Friday 25 April 2014

cadalyst CAD Crunch! - 100 Fabulous Freebies for CAD Users







The editors of Cadalyst, with help from their contributing editors who are in the CAD trenches day in and day out, have compiled a guide of 100 tools to help you get your job done better and faster without opening your wallet. “100 Fabulous Freebies for CAD Users” has something for everyone. Download their guide and you’ll soon be asking yourself, “How did I live without this?”

Originally published in Cadalyst magazine in Spring 2010, “100 Fabulous Freebies for CAD Users” has been updated for 2014. In it, you’ll find:

  • Unit converters
  • File and text utilities
  • PDF converters
  • Imaging tools
  • AutoCAD tools and AutoLISP code
  • Mobile apps
  • BIM tools
  • Tools for CAD managers
  • Sketching and visualization tools
  • and more!
The tools are free and so is the guide; download your copy today and see how valuable free can be!

 


Thursday 17 April 2014

NBS 2014 BIM Survey due for release soon


70% of those using BIM believe it has given them a competitive advantage according to the fourth annual NBS National BIM Survey. The study found that awareness of BIM is now almost universal at 95% and adoption rates are accelerating with more than half of respondents (54%)now using it, up 15% on last year, and 93% predicting adoption by 2016, the Government’s deadline for BIM use on publicly funded projects.

More than 1,000 people from across the construction industry including architects, engineers, surveyors and contractors took part in this year’s survey making it the largest independent piece of research into usage of and attitudes to BIM in the UK.

Improvements in productivity, increased efficiencies, better coordination of construction information and higher profitability are among the benefits cited by adopters of BIM, with a mere 4% wishing they hadn’t begun the journey.

But while the construction industry feels more confident in its own knowledge of BIM (up from 35% in 2012 to 46% in 2013), there is still much scepticism around the wealth of information now available on the subject, with only 27% of respondents saying they “trusted what they hear about BIM”.

In addition, there is a clear need for greater standardisation with only one-quarter saying that the current levels are adequate. Further, there is still a widespread belief that the industry is still not clear about what BIM is, the figure of 73% barely a reduction on last year.

There is a clear divide between the awareness and adoption of BIM between small practices (defined as those with between one and five staff) and larger firms. In all measures, smaller practices are lagging behind their larger counterparts by around two years, with cost still being seen as a major barrier to adoption.

Given the Government’s mandate on BIM for publicly funded work, there is a risk that smaller organisations may be excluded from significant sources of revenue, however the survey does not suggest there is any great resistance to the Government’s BIM strategy with 58% agreeing that the Government ‘is on the right track with BIM’.

The survey also reveals a far more detailed understanding of BIM throughout the industry, with almost three-quarters now being aware of the different levels, up from only half last year.
51% reported having achieved Level 2 BIM on at least one project during the last 12 months, with usage of IFC – a platform neutral, open file format which allows models to be shared among the design team irrespective of software used – and COBie showing marked increases.

It is the latter, which allows the design team to use a Building Information Model to embed and then deliver the information that supports the use and maintenance of a building, which enables perhaps the greatest cost savings for the client.
“What this report clearly shows is an industry in transition from the stage when the early adopters are taking the lead to a position where BIM is becoming the norm.
“In the UK, through BIM, we are at the forefront of a significant change in how buildings are conceived, designed, built and maintained. This change has the potential to bring improved efficiencies and profitability to the construction sector, and better buildings to clients, something current users of BIM have reported in this survey.
“There remain significant challenges and investment of both capital and time are needed. However, there is a wide appreciation of the benefits BIM will bring and the projections of BIM adoption tell us that the UK can be world leaders in this.” Richard Waterhouse, Chief Executive, RIBA Enterprises
The full NBS National BIM Survey will be released at BIM SHOW LIVE on 23 April 2014 and will be available on theNBS.com from 24 April 2014.
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Wednesday 16 April 2014

FROZEN - How it should have ended


My Daughters bought the DVD and we watched it as a family last Sunday ..... then I found this ......



Let it snow, let it snow....
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Friday 11 April 2014

Revit Structure 2015 - Reinforcement for Parts


You can see that progress is being made towards being able to use Revit for real RC detailing and scheduling in Europe & the UK. I'm looking forward to the Subscription Advantage Pack or next years release as they may be there or much nearer than they are at the moment.




After finding the video above Autodesk have posted this one


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Thursday 10 April 2014

PAS 1192-3 released and free to download





PAS 1192-3 Specification for information management for the operational phase of assets using building information modelling (BIM) is out and ready for download - Click Here to go to the download page

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Let There Be Light ..... on Revit 2015



Well his back (David Light) that is, from the void and has posted some reviews of Revit 2015, Personally I'm really glad because I know he was flamed by another blogger and as we all know he like a very large number of LRUG Members have gone over to the dark side which is Autodesk.

I've known David for quite a few years and his reviews have always been accurate and well balanced, and he is not afraid to speak his mind but always in a constructive way. Working for Autodesk will not change that, he has and always will be a glass is half full kind of guy.

Check out his posts on his Blog

Trim / Extend Multiple Elements

Revit 2015 Sketchy Lines - Some great examples - No Good for me as an Engineer mind you

Faster... Faster  Revit 2015

Revit 2015 Installation Requirements - reminder re no Windows XP support

Revit 2015
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