Batch Adding Shared Parameters to Revit Families

I’ve given several presentations now on the topic of Revit data management and in particular on the use of shared parameters and one of the consistent questions that I get is, “how can I push lots of parameters to Revit family files (.RFA)?” For those of you that are on Autodesk subscription, there’s a tool that does just that, though it’s a little difficult to find and navigate through. Here’s a recent link from Autodesk that mentions the tools, though surprisingly it omits this particular feature from the list.

After you locate and install the Revit Extensions you will find the tool hidden on the Extensions Tab under the Tools button. It’s called “Shared/Project Parameters” from the pull-down, but when it’s launched it will open a dialog that says “Shared Parameter Converter”. 

This image shows that I am asking the tool to read all of the .RFA files found within my “11 Specialty Equip” folder and that I am going to read particular parameters from my Shared Parameter file and push them into these families. The modified families will then be copied into a new folder called “Updated Specialty Equip” and the results of this work will be included in my “!test” folder as a log file.

The Shared Parameters Converter Dialog From
Revit Extensions (2014/2015)

In this example my goal is to transfer two new shared parameters into these families. The Configuration dialog looks like this: 

Shared Parameters Configuration Settings

To confirm that this worked, I then loaded all families into a single blank project file (.RVT). Revit supports multi-select for this process. You can also drag-drop from Windows.

Using a blank template file, load the modified families for review.

The results confirm the existence of these new parameters, but now I want to fill out the values. I can use Ideate BIMLink to complete this task. 

Editing the parameter values with Ideate BIMLink
and then importing back into the test file. 

Once the families are cleaned up, you can right-click from Family Browser to export them back to the desired folder location. 

Pushing multiple parameters to multiple Revit family files is a powerful function that is made possible by the Revit Extensions tool. Before you alter your families in this way you should be sure to consult with your BIM team and also to review whether the parameters truly need to be specified within the families themselves. You can read more on that topic, here: I ♥ Revit Parameters Part 1: Should It Be Shared?

About the Author

Glynnis Patterson, NCARB – Director of Software Development Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Software Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients worldwide, developing, and consulting on solutions to Building Information Modeling challenges. In her spare time Glynnis does volunteer work for eclcofnj.org and growitgreenmorristown.org. @GVPinNJ

Rapid Revit Implementation Fast-Tracks PYATOK to Win New Business

When Oakland based architectural firm PYATOK fast-tracked Autodesk Revit implementation, opportunities expanded in the firm’s chosen market:  multi-cultural communities and multi-housing with emphasis in affordable family and senior, college and university housing, and market-rate developments throughout the western US. 

The mid-sized firm first considered the advantages of Revit for reasons many larger firms express: highest quality presentation and visualization of architectural design, and improvement in the collective understanding of design intent. 

Harrison Street Senior Housing, Oakland, CA - Rendering by PYATOK

Since adopting and implementing Revit with Ideate, Inc. as its software solutions, support, and training source, PYATOK has realized increased productivity and is winning project after project where its BIM capabilities build ever-greater success. Curtis Caton, Principal, PYATOK says, “Fast track implementation started paying off right away.”

The Summits at UC Merced

PYATOK is using Revit for visualization and presentation, collaboration and coordination, interference resolution and clash detection, automation of traditional tasks, regulating project flow, and enhanced design quality.
The firm dove deep into Revit implementation with a HUD funded senior affordable housing project, Harrison Street Senior Housing.  

A student housing project, The Summits at UC Merced, quickly followed with fast deadlines and complex deliverables. PYATOK used Ideate Support and Training extensively to help meet demands for fast-paced projects that would benefit from having the 3D model. 

The Study in Success, “Rapid Revit Implementation Fast-Tracks PYATOK to Winning New Business,” covers an array of PYATOK projects from the firm’s earliest in the Revit implementation process to the most recent. The sampling reveals how PYATOK uses Revit to:

• overcome extreme timeline compression 
• respond to unforeseeable project demands and major programmatic changes
• surmount neighborhood pressures
• adapt quickly and resolve inconsistencies 
• diminish the risks of mistakes 
• reduce conflicts and changes during construction
• speed approvals processes 
• provide quality visualizations that assist all stakeholders
• turn the 3D model into an asset management tool

According to Matthew Bokar, Associate, Project Manager, PYATOK, “When the surrounding community and prospective residents can see what we envision, we gain buy-in and trust. We spark a new and important high level dialogue. Residents can talk about what may be happening in and around their community. We help develop vibrant, sustainable, inclusive communities. And we frame new windows of opportunity for winning more projects."

Ideate has published “Rapid Revit Implementation Fast-Tracks PYATOK to Winning New Business” online.

Truth + Being Right

For those of you Jack Nicholson movie buffs, we remember his speech in "A Few Good Men". For a refresher - click here. The memorable line is "You can't handle the truth!" 

WHY BEING RIGHT SUCKS 

We all have some issues with 'truth', especially when 'truth' is pointed at us. We seem to do better when 'truth' is aimed at others (spouse, kids, team members, etc.). 

• Why is that? We remember all the scoldings we got as kids, and it makes us feel bad. 
• We feel justified in our actions, so therefore we couldn't be wrong. 
• We need to lead, so leaders must not ever be wrong. 

Well, if you lead a team of any sort or type, it is deadly to be always right. Especially reminding the team that you were right is even worse. Then, on top of it all, you state that you being 'right' is some universal 'truth', that the team better understand and comply. 

What you get in the end of all this is animosity, reluctance, inaction, and other team crushing behavior. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO AS A LEADER?

First, there are no easy answers. I really believe we only learn when we fail, when we were not right - when sometime we didn't know the 'truth'. So, where is the balance? How can we assist in spreading the 'truth'? 

• It is now clear to me that you can't stop someone from making the mistake, no matter how much you try. They will learn best from their own mistakes; learning their own truths. 
• As a leader, be there to support and assist after the fall. Help clean up the mess. 
• Talk about what we 'wish we would have known before' the problem arose. 
• Let them come to their own conclusion. It will be a more powerful lesson.
• Express that you have made the same mistake. You will come off as more 'normal' and less like Jack Nicholson in the movie. 

However, you must, in my opinion, still teach, still counsel, still set team standards, and most of all you must set the example as a leader. Lead by example, by being a good team member also.

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech 

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This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]… 

eLearning - Upcoming Revit and Ideate Software Classes

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

7.30::Revit 201:
Working With Parts in Revit

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Ideate BIMLink for Revit MEP Projects

8.1::Revit 201:

Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit

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Roofs in Revit Architecture

8.7::Ideate Software:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink

8.8::Revit 201:
Scheduling 201

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

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Occupancy Tags and Macro Fun with Ideate BIMLink

After working hard for years and suffering through internships and hours of mind-numbing detailing tasks you deserve better than to spend time transcribing data from one column to another. And yet…if you are managing tag data for occupancy calculations, you are currently doing this, so stop right now. 

For years Ideate BIMLink has taken on the task of pushing calculated values into shared parameters (something Revit will not do). Now, we are making it easier.  See the video tutorial.

Area and Area Tags showing occupancy loads via Ideate BIMLink and an Excel Macro template.

Existing Ideate BIMLink customers can request the sample content shown in the above video which includes Room and Area Tags, Shared Parameters, and the macro-enabled Excel template. Send your request to support@ideatesoftware.com.

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About the Author

Glynnis Patterson, NCARB – Director of Software Development Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Software Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and consulting on solutions to Building Information Modeling challenges. In her spare time Glynnis does volunteer work for eclcofnj.org and growitgreenmorristown.org. @GVPinNJ

Bringing Back the Welcome Screen in Autodesk Recap / Recap Pro

While I was in Autodesk Recap the other day, I decided that it was time to unlock the Recap Pro version so that I can enable some additional features that I was interested in playing with. I closed down ReCap and re-opened it, only to discover that the Welcome screen was nowhere to be found. I searched all over the interface and could not find any way to bring the Welcome screen back. I finally uninstalled and reinstalled the software and viola, the welcome screen came back. I decided to close the Welcome screen again to see if it would reappear upon launch, however, once I re-opened Recap, the Welcome screen was gone. No way was I going to uninstall and reinstall the software again just to bring the Welcome screen back. Instead, I decided to do a little digging around in the Windows Registry to see if I could find the value for the Welcome screen and surely enough, I did! After setting a value called ForceDisplayWelcome from 0 to 1, the Welcome screen re-appeared. Reinstalling the software was no longer needed, which saved a lot of time and hassle.

Before I run you through the steps of re-enabling the Welcome screen in Recap, I wanted to advise you that you will be playing around in the Windows Registry. Editing the Windows registry can cause your system to become unstable, or worse, unbootable. With that said, editing the Windows registry is at your own risk. If you have never edited the Windows Registry or do not feel comfortable doing so, I highly recommend that you consult your systems administrator for assistance. A quick Google Search on backing up your registry is advised before your proceed with the following steps.

This is what the Recap Welcome screen looks like when you first launch it. As you can see, there is a button to unlock ReCap Pro.

This is what ReCap looks like after closing the Welcome screen. Unfortunately, finding a way to bring the Welcome screen back seems impossible. Until now…

In the Windows Registry Editor, search for the registry string called: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Autodesk ReCap\R1.0\FirstLaunchApplication. Double-Click on the Value called ForceDisplayWelcome.

After you double-click on the ForceDisplayWelcome value, change the Value Data to 1. This will force the Welcome screen to open up next time you launch Recap.

After you relaunch Recap, the welcome screen will reappear. However, once you close it, it will not appear next time you launch Recap. This is because Recap reset the registry value back to 0. You will have to repeat the registry edit process again in order to get the Welcome screen back. Another option that you have is to create a .REG file that you can save to your computer. All you have to do is double-click on the .REG file to automatically change the ForceDisplayWelcome back to 1. To create the .REG file, set the ForceDisplayWelcome to 1 and then right-click on the FirstLaunchApplication. Then click on the Export button.

Once you click the Export button, simply browse to an appropriate location on your computer and save the .REG file. Be sure to note that we exported the Selected Branch value and not the entire contents within the FirstLaunchApplication folder. Once you save the file, you now have a .REG file that you can double-click on and apply to your machine.

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Sash Kazeminejad, ACI, LEED AP
AEC Senior Application Specialist
Sash brings proficiency in Autodesk solutions including AutoCAD and Revit Architecture to Ideate customers. His industry experience includes project management, BIM Management, and design for Architectural firms in California, Montana and Oregon. He is LEED accredited professional and is on track to achieve California licensure with Oregon to follow. In his academic life, Sash was awarded a variety of college scholarships, earned a BA in Environmental Design, a MA in Architecture from Montana State University (MSU) and taught Building Information Modeling courses at MSU Gallatin College. As a Revit Architecture Autodesk Certified Instructor, Sash provides Revit Architecture training and support for AEC firms. @sashpdx

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eLearning - Upcoming Revit and Ideate Software Classes

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

7.30::Revit 201:
Working With Parts in Revit

7.31::Ideate Software:
Ideate BIMLink for Revit MEP Projects

8.1::Revit 201:

Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit

8.5::Revit 201:

Roofs in Revit Architecture

8.7::Ideate Software:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink

8.8::Revit 201:
Scheduling 201

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

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Revit Architecture Beyond the Basics

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My Six Degrees of Separation From Brad Pitt and Dr. Who - Or, Glasgow School of Art With Revit

More than twelve years ago I set out to prove that Revit was not ready for me yet. I had big ideas about what I wanted to design, as an architect, and was certain that Revit could not possibly meet that need. I took on, as a test case, the task of modeling the Glasgow School of Art. Working in my spare time I slowly attempted to model this beautiful building with Revit’s toolset.

Early (Revit 4.0?) 3D Model of the Glasgow School of Art

Revit surprised me, back then, with its power and flexibility and the act of trying to detail this great work of architecture helped me develop a fine appreciation for the work of Mackintosh. So, it was with great sadness that I read about the fire that has largely destroyed;this great building back in May 2014. Though I never did finish that model (surprise!), I’d like to be part of the actual rebuilding process now.

If you'd like to be among the esteemed community of Brad Pitt (or even better – Dr. Who) you can also donate to the rebuilding fund. More information on this effort can be found here: GS of A - How to Support

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About the Author

Glynnis Patterson, NCARB – Director of Software Development Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Software Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and consulting on solutions to Building Information Modeling challenges. In her spare time Glynnis does volunteer work for eclcofnj.org and growitgreenmorristown.org. @GVPinNJ

Revit MEP FAQ - Tagging Families That Have Multiple Connectors

One of the most constant recurring issues that comes up in the Ideate Product Support line with Revit MEP is "how to tag families that have multiple connectors?" The solution was previously written up on the circa 2010 Revit Clinic blog titled "Tagging Electrical Devices with Multiple Circuits."

As many of you who use the circuiting portion of Revit MEP know, if you use a light fixture or electrical fixture tag that displays the circuit and the device has two connectors you are unable to get both circuits to show up. 

However, as outlined in the above blog post, a simple fix to this is tagging the physical wires instead of tagging the device. Simply draw wires coming off of each connector as small as possible (if the wire is short enough, the arrow head will not show up.) You can then hide the dot/short line of the wire in the symbology of the family and tag it. This would work well for lighting that has emergency and normal power coming from two panels.  

Here is a short video demonstrating the basic principle.

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Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior Application Specialist MEP/AEC Solutions

Bill has over 25 years experience in applying MEP & AEC design solutions for large commercial companies, this has led to actively develop Autodesk® Revit® implementation strategies, techniques, and procedures for architectural and MEP companies. He has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill is a Autodesk MEP Implementation Certified Expert, and has been the Lead Designer for several multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He graduated from the Pasadena Institute of Technology and has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Ideate, Inc. Named Autodesk Q1 Reseller of the Quarter

SAN FRANCISCO, California, 7/15/2014 - Ideate, Inc., an Autodesk, Inc. Gold Value Added Reseller, today announced that 3D design, engineering and entertainment software industry leader, Autodesk, Inc., has named Ideate, Inc. its North American Reseller of the Quarter for the First Quarter 2015 Autodesk fiscal year.

Reseller of the Quarter is chosen from more than 200 partners throughout North America, based on conscientious customer support, use of best practices, industry knowledge and dedication, and exceptional sales growth. The honor underscores the Ideate, Inc. commitment to customer satisfaction and its attention to customer loyalty. The Reseller of the Quarter designation is in part an acknowledgement of Ideate experiencing 72 percent increase in software license sales to customers in AEC and media & entertainment (M&E) in addition to significant new license and Autodesk Subscription sales.

“Ideate earned the title of Reseller of the Quarter because of its commitment to customers” said Bill Griffin, vice president worldwide channel sales, Autodesk. . “Ideate demonstrates best practices as it drives the adoption of our software. We’re looking forward to our continued collaboration to address the growing and changing needs of our joint customers.”

Ideate Inc., an Autodesk solutions source for nearly three decades, helps the AEC professional community fully implement the expanded Autodesk solution set. Ideate provides technical training and consulting resources to meet industry specific customer needs and also hosts various in-person and virtual events to help educate its clients, providing them with updated information in the latest industry trends and technologies.
    
"To be acknowledged as Autodesk Reseller of the Quarter North America confirms our success in achieving our mission to help our customers succeed and win even more new business. Our customers' success is our yardstick to measure our own success," says Ideate President Bob Palioca. "To overwhelmingly delight our customers with complete solutions brings us satisfaction, so this designation certainly delights us.”

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). As an Autodesk solutions provider, Ideate has offered quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in California, Oregon and Washington, Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization.

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo and ATC are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. 

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eLearning - Upcoming Revit, Ideate Software, and Navisworks Classes

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

7.17::Ideate Software:
Revit Project Management with Ideate BIMLink

7.18::Navisworks 201:
Clash Detection

7.30::Revit 201:

Working With Parts in Revit

7.31::Ideate Software:

Ideate BIMLink for Revit MEP Projects

8.1::Revit 201:
Converting Blocks to Families & Working with 2D Content in Revit

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

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Balancing Transparency

There is a gentle balance between total transparency and 'black box mentality." 

TRANSPARENCY - Everything you know is known to the customer. This is sometimes called a "data dump." By being transparent with our customers, we enable trust, foster communication, and build customer loyalty. All good things. 

BLACK BOX MENTALITY - Information is "delegated to and controlled by someone else, and left unobserved until the final deliverable." This is described in more detail here. 

Transparency is generally considered good, while black box is considered bad. My take is a bit different. When hiring a professional, we need to let them do their work. When I go to the doctor, I don't ask to be there when the blood analysis is done by the blood technician, because I might want to do it myself later. 

• My point is that transparency has been used, at times, in the hope of learning the 'secret sauce,' thus eliminating the professional specialist, and the costs therein. 
• This discounts the time and effort the professional has invested to learn the solution to the problem, and how to accomplish it in the most effective manner. 
• Even if a 'data dump' was possible, it will be not be complete. Processes and methodologies will be learned incorrectly. 
• Data dumps usually require, to be effective, a lot of documentation that is never repeatable and scalable for the professional. 

SETTING EXPECTATIONS 
As a customer, it is important to communicate what the expectations are, as a service provider we must also set expectations. Service providers, read my blog about the process of setting expectations. Setting expectations involves early communication, thoughtful negotiation, and mutual benefit to both sides of the negotiation. 

What is the best balance? 

• If you have hired a consultant, let them do their work. Demand communication, assist in setting expectations (early in the process), and understand that the service provider is in business to make money. 
• If you really want to learn the process in detail - state that early, and be prepared for the provider to walk away (that is what my doctor said when I asked to learn how to do surgery). 
• Be a good partner. Provide clear information early (see expectations above). Do your part (on time).

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech 

Get it. Know it. Use it.

This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]… 

Autodesk InfraWorks 360: Round Buildings & Square Water Areas

Ideate Inc. has been part of the InfraWorks Participatory Design Council for a while now, and that has given us a chance to pick the brains of some of Autodesk’s best technical specialists to find out how to do things that we (and our customers) have been asking about. Here’s one of my favorites… 

Anyone who has been using Autodesk InfraWorks and InfraWorks 360 will know by now that the defaults in the program generate cornered buildings and rounded ground and water features. In reality, we also know that buildings can be round, and water and ground coverage areas can have corners. 

Although there is no built-in option from any menu that allows you to control this setting, there is a variable within the InfraWorks resource files (.JSON) that controls the value for corner radii. 

The value is called SmoothParam, and can be found in the .JSON files for the respective elements. Building settings are in the Buliding.JSON file and Water settings are in the Water Area.JSON file. The files themselves are saved as part of the individual InfraWorks model’s backup files, so you may have to do some digging to get to the folder. 

A typical path would be: <InfraWorks Models Folder>\<Model Name>\.files\unver\DrawTools  

The key folders to look for are <Model Name>.files, which is generated for every model, and the unver/DrawTools folder inside of that location that contains all the .JSON files. The image below shows the .JSON files for a model named Spreckles that was saved to my Autodesk InfraWorks Models folder.

Once you find these files, open the one you want using Notepad, and modify the SmoothParam value to adjust the corner settings for those elements. When working with .JSON data, there are some important things to know. 

1. .JSON files are generated for the model when the elements are added in InfraWorks. For example, if your model does not include (and never has) any water features, the Water Areas.JSON will not exist. You’ll need to create an element of that type first so the .JSON file is generated, then you can edit the setting.
2. The .JSON files are referenced by the model when the model is originally opened. That being said, any changes you make to variables within .JSON files require you to close and re-open the model before those changes take effect.
3. The default values to use for SmoothParam are between 0.00 to 0.499. The default value for Buildings is 0.00 to create corners, and 0.499 for Water Areas to create fillets.
4. You can use any number 0.00 or higher. You’ll get some funky shapes if you get anywhere near or above 1.0, but it is worth checking out just to see what happens. 

Here are a couple of samples. In the screenshot below, the SmoothParam for water areas was set to 0.00 and 0.499 for buildings. That produces Rounded buildings and square water features. There’s also a square ground coverage area which was created by setting that SmoothParam value to 0.00 as well.

 
The fancier looking buildings below were created in the same model using SmoothParam values between 0.65 and 0.99. Anything above 1.0 gets difficult to control. (I’ve already tried setting it up to 100.)

   
At this point, you may also be thinking that there’s got to be an easier way to do this than changing the value, saving, closing and re-opening the model every time you want something to look different. At least that’s what I was thinking. 

Fortunately, the Copy and Paste functions work from model to model in InfraWorks. That means you can spend some time creating a handful of custom objects in a file like I did above, then simply copy and paste them into a new model whenever you need it. On top of that, the components you copy remember what SmoothParam value they were created with, so you can edit them accordingly without having to change anything in the new model. You can also use the Add Vertex option after copying to modify the shapes as much as you want. 

Now you know how to customize your models a little more to include round buildings and square water or ground coverages. And, you’ve got an idea on how to save some time by creating a sample file with predefined custom elements that you can copy whenever you need them. 

Happy modeling! 

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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

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