AECBytes Celebrates its Second Anniversary

AECbytes was launched in November 2003, and celebrates its two years of continued existence this month. Since its launch, the subscriber base has grown to over 3000, representing over a 100 countries from around the world. In addition, the website currently welcomes over 16,000 unique visitors a month who view over 65,000 pages.

None of these terrific statistics would have been possible without the continued interest of readers as well as the generous advertising support from vendors. Many thanks to all of you!

We start this month with an indepth look at MaxonForm, an organic modeling application that works as an add-on to ArchiCAD. It is based on the high-end 3D design and visualization application, CINEMA 4D. One of the key concerns that has often been expressed by AEC professionals in relation to BIM is the fear of being straitjacketed by the form-making limitations of the currently available BIM solutions. While the different BIM vendors are tackling this problem in different ways, Graphisoft has chosen to address this problem through integration and interoperability rather than by reinventing the wheel. MaxonForm does have some limitations right now, but it is definitely a substantial step in the right direction.

Also on the agenda for this month is a case study of the large A/E firm, GHAFARI Associates, which has made great progress in multi-disciplinary BIM implementation, and a look at the Architectural Computing research being pursued at four leading universities around the world.

Thank you
Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > November 2005