Standing in front of a conference room full of ARCHICAD users at ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019 filled me with uncertainty. I wasn’t nervous about speaking in front of a large group or sharing my thoughts. I was worried that everyone would listen to what I had to say and be unimpressed. They’d look at my slides and ARCHICAD demonstrations and go, yeah so what? What’s so special about that?

I forget not every ARCHICAD user does what I do. I show an image like the one below and forget that it’s not normal. To me full color drawings, and everything that they enable, are commonplace.

It’s been years since I produced anything else. Color = Lineweight, so normal for the majority of architects using CAD or BIM, looks foreign and ancient. I take it for granted that my 2D and 3D views align so closely.

My lecture on automatically beautiful drawings was about so much more than those two images above, but I forget that my day to day is not everyone else’s (though it can be if they would just download my template and use it). Similarly, my talk on Work Environment improvements was sixty minutes of me discussing and sharing all the things that I do without thinking. Improved keyboard shortcuts, increasing the Undo Limit to 99, removing the toolbox in favor of a dropdown menu-all things in my Work Environment.

ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019

I spent a lot of time talking with all the other trainers at ARCHICAD by the Beach. I was already good friends with most of them. But we never discussed this feeling. Maybe there’s a simple word or phrase for it. It’s not imposter syndrome. I know I am an ARCHICAD guru. It’s just an issue of perspective. We forget what we do is special until we are sharing with everyone else.

James Murray‘s Object making class was mindbendingly awesome. His knowledge of Object building in ARCHICAD is unparalleled. I know he’d say it’s not THAT special. And I’m sure there are a few other people in the world who understand Object building as well as James, but now we’re splitting hairs. Fine. James, you’re knowledge isn’t unparalleled. There’s probably dozens of people around the globe that can do what you do. DOZENS. Feel better now?

James talk was inspiring. He talked about Object building that used little to no GDL scripting. He also discussed the super powerful Library Part Maker 23, which I’ve already downloaded and plan to start using ASAP. I’ve been dragging along an ARCHICAD 14 shower head because it’s simple and looks good in plan-and for some reason GRAPHISOFT decided we didn’t need that specific Object anymore. The next time I have a spare 30 minutes, I’m going to make my own shower head and keep that in my template. I don’t know why it’s taken me almost a decade to do that.

I joked with people that the week started with dessert and ended with vegetables. The first lecture was by Anthony Laney of Laney LA. He gave an uplifting talk about his firm’s work. As a keynote speaker, he struck a perfect balance between showing off beautiful work, telling a compelling story, and tying it back to the imperative of being a firm built around ARCHICAD. His sixty minutes was dessert. The last lecture of the event was definitely the vegetables. Brian Spears of Steele Group Architects gave the entire conference a crash course on IFC. Brian I’m sure would say he’s doing nothing special. Just his daily work. That IFC isn’t that complicated.

Brian is right of course. IFC isn’t that complicated. But it’s a beast to delve into, especially alone. It’s great to have a guide and a map. I would wager only a few people left ARCHICAD by the Beach determined to tackle IFC right when they got home. And that’s okay. It was important that everyone was exposed to the process and now knows someone to reach out to when they are ready-or when they are required. Some lectures are important to attend because you need to learn about the future. Not the glamorous bits, but the nuts and bolts of what builds great BIM collaboration.

I’m not going to rehash every speaker and every lecture. Suffice to say everyone crushed it. The talks as a whole were a perfect mixture of inspiration, important information, and immediately implementable techniques. I have glowing things to say about every speaker and of course our hosts Chris Clark and Link Ellis of BIM6x. If you want, in the comments I can tell you about how Chris and Link never stopped working. How Patrick May of 4dProof completely deserved the best overall trainer award. Or that John Hallgrath of ContraBIM is an insanely nice guy and makes cost estimating in ARCHICAD look so easy.

Beyond the Lectures

ARCHICAD By the Beach was nonstop. As a trainer, I knew I’d learn a few things but my goal was to help as many users as possible. The concierge sessions (30 minute 1 on 1 training) were unlike anything else I’ve done at any ARCHICAD or architecture conference. It was wonderful to have time with individual attendees. Some people signed up for sessions with me and brought problems pertaining to their current projects. Others wanted a more in depth discussion of one of my two lecture (improving work environments and making more beautiful drawings). Some had no agenda. They just wanted me to share and show them cool stuff.

There are too many individual stories and experiences to share. Below are a few of my favorites:

I saw a BIM manager meet and connect with other BIM managers for the first time. I remember being him. I remember crusading in a firm in isolation and finally meeting others of a like mind; finally getting advice, guidance, and support. And perhaps most importantly, getting validation that what I thought mattered and was correct. This BIM manager learned a bunch (in his concierge session with me, I introduced him to the benefits of using Modules and/or .PMK files for standard details), but most importantly he is now set up for success. He has connections who will be there to support him as he pushes his firm deeper into more advanced ARCHICAD workflows.

I also saw a user realize how valuable her skillset and hard work really was. She signed up for the refresher course, thinking that’s where she belonged (while some users were at concierge sessions, others were getting a four-day crash course on ARCHICAD basics). By the end of the first day this user was supporting the instructors by helping other students. Instead of skipping the remaining three days, she stayed on and effectively became a TA. By the time we were all saying our goodbyes in the hotel lobby before heading to the airport, she had been hired by a fellow attendee to train him and do some freelance work. She also had discussions about supporting a number of other attendees’ firms. I remember being her. Getting out into the larger ARCHICAD world and discovering how useful my experience was. This user learned a ton of new tips and tricks, but what really matters is she now sees her value and the path ahead of her. Without a doubt, she’ll look back at ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019 as the moment her career as an independently employed ARCHICAD user truly began.

Another user I met had been struggling with ARCHICAD for over two years. He was an older architect trying to stay relevant. The transition from hand drawing to BIM, having little computer experience in general, was tough. At ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019, he found a community that embraced him and was willing to support him, not just in Cabo but beyond. So much of what was discussed, even the basics, was too much for him. Sitting in hours of lectures is not for everyone. But he sat through every talk and listened. Both dessert and vegetables. He was there. And now that he’s back home, he has a number of new friends willing to answer his emails and phone calls. And he also has a newly confident ARCHICAD freelancer scheduled to help him reach his desired level of proficiency.

More than just Learning

Spending a week at an all inclusive resort on the beach in Mexico offered great options for downtime. Most people did what you expect: lounging poolside, playing table tennis, swimming in the ocean, tanning on the beach, etc. I am a different creature. I’ve had enough sunburns for a few lifetimes. On my best day, I’m an okay swimmer-jumping into the ocean is stress inducing, not stress relieving for me. I took naps almost everyday. Talk about luxury. I have so many responsibilities at home. At ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019, when there was nothing I needed to do and everyone else was having fun, I escaped to quiet solitude and rested.

Yesterday was my first full day at home. Last night was my first normal night of sleep. I woke up this morning rested. I can’t tell you the last time that happened. Usually when 6:55 am arrives, I get out of bed because that’s what one has to do. Today I was ready to tackle the day. Not only did ARCHICAD by the Beach energize me to tackle new challenges in ARCHICAD, the time I spent in Cabo away from reality and daily burdens was desperately needed and long overdue.

Whatever is Next

I’ve been to a lot of ARCHICAD events over the past decade. ARCHICAD by the Beach 2019 was the best of them. I loved the quiet time I had. The speakers and trainers were all brilliant and engaging. The activities outside the conference room were wonderful community building experiences. Chris Clark and Link Ellis of BIM6x were incredible hosts.

I’m not sure when the next ARCHICAD by the Beach will be. I recommend keeping tabs on the ARCHICAD by the Beach website. I’ll of course announce it here too. Whenever it happens, go. Make it a vacation with your spouse or partner (the guests had a separate agenda of activities; I’m sure they will all force their partners to attend the next event just so they can have fun on their adventures again). Bring your whole office (there were a few firms that had 50-100% of their firm in attendance). Or just come alone.

Learn a ton. Meet friends old and new.

Rest. Recharge. Renew.

---

In the coming weeks BIM6x will be posting a video recap of the event on ARCHICAD by the Beach website. Subscribe to my blog to read more about the tricky world of being an Architect in the 21st century. Follow Shoegnome on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.