Our March 2011 usergroup meeting was one of my favorites: there was a wonderful turn out and a lot of lively discussion. The main topic for this meeting was what is everyone doing to leverage BIM / ArchiCAD to get and retain clients? While we did cover a lot of how-to stuff, it was all structured around that basic question. BIM offers a lot of great opportunities. Better coordinated documents,
A former colleague of mine, who was in the process of starting her own one-person firm, told me “I never liked drafting, I’m hoping to get someone else to do that.”
Do I use ArchiCAD to its fullest? Not even close. Is my work a combination of 2D & 3D? of course. Each project is more 3D and less 2D. However, it’s not about 100% 3D vs. 100% 2D or 100% parametric vs. 100% dumb lines and objects. It’s about utility. With my current workflow, and that of the people I work with, there’s a balance of usefulness. New construction walls,
Whether you’re using the the coordinate box or the tracker, there are a lot of ways to write a number. Some are easier than others. A quick rule of thumb is that ArchiCAD recognizes fractions as inches, whole numbers and decimals as feet. So… a couple of ways to input three and a half inches: .2916667′ .2916667 0-3.5″ 0-3.5 3.5″ 3 1/2″ 3 1/2 3.5/1 3.5/ 7/2″ 7/2
Below is an excerpt from a draft of a document I’m putting together for my role as CAD / BIM Manager at SALA Architects: Competencies: Outside of the office standards, users will not learn or use the program in an identical manner. As a result, tiers of users are differentiated by having competency in a certain quantity of skills within the program, rather than specific requirements. The intent is that
I love design. But I must admit I am obsessed with production. On Friday a coworker and I went to view the Bearden Place competition entries at the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center. (most of the entries can be viewed here) There were some great designs, but I found myself spending more time looking for clues on how the work was produced. Where there tell-tale signs of
