Related Links: More ENR Information Technology News ConsensusDocs Coalition A new cloud-based platform lets users of ConsensusDocs, a popular library of more than 90 best-practices contract-document forms, collaboratively edit and prepare contracts in real time with Microsoft Word on a Mac or PC.The new tool, released on April 23 by the ConsensusDocs Coalition, accesses new and updated contract templates and enables document sharing with multiple collaborators, either live on the web or offline. Among other improvements, it also enables comparison of document versions of Word and PDF files."It's easier to use, and you don't have to send copies [to each
Faith in the quality of structural-steel building-information-model file transfers between different BIM platforms increased recently, thanks to a series of digital-data-exchange validation tests performed under the auspices of the American Institute of Steel Construction. The news is good: Each of the six transfers studied was extremely accurate. Some even had as little as 0.3% error, which matches human error, say researchers."We have established a trust and comfort level with the [data exchange] process," said Brian Cobb, chief operating officer of Structural Detailing LLC (SDLLC), Brentwood, Tenn., at AISC's 2012 North American Steel Construction Conference, held on April 18-20 in Grapevine,
Related Links: http://www.knowledgesmart.net KnowledgeSmart.Net Engineering News Record Bristol, U.K.–based KnowledgeSmart Ltd. is starting to turn heads on the west side of the Atlantic with its independent, online-software skills-gap analysis and industry benchmarking service for design firms.Rory Vance, CEO, says about 25 U.S. companies have subscribed to the service, including Stantec, HOK, Atkins and Cannon Design. Doubling in a year, the number of subscribers on the list globally is now "into three figures."Subscribers are testing hundreds of users—and not just BIM jockeys—for comprehension and skills with specific software tools, such as Autodesk Revit and Bentley Microstation. Others are testing project managers
+ Image Source: 2009 Robert Wible & Associates Example of sreamlineing Savings for Typical 50,000 Sq. Ft. Commerical Project During the next four years our construction community and state and local governments will face immense challenges as they strive to revitalize, build and maintain sustainable economies, get Americans back to work, help the nation recover from the “Great Recession” and become a more disaster-resilient society at the same time.As a result of the recession, building and land use department staffs have been cut to the absolute minimum in many local jurisdictions. And now, as construction begins to rebound, it is
Image courtesy of gm/nasa Get A Grip General Motors and NASA teamed up to produce the so-called Robo-Glove, which helps workers hold tools for long periods without tiring. Construction workers of the future may be able to manipulate their heavy hand tools with a high-tech assist from a new robotic glove being developed jointly by General Motors and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).Officially called the Human Grasp Assist device (a.k.a., the "Robo-Glove" or "K-glove"), the device is designed to help alleviate the hand-muscle fatigue that astronauts and factory workers often experience from continuously gripping a tool for extended
Social media platforms are influencing AEC firms in ways that are transforming their practices. That was one theme among many participants explored at the "KA-Connect: Building Knowledge" two-day conference, held in San Francisco April 11-12.Major design firms, such as SOM, Rutherford & Chekene, Psomas, HOK, and T.Y. Lin, shared tales of interoperability successes and pitfalls. As many of them have discovered, the more interactive the social media tools, the better.Take design firm Arup's blog and tweet platform (http://thoughts.arup.com). Carmen Whitelock, head of Arup's online strategy, says the effort goes beyond the traditional web homepage, which for many firms acts as
What do we talk about when we talk about mobile? Increasingly, the landscape is muddled. At a host of technology conferences over recent months: ad:tech San Francisco, Advertising Week, IAB MIXX and even the Mobile Media Summit, not once did a speaker explain specifically what was being talked about when using the term "mobile."To contextualize any discussion of mobile marketing or media these days, the entire arena must be addressed with a much greater level of specificity. Raise this point with people who live and breathe mobile and the first reaction is, "Oh! I get it. You mean whether it's
Courtesy Autodesk CEO Carl Bass discusses the new cloud-based features for Autodesk software to industry press at a company media event in San Francisco on March 27. Courtesy of Autodesk The 2013 edition of the Revit design suite was previewed at the event. Seeking to capitalize on the rise of cloud-based computing, Autodesk is offering a subscription-based software service as a complement to its extensive suite of design tools.The 2013 editions of Autodesk's Building Design Suite, Infrastructure Design Suite and Plant Design Suite, for example, would include basic access to the company's cloud-based Autodesk 360 service. The Autodesk 360 service
Photo Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology Augmented Reality is one of the hottest trends on smartphones, with applications such as Layar and Wikitude providing real-time text and graphics that augment whatever users see in their cameras' viewfinder or browsers.Architects and engineers are also working with AR, increasingly deploying more precise uses of the technology to integrate 3D graphics and models into real-world views or to facilitate total immersion in a design project.But since AR technology works with GPS coordinates that rely on a device's satellite access to pinpoint a user's location, many AR apps work best outdoors. For facilities