Getting Schooled at Autodesk University

Well it's been a long and exciting month.  It started off with a bang at a new job and ended with an explosion at Autodesk University.  This was my 5th and most exciting AU yet.  Some folks may think a conference in Vegas is all fun and gaming, but this one has a grueling schedule equal to staying back home in the office.  It's 3 days of intensive learning, networking, creating, and sharing that leaves you wanting for more.  Starting with breakfast at 7 and classes from 8 to 6:30 to an evening capped off with presentations, contests, forums, and exhibitions.  And yes, I think there may be some drinking and gambling going on too - it is after all Vegas.

There is such a wealth of information at this conference that would make any tech geek gorge till they are stuffed like a Thanksgiving bird - maybe that's why it's held the week after Thanksgiving.  Not only do you learn about the latest technology, but you get a sweet taste for what's just around the bend in the near future.  It covers Autodesk products and how they can be integrated into your process workflow in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, & Construction, Film & Entertainment, along with Manufacturing.

The week kicked off with the HOK Global BIM Summit and Keynote Welcome Address by Carl Bass (Autodesk), Chris Anderson (Wired Magazine), and Jeffrey McGrew (BecauseWeCan.org).  This year I focused on the construction aspect of BIM and took classes and labs in Navisworks, Quantity Takeoff, BIM Project Execution Plans, and mind boggling presentation graphics.  I have to say that I found the labs this year to be the best part as you get to roll up your sleeves and dive right into working.  Though I cut classes most of the day Tuesday to attend the Innovation Forums learning and being inspired by the technology of the future being created today.  Of course the best part of the week is meeting and talking with some of the great minds and leaders in the industry.

I highly recommend this as a worthwhile event for anyone in the AECO industry.  Particularly if you are a technology geek - and there were many.  If only I had video of the people passing by on the escalator feverishly punching screens of all shapes and sizes during the precious 47 seconds they had when they didn't have to look up.  Even if you have to pay for it yourself - it is the best investment in yourself you can ever make.  Many people do not know, but if your firm is on subscription (and 85% are), then you have access to all the class materials, podcasts, and screencasts online for past AU sessions.  Check with your software manager and they should be able to set you up with a user name.

Go check it out in 2012 - you won't be disappointed.  You will learn a lot and maybe you just might walk away from the tables with some coin too!

That's not office standard!!!

If only I had a dollar for every time I've heard that phrase, I'd be writing this from my private island in the Ligurian Sea.  You know what I'm talking about too.  There's always that one person in the office hell bent on "standards" and how the drawings should look.  Maybe it's even you?  

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for making my drawings legible and uniform.  As architects, we even want them to look nice and pretty.  But have you ever seen the elusive "standards manual"?  Is this something that was created when the firm began back in 1924?  Show me the manual!!  I'll follow it by all means but most of times it's either a guessing game or tales told through the ages from one generation to the other.  Who has the non-billable time to print, hole punch, and insert a bunch of pages into an old unused products binder?

Well here we have it - new and improved for the 21st century.  Better than a paper bound manual is a PDF file ready and available on your file server.  This way, you can bookmark pages and change them out as methods, software, and lead designers change.  These "one-sheets" as i call them should be just that.  One single page giving critical information on a single topic.  Keep it simple and include what should be done and why.  This reinforces to users what they should be doing and the dire consequences if they do not.  Don't include click by click instructions on how.  There's always more than one way to accomplish a task, so don't spend time and space on your page with that.

Please do me one last favor - call it Best Practices.  It is a living breathing entity after all and should always be evolving.  Standards sounds so set in stone as though you just blew the dust off the cover.  Try it out - I think you just might like it!

HOT stuff down in Argentina!!!

I told you that i would find some inspiring stuff.  Check out these guys at VMS 3D in Cordoba!

Some really cool stuff to watch for inspiration!

Check out this video.  It shows just how amazing digital modeling is and gives that WOW factor.  This stuff is inspiring to watch and one of reasons I love working with BIM.  Shown off only the way that Autodesk can.  I plan to showcase more cool work as I come across it.

KNOW WHERE I CAN GET AN ITALIAN MARKER BOARD?

Yeah we had a great marker board we used on our last project….I think we used it in Building C in the 5^th floor classrooms…..and it still might be in Italian……..and it’s floor based……..but you can tweak it!  Ever try to reuse information from a prior project?   BIM has gone beyond the CD set and we are now working with a rich set of data for a multitude of uses from fabrication to facilities management and more.  Not only is it important to pass along good clean usable data to the other teams, but to pass it on back to your teams.  How are you keeping all the good stuff from your most recent project while making sure that those “what the…” moments don’t rear their ugly head again.

All too often our nemesis in completely a quality post-mortem on a project is time.  We never have enough of it and we are off to the next project.  But without doing so, how do you know if you were successful?  How do others in your firm know where all that good stuff is.  Certainly another team can use those placeholder doors that have all the clearances marked out.  Couldn’t someone else use all those Sherwin-Williams paint colors that you set up?  How about the new process you developed for bringing in a data set of room requirements from clients?

By creating a feedback loop,  new objects, materials, presentation styles, processes, ideas, and more can be reused in future projects.  Taking a few hours now will certainly save you and others from reinventing the wheel later on.  The time spent will be well worth it, even if it may even have to be considered (gasp) nonbillable!   You can share this new good stuff with others by establishing a system of review and updates.  These may include updates and additions to files, directories, templates, and documentation.  Not only will it make you more efficient in the long run, it just may save you from having to look up “length” in Italian.

NO if, why, or when about it! Focus on how to do it now.

I was recently asked a few weeks ago how I would convince someone that they should be working with Building Information Modeling software.  I thought of all the usual responses - better coordination, effective production that cuts down wasted time, improved communication, greener and more efficient buildings, the use of templates with libraries of model components and details, and a host of other reasons why architecture, engineering, and construction firms should be using BIM for their clients projects.  None of these were the correct answer.  They may have been 3 or 4 years ago, but the answer was simple enough.  It's because you will not be able to respond to RFP's, you will not be awarded jobs, and ultimately you will not be in business.


In his keynote speech at the 2009 Autodesk University, Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk gave the most insightful explanation about BIM.  He spoke of how BIM has reached its sweet spot and was at the moment when technology has become possible.  It is the point in technological innovation when users of a certain technology will have a competitive advantage over their competition.  These early adopters will have worked through the growing pains and be positioned to effectively use technology when it eventually becomes expected and ultimately required.


That was just 2 short years ago and the eventually is now upon us.  Many federal agencies have adopted BIM as a requirement along with states such as Texas and Wisconsin.  It is only a matter of time when all public and private owners will be asking for projects to be completed in BIM.  Are you ready to start a project in BIM tomorrow?


As a BIM consultant, I urge firms to get in as soon as possible regardless of project type or size.  There should be no question of why to use BIM or if you will use it and if so, when.  I'm not going to give you those reasons because if you don't do it, then kiss your business goodbye.  What you should be asking is how to effectively implement and the use of BIM tools in your part of the design, construction, and maintenance of a building.


This blog will be dedicated to answering that question.  For those of you seeking a way to get started, think of me as your hero to help guide your way.  My BIM Hero will bring your business into the 21st century and beyond.  Think of this blog as your resource for news, information, tips & tricks, and all things BIM to help you on the path to success.