The importance of walking through your building before it is built
April 10, 2017
Architecture firms, regardless of their size, must offer VR and 3D walk-throughs. It is now a basic service, not an add-on to our offerings.
Going Digital
Obsessed with Sun Studies: Visualization in ARCHICAD
June 23, 2016
In late 2015 and early 2016, I wrote a number of articles on visualization in ARCHICAD. Here’s an update of how I’ve been practicing what I preach.
Roommate Test of Manhood
May 28, 2015
Two projects from my time at school show how a strict adherence to digital or analog tools can lead to trouble. I learned a lesson and went with the tool that failed.
AEC Science & Technology, LLC Launches the First Virtual Tradeshow
February 9, 2015
Later this year there will be a virtual AEC Science & Technology tradeshow. This looks like a pretty interesting event and I hope it does well. It’s also free, which is great.
What OpenBIM Does For You (and the life cycle of BIM)
October 30, 2014
Have you and all your collaborators watched this video about OpenBIM and why the AEC industry needs to change? I’m going to guess no.
ArchiCAD 18: still no disc coming in the mail
October 12, 2014
Are you waiting for a disc in the mail? Stop. You have to download ArchiCAD 18.
Virtual Time Travel is now possible, Sort of
July 10, 2014
Google Maps has just made your life as an architect easier, or at least more interesting.
Design like an Architect
June 26, 2014
How does one design like an architect? Here’s a spoiler, the answer isn’t tool specific.
Unconscious BIM and Ugly BIM
June 12, 2014
Some lessons from being too busy to write: remembering shortcuts by forgetting that I had forgotten them and suffering through the ugly BIM phase.
Making BIM the Best Tool for Design
May 30, 2014
BIM should be the best tool for design, but it’s not. What’s holding us back? A lack of creativity isn’t helping.
One day I will teach this architecture class: Sketching without Sketching
May 15, 2014
If I get the opportunity to teach a studio or lecture class in an architecture school I know EXACTLY what I’d do. I even know the title of the class.
The convergence of 25,000 years of Art History leads to BIM
May 2, 2014
I love creating diagrams. But this BIM Diagram is by far my favorite. It probably should become my new logo. Find out why it took 25,000 years to make.
Self-awareness vs Environmental-awareness: A working definition of BIM
March 5, 2014
From pencil to CAD to BIM, we have come a long way in the past fifty years. What makes BIM so special & different? Here is my working definition of BIM.
AEC Hackathon 1.1 – Facebook HQ, Menlo Park, CA – March 14-16, 2014
February 25, 2014
The idea of an AEC Hakathon came from Silicon Valley tech companies challenging their employees to come up with breakthrough innovation over the course of a few days of around the clock brainstorming, problem solving and prototype creation.
Exhibition Design with BIMx – Nationalmuseum in Sweden, Revisited
February 21, 2014
Joakim E Werning is doing some great things with BIMx and ArchiCAD. Check out this short video to learn more.
Guest Blogger Willard Williams: Why I’m going to the AEC Hackathon
November 8, 2013
Regular guest blogger Willard Williams shares his thoughts on why he’s going to the AEC Hackathon this weekend in San Fransisco. And he’s also going to convince you that you should go to one of these events as well.
BIMx Docs Brings Fully Integrated BIM Projects to the iPhone/iPad
October 20, 2013
The official announcement about BIMx Docs for ArchiCAD. The future of BIM documentation arrived last week. Check out BIMx Docs by Graphisoft. The more you explore it, the more you’re going to see the potential. If you are interested in the future of BIM, you need to check BIMx docs out.
The Structure Sensor for iPad and a game I want to play with my kids (or older brothers)
October 2, 2013
It seems like new Augmented Reality devices are coming ever faster these days. Will 2014 be the year of Augmented Reality? If the Structure Sensor for the iPad is any clue, then probably.
From Film to Digital Cameras & a Free Copy of OrthoGraph Architect 3D v7
August 16, 2013
I talk a lot about the future of practicing architecture. I’m really interested in how our tools and processes evolve. I am curious about what common frustrations we will soon no longer need to deal with. A lot of these changes are subtle. Others are a bit more overt. Here’s one example that comes to mind: the switch from film to digital cameras when photographing existing site conditions. Are you
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
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 with 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
World’s First 3D Ancient City Tour Comes to Life in Bergama
July 18, 2013
BERGAMA, TURKEY, July 18, 2013 — Bilkom has launched a project called “History comes to life in 3D” using 3D modeling software and mobile technology from GRAPHISOFT and Abvent. As a result, the ancient city in Bergama can be explored in 3D, making it possible for visitors to experience a virtual tour of the historic area for the first time. iVisit Anatolia, a 3D viewing application for tablets and smart
How BIM connects with your client’s clients: a Tour of an Exhibition via BIMx.
July 16, 2013
Today on Facebook, I saw a link to a 3D tour of an Exhibition at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. Carl Larsson — Friends & Enemies (update: the above BIMx file is no longer available online, but here’s another by Joakim Werning) Grab your iOS or Android device, or download the file to your Mac or PC and explore the BIMx file for a minute. It’s not big so it
ArchiCAD 17 Hotfix #1, ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix #4, AND downloading ArchiCAD 17
June 27, 2013
I’ve got three items to report today as I sit on the floor of my childhood bedroom, watching my youngest daughter open and close the door to my oldest brother’s old bedroom… instead of taking the nap she should be taking right now. ArchiCAD 16 and 17 Hotfix News ArchiCAD 16 Hotfix-4 package (build 3827) was released today. You can read about all the details and download the Hotfix (if
Guest Blogger Shivang Rajvir: 3 Responses to Technology
June 24, 2013
The days and nights we used to spend creating drawings by hand during the early days of college are still fresh in my mind. It was then that this question first hit my mind hard, and it is still with me today. “Why do we use computers?” Since my college days (i.e.2002-2003), there have been innumerable arguments regarding this, with senior faculty members, students, professionals, and even with CAD and
Revit 2014 & ArchiCAD 17, please meet your friend SketchUp Pro 2013
June 3, 2013
So this is big news. Lots to read. I was too busy with my impending move to get this out the day everyone else was freaking out about SketchUp Pro 2013. But that’s okay, news like this deserves to be mulled over. And I think it’s going to take a while, especially with what my Summer is looking like, to digest all the implications of this new release. In general
My house has a better website than your Architecture Project
May 21, 2013
This post is going to bring together a bunch of themes on the future of architectural documentation that I’ve been writing about recently on both Shoegnome and BIM Engine. If all the hyperlink, URL, and QR Code talk doesn’t make any sense, read these posts. And if by some chance you’ve missed all my posts about going digital, catch up here. My house has a better website than your Architecture
Digital vs Analog: Lessons from Daft Punk
May 15, 2013
“We never want to do something twice… but at the same time, we’ve never done anything twice, so if we did do something twice, that might be cool.” -Thomas Bangalter Are you excited about the new Daft Punk album Random Access Memory coming out on May 21, 2013? I sure am. Let’s dissect a few things and relate it to what we talk about on Shoegnome. Specifically let’s see what
Residential Architects and Technology
May 14, 2013
I’ve written another article for the AIA CRAN Chronicle. This time I talk about the relationship between residential architects and technology (for both design and production). Specifically I discuss what holds many small firms back from testing new methods and then I explore Morpholio Trace, which I find to be an interesting app that bridges the divide between digital and analog stalwarts. Enjoy the article. If you missed my first
Digital over Paper Documents: This is Solvable
May 10, 2013
We need to move away from printed documents. Not to save the forests and not to save on money, though those are nice benefits. We need to evolve beyond what we’ve always done because paper documents are so dumb, so inflexible, so 20th Century. We can do better. Why do we cram as many sections or details as possible on a sheet? We do this to save paper, to go
I Didn’t Mean to Show that vs I don’t Know what I just Drew
April 24, 2013
This is part 3 of a series of posts This series of posts started in December 2012 and talked about different aspects of documentation during BIM implementation within a firm. Changes during the documentation process because of BIM is a huge topic, one that often gets overshadowed in the bigger discussions of BIM. And this isn’t even bringing up the idea that the ‘documentation phase’ doesn’t necessarily exist anymore. Part
Printing Architectural Documents is a Waste of Your Time
April 23, 2013
A local Minnesota ArchiCAD (and Revit) user wrote to me about his new machine after reading my post over on BIM Engine about hardware requirements for ArchiCAD. He had this to say: “…I am testing a brand new iMac. Â It’s the 27″ model and it’s completely built-to-order with the beefier hardware. Â I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and it’s really nice for ArchiCAD. Â The 2560 x 1440
Skeuomorphs and Architectural Documentation
April 21, 2013
Architectural Documentation in the 21st Century There’s a good chance you’re aware of Seth Godin. He writes some pretty amazing stuff. My current favorite is this post: Skeuomorphs = failure. If you’re not familiar with what a skeuomorph is, here’s the first sentence from the wikipedia entry: “A skeuomorph is a physical ornament or design on an object made to resemble another material or technique.” I think this fits perfectly
Solibri Funds $21 Million Technology Grant Program to Stimulate Digital Plan Review Adoption in North America
December 30, 2012
This news isn’t super new, but I thought you’d all be interested in it nonetheless. I know I am. It’ll be awesome if Digital Plan Review in North America develops in an open, inclusive kind of way. Viva OpenBIM! “We have created this program because we believe this is the right time to introduce BIM to the AHJs [Authorities Having Jurisdiction]. This will make it possible for them to catch
Shop Drawings, an intermediate solution
November 19, 2010
Many years ago when I was an intern at Gensler in Houston, one of my jobs was transferring redlines on shop drawings. The lead architect marked up the original and then I made 5 copies by hand. Some shop drawings came across my desk today and I had a thought. At SALA, I’ve set up pen #20 to always print red (more on that later). What if I dropped a