Improving Federal Energy Performance: Two Webcasts to Look out for this Month:

If you’ve got time to take a break from those never ending holiday pot luck lunches this month, why not join two live webcasts on the topic of Improving Federal Energy Performance. Hosted by DLT Solutions and Autodesk, Industry experts John Sullivan and Angela Chan will discuss how Autodesk BIM Solutions inform energy-efficiency improvement decisions by enabling you to rapidly create and analyze models of new and existing buildings and systems.

Autodesk University 2010 Blog Series, Day 2 - Still Getting Blown Away by the Innovation on Show!

This is Daniel Clark’s second entry in a blog series from on Autodesk University 2010. For Daniel’s first entry, visit: http://blogs.dlt.com/autodesk-university-2010-melting-pot-diversity-inn… After a mediocre breakfast of yogurt and stale muffins it was off to a full day of classes here at Autodesk University 2010. I won’t bore you with a play-by-play account of the day, but I do want to share some insights about the two most powerful classes that I attended. The first class was hosted by a government customer who recently made the decision to switch from their current GIS platform to Map 3D. The class was interesting because it was not an endorsement of Map 3D, but a glimpse into the decisions and testing that led the government agency to conclude that Map 3D was the correct choice for them. As with most new software adoption, some of the biggest concerns expressed about Map 3D, was the level of training it would take to ensure they got the most from their software investment. However, this concern was outweighed by the substantial cost savings they would receive by consolidating to one software package for mapping and only having to train each person on one program.

Autodesk University 2010, Day 2 – The Power of Partners

The second day of Autodesk University flew by and today’s sessions were as enlightening as they were yesterday. The field of digital design is extremely diverse and the partners that work with the different disciplines are as varied as the fields that Autodesk supports. On the AEC side, there are partners that do advanced survey and CAD integration. The manufacturing industry is also well represented with a variety of companies offering 3D printing and enhanced scan and manipulation tools. Autodesk’s media and entertainment partners are also out in force demo’ing the creation of live caricatures on iPads by an on-site graphic artist.

Designing to Make an Impact – the Autodesk University 2010 Blog Series

Autodesk University 2010 kicked off Tuesday morning with its Welcome Address. Autodesk CEO Carl Bass began with a challenge to all users. He wanted to get the message across to not just design, but design to make an “impact”. Bass proceeded to bring several users to the stage to show how their design work is already fulfilling the challenge of making an impact.

Autodesk University 2010 – A Melting Pot of Diversity and Innovation

Autodesk University is already well under-way at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. And, I have to tell you, as a first-time visitor to Vegas, it took me quite some time to get past the overwhelming visuals that this city has to offer. That being said, I also found myself blown away by the sheer volume of people that are here for this event. Walking to the opening ceremony the escalators and hallways are literally packed with people from all over the world, all of whom are here for one reason - because they use, sell or are somehow associated with Autodesk software. Reading the name tags of people in class with me, I have seen people from Finland, Germany, Sweden, England, Japan and all over the United States.

GSA Moves to LEED Gold for All New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations

Over the past several years, substantial regulation has been passed mandating the “greening” of federal government buildings. Last month was no exception and saw the declaration of a new “gold” standard. In late October 2010, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a new mandate requiring that all federal building construction projects and “substantial” renovation projects achieve a minimum LEED Gold certification in their quest to improve energy efficiency. Leadership in Environmental Efficiency Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized and widely-accepted third party green building certification program, established by the U.S. Green Building Council, that determines the energy efficiency and sustainability of building projects.

Law Enforcement Gets the Decision Advantage with Affordable Next Generation GIS Apps

No technology has given us such a literal insight into the world around us than satellite imagery – from our everyday use of Google Maps to more serious applications in the local and national security community. This top down view of the world, combined with actionable data about the terrain, buildings and even persons on the ground, has transformed how emergency responders, law enforcement officials, and others in the security arena act on intelligence, plan and prepare for potential scenarios and adjust tactics from the field. However – traditional geospatial imagery and information has its limits. Say, for example you are a law enforcement official in Arlington, Virginia. While your geospatial app can give you a great view of the roof of a potential suspect’s apartment block, and probably also tell you which apartment your suspect lives in. What if you could use the power of multiple, yet integrated viewpoints, to measure the perimeter of the block, gauge the best surveillance points based on a clear line of sight, plan ingress and egress points, and share this information in pre-raid briefings. Imagine the time saved during the initial “Time on Target”?

Digital Design, GIS and AEC Professionals – Take our Survey!

In August of this year Autodesk made quite a splash when they announced they would release a new version of its most popular computer-aided design software and engineering tool, AutoCAD for the Mac OS X operating environment. The news broke and the web was abuzz. Our sister blog even wrote an entry about AutoCAD’s return to Mac. After all, AutoCAD hadn’t been available on Mac since 1992. Despite Microsoft Windows’ rise in popularity – both for personal use as well as business use – Mac has remained a popular choice for designers. Which got us thinking. How are you using technology in the workplace? What do you hope technology will be able to do for you in the future? Is a Mac environment an option for your agency?