CAD & GIS News for Govies 10/30

October 30, 2013

CAD News for Govies is a weekly feature on Acronym that scans thousands of industry articles to present you with a regular source of CAD and GIS news, information and ideas that impact the public sector. Here’s the latest round-up:

3 Tips to Make More Accurate Project Cost Estimates

Estimating project costs can be tough. Here are three tips from Line/Shape/Space that help take the guessing out of the process. Read more.

Find the Perfect AutoCAD App on Autodesk Exchange

The Autodesk Exchange is filled with plenty of apps that are certain to improve your AutoCAD experience. In this video tip from Cadalyst and Lynn Allen, you'll see how to access the Autodesk Exchange and find the perfect app — some are even free!

Modifying the Environment File in AutoCAD® Electrical

AutoCAD Electrical uses - what is called - an environment file (wd.env) to control where the software retrieves data. Some of the functions include where AutoCAD Electrical looks for vendor part numbers located in the databases, where the library is located for various symbols used, and where the menu files are located that allow you to choose the schematic symbols. This blog post from Synergis explains some of the most important areas of the environment file you should consider making changes to. Read more.

4 Tips to Effectively Archive Your Construction Projects

You’ve worked hard. The project is done and construction is complete. So, what happens to the project data? The drawings, the specifications, the OEM manuals, and all other associated data have to go somewhere - they can’t just be deleted; plus, space and data storage are always at a premium. So, the trick here is to archive effectively. Make sure that the data is stored securely, using optimum space to ensure economic usage. More importantly, make sure the data is stored in a format that can be retrieved whenever necessary, at any time. There will also be a legal side to this, where data has to be stored for a minimum period of time for legal reasons such as insurance, liability, and ownership.Get four tips to help effectively archive your projects in another great blog from Line/Space/Shape.

10 Mind-Blowing Bridges That Connect Two States (Or Countries!)

There's no cooler way to pass from state to state (or from country to country) than by bridge. You're driving or walking along, enjoying the scenery, and POOF! the bridge drops you off in a wondrous new land.Here are 10 bridges, courtesy of Huffington Post, that let you jump major boundary lines with one simple cross. Read more.

Convergence of BIM, Geospatial, Imagery and 3D Enables New Vertical Industry Solutions

Over half of the world's 6 billion population lives in cities and this proportion is expected to increase as we move toward 9 billion by 2050. This is driving investment in new and refurbished buildings and infrastructure.

The world's construction industry including buildings, electric power, water and wastewater, roads, rail, and sea ports and airports contributes about $7 trillion annually or 10% of the world GDP. Over the next two decades these sectors will see a massive infusion of investment estimated in the range $20 to $50 trillion.

In addition, as governments find they have less and less money for capital infrastructure projects, a greater proportion of the investment in infrastructure will come from the private sector, which will drive an increased focus on productivity to improve returns on investment. That in turn is driving a transformation of the construction industry that is reflected in accelerating adoption of vertical industry solutions based on integrated BIM, imagery, geospatial, 3D visualization, and geospatially-enabled data management.

In his blog post, Autodesk’s Geoff Zeiss, outlines some real-world examples of the application of converged BIM, imagery, geospatial, and 3D solutions.

Boosting Innovation by Rethinking Government Procurement

Earlier this month, Philadelphia launched a new 12-week accelerator program called FastFWD that will select 10 entrepreneurs to develop innovative projects around public safety challenges. One end goal is that the city will award contracts to several of the projects developed during the program.

FastFWD comes on the heels of a newly launched innovation center by North Carolina that will let the state test technologies before purchasing them. Both initiatives are attempts to ease frustration with government procurement processes that tend to discourage innovation and limit flexibility.

The traditional government RFP process -- with its long timelines, complex rules and tight guidelines around liability -- tends to scare off some of the IT industry's most innovative companies, said Dugan Petty, former Oregon CIO and procurement director.

“You have this situation which is still going on today, where in many states there’s an effort to transfer all of the liability to the contractor,” Petty said. “And that’s got a cost that makes it exorbitant.”

Facility Maintenance and Operations: Navigating Today and Planning for Tomorrow

Transition periods are never easy. As businesses move from routine practices to uncertain situations, there’s a level of trepidation involved. Thankfully, there are ways to ease this anxiety—namely, by shedding light on the gap in old vs. new practices. At a time when many organizations are either in the middle of transition or running up against it, investment in visibility is imperative. Nowhere is visibility more important than facility planning. Facility managers need oversight as they begin to adapt assets and workflows in the near-term and for the future.

Michael Willette

Business Applications, Digital Design September 13, 2021

An Operations and Maintenance Approach to Improving Air Quality

The COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive to physical workplaces for so many reasons. One of the biggest challenges for businesses has been adapting offices to new and often equally disruptive safety standards – social distancing, sanitization, contact tracing, etc. While there’s keen emphasis on these practices, indoor air quality (IAQ) in many offices is only now getting the attention it deserves.

Michael Willette

Digital Design August 20, 2021

Enabling Efficient Patient Care While Optimizing Maintenance Operations

Healthcare facility management is complex, especially since many organizations are open around the clock. Ensuring yours is at its best is expensive. Maintaining a building properly accounts for more than 80 percent of the total cost of operations and occupancy. Safety regulations constantly change. Patients arrive and depart on a variety of timelines. Healthcare workers regularly use spaces like break rooms and storage areas.

Michael Willette

Big Data & Analytics, Channel Partners, Digital Design June 15, 2021

Integrating Workflows Streamlines Data Sharing

Does your business have a single source of truth when it comes to data sharing across facilities? Ensuring data is accurate, relevant, and structured is something any business can recognize as important, yet it is more difficult to achieve than most realize. Just because you are use an integrated workplace management system (IWMS) or have relevant GIS data doesn’t mean it provides a single source of truth.

Michael Willette

Channel Partners, Digital Design May 27, 2021

A Revolution in Digital Design Is Driving a Need for Continuous Learning in Government

This interview was originially posted by GovDesignHub here.

Brandon Norris

Digital Design May 27, 2021

Vault 2022: What’s New and Exciting?

Article authored by Dan Williams and originally posted to GovDesignHub here. On April 6, 2021, Autodesk Vault 2022 was released. And I have to say that it is easily the most feature-rich release in recent memory.

Brandon Norris

Digital Design May 26, 2021

Scratching the Surface: How Surface Engineering Fills in the Gaps that AM Leaves Behind

Prior to 3D printing’s arrival on the manufacturing scene, the US military supply chain was often met with lengthy and arduous timelines for critical asset production. This not only stalled the manufacture and repair of essential equipment within the military supply chain, but it also impeded military readiness, and with high price tags to boot.

Brandon Norris

Channel Partners, Digital Design May 12, 2021

Healthy Buildings: Good for People and for the Planet

Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, according to EPA reports. Whether it is their home, workplace, or another location, people depend heavily on a controlled environment. Everything from the air we breathe to the light we bask in is artificial or at least managed. In shared spaces, it is the responsibility of building owners and managers to provide healthy and safe workplaces.

Carly Bell

Digital Design April 14, 2021

Don't Forget About Asset Maintenance

Out of sight, out of mind. It’s all too easy to forget about asset maintenance when the assets themselves aren’t right in front of you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this became more evident as employees went home and logged into a virtual workplace instead of coming to a physical space.

Carly Bell

Digital Design March 16, 2021

Sustaining Employee Engagement in the Work-from-Home Era

There are two distinct factions when it comes to working from home: those who relish it and those who despise it. Before COVID-19, working from home was a perk. When the pandemic hit, work-from-home (WFH) became a necessity to combat the virus’s spread. One person’s dream; the other’s nightmare. As COVID-19 rolls on, employers are dealing with two sides of a war between those who want to return to the office and those who’d prefer working from home. Depending on who you ask, results are mixed:

Carly Bell

Digital Design February 8, 2021

Maintaining Privacy in a Modern Workplace

The modern workplace is a far cry from spaces of the past. Banks of private offices gave way to an open concept fad that’s morphed into a hybrid of spaces, including personal desks surrounded by pony walls, hot and hotel desks, and collaboration areas. COVID-19 threw workplace and space management into turmoil, but the return-to-work movement is underway. As employees come back to offices, stores, factories, and other businesses, the need for privacy in the workplace again takes center stage.

Carly Bell

Digital Design January 20, 2021

The Future of Managing Mixed-Use Spaces

Mixed-use spaces – used by public sector agencies for different purposes – or even mixed-use cities present unique challenges for workplace managers under the cloud of COVID. Unlike single-use facilities, mixed-use spaces may see much larger groups of people come and go. Monitoring the health of every individual is likely impossible without strict contact tracing standards.

Carly Bell

graphical people in an open office setting

Digital Design December 10, 2020

Repurposing Historic Buildings for Modern, Open-Office Layouts

Historic buildings hold a special place in the hearts of architects, workplace planners, and employees. There’s something alluring about creating workspaces within the confines of century-old stone or retrofitting a Victorian Era home into offices. For all their uniqueness, repurposing historic buildings for modern workplaces isn’t as easy as replacing a few light fixtures and brushing on a new coat of paint. Most older structures are governed by sometimes-strict regulations overseen by historic districts – the first was created in South Carolina in 1931.

Carly Bell

Digital Design November 25, 2020

Getting the Most Out of Your Autodesk University 2020 Experience

Article originally posted to the GovDesignHub here.

Brandon Norris

Digital Design November 25, 2020

New in Vault 2021: Duplicate Search

Article originially posted to the GovDesignHub here.

Brandon Norris

Digital Design November 24, 2020

How Hoteling is Helping People Return to Work Safely

One of the many challenges that organizations faced this year was the scaling of a remote work model. But with the prospect of life and work returning to normal in the coming months, those same organizations face a new challenge – scaling back up their facilities in a safe way. To learn more about how facilities and space managers are planning for this prospect, I sat down for a Q&A with Nick Stefanidakis, Vice President of Field Sales & Enablement at SpaceIQ.

Brandon Norris

Digital Design November 17, 2020

Integrate IoT Data with an IWMS for a Holistic Workplace View

The benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) are undeniable. IoT-enabled technologies collect data that impacts cost, productivity, compliance, and security. However, that data is only as good as the analyses derived from it, especially when it’s connected to how workplaces are populated, and space is managed today and in the future.

Carly Bell

Digital Design October 8, 2020

Align Real Estate Portfolio Management with Your Mission

Managing real estate for a single workplace is, in certain ways, simple. There is a single set of data for land, buildings, and leases. For companies with multiple properties or a global presence, the task becomes daunting. A centralized data repository is the key to maintaining accurate and easily accessible information to manage real estate portfolios. But not all data systems are alike. Real estate planners and facility managers should consider several items when choosing a real estate portfolio management system:

Carly Bell

Digital Design September 9, 2020

Safer Workplace Designs: The Next Normal For Open Office Layouts

Let’s face it: the days of open offices are over. The pandemic likely drove the final nail in the coffin of a design fad that was all the rage but fails to meet the safety and productivity needs of today’s workplaces. That’s no easy task in the face of a pandemic that shut the economy down for months and continues to wreak havoc. But employers are reopening workplace doors and welcoming employees back—and Archibus is ready to help with safe back-to-work transitions.

Carly Bell

Digital Design, IT Infrastructure August 20, 2020

7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Integrated Workplace Management Software (IWMS)

The more things change, the more they stay the same— especially when it comes to budgets and requirements. How does one keep up with it all? It is crucial to track, manage, and analyze property and infrastructure information to maintain or reduce operational costs. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your IWMS and keep up with all the changes thrown your way. 1. Collect as much (accurate) data as possible

Carly Bell

Digital Design May 20, 2020

Build Better Infrastructure – The New Features in Civil 3D 2021

Another release of Civil 3D just became available, just as you probably finished installing the latest 2020 “fix.” That was somewhat sarcastic, but I do some see much needed improvements to Autodesk Civil 3D 2021 and all other 2021 products. But we can’t just look at what’s new in our hero product, but all other complimentary products as well, so I will briefly mention a few of those. Civil 3D Version Interoperability

DLT Solutions

Digital Design May 20, 2020

Design Better – the New Features in Autodesk AutoCAD 2021

A new version of AutoCAD is now available.

DLT Solutions

Digital Design May 15, 2020

How the Cloud is Helping University Campuses Take Back Control of AEC Data

From design, construction, to facilities management, the need for closer ownership is clear.

Shaun Gaffrey

Digital Design May 15, 2020

The Future of Sanitation in the Government Workplace

The future of government offices, buildings, and installations is about to change dramatically. When workers return to work or building owners make changes to how they work, they can expect offices to be designed differently to minimize the spread of germs and make people feel safe. But we can also expect sanitation to step up significantly.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design April 6, 2020

Why Documentation Management is Taking Designers Away from the Business of Designing

Digital design data is a big data business. It requires secure management and storage, versions need to be stringently controlled, and teams need to access files readily so they can share that data with stakeholders. For too long, however, designers, engineers, and CAD managers have relied on traditional document management systems, like network drives, to achieve this. While they do a great job with office documents, those same solutions don’t work well with today’s design files and models, for several reasons:

Caron Beesley

Digital Design April 1, 2020

What’s New in AutoCAD 2021

AutoCAD 2021 is here! On March 25, 2020, Autodesk announced the release of AutoCAD 2021 the latest iteration of its flagship software first released in 1982. A key update includes a new integration with Google Drive allowing users to access their designs wherever they are as well as performance enhancements. Let’s break down what’s new.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design November 12, 2019

How to Use Your AutoCAD Details as you Transition to Revit

Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here. If you’ve made the move from AutoCAD to Revit, congratulations. But what do you do with that huge library of details that you amassed over years of working on CAD projects? As you transition to Revit, recreating AutoCAD details is a hassle and trashing them is out of the question. The good news is, you can use details right in your Revit project – straight from AutoCAD.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design November 12, 2019

AU 2019: See What’s in Store for Infrastructure and Transportation Design

Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here. Building and maintaining our nation’s infrastructure is a critical responsibility of the public sector. Yet, year-after-year, the U.S. continues to rank low on the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design November 1, 2019

Smart Cities: A Vision That Can’t Be Realized Without BIM

Smart cities have been called “the future of urban development”, but what is a smart city and what does it mean to digital designers and engineers?

Kirk Fisher

Digital Design February 25, 2019

Autodesk Acquisition of BuildingConnected Reinforces its Goal of Digitizing Complex Construction Workflows

Autodesk made further strides into its quest to empower the technological transformation of the construction industry with its recent acquisition of BuildingConnected – a leader in preconstruction tools that help building owners and contractors streamline their operations and communicate better.

Caron Beesley

Big Data & Analytics, Digital Design January 24, 2019

Rebuilding Infrastructure with AI and Machine Learning

The state of our nation’s infrastructure is grim. The most recent report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave U.S. infrastructure an overall score of “D” for “poor” or “at risk”.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design January 15, 2019

How Reality Capture is Changing the Design and Construction Industry

If your job involves capturing existing field conditions as part of the design and construction process, you’ll know it’s a tedious, manual, often analog and inaccurate process, which often leads to costly re-work. Whether you’re renovating a building or involved in a large-scale infrastructure project, the process goes something like this:

Holly Chapman

Digital Design December 17, 2018

Capturing Reality with Autodesk ReCap

As any surveyor or field engineer knows, capturing existing field conditions for an infrastructure project or building renovation is a tedious, manual, often analog, and inaccurate process – not to mention dangerous. Renovations projects are a particular challenge since the infrastructure or building may be decades old and designed before the age of digital blueprints. You’re almost guaranteed to start a project using static 2D image documentation of existing conditions. Verifying and updating these manually is a lot of leg work.

Holly Chapman

Digital Design, Uncategorized December 13, 2018

BIM Dominates Top Five GovDesignHub Articles of 2018

When we launched GovDesignHub in the spring of 2018, we had one goal in mind – to address the lack of resources, discussion, and analysis available online for those who practice in government digital design ecosystem. Today, we’re proud to be the only website that showcases government design projects and the technology used to support them and deliver content to help public sector organizations accomplish their missions. In the words of one of our top contributors, Lynn Allen, of Autodesk fame:

Holly Chapman

Digital Design November 14, 2018

BIM Dominates as Winners Announced at AEC Excellence Awards 2018

What do a Facebook data center, a railway, an expressway, an office building extension, and a cancer center have in common? These and other global projects are recipients of this year’s AEC Excellence Awards in recognition of how they’ve embraced technology to reimagine the processes of design and construction.

Holly Chapman

Digital Design September 10, 2018

How to Win your Agency a Free Pass to Autodesk University

Want to win a free pass to Autodesk University (AU) 2018? Earlier this summer, we announced that we’ll be awarding a full conference pass for you or a chosen nominee at your agency or department to attend Autodesk University 2018 in Las Vegas from November 13-15th.

Holly Chapman

Digital Design August 30, 2018

Need Another Autodesk Product? Switch to an Autodesk Industry Collection and Save

Autodesk introduced its Autodesk Collections a couple of years ago and there’s never been a better time to make the switch from individual product subscriptions to a collection. Thanks to a limited time offer from Autodesk, your agency can save 20% on the remaining months of your existing term if you switch by October 25, 2018. But what’s the buzz about collections and why make the move? Why Make the Move to Autodesk Collections?

Holly Chapman

Digital Design August 24, 2018

3 Ways to Use Federal Year-End Funds to Boost Your Digital Design Projects

It’s that time again, when agencies rush to spend their remaining year-end budget before the September 30th “use it or lose it” deadline. One-third of federal budget dollars are spent in the last quarter of the year, often in a wasteful manner. But for those in the field of digital design – there are many opportunities to make value-based investments using taxpayer dollars before it’s too late. 1. Training

Holly Chapman

Digital Design July 30, 2018

Making the Move to BIM is the Right Decision (Just Like CAD was 30 Years Ago)

Download the eBook here! If you’re one of the millions of people who’ve been lucky enough to hear Lynn Allen present, you’ll know her as the queen of AutoCAD tips and tricks and all-round Autodesk technical evangelist, but she also knows quite a bit about the latest disruptive technology – BIM.

Caron Beesley

Digital Design July 17, 2018

Make the Move to BIM with Tips and Tricks from Lynn Allen

Building information modeling (BIM) is poised for greater adoption by federal, state, and local government agencies. In Wisconsin, for example, publicly-funded projects over $5 million are required to incorporate BIM and 3D software from initial planning concepts to bidding documents and project closeout. Many DoTs, including MassDOT, FDOT, and CALTRANS are also embracing BIM for infrastructure projects.

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design July 9, 2018

What’s the Difference Between 3D Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry?

It’s hard to imagine a world without digital. But as you look around you, much of the physical world was designed and constructed using traditional 2D blueprints and is yet to be captured in a digital format. This creates a challenge for AEC professionals to incorporate these as-built designs into re-build or renovation projects. Traditional imaging techniques like photogrammetry aided in this process by allowing engineers to piece together photographs of as-built conditions and weave in GPS coordinates to create interactive 3D models, see below:

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design July 2, 2018

Mobile Mapping Technology Revolutionizes How Intel is Derived from LiDAR Point Clouds

As the demand for geospatial data grows, mobile mapping technology has advanced significantly in recent years allowing AEC professionals to collect extremely accurate, precise data from LiDAR sensors mounted on the back of a vehicle while driving at speeds up to 70 miles an hour.

DLT Solutions

Digital Design June 25, 2018

Government Contractor Equips Soldiers with Virtual Reality Training Systems

Rich3D, GovDesignHub explain how they delivered complex helicopter and military vehicle 3D virtual training via a ubiquitous tool – an Adobe Acrobat document. The U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy need highly interactive 3D tools to deliver complex animated virtual training and simulation environments for helicopter pilots, crane operators and other professionals. And government contractor Rich3D uses a variety of 3D design tools to develop and deploy the interactive training environments they need.

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design June 11, 2018

Town of Blacksburg Closes Knowledge Gaps, Increases Productivity with Civil 3D Virtual Training

For government organizations and municipalities, ensuring everyone is on the same page in terms of core competencies is an essential prerequisite to the success of any digital design or engineering project. With the pressure to do more with less, knowledge gaps can stymie team productivity, lower your return on investment in software tools, and make everyone’s lives a lot more difficult.

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design, Uncategorized May 22, 2018

City of New York Champions Design and Construction Excellence with the Power of BIM

New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC) handles some of the most exciting and dynamic architectural and infrastructure challenges in the world.

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design May 15, 2018

Digital Design Month: Is This the Strategy We Need for Rebuilding American Manufacturing?

Bolstering the U.S. manufacturing sector is a message that has played into election campaign promises and White House administration policy for decades. The reality is a different story.

Grace_Bergen

Digital Design May 9, 2018

Experts Share Their First Impressions of Civil 3D 2019 Software

Civil 3D 2019 is here. But what’s new and should you make the upgrade? Look out for webinars, blogs and insights from the civil community in the coming weeks that will no doubt make the case for the 2019 release. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a quick digest of what’s new and notable, we’ve pulled together thoughts and appreciations from a couple of industry experts who’ve already had a sneak peek at Civil 3D 2019. Here’s what they’re telling us: Civil 3D 2019 – “Things I Appreciate Out of the Gate”:

DLT Solutions

CAD General, Digital Design, Technology, Tips and How-Tos May 1, 2018

Digital Design Month: What the Autodesk and ESRI Partnership Means for Government Infrastructure

Late in 2017, Autodesk and ESRI announced a new partnership to “advance infrastructure planning and design”. The relationship was positioned as helping build a bridge between building information modeling (BIM) and GIS technologies. But what does the relationship mean for government infrastructure projects? Taking 3D Contextual Design to the Next Level

DLT Solutions

Digital Design, IT Perspective, News, Technology, Tips and How-Tos, Uncategorized April 20, 2018

Meet GovDesignHub: At the Crossroads of Public Sector and Digital Design

The CAD and digital design sector is vast and growing at breakneck speed. It’s expected to reach $11.21 billion by 2023. Many end-use industries such as automotive, aerospace, entertainment, industrial machinery, civil and construction, electrical and electronics, pharmaceutical, and healthcare, consumer goods, and others, widely use CAD and 3D design-based tools in their development processes.

DLT Solutions

CAD General, Digital Design, Technology, Tips and How-Tos April 13, 2018

Mark Your CAD Calendars: DLT and Lynn Allen Present…

The holidays have arrived early to the government CAD community. Lynn Allen is coming to town and online in a city near you! DLT has partnered with everyone’s favorite Autodesk evangelist and tips and tricks queen to bring you a series of tech breakfasts and webinars. Starting this May and continuing over the next few months across the U.S., Lynn will share what’s new with AutoCAD 2019 (aka One AutoCAD) and dive into trends and happenings in the world of government digital design. Here’s what May has in store:

DLT Solutions

CAD & GIS News for Govies 10/30

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