AEC Exhibitor Highlights from Autodesk University 2009

Happy New Year! Hope you had a fun and festive holiday season and 2010 is off to a good start for you. AECbytes resumes from where it left off in December, with an indepth look at the AEC-related applications that were on display at the Exhibit Hall at Autodesk University 2009. These include several design visualization solutions such as 3D digital holograms from Zebra Imaging that provide a whole new way of visualizing and presenting designs to clients, a new 3D real time exploration and navigation solution called Nova that works with Revit models, and several new 3D printing devices. The number of supporting technologies extending the capabilities of BIM that were exhibited includes "regulars" such as Trelligence, e-SPECS, IES, CADworks, and Solibri, as well as new solutions such as Vela Systems' "Field BIM" applications and Revit productivity add-ons from Integrated Content Solutions. We also had vendors such as BSD unveiling new BIM-integrated versions of their applications. In addition, there were a large number of engineering solutions on display, including structural engineering solutions from Strucsoft Solutions and CSC, and civil and site engineering solutions from Sivan Design, Transoft Solutions, and SITEOPS.

The SITEOPS technology was especially significant as it actually makes use of the optimization technology that Autodesk talked a lot about in the general session and AEC keynote at Autodesk University, but has not yet demonstrated in any of its applications. As described in my article from March 2008, SITEOPS: Applying Optimization Technology to Site Design, this application applies optimization technology to site design, using remote servers to calculate and provide an optimal solution for a building layout, roads, and parking on the site, as well as site grading and storm water drainage. It uses an on-demand, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Internet-based delivery model. Previously available only as a Single Pad version that could work with a single building footprint on a site, SITEOPS is now available also as a Multi Pad version that can handle sites with multiple building footprints.

The Tips and Tricks section this month features an article by Craig Stauffer, S.E., and Steve Farvour, S.E., of PCS Structural Solutions, a structural engineering firm with offices in Seattle and Tacoma that has fully embraced BIM. It shows how a PIM (project information management) tool like Newforma Project Center can be used to assist in the BIM workflow, enabling conventional engineering markups to be brought and used in a 3D digital environment. A second Tips and Tricks article discusses the issues related to the modeling of connectors in Revit MEP and how to resolve them.

As always, please continue to check out the AECbytes Blog for reader comments and the VendorHub to get a consolidated view of all the technology providers in AEC.

Thank you!

Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > January 2010