A notable component about the origins of BIM, with respect to 2D CAD, is the ‘virtual building’ concept. The industry invented BIM when it intellectually moved from an electronic drafting mode or way of thinking to a 3D model of the building (in the computer) mode or way of thinking.

Interestingly, GRAPHISOFT’S new BIMx Docs seems to relive the very story of this transformation each time the user utilizes the software. Due to its innovative Hyper-Model technology, the user can literally experience traveling from the world of 2D paper-based drawings to the virtual building itself. The net effect is endearing, engaging and transformative. Moreover, it seems totally appropriate and unsurprising that the author of this software experience–and I believe the word ‘experience’ is apt here–is none other than GRAPHISOFT, the company that invented the ‘virtual building’ concept to begin with.

We would be remiss, if we didn’t state right from the beginning, that we think BIMx Docs is a significant software invention–at least in respect to those inventions applicable to the AEC software industry. It deftly brings together a coherence of previous inventions–2D CAD, 3D models, hyper-links and rendered animation–into a coherent software user-experience (UX).

A Quick Summary of BIMx Docs

We are going to review BIMx Docs in detail in this article. But we want to acquaint the user with this technology via a video, as BIMx Docs is an application you need to see first hand to truly understand and appreciate it.

In a nutshell, BIMx Docs takes what was BIMx–the excellent interactive BIM modeling viewer–and combines it with 2D document navigation. Previously, the market seemed to present BIM users with two options. Carry an app on your iPad to hold, manage and navigate/view your PDF or other 2D format drawings and use another second app to view your 3D BIM models. But BIMx Docs doesn’t just combine the two functions, it integrates them into a seamless experience that enables the user to take an iPad out into the field, for example, and go between drawings and model and vice versa all day long. (see the video below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze3y6dqqsXs

Upon showing BIMx Docs to a colleague familiar with BIM, they asked what I thought the total value was of BIMx Docs. It is a fair and reasonable question. After all, if we look at the varying degrees of BIM–that is the “N-degrees” of BIM–we could fairly note that BIMx Docs does not add or serve any new dimension to the BIM process. That is, it does not focus on time (4D), cost (5D) nor project life-cycle (6D) information. And that is perfectly acceptable.

GRAPHISOFT recognizes, rightly so, that the original degrees of BIM (2D/3D integrated with building information) has many innovation levels to go as it continues to play itself out over new and expanded workflows due to broader industry technologies like the cloud and mobile.

01 – On opening up a BIMx Docs file on an iPad this is what you might see (project varies) The app works in both portrait and landscape mode. Notice the simple and elegant interface.

Mobile in particular cannot be underestimated. It is arguably the biggest transformation and economic accelerator in AEC workflows at the moment. Being able to bring your BIM model with you to the job site or client location is clearly valuable–especially on a light-weight mobile device like the iPad. Being able to have both the model and the corresponding 2D drawings with you on that same device increases the value. Being able to have them interactively merged into the same software experience brings an incalculable benefit.

How do you calculate the delight a client may have in understanding their project once viewed under BIMx Docs? How can you ever calculate the value of a tool that fosters insight acquisition? And tools that foster new ways of looking at relationships of things always generate valuable insight.

next page: How it Works: BIMx Docs

The post Product Review: GRAPHISOFT BIMx Docs for iPad and iPhone appeared first on Architosh.

“…fundamentally it’s about the creation of new work flows and new means of access to your information.”

Bass was partly touting his own iOS apps and in particular AutoCAD WS (now AutoCAD 360) but he could have been speaking quite prophetically about IMSI Design’s award-winning TurboSite for iPad.

TurboSite

TurboSite was a hot ticket item at this year’s AIA National Convention in Denver, Colorado. It was the co-winner of this year’s BEST OF SHOW honors in  the mobile category. Part of what makes this app so appealing is that it exemplifies the newness of what is possible in workflow innovation due to the merging of software with new hardware capabilities. That hardware innovation belongs to Apple–with the iPad–but the praise for the app goes to IMSI for its imagination of refined and improved workflows and elegant software.

We are going to dig into the app and what it can do in a second but one final comment is that TurboSite Pro–much like the new BIMx Docs by Graphisoft–builds on some solid foundation in earlier apps–notably IMSI Design’s Turbo mobile lineup of CAD viewers. We have already noted in an earlier review of TurboViewer Pro 2.0, IMSI’s mobile CAD technology is fast.

Beyond a Viewer

TurboSite Pro may be built on the same technology as the TurboViewer series of iOS apps, but the program is so much more than just a mobile CAD or 3D file viewer. To get started we will first add a file to TurboSite Pro.

One of the things I wanted to do was test different DWG files. So I used my own files rather than those that come as demos for the program. TurboSite Pro had zero problem recognizing an AutoCAD (DWG) file directly from AutoCAD or from any of the exports coming out of numerous other competitor CAD programs. In other words, those that utilize DWG conversion libraries from the Open Design Alliance.

TurboSite Pro supports over 20 plus file formats, including native support for DWG, DXF, DWF, PDF and 3D PDF (U3D). Other formats are converted automatically utilizing an IMSI Design cloud-based conversion server. We ran that process several times when we reviewed TurboViewer Pro 2.0 and the process works very smoothly.

Some notable files you can bring into TurboSite and its family of sibling apps include Rhino, SketchUp, STEP, ACIS, OBJ and IGES.

GeoMarker

Before we talk about all the reviewing tools that are available in TurboSite Pro the highlight feature of this app should be discussed. This is its GeoMarker technology. Unique to this application is the ability to utilize the iPad’s various sensors and GPS hardware.

The GeoWalk™ and GeoMark™ tools help you set your location relative to your drawing in TurboSite Pro. The most import of these is the GeoMark feature. By locating GeoMarks on your drawing in TurboSite Pro you can attach images, audio and video taken at each GeoMark in addition to notes.

GeoWalk works by allowing TurboSite to track your position via the iPad’s hardware systems. You can either tap your iPad’s GPS or SPS (Sensor Positioning System) to have TurboSite Pro locate you. The SPS system is using your iPad’s accelerometers, gyroscopes and compass. Accuracy of these systems depends on calibration processes and the signal strength of your GPS. You cannot use both GPS and SPS at the same time but must choose one.

GPS works best outdoors where you have clear and strong signal strength–not the case for my testing. Therefore I turned on and calibrated via SPS. Calibration is one of the more tricky aspects of this program and will likely require trial and error. There is a GeoNudge feature that helps you refine your accuracy but the bottom line for us is that having TurboSite Pro follow you around on your drawing isn’t as nearly as important as you might think for many cases.

Cases where it would be valuable would be in the open site (field) where there exist little to no markers. Inside of a building you will likely have reference points (i.e.: rooms, walls, windows, doors) and simply dropping a GeoMarker is all that needs to be done to get the best use out of TurboSite Pro. This isn’t to dismiss GeoWalk, but mainly to paint a more realistic expectation of this technology, its accuracy and the challenges that may confront users when setting up to use these features.

Video, Audio and Photos

Creating audio, video and photos to accompany your notes on a plan in TurboSite Pro is what makes TurboSite Pro a very special application. The UI/UX of this process is direct and elegant. If you take an image that you don’t want to use you can replace it with another. Images and video can be saved to locations on your iPad. Using a GeoMark you can attach or associate with that GeoMark media in the form of images, audio or video as shown in the next image below (see image 01).

01 – Part of TurboSite’s strength is its ability to geolocate the user on a plan from which point geo-tagged video, photos and audio can be recorded and associated.

As you can see in the image 01 you also have the ability to attach notes. A notes popup window comes up as well as the keyboard from which you can type your notes out. As you geo-locate marks on your drawings in TurboSite Pro you may at times already have images from previous site visits or just images you took earlier in the day that you now want to attach to your GeoMark. This too is also possible. Before you can use existing photos on your iPad you will need to give TurboSite access permission in the general settings.

next page: Viewing and Markup and More….

The post Product Review: IMSI Design’s TurboSite Pro 2 for iPad appeared first on Architosh.

We have been writing about CadFaster of Finland quite often since we awarded them the 2012 Architosh ‘BEST of SHOW’ award for iOS Mobile at the AIA National Convention last year. The company has a unique app that integrates into the expanding collaboration BIM workflows that are emerging due to the cloud, mobile and communication technologies being driven by social media.

In this review we are going to walk you through what CadFaster Collaborate is, how it works from a BIM authoring application, and what you can do with it on iPad.

For starters, CadFaster Collaborate consists of both a desktop bound application and a mobile iOS for iPad application of the same name. Currently, there is no OS X version of the desktop application, which runs on Windows as a fully self-contained .exe app complete with UI, container for BIM model, and all the associative logic and connectivity to the CadFaster Cloud. This review is focused on CadFaster for iPad, the app.

BIM Workflows

As we learned from our interview discussion with the Finnish company (see, Architosh, “CadFaster of Finland talks to Architosh about BIM and Mobility,” 15 Mar 2013 ) CadFaster Collaborate first started as a tool for SolidWorks users but then expanded to Building Information Modeling. It currently works to extend several BIM platforms to the cloud, including Autodesk Revit, Bentley’s ABD and Nemetschek’s Vectorworks Architect.

To use CadFaster on those BIM platforms you will need to first install the CadFaster Collaborate plugin for the specific BIM tool. Once you have done that from within the BIM authoring application you will be given a means to export your BIM model to the CadFaster Cloud.

That’s where the mobile app comes in. With the iPad version of CadFaster Collaborate–which is a free app from the Apple iTunes Store–you then connect to your BIM models on your iPad.

Getting Started for iPad

It’s important to note that this is not a review of CadFaster Collaborate in its entirety but rather specifically a review of the iPad version. As noted in our special interview series, the desktop version has more features–like live sectioning–which are not contained in the iPad app.

Although Revit and Bentley’s Microstation are available we are going to choose Vectorworks Architect as our test BIM authoring app for obvious reasons–specifically, it’s available for Mac and this is Architosh after all. (see image 01) All three essentially work the same with CadFaster. As for a version for ArchiCAD? As of our latest discussions back in March, it wasn’t clear yet if the Hungarian-based BIM leader would support a plugin for this. It may be because they already have their own dedicated BIMx iPad app.

Lets get started. As you are working in your BIM environment there will likely come a point where you want to share your BIM model with colleagues, clients or other stakeholders. With CadFaster Collaborate you can essentially share your model or host a multi-party collaborate session, or simply just share BIM models through the cloud with others. A quick note: when we say BIM model this could be a simple massing study model or a full-fledged information-laden BIM model.

01 – CadFaster operates as a plugin app in BIM tools giving you direct access to exporting models to the cloud.

To get started think about the view position of your BIM model. For example, if you are looking at your BIM model from the right-axon view when you export out, this view position will be the first thing your invited guests/collaborators see when they login to CadFaster on their individual iPad. So if this first impression matters or it’s simply a matter of providing a quick-best orientation so your collaborates are not lost in the case of a big project, then thinking ahead is here is recommended.

02 – The exporter options include settings for expiration of models and format, as well as the ability to connect to your CadFaster Cloud account.

As you can see there are some options available to you prior to export time. Models can be made to expire, starting from 1 day to 1000 days, set on a slider. This is important if you are sending iterative designs, so a new or weekly design is the only one a collaborator can see, preventing them from opening up the wrong model. You can also set model to never expire with a checkbox option. (see image 02).

Another option include is to export to iPad or EXE file or both. And you can also login to the CadFaster Cloud. Lastly, we want to mention that in order to use CadFaster Collaborate through the cloud you will need a Yahoo, Google or OpenID-based email account. The company explained this decision in their interview with us but in short it means that CadFaster doesn’t store user passwords, but rather simply requests them from Google’s OpenID system. Although we understand this security decision, we feel it hampers the process a bit and even in the company’s latest product, MyCadbox, they chose differently and with that product any email address will work.

Super Tiny: Putting Your BIM Model on a Diet

CadFaster’s proprietary 3D model compression technology is part of the company’s secret sauce and advantage over many similar rivals. Your BIM model files shrink down to as little as 5 percent of their original file size–that’s 20:1.

As a result of this magic diet the geometry, shaders, colors, transparency and sun/lighting position all get packaged into a the CadFaster file format and sent up to the CadFaster Cloud at export time. The way the program works is that this data gets sent up to the cloud where it lives and users who then login to CadFaster Collaborate on their iPad grab this data and bring it down to their iPad device. Since files reduce in size from 5-20 percent a 50 MB BIM model would shrink down to a file between 2.5 – 10 MBs.

The CadFaster Cloud server pushes out the geometry package, plus viewing control datasets and limited markup once collaboration sessions have begun. (more on that after the turn.)

next page: The iPad CadFaster Experience

The post Product Review: CadFaster Collaborate for iPad appeared first on Architosh.

Revu for iPad – What it Does

Revu for iPad is essentially a PDF-based document viewer oriented specifically at the AEC industry. It is used by architecture, engineering and construction professionals. Yet, it is not just a CAD drawing viewer application.

Revu for iPad has three broad functions: (1) access your PDF based CAD drawings (and other documents) on the go in a mobile context, (2) markup and redline these documents while on the go anywhere, with or without a live Internet connection, and (3) collaborate with colleagues in real time from the iPad using Bluebeam Studio.

Accessing Drawings

The immediate value to AEC professionals using Bluebeam Revu for iPad is the ability to carry complete sets of PDF drawing documents with them. While there are many other ways in which this could be carried out, Bluebeam’s product is the most thoroughly targeted solution on the market for CAD professionals in the AEC space.

01 – An excellent way to get files into Revu on your iPad is through the cloud.

There are several ways to get your PDF drawings into Revu on your iPad. One way is to use a direct iPad to computer connection using Apple iTunes. From within the iTunes app select Apps from the menu bar at the top and select Bluebeam Revu, making sure you have hit Sync Apps box as well.

02 – Completing a Dropbox account sync from within Revu for iPad.

03 – Looking at cloud-based files from within the Document Manager in Revu.

Another way to get your files, and likely a superior way, is to use a direct connection to a cloud service. Bluebeam supports both Dropbox and Box at the moment. From within the Add Account window you select one of the cloud service options and then enter your cloud service username and password. (see image 01). Complete the direction screens including this one from Dropbox. (see image 02). Once complete you will now see your Dropbox or Box account in the Document Manager. (see image 03).

Lastly, you can also get your files to you iPad Revu app using WebDav server or Bluebeam Studio, their cloud-based collaboration offering.  Once your files are in Revu for iPad you can access them through the main interface.

The User-Interface

Bluebeam Revu’s user-interface is one of the more sophisticated UI’s in an AEC application for iOS. We admit that at first it may intimidate. Most Apple users are used to the idea that Apple’s products are easy enough to avoid reading the user manual for getting going. That will not be the case with Revu for iPad. There will definitely be some trial and error and reading the help documentation will benefit you. So we encourage you to do that if you get frustrated with the application in the early days of its use.

04 – The interface opened to look at a PDF document. Side palettes closed.

Across the top there is a menu bar which holds six items on the left and three on the right. When using Revu for iPad, at first it might seem like the user-interface comes at you from every side of the iPad’s screen. (see images 00 – 05 for comparison) In truth it does. The company makes good use of the many standard iOS interface multi-touch features. While we are not going to explain every single UI element, to open a PDF document we will start by getting one from the Dropbox account sync’d earlier.

As you can see in the image below your CAD PDF file appears as the white document in the main window while Revu’s many slide-out UI elements wrap the document. You can pinch and zoom in and out just like any other document in an iOS based app. Bluebeam Revu’s app isn’t the absolute fasted PDF viewer on the market but it clearly one of the better ones. (see image 05)

05 – Bluebeam Revu’s full UI on the iPad with Toolbox palette open (far left) and the Markup List palette below at bottom.

The Document Manager is accessed by the file cabinet icon with the green arrow. Inside you will find a default Documents folder. White triangles (on right) drill down into folders, revealing documents and more folders inside. (see image 03). You can always create additional folders inside a directory by clicking on the More button at the bottom of the Documents windows.

Next page: Marking Up Your Documents

The post Product Review: Bluebeam Revu for iPad appeared first on Architosh.

After reviewing TurboViewer 2.0, our previous view that Farros was already speaking our language, was further confirmed. It is not just that he is making a bold prediction about the impact of a game-changing device–anyone can do that! But rather that IMSI/Design is clearly showing what they mean by “inflection point” in the CAD industry.

The Key is Immediacy

On a personal note, I’ve been toting around an Apple iPad 2 since it came out. I couldn’t wait to use it as a tool for practicing architecture. I was very excited about what I could possibly do out in the field and what older processes could be replaced by this new tool. I was particularly interested in “speeding up” work flow processes that normally were tied down to limitations in the field or repetition back at the office or both. But here is what I learned: if the new process on the iPad isn’t fast enough to keep up with the old analog process, it doesn’t matter all that much if you are speeding up workflows downstream.

Let me explain it more clearly. Say you typically take field meeting notes on a pad of paper. Then you type up those notes back at the office. Say you often sketch up details and ideas for the client or the contractor as part of those notes on paper. Now you have an iPad. And you want to do all this work directly in the field and not burden yourself with the conversion from analog to digital back at the office. In theory, you should save time. But here is the rub. If the process on the iPad is anywhere more than 25 percent slower than the old analog process, you will not find the reward you are looking for. And if the process needs to keep pace with the flow of meetings, then it must be just as fast as analog or faster.

As it turns out, not a lot of iOS apps for AEC professionals meet this criteria yet. They offer streamlining by “everywhere access” and elimination of “double data entry” back at the office, but if you can’t keep up with others or an existing workflow it doesn’t matter how great the tool is–eventually you will stop using it.

Why TurboViewer Pro Succeeds

Given that criteria then, the reason why TurboViewer and TurboViewer Pro succeed as top notch tools in the new mobile app space is this: They are simple viewers that provide the market with CAD file viewing needs that normally have been served with mobile laptops. But they exceed laptops because they view the data faster, provide easier mobility, and also provide unique “one-of-a-kind” viewing experiences.

01 – Pixar’s Wall-E robot is the star of this CAD file. The Views menu is shown in TurboViewer Pro 2.0. Selecting a view choice switches to that saved view.

Let’s start with the uniqueness factor. With TurboViewer and its Pro sister app you have the power to spin 3D models around effortlessly with your finger tip. It is like having the object in your hand. The combination of Apple’s Multi-touch user-interface and CAD/3D is wonderful when it is delivered this smoothly. And it is very smooth! Take the Wall-E.dwg file shown in the image above. (see image 01). TurboViewer Pro gives you an excellent Views menu with easy to understand icons and viewing options. It is so easy to reach out and touch the object on the screen and start spinning little Wall-E around.

If you get to where you have lost control and spun the model around in a way you don’t like (sometimes that can happen) you simply re-choose a typical view from the Views menu. (image 01) From there you have the option of axon, and all the various sides of an object. And with the Pro version you get Perspective options as well, giving you preconfigured lens starting at 28mm Landscape mode up to 50mm Object mode. (see image 03)

02 – Visual styles are available and the Pro version features X-ray mode, which is very useful for architecture urban design model files. You also have Perspective as an option.

03 – In the Pro version you have “Perspective” in addition to side and axon views. Camera options are available, including Custom.

Other unique things that are not so easy to do in a CAD application on a laptop are the simple way you can switch to various visual styles. You can easily toggle between line view, hidden line view, X-ray mode, shaded openGL and more. The X-ray mode is particularly cool for buildings; SketchUp users in particular with be at home with this viewing method. (see images 02)

next page: Other Details & Closing Comments

The post Product Review: TurboViewer Pro 2.0 for iPad appeared first on Architosh.