bayThink

Real estate development in the virtual city...

2012-01-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Sleep deprived graphic thoughts on the value of navigation and experience in a 4D/5D virtual web over traditional 2D web content....

Apologies for the brain dump of basic thoughts...hopefully something deeper will be inspired after some rest!

The Relational BIM - connecting a BIM database to the mobile web and the Cloud

2010-12-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

If Google ever capitalized on Sketchup as a BIM tool, they would be dangerous. Just saying..

Persistant print-ready files from a BIM environment

2010-08-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

UI::IU

2009-07-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

User Interface - Intuitive Usabilty

I have to give credit to Hugh Macleod again - this print at the end says it all.

In design we often struggle with evolution. Legacy has killed many products, and the software industry often is not nimble enough to recognize when a wholesale revolutionary jump is necessary in order to keep pace with trending and market changes, keeping the brand intact but

changing the product. Few, such as Apple, have been able to truly both be evolutionary and revolutionary, but to no small degree by a clear vision and key perseverance.

Have you ever truly had an experience with a product that, is not only evolutionary in a new market, but could also be revolutionary in another?

This could be the advent of the mobile application market feeding back into the desktop lifestream.

How? Go, boot up your computer. A legacy operating system, built a step up but with an eye towards early adopters, technologists with a bent towards customization and programming, that has not kept up with the widening market of users that only want to click on an icon and run an

application. They don't want to know how it works. They don't want to spend hours trying to devirus the system or flush the cache. They don't want to dig for files.

They just want one window in which a clear set of intuitive interactions await their touch, sans thinking.

I handed my iPhone to my grandfather. This man, as I've come to discover, is the genetic source of my geekiness, a lifetime cabinet builder that bought his first computer at the age of 75. And, with his first touches, he got it.

And so, as a meandering wander through the computer section of Best Buy illustrated, Microsoft hasn't got it. A desktop. Sub folders. All exposed naked, as driven by programmers who supply the masses, historically true to their DOS predecessors.

But why do 95% of users need this? Why, when I go to the office, do I not press a button, and click a few icons into my applications? Why, when I need a new application, do I not click on the store and automatically install it on my computer? Why do I struggle through applications with 10 steps, with the illustrious 'install wizard', the very model of user unfriendliness for non-techs.

If the Chrome OS can spark a change, or Apple can scale their mobile OS to a desktop level, should Microsoft not be afraid? We never know how these elements pan out, but this is a landscape ripe for the taking. Will it be a push to the cloud? Will it be a redesign of a easily customizable, excessively user-friendly desktop experience, in which I have a hood covering the engine to my silicon car?

Let's hope so, if not to bring a level of stability and to finally show a significant step forward in our understanding of human interaction, and understanding of the how we behave.

Split the Data:Two are better than one.

2009-07-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Musings on massive (def: >100 mb) BIM datasets and a strategy for attribute seek optimization.

In working with a massive dataset on Revit (4 180+mb files, 1 120+mb, and 1 80+mb structural file, compressed), I have had the opportunity to observe the impacts to productivity and inefficiency of attributal seeking in the context of a large (+40 person) team.

Not good.

5+ minute load times. Multi-minute lag on certain commands. View load times. Save times. Reload latest. All of these add up to both actual and perceived inefficiencies in a BIM workflow. While the central database model offers many benefits, the question is how to improve on this?

While undergoing an experiment on a Linux CAVE system, I had the opportunity to work with a researcher writing his own modelling application. Our dataset was a +1gig ASCII file, and in doing manual edits on the dataset (ironically, on a homemade text editor), I had the opportunity to witness a search algorithm that was able to break the data into small batch sets, resulting in a seek time faster than a standard unix word count algorithm.

So, if it is possible to subdivide and partition the dataset in a way that allows for localized seeking, is it possible to modularize the data in a way that begins to prioritize a more efficient user experience?

This is an engineering question. Similar to current battery research, as batteries maxed out their golden ratio of weight to charge hold times, engineers have now had to begin studying ways to separate battery usage into a more efficient division based on the tasks that are being asked of it in order to extend lifespans while decreasing weight. If this same strategy is employed on a dataset, is it possible to separate graphic information from quick access from deep access data?

IE: Splitting apart the data when generated into clusters so as I access views, that information is both optimized in a location to speed graphic population and redraw on the GPU, as well as intelligent streaming caching to take away the generation lag, but not bogging it down anywhere else in the dataset? This could also allow for a separation of types of data, from representation vs. attributes, in a way that would allow a structural package to optimize data it is loading differently than an MEP package differently than an architectural package.

Combined in a cloud scenario, an optimized database manager can be loaded an run in parallel to the BIM app. The dangerous side of this would allow current modeling only applications such as SketchUp to, in parallel, develop an attribute database system that plugs into their software, giving them an instant competitive entry to the game.

This is what keeps life interesting. Carry on, diisssmissed!

BIM Nirvana

2009-04-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks I received a few interesting emails asking about my take on what would be the ideal architecture/construction software of the future. After checking out to make sure that no responses were to the CAD companies, I set out to ponder this question...

Note, this is not going to address any of the awkwardness of this intern who is missing the big picture...

To process this out, let's think about the process of architecture in an Integrated Delivery manner:

The players: Owner, Architect, Contractor...Engineers, Sub-Contractors, Consultants.

Traditional problems: Systems developed in a vacuum. Keeping current with the design. Translations. Document control. Real-time cost tracking. Options studies. Information duplication/communication. Multiple offices/locations. Product accuracy. Specifications review. Design intent vs. constructability. Design review. Schedule and sequencing. Project management in the model/drawings. Redrawing and rebuilding.

So...

A software package that allows each member of the team to contribute, modify, view, and attribute in a single, modular, and tracked environment that automatically populates schedules, costing, specifications, and the real-time construction/fabrication/erection documents in a coordinated parametric BIM model that can be accessed globally, 24/7, from a single archiveable database that is hosted at a 3rd party secure location and spans outside of corporate firewalls.

That's it. Have at it Bentley/Autodesk/VICO/Google/Graphisoft/player yet to be defined.

Hopefully one of you will get it right...

Linden Labs vs. Google : Victor takes the virtual marketplace

2009-04-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

First: Thank you BumpTop. Your 3D desktop has recovered my desktop, a task previously unthinkable. It's stable, and you guys rock.

Second: The migration back into a 3D desktop has reinvigorated a perception I've had on the futures of the virtual environments by Linden Labs and Google. It's no secret that I've wondered about Google's potential for SketchUp, but is that far enough? Is it possible that Google Earth is the real competitor to Second Life?

Hugh may be saying it best:

Walk with me here - Linden Labs has combined the perks of a social chat room with a marketplace. Throw a 3-dimensional GUI over this, and that's it. Not much different than your Apple store and iPhone interface, except that you have cute little avatars (well, not that cute) and less control on quality environments.

So, what if you had the following acquisitions: A) a powerful, user friendly 3D modeling application; a foray (failed, but still a foray nonetheless - RIP Lively!) into an online 3D engine; a powerful, global-based database & map/3D graphic engine; GPS synchronization; a social network/IM stream; an open-source mobile phone OS and handset(s); and finally, a powerful search and advertising/marketing network.

LL, be afraid.

This isn't to say that Google has all of the pieces, but Google has all the pieces. Sony may be able to bring a variation of this to the PS3, but they are landlocked to the console. Apple is missing the advertising connection. Microsoft isn't even in the same neighborhood (open source? whazzat?).

So how do these pieces go together? There is not much difference if someone is creating something for the web or modeling for real-world architecture (I'm still waiting for Google SketchUp to take on Autodesk, but I've vented on that enough for now...). An intuitive modeler is an enabler, and being able to port to Google Earth is a gateway drug.

Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash speaks of a world where there is relevance between physical and virtual locations. Anyone with Google Maps on your iPhone know of the surrealism of being able to always know where you are, and entering into the virtual based on the physical brings a parallelism unprecedented in 3D environments. Discovering new worlds or landholding your real estate in both worlds gives the ability to sync retail brick and mortar locations with their online presences.

Now distribute this to your mobile phones. Virtual searches syncronized with physical products. Tracking search and purchase over a distributed network on PC and mobile. VR synced to the physical, yet the parallel with the truly virtual. Advertising pushed to your phone through GPS, driven from the VR parallel, and vice versa.

Combine this with attributal building information, searchable destinations, or even being able to recombine and build your own cities based on search criteria. Market data beware, you can have user data at an entirely different scale. People could build and share their own virtual 'cities', pulling people to search and build their networks with each other.

Unimaginable, no?

Misusing made up words...

2009-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

Oh words, you silly silly things you...

After a 2 1/2 hour dialogue this week involving the terminology BIM, we have reached a point where it is as generic as saying CAD or model or ice cream (you gelato people know what I mean...).

Why, you ask?

Theoretical Rant:: start::

BIM originally was a push towards a dynamic building model, which was a resolution of the traditional issues with 2-dimensional documents that were not linked to elevations, sections, etc. Moving into a 3-dimensional environment 10-15 years ago, architects began utilizing 3D for visualization, unconnected models that were detached from the document set. As we matured, and CADD marketing intervened, we came to realize that we needed architectural models that were the basis of our design, and 2D 'views' dynamically derived in real-time from said model(s).

This, depending on which marketing ploy you conceded to, become Object-oriented modelling or BIM. Throw in some intelligent databasing for scheduling, and you have the basis for what Bentley, Autodesk, Archicad, and others are marketing as BIM today.

That's great.

But today the terminology is changing, as we are working dynamically outside the bounds of the architects' offices. Engineers, contractors, and fabricators, are all entering into the 3D arena. One model is not the case anymore, as you have system models that overlay from the EOR and DC trades. Simulation, analytical, cost tracking, sequencing, coordination, and E&O models all exist. BIM has become watered down with all of these.

And worse.

Lawyers are entering into the fray. AIA, AGC, and owners are all trying to interpret this landscape, and without a clear lexicon, this will only create greater confusion.

Where will this go? Hopefully a clean restating of terms. BIM needs to go away, as it is beyond recovery now. We need to look to the future, or even get to where things are today. This includes moving beyond the marketing brochure. This includes a clear definition of activities, who is doing what, and the processes that extend all the way through the lifespan of the model.

Without this ground, we will not be able to move beyond the developers, able to control and shape the tools and methodologies on our terms.

::end::Theoretical Rant

And ice cream is egg based. Gelato is not ice cream. Sorbet is not ice cream. Get with the times people, these are critical distinctions!!

Social Network is just a seductive way to say Knowledge Management

2009-03-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

(GapingVoid , buy a print from Hugh)

Let' s talk.

Let's discuss, discourse, dialogue, disagree, disseminate.

Communication = knowledge.

Disagree? Let' s share.

Sure, social media is a buzzword for sure. As is knowledge management, the IT of Web 2.0. Convergent trending, obviously, but are they really one in the same?

Let's take a walk:

Email - the O.G. social network. Point to point, client-server lumps of additive, archivable goodness. Unfortunately this has never merged into anything more meaningful, and thus has been the bastard child that everything ports out to. Cons, it is exclusive and separatist, it forces you to filter who receives and equates to the toilet paper of the internet: Cheap, disposable, and clogging can cause information overload.
Instant Messaging - P2P, the forefather of microblogging. It suffers from the legacy of data storage, and the singularity in which it promotes.
Wikis - the etch-a-sketch of the knowledge landscape. Reeditable and searchable, wikis range from Google Docs to the ultimate group email....if you can get the time to get them started. Only as good as their foundation, and without meaningful starts and ongoing contributions, lifespan and interest is shortlived.
Blogs - the middle child. Just graduating, blogs are statements of the media landscape. Direct, non-changing, with some measure of thought and dedication to keep maintained.
Tumblelogs - Blogs for the spammer, grab and go snapshots of the internet journeys of their masters.
Microblogging - Many have said they are the Ritalin-challenged, microblogs represent the dynamics of one's daily life or work environment. Short lifespan data, push-focused information flow.

As we look to the future of project-level communications and managements, these tools will form the framework of the 3.0 world. Email is reaching a point of overload, from bloated emails of puppy pictures to innane daily activities of refrigerator-purging (seriously?!).

Successful management of decision-making, team alignment, and data transfers will become key metrics for project evolution.

What we choose to do with that data, however, still remains...

Engineer your project to a better 'you'

2009-02-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's a horrible title. Sorry 'bout that...

But think about it: Multi-million, multi-billion dollar construction projects.

How often have you been on a project where the entire process was engineered around your needs, your conditions, your value proposition?

Usually architects and GC's cringe from the term 'engineer'. Very formal, sounds too efficient. But as your dollar stretches less these days from shrinking income and credit, are you operating around a process that is custom designed to maximize your return?

Manufacturing has realized this a few years ago. Project process engineers are leaning down inefficiencies, errors, and improving overall QC. This is resulting in lessened assembly times, reduced waste, and overall higher operating profits.

But design and construction processes are slightly different. You are not designing for mass replication, where you can allow your Black Belts to slowly filter up to 99.7% efficiency. This is a one-off application, typically in which your response, design priorities, procurements, sequencing, labor rate balances, communication streams, and cash flows all merge into complex jungle that equates to your dollars at risk, er, work.

Process engineers are not traditionally involved in architecture or construction, hence a huge barrier in adoption. No schools are teaching this, the FAIA is fearful of this, and this would be a huge turf war with the GC's.

But............................

...what if?

Own IT.

2009-02-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, you're a major landowner. You have lots of properties. You like to develop them.

We've all played Monopoly, WE GET IT.

Let me ask you this -

Is the same architect designing each property?
Is the same general contractor managing the project?
Are the same builders on each project?

If you've answered 'No' to any of these questions, proceed to the next question:

4. How do you maintain consistency from project to project and evolve your building process while not being restrained by the lowest common denominator?

Answer well.

Hints:

Information Flow - what data are you consistently supplying your design team? How can you streamline anything that might be replicated by multiple project teams?
Standards - what is your process for ensuring that each project maintains standards as defined by your definition of efficiency and productivity? Where can you evolve and put your design time vs. non-critical or highly repetitive units that need to be standard from building to building?
Data Management - as the owner in a 3-party contract, you will be called on for an acceleration of decision-making as well as information supply. How can that information be made easily accessible, quickly modifiable, standardized, and easily updateable?
Lifespan - you are developing digital data models of your facilities, how can you use this information on the back-end? Are you facilities looking to this level of information? How are your renovation teams geared?
Reuse - what are you getting back from one project team that can be shared with the next, reducing design fees while still maintaining liability from architect to architect?
Shared Learning - when you test something on one project, how can you get that information back from the execution and share what you learned with the next project team, allowing for design evolution across multiple firms? How are prototypes utilized?
Management - Architects vary with their understanding of IPD and VDC. GC's vary. Your own project managers vary. How do you staff and manage your consultants, reducing the bottom of the learning curve from project to project team while still learning from the top of the curve?

Disappointingly, this is a zen-like journey for many owners, and many that do not know that they will be setting out on this. Universities, healthcare institutions, developers. Any multiple-building owners will experience this dilemma in the coming years, and not just in the US. Process engineering can alleviate and flush out many of these issues, and seeking out the leaders in IPD and BIM/VDC today will begin the education process and lessen your learning curve.

Thank you for your time, I need go now and develop my hotels on Boardwalk. FTW!

IPD - Just do it.

2009-02-15T23:06:00.000-08:00

Note to Meatheads: Using the word, "Value" doesn't necessarily make you, or make you appear, smarter.

- Hugh Macleod, February 15th, 2009

That's great, but there are times if every industry to re-evaluate and understand the value that you bring to your clients, and more importantly, the value that they actually want and need.

Starting to hear the word, "value" a lot these days. it's now one of those "formerly useful words" like "enterprise" or "conversations" etc

- Hugh Macleod, February 15th, 2009

Unfortunately, in times of recessions and economic turmoil, everyone's value statements change. In the case of the construction industry, this is the compounding reaction to years of bloat and waste driven by a siloing of insurance risk and responsibilities.

So what's the value in architecture in this market? With declining credit and bonding, there is significantly less global capital for construction. China is post-olympic recession. Everyone is pulling out of Russia. Europe. Japan. Taiwan. And the US. The value of facilities needs to extend further, and that begins with the start of construction.

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is trying to redefine this.

Sure, commodities are dropping as a natural side effect of the decline in manufacturing and construction. But there is still room for 5, 10, 30% waste reduction and pre-coordination for a reduction of construction costs. Design-bid-build was about risk isolation, not necessarily in the best interest of the owner. We (the contracting and design community) need to lead this change as we analyze the values of our clients.

Why? Business as usual hasn't been bad. Now we're seeing fee reductions. Ridiculously high labor rates. And now manufacturing owners are realizing that they've been able to increase their efficiency in process, and that the construction industry needs to do the same - Reduction in E&O's. Prefabrication. Shortened construction schedules. Less change orders.

What's wrong with DBB? It's served us well for 30, 40 years, hasn't it? Architects design and document it once. Then we hand it over to the GC and subcontractors, they evaluate it, propose changes, we redocument. Then we get out in the field, recoordinate and deal with additional changes in the form of RFI's, E&O's, and Change Orders (translation: $$$$$)

We can carry forward, business as usual, or we can look at Change (sorry, didn't mean to be so offensive by using the 'C' word, FAIA members). We can move out of starchitecture mode, and really try to get to the heart of bringing value to our clients. Great design, great execution, and as efficient as possible in the process. Architects and builders working together, with our clients. Savings back to the owner.

What's involved?

Architect and General Contractor onboard day 1, together.
Early Design Assist - Major trades (SMEP/FP/Framing/Cladding) between DD and CD's
Let 2D die - 2D CAD is antiquated and a large part of our coordination nightmares. Buildings aren't flat, so our drawing and coordination shouldn't be either.
Project core team - Owner, Architect, Contractor. We all have a stake, and need to work at a team because decisions drive timelines, and we can't get there without each other.
Plan the plan, work the plan - Pull Schedule. Process Calendar. LEAN. Critical Path Value Stream mapping. It all goes together, and, to repeat, decision-making drives design.
Be a team - Look at everyone's strengths, and leverage them. Lose the attitudes. Work together. Romeo and Juliet figured it out, so can we (ok, that's a weird one but let's go with it...)
Contractual language. The AIA is working on it....

One Modeler to Rule Them All

2009-01-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Strange thought - is it possible to have one modular modelling application, that is streamlined for basic users, and modular, web-based variations for different trades?

Thinking about this, when I am working in an architectural application, I am just layering a level of attributes around my geometry to define how it should behave and schedule. If I am doing product design, similarily I can tag my geometry for material definitions, strengths, etc. If I am engineering for fabrication, I want to be able to plug my analytics into the geometry definitions. If I am just modeling for rendering or 3D printing, I am just streamlining to material properties and parametrics.

If I am hitting an online model, could this not entail a similar d/base back-end, but the flexible front-end based upon the tasks needed? Equally perplexing, but could the export flow be similar, and get us to a world where we do not need to worry about file translations but a universal, open source (real open source, not this IFC crap) format that is designed around flexibility and power processing, or even moving away from total file migration into file captures that can be pulled into various applications?

Hmmm......

Tap the Data Stream

2009-01-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, this whole database dilly-o is interesting. Thinking about the amount of product material that is incorporated, including quantities, manufacturer, spec information, etc., you have to wonder how this information cannot be tapped, similarily to what Google is doing with Google Docs and Gmail?

Look at the comparisons:

Marketing Information - Every piece of equipment, finish, manufacturer will eventually, if not already, be specified in the model, and therefore in the database. Market usage, advance information, and advertising for new, relative products could be pushed exactly as Gmail is scanning and tracking our emails.
Specifications Attributing - Specifications are a pain in the ass. This information, however, could reside and be searched the same as Google Scholar or any of the other online, spidered indexes, and automatically be streamed into the database. Revenue could be generated from product suppliers enlisting into this service.
New Product Information - We currently wait for the major conferences or search through outdated architectural publications to find out about new products? Why can't their advertising dollars go directly to the company hosting and streaming our model, along with the model families for their new launches, and we can always stay up to date with the newest or most used/popular products??
Construction Tracking - Metrics on quantity, location, typologies, etc. for new and upcoming construction could be captured and sold. Real-time updates on new construction can be sourced to Google Earth and Google maps, supplementing satellite data w/more current information.
Web-Based Tools (the Gateway Drug!) - If my model is being hosted through Google, and my 100 person + team is using a Google tool, it would introduce me into the rest of the Google suite of products. Spreadsheets, Word docs, email, presentations, calendars? My IT department would need to come to terms with the externally hosted environment, and once that boundary is overcome these tools could become more legitimate, and migrate us from a Microsoft, firewalled world. It would also give Sketchup some street cred in an architect's world, word up.

Ok, now that I've vented this, time for some bbq with the family. Happy 2009!

Lessons Learned

2009-01-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! This time of reflection (aka a vacation!) and I've had a chance to absorb the lessons and observations of a project team migrating from a traditional, multi-model environment over to a more centralized, 'single' database model environment over a full design phase. Now, take into account that this is for a 500K SF healthcare project, and that brings additional insight:

Teamwork - This is a massive cultural transformation for any team - learning that anything you do within a model and how it overlaps with a half dozen other team members, and the learned communication is difficult to train. Overlay this with the traditional bell curve of varied skillsets and technical acclimation, and it becomes something that your BIM leads will need to focus on as a top priority.
Component Development - Outsourcing is a good thing. 400+ medical equipment families that want to be developed as early as possible, plus casework, furniture, annotation, etc. is a huge volume of work that if you can offload it from your team, you will save a fair amount of additional work. Managing this resource library is a topic for a future rant... ;)
Network - Current file management in the existing BIM apps is pretty sucky (technical term, involving a vacuum-like sound). To their credit, they are not networking companies, and to expect them to handle this much data to 20-40+ users at this point is probably pushing reality (sorry guys!).
Generation Gap - He who holds the pen controls the outcomes. Unfortunately, your users that are not in the model become increasingly separated from the content and output of the model/drawings/design/decision-making. Learning how to incorporate and educate these users on the processes and what the expectations of all team-members are will make your life much, much easier. Also, making sure they understand that Autocad methodologies are not the ultimate answer to architectural design and production is essential.
Technical Balance - BIM requires that your team knows how to put a building together, not just 'draft'. Having the right balance of technical expertise, both in and out of the model, will produce a better entry point and model status before entering CD's.
Sub-Contractors - A solid selection of design assist partners and engagement of them early in the process, and not just in an advisory but in a model-development role, will only help. They are worth their weight in pulling down costs and improving documentation/construction.
Engineers - a) Get them on the same software platform, if possible. You will piss through file translation costs like nobody's business otherwise. b) Make sure they are producing models, and early. We don't work in a 2D world, everything has an X, Y, and Z dimension, and without their models you are leaving serious coordination and decision-making in shops or, worse, to be found in the field. $$$, enough said.
Put your PA's to work - BIM enables your Project Architects to get to work early, establishing drawing standards, systematic design, and other projectwide standards as soon as you start the model. Nothing is wasted, and these standards can evolve as the project moves forward, but a good foundation is worth its weight by the time you hit construction documents.
Communicate, communicate, communicate. Refer to my last post :)

As we move into the next phase, we will be looking at tighter construction integration, fast and heavy documentation, and probably a new batch of challenges. Stay tuned!

Social Media in the Architect's World

2008-12-02T18:46:00.001-08:00

Interesting phenoma has hit me-I'm starting to understand how communication tools, and more precisely social media tools, are going to both impact Integrated Project Delivery as well as we as architects build. And, it also scared the shit out of me.

Here's why:

Imagine our full project teams being larger than many mid-size architecture FIRMS. 100-200 people, multiple firms and focuses, onboarded at the end of Concept Design. We will be entering the day of the uber-PM's, where strong managers will be worth their weight in gold due to the project risk potential.
Information has varying lifespans, and retention and decentralized freedom will need to live hand in hand.
NCARB and architectural academia are already well behind the times, stuck in starchitecture power-design mode, that they will not be prepared for this, unfortunately.
Architects are notorious for being egomaniacs that refuse to change because they know what is best (FLW, Mies, and Corbu for instance). See the problem...?
Building a building is not that complex, its the integration of ideas and multiple points of view that dramatically raise the difficulty. Facilitating, capturing, and managing these communications and ideas in a transparent manner will revolutionize the process and industry.

Maybe I'm jaded and hyperventilating for nothing, but I think I just saw how small we currently are in the greater galaxy. Now it's time to get off of BART and get some dinner...

Zen and the Art of Sheet Setup

2008-11-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

So, with this impending deadline, I've spent the last 48 hours setting up 70 some sheets as part of our drawing set. Ah, I can hear the virtual envy in your voices. But this has brought about some introspective thinking about how I would approach this time consuming and dramatically in-need-of-automating task:

Rinse and Repeat - in a central database environment, it should be expected (unless noted otherwise) that a view will end up on a sheet. That being said, even though there have been great strides in making this more efficient, there is still a level of tediousness when setting up 200+ sheets, especially with plan blow-ups, etc.
Think Indesign - Page layout apps have come a long way in the last 10 years, and CAD apps need to make the same strides. 'Heavy' processing of views is just tedious for large projects, wading from view lists to sheets, and easy guide snapping would be a good thing. Seriously.
Lite is not just for Beer - With the heavy processing work occuring in the central model, a streamlined viewer or 'page layout' GUI would make life just dandy for large projects. Intelligent video card management, thumbnail placements, and only parsing the database for necessary information would make the process much more efficient and cut down the number of objects being thrown in anger around the office (we are now using only paper cups, and all bottle cap lids are confiscated in the kitchen).
Group Therapy - Going back to multi-disciplanary central database models, we are currently carrying some of our consultants sheets in our BIM model, but they have no way to access and control the layout or content. Turning this into a central file for the entire family will not only make it easier to have one source of content, but allow for easier standardization of consultant sheets back to the main format and content management.

This is not meant to be a bitch-fest, but identification of a task that is hammering us from the efficiency side. A little more love in this area could both speed up and simplify this task as well as make it easier to push out to the entire extended team.

Food for thought, I'm going to bed.

G'night Jonboy,

If you VR in a CAVE, does it qualify as SPELUNKING?

2008-11-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Well, there have been some intriguing developments lately in the possibility of utilizing some form of large-format stereoscopic VR as part of pre-construction on this li'l project of ours. Thanks to our reps over at Mechdyne, we were able to make some connections with a terrific Comp Sci researcher at UC Davis' Keck Center, who helped us both translate our Revit data into a custom built Linux ASE viewer as well as being a fantastic salesman for VR.

Oliver, many thanks.

Going forward, we've been able to track down some potential justifications for utilization of VR as a construction tool:

Virtual mockup rooms -

This is a no-brainer. Construction and schedule costs to traditional, full-scale room mockups are an easy target, as users only get to respond to one room at a time, and changes this late can only be a hit to the construction schedule (can you say escalation and waste impacts...? I knew you can!) Now, imagine a VR environment where you can run your full building, virtualized to 1:1 scale.

Did I also mention that most users cannot understand architectural drawings?

'nuff said.

Inspector Review tool -

We're dealing with some serious governmental oversight groups out here in Cali. OSHPD alone is bringing potential cost padding of 30-50% on some projects, which is part of the reason hospital construction in CA is through the roof, compared to the rest of the country. Bringing inspectors and other stakeholders through in pre-con holds the potential to identify what they will be reviewing and means and method/sequencing modifications to accomodate the specifics of each reviewer, without getting caught at the 11'th hour in the field.

Design and documentation tool -

Many architects do not necessarily understand what they're drawing. Any tool to visualize, inspect, and review the data model is beneficial.

Construction scheduling -

The other day, my plumbers brought to light the point that they are having to centralize more of their skilled labor back in the shops, and they are having to deal with an increasing amount of less-skilled labor in the field. This unfortunately means we may have to awake to a fear that we are losing the traditional technical skills (unfortunately, this is hitting architects as well, not just the contractors) that have been honed and handed down in apprenticing over the years. Subcontractors are now in the position that they have to revamp their installation drawings, making them as simple as a user manual, and hoping that the field superintendent can error check and recover in time in the field.

Enter a mobile, onsite CAVE trailer. Large scale VR of the installation to visualize what the installation should be, resolve field coordination issues, and reviewing productivity and sequencing issues from a VICO model.

I like it.

All of this is just food for thought. Justification and business cases drive our industry, and decisions on this are no different. Tomorrow is another day, and we will have to see where this gets us.....

11 PM Rants of a Model Coordinator

2008-11-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

As we come into another major project deadline, it is becoming time for another software rant. With a sensitivity towards market share (yes, I know 90% of all work is less than $40 million in project costs in the US), it is increasingly frustrating that software vendors are still basing their database management on small file management.

Frustrating because this is not the future of project delivery.

Frustrating because we are wasting ridiculous amounts of time translating files and duplicating efforts.

Frustrating because huge files take 5-10 minutes to load, and every time we save back to the central database. (We shall not mention the quite-not-so-intuitive saving process, either)

Frustrating because the rest of my team can't use the same platform, or same model w/o translation.

This is even more frustrating because it can be an easy fix - approach the model from a server standpoint, stream to the desktop, and take a holistic look at the architectural process from conception to fabrication.

Don't get me wrong - moving the file to a central model is definitely a move in the right direction. But the pain of trying this on a L/XL/XXL project brings to light how robust the system needs to be, as well as the needs of a full ecosystem of tools. This is like Twitter w/o Tweetdeck, Twitpic, Summize, etc.; a significant piece of the whole, but not the pie itself.

Hopefully it just won't be another 10 years til we get the full dessert?

A Vision (alcohol not included)

2008-11-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a great distraction from the last year, which has been one of the few times in the past few years that I have been able to detour from the daily project grind and focus on computing process evolution. To put this in context, it's been an opportunity to explore the use of stereoscopic large scale visualization (more precisely, the use of a CAVE in a VDC process), and the mental retreat has brought with is some enlightenment:

The future of the architectural project is all about the integrated project team, and everyone working on one model. This is not happening today, as team siloing and planning for risk and lawsuits still define the boundaries that contain the subgroups. The contractual changes of Integrated Project Delivery will overcome one side of the equation, but the software side can only be overcome by vendors, and somebody needs to bitchslap them with the realization of how much time we burn on a project translating files from one application to another.
Our model data sets are huge, and this is a good thing.
Social networking tools may hold a piece of the solution in how architectural teams function. It may turn out to be a necessity of effective project team management.
Physical, full-size mockups serve a place, but the ability to supplant them with large-scale VR may finally be here.
We are entering an age of innovation in architectural process, leaving the age of starchitecture. This requires an open mind towards project delivery, and, more importantly, the perception that the overall project process can be hacked, reordered, and reconstituted into something leaner, more efficient, and one that can both produce better quality and cheaper buildings.

I am curious to see the next 5 years in architecture - if the current trends hold true, we may be entering a pace of innovation similar to web 1.0, and the revolutionary cycle may leave more than a few traditionalists in it's wake.

I think I need a drink right about now....

American Institute of Architects (AIA) Provides New Agreements to Encourage Implementation of Integrated Project Delivery

2008-05-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080515005182&newsLang=en

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7 or 8D world?

2008-05-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

Wow...is it unrealistic to think that one day our BIM models could actually be linked to field assembled/installed robotics, getting us out of this incredible unionized construction market??

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File Interoperability in Steel Industry

2008-04-28T09:01:00.001-07:00

http://enr.ecnext.com/coms2/article_nebuar080423

"...In the past year, not much has changed for the good on the building information modeling front. In fact, certain aspects of BIM have gotten worse, including client expectations and “who should model what” on a BIM job. So said structural engineers, contractors, steel fabricators and detailers, lawyers and insurance agents at a recent meeting on collaborative virtual design and construction..."

This carries itself through the rest of the AEC industry, currently - is it possible to get a model format that does everything?

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Close-loop energy cycles, back on the ranch

2008-04-27T22:41:00.001-07:00

Interesting - everyone talks of biofuels as potentially one of the ways to break the petroleum industry's grasp, and yet has anyone heard of biofuelled tractors? Wouldn't this only make sense, to create a way for farmers to run all of their machinery from their own fuel?

Similarly, if someone could create fuel cells that could break down salt(or fresh water) for boats, would it be possible to have nautical engines that only need periodic membrane replacements? Especially at the personal watercraft level, where large engines are pulling only a nautical mile/gallon, this could have an amazing effect. Case in point, when you hear about people not wanting to drive their boats because they can't afford to fill their gas tanks...

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Thinking BIM and design in a new process

2008-04-26T09:56:00.001-07:00

It's curious how BIM software today approaches building assembly - very much large scale to small, and with some exception, not in a way that encourages hotelling and prefab concepts in design thinking. If software approached the building in a unitized way, much like software like CADMEP and CADDUCT behave together (low-resolution design model into high-resolution fab model), could this change how we build? For instance, a logical system that allows you to define a room zone, and click up the resolution to build the walls, item placements, etc., even laying out stud assemblies. If this system could allow one to work in parallel with a planning team that is placing instances of these rooms(and stay recognized as 'rooms'), concurrent design and technical development could move in parallel, and allow sub-contractors to build the prototypes with the design team...

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Drywall - who knew?

2008-04-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

After a series of meetings with sub-contractors, it's interesting how universally powerful the drywall sub is to the overall process of building assembly. And interestingly, in the world of BIM, they may actually be the furthest behind in technology and tools that would allow their participation in a model coordination pre-construction environment. Parametric sequencing of stud layouts does not seem that much of a stretch, especially in this day and age of packages like Generative Components or Revit, but without this key stakeholder engaged in the process, it seems there may be some ceiling to the overall efficiency improvements in BIM coordination?

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modularity in iVR

2008-04-16T19:57:00.001-07:00

Change and transparent openness are funny things - to collaborate and plan for open sourcing and playing nice with others always seems to take a backseat to proprietary ownership.

This seems to really speak highly to the guys that helped open up the Net, which has become a source of innovation, communication, entertainment, learning, etc., but also begs the question of if that openness will ever arise again to lead to Web 3.0? Imagine a plug-n-play universe which creates spatial relationships to search engines, the ability to search casually surf and really experience spontaneous findings, or to know where you are by where you stand at the moment. This would mean a wanting to build and develop within the environment, modularity in land ownership, but could mean one GUI to surf, play games, socialize, buy, entertain, etc. VRML held hopes yet was brought down by group conscensous. Are there any visionary firms that would be willing to develop something solely as a springboard for others, even competitors?

4D is 33% cooler than 3D!

2008-04-14T18:15:00.001-07:00

4D simulations are cool. That being said, current BIM solutions are pretty terrible at integrating the keyframing attributes to a model(trying to build it in after the fact in Navis??), that it begs the question of alternative workflows. In the current scenario of clientside apps, however, it does not seem possible to transparently define scheduling data behind the design model due to the limitations of interface and centralization of markets that focuses on A/E, not the builders.

Imagine if there was an interface into the model for contractors, that allowed access to specs, materials, cost, scheduling, and equipment phasing?

BIM and virtual web - can one inform the other?

2008-04-13T22:22:00.001-07:00

With BIM being as such a major breakthrough in information management in the physical architectural world, it seems to beg the question of whether it could be as valuable in the 3D virtual internet?

Let's explore this by beginning how BIM was a transformation from traditional CAD and 3d modeling in the architectural history. 3D modeling brought an evolution of 2D drafting as a closer replication of the building, but it drove a geometry only model that lent itself more to visualization than truly driving a drawing set or any form of intelligence.

Now, paralleling this in the current generation of proprietary internet modelers, it appears that the industry is in the same condition as the architectural modelers were 10-15 years ago, still trying to develop easy to use modelers that are accessible and interchangeable. Lack of consistency from interface to interface can only enhance confusion for the inexperienced, average user, and the models are only carrying a minimum of information back to the database and system that could be utilized.

What type of information? Basic logic of construction - intelligence between exterior and interior walls could provide scalability of interior spaces for low-res worlds, while exterior shells provide navigability through virtual urban environments; floor designations for gravity detection; asset management of components that can be databased and bought/sold and populated Sims-style. Tying this together, view and collision management systems could provide context for virtual map-building and communication of layouts for online real estate or other virtual enterprise.

Why the appeal of using one platform to cut across from physical to virtual buildings? Consistency between tools and standardized input could bring experienced urban and residential/corporate/retail designers. Standardization could populate through to the gaming industry, expanding the market for architectural software and creating a single format virtual building databasing, and give competition to the existing 3D modeling market. Finally, it could lead to a commonality in virtual modeling language, potentially pushing the 3D web into a sustainable force with multiple sources on proprietary development....?

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Paperless office? Yeah right...

2008-04-11T21:49:00.001-07:00

So....after spending all Friday night in the office translating files and dealing w/CAD printing issues, all to convey periodic information out to my team, it makes me wonder what alternatives could exist to solve this inefficiencies in the AEC world. could there be 2.0 solutions out there, like a Blurb.com solution to CAD printing( straight from your database to the printers, completely automated!) or even online readers available that link directly to your files(want to see the new floorplans? Open Acrobat 12 and flip to sheet A12...) These solutions don't seem that unattainable in today's age, do they?

Why Google can dominate another market

2008-04-11T19:47:00.001-07:00

So why are there new competitors to the throne of architectural CAD? There is definitely legacy, for sure in some of the big dogs - Autodesk, Bentley, Archicad. But, just as American automakers may soon get schooled by cross-disciplined tech startups in the Valley, is there a chance that diverse thinking or support may revolutionize traditional thinking? To point - currently trends in thinking, in a historically very conservative and legacy-driven application field, are causing a dramatic shakeup to the way projects are being delivered and tearing down walls between traditionally animosity-driven silos. And this is an industry that every year or two has went out and willingly upgraded to a 15 year old CAD package that was only slightly tweaked from release to release.

So what are the relative strengths? In the concept of database back-end, Google definitely has several strengths. Strong search functionalities, in-place server farms, and the fact that they already own SketchUp gives them a leg into the modeling arena. Abstracting this, why would they want to? A web-based interface with an intuitive modeling/building application, tied into their ambitious OS development in Android and advertising-based revenue stream would make a logical tie to a very flexible Google-driven open architecture virtual 3D web that could be cross-linked from PC to cell phone, potentially into gaming consoles, and give them the backbone to another entire evolution of the internet. Combine that with their vested interest in Apple with a potentially optimized Mac (or even OS non-specific architecture), and Apple-centric love of all designers and architects that have cursed for years the lack of a great CAD app for the G5's, and voila...a slice out of a nice little pie. Plus throw into that the revenue from ad-supported virtual internet, and the combined revenue from the CAD side of AEC, and potential startup investments in an entirely integrated ecosystem from scheduling, fabrication, and the visualization markets...how could they not??

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BIM + Web 3.0

2008-04-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

To further explore this concept of web-based BIM, why might this work? Current BIM software is typically in two variaties - central database or a consortium of assorted files. In either case, architects, engineers, and fabricators are working by remote, on differing databases, and having to deal with dataloss due to file translations. With no apparent workable resolution to non-proprietary file interoperabilty(sorry IFC's), and recent lawsuits illustrating a lack of cooperation on the vendor side of proprietary formats, could a web-based solution be the Rosetta Stone for the AEC team?

Imagine an environment(its Friday, so recreational medication or alcohol may be required) where the architect or contractor is providing the backend system, or, even better, the backend is being provided by the vendor/data host. This would allow for web-based modules relative to the building components needed - conceptual design, technical development, engineering analyses, contractor QS or 4D site phasing and scheduling, or even owner interfaces for real-time design presentations or user meetings, preset in a nice, user-friendly GUI. All of this could be directly accessing the main database of 3D data and construction schedules, cost, and quantities. This could take on Revit, Excel, Primavera, Navisworks, and a host of other apps all in one fail swoop, and potential be a killer for all.

Meanwhile, on the backend, system updates could be seamlessly streamed, and take away some of the customization nightmares that plague the industry today, as well as issues with legacy and concurrent software updates. Models could also be tied to shortcut fab shops, or even harbor exports into a reality-based Google Earth or other virtual 3D based internet, automatically setting concurrent spaces between brick-and-mortar and virtual presences. All this on a monthly, scalable subscription service that could dramatically reduce inhouse server and IT helpdesk needs?

One App Shall Rule Them All

2008-04-11T07:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday brought an interesting observation of where the future of BIM software lies, I think. With Autodesk currently gobbling up market share like Pac-Man at a buffet, I believe we are already moving towards a reduction of files to a set of 4 or 5 centralized database models linked together, representing each of the major disciplines.

The question is, where can this go?

I think the answer may lie in SSP apps such as those being developed by Google and Adobe, which could lead to a web-centric, single model that is hosted either in one or multiple locations but accessed and developed by the entire building team. This is a mighty challenge, with various needs by sub-contractors, S/MEP engineers, architects, and builders, but if done correctly it could truly be an intelligent, living building model that can be accessed by the team, anywhere, and not feeling like it is an antiquated modelling environment adapted from the early days of CAD.

Aspirational, probably, but if a company like Google or a well-assembled set of Web 3.0 developers put their minds and resources to it, Autodesk may have some serious contention to their soon to be monopoly...

shopping mall rehab

2008-03-26T18:23:00.001-07:00

Growing up in a small town on the East Coast, the mall was the groovin' joint, the centralized hub of Friday night activity, the hangout joint. Sure, these were the nostalgic days before Walmart dominated the small towns with big box culture, but hey, you had variety of things to do and goings on.

Now, after living in Columbus and personally seeing the death of an urban center after the downtown mall's demise, I wonder what can be done to reactivate these centers without massive reconstruction? The suburban mall, with its sea of parking, seems to offer hope after seeing the success of such shopping centers as Santana Row, the Groves, or even Easton, where a combination of indoor shopping is joined with street front, 1-2 story retail streets nestled with residentaial apartments, condos, offices, and hotels. This would require a shift in thinking, however, to move away from spattering big box stores on the periphery of the parking lots, dismissing any potential of pedestrian connectivity, and providing strategically placed parking garages to replace the surface parking(goodbye heat islands, hello additional retail leasing sf!). But, the potential is there, we just need to hope that some day mall developers develop some civic-focusded morals ;)

apartment hunting

2008-03-25T07:31:00.001-07:00

As a side effect of our evil plan to repopulate SF with midwesterners(its already well underway - see where your co-workers are from!), we've found ourselves constantly cross-referencing craigslist and Google maps to plot out apartment tours. The huge frustration, however, lies in Craigslist's current inability to field multiple locations to a single map, to compare proximity and lay out a set of tours. This might be a result of Google's current capabilities as well, without a quick and easy way to set up multiple searches and persist the results? I'm not pointing fingers, but merely asking if we could all get along...maybe get a place together...spend some quality ti...oh, wow, that got weird ;)

Process Design tools

2008-03-24T17:34:00.001-07:00

For whatever reason, I don't know why I am jaded with software when it comes to planning tools, especially for easy-to-use dynamic scheduling. Why there doesn't exist a scheduler that quickly lets me pull down a list of team names, lay out a short term workplan, and then automatically propogate their tasklists or calendars is such a void in my head - long term MS Project schedules are great, but 3 week lookaheads are essential as well, especially without spending nights doing excel worplans?

Where's that damn manual...?!

2008-03-23T11:31:00.001-07:00

After spending all weekend ripping apart my apartment searching for a manual for a game that was a substitute for another game that I could not find the media for, this started an internal question as to both a) why there is not an online account management system for PC video games (or software in general, for that matter), and why are manuals still included in games, and not just linked off of the web? How many people still honestly read them, and how many trees die for these mini-novels that never see the light of day? I know Steam is trying to change the media delivery system, but could someone please solve and unify the industry to take away these other frustrations?

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reading material for the potty...

2008-03-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered why Barnes and Noble or Borders never provide reading material in their restrooms?? How insensitive...

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no installation necessary

2008-03-21T16:37:00.001-07:00

With this miniaturization of OS's by Apple, Microsoft , and Google, I wonder if we are on track to see the development of computers, cell phones, maybe even gaming consoles merging into a terminal/client relationship, in which the the entire ecosystem of applications for a tiered organization is streamed and tied together? For example, due to hard drive maximization, all of Apple's apps are server-based, and could be streamed to your macbook, your iphone, or whatever other peripherals that they may develop? Would this evolve into pay per use or subscription apps, and a new model of sustained revenue for lesser used but useful software applications? Is it possible by Google, since they do not have a hardware tier?

iTunes, but for software...?

another commute...

2008-03-21T08:18:00.001-07:00

While still adapting to the life of a Bay area commuter (after just moving out here a few months ago from car-centric and fuel-guzzling Columbus, Ohio), a host of questions stir within me regarding the Bay area trains:
- why do I have to use a different pass on MUNI, BART, Caltrans, Amtrak, and AC Transit?? (if anyone has been to cities like Taipei recently you can see its a beautiful thing when they are all in sync!)
- with our lawsuit driven world, how do they get by without handrails or protection screens in the subway tunnels, especially with the speed the trains come flying through?
- why is there not one system that runs full circle from SF to San Jose to Oakland???
- has anyone studied piezo-electric generators in the downtown metro stations (just hafta ask :) )?
-wifi on BART (especially on the east bay commutes!)
-the bus from the Coliseum to Oakland airport does not seem to be encouraging growth and connectivity to Oakland(or is that the plan...?)

These are just some lingering questions from a morning commute, in an uncaffeinated state...now to find some coffee!

rentable books

2008-03-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

The poor bookworm...why isn't there a Netflix for books? How many of us waste $$$ on books, only to read once and never touch again - architects are exceptionally noteworthy on this (hence so many 'coffee table' design books...), or magazines or manga that need cleaned out every year...think of the paper waste alone!

It exists for videos, games, and porn -There sooo HAS to be a market for this...

mobile cell phone tv

2008-03-16T16:49:00.001-07:00

Sony LocationFree or Slingbox tied to a cell phone would be terrific...mobile control of your tv over cell phone data, not trying to locate a wifi point (sorry Steve, they're not everywhere, yet, not even in the valley...)

iTunes Auto?

2008-03-02T19:42:00.001-08:00

After a weekend of being inundated with Microsoft Sync commercials, it brings about a question of if/when Apple will take on this competition? From the standpoint of a direct download version of iTunes running through a car's entertainment system, linking up on-demand movies to your dvd player and downloading any song while driving through voice-activation...makes you wonder, eh?

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Convenience

2008-03-01T22:44:00.001-08:00

This is a test, but a cool one - I may be a little late here, but in finally installing Flock I am entering an age of convenience, with direct access to sooo many things...not a plug for the browser, which is a nice Mozilla overhead, but the integration to social connections is a statement for life in this day an age. So all I can say is a resounding 'wow'...

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