Blog | Shoegnome Architects

Unlicensed Architects: Why does it feel bad to be right?

August 9, 2013

This is the first of a few posts I am going to write on all the emotion and confusion surrounding the word architect: unlicensed architects, who can be called an architect, the licensing process itself, other industries co-opting the term architect, and other related topics. Future posts will aim to approach these questions from a few different angles. There’s a really interesting conversation exploring this topic over on LinkedIN. Check

Building Materials advice from Two ArchiCAD Pros

August 8, 2013

Are you a little nervous about moving to the latest version of ArchiCAD? Are the mysteries of a whole new attribute a bit daunting? You are not alone. Here are two great resources for you to better understand what Building Materials are all about. An Article Thomas M. Simmons, the founder of ARCHVISTA, wrote a really informative and succinct article for AECbytes. You can read the whole article here. If

UK Construction Computing Awards 2013: Support your BIM

August 7, 2013

Every year ArchiCAD and Graphisoft do really well in the UK Construction Computing Awards. Here’s a look down memory lane. I expect this year to be no different. ArchiCAD 17 is a stellar version of our beloved software and I have no doubts that my belief will be confirmed when the awards are announced this fall. What are the UK Construction Computing Awards? “Now in their 8th year, the Construction

Symbol Line Type Creation and Symbol Line Types in Composites

August 7, 2013

This video is in support of this BIM Engine post I wrote. You should read that post to understand more about what’s going on. A few more notes: At the end of the video I say “copy in 3D”. I meant “copy 3D elements in elevation and section”. Obviously. Sorry about that. The danger of soft language. But a verbal slip at the end of a seven minute video isn’t

Could a 21st century pencil be the better tool Architects are looking for?

August 6, 2013

There are a lot of architects, designers, and drafters out there that aren’t convinced by my ruminations on better tools. Either they refuse to be persuaded or just feel the pencil has some ineffable qualities about it. Ineffable doesn’t cut it for me. And I don’t like stubbornness when it comes to expanding our understanding of what it means to be an architect in the 21st century. I’ve already tried

Improved IFC / ArchiCAD Connection Add-In for Revit 2014 Applications

August 5, 2013

Jared’s note: read the beginning of this very closely. The Add-on is for Revit MEP, Structures, and Architecture (aren’t they all sort of one program now?). In previous versions of this add-on it was just for MEP and Structures. The day of easily going between Revit Architecture and ArchiCAD natively via save as .RVT or .PLN isn’t here yet (maybe it will never get here because of non-technical reasons), but

The irony of using technology to write about the benefits of technology

August 2, 2013

On Tuesday my plan was to eat breakfast, make dinner, take care of some admin stuff (emails, responding to post comments, order new business cards, etc.), finish a blog post, and then spend the rest of the day working on an article that’s due in a month. And if I had time, work on a proposal for some real architecture work (YES!). Well I ate breakfast and made an awesome

Beyond Haptics

August 1, 2013

In my post about haptic feedback and architecture tools, I really wanted to go beyond haptics, but the post was already long enough. Haptic feedback is great and I am confident it is coming. But we can go further than that, and sooner. Right now we interact with BIM software through keyboards and mice. In the next few years we’ll be able to use touchscreens as well. Maybe some people

Architects are really just asking for Haptic Feedback

July 31, 2013

I spend a lot of time thinking about architects and their tools. Why? Because architects struggle to separate themselves from their tools. We see this regularly withÂ job postings that stress software knowledge over process understanding. I find those postings extremely frustrating because it cuts out applicants with the wrong product names on their resume, limiting the potential hiring pool by the wrong criteria. That mindset is disappointing, but I don’t think

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