Cloud Computing in New Zealand, the New Release of Revit Architecture, and a Viewpoint from Arup

AECbytes starts out this month with a feature article describing STRATUS, A private cloud server technology for Revit that has been developed by Stephenson & Turner, a medium-sized, multi-disciplinary, Architectural and Building Services Engineering practice based in New Zealand, with offices in Auckland and Wellington. Authored by Des Pudney, the CIO of the firm, the article describes the background and rationale for the development of STRATUS and discusses additional details, including the technology’s features and the benefits afforded by STRATUS to the firm. It has been operational for the past 12 months, with immediate and tangible benefits for the company and its clients.

We will then take a detailed look at the newly released Revit Architecture 2012, which includes a series of enhancements that serve to strengthen as well as extend its BIM capabilities These includes support for point clouds to facilitate modeling of renovation and retrofit projects, the ability to divide a building element into parts reflecting how that element will be constructed, the ability to group elements into assemblies and create sheets of the different assembly views, improved worksharing display that uses color-coding to provide greater visibility into element ownership and status, and several additional improvements to its visualization, user interface, DWG export, and dimensions capabilities.

We also have a Viewpoint article by Christopher Pynn and John Hainsworth who are both Associates in Arup’s Sydney Office and actively involved in its BIM development and implementation. Intriguingly entitled "Would You Like Some Chilli Sauce With Your BIM?" the article ponders on the question of "What is BIM?" and comes up with some interesting analogies between BIM and cuisine. Along the way, it also discusses Arup's approach to BIM. It is a refreshingly candid article, and the analogy with food is unique and witty and makes for a great read!

Thank you!

Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > June 2011