BIMES

Are you bored at work? Play tic-tac-toe with ArchiCAD!

2012-02-29T02:11:00.002-08:00

Are you bored at work?

Image from Ambro

No worries! ArchiCAD has a solution for that. Let me describe the steps:

STEP 1: Launch your ArchiCAD 15

STEP 2: Activate object tool

STEP 3: Place the default object (Armchair 01 15)

STEP 4: Start stretching it with the help of hotspots

STEP 5: Once dimensions exceeds 2 meters, your chair will turn into a tic-tac-toe board

STEP 6: Start with Placing your X. When you click on the pink hotspots object will automatically place X.

STEP 7: Now it's O's turn! Use teamwork so you can play with your colleagues:)

STEP 8: X wins this round!

As you see, ArchiCAD has solution for all your problems:))

Enjoy!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

How ArchiCAD makes Hospital Projects more successful?

2012-02-28T02:36:00.001-08:00

Hospital Projects!

Last year majority of our BIM service works were hospital projects! Especially in the GCC in all the new hospital projects, BIM is mandated by the owner due to the complexity of the projects.

Image from photostock

Most common belief is the MEP modeling and clash detection is the toughest part of the job!

True! It is quite difficult and important but not the most challenging part.

Almost every BIM service provider or company using BIM has good skills and experience with MEP Modeling. I mean it is not a big deal, it is manageable!

The most challenging part for us was the medical equipment! In many meetings with the clients, the first thing they asked us was if we can manage medical equipment! That was the differentiator!

Why?

First of all, most of the BIM software does not have library for Medical Equipment! Except ArchiCAD of course;)) These things looks unimportant for engineers who are new to BIM but actually those are the main criterias that differentiates a mature BIM tool then others.

Here comes some of the medical equipment from ArchiCAD.

Bedside Cabinets from ArchiCAD 15 Library

Dental Chair from ArchiCAD 15 Library

Examination Bed from ArchiCAD 15 Library

Hospital Bed from ArchiCAD 15 Library

Infusion Stand from ArchiCAD Library 15

Would these be enough for your project? Of course not!

Are you going to model your own equipment?

In order to say yes, you should be crazy or extremely hard working. (probably crazy! :))
Some of these medical equipments look like "aliens" with all kinds of strange geometries:)) For example this one.

If I recall correctly, it was an equipment called "finisher" located in the laundry. As you see, it is a nightmare to model this strange thing.

What to do now?

We contacted the manufacturer and asked for the 3D Model. They normally have 3D models for their production and they are willing to provide it to you since it means "Sales" for them.

They send it in 3D DWG file format!

We directly converted it to GDL and guess what happened?

The files size of the object was close to the files size of the total hospital model:)))

After a short period of depression, we decided to open it in 3DMAX and reduce the polygon numbers, convert to 3DS file format and then take into ArchiCAD.

That was pretty successful and we found many major clashes!

As a result, we were happy, our client was happy and their client was also happy:)))

Cheers,

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Get there faster with ArchiCAD

2012-02-27T03:38:00.000-08:00

Get There Faster with ArchiCAD!

This is the latest whitepaper prepared by Graphisoft US team! I truly enjoy reading their blog and I find US market quite similar to Middle East in terms of the size of companies as well as the amount of multidisciplinary firms.

If you are planning to implement BIM and you are not certain about how to do it, this whitepaper is a great source for you.

Here comes a short summary:

"From the company that brought you – Construction Computing Magazine’s 2011 BIM Product of the Year ArchiCAD 15 – the “Get There Faster with ArchiCAD” whitepaper examines five critical areas to explore before making your final BIM software selection. This paper was written with the sole purpose of providing accurate, reliable information about critical issues related to BIM and what ArchiCAD with advanced technology such as the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server(tm) provide as an answer to address these issues. We want to teach and educate in an effort to help architects make informed technology decisions.
The whitepaper shares expertise and experience from six design leaders as they describe how ArchiCAD:

Improves profitability
Enables agile and competitive workflow
Provides fast, real-time collaboration
Is easy-to-learn and simplifies the 3D workflow
Makes great use of any computing power
Keeps IT costs low
Is a secure and proven BIM product

This document highlights what makes ArchiCAD BIM different than other BIM solutions. Find out why ArchiCAD, developed by architects for architects, is the most workable solution for today’s AEC professionals.
Download the white paper here. "

I hope you will enjoy it!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Can consultant's BIM Model be used for construction?

2012-02-26T04:49:00.001-08:00

Can consultant's BIM Model be used for construction?

This is the popular question of last few months?

Let me give you some background information before going into the discussion. Especially in the UAE almost all the large consultants are already using BIM. Of course with different level of expertise and success. However compared to the contractors, consultants are BIM gurus:)

So, what happens in a project?

Image from Ambro

The consultant educates the client about BIM and recommends to mandate BIM usage in the tender. Client is happy because he thinks he already have the BIM Model so the contractor will only operate it.

The consultant hands over a LOD 300 model with no/limited liability.

The party starts here!

Contractor believes that he can use consultant's model for shop drawings, quantities, cost planning, scheduling etc.

I have experienced this myself. When we told the contractor that the model coming from consultant can not be used as it is, they do not want to believe and most of the time they do not believe.

Now, let's imagine a project in which the design consultant hands over a LOD 300 BIM Model. (If you are not familiar with LOD please check James Van's blog! It is pretty cool)

First of all, we should define what is LOD 300.

"LOD 300 - Model elements are suitable for the generation of traditional construction documents and shop drawings. As such, analysis and simulation is authorized for detailed elements and systems."

When a contractor reads the above statement, he is quite sure that the model will work fine for him. Unfortunately what a consultant understands from "shop drawings" is slightly different than contractor's understanding.

A basic example. A consultant can use a multi-story column might work fine for the shop drawings of a consultant but it should be from slab top to slab bottom in contractors model.

The consultant does not care about the concrete grades but for contractor it is very important.

Even for design coordination! Many people believes that clash detection within a LOD 300 model is perfect. But not really! In a complex project, the slight difference on the radius of the bend might create a clash in LOD 400 model where LOD 300 is absolutely ok!

What do we usually recommend for contractors?
If the consultant does not accept "full" liability on the model, do not rely on it.

Freeze the consultant's design model as a reference model and create your own. You might create your own model by just modifying and developing the design model but we saw cases in which it is much easier to create the model from scratch. So evaluate both options.

Image from jscreationz

Have your own BIM team since you can not freeze the design model forever. There will be changes. Your BIM team should update your model continuously.

Yes, I know it does not seem very productive but it will still be much more productive than the traditional system. Plus it will be much more accurate.

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Which one is the most popular ArchiCAD Add-on?

2012-02-22T00:15:00.000-08:00

Today's post is about ArchiCAD add-ons but not all the ecosystem. I will talk about only the add-ons developed by Graphisoft.

Let's list them first according to their release dates:

When it comes to listing them according to their popularities I think we need to define the word "popular"?

Is an add-on popular if it sells more?

Is an add-on popular if it gets more "Wow"s during the presentations?

Well! It is hard to decide so let's have 2 categories:)

According to our sales numbers in the Middle East, MEP Modeler is the front runner with a significant difference! I am sure this is a shocking fact for most of you.

Let me explain.

MEP Modeler

In the Middle East, majority of the companies are multi-discipline which means they have their own architectural, structural and MEP teams. For them ArchiCAD without MEP modeler is like Browni without ice cream. (another great comparison from me :)))

When I say majority of the companies, I am not trying to say majority of the big companies. Here, even a 5 men office would have 3 architects, 1 structural engineer and 1 MEP engineer.

What about the "Wow"s it get during the presentations?

No wow at all because people are expecting it as a default part of a BIM solution:))

BIM Explorer

Well this is the only add-on which has a balance of "wow"s and sales.
People love it when they see the presentation! Especially on iPad! Being able to navigate in the BIM Model without any training of these complicated BIM Software is a miracle for the managers as well as the project owners.

Sales numbers are also good!

EcoDesigner

This is the strangest add-on in terms of the balance of "wow"s and sales.

Since Sustainability is "the topic" in the Middle East, EcoDesigner is the start of the meetings. Everybody is extremely impressed with the fact it runs within the BIM Software and no export/import is required. You can get your energy analysis results any time.

But when it comes to sales results, we are not very happy.

As everything related to sustainability, EcoDesigner is an add-on nice to talk about but not apply in your projects.

Unfortunately in the Middle East there are only few companies who really wants to design sustainable buildings. Most of them do not pay any attention unless it is mandated in the project. Even it is mandated, then they just fill few Excel sheets in the late stages of the project where all the design decisions are already made. Yes, this is a sad story :(

Anyway, now let's make the list...

Most Popular ArchiCAD Add-on As per Sales Number in the Middle East

MEP Modeler
BIMx
EcoDesigner

Most Popular ArchiCAD Add-on As per "Wow"s in the Middle East

EcoDesigner
BIMx
MEP Modeler

Quite interesting, hey?

Enjoy your day!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Who owns the BIM Model?

2012-02-21T01:19:00.001-08:00

We had a pretty good BIM User Group Meeting last night!

I had the opportunity of listening the experiences of BIM Managers of large organizations in the Middle East.

I also shared our experiences as well!

Image from Ponsulak

As you know the main topic was "Who should own the BIM model?"

Image from Stuart Miles

My answer has always been "Whoever pays the bills should own the model" :) with my pragmatic approach:))

Of course this is the answer on the "practical" scenarios.

For instance, if we are working for the contractor, we do provide the model to the contractor only. It is his property since he paid for our services.

Did we experience that the owner requested the model? Yes!

Did the contractor give? Sometimes yes, sometimes no!

In the current contracts in the Middle East, there is no clause regarding to the BIM Model ownership. Everything is based on 2D drawings.

So it depends on the relations between the owner and contractor.

Image from Jeroen van Oostrom

I saw cases the contractor simply said "No" to the owner when he asked for the model.

I saw cases the contractor said "Yes but only if you pay me a couple of million dollars more."

I saw cases the "Sure, here you go! (of course with no liability on the model)"

Of course this are the current cases which the parties are introduced to BIM recently. If they knew more about BIM from the very beginning of the project, things would be different.

I believe as the understanding of BIM matures in the region, the contracts will be shaped accordingly from the beginning.

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

BIM User Group in Dubai

2012-02-20T00:11:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Tonight we have BIM User Group Meeting in Dubai!

Before going into the details of tonight's programme, let me tell you more about BIM User Group Meetings in general.

First of all, everyone is welcomed tot he BIM User Group Meetings. No membership is required although it is organized by Building Smart Middle East, North Africa and India.

The discussions are usually more on the process side of BIM rather than the tiny little features of BIM software.

What about tonight? What are we going to discuss?

It's a quite interesting one! Model Authorship!

This is one of the subjects that almost everyone in the Middle East is confused about. The attendees will be from different project parties, such as consultants, contractors, BIM service providers and owners.

It would be nice to hear different people's opinion!

If you are interested, please come and join us!

Details of the event is as following:

Date: Monday 20th February, 2012
Time: 6-7:30pm,
Location: AUD, Architecture Faculty, Room A208 (first floor) - Dubai
Theme: Issues of model authorship
Description:
Following on from some excellent discussion at the previous user group meeting, this session will be an open forum to discuss issues of model authorship. We will explore questions of who should own, pay for and be liable for models in an integrated construction project, and how this can be managed .

If you have not already please RSVP to this event either by sending an email direct to mbaldwin@ogeremirates.ae or operations@bsame.org

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build? Which one embraces BIM better?

2012-02-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

Design-Bid-Build or Design-Build

Image from

These are the two main contract methods in the Middle East. Probably US is also similiar.

Owners loves the first one. Design-Bid-Build.

Image from Ambro

Why?

Because they can get competitive prices for each phase of the project. First they let the consultants to fight for getting the design job, decrease their profit especially on these days of recession.

Then comes the second part. Now it's contractors turn to bid.

Seems like a smart method for the owner.

Is it?

Each party is responsible for a certain task in the project. For instance an architect is involved in the design part only. He will try to avoid any liability for the later stages of the project. He may not include enough details in the drawings to facilitate accurate bids in the tender.

What will happen then?

Image from Stuart Miles

Disputes, claims etc. The consultant and the contractor becomes enemies.

This is the worst thing that an owner would want in a project. A project can only succeed if all the parties work as a team.

I can hear you saying but the owner can get Project Managers to protect his rights. True! But it comes with an extra cost.

So far the problems were not even related to BIM.

Now, let me tell you about my experience so far.

Consultant builds the BIM Model for design phase. It looks pretty. You can generate basic documentation out of it.

Is it useful for the contractor? NO!

If you do not take the required construction information into consideration in early stages of the modeling, adding it in a later stage will take much more time than remodeling.

I have not seen a model coming from a consultant which can be used by the contractor so far.

In most of the cases, the contractor has to build his own BIM Model.

At the end of the day, the owner pays for this additional cost indirectly.

Is there a solution for this?

Image from Andy Newson

Yes and No!

VICO developed a Model Progression Specification (MPS) system which allows the consultant to prepare the model in a way that the contractor can use it as well.

But even this requires, early involvement of the contractor in the project and also very good relations between the project parties.

What about Design-Build?

This is my favorite!

In the Middle East contractors get involved with both types of contracts. When a contractor decides to implement BIM into their organization and ask our advise for the pilot project, we always recommend to start with a Design-Build project.

Why?

Image from Stuart Miles

The earliest you start with BIM, the more benefits you get from BIM.

If the project is Design-Build, you have the power to start BIM from the very beginning of the project.

Not only this, but also you can start BIM the way you want. Your BIM team will take your construction needs into consideration at an early stage and implement MPS properly.

Ohh! I can hear you saying what about IPD? Well, the industry is still experimenting with it. Unfortunately in Middle East I have not seen any examples of projects delivered with IPD yet.

I believe once the BIM expertise of the construction industry in the Middle East matures, IPD will be the preferred contract type as well.

Image from Idea go

Wow! This became a very long and serious post. I hope you have not get bored while reading.

If you did, let me share something very interesting with you.

I was looking at the Stats page of the blog this morning and found very interesting "Search Keywords":)

Some people searched for the below keywords and ended up in our blog:)))

pest control 4 construction
united arab emirates crazy pictures

Well, I do not want to comment further:)))

Enjoy your week!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 1

2012-02-16T00:25:00.005-08:00

# 1 - Shell Tool

Bridge between creative design minds and the construction.

First of all it is FLEXIBLE and gives the designer full FREEDOM!

However it is not feature which makes Shell Tool unique!

There are several tools in the market which allows you to model your "crazy" ideas.

But how many of them can actually link it to the real life construction? How many of them can actually generate proper documentation with including all the components of a structure?

Not many!

Amongst these few, Shell Tool has the most versatile documentation features. The ability of using composite fills is an awesome features which sets Shell Tool apart from the competition.

In my opinion, this is what construction industry needs these days!

So Shell Tool deserves to get the Gold Medal in my list!

Cheers,
Enjoy Your Weekend!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 2

2012-02-15T02:06:00.001-08:00

# 2 - BIM Server

I hesitated a lot about placing BIM Server to Number 2 or 1.

It ended up getting the Silver Medal:)

Why BIM Server made it's place to TOP 2?

1- During the development of BIM Server, I had the opportunity to see the development team, the amount of work put into it's development, the cautiousness for the safety of data. I think it had the longest beta testing period ever. Users were dying to get the BIM Server as soon as possible but Graphisoft refused to release it until they are 100% sure that it works perfectly.

2- IT IS FAST!

3- IT IS PROBLEM FREE! Believe me or not, we are providing more technical support on the Network Dongle sharing then BIM Server:))

4- IT IS USER FRIENDLY! This is very important. You spend 6-8 hours of your time on this software and you would hate your life it wasn't user friendly.

5- Internal Messaging System! Off this is one of my favorites. In one of our early implementations we were using it even for deciding what to eat:))

In 2009, when Graphisoft released it, I was expecting the competition to come up with a similiar solution which utilizes Delta Server technology within 2-3 years.

It's 2012 and still no one is even close to Graphisoft's BIM Server!

Enjoy using the cutting edge technologies of Graphisoft:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 3

2012-02-13T23:11:00.000-08:00

# 3 - Multi Processor and 64 bit Support

270.000 m2
42.000 m2
82.000 m2
85.000 m2

These are the built up areas of some of the projects that BIMES have provided BIM services within last year.

In the rest of the world, these size of projects are quite rare. Only few "big boys" get the opportunity of getting involved in them.

However in the Middle East, these are regular numbers. As an architect / engineer, you deal with these kind of projects everyday.

The fact that ArchiCAD supports both Multi Processors and 64 bit is an extremely important factor here. The video below explains how these technologies improve your productivity.

I have no idea how people are investing in BIM software which does not support Multi Processing fully. It is like buying a Lada and racing against Ferrari. (I hope this is a good example. I do not understand much about cars :)

If your BIM Software does not take advantage of the latest technology of the available hardware, how can you commit to Billion Dollar projects?

I saw many companies, doing a basic model just for design coordination and than switching to 2D CAD for shop drawings. Is this real BIM?

NOT AT ALL!

Thanks to the great development team behind ArchiCAD, we do not make such "Mickey Mouse" business!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 4

2012-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

#4 - Complex Profiles

ArchiCAD 10 one was one of the best versions of ArchiCAD in history. I believe it was the first page of a new chapter in ArchiCAD development.

It was the first version which ArchiCAD started to force the limits of design with the introduction of Complex Profiles.

When I first saw the demo, I thought "This is a great tool for free form shapes!"

But I was wrong!

This is not only a great tool for free form shapes but also an amazing tools for construction details.

Look at the parapet above.

Thanks to the ability of generating high quality documentation from complex profiles, the amount of drafting done on the above sheet is at minimum.

I can hear you saying "But modeling takes time!"

Not really! Compared to the drafting work, It is nothing! Plus it is more fun:)

The ability of managing any kind of cross section with the correct materials both in 2D and 3D is another great advantage.

I am sure there are many more situations where Complex Profiles can be a life saver.

If you have please feel free to share...

Ohh! Before saying goodbye, I wanted to share one more thing. Shoegnome has great tutorials on complex profiles. Here comes the link for them.

Edit:
I created a screen capture from the model however it might be an older version since I received the PDF some time later than the model.

Enjoy!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 5

2012-02-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

# 5 - Import Surveyors Data

Converting Splines to Mesh levels with the help of Magic Wand was one of the "must to have" exercises of ArchiCAD trainings back in Turkey since it is a very mountainous country.

However that was not the case in the UAE. Most of the Emirates are extremely flat. Great for cycling and builders:)) Mesh tools was no longer "must to have" part of our trainings.

Then the 2009 recession came!

Most of the offices located in the Emirates started to look for projects in Libya, Iraq, Saudi, Qatar etc. For instance Iraq's geography is quite different than UAE. Full of mountains!

Image from Luxury House Design Concept

The site and slope becomes a very important design criteria!

A client of us recently got a job in Iraq! They received the surveyor's data and immediately called us.

- Hi guys! I know you showed us this how to import surveyor's data into ArchiCAD in one of the new features trainings but we never used it so far. Do you mind reminding it to us?"

- Well, you are lucky! It is not a complicated command. Design > Place Mesh from Surveyors Data and select the text file. ArchiCAD will do the rest:)

Of course, life is not that easy!

5 minutes later, Jothi received another call saying it did not work. We requested text file to check and noticed that the problem is very very simple but hard to see.

The number of digits decreased after a certain point and ArchiCAD did not read the remaining part. So to fix it, we added "0" to the beginning of each new number.

Later we noticed that this numbering system also depends on the equipment that the surveyor uses. We received the text file of the same site from a different surveyor company and that did not have the same digit problem at all.

Anyway, although it was a small one it still took us 2 hours to find the problem.

After solving this issue, the team finished their proposal for the master planning within 2 days! Yes, within 2 days!

A couple of days later, I came across with their CEO and he said "Diyane, now I truly believe in BIM. Our BIM team finished their proposal for Iraq project in 2 days. It would take 2 weeks if I gave that job to the other teams working traditionally!"

So yes! We love Import Surveyors Data feature very much:)))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 6

2012-02-08T23:44:00.000-08:00

#6 - BIMx

September 22nd, 2011!

Jumeriah Zabeel Saray, The Palm Island, Dubai. BIM Seminar organized by BIMES!

The announcement of BIMx for iPad & iPhone took place during this event! We have introduced BIMx just for 15 Minutes before the break and provided the password of the Wifi!

Every single person in the conference who had iPhone, downloaded BIMx right there! They were playing with it like kids. Trying with the 3D glasses, asking us questions...

After the conference, all the "thank you" emails we received were talking about BIMx as well.

Especially in the Middle East, BIM is treated as some sort of "rocket science". Most people are scared of it's complexity.

I believe BIMx is the tool which made people more confident. They were able to "explore" the alien "BIM" within their palms.

I am also happy that there are other solutions in the market that are trying to bring BIM to the hands of non-experts. It's very good of them to try but of course our thanks goes to Graphisoft for actually achieving it:)

Have a great weekend,

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 7

2012-02-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

# 7 - MAC Support

Kuwait!

A small country in the Middle East! Around 3.6 million population. 1.16 million is local.

1.16 million people with a GDP of $130 billion!

Of course education is free and the quality is quite high.

I have met with several architect and engineers graduated from Kuwait University and I was quite impressed with their deep knowledge.

There are 2 things that surprised me about Kuwait.

1- Women in Business
Unlike other countries in the Middle East, women are very active in business. You would see huge holdings run by women. Even in construction industry! If you are having a meeting with the top management of any large consultant or contractor you will see ladies in key positions. This usually shocks European businessman who visits Kuwait with a prejudgement. These women are "Iron Ladies" in business! Very strong and very successful!

2- Love for Apple Products

You arrived at Kuwait!
You need to buy your visa!
You will go to the counter and the first thing you will see is iPhone of the officer on the desk. As per my experience white one is quite popular amongst the airport staff:)

Get your visa! Go to the city center!

Almost everyone uses iPhone! Unbelivable!

Last year, we conducted a workshop for a mixed team of architects, structural engineers and mechanical engineers.

Out of 12, only 10 were iPhone users.

We had a problem with the computers at the lab, so they brought their personal computers.

Half of them were MAC! This is quite a significant number! 10 years ago there were many people who never heard of it and now half of them are MAC users. The number is increasing everyday. Especially in Kuwait!

They were fascinated when they learned ArchiCAD runs natively on MAC!

I strongly believe this is a great differentiator for ArchiCAD. Why?

It gives you the freedom of selecting the OS system you want. This is very important. I know so many people who uses MAC at home but they have to use PC at work. I can tell you that they don't love it at all:)
More and more offices are switching to MAC these days and it will increase. If I were an MD, I would go for a BIM solution which has a mature MAC version. MDs do not like taking risks and being "beta testers".
ArchiCAD's beautiful interface looks much nices on MAC:))))

Feel free to add your reasons...
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 8

2012-02-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

#8 - Automatic Dimensioning

Good Old Automatic Dimensioning!

It's been around for ages but still it's the feature where we hear "WOW!" from the audience during the demos.

Not after section/elevation generation....
Not after bill of quantities...
Not after clash detection...

I think the reason is simple!

Every and each single construction professional hates dimensioning more than anything:)

Recently, I mentioned Dimension Add-on from Simple Add-ons for ArchiCAD. It basically places automatic dimensions on the sections/elevations. One of my long time dreams came true! :))

I am seriously wondering for how long I will continue hearing the same "WOW!" reaction...I think it will continue for quite a while... That's why good old automatic dimensioning made it's place to my Top 10 as #8.

Have a great day!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 9

2012-02-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

#9 is Image Fill!

Yes, seems like a tiny little feature but it makes your daily work a lot more easier.

Now, let's think what we would be doing if we didn't have image fills.

Sunday, first day of the week! You are already in Sunday depression.

You are drinking your coffee and preparing your "To Do" list for the day.

#1 - Prepare presentation for Koseoglu Villa

You feel like going back home. You remembered the last meeting with the client. She is a very fussy house wife and she is obsessed with the tiles. (This is my mom)

You modeled the villa with the tiles and presented it to her but she says she is feeling dizzy while navigating in the model and asked for floor plans like the one in the brochure she was holding.

Now, you need to export your plans to Photoshop and add the floor finishes room by room.

You are done!

Next item in the to do list!

Nooo! Not that easy!

You check your email and the client, the husband this time, informs you about the changes in the design!

Oups! You need to redo everything. Modify the model, export the plan to Photoshop and add the finishes!

Not nice, hey!

Thanks to Image Fills, you can do this within ArchiCAD without exporting to any other software!

If you want to see how see the video below!

Enjoy!
#8 will be announced tomorrow!
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Diyane's Top 10 ArchiCAD Features - # 10

2012-02-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

Why do we love ArchiCAD? I am sure you all have your own reasons!

And I have mine:))

In order to build the excitement we are starting from the last one:)))

10 - Curtain Wall Tool

With no doubt, ArchiCAD's Curtain Wall Tool is the most sophisticated curtain wall tool amongst all the BIM Software. I have heard this statement from "implementation specialists" of other vendors too.
Why ArchiCAD's Curtain Wall is the best?

Custom Caps and Frames!

The ability to create custom components even for caps and frames! This feature impresses all the BIM Gurus regardless of their favorite software.

Flexibility!

When Graphisoft released ArchiCAD 12 and introduced Curtain Wall, the product designer created a small mountain house using only this tool. Walls, roofs, railings... Basically everything was made of curtain wall. (Dont' get me wrong! I am not saying forget all the other tools and use curtain wall only:)) I look for some pictures of it but unfortunately no chance this time.

There is a nice article on AECbytes which I enjoyed reading. Curtain wall is used to model decking!

Free Rotate in 3D!

Curtain wall is the first tool which Graphisoft introduced the new "Free Rotate" command in 3D. As you remember the first seeds of free form modeling was sown with ArchiCAD 10, introduction of Complex Profiles. Free Rotate development was a continuation of "give designers more freedom" movement and I really appreciate it:))

Perfect Coordination between Model and Documentation

I saw many free form curtain wall models done with other softwares. They look all pretty from a distance but when you go into details... OMG! The joints are not correct, surfaces explodes in certain parts! You basically can not generate proper documentation out of it!

In ArchiCAD, you would not experience this!

#9 will be announced tomorrow!
PS: Feel free to share your Top 10 :)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Should quantity surveyors fear BIM?

2012-02-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

Should quantity surveyors fear BIM?

They definitely do fear BIM but the questions is should they?

No, not at all!

I have been planning to write a post about this for quite a long time but always something else was poping up.

Until today:) I saw this as a discussion topic on LinkedIn.

As you know, I do not like reading long and boring stuff. I quickly skim the text and if it is really something to spend my time and energy I would read it carefully then.

And, the first comment on the discussion just stroke me!

Wow! If I was gonna write the blog post, it would be within the same lines with Gary Bowen's comment. (His English is better than me tough :))

Here comes his comment that I 100% agree:

"Quantity Surveyors "fearing BIM" is becoming an increasingly common statement to make, as the initial reaction to BIM is usually that the QS's job is threatened with automatic takeoff processes. But in practice, this is clearly not the case. A fundamental aspect which is rarely covered by those who bring up this, is, 'Where can the QS provide value for developers on BIM projects?'

Very few QS's provide value by quickly rattling off the automatically generated volume of concrete below grade for example. Whether it's a BIM or traditional project, the key deliverable of a QS does not change - therefore there is no need to fear BIM as no change in a process will replace that deliverable.

Even if the QS is provided with a full breakdown of quantities in the model, in practice, these are rarely in the format required for pricing. After formatting assemblies and schedules into standardized pricing formats like materformat or uniformat etc, only one stage has been achieved. I.e. Only the model has been measured and priced. This is not the required task a QS should focus on... A QS should provide value by pricing the 'project' and not the 'model' - i.e. what elements of the model are missing, how much risk should be applied, is the building an efficient shape, are life-cycle costing options a high importance on this project, is the cost plan amount expected to be the final construction cost etc etc. By reducing the time taken to compute the quantities, the QS can then focus on more billable hours by providing these services. Providing value for a facility will never be replaced by others automatically generating quantities.

Perhaps fearing the initial investment in upgrading computers & software to handle models may be a 'fear' for small-medium companies, but I assume your question refers to general implementation and processes. In short, people should embrace the new opportunities and look forward to overcoming some of the road-bumps on the way."

I hope you enjoyed it too!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Learn ArchiCAD during March, 2012

2012-02-01T03:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Although I have recommended self-studying on this blog earlier, we have received quite a lot of applications for a classroom training.

It seems like nothing supersedes the face-to-face experience when it comes to learning.

So yes, we organized a new training session!

ArchiCAD 15 Essentials Training will take place in Canadian University of Dubai on the 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25 March 2012. It consists of 7 evening classes and total cost is 3500 AED. For more information on the course content please click here.

The training will be conducted by Jothi whom you know from the famous technical videos such as Shell Tool in Action and ArchiCAD TeamWork Project Restore from Backups on a Different Computer.

He is one of the best ArchiCAD trainers I have ever seen. Very patient and he explains even the most complex commands in the simplest possible way. I am sure you will agree with me after the training:)

Upon completion of training you will receive Graphisoft Training Certificate which is internationally accepted. Great value for your profile.

By the end of the training, you will be able to understand the overall workflow of ArchiCAD. If I need to speak with facts, you should be able to get a result over 50 on ArchiCAD Competency Challenge.

Of course, this training will not make you an ArchiCAD guru.

It requires some more training and also some hands-on practice on a real project.

If you are interested you can register online directly from here.

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Some advise for BIM Managers of Contractors

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

In Turkish we have a saying "Where logic ends, military service begins."

I always remember this sentence when I am dealing with contractors so that I will not waste my time trying to understand what they are actually trying to do:))

Especially when it comes to BIM Implementation Plans of contractors. I have so many friends who are working as BIM Managers and their main task is to implement a "BIM Process" to the contractor's organization.

They feel like they are the "Don Quixote" of the organization fighting against the giants (windmills actually).

After 8 years experience in the industry, my current opinion is any kind of process change can not be applied to the overall organization of a contractor in one go. Especially BIM!

Contractors thinks and acts "Project Based"not as an overall company. The minds of the engineers and project managers are also set to their own project's success. Nothing more nothing less!

Yes, if they make long term plans the implementation will be faster, more efficient and less costly as well but who cares:)

So as a BIM Manager do not be Don Quixote and try to beat the giant over a night. Think like a contractor. Focus on a single project.

Take it slow and prepare your implementation plan on based on a pilot project only.

Do internal marketing!

Share your project success with other project teams!

Show your output! Explain your working methods!

Show your quantities to the QS team and let them compare with theirs! (Do not worry! I have not seen a single case where the manual quantities were more accurate:))

Prepare the minds of your next project's team with the BIM idea!

One project at a time! No need to rush for the success!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Backup your BIM Server in one go!

2012-01-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everyone!

Today's post is again about ArchiCAD and BIM Server and how to backup it in one go.

This time it is a pre-disaster planning rather than a post-disaster planning scenario:)

Jothi explains how to back up your complete BIM Server (including all the projects, users, access right etc) in one go. You can use this method when you are moving the BIM Server from one computer to another or just changing the location.

I hope you will enjoy it:)

Diyane Koseoglu
Jothi Shanmugam
www.bimes.com

Where are the BIMers of the Middle East?

2012-01-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

My new hobby is to check the "stats" page of our blog. I am checking it out almost every 2 hours as long as I have internet access.

I am like a kid at the moment. Every new hit is making me so happy that you can not even imagine:)

Last week, when I was checking the "Audience" part I was shocked!

In the Top 10, there is no single country from Middle East.

Let me give you the list of top 10 countries of last week:)

This reminds me the BuildingSmart's "BIM in the Middle East 2011" survey.

In that report, United States was the first country in terms of number of BIM users and it was followed by Western Europe.

Tough I am no longer sure about the "25%" of GCC:)) If this number is correct then where are you guys? May be the BIMers in the Middle East do not really enjoy reading:))

Just kidding! Our earlier posts such as BIM vs Outlook, BIM for Kids and Shell Tool in Action were very popular in the Middle East and North Africa as well.

Anyway, thank you very much for following our blog! Every and each member of BIMES team is very very pleased seeing that our efforts on this blog is really appreciated by the BIM community all over the world:)

Have a great day!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Do you want objective information on BIM?

2012-01-26T01:26:00.001-08:00

The last time i read a book about my profession was in 2007 and it was for my thesis!Since then I have been more into internet search! But i was not happy with it at all! Yes, internet is an limitless ocean of information but majority of them is not reliable.Most of the time, I read the online articles, blogs etc with a "Sherlock Holmes" look on my face! "Is this information correct or are they trying to manipulate me" is the question which is flying in my head while scrolling.Last week, I received a book called BIM Handbook. The writers are quite well known in the BIM industry?Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks and Kathleen Liston.Well, I have to congratulate the writers for the pure language they used and also being quite objective!Although the BIM topic is not the most entertaining topic, the book is still flowing easily! For the first time after long years, I am not feeling being manipulated by the things i am reading!If you are new to BIM and looking for objective information thisnis the book I would recommend!Here comes a more detailed review about ithttp://www.aecbytes.com/review/2008/BIMHandbook.htmlHave a great weekend!Diyane Koseogluwww.bimes.com

Can "Priority" settings in ArchiCAD make you 32 times faster than other BIM Tools?

2012-01-25T02:06:00.000-08:00

Model based quantites!

New starter to BIM usually believes that if you have a model you can extract accurate quantities out of it.

But not always! Accuracy depends on the method of modelling.

For instance, designers/consultants models the columns from slab top to slab bottom so the model is also suitable for analysis software.

However, contractors prefers modeling from slab top to slab top due to the quantity surveying standards in the Middle East.

If you want accurate quantities from your model you should develop a "Modeling Guide for QS".

When you start preparing the standards, things will get more and more complicated as soon as the other construction elements such as walls, beams etc comes into the game.

However with the right priority seetings in ArchiCAD, you can manage to get accurate quantities without worrying to much about the modeling method.

This was the main reason that our BIM Service Team selected ArchiCAD as the main BIM Modeling Tool.

During our evaluation we noticed that due to the unavailability of "priority" settings in other BIM Tools, you have to find workarounds by clumsier modeling methods which increases your modeling time 32 times compared to ArchiCAD.

We did our tests on a very simple model. (See below image)

If you set the priorities right, ArchiCAD will deduct the overlapping quantities such as column&wall or beam&beam intersections. However in other BIM Tools we have tested, you have to create individual walls in between columns since there is no other practical way of deducting the quantities.

Yes, ArchiCAD increases our BIM Service Team's productivity so our boss is in love with ArchiCAD:)))

SO WE ARE:)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Is BIM Getting out of Control?

2012-01-24T00:46:00.000-08:00

"In your opinion, what do you think is the best performing 3D design software package on the market, in order to undertake quality 3D modelling on a BIM project?"

The above is the title of a poll in LinkedIn.

When I see things like this, I feel the word "BIM" is getting out of control.

Not sure since when SketchUp is accepted as a BIM Solution?

People seems to forget about the "I" and focuses on "B" and "M".

Image via CrunchBase

But then look at the VICO software which I totally respect the way it brings new dimensions to BIM. I always believed that VICO is the right BIM solution for contractors, project managers, cost planners and I definitely find it very smart that they do not have modeling tool but they import models from almost any BIM tool.

Image via VBH

Now, here comes the confusion for me.

VICO can import SkecthUp models and add 4D and 5D BIM to it basically.

So you can convert a 3D BM to 4D & 5D B"I"M.

Would I do that?

Probably not:)) But it is good to have the option:))

PS: I guess you all know which one I voted for:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com
https://twitter.com/#!/BIMESmarketing

Save $$$ even before starting with BIM

2012-01-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Well, as we all know world's economy is not having it's best years!

Especially the smaller companies are suffering a lot!

During the recession in 2008-2009, large companies shrunk to half of their actual size. Sometimes even more. But the smaller companies did not have the room for shrinking! Shrinking meant closing for many of them!

So how can a small company can survive these tough days!

We all know BIM increases productivity, quality of the output etc. I am not going to talk about these well known facts!

How BIM can make your small business survive these days is by "differentiating" your company from the competition!

Now assume that you are having your meeting with the client!

You can be sure that all your competitors are showing him pretty pictures of their projects.

So you have to differentiate yourself but how?

Use BIM as a supporting sales feature for your company.

- Your company uses the latest technology (BIM) which means you will deliver him the highest quality project. This will built trust.

- Give him a BIMx model that he can explore on his iPad or iPhone. He will be so impressed with you!

- Make a quick enery analysis with EcoDesigner and show him how much you are saving on his running costs by adding those shaders.

This list can continue depending on your creativity:)

Oupss!

I can almost hear you saying "I am telling you that I am suffering financially and you are telling me make huge investments to survive"

No! Not at all!

If you are a small practice, start with a small investment as well!

Instead of getting a full featured BIM software such as ArchiCAD 15 begin with ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition!

It is a tailored solution for small companies. It does not have all the functions that a large office would need (such as BIM Server and Teamwork) but it does cover all the essentials of small ones.

Then, In the future, when the financial situation improves and your business grows you can upgrade it to the ArchiCAD full version!

Do not pay for training!

Internet is full of free content! Just download the Interactive Training Guides from Graphisoft's website and spend around 20-30 hours and you should be up and running!

Dont miss the opportunity to develop your business! In 5 years time BIM will no longer be a differentiator!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Very Big Problem!

2012-01-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

I returned from my meeting and while saying hi to everyone I noticed the strange look on Jothi's face.

DK:
"Jothi, is everything OK?"

JS:
"No! Big problem, Diyane, very big problem!"

Oupps! Jothi is normally a very calm person and this was the first time I heard such a sentence from him.

He said our biggest client in the UAE moved their office and IT guys deleted the former user account and created a new one but they forgot to backup the BIM Server. Instead they copied some files which the BIM Server does not have access!

Yes, definitely a BIG problem!

I can freak out with small things such as being late for a meeting but when it comes to really BIG stuff I am usually very very calm.

As you can imagine this time, I was very calm as well:))

I calmly said "Don't worry Jothi! I am sure there is a way to access to those files. Please explain me exaclty what they have done."

This is usually the best way to solve a problem.

While summarizing the problem, he will either find a solution himself or somebody in the office will hear and come up with a genius solution:)

In our case it was both! Jothi solved half of it and Daniel helped with the remaining half.

All these happened last Thursday afternoon and every single person in the office was supposed to travel during the weekend and it would be only me and our office admin who would be left in the office.

Obviously it will be my "pleasure" to fix the problem on site since no one else is in town from the technical team:))

This means I have to learn all these tiny little tricks Daniel and Jothi has just discovered!

Aiaiai!

I took my notebook, sit next to Jothi and start listening!

Oh my god!

I didn't understand anything in the first run! This means many people will have the same experience!

"Jothi, let's make a favor to the ArchiCAD world. Record this as a tutorial please so that we can share. I am sure there will be people who would experience similar problems and this video will save their lives:)" I said.

Of course it saved me from taking pages of notes as well:)))

Here comes the video... I hope you will enjoy it.

PS: I visited our client's office on Saturday and fixed the problem with the help of this video:)) Thanks Jothi:))

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Contractors! Please do not fall into the same trap as I did!

2012-01-19T00:25:00.000-08:00

Contractors!

One of the strangest organization type in the world!

Especially in the Middle East contractors are gigantic organizations and their internal communication is quite weak!

You would assume a technology such as BIM, which brings clarity to the project and provides better communication would be immediately adopted by contractors.

No! Not at all!

Contractors are usually the latest adopters of any kind of technology. They do not "like" the word "change" at all.

Another thing that I have noticed about contractors is, they prefer micro management to macro management.

Everyone is interested purely on the benefits that BIM can bring to their own project or department. No more no less! They do not care about looking at the big picture!

Let me give you a solid example.

Think about a room of contractors. 100 - 120 attendees listening a 2 days conference on BIM!

They watch presentations about BIM usage for each phase of the project... from design to facilities management...

Guess what is the most popular question at the end?

"CAN WE HAVE ONLY 4D BIM?"

Well, in order to have 4D you need to have 3D model. Once you have the 3D model you can easily go for 5D.

Wouldn't it be wiser to look at the whole picture and see what BIM can bring to the whole life cycle of the project?

"No, I am only interested in 4D"

Well, what to reply to this now?

This reminds me of myself during Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).

Last year, we decided to buy a TV during DSF. I am not much of a TV watcher actually so I was not very interested in specs. What attracted me was the gifts they were giving with the TV.

One offer was 15% voucher! Yihuuu! I can buy whatever I want:) 300 packs of brownie for instance:))

The other was free PlayStation with Move! Yihuuu! It's really fun!

Another offer was 3D Glasses! Yihuuu! I can watch Nemo in 3D:)) Can I conect it to my computer and view BIMx Models in 3D??

All these toughts were going through my mind and then I noticed that I wasn't focusing on the actual item we are trying to buy for the family but focusing on the item that I would enjoy:))

Very selfish of me:)

Contractors! Please do not fall into the same trap as I did! Remember BIM is a process which can benefit all phases of the project, and not just your project but the whole company!

PS: For the curious ones, we bought the one which gave 15% voucher but I did not buy brownie with all of it:)))

Have a great weekend!
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Hiring the right people for your BIM Team!

2012-01-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

There is a very popular topic in linked in.

ArchiCAD vs Revit

701 comments so far and it is increasing every day.

At the beginning it was quite interesting.
But after a couple of weeks I lost interest.

The main reason was comments were basically repeating the same things with different words.

(some comments were too long and boring as well.)

A couple of days ago, I saw few interesting comments and returned back to the popular, old topic.

People were discussing the availability of architects/engineers with the knowledge of a specific software is a criteria for selecting BIM software to use.

Well, if a company hires me just because of the software skills I have, I would be quite offended and probably would not accept the job.

I think an architect or an engineer should be more than the software s/he uses.

Last year, we provided an HR consultancy service for a medium size contractor. Our responsibility was to test the applicant's ArchiCAD BIM skills.

We have interviewed around 10 persons and some of them were quite good actually. We wrote our reports and send with the actual test results?

Guess what happened?

They did not hire any of them. They hired an architect with 0 BIM knowledge!

Yes, he did not know anything about BIM but he was smart, experienced and a very good architect.

I think this was the right decision.

We trained their new architect for 10 days and applied the same test and his result was the highest so far.

So, be smart! Select the best BIM Software based on your company needs and hire good people!

Success will be inevitable!

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com
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Simple Addons for ArchiCAD

2012-01-16T22:56:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Today has been a busy day for all BIMES team.

Almost everyone was travelling for different projects but at the end of the day we all met in the hotel.

After a long time I had the opportunity to meet with my colleague Fady Londy from our Cairo office. I am calling this as "opportunity" because this guy has amazing knowledge and experience about BIM solutions, especially with ArchiCAD!

Whenever I meet with him, i always gain something:) Nice renders for my presentations, cool BIMx models etc. this time it was very valuable information.

Just after we had dinner, while I was trying to keep my eyes open (I woke up at 4:30am)he opened his laptop and came next to me. When I looked at him i recognized that smile:) it was " i have something amazing" smile!

And he showed me this beatufil set of add-ons that i have not heard before.
http://simpleaddon.com/

Placing dimensioning on sections & elevations automatically, adjusting the elements' height when changing the story height were the main features that left my mouth open!

When i see these beatufil pieces of addons i cant stop thinking why Graphisoft does not acquire these and make it available within ArchiCAD? That would make our wishlist shorter:)))

PS: This post was written yesterday but when i was about to complete it and publish i noticed that i am about to miss my flight:)
Diyane Koseoglu
Www.bimes.com

Shell Tool in Action!

2012-01-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Middle East!

Where the dreams of Architects come true!

The tallest, the most slanted, the biggest, the most luxurious, the most sustainable buildings... They all come true in this part of the world!

Our clients... They looove free form designs... My colleague Jothi receives a lot of questions about the new Shell Tool.

We wanted to share one of the recent ones.

This is one of the facade elements that our client designed by using ArchiCAD Shell Tool. At this stage I can not tell / show you more about the rest of the project but we will publish the case study soon. As you know we need to get approvals etc.

Anyway, our client modeled it but since they were still in the design process

- sketch...
- model...
- nope... let's change here a bit more....
- modify..
- seems ok...
- not really... let's change here...
...
...

They ended up with so many operations and the result element was basically freezing even their super computers.

By the time, we received the model the design was final. So Jothi just made a "reverse engineering" and modeled the same geometry by using the same "Shell Tool" and operations. The result is a lot more lighter tough since he worked a bit more cleaner...

For the curious ones, here you have a video showing how to model it in a few steps.

Enjoy!
PS: The video is uploaded to YouTube but YouTube is being a bit nasty today. Although it has been more than 8 hours it is still not listed in the searches. Anyway, here comes the YouTube link!

Diyane Koseoglu
Jothi Shanmugam
www.bimes.com

Do you have "Build" command instead of "Print"?

2012-01-12T03:23:00.000-08:00

This is the joke we usually hear from senior architects / engineers when they first meet with Building Information Modeling (BIM).

The first time I heard it, I just thought it is just a good joke (I even stole it:).

But when I heard it a couple of more times, I noticed the important "fact" lying beneath the joke.

Changing from 2D to BIM was as drastic as having a "build" command instead of "print" for these senior architects and engineers.

No wonder why people are scared of changing:)

Is the change really that drastic?

I do not think so!

I believe it is basically going back to basics. Documenting a 3D Building in a 2D environment sounded always strange to me. Even from the very beginning...

During my architectural education, the first thing we learned was 2D CAD software which did not make any sense to me even at that time. Memorizing strange commands and shortcuts in order to present my design thoughts did not help developing my creativity at all :)

It actually reminded me my first interaction with computers.

I was 8 or 9 years old when my dad bought my first computer and it was on MSDOS. I had a instructor coming every evening teaching me some strange combination of letters to execute the simplest command. Anyway, since I was a good kid and proud of my computer I memorized all those commands but hated using computer.

Some years later, my computer was upgraded and MSDOS was no longer there. At the begining I felt clumsy since it was all new to me but I learned quick since the way it worked was logical. If I want to delete something I was dropping it to "trash bin" :) No need for complex commands. It was intuitive.

I think the same applies to BIM.

BIM softwares are much more intuitive than 2D CAD. You work with real construction elements not dummy lines and fills. These elements act virtually the same way they would act in real life.

If it can not be modeled easily, it can not be built easily too. That simple!

What else can an architect or engineer want :) ?

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

ArchiCAD BIM for Kids

2012-01-11T01:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read right!

Believe me or not but I have met 3 kids in Dubai who is trying to learn ArchiCAD BIM.

World of Contradictions!

We are trying to promote BIM to the construction professionals and they are very very resistant to change yet with no effort there are kids willing to learn.

Let me tell you how I met with these kids.

I received an email asking how to get ArchiCAD and directed him to www.myarchicad.com
Then I received few more emails asking about some technical questions.

I thought giving a call would be a lot easier than writing a long email so we started talking. The email signature belonged to one of our clients but I didn't know the person. Finally I suggested him to talk with the department which has ArchiCAD Licenses than the shocking part came.

He said "Look, I am just 12 years old and it was my father's contact details. I don't know the people in that department."

3 seconds silence...

Than I got out of the shock and asked him what is he going to do with ArchiCAD.

His reply left me speechless:

"I want to be an architect in the future. I tried some software but I found that ArchiCAD is the easiest amongst them. I want to learn more about it."

Wow! Wow! Wow! This kid is planning his career at the age of 12 and developing his skills accordingly.

I was extremely impressed they way he explained his dreams and the way he spoke.

Construction industry definitely needs these kind of kids to graduate and start their careers ASAP :)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

Is face-to-face training really required for learning BIM Software?

2012-01-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Lately we are receiving a lot of requests for ArchiCAD and VICO trainings due to the increasing popularity of the BIM in the Middle East region.

Face-to-Face training requests from companies is understandable for me since they usually have special requirements and a tailored training suits them more. Plus their needs are more on the "process" rather than the actual tool in most of the cases.

However when it comes to individuals, I am not sure if face-to-face trainings of ArchiCAD and VICO is really needed. Both softwares have already enormous amount of Interactive Training Guides on their websites.

Even in our company, if a new team member has lack of knowledge on ArchiCAD Collaboration, we do not conduct a training for him. We just give him the link to the ArchiCAD Collaboration Interactive Training Guides (ITG).

Both ArchiCAD and VICO ITGs are very user friendly (we can even call them as idiot proof) and efficient. For instance, someone who is totally new to ArchiCAD can learn the essentials of the workflow with in 8 hours. ITG will be take you through the core design, design-development and documentation concepts and techniques of ArchiCAD and by the end of 8 hours you will have a completed 10.000 m2 office building project:)

You can download ArchiCAD Essentials ITG from here.

VICO has similar videos specifically targeting Cost Planners and Schedule Planners.

You can download the VICO Training Videos from here.

So, everything is available on the net for FREE! Self-study them and keep your skills up-to-date with market requirements.

Enjoy!
Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

How to reserve my previous elements after re-joining to BIM project?

2012-01-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Today we have an ArchiCAD Tip for BIM Server users.

In the Middle East, the size of the projects are not comparable with the rest of the world. 40-50 thousand m2 projects are quite common and part of our lives.

This makes the use of BIM Server extremely crucial and majority of our clients are using it actively in all their projects.

Of course we are receiving a lot of questions on how to use BIM Server in a more efficient way.

Today's tip is the answer to the most common question.

Q:
"Once I leave the teamwork project, all my elements are released automatically. When I re-join to the project, how to reserve my previous elements?"

A:
"It's time to learn "Selections" palette:)

Our implementation specialist created a 2 minutes video explaining this.
Enjoy...

Diyane Koseoglu
Jothi Shanmugam
www.bimes.com

BIM vs Outlook

2012-01-05T02:52:00.000-08:00

Many people are asking me about BIM Business in the region.

People are definitely enjoying talking about BIM, attending BIM seminars, reading case studies etc but when it comes to action...Hmmm...

UAE BIM Seminar, 22 September 2011, by BIMES

Organizations are too slow in making any kind of decision. Once I met with an IT Manager working for a consultancy and he told me that he had been working on implementing "Outlook" in his company for the last 6 months.

First I thought he was joking and packed out laughing. But then I noticed he is serious and this was even funnier than a joke:)))

At this stage i made a calculation based on my learning curve...

I learned Outlook probably in 10 minutes and I learned ArchiCAD in 40 hours.

If this company implements Outlook in 6 months then it will take them to implement any BIM software in 120 years:)))) In 2132, they will be BIM users..Maybe :)))

Ok! Enough of empty talk.... Let's be serious again.

Of course the example above was an extreme case maybe with some exaggeration. Though I have witnessed extreme cases on the opposite side as well.

Two companies started implementation of ArchiCAD just one day after our meeting:) I love this kind of people:)

How about the majority?

Well, once the decision of switching to BIM is made by the management it usually takes 1-2 years to investigate the software available in the market.Then another year to implement it.

As you see, it is very very slow but promising:)

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

BIM Implementation and a Manager's Role

2012-01-04T04:32:00.000-08:00

You are a manager in a professional organization in the Construction Industry...
You are investigating the latest trends to maintain your organization's competitiveness in the market...
You have attended some BIM seminars and conferences and you are fully convinced that BIM is the right way to go...

You and your team scrutinised the software market and selected the tools you believe best match your BIM delivery needs and made the purchase...
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

So far, the story is a common case in the transition of organizations to BIM. However the success of the implementation, highly depends on the Management's attitude starting from this point.

The managers should be aware of the "resistance" against change from the team. You can see this as an opportunity to develop your team and organization but most of them will perceive this as a disturbance. They have been using the same software and process for ages and they are comfortable with it. They feel like it's part of their body. But now you "dare" to change it, you dare to push them out of their comfort zone. So be ready for this!

What is the solution? Have a "serious" meeting with your team prior to the start of BIM Implementation and give them the following messages:

BIM is the future for our organization
There is no going back to traditional system
If you succeed in building the future of our organization, you will be the star of the company

I witnessed team members studying the software and developing the process even during their free time and every implementation started with such a meeting has a very high probability to suceed. At the end of the day, it is "people" who creates the success not "software".

OK! You had a successful meeting with the team and they are highly motivated. Is this enough? Of course NO!

Now, your team is adopting to new tools and new process. They feel like they are fresh graduates. They are very stressed and this might lead them to failure.

What is the solution?
Get professional help. Find a company who can provide you with resident implementation specialists to train your team and assist them during the project. I would recommend you to start with a 1-month contract and extend if needed.

Here, working with a company who can provide BIM Services as well as BIM implementation can be a life-saver because your team will not be very productive in the first weeks of implementation. This might causes delays in your projects. It would be wise to have a back up and keep the option of getting the model done by professionals while your team is developing their skills. This is a costly solution but our clients prefers it if the project quite complex and has tight schedule.

Strengthening your team with experienced users will also make the transition period tough finding a good engineer with BIM experience is as difficult as finding diamonds. So good luck with it:)

If you add some "patience" flavour to the recipe above, you can have a very successful BIM Implementation.

Diyane Koseoglu
www.bimes.com

2012-01-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

We have recently completed a Case Study about BIM Implementation on Najaf Hospital. Our client is Eng. Adnan Saffarini Consultancy, who has recently been ranked as the 3rd largest Architectural Practice in the GCC.

The article was published on ArchiMAG magazine and created quite an impact:) I hope you will enjoy reading it as well:))

http://www.archimag.org/2011/12/05/najaf-hospital-in-iraq/

BIMES starts Blogging...

2011-12-31T05:26:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Eventually we created our blog where we can share

Case studies of our BIM Implementations and BIM Services
Tips and tricks
"How to" videos
Latest news about BIMES

I hope you will enjoy reading us:)
Diyane Koseoglu, on behalf of BIMES Team