eLearning – Upcoming Revit Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 

Upcoming classes include: 

3.5.13::Revit 201:
Revit Architectural Mode for MEP
3.12.13::Revit 201:
Revit Import Into 3ds Max

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

$200,000 Software to be Awarded in Ideate 2013 Higher Education Software Grants

San Francisco, CA, 02/27/2013 – Ideate, Inc. (ideateinc.com), a leading Autodesk® Authorized Developer for more than 25 years, today announced it has pledged to grant more than $200,000 worth of Ideate-developed software to higher education institutions in 2013. Up to (15) awards will be granted to those institutions that can best demonstrate their support of research, development, and/or educational programs related to Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its use in collaborative design, construction, and facilities or asset management. 

“Our commitment to our architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) customers’ needs inspires us to continually advance BIM technology. We are pleased that firms of all sizes are incorporating our Autodesk Revit® focused solutions into their workflows,” says Glynnis Patterson, Ideate Director of Software Development. “We are also aware of growing AEC industry demands for ever greater productivity and enhanced efficiencies. That is why we are instituting this grant program. Through grants, we can support college and university instructors who are educating AEC professionals to meet these expanding demands.” 

Grant recipients will be awarded the Ideate Software Education Package which includes a network license with (10) seats of Ideate BIMLink and (10) seats of Ideate Explorer for Revit as well as access to live online Revit training for the year through Ideate, Inc. eLearning for Autodesk Revit.

Ideate-developed software for the Autodesk Revit family of products allows users to manage and edit their BIM data with ease. Ideate BIMLink utilizes user-friendly Microsoft® Excel® for a wide variety of data management tasks that support vastly improved workflows. And Ideate Explorer for Revit empowers users to audit a 250 MB Revit model in less than one minute to keep it trouble-free. 

Interested higher education institutions should Apply Online. Schools that are currently participating in the Solar Decathlon 2013 are encouraged to apply. 

To be eligible, applicants must be employed at the institution and the institution must already be using Autodesk Revit software in its labs. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Winners will be announced Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at noon (GMT - 8:00). 

About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years’ experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and is an Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in the northwestern U.S., Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. 

Autodesk and ATC are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. 

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Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming weeks:

3.5-7::Sacramento
AutoCAD Fundamentals
3.6-8::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
3.11-12::Sacramento
Revit Beyond the Basics
3.13-15::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler for Interoperability – .IMX and .FBX Files

Here at Ideate, Inc., we often receive requests from customers for information on how they can take advantage of their current Autodesk Suite of products to make modeling and visualization easier. Is there anything that can incorporate GIS data for existing features? Is there a product that can use model data that we already have in Civil 3D or Revit to create rendered animations? 

The answer to those questions is: Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler. And the best part is, if you’re on subscription with the right Autodesk Suite of products, you can have it for free. Autodesk Building Design Suite Ultimate, and Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium and Ultimate editions include AIM. 

Introduced in 2011, Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler has the ability to quickly and easily generate a 3D model from existing GIS and other data sources. In most cases, GIS data in the form of SDF, SHP along with Raster Images are used to generate the base of the AIM Model. For proposed features like buildings, roads, and sitework, the 2013 releases of Revit Architecture and Civil 3D include built-in exporting tools that generate AIM compatible files. These files come in .FBX and .IMX formats and can be imported directly into an AIM project. 

In Revit Architecture, the Export command under the Application Icon (Purple “R” in the upper left corner) includes the FBX option that allows users to export the 3D View to a FBX file. In the FBX file, both the building model and the toposurface will be included. 

In Civil 3D, the Output tab → Export panel of the Ribbon includes an Export IMX icon for exporting Civil 3D objects to AIM compatible format. The IMX file contains data from Civil 3D objects in the drawing and can be used to re-create those objects in AIM. Alignments can be easily converted and stylized to display proposed roads, and surfaces can be exported and combined to display existing and developed conditions.

As of October 2012, an enhanced version of AIM was posted and available for download to Subscription customers. Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 R2 can be found on the main Subscription Benefits page after logging in to Subscription Center. AIM R2 has been enhanced with new tools for communicating and presenting proposed designs. 

NOTE: If you’re considering AIM R2, please note that the existing version of AIM needs to be uninstalled from your computer before you install AIM R2. 

Also included in the AIM R2 package is an iPad® compatible version called Autodesk 360 Infrastructure Modeler for Mobile and a web-based version called Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler for Web that works on 32-bit Internet Explorer. Here’s the Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 R2 info per Subscription Center: 

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 R2
Release Date: 2012-10-04 

Autodesk® Infrastructure Modeler 2013 R2 software delivers several enhancements to our Autodesk® Infrastructure Modeler 2013 desktop software and our Autodesk® 360 Infrastructure Modeler cloud service. With the extension, Autodesk® Subscription customers will gain new tools designed to help better communicate their designs and produce high quality, low-touch design presentations in addition to new publishing options. 

• Storytelling Tools Enables users to better convey the details of their designs to non-technical audiences with the ability to create camera paths, fly-through animations, and videos that include titles, captions, points of interest and storyboards without needing video editing software. 
• Rendering More Realistic Models Helps users produce higher quality renderings with new photorealism tools like progressive ray trace, more realistic sun/sky models, and high and low definition range output. 
• Open Standards Support – Enables user to access CityGML, the standard many municipal bureaus in Europe use to store city data. CityGML data may contain a whole city’s structure (including detailed 3D models), roads, pipes, and textures in different levels of detail. The inclusion of CityGML can greatly improve our user’s ability to incorporate detailed data into their designs that was previously unavailable. 
• Autodesk 360 Infrastructure Modeler for Mobile Now, infrastructure professionals can share their models as well as specific scenarios in a more secure cloud environment - via Autodesk® BIM 360™ cloud-based services- with public stakeholders who want the ease and convenience of using an iPad® mobile digital device. 
• Autodesk 360 Infrastructure Modeler for Web The new Web application enables interested parties who are not Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2013 users to view models and specific scenarios via a link using their Web browser, giving broader access to project proposals and more. 

We’ve also posted a short fly-through video or a proposed road made with the new Storytelling tools to our YouTube page. The existing ground model and roads were imported via IMX file from Civil 3D and the road used in the fly-through (including light posts, median and intersections) was created directly in AIM R2. The process of setting up the model to producing the recording took about 30 minutes. The quality of this video clip has been lowered so we could post it on the web (down to 3 MB). The original video produced by AIM R2 is just under 3 GB. 

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

Get it. Know it. Use it.

eLearning – Upcoming Revit Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education. 

Upcoming classes include: 

2.26.13::Revit 201:
Phasing A-Z
3.5.13::Revit 201:
Revit Architectural Mode for MEP
3.12.13::Revit 201:
Revit Import Into 3ds Max

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

Get It. Know It. Use It.

Get the Edge in 2013, Get Autodesk Certified!

Autodesk certifications are a reliable validation of your skills and knowledge. They can lead to accelerated professional development, improved productivity, and enhanced credibility in your field. 

Ideate, Inc. is an Authorized Certification Center (ACC) offering Autodesk Certified User exams for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D and Revit Architecture. 

In 2013 Ideate will be sponsoring three (3) Autodesk Certification days: March 29th, June 28th and September 27th at our Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and San Jose offices. 

You can purchase your exam(s) online at: http://ideateinc.com/educate/certification.html

*No same day retakes. Ideate is not responsible for exam score.* 

For more information email education@ideateinc.com or call 888.662.7238 x1012.

Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming weeks:

2.25::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Families
3.5-7::Sacramento
AutoCAD Fundamentals
3.11-12::Sacramento
Revit Beyond the Basics
3.13-15::San Francisco
AutoCAD Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

Free the Walls – Publishing Unconnected Wall Height Data with Ideate BIMLink

It’s hard to do a detailed analysis or cost estimate if you don’t know the height of the walls in your Autodesk Revit project. Ideate BIMLink exposes this information as well as other hard to access wall data such as phase, design option, orientation, and location data (XYZ). Many of our VDC customers take this data and move it forward, but of course it can also be pushed back into Revit for use in tags or schedules, if needed. This video shows the simple process of extracting all of the wall height data and then pushing it back into a project parameter so that it can be displayed in a schedule.



While the technique shown here relates to the unconnected wall height values, this same procedure is being used by many Ideate BIMLink customers to push other kinds of data into schedules or tags. Managing occupancy data is another very similar workflow that can also be used to save time and improve accuracy.

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Glynnis Patterson is a registered architect and the Director of Software Development at Ideate, Inc. In a previous life Glynnis spent many hours looking at blueprints with a scale, highlighters, and a scratch pad to develop detailed cost estimates.

Classroom Training – Open Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming weeks:

2.25::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Families
2.26-27::Sacramento
AutoCAD Beyond the Basics

Know your software. Sign up now!

Classroom Training – Open Revit Classes

Know It. Ideate Training.

Position yourself to land dream projects. Tap the full potential of your software solutions. Increase your facility, fluidity and capability to maximize the value of your precision software tools.

Here are a few of the training opportunities Ideate has to offer in the coming weeks:

2.6-8::Portland
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.11-13::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Fundamentals
2.25::Sacramento
Revit Architecture Families
2.25-27::San Jose
Revit MEP Electrical Fundamentals

Know your software. Sign up now!

Autodesk Exchange Apps!

In a recent class here at our Ideate Seattle office, one of our customers had requested a custom code that adds drawing tabs to their AutoCAD application. They had created this in the past to show drawing tabs at the top of the AutoCAD drawing window so their users would have an easier time switching from file to file with multiple drawings open.
 
What many AutoCAD users may not know, or simply may not have taken advantage of, is that the Autodesk Exchange site (built-in to AutoCAD programs) has both free and paid Apps for many of the features that users have been requesting. These add-ons are not part of the out-of-box applications, but can be easily installed onto existing products on your workstation.
 
One of these features just happens to be Drawing Tabs. 
 
Here are a few more Apps that may be of interest:

SketchUp Import (.SKP) Files
 
QR Codes (Converts text to a QR code in your drawing)
 
Screenshots (Adds a plug-in to take quick and easy screenshots of your drawing file)

DWG Compare (compares two versions of a file to display differences in the drawing area)

If you’ve never used Autodesk Exchange you can sign-in directly through the application using the blue and grey “X” in the upper right. Once you’re logged in, pick a product and you’ll be able to search through the available apps. The price ranges depend on who created the App and what it can do. Many of them are free, including the five mentioned above.

Sign-in directly from AutoCAD and other Autodesk Products

Autodesk Exchange also includes Apps for additional Autodesk products. In fact, we at Ideate have two of our own programs available through Autodesk Exchange. If you’re a Revit user, look for Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Explorer for Revit.  

If you’re considering some custom code to add a feature or function to your application, check out the Autodesk Exchange site first. Chances are there may be someone out there who’s already done the work for you!

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

Get it. Know it. Use it.