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The [acronym] online blog is the public sector’s complete source of up-to-the-minute news and information about computer-aided design and related digital design technologies for the fields of AEC, manufacturing, and GIS.
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Category Archives: CAD General
Need More Time? You got It! [acronym] Public Sector CAD Awards Deadline Extended
Who doesn’t need more time these days? Well, we’ve listened to your feedback and have extended the deadline for the [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards.
Thanks for all the entries so far! If you haven’t submitted your nomination you now have until October 14 to enter.
What are the [acronym] Magazine CAD Awards? Continue reading
Countdown to the [acronym] Public Sector CAD Awards Deadline – Get your Entries In!
The deadline to enter the [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards is fast approaching!
If you work in the field of digital design – whether you use AutoCAD, or any other software – we want to know how these tools, combined with your skills and expertise have helped your agency achieve its goals.
It doesn’t matter whether you work for the Department of Defense or a state and local government agency (we’ve received entries from both), this is your opportunity to shine! Learn more about the [acronym] CAD Awards and meet our judges. Continue reading
How one Florida County Transformed its Permit Review Process giving Visibility to All Involved
In government, as in business, “streamlining business processes” has become essential to improving efficiency, while saving money.
However, you may not think to look to Autodesk – the go-to innovators of AutoCAD, Map 3D, and so on – when it comes to managing non-design related processes.
That’s where you’d be wrong. In fact, a growing number of state and local government departments are turning to Autodesk’s workflow management tool, Buzzsaw, to help them automate once arduous and paperwork intensive processes.
Take for example Southwest Florida’s Manatee County Government, whose building and planning department manages building permits and land development applications for the country’s growing population. Continue reading
Finding the Needle In The Haystack – Managing the Lifecycle of Your Engineering and CAD Docs
“In 1989, one of our first clients came to us with a big problem. A disgruntled employee had waltzed out the door with electronic copies of top secret designs and went to work for a competitor.” Another horror story here: “During the late 80s, a client who used AutoCAD for machine design called us in a panic. The company had just built a $250K prototype of a paper machine from the wrong revision of a drawing.”
Since then, the folks at Synergis Software have been in the business of preventing these disasters from happening. Over the years they have developed a solution that not only makes managing your engineering document library easier, but safer as well.
Continue reading
[acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards – Share Your Innovations and Achievements
Attention CAD designers, managers and drafters!
Has digital design changed the business of government in your city, county or agency?
Have you put new ideas into practice that you want to share with your government peers?
Now’s your chance.
The [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards is a new innovation contest that challenges the public sector, and the contractors that support it, to share the creative ways they have used digital design/CAD software to improve the performance of their agency and enhance the delivery of citizen-centric services. Continue reading
7 Do’s and Don’ts for a Realistic BIM Implementation
In a recent guest article, Bryan Cowles, an Applications Specialist at IMAGINiT Technologies, observed that while more and more government agencies are moving ahead and incorporating Building Information Modeling (BIM) into their workflows, “…some are yet to be convinced of the benefits that an intelligent model can provide.”
In his article – Teardown or Retrofit: A BIM Evaluation Gives the Answer – Bryan goes on to provide an excellent example of the time and cost savings achieved by retrofitting two existing structures into one larger structure, as opposed to going the demolition route – thanks to a BIM-based feasibility study. A study which also won over a team of doubtful engineers who thought demolition was the best option. Continue reading
Re-envisioning a Historic U.S. Roadway with Safety, the Environment and the Public in Mind
We all know the nation’s infrastructure is desperately in need of investment and overhaul (our own Tiffany Diehl sheds light on some of the worrying facts in her article Are Bridges in the U.S. Making the Grade? State Rankings Reveal a Grim Reality.)
But when the infrastructure in question resides on one of the most seismically active metropolitan areas in the country, state transportation departments have an imperative to up the ante.
Such is the case with one of the biggest engineering projects in California history, the replacement of the current south access road to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Known as Doyle Drive or Route 101, the route is structurally and seismically deficient and, built in 1936, it’s also come to the end of its useful life. Continue reading
Teardown or Retrofit: A BIM Evaluation Gives the Answer
Numerous government agencies are moving ahead by incorporating the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process into their workflow, but some are still yet to be convinced of the benefits that an intelligent model can provide. Recently, we assisted a public sector client faced with a unique challenge; they had to decide whether to retrofit two existing structures into one or demolish both and build a new structure. Using the BIM process, we were able to help them identify substantial cost and time savings by changing the direction of the project from demolition and rebuild, to a retrofit. Continue reading
A Quick Tour of AutoCAD 2012
By Lynn Allen, Autodesk Technical Evangelist
Showing AutoCAD users the new features in AutoCAD 2012 has been an absolute dream for me. There’s something in it for everybody and it has been a real crowd pleaser! There are new 2D and 3D features – so regardless of how you use the software – you’re sure to find a new tool that will save you some valuable drawing time – let’s take a look!
For those of you who key in commands (and you know who you are) you’ll find the new AutoComplete a welcome addition. You just start typing – and AutoCAD will present you with a myriad of commands and system variables that start with the same characters (a definite time saver). The in-canvas viewport controls allow you to quickly setup a viewport configuration, shift to a different viewing angle, or change your visual style. Continue reading
How to Maximize the Efficiency of any Facility Electrical System with Power Analytics
For agencies seeking to comply with Executive Order 13514, recent budget cuts have slashed many opportunities to invest in newer, more efficient and sustainable facilities and buildings. So the issue shifts to one of energy management – and the question becomes – what is the best we can do with what’s already given, and reduce our usage to the most efficient level?
One option comes in the form of Power Analytics (formerly EDSA), the San Diego-based power analytics company. Power Analytics has been in the business of energy management for over twenty years and counts a range of U.S. military branches and numerous civilian agencies such as NASA among their customer base. Continue reading
