CAD Management and Analytics Webcasts

If you've spent any time with me, you might notice that I geek out a bit over data. Yes, I know that randomly spouting applicable statistics in the middle of a conversation might not get me invited to many parties, but, that won't stop me from doing it.
The beautiful thing about all of the discussions on 'big data' recently, is that they are bringing to light how valuable tracking and analyzing data on a wide scale can be. There are countless ways to use collected information, even in our industry.

If you follow my profile link in the sidebar, you'll see my Google+ profile. That has really been my social media platform of choice recently. It's quick and easy and there are a ton of design geeks there sharing interesting content.
I've known Patrick Hughes for a good few years now, and we keep in touch mostly through G+ now. That's also where we met Ben Jones. Ben suggested that we get together and discuss how analytics can be applied in the design industry, and, really, who could say no to that!?!

September 24th, we kicked off the group discussion with a good talk on the Importance of Benchmarking in Analytics.

We got together in October for a general discussion on Analytics in CAD Management.

Our last discussion in November was a bigger group with a broader topic of cloud computing and cloud data access. A little bit of a branch off from our typical data-centric talks, but, still pretty interesting to chat about the different perspectives from each of our companies and personal preferences.
And, yes, I totally managed to work in (yet again), results from the AUGI Annual Survey 2012.

These hangouts are broadcast live on Google+, but, you can find the recordings uploaded later to BenSJones' Youtube Channel. 

Props to Ben for herding us all together and leading the discussions, as well as to everyone who has participated (Chris, Patrick, Curt, Jonathan, Jeff, Steve and Marv).
The discussions so far have been fun, and if you've got some resources regarding analytics as applied to the design industry, or more webcast discussion topic ideas, please share them!

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Calling all Coders at AU2012

Sweet prizes, too bad I'm such a noob when it comes to programming...


from Autodesk:

APPHACK Entries are due Nov 14!

Time is running out to submit your idea for a chance to earn a $5000 prize!

APPHACK @ AU is a virtual code-fest to produce apps/plugins for AutoCAD using the ObjectARX and/or .NET APIs, and it's open to any ADN member who can produce a working app/plugin for AutoCAD. The event culminates in a live demo at Autodesk University in Las Vegas on November 26, 2012. Simply submit your app and a demo video and you're in the running for some nice prizes. But hurry - the deadline for submissions is 11:59pm Pacific on Wednesday, 14 November, 2012.

Submit something you already have or write something new. Just do it soon so you're in the running for one of the great prizes! The theme for the event is Connecting AutoCAD to the Cloud - entries that most closely adhere to the theme will earn advanced placement. Check out Autodesk Exchange Apps for examples.

Prizes: 1st Prize:  US$5000 2nd Prize: US$2000 3rd Prize:  US$1000 Ten finalists will be awarded iPad Minis.

In order to win, you must be present to perform a live demo of your app in Las Vegas on November 26. You do not need to be registered for AU to compete.

For full details, visit the registration site

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Play a Game, Learn Some Software, Win a Workstation?

We're competitive.

We may say we're not, but, let's face it, we like to have motivation. Anyone who is familiar with Khan Academy can see how successful this method of learning is.

Autodesk is running a contest right now, for folks who download a trial version of The AutoCAD Design Suite and play a game to win a prize pack consisting of a standalone license (it is upgradeable, not NFR) of AutoCAD Design Suite Standard 2013, a Lenovo S30 workstation and an iPad® worth over $6,500.
The suite includes AutoCAD®, AutoCAD® Raster Design, Autodesk® Sketchbook® Designer, Autodesk® Showcase® and Autodesk® Mudbox®

You can see Shaan Hurley's writeup on the contest here:
http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2012/11/the-apocalypse-trigger-the-gamification-of-the-autodesk-software-trial-experience.html

And you can sign up to participate here:
http://proc.autodesk.com/apocalypsetrigger/
(this is not in any way tied to your Autodesk login, it's a separate site)

Personally, I'm downloading the trial right now, and I will be giving it a try. I have not reviewed any of the missions ahead of time, and I'm only familiar with two of the five software packages in this suite... so, it should be amusing to see how poorly I will do. Let's see who can beat my scores. I'll tweet my scores later, once I've run a couple of 'missions.'

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You've been using Navisworks Too Long When...

You know you've been using Navisworks too long when...

... you organize your kitchen into selection sets. Spices, baking goods, plates, glasses, silverware, sauces.

... you're driving down the road on a rainy night, can hardly see in front of you and you wish you could adjust your clipping planes to see what's further up the road.

... you see someone talking on the cellaphone while driving and think "There should be a rule against that!" and then you start figuring out the selection sets in your head to make the rules.

... you have 13,300+ clashes in your model, you create a rule that narrows down one process pipe and the insulation on it that's causing 5,100 clashes and when you get excited about your results, you can't find anyone that understands you.

... you've ever been to a New Balance shoe store and asked the attendant if they have one with a Green N on the side.

... you've just read through this list and at least 3 of them apply to you.



Thanks to Paul Jordan for sharing these with me. Anyone else have anything to add to Paul's list?


Looking for some more laughs?

You know you've been using AutoCAD too long when... 

You  might be a Redneck CAD Tech if...

You might be a Design Diva if...

If Poe did CAD... 

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What does an Owner want with BIM?

Question: What does an owner want from BIM?
Answer: Essentially, the same thing they wanted from CAD.

In reality, the answer is actually another question.

Who is the owner?

When people talk about the owner and what they want and what they need, it always varies, because they all seem to be speaking about different stakeholders.

This list breaking down each type of owner is from the perspective of *my* company. If there are other owners who would like to chime in, please feel free to comment. Add some areas that I've missed or tell me how each of these different stakeholders functions in your company.

Owner Breakdown: 

Project Manager: Oversees the bidding, budget, implementation and communication of construction projects. May have been an architect in a past life. Balances a lot of pressures from company leadership, finance and occupants and manages supports (such as walk-throughs from occupants and facilities staff, to space numbering for CAFM and signage for wayfinding).
Needs: Timely documentation to keep all design, review, occupant, support and construction personnel on the same page.
Wants: Anything that will reduce RFI's and help keep the project on-time and on-budget.

Occupant: Will be working in the space. The only one who knows how their workflow should and could happen. Also, one major part of 'owner' that does not have a background in design, construction or engineering.
Needs: A space that will operate as needed for the foreseeable future. A pretty rendering, probably delivered on paper in a project meeting, that helps reassure them that's what they are getting.
Wants: A space that will operate as needed for the foreseeable future, but, may not always be able to communicate precisely what that is, or what it will cost.

Finance: Is petitioned for projects by occupants and project managers and facilities staff and various support services, and balances the needs of the many over the long-term.
Needs: An accurate estimate of scope and price. A pretty rendering, probably delivered in powerpoint, that tries to make a renovation look as tempting to fund as the purchase of fancy Radiology equipment that will actually generate revenue directly.
Wants: Precision and documentation.
(other stakeholders such as the legal department and administrative boards would fall under the same basic description)

Real Estate: Manages space. Ensures that all departments are functioning and accessible in locations with adequate resources to perform their primary duties. Manages departmental moves, from simple to complex, and takes care of leases (whether we are leasing to others, or renting space for our departments).
Needs: Scope of proposed projects, accurate inventory of existing functions and their supplies.
Wants: Scope and schedule to stay as close as possible, so that the shuffleboard game of freeing up spaces for future projects can continue.

This section of the list is often what is referenced by the designers I network with. They are not technical gurus when it comes to Revit MEP or AutoCAD or CAFM or CMMS. They are the ones that wield the most power or get the most facetime with Architects and GC's, though.

Facilities Sub-Breakdown: 

Maintenance Staff: Repairs breaks, performs preventative maintenance to ensure maximum up-time and equipment and systems functioning long beyond their original design specs. In smaller hospitals, this will be a generally educated maintenance staff, in larger facilities, this will be broken down according to skilled craft (Building Finishes/Carpentry, HVAC/R, Plumbing, Electrical, Major Mechanical, Plant).
Needs: Accurate documentation that will help them perform their work as quickly as possible to minimize damage, or the downtime of a revenue-producing department, or future infection concerns for patients, visitors and staff.
Wants: Want the information to be where it says. Looking for a shut-off valve, the zones on a floor need to be called out on the plans. Looking for a section or detail mark and then getting to the details page and realizing there is no corresponding details means that a room gets taken out of service and holes get cut into walls or ceiling tiles get popped out, again causing infection control concerns.
Older staff prefer to look at paper drawings, younger staff expect electronic access to cut down on constant running back and forth across a large campus.

Operations Administration: Schedules preventative maintenance tasks to ensure uptime on all systems and long-term system performance. Sets baselines for all equipment and tracks maintenance history for a myriad of uses. Takes information from new projects and inserts it into a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and/or a Computerized Aided-Facilities Management (CAFM) system. This history helps the Engineers or Facility Managers to make the best specifications (with regard to expected performance and reliable materials and brands).
Needs: Accurate documentation.
Wants: Something which is as simple as possible to import into programs like Maximo and Archibus.

Engineering Staff / Facility Manager: Sets material and equipment specifications, reviews proposed projects during the design phase, tours construction sites during construction, commissions buildings prior to occupancy, uses long years of experience to spot problems (as well as deviations from specified materials or necessary system redundancies).
When new projects do not perform as expected, these are the folks who trouble-shoot the systems and tweak/retrofit them until they perform as needed. They also oversee projects such as system upgrades (happening outside of renovations) and major equipment replacements (such as chillers, air handling units, major pumps and utility loops).
Needs: Accurate documentation that is easy to access and simple to read.
Wants: They don't really care how they get their information (paper, PDF, DWG, RVT), so long as they have it when they need it, and they like the option to carry it out to the site.

CAD / BIM Management Coordination: Sometimes, this role is held by a facility manager or engineer, but, larger companies will have an archivist of some sort.
This person sets the CAD/BIM Standards for the new construction and any special projects that occur. Their first involvement in a construction project is during closeout when they review documents for electronic deliverables compliance. When files are rejected for being sloppy or incomplete, noob designers at other companies protest to their project managers that the owners are idiots who don't know what they need, then this Coordinator attends a meeting with their project manager and eventually convinces the other design monkey that they do, in fact, know quite a bit about CAD/BIM and the long-term needs of their facility (because this is such a great and productive way to spend one's time).
They take in new data, archive it as a project, then patchwork the MEPFP system information into a working set of drawings for ease of use by the engineers, mechanics/skilled maintenance personnel and future renovation and planning needs.
This role manages the technology transitions, such as paper to CAD and CAD to BIM or plotting stations to tablet computers, as transparently as possible for the end users and any random stakeholders.
This person, of practicality and necessity, cares more about basic drawing neatness and clarity than about superficial things like fonts and dimension styles.
Needs: Accurate and EDITABLE documents that can be kept alive and updated throughout the life of a building (in many cases, over 100 years) in formats that they have the ability to work with. In our case, this is DWG or RVT.
Wants: Neatness, clarity, progress.

We also have other support services (Information Systems, Telecommunications, Key Control, Security, Clinical Engineering, etc) that might need to use our CAD/BIM files as they plan and maintain their systems across the campus and across the rest of the healthcare system. These other stakeholders are generally not of concern to the design and construction contractors, as they will get their information directly from the Facilities staff.

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BIM and FM people, new Labs Project

I hope you facilities management types out there, that are keeping an eye out for such things, have noticed the new project from Autodesk Labs.

They're currently testing an application which provides a link between Maximo and Revit (for those non-FM people, IBM Maximo is a CMMS, or a computerized maintenance management system, aka, work orders).

You can get download and test here. If you can try it out, be sure to provide feedback, that's what they want and need to see if they can make this a viable product.

From the Labs site:

Richly attributed data about building assets, that are developed in Revit during the building design and construction phases, can be published directly into Maximo during commissioning or at building "handover," thus supporting more immediate and efficient use of Maximo once the building is occupied. The Revit asset data can be exported in the COBie data specification, if desired. In addition, the BIM/3D asset data can be viewed inside Maximo, in context with Maximo applications and processes.
The technology preview consists of an add-in to Revit 2013 and integrated visualization of Autodesk^® BIM 360 Glue^™ viewer inside Maximo Version 7.1 or newer.

Autodesk® BIM 360™ Glue is a data-centric, cloud-based management solution for building and infrastructure projects that provides easier access to project models and data to support collaborative, multidisciplinary workflows across authoring tools and project control applications. It enhances cross-team coordination globally as updates are made more quickly available in project models. For more information about BIM 360 Glue, please go to www.autodesk.com/bim360

Download an introductory video here. 

My facility has not yet upgraded to Maximo, but, I hope we'll be able to get it done soon.

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AUGI 2012 Salary Survey is Revamped!

As promised last year, I decided to take a fresh look at the AUGI Salary Survey this time around. The questions hadn't changed much from the original format I inherited when I started with the 3rd survey, so the whole thing was pretty much scrapped, and we've started with a clean slate.
I appreciate all of the input from fellow AUGI members, as well as my instructors and professors at SLU.

This year's survey consists of 24 questions, roughly broken down into four areas:
Your demographic
Your role
Your company demographic
Your industry's state

As always, this is an anonymous survey. I am the only one who will ever have access to the database of individual entries, the answers cannot be tied back to you or your company in any way, and the information will only be reported in broad groups.

I did bring back some popular questions that will enable us to trend back for a couple of years. But, there will also be some new questions to help focus on the state of our industries.

Did you receive an increase or decrease in pay? Are you thinking about leaving your job? If so, why?
What market does your company serve or how do they specialize? Has your workload increased or decreased this year? Has your outsourcing increased or decreased this year? Have you let subscriptions lapse or purchased new software and hardware? What percentage of your projects are BIM, and, if you are doing BIM, why? Is cloud computing a go or no-go? How did you find your current role, through networking or advertising?

The AUGI Annual Salary Survey is about so much more than just salaries.
BUT! Of course, we all need to participate in order to have data from which we can draw valid conclusions about which industries are performing the best, which have the happiest and most secure employees and so much more.

Application Engineers, Programmers, Architects, Designers, Managers and Coordinators (CAD/BIM/Project, etc), Drafters, Trainers, Interns, etc... speak and be heard!

The survey ends August 4th, get your answers in now and see the results in the September 2012 issue of AUGIWorld Magazine!!! 

(wordle mashup of markets served and specialties)

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