The Designers 3D CAD Shoot-Out
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The Designers 3D CAD Shoot-Out |
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Required Drawings and Images :
A. Coordinated Plans, Sections, Elevations
Printed out 8.5x11 and as GIF files ready for Web
B. 12 Perspectives
Printed out 8.5x11 and as GIF files ready for Web. They may be hidden line, greyscale, or color. They should represent typical fast study images for design.
C. The Best Two Renderings They Can Manage (not duplicating any
previous views)
Printed out 8.5x11 and as GIF files ready for Web. They must be in at least 8 bit color, printed out in greyscale or color. They should represent the best rendering their system is capable of within allotted time.
D. VRML - Virtual Reality Model for the Web
File in VRML ready for Web. Teams may use 3rd party software if this ability is not directly in their CADD software but must identify their need to do so.
E. Special Feature Drawing/Presentation
Each team will be required to produce another drawing or presentation which shows off a particular special ability of the software they are using. Examples of qualifying special features would be Framing Generation (plans or model), Cost Analysis, Space Planning Analysis, Structural Analysis, Elec.or Mech Layout, QuicktimeVR.
F. An Animation Sequence
Displayed in means of their choice, during their final 10 minute presentation. The length, quality, and size are at the descretion of the team. We will be putting this sequence later (after the event) onto videotape.
G. A 10 Minute Presentation on their Success and Failures in the
Shoot-Out
In addition to showing their animation and other drawings for the design, we ask the teams to comment on their successes and failures in accomplishing the design shoot-outs requirements.
H. (Optional) A Second Special Feature Drawing/Presentation
A further opportunity for the teams to show off another automatic design ability.
I. DXF file and DWG file Versions or Translations of the Project
Since collaboration and compatibility are critical issues - we will check to see how well these programs can transfer information to other designers and engineers.
Notes on Criteria, Required Changes, Time Limits, and Other Requirements
Results and Fun - not Keystrokes
As opposed to the 2D electronic drafting CADD shoot-outs of the past, where productivity was measured in counted keystrokes, the new generation of architecturally intelligent 3D design software gives us the opportunity to have a more fun and visual event where the software is evaluated on many levels.
Stretch to the Limits
The objective is to see what real architects have to say about the software, as well as sharing their insights on the limitations as well as the special features of their software. We would like to see the limits of what you can design with the software - so part of the design requirements will be to include certain 3D elements that would be a challenge to any 3D software.
Real Office Situations - Constant Changes
We would also like to see how well the software does in real, typical architectural office situations - thus the need for plan, section, elevation, construction drawings as well as perspectives. Also, we want to see how easily the designers can deal with drastic changes to their design. Thus, we plan at least 3 significant changes to the design criteria that will be announced to all when the teams are partway done, forcing them to make significant changes to their buildings.
Two Networked Systems
Additionally, design firms now are concerned at how well several designers can collaborate on a project across a network. Having two networked systems in each team will help everyone evaluate how well each particular software may help or hinder this collaboration.
Time Limits
The total event will be 6 hours. The first hour will include introductions of the teams to the audience, and information on the design criteria. Then the designers will have 3 hours to create, print, and Web post the required drawings. The last hour will involve evaluation, presentations, and judging.
Design Criteria
The design criteria will be given to the teams at the Shoot-Out (to prevent anyone from getting an unfair lead) and will involve a small enough building design project to be doable in the designated time. Certain challenging 3D elements will be required to be included (to test the design limits of various softwares) including elements that would require subtractive boolean 3D solid modeling.
A Design Criteria committee is forming to develop the specific requirements to be revealed at the shoot-out competition.
Required Changes Every Half Hour
Every 30 minutes, for the first 90 minutes, a significant change in the criteria will be announced. The change will require the designers to modify their designs in at least one of the following areas - roof, walls, and doors/windows. Virtually all of the new architectural CADD systems can parametrically and dynamically change design elements in these three areas. It will be interesting to see which teams need to delete and re-create some of these elements and which will simply modify parameters.
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.
Teams Required to Provide Videos
As was stated in all the earlier information, and on the Shootout Web site, this year we are looking to present a more professional image for the shootout, which in turn makes the whole thing more of a marketing opportunity for all of you. Color programs with ads (more on this later), olympic style Team introductions, jury judges of national distinction, and so on. Part of this is the use of the 3 videos we need from each Team.
The 3 required Videotapes
1. The first video is just a logo, team name, or software name. It can be animated or rotating or a still image. It should be continuous so that we can pop it on at any time and see the same logo.
The purpose of this video is to put this on imediatly before any of your Teams work is shown, or people representing your company or user groups are interviewed, during the competition and during the final presentations. Last year, it was not always clear to the audience or people viewing the video of the event exactly which Teams work was being shown at any given time. This video should be easy. If you need help we might be able to do it for you, call Geoff.
2. Second video, maximum 30 seconds. Introduces your Team and their software, it should display or say their names and their design firms or companies (and, if they are registered architects, should say so). This will be played only at the very beginning of the competition as your team runs in, and immediatly before their final presentation at the end. We know several Teams are just using Powerpoint and NTSC video out for this video right off the computer.
3. Third video, maximum 5 minutes. A promotional and informational video for the CADD software, and your company. Hopefully this is an important marketing tool you already have. Each of these will be played at some point during the first half of the competition. In the long run, this could be your most important marketing opportunity, regardless of how well your Team actually does. We know several Teams who didn't have one of these types of videos already who are using camcorders and interviewing the software developers and their architect testers for this video (i.e. this does not need to be a multiple-thousand dollar production).
All 3 videos should be standard NTSC, VHS.
Obviously we would like to have them before the event, so that we can coordinate the overall production. Please keep us informed on when you have each of these videos ready. We would like to have everything on Monday Nov 17th the day before. Do not mail them, just bring them to our Team meeting on Monday the 17th.
1a. We could also use a GIF file (animated or still) or Web page with the GIF of the Team logo/name, as it may prove easier to pop this on (but we will not know until the event).
So we have sold just over 1000 videos of last years event. With the much
greater promotion, and involvement of AIA national, the BSA, etc., our plans
are to initially print 4000 videos of this year event - so the promotional
exposure of your 5 minute video is much greater than just to our immediate
audience.
Printers and Required 8.5"x11" Printouts
>The requirements for the drawings state that letter size prints are needed. Will there be a printer there set up? Or is it up to each team to bring a printer?
Reply :
8.5"x11" output is required as are the gif files.
We will collect the gif files (via floppy disks or zips) from each Team at the conclusion of the event. However, there is no need to bring a printer. You can provide the 8.5"x11" copies after the competition. Since we will have the gif files, we would know if any Team added any extra detail in after the fact. This gives us/you the opportunity to print them out at a higher resolution than gif files afford - so that later publication in the magizines is better quality.
In the original rules, there was the thought that audience members interested in your software could take away copies on paper. In reality, you could do that better by referring them to your booth on the Build Boston Expo floor, and having yet another 12 outlets for printers doesn't make sense.
3D "Solid" Modeling
From : >Jeff Small, C. Jeffery Small & Associates (206) 232-3338
jeff@cjsa.com - 7000 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island, WA 98040
>By the way, why is "solid" modeling such an important criteria?
Reply :
That particular aspect of the competition is meant to address the "design" issue of the capabilities of the software, and to see how limiting or flexible it is towards expressing design ideas. As we shift from 2D drafting depictions of things to architectural CADD software we want to make sure we can still design within that new context. (For instance, architectural intelligence is nice but we must be able to do more than just straight walls, flat roofs, with only stairs and things from pre-determined libraries.) The 3D modeling requirements, which were presented in last year's competition by a required custom FLW window, a specific bollard lantern, and an articulated gingerbread and lattice Queen Anne entrance, are specifically to challenge and test the abilities of the software to allow us to design and include custom and possibly intricate shapes. The "solid" aspect of 3D modeling was not explicitly required - though we warned the competitors beforehand that we believed that true solid modeling would probably be necessary to come close to the required designs.
An excellent example of a Team going way beyond the perceived abilities of their software was the DataCAD Team, who did the most accurate and spectacularly detailed gingerbread entrance, bollard, and tower - to the applause of the audience - who were shocked because everyone assumed DataCAD would not be capable of such modeling, since it is only a surface modeler not a solid modeler. On the other side of the spectrum, two Teams with what everyone previously thought were great 3D solid modelers, Microstation Triforma and AutoCAD AutoArchitect, totally fell flat (as you can see in the videotape of the event) possibly because their overlay software made working with those modelers too difficult.