Beyond Design

What’s new in Navisworks 2014? Part 1

You may have noticed we've been pretty busy behind the scenes here at Autodesk, a few weeks ago at TED we launched a new logo which signals a change in direction from Autodesk as more than just a software company for engineers, with the transition to mobile and cloud the way everyone interacts with software is changing, and we hope to be leading the way with this transition. We know many of you over the last few months are using the BIM 360 Field and Glue products, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about users of our flagship products like Autodesk Navisworks, with new and improved features and increased links to workflows in the cloud.

The key new features in Navisworks 2014 are

• Quantification – Get accurate model based quantities from your BIM model, allowing you to track changes between model revisions, perform destructive and constructive take offs and assign material and labor resources to items in the model. Many more details are to follow in a series of blog posts explaining how to use the new tool and a recommended workflow getting you quickly up to speed with model based quantification.

• Autodesk rendering – The same rendering engine found in our other flagship products is now available inside Navisworks, allowing you to use consistent Autodesk material libraries, and collate models from various disciplines and sources to create even more compelling visual

• Measurement tools – Improvements to the measure tool allow you to more easily work out what you are measuring and snapping to, have the flexibility to lock to a particular axis or surface, and zoom quickly to an area to select a measurement point.

• You'll hear lots about point clouds this year with 2013 being the year Point Clouds will be used by more than just those with very expensive equipment. The capabilities of the new 'Autodesk ReCap' engine will astound regular point cloud users as we'll be able to handle models much larger than you previously could. You'll be able to measure and snap more accurately against point clouds, and link your 3D virtual BIM model to a real life 'Reality Captured' point cloud, this will allow new design and construction workflows. AutoCAD^®, A

• Clash detective* has improvements to the user interface to allow you to change the colors and display of clashed objects, better manage saved viewpoints and overrides, access to comments in the results tab, and better filtering and reporting on those filtered results, you'll also remember this blog post about Clash Rules, well we've now made it easier for you to reduce the number of false positive clash results, meaning you can work only on the clashes that matter.
  *only available in Autodesk Navisworks Manage

Don't forget, you can also view your NWD models on the free Autodesk BIM 360 Glue mobile iPad app.

There's also EVEN MORE FEATURES on this second What else is new in Autodesk Navisworks 2014 blog post.

You'll be able to access the new 2014 products with subscription within the next couple of weeks, and look out on this blog for more detail on how to use these new features and unlock the power of the cloud with BIM 360 Glue and Field over the coming weeks.

Lab Assistants Needed for AU 2012

AU 2012 will feature more than 70 hands-on labs. These are some of the most popular sessions at AU. Each lab has an instructor and 3 lab assistants. Do you want to be a lab assistant?

Lab assistants receive $75 for each lab they assist in. They do not receive a free AU Conference Pass.

REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES

Here are some general requirements and guidelines for being a lab assistant.

• You must be registered for AU 2012. Being a lab assistant does not give you free access to the conference.
• You must be an expert-level user of the software used in the lab you are assisting.
• You do not attend the lab (that is, you do not sit at a computer), but are there to assist attendees without interrupting the class. You need to be accessible to students and avoid asking the instructor for help.
• You cannot take over teaching for even a short period of time, and you must refrain from offering unsolicited opinions during the class.
• You must review the class materials before AU and work with the instructor if something is not clear.
• You must meet the instructor in the classroom at least 15 minutes before the lab starts.

If you believe that your expertise and interest qualify you to serve as a lab assistant, please fill out our short interest form. On September 15, we will email you a list of labs that are in need of assistants.

Autodesk® Construction Magazine: First Edition Digital Magazine from Autodesk!

We've just launched the first digital edition of the Autodesk Construction Magazine. Inside this edition, you will learn about key trends and capabilities of the Autodesk BIM for construction solutions. Hear from our customers directly and get insight into the latest trends in the construction industry from our thought leader, Dominic Thasarathar.

Autodesk® Building Design Suite offers a comprehensive set of tools to manage all phases of design and construction at an exceptional value. By combining Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD tools, Autodesk Building Design Suite helps you design, visualize, and simulate more efficiently. Check out the digital Autodesk Construction Magazine in the link below, and learn more about how Autodesk BIM for construction solutions can help you overcome construction challenges and accelerate paths to new business.

To gain access to Autodesk Construction Magazine, sign up here:

http://www.autodesk.com/constructionmag

BIM in the Cloud? Now a reality with Autodesk BIM 360!

In a world where the global economy is affecting projects every day, and clients want buildings cheaper and faster, and pressures to improve the quality and sustainability of projects are pulling firms in every direction, BIM has become the 'buzz word' of the industry as the only way to do business. Autodesk® BIM 360^TM is the next generation of BIM, for anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Building, infrastructure design, and construction professionals can access intelligent model–based workflows through a broad range of cloud-based services within the Autodesk® 360 platform, which provides mobility and accessibility through infinite computing power. This video shows you some more about BIM 360 and what it means for you.

Autodesk BIM 360 helps multidiscipline design and construction teams improve project outcomes by moving computational-intensive tasks to the cloud, enabling more rapid visualization and simulation and optimized collaboration with access to intelligent data–rich models.

As part of Autodesk® BIM 360^TM we're offering 3 new services on top of some that you may have seen from Autodesk® 360.

• Clash Detection, Collaboration and Coordination – Work globally to detect and avoid potential issues before they happen, coordinate over the cloud without sending bulky models over FTP's.
• Conceptual Design and Feasibility Evaluation – Use Autodesk® 360 Infrastructure Modeler to store and manage large models and review and edit proposals.
• Field Management, Commissioning and Handover – Why should BIM stop with the model sat on a computer in an office? Taking an information model onto site and feeding information back into the model using real world information.
• *Rendering – 3.3million hours of rending since launch in September last year, that's 125,000 working days that would otherwise be spent sat next to idle computers!
• *Structural Analysis –Using the power of multiple servers as opposed to a single machine to analyze potential pitfalls in your structural design.
• *Energy Analysis – Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces, the Energy Analysis tools help you make informed decisions about improving efficiency of your buildings.

*Existing Services

Find out more through the BIM 360 website, you can also find BIM 360 on the recently updated Autodesk 360 Facebook page. Or log into 360.autodesk.com, and try out this innovative cloud based technology and the advantages and benefits it provides.

We'd love to hear what you think, leave a comment below or email us.

Find your serial numbers and product keys for Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, QTO and the suites

Sorting through the piles of notebooks, manuals, boxes for hardware and software and emails, there's plenty of times people think there must be an easier way to get your serial numbers and product keys. Luckily there is!

This link shows you how to find your Autodesk serial numbers and product key in Subscription Center and this link shows how to find the product key for your Autodesk product.

These links also have a full list of all the product keys for the last few Autodesk releases: -

2013: Product keys for Autodesk products
2012: Product keys for Autodesk products
2011: Product keys for Autodesk products
2010: Product keys for Autodesk products

Have you got any unique ways to store your serial numbers and product boxes? If you do send us a photo by July 1^st 2012, we'll send prizes to the best ones.

Practical tips on starting and maintaining a BIM user group

Further to a blog about starting a BIM User group a couple of weeks ago and a worldwide list of BIM in Construction User groups, James Vandezande from HOK has kindly passed along a series of posts he has written about running effective user groups.

These are well worth a read whether you are looking to start a group or contribute towards a local group with more detail about locations, speakers, hardware and sponsorships.

http://www.allthingsbim.com/2012/01/effective-user-groups-part-1.html
http://www.allthingsbim.com/2012/01/effective-user-groups-part-2.html
http://www.allthingsbim.com/2012/04/effective-user-groups-part-3.html

Since we launched the BIM in Construction User Groups page we've added lots more groups across Europe and the Americas and Australia thanks to your suggestions. If you have a group to add, email us!

Be the face of Autodesk Construction products

Have you ever wondered how we put together the splash screens that you view every time you open the product? Have you wondered how Silver Cross Hospital or Blackfriars Station were selected to be the 'face' of Navisworks? Have you ever wondered how you would get your project to be the one everyone see's on a daily basis? Well wonder no more!

The Autodesk Construction team are inviting customers to submit images of your use of Navisworks for inclusion in the next release of Navisworks. We are looking for impactful and inspiring images of how you are using our technology on your projects. For all selected images, we will require you to complete a consent form, granting unrestricted use of the imagery to Autodesk. For the image that is placed on the product box and splash screen, we will request access to the model dataset so that Autodesk graphic artists can create the final renderings. All image usage will display a credit line as defined by you.  

What is the value of participating?

• Expanded marketing reach - You can dramatically increase the visibility of your company's work since the images generated from the datasets may appear in a variety of high-profile web and print marketing assets, with attribution to your firm. For example, customer imagery was prominently displayed on more than 100,000 units of AutoCAD® 2013 product packaging and receives more than 280,000 views per month on Autodesk.com
• Enhanced brand recognition - Close associations with Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, can enhance your brand, build industry recognition for your company as a technology leader, and be a strong selling point to your clients, increasing your competitive advantage.
• Using resulting imagery - While the imagery created using your data sets is usually subject to embargo dates associated with product launches and campaigns, it will eventually become available for general use. In most cases, you can then use the resulting imagery for your own marketing purposes upon request.

One selected image will be used for the next release of Navisworks product box and splash screen. Here is the 2013 image of London Blackfriars station, courtesy of Network Rail and Jacobs®.

 

Other selected images will be included in the Navisworks installer (see below for 2013 images):

If you are interested in participating please email anthony.governanti@autodesk.com or sunny.hira@autodesk.com.  We will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with additional details on the submission process. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you,

Autodesk Construction Team

Join or start a BIM in Construction User Group

You've got the software, you've been to the training, but you want to learn more, you want to bounce ideas off others, and you have no one inside your company to speak to about them. This is where User Groups come in, we have hundreds of users of our different technologies starting and participating in groups across the globe providing networking opportunities, chances to learn about workflows, tips, 3^rd party plugins and new features run by some of our most knowledgeable users. We have set up the BIM in Construction User Group page to list as many worldwide user groups and communities as possible to allow you to easily find someone in your area to talk to. There's a range of ways to interact with other users, from forums and discussion groups, to monthly or bi-monthly phone-calls and webcasts, to live meet-ups.

Prominent BIM thinker, James Austin from BIM Technologies has recently decided to set up a Navisworks User group in London:-

"For me, user groups are the lifeblood of emerging technologies. When something new and relevant arrives on the scene, it must be driven forward, first by early adopters, and then by technology receptive organisations. User groups seem to appear and flourish when there is a healthy mix of these. At present in the UK, BIM is moving out of its early adopter stage, and we are seeing some pockets of growing maturity, coupled with enthusiasm. Amidst a healthy social media community, and several Revit User Groups across the nation, there are still relatively few user groups that focus on Navisworks, so I took it upon myself to see if there was interest in forming our very own Navisworks User Group in London. Response to date has been very good, and plans are now underway to set up a first meeting in London before we enter into the forthcoming Indian summer (!). The intention is to provide users with a source of high quality information, as well as an environment that will support genuine knowledge sharing and foster some of genuine community spirit that surrounds BIM in the UK right now."

Using online resources such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Meetup it has been possible for many of these groups to get set up with minimal cost and access to a wide range of users instantly than previously possible.

Scott Wood from HOK has been running the New York City Navisworks User Group for over a year, he has some advice for anyone looking to startup a user group:-

"The New York City Navisworks User Group is focused on the software, and third party extensions that enhance functionality. Our goal is to further the use and understanding of the tool, while feeding user requests to the software engineers. In addition to reviews and demonstrations, we also focus on process and uses for the tool. The benefits of this group are bidirectional, that is both the software vendors and the users can gain knowledge from the open interaction in our meetings.

Building a group does take some thought, and a little work to start. However there are a few tactics that I would recommend:

A) If the meeting is live, have food and beverages, and advertise that.

B) Attend other industry meetings to promote the group, and learn what might interest others.

C) Utilize http://www.meetup.com/

D) Utilize social media like Twitter and LinkedIn

E) Enlist the help of a few people, and give them a stake in the success of the group.

F) Even if the meeting is live, try to broadcast a Webex to get broader participation, of our 103 members, over 10% are from other cities, some as far as California."

If you have a user group we need to know about, email us and we'll update the BIM in Construction page, if you don't see one in your area, start one and let us know and we'll be happy to help promote it!

UPDATE: James Vandezande has sent us a link to some more practical tips for setting up user groups.

New AEC API Developer Blog

We know that many of you are looking to improve productivity and access to your information models using the API. This new AEC DevBlog will cover Revit, Navisworks and other AEC and BIM technologies and their APIs from Autodesk.

So far there are already posts about the following topics:-

• New features in the Navisworks 2013 .NET API
• How to access the Revit SDK
• How to get a primitive from solid of Navisworks
• More details on the BIM Coordinator 

Head to the blog and subscribe to the RSS feed for new posts: -

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/aec/

You can also ask API related questions through the Navisworks API forum.

Quantity Takeoff 2012 – Hotfix 2 now released

Quantity Takeoff 2012 - Hotfix 2 has been released and is available for download from the Autodesk Website.

Please note: This installer requires that QTO Hotfix 1 is already installed on the system.

This hotfix is designed to resolve some specific PDF file related issues:

• Large PDF sheets consuming too much memory
• PDF sheets not displaying after the project is reopened
• Error message "There was a problem displaying the page"

  

• QTO shutting down after switching sheets

The hotfix can be downloaded from here: -

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=18403022&linkID=10381885