• Effective Data Structure is Key for Success in Today’s Digital Workplace

    Posted on by admin

    Digital transformation is essential for any business looking to navigate the post-COVID world that exists today. Before the pandemic, the focus on digital transformation was high but has increased due to a large portion of the labor force relying on easily accessible data at home. 

    At the heart of any successful digital transformation project is accurate data structure. 

     

    What Is Digital Transformation? 

    Digital transformation refers to the process of shifting operations, data, and tools commonly available in offline or non-interactive environments to a completely digital solution. Digital transformation can yield the following benefits: 

    • Increased visibility to data trends will lead to an improved understanding of the customer experience and an uplift in sales 
    • Provide reports that highlight improvement opportunities within common workflows that reduce costs and increase efficiency 

    While the benefits of digital transformation have been on display for many years, some businesses view this practice as a lower priority. Specifically, asset-heavy organizations are reluctant to change and move their information online or revamp their technical infrastructure. Instead, these businesses prefer to continue maintaining older and outdated systems to minimize the impact on existing day-to-day operations. 

    How COVID-19 has Pushed Digital Transformation to the Forefront

    With the onset of the pandemic, organizations have needed to scramble to enable remote operations, social distancing, and continue to maintain assets across multiple sites and locations. Suddenly digital transformation is now a requirement for many businesses. 

    This has been a difficult transition period for organizations that didn’t have an existing plan in place. Effective data structure has emerged as an essential piece of this transformation.  

    Digital Transformation is Built on Strong Data Structure 

    Well governed and structured data is the basis of a well-executed digital transformation. The amount of data can be overwhelming for asset-heavy organizations and found in different sources such as: 

    • Work orders 
    • Asset data and maintenance records 
    • Data coming in from various other mission-critical tools – i.e., EDMS or CMMS solutions 
    • MRO inventory data 
    • Pen and paper documentation 

    Unstructured Data Can Lead to Long Drawn-out Digital Transformation 

    Most organizations have their data spread over different locations and tools. This data can also be inaccessible by various teams and generally unstructured. Here are a few reasons why: 

    • Knowledge is often spread by word-of-mouth with no documentation available 
    • Data consists of a combination of paper, on-premise, and cloud-based tools. This inconsistency leads to incomplete information, poor document version control, and more 
    • Existing digital solutions work independently of each other with little integration 
    • Day-to-day digital workflows are not standardized or governed for good data structure 

    Incomplete Data Leads To Poor Asset Structure 

    If your asset-intensive organization has poor data quality, this will affect your asset structure. All the information surrounding an asset (i.e., documentation, compliance, maintenance plans, etc.) will be affected by default, which can lead to: 

    • Incomplete data sets 
    • Out-of-date information 
    • Trouble maintaining industry compliance 
    • Higher costs to maintain data infrastructure 
    • Data security issues 
    • Increased risk of a digital transformation project failing 

    Once a weak data structure exists, the related issues will carry over into other complementary solutions. The lack of robust and available data will affect other data-driven automation and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) projects. These solutions require a complete and comprehensive data structure to build and implement successfully. 

    How to Ensure your Data and Asset Structure is Correct 

    To set up your business for a successful Digital Transformation, you can improve your data structure by focusing on accurate data, robust data structure, and data governance. 

    1. Review Your Current Data

    Reviewing your current data should be the first step for improving the existing data structure. This requires that you answer vital questions about your data itself, including: 

    • What data do you have? 
    • What information are you collecting regularly? 
    • How and where is the data used? 
    • What does that data tell you about your customers, about your KPIs, about your business? 
    • Identify missing data opportunities. Where are there currently gaps in your data needs? 

    Leading off with a review of current data will help your team understand your data and what you do with it. 

    2. Organize your Data with the Appropriate Tools

    The next step is to use a well-structured tool to import your data. Using a tool that can assist with proper data structure, governance, and analytical insights will ease your path to digital transformation by: 

    • Providing automation of workflows to increase data entry efficiency and ensure data accuracy by avoiding human error 
    • Confirming your data initiatives are standardized and repeatable 
    • Guarantee that your organization can easily manage your information’s flow, quality, and governance, which is key to any compelling insights or transformation efforts 

    Selecting the right solution will vary by your organization’s industry, data sources, and required integrations. The right tool will provide a broader view and understanding of your data as a whole to your entire team. 

     

    What Types of Tools fit best For Asset-Intensive Organizations? 

    Two tools covering these requirements are a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and an electronic document management system (EDMS). Ideally used together, an EDMS and CMMS solution will work in sync and provide increased functionality as a whole. 

    Most successful asset-heavy organizations already use a CMMS or EAM solution for their maintenance tracking needs. It allows you to digitize and automate maintenance operations to deploy preventive maintenance strategies better, develop better maintenance practices, stay organized, and ultimately save time and money. While this is a significant first step into modernizing your digital data footprint, a CMMS system alone is missing essential functionality for maintaining your data structure in other areas (i.e., technical drawings and documentation). This functionality is where an EDMS solution excels. 

    Pairing an EDMS with a CMMS solution is the winning combination that empowers your team with the following benefits: 

    • A fully connected digital single source of truth with high availability 
    • Automation across multiple tools to improve efficiency and data accuracy 
    • Easy to manage data governance over the entire technological stack 

    In a post-COVID world, organizations that complete digital transformations and modernize their operations will pull past competitors relying on legacy systems. But making the transition begins with reliable data and solid asset structure as a first step. 

    To learn more about Meridian solutions (EDMS and CMMS) and how they can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian team.  

    Assign Point Layers by Note Column with Dynamo

    Posted on by Diana Gonzalez

    In this vlog, our Civil/Infrastructure Technical Product Specialist, Jae Kwon, will demonstrate how to assign point layers by Note Column with Dynamo application.

    Autodesk Dynamo is a programming environment that requires no programming experience. Dynamo enables designers to create visual logic so they can explore a wide range of parametric conceptual designs using logic, simple data and analysis without the need to create a physical prototype.

    This vlog will cover a demo of:

    • Problem to solve
    • No out of the box solution available
    • Dynamo script breakdown
    • Dynamo player, script run and result review

     

     

    Civil 3D 2022.0.1 CIM Suite Tools Updates from CTC

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    We are excited to announce that our partner CTC Software released Civil 3D CIM Project and Manager Suites, version 22.0.1. It is now released and can be accessed on the CTC website.

    This update saw a lot of fixes and enhancements to new products released in 22.0.0 and before.

    Below are release notes:

    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Pipe Planner Bug Fix Fixed a variety of issues causing Pipe Planner to error out or crash. Improved application speed performance. Fixed issues with exporting to external spreadsheets. Fixed issues with importing external spreadsheets.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Pipe Planner Enhancement Added support for formulas in user-defined empty columns and rows. Added properties filter search bar. Added interactive selection of export starting cell. Improved part renaming, allowing old names to be reused on new part names within the same operation. Added new right-click options to edit the middle table. Misc. enhancements and performance improvements.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Pipe Designer Enhancement Improved part renaming, allowing old names to be reused on new part names within the same operation.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Label Genie Enhancement Added option to manually select anchor objects in drawings.  Added option when labeling layouts to create a unique layer for each layout.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Label Genie Bug Fix Fixed an issue where layout-specific labeling was not respecting exact viewport extents.  Fixed an issue where segment labels were not following the assigned layer. Fixed misc. issues with specific drawing files.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Earthwork Processer Bug Fix Fixed an issue where errors occurred if existing or proposed surfaces were empty or not overlapping one another.  Fixed an issue where earthwork region polylines that were significantly small would not offset and cause the app to error.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Data Wizard Bug Fix Fixed an issue where survey figures caused Data Wizard to error.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Parts Swapper Bug Fix Fixed an issue where parts not found in the parts catalog were causing Parts Swapper to file.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite Corridor Mapper Bug Fix Fixed an issue where changes to assemblies would cause the app to error.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Project Suite CIM Project Suite Bug Fix Fixed an issue where custom subassemblies were breaking when CIM Project Suite was installed.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Manager Suite Template Tracker Bug Fix Fixed an issue where pressure network band styles were causing Template Tracker to error out.
    22.0.1 8/17/2021 CIM Manager Suite CIM Manager Suite Bug Fix Fixed an issue where custom subassemblies were breaking when CIM Manager Suite was installed.

    Whelan Construction

    Posted on by SolidCAD
    Success Stories

    Whelan Construction

    Whelan Construction is a general contracting and construction management organization that specializes in end-to-end construction services. They serve Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Squamish-Lillooet regions and specialize in Institutional, Healthcare, Light Rail, Airport, Renewable Energy and Building Performance Upgrade projects in the region of $1,000,000 to $25,000,000.

    Based in Vancouver, B.C., Whelan Construction has Irish roots. Founder, Brian Whelan, emigrated to Canada in 2013 and—from one west coast to another. Brian has successfully led the construction of $400,000,000 worth of projects including airport, healthcare, residential, institutional, marine, pharmaceutical, light industrial, retail, and commercial projects.

    LinkedIn:

    Instagram:

    How Autodesk Construction Cloud has helped start-up Whelan Construction win bids over competitors

    The Challenge

    As a start-up company, Whelan Construction faced challenges in identifying the right solutions and systems that would ensure a smooth and consistent workflow process to deliver end-to-end construction services for all stages of a project.

    Outside of the solution requirements, one of the biggest challenges that Whelan Construction’s founder, Brian Whelan had experienced, was selecting a suitable project and field management software package for a small to medium sized construction company, a package that seamlessly connects the field and office.

    The Solution

    Given Autodesk’s extensive product portfolio, SolidCAD helped Whelan Construction to determine the right software solutions that goes together with their needs and the construction industry’s best practices requirements.

    With Autodesk Construction Cloud, specifically, Autodesk Docs, Build, AutoCAD, and PDF solution Bluebeam, Whelan Construction now has a common environment for all project-related data all while helping to manage projects with minimal resources and complete project entries in one platform.

    Bluebeam allowed project partners to be able to mark up and collaborate on the same documents in real-time. While, Autodesk Docs + Build, one of the industry’s leading solutions made it easy for Whelan Construction’s team to work with other project stakeholders, have connected workflows, increased transparency, and track construction progress throughout the entire lifecycle of their projects.

    Moreover, Whelan Construction took one-on-one training with SolidCAD on the Docs + Cost Management component of the Autodesk Build to connect project management and field execution data to cost activities to understand root causes and scope cost impacts.

    The Outcome
    • Whelan Construction is now able to ensure projects stay on track; improve collaboration and reduce miscommunication, potential errors, and rework. With the ability to track all issues in one place and reduce costly rework, Whelan Construction can now keep projects on schedule all while being able to manage project data and project bids.
    • Aside from that, they can now develop very detailed proposals with an ability to give the preview on designs and project development stages as required, providing them a competitive edge when winning bids.

    As a result, Whelan Construction was able to apply the skills obtained from training to compile professional and successful bids.

    SolidCAD continues to be a resource in helping Whelan Construction grow as a construction company in this competitive market.

    Testimonial

    SolidCAD has been fantastic in providing my new company with support for Autodesk Docs and Build, Bluebeam, and AutoCAD. Ian was great to deal with when organizing the right package and considering the most economical plan for a small start-up construction company. Andrew went above and beyond and provided classroom sessions for Autodesk Docs and Build. He has been brilliant and treated our company like partners, so much so that I now have three licenses on the books. I started using AutoCAD R14 a long time ago and have always trusted Autodesk products. This was one of the reasons I chose Autodesk Docs and Build, one for reputation, and two the turnkey management services that the product does is fantastic.
    I would highly recommend using the SolidCAD team.
    -Brian Whelan, Construction Manager at the Whelan Construction

    Products & Services Used

    Autodesk Construction Cloud

    Autodesk Docs

    Autodesk Build

    Bluebeam

    AutoCAD LT

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    New Product Alert: SolidCAD launches their newest tool MAKE Productivity for Autodesk PowerMill®

    Posted on by Daniella Delgado

    TORONTO, ON August 23, 2021 – Today, SolidCAD, Canada’s largest professional services company and Autodesk Platinum Partner, announces the launch of their newest product, MAKE Productivity. MAKE Productivity for PowerMill® is a best-in-class tool to boost CAM programming productivity, provide incredible staffing flexibility to overcome skilled labour shortages, and optimize machine scheduling and utilization by programming well ahead of run-time.

    Equipped with a suite of calculators and tools for daily programming, MAKE Productivity provides endless capabilities for automating simple and complex multi-axis manufacturing processes, along with “on-demand” digital learning modules and training content for the user’s self-directed learning plans.

    MAKE Productivity can allow users to automate 90-100% of their complex finish programming by using the guided workflow. Paired with Autodesk’s PowerMill® Ultimate, this product allows for simultaneous 5-axis programming automation and enhanced machine simulation of NC programs, tool changes, and laser cycles. Users can now optimize after-hours license use by creating a batch calculation queue for “lights-out” calculation of multiple projects.

    “SolidCAD is responding to our customer’s needs for a robust and customizable solution to automate their complex CAM programming processes.” says Robert Kobielski, Sales Manager of Advanced Manufacturing at SolidCAD. “MAKE Productivity is providing the enhancements and value-added tools for which our customers have been requesting, and we are pleased to have developed this collaboratively to suit these needs.”

    SolidCAD offers two versions of the product that work with Autodesk’s Standard or Ultimate versions of PowerMill®. With MAKE Productivity and PowerMill® Standard, users will have the ability to rapidly create NC code for high-speed 3-axis machining, 3+2 programming, 2.5D milling, turning, and toolpath safety verification. While MAKE Productivity and PowerMill® Ultimate will have all the standard features plus machine simulation, tool change and laser cycle validation, and access to full 5-axis programming with automatic collision avoidance, robot programming, electrode programming, hybrid manufacturing, and more.

    To learn more about this product, visit SolidCAD’s website at https://www.solidcad.ca/products/solidcad-products/make-productivity/ or join SolidCAD for a webinar that will showcase MAKE Productivity  on Tuesday, September 21 at 3:00 pm ET, by clicking here.

    SolidCAD will also be attending this year’s Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) from October 4-7, 2021, in Toronto at the International Centre. Stop by to get a first look in-person of MAKE productivity at Booth #2631.

    E-mail us at make@solidcad.ca to learn more.

    Understanding Product Lifestyle Management (PLM): The Path to the Digital Future

    Posted on by admin

    In my opinion, the most painful product lifecycle management (PLM) failures happen when companies struggle to understand the concept and implement it in their organization. This technology is made to help them. When I speak to companies, I hear things like – “We tried to organize ourselves, but PLM was such a complex idea. We decided to stay unorganized.” It hurts me to think about the failures of technology despite the powerful idea of PLM.

    I want to focus on explaining why you need PLM and how to identify if it can help support your product development and manufacturing operations. Understanding this will help you get prepared and organized for the digital future.

    CIMdata defined digitalization as “The business strategy best geared to extract real-world value from digital data”, whereas their definition of PLM refers to a “strategic business approach, NOT just technologies, a consistent set of business solutions”.

    I’ve noticed a growing interest in product lifecycle management and its benefits in the last year. As companies look to improve their product offerings, refine supply chains, and organize their business, PLM is one of the best tools to achieve these goals.

    When implementing PLM, your organization should be setting goals and KPIs regularily along the way. Our software will allow you to collaborate with SolidCAD and suppliers to integrate important data from their end as you assess each step in your process.

    As your organization goes through each of these stages, you should be collecting and entering data into your PLM software. We will help you streamline the process and allow you to eliminate tedious data re-entry. This means that your PLM software should smoothly integrate with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

    You may be wondering why PLM is important for our digital future. Expected results for companies using PLM software include:

    Lower product costs:

    PLM is an iterative process that your organization will refine with each cycle, one of the most common goals is to lower production costs. This may seem intuitive for any company that engages in product development, but it’s important to point out that PLM achieves this by creating a more refined supply chain along with a streamlined production process.

    Greater product quality:

    In a similar artery to lowering product costs, product quality should increase as you foster the PLM process. Whether it’s finding more diverse materials or better parts at the right price, each cycle should push you to assess your sourcing, development, and production methods to improve your offerings.

    Faster time to market:

    This is a direct result of improving your supply chain along with manufacturing and logistics. PLM is not only a about single product throughout its lifecycle; it is a tool to have comparable data that allows you to streamline and improve the steps in your process.

    So, what does PLM currently offer? PLM provides a central repository of accurate information that geographically dispersed personnel can access. In a post-2020 world where more and more teams are working remotely, there’s undeniable value in this system that facilitates accurate data sharing and collaboration don’t you think?

    To summarize, here are the 5 main reasons that you will need PLM based on my knowledge and conversations with customers:

    1. Increased productivity: PLM facilitates the process of lifecycle management and drives improvements across the series of cycles for the given product. Implementing a scalable PLM platform increases employee productivity by consolidating designs, communications, workflows, and product data in a single place.
    2. Accelerated time to market: The smoother the workflow and the higher the productivity, the faster your organization will be able to bring products to market.
    3. Increased revenue: As you accelerate your time to market with PLM, you’ll also be reducing production costs. The intersection between those two actions will improve your margin and help you scale up your business. You can’t just think of PLM as a way of improving workflows; one of the most critical KPIs after a few cycles is how it is impacting your revenue.
    4. Accurate data sharing: PLM organizes your data, helps you keep track of it, and allows for sharing with the right stakeholders at the right time (both internal and external).
    5. Improved product quality: More accurate data and improved workflows are always going to lead to improved product quality. I believe, that is another contributing factor to increased revenue. Regardless of an organization’s position in the supply chain. That stands for both business and commercial transactions. As you refine your PLM steps and drive even minor improvements, you’ll see the difference in the product for sure!

    From a business development representatives’ point of view to you, I can assure you that lifecycle management issues can be found across small, medium, and large business. When it comes to growing and improving your company, PLM solutions are the digital future.

     

    Get in Touch:

    If you made it this far in reading, you’re probably ready to get started on the path to the digital future. Learn more on our website: https://www.solidcad.ca/products/autodesk-products/product-lifecycle-management/

    If you prefer to get in touch with us directly, please contact myself and my team at tanya.petraglia@solidcad.com for more information, or meet our team at upcoming events: https://www.solidcad.ca/product-lifecycle-management-events/

     

    Tanya Petraglia – Business Development Manager – Helping customers connecting processes with PLM- Manage 360

    PG Design Studio

    Posted on by SolidCAD
    Success Stories

    PG Design Studio

    PG Design Studio specializes in delivering projects using a collaborative Integrated Project Delivery approach. They pride themselves on working closely with clients, developers, stakeholders, builders, sub-trades, procurement specialists and project consultants through all stages of the project, delivering well-coordinated, efficient building designs.

    PG Design Studio strives to deliver strong project concepts, innovative ideas, and strategies that fit the specific requirements of each site, client, and program. They focus on addressing human, urban, geographical, environmental, functional, and practical considerations, with a unique architectural style, resulting in the construction of many award-winning projects.

    Project Profile

    Challenge

    PG Design Studio is unique because they are often the developer, architect, and construction company all in one. With a wide range of services and diverse internal teams, they require seamless collaboration between different departments and various software solutions. PG Design Studio was looking for a platform that can be easily integrated into their existing workflow, easily share project related data, and provide them an all-inclusive portfolio of products that would help them from design to construction.

    In addition, with such a large team, that works both remotely and on-site, they were experiencing challenges on finding a product with the right type of cloud-based features. They required a cloud-based solution that would let their teams access project data from multiple devices and locations at anytime.

    Solution

    PG Design turned to SolidCAD to purchase and implement Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) into their existing workflow. The ACC solution provided them a common data environment for all project-related information, connected their workflows, and therefore helped them meet their need for an all-inclusive product. The project data was also stored on PG Design’s other enterprise technology solutions such as Microsoft and Autodesk AEC Collection more specifically, Revit, which was successfully integrated with the ACC solution.

    The nature of the cloud-based platform also gave them the ability of easy, flexible access from multiple devices for everyone involved in the project.

    Outside of SolidCAD helping them with the implementation of ACC products, SolidCAD continues to provide ongoing training and implementation support and has been a special resource to many of their projects. Particularly, SolidCAD has built a tool to help PG Design mass import 10 years of old projects from their local services to BIM 360 to ensure their data is now in one central location.

    Results
    • In the end, PG Design Studio, was able to streamline their technology spend with the integration of Autodesk and Microsoft. Project teams both internal and external now have access to all key project data in a single location. With the centralization of this information, they can deliver higher quality in less time with reduced risk on all projects. That was also positive reflected in their project KPIs when it came down to reducing risk, maximizing efficiency, and increasing profits.

    PG Design Studio chose SolidCAD due to their strong and long-lasting relationship with the company. Over the last 8 years they have been confident that whenever they required software, support, or training, SolidCAD was there to help and cater to all their unique needs.

    Testimonial

    “In today’s AEC industry, many of us are always looking for ways to be more efficient. The SolidCAD team is support we can rely on, especially when it comes to achieving our goals. Thanks to SolidCAD, our ability to make new technologies a norm allows us to stay ahead of the game. Autodesk Construction Cloud helps us connect our project teams and data in real-time, from the design phase through construction, supporting informed decision-making and leading to more predictable and profitable outcomes.“

    – Mladen Tubin, BIM Manager at PG Design Studio

    Products & Services Used

    • Autodesk AEC Collection
    • BIM 360 Products
      • BIM 360 Design (now Collaborate Pro)
      • BIM 360 Coordinate (now Collaborate)
      • BIM 360 Build
      • BIM 360 Cost (BIM 360 Build and Cost now Autodesk Build part of ACC)
    • SolidCAD Training services
      • Revit
      • BIM 360 products
    • Custom Tool
      • SolidCAD Development scope and built a tool to mass import 10 years of old project from their local service to BIM 360 (this included the project setup and files)

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    8 Ways Layers Create Clarity in Revu

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by Troy DeGroot on the Bluebeam Blog.

    ne powerful feature in Bluebeam Revu I think everyone should be using in some capacity is Layers.

    If you come to Revu with a CAD background, you probably understand and use Layers already. For those who don’t, you just don’t know what you don’t know. I hope this article helps shed light on a new opportunity to add flexibility, organization and clarity to your PDF workflows.

    For those old enough, Layers could be described like this: Remember in grade school when the teacher used the overhead projector to show things on the wall or pull-down screen? The surface of the overhead is the PDF when you open it. The clear film they write and draw on is a layer. That layer can be taken off or hidden, turned back on, or you could overlay several different layers to see them all on the screen.

    In Revu, we can isolate categories of markups or flatten them. If you’re not familiar with the Flatten function, refer back to this previous blog post.

    You might be asking: “Where do we find Layers?” There are a few places.

    First, let’s look at the Panels on the sides of the Revu interface. You should see a black vertical bar on the side with several panel tabs toward the top. Right-click below the tools and hover over “Show.”

     

    There, you’ll then see a list of Panels; click on the Layers option. When it turns blue, that means it’s visible.

    Another place you will see Layers is, when you open a document printed from drafting/design tools, they will often transfer from the original file. To quickly see what Layers look like and how they can be powerful, try the Overlay Pages tool. If you’re not already using Overlay Pages when revisions cross your desk, brace yourself.

    Here are some quick definitions of how Layers could be used for different phases of the project lifecycle.

    Planning: When planning a new construction development, you might use Layers to break down different elements of design requirements. For example, you might have individual Layers for building area, parking, green space, etc.

    Design Review: During the design and review phase, you might have Layers and colors indicating markups needing to be added to the drawings, markups which are just comments to the drafter for reference or internal notes for design intent. You might even have Layers to track first-round markups and another for additional comments after the backcheck.

    Estimating: When I build custom tools for estimating, I like to always include Layers to break down systems or material types. I always reverse engineer the tools and think about how I might manipulate the Layers when the sheet is full of markups. You might want to turn off all the flooring area measurements so you can see all the transition strips.

    Hiding all the concrete slabs will make it easier to see and select the isolated footing, or maybe you only want to see the continuous strip footings. Layers allow you to isolate materials so you can build out the estimate without having all material Layers on at the same time.

    Site Preparation: On the civil design side, you might want to get quantities and differentiate cut-and-fill areas indicating what materials can be reused someplace else on site. If you’re recording progress with site images or survey points, you might organize those by date as well.

    Construction: During construction, we can use Layers to break down your schedule. Looking at the estimating markups, you could determine how many concrete trucks come each day and isolate the curbs, slabs and footing accordingly. You could also use it for site logistics locating material deliveries, job trailers and portable toilets on site with a date layer. Knowing what needs to move on site as the project progresses can keep everyone informed on expectations.

    As-Builts: When on site recording existing conditions, P&ID or verifying installation, Layers can be used to indicate new vs. existing, supply vs. return, gas vs. water piping or to indicate valves that need to be replaced.

    Facility Management: When tracking so many systems in a facility, it can help to keep them all in one drawing and use Layers to organize them. When all the Layers are on, it might seem like an organized mess, but when you isolate the low voltage layer to investigate a network problem, suddenly it’s clean and precise. After you solve that emergency, you might switch Layers for a plumbing issue or verify the dates on fire extinguishers.

    Extra Credit: Incorporate Layers so those markups you do early in a project are still used downstream, eliminating redundant work. I’ve worked with several specialty contractors building tools for the sales team to layout while walking a site with the owner. All the devices are built with pricing, so they immediately have an estimate.

    Those same markups are moved and revised by the engineering team back in the office, with the estimate being updated automatically. When revisions pass through, they have direct visuals of scope creep and price increases. These markups can also be used by the installation team on site, changing the status of each device as they complete the install. In Studio Sessions in Revu, the project manager knows in real time how much work remains on site, helping him schedule the next project.

    As you can see, there are many powerful ways to use Layers throughout all phases of a construction project. I hope you found this introduction to Layers in Revu helpful and you have some new ideas of how you might implement them into your workflows.

    To learn more about layers check out my other blog post, “Understanding Revu Layers Like a Pro.”

     

    Migrating Versions in AutoCAD Electrical

    Posted on by admin

    Every year Autodesk releases a new version of the software which often contains new features, bug fixes and overall improved stability, so a common question that we get from our customer is: how do I move all my custom settings, symbols, databases, etc. to the new version of AutoCAD Electrical. Included with AutoCAD Electrical is the “Migration Utility” which allows the user to move all your customized settings, custom libraries (symbols + icon menus), databases, etc. This utility can be found inside the “Project” tab as displayed on Figure 1.

    Figure 1

    In this blog article we will cover the steps requires for us to upgrade and migrate from one version to another. Once we have downloaded and installed the new version of AutoCAD Electrical, we close all other Autodesk software that so we can start the “Migration Utility”.

    Figure 2

    In this configuration window we are required to select the previous version that we want to migrate from. Clicking on the dropdown arrow will display all the previous versions installed on the local machine. If you have more than one version installed, you need to select the software version that has all the latest customization/libraries of the software as seen on Figure 2.

    After we select the version that we want to migrate from, the next step is to select the items we want to migrate. Those items can be found under “Migration items” and, by default, all of them are going to be selected as seen on Figure 3. If we click on any of the individual items, we will find the option to copy or merge the pre-existing information. Keep in mind that each migration item might have a different preset value here so make sure you review all the items that need to be migrated.

    Figure 3

    Once we have reviewed all the migration items we need to click “OK” so the migration process can start.

    Figure 4

    Before the migration gets started, a “Migration Review” window is going to popup with a summary of all the files that are about to be migrated as seen on Figure 4.

    After a final review we are ready to click “OK” so the migration process can start.

    While the migration is in progress, a window is going to popup showing the file currently being migrated and the current progress status as seen on Figure 5. Keep in mind that depending on the size of your customized files (databases, etc.), this process could take from minutes to several hours.

    Figure 5

    When the Migration is complete a summary window similar to the migration review will popup specifying, once again, all the files that were migrated.

    The last step is to restart the software so you will be ready to use your new version of AutoCAD Electrical without losing any preexisting customized files/settings.

    Bring your designs to life in Lumion 11.5

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by Lumion on the Lumion Blog.

    With Lumion, you can render more than a building. Render your client’s dream home, render a story about design that moves emotions, render the space where life happens.

    A building begins as a structure. Walls. Floors. Roofs. Windows and doors. All expertly crafted into a beautiful arrangement of form and function.

    When looking at the 3D model, however, you might feel as if something is missing. Maybe it doesn’t capture the energy and atmosphere of the space and its surroundings. Perhaps it doesn’t ignite emotions or make you want to be there. Whatever it is, there’s something about life that’s just not easy to show in CAD.

    With Lumion, you can bring your vision to life and tell a richer, more immersive story about the design’s role in the real world. A story that sparks imagination and helps clients fully visualize how life could unfold within those four walls.

    From the small experiences you share with others to the objects that decorate your home, life is full of feeling. The sofa, coffee table and chairs in the living room, for instance, become a gravitational center where families share peaceful moments together. Papers and pens and books are scattered across a busy home office desk, alongside used coffee cups and photos of loved ones. In the kitchen, the teapot boils and toast pops out of the toaster, signaling the start of a new day.

    These are not just objects, they are reflections of life. They fill spaces with character.

    Lumion helps architects unveil their designs as lived-in spaces, capturing the deeply personal connection between a building, the people who inhabit it, and all the unique objects they bring with them.

    You can render more than a building. Render your client’s dream home, render a story about design that moves emotions, render the space where life happens.

    What’s new in Lumion 11.5

    The latest version of Lumion reinforces its ability to make spaces feel alive with the everyday activities that occur there. You can let your imagination loose and tell a story about a room, a building, or even the entire project, exactly as you see it in your mind’s eye.

    Lumion 11.5 Pro comes with 123 new objects* in the content library, making it easier to add a human, personal touch to your renders. You can find 73 new retro-inspired objects that reveal the unique identity of spaces, including:

    36 eye-catching kitchen objects, including blenders, refrigerators, toasters, mixers and more. 12 furnishings from another era, including café tables and chairs, a jukebox, a popcorn maker and more.
    11 timeless pieces of office furniture, including sofas, desks, chairs, table lamps and more. 14 other stylish items, including clocks, radios, a sewing machine, TVs and more.

    Additionally, you can express delight throughout your scene with 50 new 3D characters, including a diverse variety of children, teens and adults of different backgrounds and cultures.

    These cheerful non-animated characters are ideal for communicating context, scale and emotion in the background of your project, whether it’s a sunbather relaxing on the grass, a child looking up with wonder, or a couple enjoying a beautiful view together.

    There are infinite stories to tell about your design with the mix of new 3D characters and retro-inspired objects in Lumion 11.5. When combined with Lumion’s existing content library of over 6,300 assets* and over 1,250 materials*, you’ll find yourself on a smoothly paved road to rendering creativity, to bring your designs to life.

    Availability

    Lumion 11.5 is available from June 1st, 2021, as a free update for Lumion 11 and Lumion 11.3 users. Lumion 11 users can download the updated version on your Lumion Account.

    Have more questions?

    Contact us today info@solidcad.ca