First Memories, AutoCAD version 2.5, and 3D Studio R4
I've been using ArchiCAD since 2006. Over 7 years now
BIM Server Scare
It was like we'd just saved the world from a nuclear holocaust. But we couldn't tell anyone because it wasn't rogue KGB operatives still disgruntled from the end of the Cold War or Kim Jong Un and his lackeys with
QR Codes and Micro-payments
Did you read my post on Augmented Reality and Micro-Payments? You should. It's pretty cool. The more I think about affiliate links and micro-payments, the more I get excited about the idea. Could we test this concept in 2013? You bet we
Ten Years Later, summer internships aren’t what they once were
I've seen into the Chasm. It's beautiful, ambitious, and not the architectural graduates of times past. Back in January I had coffee with two students from the University of Minnesota that I'm mentoring. I asked them a question, "do you have
Get on the Collaboration Bus. Or Quit. I don’t care which.
 The Generation Y Architect In February 2012, during a session at the AIA Minnesota Leadership Forum, I discovered that I am a stereotype. Painfully so. I am Generation Y. In a room with fifteen Generation X architects, I was the oddball.
Someone’s comparing ArchiCAD to Revit and you should pay attention
Why should you be paying attention? Because of the WHO doing the comparing. Scott Mackenzie, BIM Manager at Stantec, is doing his own head-to-head comparison based on his extensive personal experience. The first post definitely reads as if it's being written
I was going to write a post about LOD
Level of Development or Level of Detail (depending on how you define LOD) is a super fascinating concept. And ultra-critical to functioning intelligently in BIM. It's not a be-all, end-all answer to success in BIM, but an awareness of the
Think you can’t construct with ArchiCAD? Meet Mota-Engil
This looks like a really interesting webinar. Regardless of what BIM authoring tool you use, it's always very interesting (and enlightening) to see how contractors are employing BIM. It just so happens that this construction firm, after searching long and
Minnesota ArchiCAD User Group Meeting (DATE CHANGE to April 2nd, 2013)
A few short weeks until MNAUG #19! Date: Tuesday April 2nd, 2013 | 6:30PM — 8:30 PM | (NOTE THE DATE CHANGE!) Location: Nelson-Tremain Partnership 125 Southeast Main Street, Suite 245 Minneapolis, MNÂ Â 55414 Details: Technically it'll be Spring when this meeting occurs, so let's celebrate surviving another Minnesota
ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #3 re-released
Suffering through ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #3? Stuck on Hotfix #2 and eagerly waiting to start exploring EcoDesigner STAR Beta? <WAIT OVER> ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix-3 package (build 3487) was released just a few moments ago. You can read about all the details and download
A tale of Three (Capital A) Architects
Yesterday I wrote this other post. You might want to read it first. But you don't need to. In fact your ignorance of that discussion (amazing comments by the way), might help answer the riddle below. A tale of Three (Capital
Maybe Someday I’ll actually Design a Building and see it Built
That's what Architects are supposed to do, right? There's a big series of posts coming about this topic, but I wanted to foreshadow a bit and ask a question. If you were to give a two word description of the following
Augmented Reality and Micro-payments
Sooner than you think. Much sooner than you believe possible. You've reached BIM IV-IV, the pinnacle of Social BIG BIM. You talk with prospective clients about the AECOU relationship. Your BIMs are integrated with the final buildings so that they are a
Emerging Professionals and writing for the CRAN Chronicle
UPDATE 09/11/13 - The AIA CRAN Chronicle is always looking for submissions for current and future issues of the newsletter, so ignore the dates below and send in your stories. So you might recall that I wrote an article for the
The Return of Work Environments: The Basics of setting Work Environments plus importing and exporting them
It's been way too long since I talked about Work Environments in ArchiCAD. We had a good run last spring and summer with close to 10 posts on this subject. Read them all here. I still have a bunch more
Architects are Lazy (plus ArchiCAD 17 news)
News of ArchiCAD 17 The shape and form of ArchiCAD 17 continue to be slowly revealed. I'm not sure if I'm just more aware this year or if more news is getting shared than in the past. Either way, here's a
Who is in the BIM? AECO meet AECOU
I couldn't fit this graph in the previous post on social BIG BIM, so it gets its own post. Which is good because I also want to ruminate on the acronym AECOU. Once we reach Social BIG BIM, IV-IV (augmented reality),
No Hollywood BIM
GRAPHISOFT North America and Trimble Vico Wednesday, February 27, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (PST) Los Angeles, CA Movie stars, fast cars, and cocktails by the pool. Â That's what people imagine when you say the word Hollywood. Â When you say Hollywood
Picking a Subtype for an ArchiCAD Object (and some other important tips)
One of the greatest improvements in ArchiCAD 16 is how much easier it is to make objects. Not that it was particularly hard before, but along with the Morph Tool there have been some tweaks that mean there's no excuse
Happy Valentine’s Day: One Simple Diagram
It should be obvious by now that I love making charts, graphs, and diagrams. As a Valentine's Day present, I give to you a reproduction of a mood chart that lived on the Banks' family refrigerator for many months last
The Ideal BIM Software
Understanding the Challenge of a BIM Challenge The histories of BIM and CAD are littered with shoot-outs, comparison tests, and pissing contests. By now you probably know my favorite Mine vs Yours, ArchiCAD vs Revit saga:Â The Unkillable Beast with a 1,000
Creating keyboard shortcuts in ArchiCAD, a quick and helpful video
I regularly get questions about keyboard shortcuts. Probably the top two questions are "Is there a keyboard shortcut for Function A?" or "How do I make a keyboard shortcut for Function A?". Well to answer both those questions and some
What’s (BIM) Life Without a Challenge?
There is constant, never ending talk concerning the whole Revit vs ArchiCAD debate. In years past there have been CAD shootouts, though it's been long enough since the last one that they might as well have never happened. But there's
ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #3 and ArchiCAD 15 Hotfix #5 released today
(NOTE: shortly after its release ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix-3 was suspended do to some unforeseen issues causing lots of instability. Turning off guidelines will help, but Graphisoft recommends you not upgrade until further notice. That means it's probably wisest to wait