Category Archives: Construction/BIM

Autodesk Launches AEC Excellence Awards

AEC Excellence Awards Expands Competition from Infrastructure to Embrace All of AEC Since 2012 Autodesk has sponsored the “Excellence in Infrastructure” competition, recognizing the world’s best examples of the application of BIM for infrastructure projects large and small. Based on the success of that effort, they’re pleased to announce the new AEC Excellence Awards, an expanded...

3D Cadastre

How to promote 3D land administration for a 3D world. We live in a 3D world, so shouldn’t we be basing decisions on 3D data? When people think about the word “cadastre,” they might envision a two-dimensional map of boundaries, but there is more to the concept of a cadastre than who owns what. There...

A 3D laser scan inside a facility, which will be processed into a BIM 3D model. Credit: 3CON, LLC

(Nearly) Symbiotic

Above: A 3D laser scan inside a facility, which will be processed into a BIM 3D model. Credit: 3CON, LLC BIM is quickly advancing for construction and survey.  As long as humans have built environments, they have been surveying. And as the human imagination has spurred increasingly complex constructions, land survey tools and techniques have...

The signature wave-shaped curtain wall nears completion at Waiea Tower.

BIM: Scaling the Challenges of a Curtain Wall

Layout for a high-rise curtain wall in Hawaii is dramatically streamlined with a 3D scanner paired with BIM software. It’s difficult for a structure to stand out on the Honolulu waterfront—the area is one of the busiest, yet most beautiful, on the island of Oahu. Home to Waikiki Beach, exclusive marinas, a breathtaking view of Diamond...

An InfraWorks 360 model of downtown San Francisco. Image courtesy of Autodesk.

The Process of BIM

Above: An InfraWorks 360 model of downtown San Francisco.  Image courtesy of Autodesk. An analysis of Autodesk’s software suite, BIM 360, reveals how BIM< can give project stakeholders unique access and insight across all phases of the AEC design process.  Large modern buildings are permeated with sensors and systems—plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, ventilation, security, elevators,...

A 3D model combines building structure, systems, and site data.

BIM: Some Assembly Required (But not as Much as You Might Think)

Above: A 3D model combines building structure, systems, and site data.  Trimble’s Bryn Fosburgh Talks BIM Editor’s note: From a distance, BIM looks like it would present quite a challenge to implement: how to affect smooth and efficient workflows encompassing diverse and complex elements. As surveyors and other geospatial practitioners try to get their arms around...