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AEC Newsletter archive:
Geoffrey Moore Langdon
CADENCE AEC Tech News # 38 (November 15, 2000)
AEC Tech News 11/15/2000
In This Issue:
BuildBoston2000
with notes about DataCAD, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD ADT, SoftPlan, Revit
BuildBoston2000
With over 200 workshops and seminars and a World Trade Center exhibition that has been sold out since last June, the past few days at BuildBoston2000 have been exciting. A number of the presentations gave us glimpses into what is just about to come out from DataCAD (think "3D PDF"), ArchiCAD (think Facilities Management), Revit (think freeform 3D modeling), AutoCAD ADT (think flexible smart walls), AllPlan (think user-friendly Windows), and SoftPlan (think smart framing cut lists). The Boston Society of Architects, in partnership with dozens of other organizations, every year puts on what many say is the best regional construction and new technology show. Pella Windows sponsored the BSA Technology Center where every half hour a different CADD software vendor showed what they could do on a big screen on the show floor.
DataCAD LLC had the primo location and booth of the show, where they showed off both the production oriented DataCAD 9 and the 3D architectural parametric DataCAD Plus - just named Editor's Choice in Cadence magazine. Evan Shu hosted the 15th anniversary party of the now world wide DataCAD DBUG group, at which Mark Madura, President of DataCAD LLC, showed us very sophisticated land form terrain modeling and image overlays coming to the next versions of both DataCAD and DCAD Plus. Due to user demand, they now plan to keep both programs separate, but using a common drawing file, as kind of a schematic design/production tandem.
Graphisoft / ICS were demonstrating ArchiCAD 6.5 and ArchiFM for facilities management. They recently acquired the DrawBase headquarters in Cambridge, MA, and apparently have lots of plans for new services and training as well as total construction project features (think structures, HVAC, DTM, and much more) as part of the ArchiCAD suite.
Designers CADD Company, DTI, Microdesk, and Consulting For Architects all demonstrated AutoCAD ArchitecturalDesktop2i, which is a port of ADT R2 to the AutoCAD 2000i platform, with no new features specific to ADT. Walls from complex ACIS solids (polyline extrudes), much better wall intersection cleanup, floor slab entities, automatic dimensions linked to the model, and several extension options are features of the upcoming ADT3. All of these training center/vendors were excited about how ADT has matured into a really usable product, and, in discussions mentioned that a big training issue is to get new users NOT to explode ADT objects into 2D lines just to trim things and that there is still a need for a feature to deal with floors/stories of multi-story buildings. Fortunately the now well-established technique of using xref files for this accommodates most situations, and in turn makes the building model faster in regens, but global changes to many floors are challenging.
In the new SoftPlan, we saw a program with a conceptual paradigm that was very ArchiCAD-like (i.e. schematically plunk down walls and pop in windows/doors in plan view and 3D stuff is automatic but modified in parameter dialog boxes), though a bit more builder oriented, and for Windows only. The software keeps lumber yard inventory lists, so that when you do the lumber cut list calculations, it will inform you that, say, there are no 28' spruce boards and ask if you wish to calculate it based on two 14' boards (and notes to you to make structural changes as necessary).
Boston is also the home town of Revit, and at their booth they were showing (and giving away the CDs for) the current Revit 2.1, which you cannot buy, but only rent. The software does schematic and design development of buildings very quickly and easily with intelligently parametric 3D architectural entities which interlink with one another more than we have seen in anything else (i.e. change one wall and the entire roof and other floors automatically adjust). Even still, it was amusing to see the "poster sign feud" going on between them and the ArchiCAD booth right across the aisle - with both claiming to be the first real true architectural parametric software. In the seminars I spoke with several offices starting to use Revit, all of them, so far, supplementing it with AutoCAD to do their construction document drawings in 2D.
In the seminar on the Designers 3D CAD Shootout, we saw video highlights of the challenge from last June, where designers using Arris, ChiefArchitect, FormZ, VectorWorks Architect, MicroStation TriForma, VersaCAD/3DJoy, and ArchiCAD, did all the drawings and perspectives of a three story conference center in a Colorado alpine style. There were no recommendations made at the seminar but we heard the comments from the judges and could see the process the teams used as well as the results for ourselves.
At "CADD and the Small Firm" we heard plenty of recommendations, including what software mix (2D, 3D, Architectural, Rendering, and Digital Imaging) is appropriate for various types of small offices. For current users of Revit, ADT, DataCAD, ArchiCAD, and VectorWorks, the new updates were highly recommended. Switching from a Current version of one of these to another does not make any sense, unless there is truly a problem with something in the office, or firm is moving in new direction. Switching, though, can be an opportunity to have a fresh start, establish office standards, commit to architectural parametric 3D modeling, puts everyone on equal footing, and forces the office to learn new habits.
The theme of working in 3D architectural parametric modeling was continued by Ivan Bereznicki in another seminar where he showed how his office always develops their entire projects including details all in 3D. He showed how the intricate details of the one-of-a-kind custom wood houses he does, including eyebrow dormer windows and elaborately molded panels and railings, are done with the AllPlan CADD software, but advised architects to adopt such a 3D design approach regardless of which software they use for CADD.
Links :
BuildBoston2000 = http://www.BuildBoston.com
Boston Society of Architects = http://www.architects.org
DataCAD = http://www.datacad.com
ArchiCAD = http://www.graphisoft.com
AutoCAD ADT = http://www.autodesk.com
SoftPlan = http://www.softplan.com
Revit = http://www.revit.com
ICS = http://www.intcad.com
Designers CADD Company = http://www.designerscadd.com
DTI = http://www.dtitech.com
Microdesk = http://www.microdesk.com
Consulting For Architects = http://www.cons4arch.com
Designers 3D CAD Shootout = http://www.architecturalcadd.com/shootout.html
VectorWorks = http://www.vectorworksarchitect.com
AllPlan = http://www.nemetschek.com
About Geoffrey Moore Langdon, AIA
Prof. Langdon is a registered architect and is the principal of Architectural CADD Consultants, a firm that specializes in helping architectural firms with computing and CADD. He has taught Design, Solar Energy, and Architectural CADD at a number of colleges in the Boston area. He is the author of Architectural CADD: A Resource Guide to Design and Production Software Appropriate for Architects, a guest speaker at many AIA events, and the founder and organizer of the Designers 3D CAD Shootout competition. contact him at aectechnews@architecturalcadd.com, or through his website: http://www.architecturalcadd.com
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