Newforma and VEO - Where do we go from here

It all started on Monday with some vague reference to some interoperability and licensing of VEO for Newforma (even a shout out to Dave). People clapped and smiled, but no one really knew what to make of it, myself included. Newforma User Conference 2012 is over now and I have a more clear view.

Newforma and VEO have created something pretty great and after spending one hour with the new tools (not hands-on, but 1 on 1 with the managers) I think that the other BIM shoe is about to drop. One click publishing from Revit gets the model in Newforma with ease, links included. From there view creation, manipulation, and most importantly, "spinning the model", are all at your fingertips. Selection of the model by the parameters of your choice allow you to generate action items, RFIs, and a myriad of other familiar Newforma tools. Snap shots are stored as links to the 3d views complete with the item in question highlighted. You can even take existing issues in Newforma and tie them back to the VEO model.

All in all, what we have is a 3d model as up to date as you want it to be available to anyone on the team with Newforma. (rumor: perhaps to infoexchange participants as well) complete with actual project information tied to it.

I was told beforehand that we are still months away from market and that these aren't promises of new features, etc, etc. Even still, this is definitely something to pay attention to.

#nugget2012

Open Revit Standards

As has been stated so far (Burke, Light, Johnson), the need for standards is so very real, but so nearly unattainable. While there are decent efforts in the works and most companies doing it on their own, they tend to bog down very quickly and get lost in the weeds.

David Fano at CASE and others have come up with a rather unique, new world, approach to standardization in the industry. The Open Revit Standards projects is starting in earnest. Follow the conversation here for more information.

I'm sure this will get very interesting.

What architects do...

What do we do? Are we master builders, draftsmen, scheme designers, conveyors of intent, or construction documentors? The biggest problem with BIM is that it pulls back the curtain on the biggest problem with architecture. 

What do we do?

The expectation from the perspective of owners is that we develop lego-style documents on how to put our building together. That part is our fault. That we even called them "construction documents" was the first mistake. We all know that contractors and their subs do not rely on our drawings to assemble the building. They reference it for things like material patterns and interior wall layouts (among other things), but it's really a C.Y.A. doc to show how much of the building we have thought through so we can explain to the judges later that indeed we did show how to 'waterproof the window'.

Enter BIM

Hi, eveybody!

"That data is there, right? All of it? Everywhere?"

"Well, no"

"But I see it there on your paper"

"Well, yes, but <software/process nuance> and so we just draft it there"

"Oh, what do I pay you for again?"

This is playing out across the industry everyday. We have BIMEPs to describe what it is we include in our modeling effort (or more realistically, what we don't), but it still begs the question "Why don't we take more risk?" Contractors and owners are teaming up to push expectations through the roof and a lot of those land at our feet in the name of "life cycle". Without first understanding what they do pay us for, it's impossible to explain what they don't pay us for. We should be asking for more money and more time to help achieve the goals for the project set up by the owner. Not because we "do Revit" but because that kind of info is most definitely "not in scope".

IPD (or something similar) can't come soon enough, because right now, we all sound like a bunch of nay-sayers rather than team players.

Creating Experts

Back in 2003, Revit would change the way architects thought about process. The excitement I felt all those years ago would spread like a virus and all who came in contact with its greatness would be swept up in the coming apocalypse. There was just so many ground breaking, sea changing capabilities in this software; literally doing in 2 minutes what used to take 2 weeks. How could this not catch on?

A decade later and the question I have is this:

How do you make someone an expert?

Pictured: Shared Parameters

Or put a little differently. What makes someone an expert? 

Why doesn't everyone understand how Phases work? Or what Schedule Keys are? Or even that there are such a thing as View Templates?  I think the answer is basically experience, but is there something else? Training is great, mentoring is required, evangelizing is in my job description, but I can't make the horse drink (a Texas proverb, apologies). Maybe it's something else entirely. Gamma radiation exposure, anyone?

HULK SMASH BEST PRACTICES!!

How are you fostering individual growth in your company? Are your experts treated differently by management? Incentives? Accountability? Or are we relegated to the 'CAD Manager/Expert' business model? Sitting in the darkened cave in the back of the office, wishing everyone would just 'get it'.

Clarity for Revit Server

It's been a while, but I have a really good excuse! I've traveled the world, told tales, explored, and ate well. From the shores of western Ireland, to the South of France and Monaco and onward to the beaches of Dubai, I have now returned. What a trip, indeed, but that is for another post perhaps.

Seriously, this is what aquariums look like in Monaco.

Upon my return, I find my new love, Clarity, has finally been made public. LINK

Built upon the Autodesk® Revit® Server platform, IMAGINiT Clarity enables better collaboration between Revit users (both inside and outside an organization). By using IMAGINiT Clarity you can control your Revit Server setup, automate repetitive tasks, and provide valuable data to non-Revit users – all with simple setup, easy administration and secure connectivity.

We've been toying around with this tool for the past couple months and I have to say, it is the bomb. Almost everything that needs fixing in Revit Server, Clarity addresses.  Permissions, task automation, web access, VPN are all there. Head on over to their press release and check'em out. Tell Beau I said hi!

The Architect Geek

These last few years have taught me many things about the profession I have dreamed about since the 3rd grade. I have seen more massive changes (or at least, potentially massive) in the last 3 years than all of my previous 11 combined. One thing has stuck out the most in my mind, and that is, what are we turning into? The subtitle of my blog here is "BIM is changing us into something different". I really mean that. I wonder what the future holds for the hold-outs. Can those of us early adopters push hard enough without marginalizing the cause? I recently asked a question of my team to see what they thought. I have since asked the same question to those in my office who would listen.

"Is the future architect a geek?"

Not pictured: Horn-rimmed glasses, vests, or fedoras.

Not surprisingly, I didn't get an answer. It's not so easy to say yet. Will the technology one day become so easy that anyone can and will understand it? AutoCAD has been around for more than 20 years, yet companies still need support. It pains me to hear someone talk about technology like it is a burden. I realize that I may be in the minority here, but the problems posed currently by our industry are most easily solved with technology. Do you want to house your own energy modeling database internally? Can you adequately describe the best solution for your building skin without tangible metrics? Metrics give us something to prop ourselves up against when everyone wants to throw us under the bus. Using scripting languages to better optimize our design, sending a model into the cloud to render or for analysis to free up resources so we can continue to work, or simply bending a particular tool to our will is our future, isn't it?

So I ask again, does understanding those concepts make me a geek? Is the merging of IT and AE such a bad thing? Are we the future for the industry, or are we the back of house sweaty programmer types that keeps everyone's shared parameter files and Revit warnings in order? 

Please make sure you check your worksets! Gah!

Enjoy your weekend.

Vasari Love

I love Project Vasari. I love that it's free (for now). I love all what it stands for. I love what it means for designers who love technology. I am excited for the future (scripting anyone?) and the power that comes with it. My hope is that tools like Vasari become so ingrained in our design process, that we cannot image life before it.

Also, I love Monkey Island

I was toying around with Google Earth the other day and remembered something useful. You can actually download all of those wonderful models directly into Sketchup for your very own use; for free, no less! You can head right over to Google's 3D Warehouse from within Sketchup and choose your building(s) to download. Armed now with some simplistic model, the sky is the limit in terms of what I can do next.

Pro Tip: If you want faces analyzed, they have to be native Vasari; the other buildings are imports only

For starters, all of that great context our high performing buildings so desperately need are right there, perfectly scaled and located, ready for anything. The perfect integration of Vasari's Location and Google Maps & Earth make for some fantastic sun / shadow studies. Wind analysis through the spaces are also useful for figuring out where not to put the picnic tables.

Or, to analyze one's capabilities to make a Kessel Run (Thanks, David)

Ultimately, this post is just to bring to your attention some really cool, yet simple things to do with Vasari. Enjoy and remain motivated.

Family Counseling

When I open Revit files, I am usually part humored and part frustrated at the amount of 'rogue' data I find. Room Tag 2 - small 2, EQ-1234 - clay, etc. These families are frustrating usually because the intelligence exists in the the family to create new types on the fly or exist already in type catalogs, but not in the user. That's not to say they are not intelligent at all, it's really a reflection on need and comfort with the tool. In the AutoCAD days, a quick explode, edit, wblock was all you needed to accomplish the task at hand sometimes, and the 'requirement' of Revit is a bit different. Take for instance: doors.

The new Project Architect. 

Doors always seem to start simply enough; "We only have 10 types on any given project, those should be our standard" really means, "I can only think of 10 right now, but I'm sure we'll need 37 by the time we're done". This dilemma exists in most families, so replace 'door' with whatever rfa you can think of, and we're on the same page.

The problem occurs when that 11th door needs to be inserted, and the basic info known at that time is probably limited to its width and maybe some instance info like hardware (hardware is not a type parameter here). So what is a user to do other than revert and grab the 3'-0" door, edit, save as, rename, reload? That's not to say that you have to know everything about the door before you can place it. Our doors are built in such a way that all you need is to know one thing about it, then swap out for new types (from a catalog) as you discover more about it. Not everyone uses them that way; that's why I am writing this.

My door. Seriously, it does everything!

Before, all that extra data is covered in a tag sitting on a block (maybe that block even had attributes) filled out by a PA whose main job it was to manage and coordinate the drawings. Now it's embedded into the family itself and that nice door schedule that's running in the background looks all wrong, and it's Revit's fault.

The big picture is how BIM is changing us as architects into something different. DWOB (Drafting WithOut Brains) was a phrase that I heard a lot going way back into the AutcCAD days, but was more easily managed by our team leads who simply 'fixed' it in CDs. Now that management of the information starts at the beginning (honestly, where it should have been already) and our youngest architects are affecting our workflows in ways most aren't comfortable with.

My take is that, rather than preventing them, we should be enabling them. Communication and education (mentoring) is key.

Split the file, are you crazy?!

I was in an interesting AU Unconference discussion regarding 'Mega-Projects' in Revit. The question started as you would think:

What makes a project MEGA?

I know what makes a man mega, though. Hint, arm canon.

The answer is not so simple. Is it square footage, file size, campus size, density, or something else? I honed in on the file size debate because this is something I have railed against for some time, that is, file size is not the best indicator for how models should be broken up. In fact, the fear of big files drives many to inflict upon themselves wounds that aren't easily rectified. Let me explain.

Years ago, in my Revit noobness, I was taught the concept of 'Lazy Parsing' (thanks Phil). It sounded like a bunch of database mumbo and jumbo, and paid it no heed. That was easy then. Revit pilot projects tended to be small, easy, and predictable so we could focus on the tool itself rather than a unique challenge of the project. As my Revit prowess grew, the concept of splitting and linking to maintain smaller files cropped up. Lazy parsing, I remembered...

Pictured: Mr. Parsing

The truth is that no matter how many times you break up a big file into multiple small files, the actual size of the Database (notice the big D) never changes, or worse, gets bigger! By that I mean, the total size of your project doesn't make it any easier on your hardware. One 400mb file or four 100mb files just means you have more files to keep track of. The Database hasn't changed, and ultimately, let's say for the sake of printing, all 400mb will be loaded into you computer's memory, and you are right where you started now with all the baggage that comes with trying to maintain multiple Revit files; a net loss in my opinion. Ever tried to tag a linked room or link an elevation view into your 'composite' file? Sure, these problems can be accounted for and solutions found, but that takes planning and care up front when file sizes aren't a concern. Gotcha!

Back to lazy parsing. The concept is simple. Revit loads what it needs to show you what you want. A 400mb file with four 100mb worksets is better than four 100mb files any day. The problem with that concept is it requires the team to take care to place things on the right workset (novel, I know) so they can be loaded/unloaded at will. Problem solved, right?

That sounds harsh; let's just say incorrect from now on.

Only through careful model management can true large file zen be attained. This coming from a guy whose last several projects were in stable single files, all north of the 500mb mark (just architecture, mind you). Sure it's work and your team has to change how they work in the file (specify worksets, anyone?), but for the greater good of the process, it can be done. I'm not for keeping all the data in one place just to say we did, however. Break files up based on the needs of the project, like separate buildings, DIs, discipline, or team location.

Just promise to not break your file up by floors.

Plan to Fail

BIM Execution Planning. Sometimes it feels a lot like BIM Execution, that is, "Death by BIM". It doesn't have to be that way, but what the BIMEP requires, more than anything, is this:

Internal, Contemplative Self-reflection (aka, what do we do and why?)

What are life safety plans?

Architecture is a nebulous of thoughts, ideas, sketches, graphics, and personality. Trying to convey exactly what we do in a single, albeit large, document is difficult. When the execution of BIM pulls back the veil on what happens behind the scenes, our first reaction is that of defense. We seize up and explain the difficulties of implementing this plan based on our our standard of care, contractual obligations, historical egotism, or flat out misunderstanding of what owners really want and how to bend our process to their will.

None of this changes the all out necessity of up front planning, however. All parties involved will benefit from some planning. The AIA has taken a good shot at standardizing Level of Detail (LOD) with their E202 document and Penn State (and others) have great guides on getting your plan, um, planned.

Right here is where we'll put the shared parameters.

Right now, owners are center stage (let's be honest with ourselves, they kind of always have been) and those owners have expectations out the wazzu. We can only effectively manage those expectations if we are armed with a solid understanding of our own 'standard of care' (as well as the requisite philosophy for that standard, ie Why don't we model floor slab openings smaller than X?). Architects that have adopted Revit to any capacity are seeing internal gains, no doubt and a full 'BIM capable' AE team is a force to be reckoned with, but, truth be told, the adoption of Revit isn't adoption of BIM. You are probably using Revit to deliver the same old paper goods with a bit more efficiency, perhaps, but that's not BIM.

BIM Execution Planning will change your process and push your comfort envelope. Fail to plan, plan to fail.

AU 2011 Recap

I've just returned from fabulous Las Vegas armed with the knowledge of my 6th AU and this year's goes down in my book as one of the best. Some great classes I want to cover here include Seven Technology Trends, Revit Graphics that POP, Mega Projects in Revit, BIM for Owners, FM BIM, and many more.

100% Revit Goodness

To kick things off right, I'd like to thank Jason Grant and David Light for getting my truly inspired with their phenomenal lecture on leveraging the most out of Revit with regard to presentation graphics Check out Jason's post here to really appreciate what he's done.