| NEWS | DESIGN | BUILDING | DESIGN TOOLS | ENVIRONMENT | BUILDING CULTURE |
| TOOLS | ||
|
|
A/E/C SYSTEMS Going to Chicago | |
|
|
Basics - Rendering the 3D Model | |
|
A/E/C SYSTEMS Going to Chicago by B.J. Novitski Next week in Chicago the A/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 Exhibition and Conference will once again bring together the leaders of digital technology in the architecture/ engineering/ construction industry. Thousands of design and construction professionals will gather June 18-21 at McCormick Place, Lakeside Center for this annual event. The exhibit hall will showcase innovations in project collaboration, e-procurement, financial management, cost estimating, specification writing, document management, facility management, wireless communication and more. Some examples of the leading computer-aided design systems, illustrated here: Autodesk Inc. will introduce Architectural Studio, designed to resemble a traditional designer's desktop. The new software is a multimedia environment with a simple, understandable tool palette and easily manipulated views of related drawings, documents, and data. Graphisoft will show the new ArchiCAD 7.0 and Project Xchange for Web-based design collaboration and project workflow management. These tools support review and markup through a Web browser, even for users not equipped with the originating CAD system. Bentley Systems Incorporated will demonstrate MicroStation V8, Architecture for Triforma, and the Viecon information management technology. MicroStation V8's updated DGN file format, a superset of DWG and the previous DGN format, will enable data to be shared between disparate systems without the need for translation. Revit Technology Corporation will display the latest release of their parametric building modeler. Revit 3.1 offers hundreds of new features including "4D components" that can be associated with construction phases, collaboration worksets that extend multi-user functionality, and new content in Revit's on-line library. Besides these and other CAD systems, we'll get another look at the state of the art in project extranet technology. After peaking last year at too many companies for anyone to keep track of, the project collaboration industry is settling down — through mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies — to a relatively few remaining leaders. Four days of seminars, ranging from beginning levels to advanced, will offer educational opportunities in such subject areas as computer imaging, project collaboration, and practice issues. Hands-on workshops will introduce users to CAD and project management systems. "A Day in the Life of a Project" demonstrations staged throughout the several days of the show will dramatize communication and collaboration between owners, architects, project managers, and clients. "Women in the AEC Industry," an educational forum, will provide an opportunity to discuss gender issues in the profession and to share information on recruiting and retention. The "U.S. National CAD Standard Implementers Workshop" will discuss practical ideas for making the transition to the new CAD standard. And dozens of other special-interest programs and user group meetings will take place in Chicago next week. Come to the Show and see for yourself! A/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 is produced by Penton Media, a global business-to-business media company. For more information and to register for A/E/C SYSTEMS 2001, visit the show Web site or call: 800-451-1196. B.J. Novitski is managing editor of ArchitectureWeek.
|
|
|
