buildings in one CAD file, you'd be tempted (hold on) to create one plan viewport around one building on a layout tab...then copy the viewport, and pan over to the other building...all while keeping that viewport the nice, same size. This results in EPIC fail on the BIM test.

In 2D CAD, you can get away with this - but you can't do this in Revit - why?

Simple - every plan view is associated with a level, in most cases, a primary datum level at a specific elevation. Everything you place in the view is related to the level associated with that plan. Even hosted items can give off data that relates to the floor plan level, such as an offset elevation on a wall. But if you take a view that's associated with one level, and simply change the crop region around another building (which has a primary datum level at a different elevation), it's going to be wrong.

So here's where the problem occurs. For example - a user adds a pipe thinking that 210 Basement has the 210 Basement level as the associated level. So they're drawing a sloped pipe to what they think is 7' above that level. But in the view, since the 210 level is actually 3 feet lower than where it really needs to be. So the pipe is drawn at 10', not 7', causing additional work needed to change the pipe to the correct elevation.

You can change the associated reference level to get the right elevation, but it's something you're forced to stop and think about...and do a little math. Make it a really odd number...and you're really messed up.

And guess what - you can't change a plan views associated level once it's defined. (BTW - I did try to do this with a view list, by including the associated level...but no joy on that approach). You can also screw this up on single building projects - by copying a lower or upper level plan, and then changing the view range for the view properties. This is also a massive fail - since non-hosted objects display relative offset heights from the associated level...ugh...

So the fix for the user is to create a new view that's associated with the correct level, and then copy and paste generic annotations like text to the new view. Tags and dimension should be re-created, but these guys are pretty quick to make again.

In the end, it boils down to a simple thing - when you are setting a project up - whether it's one building or multiple buildings - make sure you start by creating a primary floor plan view for each level. Make sure it's associated with the correct level. If you are duplicating views to save some time, ALWAYS check that associated level. This keeps the issue from spreading like a virus to the rest of the project.

PAY ATTENTION to the details...cutting corners catches you every time...

later - David B.

Revit 2014 Notes and News...

With the product launch of Revit 2014, there's a lot of activity going on at Autodesk. I'm happy to report that we (Gannett Fleming) are wrapping up a few models for Autodesk that will be used as a dataset for demonstrating the product for this release. The building, which is a small medical facility, is intended to show how a model would be defined and leveraged across all areas of a design project.

One of our tasks was not to create a completed design, but more of a 80-90% complete design, complete with flaws and design issues that might occur during a project. So there are some conflicts, a few ducts that need to be sized, and some fairly complicated duct and pipe routing. We also include electrical system components that help demonstrate 120/208 and 277/480 voltage systems, and how to create a distribution system. Schedules include lighting, panel, and space/zone design schedules.

While primarily using out-of-the-box families, we also brought in examples of manufacturer content from Mitsubishi Electric.The HVAC system is designed as a variable refrigerant flow system. This system utilizes traditional supply and return ductwork systems, and room specific units that utilize makeup air from an energy recovery unit. The zoned systems also include demonstrating how a make-up supply air system can now be connected to a return air system. This is an improved feature in 2014 - in previous releases, the systems that are connected together all had to be the same type. You can now connect ductwork between these systems, but the sizing tools become disabled. We added a system connector family as an example, to demonstrate how you could maintain system separation and maintain the integrity of the system for sizing tools, and still connect the ductwork.

The architectural model includes a variety of finish materials, and allows the user to experiment with different design conditions easily. We also worked with Autodesk consultants on the design to create an asymmetrical design, including small variations in levels. The structure combines both concrete and steel components, to help Autodesk demonstrate the different design tools in Revit Structure.

All in all, it was a great learning experience for us as well. It helped drive home how important having a single, coordinate shared parameter file was on a project, which is something we put into place a few years ago. We included an example parameter text file based on the shared parameters exported from the Mitsubishi families to give us common voltage, number of poles, and  other shared electrical connection parameters. This helps us avoid the issue of having duplicate name parameters in a project, which can make defining schedules a real pain.

One of the biggest improvements for us came with the graphics systems. I've been running Revit 2014 on a three year old Dell Inspiron 14R, with an i5 processor, 8gb of RAM and Intel HD onboard graphics. I didn't have to wait for views to regenerate themselves, even in more complex views such as a transparent 3D model. File opens and saves were also faster. For someone who hasn't had the money to upgrade their systems, this release doens't mean the end of the world - as long as you keep your models compact. I haven't tried it yet on some of our larger, more complex projects, but I expect similar improvements on performance.

Rendering is also greatly improved, whether you are working on your own workstation or in the cloud. A simple  medium quality rendering using exterior only lights took about 5 minutes to produce the image above, even on my old workhorse.

So when you get a chance to watch one of the Autodesk demos, check out the model (and promise not to laugh too much - remember, I'm not an engineer, I just play one on TV). Hopefully it will give you an idea of just how far Autodesk has come with Revit for all areas of design - and that you get as much out of it as we do. 

Think you can guess how much time it took to create the model? If you can, you win - well, nothing of real value other than a pat on the back...I'll post the actual time up later as a comment - you'll be surprised!

thanks - David B.