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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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Tag Archives: Autodesk
“Shovel Ready” gets a big shove forward in Virginia!
Virginia’s Governor, Bob McDonnell, made efforts to push “Shovel Ready” projects into high gear recently by stating: “Without an adequate transportation system, almost every aspect of our daily lives and government are negatively impacted…Therefore, we must get serious and start treating transportation like a core function of government.” Continue reading
How one Public Sector Agency is Transforming New York’s Design and Construction Landscape
Ever wondered who is responsible for the design and construction of many of the award-winning civic facilities in New York?
With a portfolio valued at over $6 billion and a staff of almost 1,200, the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is the city’s primary capital construction and infrastructure project manager.
DDC is also an innovator in the use of GIS and building information modeling (BIM) for which it was awarded runner-up status in the first ever [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards, held last November in Washington, D.C.
DDC employs a variety of Autodesk digital design tools to minimize errors in the design process, improve collaboration across stakeholders and reduce project complexity, while making more effective use of public funds. Included in its design arsenal are Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and AutoCAD MEP for design coordination, documentation and visualization. While Navisworks and Solibri Model Checker are also used for coordination and model conflict resolution and serve other uses as well. Continue reading
So What Happened to “Shovel Ready”?
Bumper-to-bumper traffic is incredibly frustrating when you have no idea as to the cause of it. That’s the way it goes in the Washington, DC metro area! And, while I know there is construction and repair to the transportation arteries in and around the DC metro area, seemingly, I must have the world’s worst short term memory, because every day I get frustrated in my effort to get home. Until the other day…
Speaking recently in Kansas, President Obama said, “I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot”. Hearing the President talk about the US facing “a make or break moment for the middle class”: I recalled from high school history class that middle class growth was at its greatest starting in the 50’s and throughout the 70’s.
So, I got on the “Google Machine” and started searching for any information that would satisfy my curiosity about middle class growth during that 30 year period and its contributors. One of the biggest contributors to job growth and the rise of the US middle class was Infrastructure expansion. Two years ago the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law giving $46 billion for transportation projects, including $27 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair and $11.5 billion for mass transit and rail projects. Wow, I thought, this ought to create jobs and alleviate the congestion that causes me so much aggravation; that was 2 years ago!! What happened? Continue reading
Getting to Know Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite
Heard about Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite but not sure what it can do for your agency? Often referred to as “BIM in a Box”, this relatively new software option bundles familiar products such as AutoCAD, Map 3D, Civil 3D, 3ds Max and more – in one package.
If you’re looking for more visualization in your civil or infrastructure projects, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite is worth considering. You can learn more here, or if you’re a more visual person, you can view this on-demand webcast from Autodesk Technical Specialist, Michael Schlosser (P.Eng, GISP.) It provides an overview of the suite configurations and shows how the various software options work together cohesively from project start to finish. Continue reading
Autodesk Cloud Brings a Wealth of Features and Benefits for Subscription Customers
Autodesk Cloud Brings a Wealth of Features and Benefits for Subscription Customers
By Caron Beesley
If you are an Autodesk Subscription customer you can now extend your desktop and many of your CAD-based tools into the cloud thanks to the newly launched Autodesk Cloud.
Launched in September, 2011, Autodesk Cloud strengthens and extends many of the collaboration tools that Autodesk has launched in the last decade including Buzzsaw and AutoCAD WS (which allows users to perform CAD design with a browser or with a mobile iOS or Android device).
So what does Autodesk Cloud have to offer and who can take advantage of it? Continue reading
See the Suite Advantage Virtual Event Content is Still Available
If you missed the recent Autodesk See the Suite Advantage Virtual Event, don’t worry!
Autodesk has made all of the content available on-demand so you can browse the presentations, white papers, and more when your schedule permits. I even found a few interesting presentations that could really interest our public sector audience:
• Accelerate Transportation Project Delivery with AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Better Planning with AutoCAD Map 3D
• The Power of Map 3D for Planning in the Electric Industry
• Designing Substations with Digital Prototypes: Nashville Electric Service Moves Beyond 3D 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
Render Graphics without those Frustrating System Crashes
Graphics rendering requires high-powered computing systems, and many times hardware is not up to par, causing digital design programs to freeze up and crash. More than just frustrating and time-wasting, this can sometimes result in flaws within the models that require a long correction process, or in the worst case, escape unnoticed into the final design.
Since hardware issues are the cause of such design nightmares, the best way to overcome this obstacle is to find an appropriate computing solution that can handle the heavy workloads that are routine in the digital design world. BoXX Technologies’ range of desktop and mobile computing products (now available on GSA Schedule) are tailor-made for high-end design software such as Autodesk 3ds Max, that features highly demanding rendering processes, and massive file sizes that require high-end hardware to run smoothly. Continue reading
Live from Today’s Autodesk Virtual Event – Meeting the 2012 Product Line, Peers, and Experts in Virtual Time and Space!
Good day [acronym]! I’m excited to be posting live from the Autodesk Make Your Most Amazing Ideas Happen Virtual Event – from my desk in Herndon, VA. Our good friend, Autodesk Technical Evangelist, Lynn Allen, recently posted about her presentation on AutoCAD 2012.
Right now, I’m exploring all virtual aspects of the event including the exhibit hall, auditorium and industry specific resources. Here is a shot of the main exhibit hall where you can find an Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Plant & Government booth in the upper left hand corner.
Continue reading
Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs: Stay up to Date with the Latest Software, without the Cost of an Upgrade
We’re all used to regular software patches and security updates, but oftentimes if you want to benefit from the latest and greatest product features, you usually have to fork out for the latest and greatest software release.
Not so with Autodesk, if you are a customer on Autodesk Subscription. Autodesk offers early access to new Autodesk software features through its Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs (ASAP) program. With ASAP, users can download and install the latest product features and enhancements on the 2010 and newer software versions. Continue reading
