AECnews.com

Océ Names California Firm as "Green Reprographer of the Year"

Randall Newton — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:23:00 GMT

Document printer manufactuer Océ today announced that Reliable Graphics, a California-based reprographics firm, is the winner of its first “Green Reprographer of the Year” award. Reliable was selected from a pool of pre-qualified entrants who submitted applications via Océ’s website, outlining their achievements in the area of green business practices and explaining how these efforts have assisted their customers to meet their own sustainability goals.

An independent panel of judges, including Denise Gustavson, Editor of Wide Format Imaging magazine, Dave Barista, Managing Editor of Building Design & Construction magazine, and Ed Avis, author of The Green Reprographics Handbook and contributing writer on green issues for Repro Report magazine, selected Reliable Graphics as the winner based on its enterprise-wide dedication to sustainability.

Reliable Graphics is certified as a Forest Steward Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative reprographer through its active membership in the U.S. Green Building Council and its prominent utilization of the ARC GreenPlan environmental business initiatives.

Editor Denise Gustavson of Wide Format Imaging and award judge commented, “Reliable Graphics has been very proactive when it comes to its policies regarding sustainability. For this shop, being environmentally responsible is more than simply a good idea or afterthought—they’ve put it into practice. In all aspects of its business, Reliable Graphics keeps the environment in mind—from the products and services it provides to its customers to the energy-saving and environmentally-friendly measures it has taken within its facilities.”

Océ says Reliable Graphics has incorporated sustainability into nearly every aspect of its business operations–including the products used in its shops and sold to customers. The company has switche to recycled paper for use on its large format black & white systems and small format systems–saving 1,509 trees, 354,976 KWH of energy and 621,208 gallons of water from June 2007 to February 2008. The company also encourages its customers to embrace sustainable products by offering recycled cardboard binders, CD sleeves, edge binds, tabs and Eco Board for sale in its shops.

Reliable Graphics has also made strides to re-think traditional reprographics applications and minimize unnecessary printing through the adoption of advanced software solutions. Utilizing digital document management software solutions, including Océ Plan Center and a variety of digital applications developed by Reliable Graphics’ parent, American Reprographics Company, the company enables its customers to order plans and send bid invitations online. Reliable Graphics also promotes digital file archiving and file transfer via an FTP site, Océ Repro Desk software and electronic work orders, with which customers can request order pick-ups and place orders while remaining paperless.

Internally, Reliable Graphics has implemented several facility changes to reduce the company’s impact on the environment–from transitioning to a fleet of hybrid vehicles to selecting cleaning products that are eco-friendly. In February of 2008, Reliable Graphics switched to compact florescent light bulbs throughout its shops and equipped all light switches with occupancy sensors.

Employees of Reliable Graphics are encouraged to support the company’s sustainability goals. Each office location is fitted with a webcam so meetings with employees in different locations can be conducted virtually thus putting fewer cars on the road. When they do travel to the office, employees are encouraged to take part in a ride share program with incentives to benefit those offices that take part most often. Additionally, Reliable Graphics educates its employees and clients on “green” topics of interest on a monthly basis, with timely topics displayed and mounted in the offices’ lobby on Eco Board.

Reliable Graphics has also instituted several innovative “green” programs, including:

A 20 yard, on-site recycle bin where plastic and every type of paper product from customer scraps to cardboard cores are placed.
A “Plans to Pads” program has been put into place to create note pads from clients’ old plans and from the strips of paper created when loading new paper rolls in its Océ printers
For every three “Digital is Green” tote bags purchased, which the company sells in their shops, Reliable Graphics plants a tree in one of the United States’ national forests.

"Green reprographics is a wave of the future, and it's wonderful that Océ is recognizing forward-thinking reprographics shops by starting this award,” said award judge, Ed Avis. “We’re hoping this contest will inspire other reprographics shops to consider sustainability issues. One green repro shop alone might not save the world, but if a hundred reprographics shops go green, the impact could be enormous.”

NNA Adds Urban Thermal Analysis Tool to VectorWorks

Randall Newton — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:45:00 GMT

Nemetschek North America will introduce ThermoRender, a simulation and analysis tool, at the AIA National convention in Boston from May 15-May 17.

ThermoRender was developed by A&A Co., LTD., NNA's distributor in Japan. It is a VectorWorks-based application that allows consideration of the thermal environment when developing urban areas. It provides information on mitigating heat-island effect that might otherwise be introduced into architecture and urban development.

NNA says ThermoRender can visualize surface temperatures, calculate Heat Island Potential (HIP), Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT), energy consumption, CO2 emission, and much more. ThermoRender received the 2007 Good Design Award and the 2007 Architectural Institute of Japan prize.

"Following the trend within the AEC industry in recent years, we're proud to introduce a technology that is capable of displaying the efficiency of a building and its environment," says Stewart Rom, vice-president of Nemetschek North America sales & marketing.

A 45-minute presentation on ThermoRender will be given at NNA's booth (#22115) on Thursday, May 15, from 11:30-12:15 p.m. and 2:15-3 p.m.; on Friday, May 16, from 2:15-3 p.m.; and on Saturday, May 17, from 10:30-11:15 a.m. and 12:30-1 p.m.

--RSN

Does BIM Allow Architects To Get Too Far Ahead of Contractors?

Randall Newton — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:59:00 GMT

A recent article in Fast Company magazine, Lost in the Funhouse, examines the legal woes surrounding the Stata Center at MIT, designed by famous architect Frank Gehry. Most of the occupants hate it, it leaks and forms condensation in many places, and has become a first class headache for the university. Famed linguist Noam Chomsky, assigned an office in the new building, just wishes for orthogonal walls so he could put up a blackboard and bookshelves.

Gerhy’s firm, and his legal counsel, insist any problems with the building are the result of sloppy construction, not design. The general contractor, Skanska USA, insists construction documents were not explicit enough and that in some instances the design was unbuildable. If the initial third-party analysis is correct, it will cost tens of millions of dollars to fix the building.

The Stata Center, like every current Gehry project, was designed using Digital Project, an architectural expansion of CATIA, the 3D CAD product from Dassault Systèmes better known as the CAD behind Boeing and Airbus. DP and other cutting edge architectural products are making it easier than ever for signature architects to harness their imagination. But could it be that such CAD products are too empowering for contractors? One suggestion made in the Fast Company article is that signature architects should be much more closely involved in the construction process, to help interpret design intent and to insure consistent quality in adherence to the architect’s vision.

When the concept of Building Information Modeling first started gaining traction early this decade, there was talk of the need to revive the ‘master builder’ concept. Others, including me, speculated that BIM would be first and best embraced by design-build firms, where there is no tug-of-war over responsibility and liability and the lines of communication stay in-house.

Clearly, advanced design software is not enough to propel the construction industry into a new era of fantastic buildings. Vision is useless if it is not executable; there remains much work to be done to make sure that, across the industry, all the players can be on the same playbook. As attention turns to sustainable (“green”) construction, it becomes more crucial than ever that all the stakeholders need to work together to unite art and craft, vision with business, plan with product.

Excerpts from the Fast Company article “Lost in the Funhouse:”

“This was incredibly dumb.” I am standing at a Stata Center side entrance with Joseph Lstiburek as he points out a brick wall that meets a glass wall with a superficial connection, allowing moisture to seep across the porous brick from outside to inside. Lstiburek (pronounced STEE-bu-rek), an engineer with a Ph.D., is a frequent expert witness in construction lawsuits and an international authority on leaks who gets paid tens of thousands of dollars to cut holes in the sides of buildings and inform the owners how theirs were built wrong. As an independent, unpaid, informal observer, he has had his eye on the Stata Center for several years: “It was obvious it wasn't going to work from watching it go up.”

So who is to blame? Lstiburek posits that the architects should have done a better job of specifying materials and techniques. And the construction firm should have been more rigorous in its quality control. On both fronts, though, these are fundamental errors of craft, not design. In other words, Gehry’s billowing sheets of metal and unexpected angles aren’t at fault: It’s how they were spec’d out and implemented. Two of Gehry’s more prominent creations—the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Seattle's Experience Music Project—haven’t had any construction problems.

“It’s hard for people to believe that something so simple is screwing up these buildings,” Lstiburek says. “But this is an industry-wide problem. It’s not because you have a famous architect.” He adds that basic errors like these occur in up to 20% of all new buildings going up, concrete boxes as well as soaring landmarks. (In another high-profile example, Daniel Libeskind’s Denver Art Museum has suffered leaks similar to the Stata Center.) “The more complicated the building,” Lstiburek says, “the more critical workmanship becomes.”

--RSN

A Night at the Embassy: An Inside Look at Selling BIM

Randall Newton — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:30:00 GMT

Ever wonder how the big Autodesk resellers attract the attention of company executives? We asked freelancer Scott Sowers to mingle with the swells at a recent Revit sales event in Washington DC sponsored by Autodesk reseller Microdesk. You can read his report in the new article, “A Night at the Embassy: An Inside Look at Selling BIM."

--RSN

Report: Adobe Acrobat 3D to Merge into Professional in Next Release

Randall Newton — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:27:00 GMT

eWeek Magazine says Adobe will discontinue selling Adobe Acrobat 3D as a separate product with the summer release of the 2009 version. Instead, the 3D technology will become part of the Professional version of the product.

eWeek cites unnamed sources within the company as the basis for their report. I heard this same news as a rumor last week at COFES. No one from Adobe attended the event this year.

This is unrelated but interesting. Autodesk sells more copies of AutoCAD LT than Adobe sells copies of Photoshop, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Jay Vleeschhouwer.

--RSN

Signup Open for Google SketchUp BaseCamp Invitation Lottery

Randall Newton — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:58:00 GMT

Google is now taking signups for a chance to be invited to attend this year's Google SketchUp 3D Basecamp. As we reported last month, Google is hosting the event at corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California (commonly called The Googleplex). Attendance is free but limited due to available meeting space, thus the need for a lottery to choose attendees.

Details are at the official Google SketchUp blog, and the 3D Basecamp home page.

--RSN

New Film Unveils Rem Koolhaas-Designed Total Gadget Madness Home

Randall Newton — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:07:00 GMT

Gizmodo has a piece today on a new film offering an inside look at one of the most imaginative homes to be designed by one of the world's most "out there" architects, Rem Koolhaus. The Maison à Bordeaux was built for a man who and had limited mobility after a near-fatal auto wreck. "This house is a wonder of engineering with moving walls, lifting bedrooms, platforms and automated windows designed to allow complete free movements to its owner," Gizmodo says. The complete article, "Koolhaus Transforming House is Worthy of Iron Man, Batman and Optimus Prime Combined." also has a link to a clip from the movie.

--RSN

AEC Software Thought Leaders Well Represented in COFES 2008 Roster

Randall Newton — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:20:00 GMT

The ninth annual COFES—the Congress on the Future of Engineering Software—starts April 10 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The invitation-only event is popular among senior-level management from software companies, researchers, analysts and end users. AEC (including plant) and manufacturing firms are represented.

Every year COFES releases a list before the event of confirmed attendees. This year’s roster of AEC-related attendees reveals a broad cross-section of industry thought leaders.

Confirmed attendees include:

· Bill Kemper, CEO, Magister Operis

· Bob Mayer, COO, IMSI/Design

· Bob McNeel, President, Robert McNeel & Associates

· Bruce Bartolf, Vice-President & CTO, Gensler

· Bruce Jenkins, President of Research, Spar Point Research

· Carl Bass, President & CEO, Autodesk

· Chuck Eastman, Professor & Director, Georgia Institute of Technology

· Dallas Beddingfield, Research Analyst, Evolution Computing

· David Jordani, President, Jordani Consulting Group

· Deke Smith, Senior Analyst, Cyon Research

· Dirk Johnson, IS Manager, Mortenson Construction

· Evan Yares, President, Purecor

· Gary D'Arcy, CEO, DRCauto

· Grant Rochelle, Industry & Competitive Intellegence, Autodesk

· Hans Ehrnrooth, President, Tekla

· Ian Howell, CEO, Newforma

· Jerry Laiserin, Editor/Analyst, The LaiserinLetter

· Jesse Devitte, Managing Director, Borealis Ventures

· Joe Morray, President, Trinity Technologies

· Ken Hall, Manager of Sustainable Design Systems, Gensler

· Khaled Moussa, Business Development Manager, Adobe Systems

· Lowell Walmsley, Vice-President, Robert McNeel & Associates

· Lynn Allen, Technical Evangelist, Autodesk

· Malcolm Davies, CEO, GDM

· Mark Andersen, Vice-President, Environmental Systems Design

· Mark Butler, Senior Systems Analyst, HDR Architecture

· Mark Kalin, President, Kalin Associates

· Martin Fischer, Director, CIFE

· Mauritz Botha, CTO, IMSI/Design

· Mike Riddle, Chief Software Architect, Evolution Computing

· Nail Sudin, President & CTO, ShareVis

· Paul Kellenberger, President & CEO, Infinite Z

· Peter Lawrence, Product Manager, Océ North America

· Ragnar Wessman, CTO, Tekla

· Rainer Gawlick, Vice-President Worldwide Marketing, SolidWorks

· Rob Glasier, Executive Vice-President, Americas, AVEVA

· Robert Anderson, Vice-President, Integrated Products, Nemetschek North America

· Scott Green, Engineering Site Director, Google

· Scott Vollmar, Director of Business Development, Autodesk

· Scott Harris, Vice-President, New Product Concepts, SolidWorks

· Scott Simmons, Vice-President of Research and Development, TechniGraphics

· Stacy Doyle, PR Manager, Autodesk

Stacy Scopano, Business and Product Development Manager, Tekla

AECnews will, as always, be attending COFES. I’ve been to all nine; I look forward to this event every year.

--RSN

Bentley Selects Computational Design Veteran Volker Mueller to Lead Research Efforts

Randall Newton — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:18:00 GMT

Bentley announces today that Volker Mueller will become the company's new research director for computational design, part of Bentley's Applied Research group. Mueller has a resume well worth this new position; he has spent years on the cutting edge of both architectural practice and architectural software development.

Bentley says Mueller is responsible for “identifying and pursuing innovative ways to employ computation in the infrastructure design professions. In addition to exploring new approaches to rules-based design, generative design, and analytical design, he will investigate new opportunities for providing real-time design performance feedback to architects and engineers, as well as create the vision for future strategic initiatives.”

Mueller fills the void left by the departure several months ago of former Director of Research Dr. Robert Aish, who was the guiding light behind Bentley's GenerativeComponents initiative. Aish is now at Autodesk. Mueller will not be the pure research and theory guy Aish was, given his years in architecture practice at NBBJ and his former work auto.des.sys, Inc., where he contributed to the development of the 3D modeling package form.Z.

Mueller is an excellent fit for Bentley. He is an experienced user of Bentley software (NBBJ is one of Bentley's largest architectural clients), and he personally knows many of the people doing the cutting edge work in analytical design for architecture. His connections and experience mean that he will be less of a hands-on developer/researcher than Aish and more of an evangelist for the use of GenerativeComponents.

GenerativeComponents is an extention to Bentley Architecture software that facilitates the quick exploration of a broad range of “what-if” alternatives. You can also think of it as Bentley's entry in the sweepstakes to create software for “blobby architecture.” The leading software products right now for free-form architectural design are Rhino 3D from Robert McNeel and Associates, form.Z, ArchiCAD from the Graphisoft division of Nemetschek, VectorWorks from Nemetschek North America, Digital Project from Gehry Technologies (with help from Dassault Systemes) and Bentley's architectural line. Autodesk isn't in this race yet, but will be soon enough with Aish on board.

Companies already using GenerativeComponents include Arup, Buro Happold, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects, HOK, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Morphosis, and SHoP Architects.

--RSN

FMI Foresees Nonresidential Construction Declines in 2008

Randall Newton — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:52:00 GMT

Construction industry management consulting firm FMI has revised downward its forecast for nonresidential construction for 2008 and 2009 in the US since its last report during the fourth quarter of 2007.

FMI says recently released economic indicators "are far bleaker than the previous months." The housing downturn, weakening employment rates, worsening consumer confidence, credit tightening, and the threat of inflation are all factors expected to be drags on the economy.

The nonresidential segments that are the most cyclical, or tied to the economy, will see declines in 2008 and 2009. These segments include office, commercial, religious and amusement and recreation. Lodging is the only exception as there is enough overhang from starts in 2007 that are still under construction in 2008.

Publicly funded nonresidential segments will fare much better, such as health care, educational, public safety and Homeland Security construction.

Health care construction will remain positive partly due to facility upgrades across the country and seismic retrofits in California. Education construction will decline in some areas of the country due to less property taxes and therefore less state revenue. However, many MSAs and school systems in several states have passed education bonds, which will help to stop growth from turning negative. Higher education will experience steady growth driven by an increase in endowments. Public safety construction will grow because of increasing inmate populations (which is rising faster than the general population growth) and an increase in fire and police stations. Homeland Security port and border work and port work to increase port size to be able to accept post-Panamax sized vessels will help to drive transportation construction. Increased airport delays will also increase construction.

Residential

Housing will affect the economy again in 2008. It is not expected to begin recovering until 2009. All segments of the residential sector will remain down, led by single family (-10%), followed multi family (-7%) and then finishing with improvements (-2%).

Construction Manufacturing

The report also comments on construction manufacturing. FMI believes it will not experience decreases in 2008 and 2009 partly because it is at a low level; its previous high from 1998 will not be surpassed until 2010. Manufacturing will also benefit from the overhang of some huge projects started in 2007. For the first time, several multi-billion dollar projects are under construction at the same time. Basic materials manufacturing will also help to prop up this segment. Increases in cement clinker capacity, refineries and steel manufacturing will contribute to these gains.

“The economic indicators look bleak for construction in the upcoming year, but the outlook is optimistic for a few nonresidential and nonbuilding segments,” said Heather Jones, construction economist for FMI’s Research Services. “The segments that will remain positive in 2008 are either non-cyclical or are being propped up by large starts last year. The slowing economy will cause total nonresidential construction to decline in 2009 as lower starts in 2008 are finally felt.”

--RSN

Lottery Will Decide Who Can Attend Google SketchUp Basecamp 2008

Randall Newton — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:03:00 GMT

Google is planning a second SketchUp Basecamp for June 11-13, 2008 at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Because of expected high interest and limited seating, the event will be by invitation only; Google will conduct an open lottery in April to decide who is invited.

Specific details are still sketchy. Google says there will be no attendance fee, although attendees will be on their own for lodging, food, and travel. The program will include workshops, presentations, and hands-on sessions (hands-on if you bring your laptop).

On April 15th, the SketchUpdate newsletter, SketchUp Free Newsletter and Official Google SketchUp Blog will include a link to a website where readers can request an invitation. Google will randomly select up to 250 people to invite to the event from the requests received. The link will be open for seven days. “Since space is limited and we expect interest to be high,” says a note in this week’s SketchUpdate newsletter, “we think this is the fairest way to decide who will be invited to attend.”

AECnews attended the first SketchUp Basecamp in 2005; our coverage of the event was at that time our most highly read work. Since then, only our coverage of the Google purchase of SketchUp and some of Autodesk’s legal troubles have generated more page views. The total user base (both free and professional versions) is now in the millions thanks to the increased visibility SketchUp has received since the Google acquisition; I expect Google will be inundated with requests for a seat at the conference. (An opportunity to visit the legendary Googleplex will no doubt also stimulate interest.)

Here’s a summary of relevant dates:
April 15—Link to invitation sign-up announced in SketchUpdate, SketchUp Free Newsletter and SketchUp Blog
April 22—Sign-up ends at 11:00 pm US Pacific time (GMT-7)
April 25—Email notifications (invitation or waiting list) sent out
May 6—Email to invitees asking to confirm attendance
May 7-14—Second-round invitations extended to people on the waiting list
June 11-13—Google SketchUp 3D Basecamp 2008 in Mountain View, California

--RSN

Changes to AutoCAD File Format Gives Riverbed Users Fits

Randall Newton — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:38:00 GMT

TechTarget ANZ, an Australian online news service for IT professionals, writes today that the users of Riverbed Wide-Area File Sharing (WAFS) hardware who use it to transmit AutoCAD 2008 files between offices have lost much of the advantage of the hardware.

Riverbed technology is in use in some of the largest AEC firms in the world, because when it first came out, it could reduce data traffic between offices by as much as 90%. The hardware scans documents as they pass through the network, and from then on only sends changes, not the entire document. Gensler Architecture, for example, eliminated servers in several remote offices and increased design staff in those same offices, thanks to the increased throughput achieved using Riverbed technology.

The problem is that the file format changed in AutoCAD (again) with the release of AutoCAD 2007. The new version causes files to always look new to Riverbed's data hashing algorithms, making it impossible for the hardware to de-duplicate the file and send only the relevant changed details.

TechTarget ANZ says there is much finger-pointing going on between the R&D staffs of the two organizations.

Read the whole article: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com.au/news/article.asp?DocID=1303852

--RSN

Vernor Legal Team Files Compelling Response to Autodesk, Requests Oral Arguments

Randall Newton — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:41:00 GMT

The all-star legal team representing eBay seller Timothy Vernor against Autodesk has filed a response to Autodesk’s defense. The 27-page document is—for a legal filing—exceptionally well-written and clear. It makes a strong case against current software licensing practices as practiced by many firms, not just Autodesk.

The following passage, taken from the document, gets to the heart of the case Vernor makes against Autodesk:

Although Autodesk primarily relies on copyright infringement as a basis for interfering with Vernor’s eBay sales, its brief at various points makes use of doctrines from both copyright and contract law. Only by improperly merging these concepts can Autodesk claim, on the one hand, that a purchaser’s consent to the terms of a license agreement overrides the Copyright Act’s explicit grant of the right to resell copyrighted works, and, on the other, that this rule applies even to those who have not consented to the terms of the agreement. Regardless of how Autodesk characterizes its claims, however, it has no right to cancel Vernor’s sale of authentic, lawfully purchased software.

Vernor makes his living selling on eBay, where he goes by the eBay handle “Happy Hour Comics.” The legal response recaps the entire history of Vernor’s troubles that started when he acquired copies of AutoCAD Release 14 at a garage sale and tried to resell them, one by one, on eBay. Each time Vernor would post a copy of AutoCAD for sale, a lawyer representing Autodesk would ask eBay to remove the sale; Autodesk claimed in each instance that Vernor was violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). eBay would remove the sale, Vernor would appeal, and eBay would allow the sale to continue. After several such sequences, eBay cancelled Vernor’s account. It took over a month for Vernor to regain the ability to sell on eBay, his sole source of income. After that, without benefit of legal help, Vernor filed a federal lawsuit against Autodesk. Based on AECnews’ original coverage of the case, the non-profit public watchdog agency Public Citizen offered to provide legal council to Vernor. Public Citizen had been looking for an opportunity to test the validity of software licensing schemes in federal court, and saw the Vernor case as the ideal opportunity. Later, famed Seattle lawyer Michael Withey also joined the Vernor legal team. Withey is best known as the attorney who successfully sued former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos in US court, winning a judgment in the millions for his clients.

CAD industry analyst Evan Yares, former Executive Director of the Open Design Alliance, comments:

This is a very solid piece of work. It is clear and convincing. And it is exceptionally well-argued, citing every piece of important law relevant to the case. Vernor's attorney simply takes apart every argument that Autodesk's attorneys make, and exposes them to the bright glare of daylight. He leaves no obfuscation unclarified—from the opposing attorney's careful commingling of contract and copyright law, to their seemingly sloppy (but actually carefully constructed) blurring of ownership.
It is important to understand that this case is not about Autodesk. And it's not about the DMCA. It's about making big time case law, setting bounds and limits on software license agreements. Autodesk has nothing to gain, and everything to lose. They're the defendant... and it's a declaratory judgment case. There is no discovery to take, no way to run up Vernor's legal costs. There is no money to win, only money to lose. If Autodesk gets this case dismissed on a technicality, another case will come along that doesn't have the technicality. If they win, they're no better than status quo. But the reality is that they are likely to lose. And, if Autodesk does lose, the entire software industry's argument that software doesn't fall under the Uniform Commercial Code falls apart.

Links:
Text of Vernor Response to Autodesk with Request for Oral Arguments, as Filed in US District Court
Watchdog Agency Public Citizen Agrees to Represent eBay Seller Vernor in Suit Against Autodesk
Commenting Readers Run Amok about eBay Seller’s Autodesk Lawsuit
Letters in the Vernor Versus Autodesk Case
Vernor Stands Firm in CCNtv Interview
Vernor Gives Autodesk No Ground in CCNtv Interview
eBay Seller Sues Autodesk for $10 Million
The Man Who Dared to Sell AutoCAD Release 14 on eBay
Vernor No Longer In It Just For The Money (Mature warning)

--RSN

Technorati Tags: eBay Autodesk copyright digital Millennium suit property rights shrink+wrap

Minnesota Bridge Tragedy Inspires Bentley Bridge Information Modeling Initiative

Randall Newton — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:11:00 GMT

Last year's cave-in of a bridge on Interstate 35 in Minneapolis, Minnesota caught the nation's attention and pointed out the problems of an aging infrastructure. Bentley Systems has recently beefed up its software offerings for bridge construction, and is taking a keen interest in helping civil engineering and construction firms with their efforts in shoring up or replacing aging bridge.

AECnews Contributing Writer Jenee D. White takes a closer look in our new article, "Tragedy of Minnesota Bridge Collapse Inspires Bentley."

--RSN

Three Ohio 13-Year-Olds Design Desert City, Win National "Future City" Engineering Competition

Randall Newton — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:42:00 GMT

Three thirteen-year-old students from Westerville, Ohio are the 2008 winners of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition. They took top honors in the competition with a design for Ra, a city in the Egyptian desert that "provides an ideal quality of life for all citizens."

Glen Gainer, Emma Henderson, and Jeremy Boyd, of Heritage Middle School in Westerville, Ohio, were given support in their winning effor by their teacher Debra Pellington, and volunteer mentor, Ted Beidler, P.E., from Franklin County Engineers.

Teams from 36 middle schools nationwide, winners of regional competitions in January, participated in the Future City National Finals, February 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

From the Heritage team’s Future City abstract:
Like the glorious temple Amon-Ra, honoring the Egyptian Sun God RA, the ultimate city of the sun rises out of the vast sands of majestic Egypt. An engineering marvel, the city of RA was designed to provide an ideal quality of life for all citizens. A flourishing economy is evident in the revolutionary mixed-use Green Living Modules (GLM) and the state-of-the-art EIRS 3000 Educational System. The EIRS provides interactive learning experiences utilizing the latest in educational intercommunication, the Nanosence Glove.

Energy engineers employ a five-point energy system to maximize energy efficiency throughout RA. The use of flexible solar panels, sprayable solar cells, and desert solar farms harness the sun’s energy to the fullest potential. Hydropower in the Nile River and Mediterranean Sea regions, biomass, wind farms and Ewind Towers, located on the upper levels of commercial and industrial structures, all provide renewable power options. Finally, nanoparticles produce hydrogen through photoelectrochemical hydrogen production, completing a clean energy picture.

“Solar cell” phones and holographic image converters provide citizens wireless communication options. Energy engineers have also applied solar technology in the production of pure water through the innovative NanoPure Water System. In conjunction with cost effective nanocatalysts, solar power successfully treats wastewater.

A prosperous economy, progressive research centers, multi-modal forms of transportation, unparalleled recreational facilities, a first rate educational system, an environmentally sound energy strategy, as well as the latest in nanotechnological advancements make RA the ultimate paradise.

Second place went to Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, New York for their Future City, Mohala. The Farnsworth team, which won the Capital District competition held on January 19 at Hudson Valley Community Center in Troy is comprised of students Kathryn Liotta, Hannah Liu and Brien Miceli, teacher Deborah Escobar and engineer mentor James Liotta.

Our Lady Help of Christians School in Abington, Pennsylvania, from the Philadelphia regional competition held January 26 in Villanova took third place honors for their Future City, “Port Tranquility.” The team is comprised of Paul Gennaro, Kiersten Moore, and Maura Nolan, teacher Jane Ring and engineer mentor Julie Gennaro.

Fourth place went to Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and fifth place to Queen of Angels Catholic School in Roswell, Georgia. Queen of Angels also won the special award for Best Essay and Westridge Middle School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas won Best Model.

Future City, celebrating its 16th year, asks middle school students to create cities of the future, first on computer and then in large tabletop models. Working in teams with a teacher and volunteer engineer mentor, students create their cities using the SimCity 3000 videogame donated to all participating schools by Electronic Arts, Inc. of Redwood City, California. They write a city abstract and an essay on using engineering to solve an important social need – this year's essay asked students to describe how nanotechnology will monitor their city’s structures and systems to keep its infrastructure healthy. Then they present and defend their cities before engineer judges at the competition. Some 30,000 students from more than 1,100 schools participated in 2007-08.

The Future City National Finals is hosted by Bentley Systems. Bentley also provides the first prize for the Heritage team – a trip to US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. All regional winning teams received an all-expense-paid trip to Washington for the National Finals. Future City is sponsored in part by the National Engineers Week Foundation, a coalition comprising more than 75 engineering, professional, and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. Engineers Week 2008, February 17-23, is co-chaired by the IBM and the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA (CIE-USA). Shell Oil Company is a major contributor to the Future City National Finals and a primary funder of nine regional competitions. The 2008 Essay sponsor is The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Adobe Updates Acrobat 3D CAD Translators

Randall Newton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:37:00 GMT

Today Adobe released a free download that delivers updated 3D CAD translators for Acrobat 3D Version 8. The new version allows Acrobat 3D to support the latest version of many major 3D CAD file formats.

The file formats updated include Autodesk Inventor, CoCreate OneSpace Designer, JT, SolidWorks, and UGS NX and I-deas. The updated translators leverage technology Adobe gained as part of its 2006 acquisition of Trade & Technologies France (TTF).

The product update is available from the Adobe web site at: http://www.adobe.com/go/a3d_update. A complete list of supported CAD file formats is at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat3d/supportedformats/.

--RSN

Atlanta Acquisition Makes Applied Software Largest Autodesk Reseller in US Southeast

Randall Newton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:47:00 GMT

Applied Software, an Autodesk AEC reseller in the US Southeast, has acquired the Atlanta-based operations of the Software Solutions Group of Imaging Technologies, a division of American Reprographics Company (NYSE: ARP). This is typical of a trend across the country, whereby larger resellers are expanding territory by buying out smaller competitors or (as in this case) acquiring specific reseller operations from companies who are in multiple lines of business.

Applied Software now provides AEC reseller and consulting services to more than 4,000 organizations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It is now the largest Autodesk AEC reseller in the region.

--RSN

New IMSI/Design Variable Constraint System for AutoCAD Now in Public Beta

Randall Newton — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:06:00 GMT

Retail CAD vendor IMSI/Design, best known for TurboCAD, is conducting a public beta of a new variational sketching plug-in for AutoCAD. The IDX Variable Constraint System provides designers and engineers unprecedented control over designs and operates seamlessly in AutoCAD. IMSI/Design says the product is the first variational sketching plug-in available for AutoCAD

Variational sketching, similar to the use of parametric constraints in mechanical CAD products, simplifies the process of doing “what-if” analysis. By constraining drawing elements geometrically and providing variables that drive dimensions, users can analyze design options in the same way one would analyze numerical options with a spreadsheet. Driving variables can be defined by values, relationships with other drawn elements, or through complex mathematical functions. IMSI/Design claims the tool will allow more work to be accomplished in less time, particularly for rapid revisions and the creation of part families.

IDX Variable Constraint System incorporates the D-Cubed 2D Dimensional Constraint Manager from Siemens PLM Software. This is the same core engine typically available in much more expensive parametric modeling programs including Autodesk Inventor, CATIA and SolidWorks by Dassault Systemes, and Solid Edge by Siemens PLM Software.

The IDX Variable Constraint System is currently available for AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD 2008 base editions. It will be priced at US $499, but is currently available for no charge through public beta at www.IDX-design.com.

--RSN

BIMStorm LAX to Bring “Rapid City Prototyping” to 30 City Blocks

Randall Newton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:05:00 GMT

A cross-section of building industry professionals planned to convene today in Los Angeles for “Onuma BIMStorm LAX,” at which they will design in real time over 30 city blocks encompassing 30 million square feet. The event is to demonstrate how new technology and processes can improve design.

Believing that current design processes are inefficient when using traditional methods, Onuma, Inc., whose mission is simply “Revolutionize Architecture,” is coordinating this unusual and possibly historic architectural technology event. Nemetschek North America (NNA) is co-sponsoring and participating with a team (“Team V”), along with professionals from rojo Architecture in Tampa, Florida, and Shook Kelley, Inc., in Charlotte, North Carolina.

BIMStorm will use the Onuma Planning System to leverage industry-standard file formats for building information exchange (most notably IFC) in a graphic, collaborative environment. “We think of the BIMStorm events as ‘Rapid City Prototyping,’ using the Onuma Planning System,” says Robert Anderson, Nemetschek North America’s vice president of integrated products. NNA’s Team V will be using VectorWorks Architecture 2008.

The plan is to use IFC-compatible software to increase the speed and value of a design charrette. Kinom Onuma, principal of Onuma, Inc, plans to submit the entire BIMStorm LAX project and process to the 2008 AIA Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) BIM Awards as the first-of-a-kind, real-time submittal to the BIM Awards.

--RSN

Bentley Acquires Hevacomp, Ltd. for Portfolio of Buildings Systems Solutions

Randall Newton — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:13:00 GMT

Bentley has acquired Hevacomp, Ltd., a Sheffield, England provider of building services design software. Included in its portfolio is software for energy analysis, heating and cooling load calculations, pipe and duct sizing, and electrical system design and product catalogs.

This acquisition should help Bentley regain some lost momentum in the market. AECnews is aware of several Bentley accounts that have been testing and deploying Autodesk Revit specifically because of its tight links to the "green" analysis products from IES (Integrated Environmental Solutions).

Hevacomp solutions use the EnergyPlus engine, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. It also has software certified to perform CO2 emissions calculations required under Part L of the U.K. building regulations. Hevacomp’s simulation software helps engineers and low-carbon consultants carry out complex energy analyses to examine room heat losses and gains, summer overheating, peak design months, overheating frequency, and building energy. It also produces 3D external shading graphics and internal solar penetration graphics that show moving sunshine patches within rooms.

Hevacomp building services offerings also include mechanical design packages for load calculations, pipe and duct sizing, and mechanical CAD; electrical design applications conforming to international wiring regulations, including lighting systems design applications and electrical CAD.

--RSN

Louis Kahn Protégé to Speak on Virtual Building for Contractors

Randall Newton — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:40:00 GMT

Richard Herskovitz, AIA, principal of Architectural Woodwork Industries, will discuss recent innovations in the use of virtual building techniques for contractors January 16 in Manhattan. The presentation is sponsored by the Technology Committee of AIANY; attendance is free due to the support of ABC-Imaging.

Herskovitz will describes his firm’s involvement in such projects as the Alice Tully Hall renovation at Lincoln Center, by Diller Scofidio & Renfro; EMPAC, Experimental Music and Performing Arts Center at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, by Grimshaw Architects (with Davis Brody Bond), and Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, by Rafael Viñoly Architects.

“The digital world has allowed architects to design ever more complexly shaped buildings, but the means and methods for contractors to keep up with and implement such complexity is often lagging behind,” notes Paul Seletsky, chair of the AIANY technology committee. “What may be needed is a specialized team to help decipher design information and make it more accessible to all the trades involved, both during fabrication as well as in the field.”

The current problem with such a specialized team is, who pays for this service? As Seletsky notes, it is never budgeted and often ignored until well too late into the construction phase. Owners are often not aware of issues or conflicts in what they inherently expect to be a coordinated set of drawings. Yet the existing contractors tools needed to check and coordinate 2D construction drawings are clearly outweighed by ever more sophisticated fabrication methods and assembly requirements.

As Herskovitz will explain in his presentation, Virtual Building works by building a 3D digital model from the construction drawings produced as part of the traditional contract documents. In this manner, contractors can then visualize conflicts and ask important questions earlier in their projects, ultimately reducing costs and time usually associated occurring during construction. The Virtual Building, as part of the Virtual Building Process, then uses collaborative construction techniques to jointly resolve such conflicts amongst all the trades through enhanced 3D visualization of all components and assemblies.

AWI is one such company whose work over the past fifteen years has increasingly been tied to this new approach as a means of fabricating and installing fine architectural woodwork and specialty finishes. Based on the success of its experience, AWI now implements fabrication directly from such virtual models as common practice on almost all its projects.

Herskovitz earned his degree in architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and is a registered architect in several states. He worked for his mentor Louis I Kahn, followed by work in urban design, transportation planning, and large-scale construction projects while heading Urban Engineers Architectural Group in Philadelphia. As a member of the Architectural Woodwork Institute he has authored several articles on woodwork, veneer, finishing, and project management; chaired many woodwork industry committees, and recently spoke at the AIA Convention in Los Angeles. He and his firm have been advocates for 3D modeling on all aspects of architectural projects through open dialogue and planning between owners, architects, engineers, construction managers, and the construction trades.

The presentation is Wednesday, January 16 at 6:00pm at the Center for Architecture. 536 LaGuardia Place (Between Bleecker and W.3rd Street), Main Lecture Hall (Lower Level), NYC. Seating is limited, and an RSVP is required; send email to paul (dot) seletsky (at) som.com.

Manhattan transportation options to the event:

6/F Trains to Bleecker St./BWay-Lafayette (Walk 3 blocks West+1 block North).
N,R Trains to Prince St (Walk 2 blocks West+2 blocks North)
A/C/E/F Trains to W4th St (Walk 3 blocks East+1 block South)

--RSN

Adobe Cuts Acrobat 3D V8 Price by $296

Randall Newton — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:33:00 GMT

Earlier this month, without fanfare, Adobe did some adjustments to its retail prices and in the process dropped the price of Adobe Acrobat 3D Version 8. The original suggested retail price had been US$995; the new suggested retail price is US$699.

The updated price is reflected on the online store (www.adobe.com/buy/acrobat3d/) of the Adobe web site.

According to a company representative, Adobe does ongoing pricing analysis of its products, "and based on recent research believes the new price of Acrobat 3D will help make the product accessible to an even larger set of individuals and organizations in the manufacturing and AEC markets."

--RSN