Vancouver Transportation Network Project Captures Autodesk BIM Experience Award

Autodesk has announced that H5M has been selected to receive the latest Autodesk BIM Experience Award. H5M is a design joint-venture team comprising engineers from Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) and the MMM Group.

The H5M team is being honored for its innovative application of a building information modeling (BIM) process for the $2.46 billion (CDN) Port Mann/Highway 1 (PMH1) project for the Ministry of Transportation of British Columbia. The H5M team is also being recognized for its use of Autodesk software for BIM, including AutoCAD Civil 3D software, to help create a sustainable solution designed to manage traffic congestion and accommodate growth through 2031 and beyond.

Initiated in 2007, the PMH1 project is part of the Ministry of Transportation's Gateway Program, which is designed to address current and future transportation needs in the greater Vancouver area. The project is one of the largest transportation network projects currently under way in North America, and involves the construction of a new Port Mann Bridge and widening 37 kilometers of Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway linking Vancouver to the rest of British Columbia and Canada. Other onshore work includes reconstruction of 13 interchanges, construction or rehabilitation of more than 42 bridges, and the reconstruction of a complex highway interchange at the end of the Port Mann Bridge. Design and construction are expected to take five years, and must accommodate existing traffic. As of August 2009, the project design is about 40 per cent complete.

"BIM and a shared core AutoCAD Civil 3D model have helped boost our productivity, enhanced our design coordination and decision making, and improved conflict checking and overall multi-discipline collaboration," said Chris Mealing, design manager at H5M.

--JPL

Online Engineering Degrees

For all those who're interested in online engineering degrees find the link below

http://onlineengineeringdegrees.com/75-cutting-edge-lectures-for-engineers/

Regards,
Prem

How Government Can Foster Digital Cities: Singapore's Example

How Government Can Foster Digital Cities: Singapore’s Example

Geoff Zeiss, Director of Technology

 

 

e-submission

 

Digital submissions are mandatory in Singapore.  Singapore's e-submission system means that when making a submission for a building permit, DWG, DGN, DXF, DWF, or PDF files are mandatory, paper is not accepted.  The process of moving to electronic submissions began a decade ago and took about four years to complete.  The organization responsible for building permits in Singapore is the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).  When a submission is received, it is reviewed by 16 government agencies, seven of which review the application in detail, and the BCA has the final authority to grant or reject the submission or ask for clarifications or modification.  The objective of mandatory e-submission is  efficiency with the objective of reducing the time and effort required to review submissions.  Singapore’s objective is  to automate the review process and is optimistic that BIM will help make automation practical.

 

BIM submission

 

Currently, e-submission requires 2D drawings with layers defined according to a BCA standard.  At the present time e-submission of building information models (BIM) is partially supported.  Architectural BIM models from Revit and ArchiCAD are accepted, support for e-submission of structural BIMs is in progress, and e-submission of MEP BIMs will be starting later in the year.  

 

More Intelligent Urban Models

 

As architects move to e-submission of BIMs and civil and utility engineers develop model-based designs for transportation, utility, and telecommunications networks, urban planners will increasingly have access to model-based digital data which will enable much more intelligent modeling of urban environments.

 

(Many thanks to Ho Chow Jin of Autodesk Singapore for information about Singapore’s e-submission initiative.)

 

-JPL

 

Why 3D Models will Drive the Construction Process

Why 3D Models will Drive the Construction Process

Terry Bennett, Sr. Industry Manager

 

In an industry conversation with Tim Tometich, GPS division manager, McAninch Corporation at their offices he stated: “Traditional processes of paper plans, stakeout sheets and grade stakes used to take up to a week to implement. Now with GPS machine control and 3D models from designers, that same size project can take hours. This allows us to reduce fuel consumption, idle time, air pollution including greenhouse gas emissions, and material waste while providing our clients with a more accurate product. We believe that starting from 3D models to drive the construction process is the way of the future.” Why should all heavy contractors care about models and BIM – well two very important aspects – time and cost.

 

Here is what McAninch has been able to do achieve:

·         Increase productivity by up to 50 percent

·         Cut redundant survey costs by up to 90 percent

·         Reduce fuel consumption (and associated GHG emissions) by 43%

·         Grade check accuracy of 98% vs. traditional staking of 45%

 

What have others been able to achieve:

·         Contractors who recently invested in GPS machine control paid for their systems within 13 to 18 months

·         70% of respondents report that GPS machine control increases their opportunities to bid contracts

 

The Net Net:  Models + GPS Machine Control = more efficient operation, reduced material use and waste, lower fuel costs, and more accurate results.  It’s a way to green heavy construction!

 

-JPL

 

Autodesk Acquires Assets From BOSS International, Inc.

StormNET, RiverCAD and WaterNET Software Tools to Provide Autodesk Civil Engineering and Utility Customers with Comprehensive Water Analysis Capabilities

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, has announced the acquisition of certain assets from BOSS International, Inc. to further expand its water resources analysis capabilities for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. StormNET for stormwater management analysis, RiverCAD for floodplain analysis, and WaterNET for water distribution analysis will be more closely integrated with Autodesk's model-based design solutions, including AutoCAD Civil 3D, to help engineers streamline workflows, reduce errors and boost productivity. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

 

The environmental engineering and water/wastewater utility markets have recently experienced an uptick due in large part to economic stimulus spending. The acquisition of these products aligns with Autodesk's mission to consistently extend value to its customers and satisfy industry demand. Adding valuable expertise and industry knowledge, Chris Maeder, former president and CEO of BOSS International, will join Autodesk as an industry solutions manager for the environmental engineering industry.

 

"The addition of BOSS International's water, sewer, and stormwater analysis technology to the Autodesk portfolio supports Autodesk's commitment to extend the value of our model-based design solutions for conducting simulation and analysis of design performance before projects are built," said Jim Lynch, vice president of marketing for AEC solutions at Autodesk. "This is particularly important for sustainable design when engineers need to evaluate the impact of various stormwater management approaches - including rain gardens, bioretention and green roofs - to identify those with minimal environmental impact."

 

"This acquisition is exciting news. I am a long time user of Civil 3D and BOSS International's StormNET and RiverCAD. The integration of the two is a striking example of Autodesk's continued commitment to the maturation, improvement and evolution of civil engineering proficiency," said Robert Gill, senior project manager at Menlo Engineering Associates. "The civil engineering community will receive a tremendous lift by Autodesk and BOSS International aligning these technologies to further facilitate the design process, reduce the time required to complete projects and improve the quality of deliverables to the client."

 

At this time, product support and distribution of new product licenses for the StormNET, RiverCAD and WaterNet software products will only be provided by BOSS Computec, a former subsidiary of BOSS International. Product integration details will be announced at a later date.

 

Business Outlook

 

This transaction is expected to have no impact on previously issued guidance.

 

About Autodesk

 

Autodesk, Inc. is a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are built. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This media alert contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the impact of the acquisition on Autodesk's previously issued guidance, product offerings, product integration plans and the performance of its business. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: difficulties encountered integrating Boss International's business; whether certain market segments grow as anticipated; the competitive environment in the software industry and competitive responses to the acquisition; and whether Autodesk can successfully develop new products or modify existing products and the degree to which these gain market acceptance.

 

Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial results of Autodesk are included in the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2009, and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2009, which are on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, StormNET, RiverCAD, and WaterNET are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

 

(C) 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autodesk YouTube Videos on Civil 3D

No sure if you have been to the new Autodesk Youtube site but you should check it out.  New video’s are coming every week it seems and it’s a great way to learn more about AutoCAD Civil 3D and Map 3D products during lunch breaks at the desk… or as material you could use during Monthly CAD Committee Lunch n Learn’s.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/autodesk

 

 

--JPL

 

New Civil 3D 2010 vBooks are ready!

Retrieve Technologies is pleased to announce we have added four new Civil 3D 2010 vBooks to our RetrieveMedia store. We have taken a new and innovative approach to online teaching. We are bringing the instructor to you via live-recorded video sessions where you feel like the instructor is right there in the room with you.

The following Civil 3D 2010 vBooks are now available:

Alignment Offsets and Widenings in Civil 3D 2010 Webinar - In this vBook you will learn how to use the alignment offset and widening features available in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. A live recorded instructor shows you the tips and techniques for modeling turn lanes, acceleration lanes and deceleration lanes using alignment offsets and widenings. The final chapter walks you through a practical example for creating the geometry for a 'T' intersection.

Alignments in Civil 3D 2010 - In this vBook you will learn how to create, manage and modify horizontal alignments in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. Watch and listen to an instructor guide you through the steps required to create and edit alignment geometry, modify alignment properties, use design criteria and superelevation, and create and apply both object and label styles.

Plan Production in Civil 3D 2010 - This 90 min Plan Production class covers setting up a project directory structure, project drawings and then using the Sheet Set Manager to create a set of construction drawings. Creating Cross Section Sheets, Plan and Profile Sheets, Cover sheets are all covered in this class. Additionally we will show you how to setup the Drawing Templates and configure the Sheets Set to make creating Construction Documents a breeze.

Geospatial for Engineers in Civil 3D 2010 - Geospatial for Engineers is a 90 min class on using GIS data in Civil 3D. The class covers how connect, stylize, and analysis GIS data to produce and create Maps typically used in a Civil Engineering Design project. Queries, Transparencies, Zoning Maps and Slope Analysis Maps are some of the topics covered in this class.