Blog - Page 46 of 92 - Shoegnome Architects

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

Of Bows and Arrows and Machine Guns

July 25, 2013

I was reading The Economist today. The specific article was on the origins of warfare and about whether humans are inherently warlike. The good news is that we are probably not predisposed to war, unless we are part of the Tiwi people… The article is worth a read. But here’s the quote that got me thinking about our recent discussions: “The machine gun is so much more lethal than the

It Happened Again: someone reminded me that Computers are Just Tools

July 23, 2013

Today on Twitter, in response to this post about the most amazing BIMx model I’ve seen, I saw a Tweet that went like this: “4all their power computers are just tools #architects still need 2do the hard work of #design” Yes, but. Anyone who thinks using computers is about making things easier is wrong. Well maybe not wrong, but missing the bigger picture. Using computers (and technology in general) is

GRAPHISOFT SE Selected as a National Champion Representing Hungary in the 2013/14 European Business Awards

July 22, 2013

BUDAPEST, July 22, 2013 — The European Business Awards has announced that GRAPHISOFT will represent Hungary as a National Champion in the prestigious 2013/14 Awards program. GRAPHISOFT beat off stiff competition to be selected as one of seven National Champions and will now compete for Ruban d’Honneur status in the next round of the competition. Final category Award winners will be unveiled in April 2014. The European Business Awards has

Graphisoft North America User Conference: 10 Reasons why you need to attend

July 18, 2013

First off, have you heard that there is going to be an ArchiCAD User Conference on October 15-16, 2013 in San Diego, CA. For a good overview of what’s going to be happening read this blog post over at BIM Engine. Or go to the official registration page and view the tentative agenda. If you haven’t heard about this event yet, I have a quick question. How do you get

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