Teams
Each team of three shall have at least one Registered Architect. One person on the team will be an official coordinator and contact for that team.
Architects not CADD Developers
Software companies and venders may not enter, but they may sponsor a team of architects.
Teams Provide Hardware/Software/Network
Each team brings their own computer hardware. We realize that it may look inequitable, however, it is valuable to see what any given software may require to be optimal. For instance, if any given team could produce impressive results with older, slower, cheaper machines then that would obviously count in their favor. Currently the feeling is to limit each team to two machines for practical reasons. We feel that having two machines linked by network would shed valuable information on the networking and collaborating abilities of various CADD softwares.
One Team For Each Architectural CADD Software
Each major software for architecture may have only one team representing it - otherwise the emphasis would be more on design competition between firms rather than stressing the abilities and merits of CADD systems. Major architectural software that works as an add-on to another package may compete even though another team is using a competitor package that has the same engine program at its core (i.e. both ArchT and AutoArchitect could compete, as could both MicroArchitect and Triforma). If you would like to participate or contribute your help, and another team is already representing your favorite software, please speak to that Team's Coordinator - you may find that you can help or even compete after all. Each Team needs 3 people who will be on the stage working, but they can have up to 3 additional people as Auxiliary Team members (who serve as understudies, help out in planning, organization, and so on) so Teams should feel free to invite willing people anxious to participate to join their Teams.
Team Organization
Each Team runs, organizes, coordinates, cooperates, and funds, itself. Though the initially challenging designer for each software becomes the "Challenger of Record" and Team Coordinator, it is entirely up to the Teams themselves to accept help from and coordinate with other advocates of their system who volunteer. The Event Coordinators, other than accepting the challenges and putting contact information on the Web, are not involved with organizing the Teams in any way. The Teams will really need all three competitors, as two will be constantly busy on their two networked systems, while the third alternates between coordinating design and speaking to the audience. Teams are free to bring in "Auxiliary Team Members" who would serve as understudies, advocates handing out literature, system setup personnel, and cheering section. Having more people wearing the same Team T-shirt may also build spirit.
Team Web Page
Each Team will be provided with a free Web page, where they will be able to promote their Team, their favorite software, and even their own companies and personal abilities. Before the actual competition, the Team page will feature bios about the Team members (be used to recruit others too) and information about the Architectural CADD software they are using. After the competition, the Team page will post the designs of that team.
Companies / Sponsorship / Promotion
Venders, dealers, VARs, developers, consultants, user groups, and so on, will be given the opportunity to have displays in the entrance gallery to the auditorium hall. They can also help sponsor a team (t-shirts here we come !) or the event itself. In addition, they will have the opportunity to have a presence or links to the Web page of the Team using their software.
To become an event sponsor, all user groups, associations, or companies need to do is to agree to help promote the event in their flyers and publications.
Conglomerate Entrants - Multiple CADD Packages
The object of the shoot-out is to evaluate the state of the new generation of architecturally intelligent 3D design software. However, if any group wishes to propose a conglomerate solution of any of the older CADD packages used in conjunction with solid modeling visualization tools (i.e. MiniCAD plus FormZ, AutoArchitect plus 3D Studio, etc.) that they believe would be truly competitive (and capable of the rigorous design requirements), they should submit it to the event coordinator for consideration.
Voting
There will be a number of categories for voting, (best 3D modeling, best animation, fastest change adaptations, best network collaboration, best special abilities, etc.) including the best overall CADD software which will win the Architectural CADD Cup.
The Incentives to Participate :
For the various CADD companies, the reasons to be involved as a sponsor are obvious - mainly the promotion of their software - but what of the incentives for the individual architects to put themselves through this competition. Certainly there is the prestige not only of possibly winning but also of competing, and the promotional aspects that may have in drumming up design clients or enhancing resumes to be more attractive to design firms. Architects also tend to like a challenge, like competitions, and like to show off the software they are advocates for - especially if that software is not the "standard". Showing off one's software favorably can encourage many more designers to switch to it - making their user group more active, in turn benefiting the original adopters of those non-standard software solutions.
The Architects who participate will also receive AIA CES continuing education credits. In addition, there are the promotional possibilities of the free Web page the Team gets for the competition. There may be a chance that the companies behind the software the Team uses could contribute early or beta releases of their software to Team members (in order to look good relative to their competition). There will be other benefits, which will become more apparent as the competition draws near, and, there is the Architectural CADD Cup.
Questions and Answers :
What are the monetary requirements for entry? Does our CAD platform sponsor need to provide monetary support for the shoot-out and if so, how much?
It is our intention that this event is paid for by the people who most directly benefit from the event, which is primarily the attendees - the architects - who will pay $45 admission ($30 advanced tickets). Also, if any of the CADD developers or VARs wish to have a display space in the ante-hall they will be able to do that for a small amount. There may also be a cost to display in the Shoot-Out Competitors exhibit at Build Boston immediately before - we are currently working on that.
The participants themselves will encounter the cost of lost days of work, and transporting their own systems to the Shoot-Out. Thus, we have no plans to charge any entry fees to the competitors. Such fees are used either to subsidize costs or to make sure entrants are serious. As mentioned, the costs are carried by the attendees, and as to serious entries, well, as architects, professionalism and ethics should speak for themselves. Should any Challenger of Record (that's you) really fail to come up with a Team, then it would fall to the next challenger - a basic practical logical approach.
Since 3 hours is very short for a design charette (as I say to my friends I can sit still and think for 3 hours and appear to be doing nothing), how will the project be posed to the competitors? Will it be presented as a design brief (program) or as a complex design to be produced and rendered in 3D? In either case, how will the nature of the challenge be kept circumspect, so that no team gains an unfair advantage in thinking ahead?
We are very concerned about such unfair advantages as well. Even rumors of what the exact building type was beforehand may cause Teams to unfairly load their systems up with likely-to-be-used modules, sections, or symbols. Thus, the exact building, building type, site, and so on will be secret until the Shoot-Out begins at high noon on 11/25/96. We will only assure all the Teams that it is a relatively small two story building, not a house, but is easily designable within the allotted time. It will also require some specific important features that will require boolean solid modeling. The changes to the design (every 30 minutes) stop halfway through, so that perspectives, renderings, animations, and VRML can be generated in the final 90 minutes. The designs are meant to be schematic, not necessarily construction drawings - the Team is free to use what they can develop fastest. We realize that 3 hours is not a great deal of time for two people to develop a lot, nor do we wish to trivialize architecture, we feel that the audience of professional architects will be principally interested in seeing side-by-side what, how much, how well, and how easily the various CADD programs can let designers do.
Do we need a sponsor in the BSA? (We have one who will sponsor us if necessary)
You do not need a BSA sponsor, but contacting and coordinating with local supporters is a very good idea.
Are we required to have a team of 3 players? Could we compete with 2?
As mentioned above, you will want to have all three. For political reasons you may also want to invite others to be Auxiliary Team Members as well.
To Register :
See the information on the Info Registration Page
We Do Not Count Keystrokes - Only Results !
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