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Revit 2014 Update Release 1 Now Available For Download - Crash Reductions or Enhancements?

2013-07-19T08:26:00.001-04:00

I am curious how fixing bugs is referred to as "Enhancements". It's like saying you gained 50 pounds to make you more well rounded. I guess it's safe to now install and use the 2014 products. Every year Autodesk goes through this process. Release buggy software to the masses. Wait for them to find all of the problems and then spend 3 months fixing those problems. Is anyone actually installing and using an Autodesk product for production work on the initial April release? Plus, if you look at yesterday's post, expect two more updates over the next year. How do they find time to create new features when so much time is needed to fix existing version software. I guess the only answer is to invest more resources in programming and debugging instead of making the AEC world the guinea pigs of problematic software.

Enjoy your day of lost productivity as you download and install these lovely patches, I mean 'Enhancements'.

en·hance (n-hns)

tr.v. en·hanced, en·hanc·ing, en·hanc·es

1. To make greater, as in value, beauty, or effectiveness; augment.

2. To provide with improved, advanced, or sophisticated features: computer software enhanced with cutting-edge functionalities.

Near Antonyms breakdown, collapse, crash; hindrance,impediment, stumbling block; decadence, decay, declension,decline, decrease, degeneration, descent, deterioration,diminishment, downgrade, ebbing, failing, flagging,languishment, lapse, lessening, reduction, sinking, slowing,weakening, worsening; detriment, disablement, drawback,glitch, impairment, shortcoming

The download links are available on the relevant Data & Downloads > Updates section for each product or suite.

Direct links:

Revit 2014 Update Release 1

Revit Architecture 2014 Update Release 1

Revit Structure 2014 Update Release 1

Revit MEP 2014 Update Release 1

Revit LT 2014 Update Release 1

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/Enhancements_List_RAC_2014_UR1.pdf
Autodesk® Revit® Platform 2014 Enhancements

Update Enhancement List

Improvements made in Update 1 build (20130709_2115):

Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2014 Enhancements

•Improves stability when using Trim/Extend tools with curtain walls.

•Improves stability when selecting Top Rail Type from with Project Browser.

•Improves stability when inserting Stairs.

•Improves stability when using the Split Element tool on walls.

Autodesk® Revit® Structure 2014 Enhancements

•Improves elevation assigned to beams when the elevation of a related beam system is adjusted.

•Improves graphics display of braces in course view when the justification parameter of the brace is adjusted.

•Improves graphics display of braces in course view when using a rotated crop region.

•Enables beams to be stretched using the Align tool.

•Improves stability when upgrading previous version structural projects.

Autodesk® Revit® MEP 2014 Enhancements

•Restores Revit MEP 2013 circuiting behavior when connecting panels together.

•Enables “Pick New Work Plane” ribbon tool for electrical equipment.

•Improves performance when selecting a piping system which contains a large number of elements.

•Improves stability when copying air terminals connected to duct segments.

•Improves stability when sizing Duct or Pipe systems.

•Improves stability when changing the type of Cable Tray or Conduit.

•Improves stability when editing type parameters from within the System Browser.

Autodesk® Revit® Platform 2014 Enhancements

•Allows Stairs, Railings and Wall Sweeps to be individual entities when exporting to FBX format.

•Improves data integrity of projects which contain RPC elements when exporting to FBX format.

•Improves categorization of parts when exported to FBX format.

•Improves performance when utilizing Render in Cloud functionality.

•Improves appearance of material textures when Rendering in Cloud.

•Improves graphics integrity of linked models when Rendering in Cloud.

•Allows Point Clouds to be visible when unchecking “Show Imported Categories in this View”

display option.

Autodesk® Revit® 2014 Update Enhancement List

•Maintains display order of filled regions which overlap solid hatches in projects that are upgraded to the Revit 2014 format.

•Corrects visual fidelity of objects in printed output which show as “Thin Lines” in drawing canvas.

•Improves consistency of displaying revisions within schedules.

•Improves data consistency of keynote legend when un-checking ‘Filter by Sheet’.

•Allows schedule footer text to follow column alignment.

•Improves stability when pasting elements between two Generic Model adaptive families.

•Improves stability when exporting project to Navisworks 2014.

•Improves stability during the loading of a family when utilizing either “Delete Element” or “Delete Type” option.

•Improves stability when placing details.

•Improves stability when a crop region is moved while the disjoin option is enabled.

•Improves data integrity during “Save As”.

•Improves stability when creating form elements.

•Improves stability when exiting Revit.

•Improves stability when printing Elevation and Detail views.

•Improves stability while editing groups.

•Improves stability when adjusting the elevation value of Levels.

•Improves stability when navigating in a project which contains linked point clouds.

•Improves stability when using the type selector within the properties palette.

•Improves stability when editing the layout of a schedule.

•Improves stability when adding a schedule to a sheet which has an active view.

•Improves stability when upgrading previous release projects.

•Improves stability when place a view on sheet.

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I found a huge bug in Autodesk Building Design Suite Ultimate 2013

2013-07-18T07:50:00.001-04:00

Specifications? LOD BIM? They're all faking it!

2013-07-16T08:15:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit puzzled about the art of architecture. We have this whole thing about BIM, the modeling, clash detection, coordination and LOD/Level of Detail/Level of Development.

What I'm confused about is the thousands of pages of specifications attached to every project. It's just about impossible to meander through a spec book and make sure that everyone sees all of the information and acts on it accordingly.

I think every architecture firm who says they do BIM should be required to use e-Specs and at a minimum, link all of their specs to all of the objects in their models and have that data useable in Navisworks for the contractors. Otherwise, they're being hypocritical about their standard of care on their projects. Don't talk about all of the modeling, LOD 400 and how their are no clashes on your models.

Why? Because of two words in your specifications. They are "or equal". After all, the word "specifications" comes from the word "specific" Specific means "free from ambiguity" and "accurate". So, when you specify something, using an out of date spec from a manufacturer who no longer makes that product, and then list 12 pages of specific information, materials, installation, application and everything else under the sun about that item, and then put the words "or equal", you've just made something specific into something ambiguous and created conflicts and clashes between the owner, contractor, subcontractors, architects and engineers.

I don't know anymore which is more important, the Building, the Information or the Modeling, but all of your specs should be linked into your model and extra parameters added to all of your families showing that information. Of course, some fields will be left blank until the job gets built, but then, isn't that the whole point of COBie?

Do you give the owner the spec book as a turnover document and do they upload that into their CMMS system? Unless you fix this archaic system of paper that's not a part of the model, you're full of BS, BIM shift (Shifting more work onto others).

Definition of SPECIFIC

a : constituting or falling into a specifiable category

b : sharing or being those properties of something that allow it to be referred to a particular category

a : restricted to a particular individual, situation, relation, or effect <a disease specific to horses>

b : exerting a distinctive influence (as on a body part or a disease) <specific antibodies>

: free from ambiguity : accurate <a specific statement of faith>

: of, relating to, or constituting a species and especially a biological species

a : being any of various arbitrary physical constants and especially one relating a quantitative attribute to unit mass, volume, or area

b : imposed at a fixed rate per unit (as of weight or count)<specific import duties> — compare ad valorem

Definition of SPECIFICATION

: the act or process of specifying

a : a detailed precise presentation of something or of a plan or proposal for something —usually used in plural

b : a statement of legal particulars (as of charges or of contract terms); also : a single item of such statement

c : a written description of an invention for which a patent is sought

See specification defined for English-language learners »

See specification defined for kids »

First Known Use of SPECIFICATION

1633

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Personal BIM Job Update and Progress Report

2013-07-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to sit down and write this post for the last 8 weeks and I finally have a minute to give you an update. I needed a job a little closer to home so I decided to go back to work for a company I worked at in 1990 and 1995.

The company is called Pro Sound and Video and we're the second largest Audio, Video systems integrator in the US. There are 100 employees in 5 offices from Florida to California and we have jobs all over the country.

Harnessing the power of electronic technology for the purpose of creating quality audio/video experiences has always taken a specialized skill and understanding. When we founded our company in 1975, many technologies were in their infancy… some still had yet to be invented. Even in those early days, Pro Sound and Video was known for its unparalleled expertise, creative thinking, and tireless energy for getting the job done right.

That reputation stands today, with a proven track record of project excellence in coordinating entire shows of light, sound, entrances, transitions, exits, integrated control systems, broadcast, TV, and newly emerging performance technology.

At Pro Sound, we provide customized solutions - from design and procurement, to installation and service- all tailored to meet the exact needs of our clients. Our team goes beyond the basics in each of our service categories to provide leading-edge solutions that exceed expectations and stand the test of time. When a vision becomes a reality it is not by chance, there is a successful team of people behind it. So take a look at what we do and who we are. We look forward to making your project a success story as well.

Some of the projects include,
Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles)
Disney's Animal Kingdom (WDW, FL)
Bellagio Spa Tower (Las Vegas, NV)
Wynn Resort and Casino (Las Vegas, NV)
Le Cirque du Soleil Zummanity (Las Vegas, NV),
Splash Mountain at Disneyland (Anaheim, CA) ,
King Kong 360 at Universal Studios(Universal City, CA)
Caesars Palace (Las Vegas)
Disney’s Dolphin Hotel & Convention Center
Miami International Airport
Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Splash Mountain at Disneyland (Anaheim, CA)

American Airlines Arena Miami, FL (Miami Heat)
Dodger Stadium Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Amway Center Orlando, FL (Orlando Magic)
AT&T Center San Antonia, TX (San Antonio Spurs)

Philips Arena Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Hawks)
American Automobile Association Headquarters
Burger King Headquarters
Sahara Hotel Convention Center (Las Vegas)
Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom (WDW, FL)

This is just a small list of some really cool projects our company works on. There's so much technology here and really cool toys and software. I've spent the last two months getting educated about all of the different departments and divisions and figuring out the workflow and process between everyone and where the hiccups are in the system.

One of the biggest things I've been doing is coming up with a system that information gets typed in only once. I've discovered that from the time we estimate a project through delivery and facility management turnover, the same bits of information can be typed or written 10 times. In order to solve this little problem of wasted productivity, I've implemented Google Docs as the easiest and cheapest solution in the world to manage our projects. So far, I've estimated that I've saved the company about $104,000. How? Easy. Just to use round numbers, if you take 100 people X 2080 hours/year at $50k/salary/person and divided all that up, each minute of productivity is worth $10,416 for the whole company (40 cents/person/minute). I figure I've saved each person 10 minutes a day and that really adds up. It also equates to having 2 extra people in the company. 10 minutes X 100 people X 260 days is 4333 hours cumulatively.

In the process of taking estimates and making them Google Spreadsheets, I've turned our whole process into one of collaboration, coordination, communication and COBIEification. All I had to do was add some columns to the estimate and allow everyone to view and edit information about the various components of the projects. Instead of everyone retyping information, they can do a quick filtering of what they need and add things like Purchase Order number, Sheet Number, Serial Number and Warranty Expiration Date. I'm amazed at how simple it was to do. Of course, I added some really fancy formulas which I invented when I spoke at the BSA COBie conference in January, but it's all from things I've picked up playing with spreadsheets over the last 31 years.

My coolest invention so far is a way to enter time sheet information via text messages that automatically populate people's time sheets with time, project numbers and descriptions. That's what really kept me from blogging for a while. That alone has saved everyone 10 minutes a day, but now saves our account 6 hours every time she does payroll because she can now automatically import everyone's time data into our accounting program. I've also tied in each line item of a project into this time system so project managers can track what someone was working on and that all gets done automatically via QR codes placed on plans, documents and equipment. Oh yeah, I even use Siri to make it even easier to dictate the messaging system.

I don't want to bore you with too much more of this, but I'm amazed at how inefficient BIM is not because of the modeling, but because of all of the other people involved in the process and how poorly people manage all of their day to day information. I'm seeing that the 3D modeling is important for that initial design, but when it comes to construction, it's the management of the paperwork that is critical. Just by using a few simple tools like Google Docs, Evernote, QR codes and a few other secret ingredients, I'm having the time of my life automating the flow of information in our company and I've hardly scratched the surface.

I want to tell you more, but I'm planning on selling these systems to others, very cheaply of course, because it's so easy to dump Microsoft Office and Outlook and save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasted time looking for information. In the meantime, I'll try to blog more and show you how the most important part of BIM is failing at every level outside of that initial modeling and clash detection phase.

Until next time....

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Trimble/Vico Webinar Friday - Connecting the Estimate to Project Management and Back to the Conceptual Estimate

2013-06-20T07:24:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of eyes watching Trimble in the construction industry. They’ve seen the recent acquisition strategy (Vico, WinEst, SketchUp, Tekla, and Meridian) and openly question how it will all fit together. Will Trimble truly listen to customer suggestions and value their ideas, or will they do what so many other companies do and haphazardly bolt solutions together claiming “synergistic integrations”? Will it be all talk, no action – or will we really work together with our customers to create ingenious workflows and best practices for the industry? We think you know the answer to that already – our roots run deep in construction and we are committed to creating the best solutions for the industry we love.

Here’s a critical workflow our customers are concerned with: what happens when an Owner proposes a new project and asks for a feasibility budget? What happens when we’re awarded the job and we need to flesh out a detailed estimate? What happens when the estimator hands the new project estimate over to the project manager? How is all the detail and expertise that went into that cost plan managed in the field? How is the budget being adhered to? How are the subs being tracked and invoices paid? And then, how can the same estimator leverage the completed project to inform his/her next conceptual estimate? This substantial workflow just got a lot easier – see the entire integrated workflow between Modelogix, WinEst, and Prolog on the next Fridays with Trimble.

Who:	The Team from Trimble
What:	Connecting the Estimate to Project Management and Back to the Conceptual Estimate
When:	Friday, June 21, 2013 at 12 Noon ET
Where:	An online webinar – join from any laptop with a phone line or an internet connection
Why:	See the seamless handoff between the estimating team at HQ with the project manager in the field and the closed loop back to HQ
How:	Register today!

Trimble Buildings introduces a powerful new integration for construction teams between Modelogix for analyzing cost histories, WinEst 2D estimating, and Prolog project management. In this webinar we’ll see the entire workflow from cost model generation to cost plan development and final estimate to tracking each line item in the budget through to completion on the jobsite and then capturing that completed project cost data for new feasibility budgets. This means that all the precision that went into the project estimate is tracked with Prolog’s laser-like system of record…from the design to the field to close out and harnessed in Modelogix so the data can be sliced and diced…so that it can be leveraged when the Owner calls again with a new project idea.

Together we’ll see how to:

• Pull a completed project from Prolog into Modelogix;

• Create new feasibility budgets and cost models from that completed project;

• Feed WinEst with the conceptual estimate and flesh out the details;

• Hand over the complete estimate from WinEst to Prolog;

• Track each and every line item from the estimate with actuals;

• Track projected over/under for owner meetings;

• Close the completed project in Prolog and send to Modelogix.

This new workflow from Trimble Buildings is yet one more way we are connecting the field to the office and delivering critical project data when and where it’s needed. See what it’s like to work with construction solutions built by construction professionals – see the difference that a closed loop integration makes on the next Fridays with Trimble.

Everyone on your estimating and operations team will want to see this, especially if you want to:

• Connect all project documents to the design and estimate;
• See the impact of RFIs and Change Orders on your construction projects;
• Eliminate the divide between business development and the field team with real project data;
• Keep Owners well-informed of budget status;
• Learn from each project and better evaluate (and eliminate) potential risk!

Who:	The Team from Trimble
What:	Connecting the Estimate to Project Management and Back to the Conceptual Estimate
When:	Friday, June 21, 2013 at 12 Noon ET
Where:	An online webinar – join from any laptop with a phone line or an internet connection
Why:	See the seamless handoff between the estimating team at HQ with the project manager in the field and the closed loop back to HQ
How:	Register today!

Even if you can’t make the designated date/time, take five minutes to register for the webinar now and you’ll automatically receive the link to watch the recorded webinar.

Learn from your peers, with your peers, on Fridays with Trimble!

Update 3 now available for Revit 2013 Products - Revit Clinic

2013-06-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

Source/Link: http://revitclinic.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/06/update-release-3-for-the-revit-2013-products.html

Update 3 is now available for Revit 2013 products.

For Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit Structure, and Autodesk Revit MEP, you can find the update in the Data & Downloads > Updates section of each product page.

The update for Autodesk Revit 2013 can be found in the Design & Creation Suites Support > Data & Downloads > Updates & Service Packs section.

Here are the direct links:

Revit 2013 Update Release 3

Revit Architecture 2013 Update Release 3

Revit Structure 2013 Update Release 3

Revit MEP 2013 Update Release 3

Installation ReadMe files and Update Enhancement PDFs are available at each of these locations as well.

Improvements made in Update 3 build (20130531_2115):

Autodesk® Revit® Platform 2013 Enhancements

 Improves stability when using Hardware Acceleration, Graphics Mode.

 Improves stability when opening projects which utilize Extensible Storage.

 Improves visual fidelity between canvas and printed output.

 Improves visual fidelity of hidden lines, MEP pipe centerlines and haloed gaps when not using

Hardware Acceleration, Graphics Mode.

 Improves Structural family data integrity during upgrade of project.

 Improves data integrity when canceling Save As operation.

 Improves interaction between Revit Server 2013 and Riverbed compression.

 Enables users to browse Revit Server Networks when a bound workstation cannot contact the

Domain Controller.

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Render with Artlantis: Export plug-in from Revit 2014 to Artlantis 4.1 is now available for downloading!

2013-06-18T07:39:00.002-04:00

Source/Link: http://artlantissimo.blogspot.com/2013/06/good-news-for-revit-2014-users.html

The export plug-in from Revit 2014 to Artlantis 4.1 is now available for downloading!

Create your model in Revit, export and edit it in Artlantis. Return to Revit, make changes to the geometry, export a new Artlantis file and recover your previous work done in Artlantis. The Artlantis export plug-in offers a direct transfer from Revit into Artlantis, without the need for intermediate file formats. During the export, special entities are automatically exploded. The Artlantis .atl file format is cross platform; it can be read on both Macintosh and Windows.

Let’s see in detail what Artlantis can recover from your Revit model:

• The geometry
• All cameras for parallel views
• All cameras for perspective views
• The shading color and transparency of materials with their names
• The geographical position of the sun active for the parallel view that is used for the export.

Learn how to use Revit and Artlantis together here!

Click here to download the Revit 2014 plug-in!

Saddest thing I've ever seen on an architect's website

2013-06-09T18:01:00.001-04:00

Construction document details for students, young professional draftsman, designers and Architects. 100MB zip Disk containing Construction Document notes, schedules, details consisting of hundreds of man hours. For students or new graduates, detail disk cost $250.00 .

Really, "zip Disk"? Dude, it's 2013! When's the last time you updated your website?

Copyright © 1999-2013

Oh, so it is up to date. Even worse.

When's the last time anyone used a zip disk? 100MB. That's one Revit file. Anyone still have a zip drive? How many of you kids out there have never even heard of one?

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AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 2 Now Available (and recommended to download immediately)

2013-06-04T13:34:00.002-04:00

I know, let's call it OccasionalCAD. I don't know if that's because it occasionally works, or occasionally crashes. And, for the special occasions, you can try to plot without crashing.

Read the whole Readmefile. There's a lot of stuff that's been fixed. Oh, and it even (hopefully without crashing) works with Windows 8 now. I guess with Microsoft hitting sales of 100 million copies, it was time to release Autodesk software that works with Windows 8. Prepare for Service Pack 3 for that perfect storm.

Source/Link: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=21764214&linkID=9240618

You can apply this update to AutoCAD 2013 running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.

This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2013 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2013 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.

AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013
Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2013
Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013
Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013
Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013

Note: The following Windows 8 operating systems are officially supported for 32-bit and 64-bit AutoCAD 2013 with Service Pack 2:

Windows 8 Standard edition
Windows 8 Enterprise edition
Windows 8 Professional edition

	AutoCAD 2013 SP2 (32-bit) (exe - 32429Kb)
	AutoCAD 2013 SP2 (64-bit) (exe - 41353Kb)

Readme (htm - 61Kb)

Support – Terms of Use

Problems Reported with the Customer Error Reporting Utility

As a result of detailed information from customers who used the Customer Error Reporting Utility, a number of problems were identified and fixed. Updates have been made in the following commands and features:

3D Navigation Tools

Occasional crash related to navigation tools.

Autodesk 360

Crash with long file path in the Autodesk 360 folder.
Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD with the InfoCenter off.

Block

Occasional crash when clicking a block table grip with only one row of values available.

Command Line

Crash when switching Input Method Editor (IME) after canceling a command when DYNMODE is set to 0 and the command window is docked.

DGN Support

Fatal error when scrolling the DGN linetype in the Properties Palette.

Dimensions

Occasional crash when grip-editing annotative dimensions.

MLEADER

Occasional crash when using MATCHPROP with multileaders.

OLE

Occasional crash when closing the application with a drawing that contains an OLE object.

OPTIONS

Occasional crash when changing or switching profiles in Options.

Plot

Occasional crash when plotting with a wipeout in the drawing.

PDF Underlay

Crash when specifying other PDF file from Saved Path field in External Reference palette.

General

Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD drawings in Windows 8.
Occasional crash due to using Intersection object snaps on lightweight polylines.
Some corrupt drawings crash when opened or saved and are not fixed automatically.
Exiting the Text Editor while previewing text style causes a crash.

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This should be on the front page of every set of AutoCAD plans

2013-06-04T08:44:00.001-04:00

Copy and paste away....

For additional protection and to reduce your risk of "Lie-Ability", we recommend the use of Revit and BIM products.