(continued)

Daratech President Charles Foundyller, whose market research and technology assessment firm specializes in computer-aided design, engineering, and related applications, spoke about how the Web has "changed everything."

Foundyller cautioned AEC professionals to be alert — not only to new capabilities afforded by the Web — but also to how it changes the competitive advantage some firms may traditionally have held. Now, talented, geographically dispersed individuals can form virtual teams that can compete with firms that in the past have relied on in-house expertise. Clients are no longer automatically according that traditional expertise the same reverence.

"Remember," Foundyller concluded, "no one knows where this is going." He advised listeners to work actively to keep up with technology, to expect to change e-strategy, to grow incrementally, and to create a digital infrastructure.

Other keynote speakers included Manuel Nuñez, the governor of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico. He described an alliance with Bentley for data collection and suitability studies for a site for a potential new airport about 100 kilometers from Mexico City.

Explaining New Technologies...

Besides inspiration, another goal of the conference was to educate users about the company's new applications. As just one example, a series of workshops was offered on Viecon.com, Bentley's new project extranet service.

At a basic level, Viecon helps manage a design project workflow. This includes uploading files, creating and viewing a Viecon.plot, redlining a document, file check in/out, project scheduling, creating a WebEx meeting, participating in a real-time collaborative session, and using Viecon.com's security functionality.

At a more advanced level, Viecon.com, incorporates Web application but with controlled security constraints; directory-scale, drag-and-drop project management; object linking between any piece of content and any other; variable security settings; and browsable documents—ease of browsing on the surface, thorough security underneath.

... And Researching the Next Ones

Bentley Systems has been actively engaged in CAD research, both in house and through their support of university initiatives. Indeed, their new products are often the convergence of decades-old research traditions and the latest application development tools.

At the recent conference, Bentley's Director of Research, Robert Aish, led a half-day session in which researchers from universities and practice described their theoretical and applied work.

For example, Benachir Medjdoub, of the University of Cambridge, spoke about his system to automate the design of heating plant rooms in buildings, developed using Java MicroStation Development Language (JMDL). And Megan Yakeley, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke about her course that teaches computer programming as a vehicle for learning about engineering design processes.

Perhaps most intriguing is Aish's own research in the development of "CustomObjects." This work was inspired by the dilemma that designers without programming experience cannot fully exploit complex modeling capabilities, while programmers without design experience cannot provide a user interface that can fully empower and liberate the design imagination.

The solution, Aish concluded, is a visual programming language that designers can use as easily as other graphic tools because it's embedded in a geometric modeling and visualization framework. He calls this system "a cross between an advanced CAD geometric modeling system and a visual end-user programming environment." Like other leading edge ideas, it will probably be a while before such a system is (comfortably) in the hands of the most creative designers. But when it is, be looking for it and its proponents to be champions for future "Success Awards."

The excellence award for Transportation Design and Engineering went to Busby + Associates for the Brentwood Station Skytrain of the Millennium Line of the Rapid Transit Project in Vancouver. Busby + Associates The visualization award went to Moody/Nolan, Ltd. for the Worthington Recreation Center. Primarily used at night, the building is shown in night renderings to express how the building can glow and invite the community inside. Moody/Nolan, Ltd. CEO Greg Bentley spoke to the 2500 attendees about the conference theme of "Working Together." By adding project extranet capabilities to the core CAD applications, the company has helped make that ideal a working reality for many firms. Photo: Bentley Systems   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.