The early days of CAD

When CAD first became a word used in conversation, it was as much mystique as fact to most people in the professions related to it. To business, it was a tool, but not a very well understood tool. It was clear that it was a computerized form of architecture and engineering, but the huge range of possible developments, innovations and efficiencies of which it would later be capable wasn’t obvious, either. Acceptance was slow, hesitant and constrained by costs of training, which in those days was nothing like the modern version.

Culturally, however, the construction industry was evolving itself. Architecture and engineering thrive on innovation, and new concepts and new technologies were coming onstream rapidly as computerization, particularly in the construction sciences, continued to develop rapidly. The new ideas needed to translate into designs, and new building concepts were much easier wedded to CAD than to the old slow motion paper formats. The amounts of information that the new technologies and designs were creating simply couldn’t be efficient on paper.

The real crunch for the old technologies came when the first CAD designs in engineering came onstream. This was ultra competitive design, and it could be produced easily, across the entire range of product design, particularly in engineering.

The business revelation

Business may not have been too sure about how CAD operated, but it didn’t need to be told when it saw a good, economic, fully viable design option. That was especially the case in the construction industry. Even the word “techno-fear” got trampled in the stampede to the new way of doing things.

The business end of the construction technology didn’t remain a spectator for long, either. It was obvious that the second generation of CAD was producing a lot of useful data which translated well for business needs. The next stage of development of CAD included almost as many business concepts as architectural and engineering.

The builders also got involved, particularly at the coal face onsite end, and a range of additional support software which created quite literally a full project management capability from this combination of inputs the current generation of CAD was born. The new, vastly expanded and far more functional paradigms included 3D modeling, were developed by one of the most concentrated, focused applications of all parts of any industry in history.

The benefits to the industry, the professions and the public have been enormous, and unprecedented. The Pyramids didn’t have erection schedules and quality controls, but your local cinema and your new home do. These are the early days of CAD, the future will be incredible.

From techno-fear to indispensable- A brief history of CAD and its business culture is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Fabrication and 3D CAD

The fabrication cycle is the “off stage” construction work. This relates to a potentially huge range of components which need to be fabricated, from cutting steel supports to specific components being manufactured according to design specifications. It’s not an overstatement to say that without this process, there simply couldn’t be any construction.

This is an absolutely critical part of both design and construction. Fabrication work includes:

• Production of components and in many cases materials
• ?Quality checks related to specifications like loads, shear, etc.
• ?Contract compliance based on quality and delivery
• ?Delivery, ensuring that fabricated materials are available on schedule
• ?Installation and installation checks, another quality control to ensure the components are installed and performing correctly.

The holistic fabrication cycle

To be done efficiently and in accordance with construction needs, fabrication needs to be carried out on a time and space basis. This ensures that materials are both quality controlled and ready for use when required. That means fabrication planning has to start on the drawing board, with the construction design.

Fabrication data loads can be massive. The benchmark construction software, like the Tekla range of 3D software, can incorporate this material in a single stream format. That’s extremely important, because there are potential problems in sourcing fabrication data from an external or secondary system. This data is not only big, it’s potentially cumbersome, and some types of data won’t run on some forms of software. That’s definitely not where construction managers need to be, and the single stream approach is now accepted as best practice throughout the sector.

Each element in fabrication can be incorporated into the construction sequences and 4D modeling. That allows both a realistic evaluation of fabrication issues and a comprehensive study of best options for working with the fabricated materials in concert with the construction program. This is a truly holistic process. All parts of fabrication, including pre casting, welds, and single component placement, can be dealt with on a laptop. (With the Tekla software, even the design of the individual components can be done collaboratively, another major positive for the systematic management of fabrication.)

The benefits of 3D CAD fabrication

A further, and largely unrecognized outside the industry, facet of 3D CAD fabrication is the ability to create truly efficient fabrication concepts. If you’ve seen the 3D CAD renditions of the Dubai Tower, you’ll have noticed that it included many customized component design elements. These are good working models of how the fabrication cycle is managed. Each of these customized fabrication features had to be created in 3D CAD, assembled using fabrication cycle methods, and then be installed into the building. That’s how efficient fabrication management can be, and the new generation of 3D CAD is even more advanced.

The fabrication cycle in 3D CAD – the holistic approach is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Workflow analyses

Workflow on any construction project is best described as a series of continuums, each of which relates directly to the project as a whole.

For example, these are typical workflow issues:

• Construction element completion like foundations, pouring concrete, erection of supports, roofing, windows, etc.
• ?Installation of fittings like electricity and plumbing
• ?Site inspection data
• Contract compliance
• ?Specifications checks
• ?Materials deliveries
• ?Fabrication and pre casting information
• ?Assembly information
• ?Pre casting data

Each of these construction elements naturally impacts the project. It’s necessary for management to oversight these elements in real time to assess any issues arising from delays, contract issues, delivery schedules, etc.

Best practice is to create building information models which create a clear tracking mechanism of progression for all these elements. That allows management and people onsite to evaluate any situations quickly and deal with them.

Some of the situations involved in workflow anomalies are anything but simple in terms of their potential impacts, and the faster problems or delays are identified, the better.

Resources can be diverted to control the problem, alternative methods of operation can be created, and waste and losses can be minimized.

Building information models in practice

The best construction software, like the international benchmark Tekla suite of dedicated construction and project management software, provides a vast array of workflow monitoring capabilities, from the design stage onwards.

This software allows the creation of major workflow modes like erection sequences and “4D” schedules. It’s particularly useful for creating good time management and resource allocation programs. Most importantly, these programs can be interlinked directly with the CAD software platforms, enabling a truly thorough evaluation of all issues involved in workflow from the outset.

This approach to workflow can include anything from delivery schedules to completion times, and literally produces a model of project dynamics which can be tailored to meet the needs of the construction work in all phases.

Building information model workflow management also acts as a default performance monitor, keeping track of construction progress through a straightforward scheduling process. Any departure from the schedule will be immediately obvious to project management. This function is now a pretty much standard approach to contract management, and a very effective one, covering the previously prevalent and much-loathed “contract issues” before they become major headaches.

The result of building information model workflow management has been a drastic improvement in the ability of construction and project management on and off site to contain issues and prevent scheduling problems. The savings in costs and times are truly huge, compared to the ad hoc monitoring of the past.

The workflow factor for 3D CAD Building Information models is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Specifications issues

Specifications need to be done on an “everyone on the same page” basis. Even minor differences in specifications, however achieved, can cost a lot of money to fix. Specifications anomalies can also be a de facto breach of contract, and it’s in everyone’s interests to make sure these very counterproductive problems don’t happen. Any situation which causes builders to delay construction or to rework installed construction elements is costly by definition, and must be avoided. A single delay in one area can have a domino effect in other areas of construction, affecting the project as a whole.

3D CAD applications are exactly what’s needed to ensure a common information base and the ability to cross check specifications at all stages of design and construction. These functions can include a simple “checklist” approach, checking specifications against master plans, and can be carried out at all levels of construction, down to individual welds.

The reporting function and specifications

It’s no accident that the best construction software, notably the large Tekla suite of software, includes a range of efficient and comprehensive reporting functions. Reports can identify any areas of concern and extract the necessary information. Most importantly, the reports can also access information which impacts on a project, like specifications issues, instantly.

If for example an alteration to specifications is made at the design level, reporting functions can provide notification of changes and exact sources for the new specifications to management, contractors, and contract managers immediately. This ensures that everyone stays on the same page and removes the possibility of confusion or unproductive work based on the old specifications.

For construction contract managers, specifications can be easily checked using the reporting functions. This is both a legal and construction- related necessity, ensuring compliance with contract requirements and proper quality controls on all aspects of construction.

On the financial and management levels, the reporting functions include a range of anti- fraud and contract compliance measures. A simple cross check of specifications, construction data and site check reports can find any non- compliant issues quite easily. Shoddy or incomplete work can be documented, and properly completed contract work verified.

In an industry where quality of performance is critical both to building quality and in some cases safety, the reporting functions are crucial to good management practice. The industry as a whole has welcomed this new ability to oversight quality, which is making the construction industry a much safer place to work as well as shutting down bad and unprofessional practices.

Getting specific with specifications- Reports and 3D CAD applications is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Building information data needs to be managed systematically. Data requirements need to be identified and built in to the building information model.

This information can include:

• Light management data
• ?Cost management
• ?Project management
• Assembly sequences
• ?Erection sequences
• ?Data file management
• ?Sub- documentation like the interoperation and correlations between plans and materials, quantities, product components, quality specifications, etc.
• ?Reporting systems which cover the requirements of administration, like financial, etc.

The requirements of a comprehensive, structured and preferably single stream method of building information management can be huge. On a major project, information is generated literally all the time.

It’s no coincidence that the developers of project management software and systems are also the developers of the construction software. This software is at the heart of the project operations, and is therefore by definition a good source of information. Extending these programs to include project management capabilities was one of the first great advances in the commercial management use of CAD software for data management purposes.

Building information models in practice

The big efficiency advantages of building information models based on the same platform as the construction software can be seen in the top of the range Tekla software.
This software provides:

• Single stream information management which incorporates data inputs in real time
• ?Data access for managers
• ?Cross referencing and specific information management
• ?Comprehensive records management and updating
• ?Full spectrum cost and time management data
• ?Cross checks against contract requirements
• ?The ability to obtain correlate and extract data efficiently

As you can see, this is a truly comprehensive management approach, enabling full examination of any building issues with current information.

The requirements are all practical, and include a range of major management issues, like contract performance evaluation, construction scheduling, and other critical issues. These building information models also enforce a level of efficiency on all levels of operation, from the start. That’s invaluable in terms of ensuring best practice throughout a project.

The practical aspects of building information models are multiple. In the highly advanced platforms like 3D modelling software, a further process, known as “4D modeling” includes the construction process schedules, pre fabrication and erection sequences of the project. These are natural project data sources, with a lot of built in parameters which make referencing information of the type provided by building information models possible in detail.

This is a vast improvement over the ad hoc, multi system models which are now becoming dinosaurs in the construction industry. Project managers, corporate managers, and financial managers around the world have been voting with their feet for the new building management models. They’re now so prevalent in the top levels of the construction sector use building information modeling coupled with single stream platforms as standard practice.

Building Information Models- Efficiency at all levels is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Briefings and information presentation structures

The type of briefing has a lot to do with the type of information required, and how it needs to be set out and presented to an audience:

• Preliminary briefings: These are fundamental orientation- style briefings, starting from the ground up, containing all the basic information regarding a project and supplementary information sources. Interestingly, these are also the most demanding briefings, and with the widest audience. They need to be comprehensive to the extent of covering natural demand for information. The presentation will be based on core facts, with some development in terms of presentation to show how the concept will work and how the project’s various physical and financial functions will operate.
• Technical briefings: Far more detailed, and often wide-ranging, the demand for specific information is much higher in technical briefings. This briefing is intended to supply data to experts, and it needs to have both good primary information and supporting sources.
• Corporate and financial briefings: As tough as the technical briefings, and needing a good capacity to show data and progressions of project information as required. This needs excellent database capabilities, and very strong presentation values for each topic.

3D CAD is the product of these demands. It includes a full suite of capabilities to cover all areas of demand for information. In the construction industry, if you look at top of the range 3D CAD products like Tekla, you’ll see a very practical approach to these critically important areas, systematically laid out to provide both high presentation values and best practice information structuring.

Presentation values

The other major area of concern for briefings is presentation quality. All presenters, naturally, try to provide good visual value in presentations. However, information quality can be affected if presentation and information are created separately. The result is the “brochure effect”, a cosmetic, rather than actual briefing. The problem, inevitably, is that the presentation creates more questions than it answers. Gaps in information and off-target presentations can be counterproductive.

The obvious need for a strong relationship between presentation and information is another feature of the best 3D CAD platforms. Very strong graphic capacity, like the famous 3D modelling capabilities of 3D CAD provided by the CAD systems, is married to good, accurate information system which already has the answers to any questions built in, and a strong reporting system to boot.

One of the reasons 3D CAD has been so rapidly and widely accepted in the construction industry by corporate and financial interests is that it’s an utterly reliable platform for all purposes, and provides the best possible source of briefing information.

3D CAD as an interpreter and organizer for briefings is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

The development of this software has been entirely driven by professional demand, which has greatly expanded its reach and capabilities. It was originally a basic graphic design display function, and became a design tool in its own right almost immediately, because of the clear value of its ability to provide a full set of data regarding three dimensional designs. 3D CAD is now the leading edge of design innovation technology, used for everything from medicine to interior decoration, and it’s now indispensable in construction design.

The new frontier in design is based on an entirely new paradigm which 3D CAD has created. Design aspects now include:

• Aesthetics
• Components
• Assemblies
• Detailing
• Engineering
• Graphics
• 4D simulations
• Risk management
• Supply chain
• Administration
• Project management

A typical construction project will include all of these elements within the basic information schematic created by 3D CAD. It is an unparalleled design tool, and it’s still evolving very rapidly.

Custom design- The designer’s paradise

For the top construction designers, 3D CAD has been a blessing. Custom design, complete with full presentation and reporting functions, is now standard capability for the world’s best designers. A building can be designed from the ground up, incorporating all the required features. For engineers and architects, 3D CAD is the most efficient design tool for dealing with both macro and micro design elements in a construction.

The result of this new ability has been an explosion of custom design. In commercial terms, 3D CAD could also be described as an economic phenomenon, driving innovation and the creation of new, superior design. In terms of the construction industry, 3D CAD is providing cost efficiency at the design and production end, and very high value business and contractual performance at the construction end.

Presentation- Making your graphic designs fly

The professional “Wow” factor in 3D CAD is an extraordinary phenomenon among designers. Professional designers appreciate design values, and understand the design process. The ”Wow” of appreciation in construction design is being generated by the fact that 3D CAD displays the design elements and factors so well.

Construction software is now a true medium for presentation. This strong level of appreciation from within the design profession is a good indicator of how well 3D CAD presents graphically. All the best 3D CAD software is designed to produce excellent quality images, and for presentation in multiple formats.

Formats include:

• Animation
• Stylized plans
• Advertising
• Web media and digital TV
• Prospectuses
• Reports
• Business analyses
• Graphic art

3D CAD is reinventing and reshaping the oldest design sciences in the world. This is the future’s software, and the “Wows” are just starting.

3D CAD and the professional “Wow” factor in graphics presentation is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

User defined attributes are basically characteristic specifications for design plans. They’re also a form of customization, using a range of user defined information applied to plans in relation to specific objects or the plans themselves. These are attributes assigned to specifications, common factors in design elements. A user defined attribute may assign a certain code or value to a range of components, for example, rather than tediously entering each element on a plan as data. This drastically improves efficiency in planning and design, and provides a consistent working base.

New developments by industry leader Tekla have now created “user defined parametrics”, an invaluable system used to update user definitions for design changes, with no additional entry or programming required. This feature runs direct off the user interface, making the change and modification processes extremely easy to manage.

Notes- How they operate

Notes, aka annotation, are text and plan specifications added to a CAD plan. These are a form of user defined attribute, and are used to provide information about the plan.

The notes identify the dimensions, positions and linkages of building components for construction. Text is used to clarify information in a drawn plan when the plan itself can’t clearly show how an object or plan element is constructed.

Text is intended to provide comprehensive information which is understandable by a reader unfamiliar with the plan. It’s as much a communication method as a part of the plan. Best practice requires that the notes should be sufficient to explain the construction issues, but not excessive, which would be inefficient.

Combining efficiency and detail

User defined attributes and notes are fundamental information for CAD plans. They are universally used in all types of 3D CAD, systematically covering all areas of construction and design detail. They also provide quick, easy points of reference to check information on plans, which is one of the most essential quality controls with CAD drafting.

The user defined attributes, text and notes are like footnotes to a book, providing necessary additional information as required. They’re a particularly useful methodology for design teams, too. As specifications, construction information and references, they can be used as management tools, providing instant sources of information for team collaborations and when working with design modifications as standard elements.

In 3D CAD, user defined attributes are absolutely essential. They ensure that these demanding designs are well documented and that information quality standards are being met. The relative merits of 3D CAD software are usually defined, in fact, by these attributes. The better the user defined functions, the better and more efficient the software.

User Defined Attributes – Adding depth to your notes is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

For designers, this class of software is a combination of tool and visualization palette. The design process uses both elements regularly, requiring a mix of visible product as well as the nuts and bolts practical tools. In construction in particular, it’s one thing to have a great vision, it’s quite another to get that vision on the drawing board where you can work with it. This is a creative process in the same sense that a painting is a creative work, and 3D CAD is the medium.

This is also a great medium for research and experimentation in the purely creative sense. 3D CAD for engineering is perhaps the best practical example. Engineers are regularly called upon to develop tools or equipment or building elements, but they also do quite a lot of creative work with their own ideas. These ideas have to translate into working concepts at some point, and the CAD approach is the most flexible method. Anything from a whole new assembly to a component can be done in detail on this engineering design software.

Developing a concept with 3D CAD

Ideas and concepts are evolved and grown by creative development. What starts out as a basic idea can bring with it a whole raft of features, design elements and even whole new processes. This isn’t necessarily a straightforward or easy process, and 3D CAD is the best way to organize it.

A typical concept for architecture, for example will include:

• A basic building outline
• A floor plan, or several
• Views and perspectives
• Structural layout
• Design features
• Development of the surrounds, like an inner courtyard
• Landscaping
• Simulations

This is a huge amount of information, and the beauty of 3D CAD is that it can all be integrated effortlessly. 3D CAD software allows professional designers to both sketch and develop ideas from their basic concepts. The “no clutter” effect of 3D CAD is also invaluable. Each part of a plan can be kept separate and the whole mass of ideas in their various stages can be kept organized. All of the plans, including the invaluable basic drafts, can be kept together and easily accessible.

The designer’s dream in 3D

When 3D CAD first came on the market, it was like Christmas for creative designers. Finally, the full 360 degree layout and visual scales and lighting could be used as a working model for design. Design and perspective are inseparable, and the 3D capability was universally appreciated. The many graphic presentation capabilities were also highly valued, allowing designs to be extremely well presented direct from the design data.

3D CAD is the designer’s tool kit. It can go anywhere, and do anything. There is simply nothing else like it.

The creative design process and 3D CAD is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles

Older people in the construction industry will remember the various forms of administrative chaos which were possible in paper-based building projects, and the sheer hard work of creating a strong management system. Monitoring everything was a full day’s work, and efficiency was a sort of wishful hope. It was the sort of work only experts could do well. The computer age made a dent in that situation, but it’s only now that real, dedicated systems for construction management are coming onstream.

BIM is the new wave of single stream, tailored business management tools for construction. It has the unique distinction of being highly regarded by all levels of the construction process for its reliability and efficiency. These systems allow full management scrutiny, and provide a lot of valuable data for reporting at all stages and levels of construction.

Working with BIM

BIM is a product of the demand in the construction industry for efficiency and productivity. It’s very much a business-based system, as well as a design and presentation tool. BIMs are derived directly from the 3D CAD planning information. They’re literally built from this data, and apply the CAD plans to a full working model. BIM allows a huge range of presentation and collaborative functions, providing a “same page” effect for consultation.

BIM relates to a full spectrum of construction issues:

• Demolition
• Waste removal
• Risk management
• Supply chain
• OHS
• Design
• Planning
• Scheduling
• Contractual completion staging
• Tendering

As you can see, this covers pretty much the entire building process, from inception, including the business administration functions.

The big advantages of a BIM system approach

BIMs are effectively a synthesis of data and graphic presentation values, used as much for business as for design and construction work. Recent surveys in the US indicate that 50% of the US construction industry now uses Business Information Modelling systems. The chief area of demand is in major project construction, and the basis of the demand is productivity and management efficiency. BIMs provide a holistic stream for management, and make every aspect of a project easy to track.

For systems which incorporate practical administrative, design and business values, BIMs are great sales tools They’re also invaluable as presentation media, providing both data and very strong visual presences as models and simulations. BIMs are the high end sales production media for sales professionals, the type which are used for everything from prospectuses to investor briefings.

It’s no exaggeration to say that BIMs are now the leading competitive edge of the global construction industry. They’ve already revolutionized design, and they’re now having the same effect on commerce.

Building Information Models- BIM basics is a post from: Pacific Computing Articles