Data Day: Ideate Leads Discussion on Future of BIM

Want to help set the direction for the future of Building Information Modeling (BIM)?

Join us on July 13, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona for the inaugural Data Day workshop, a one-day event within the Revit Technology Conference North America (RTCNA). This workshop, developed by Ideate, will launch a discussion on what data means to the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Owner (AECO) community.

The best part? Data Day is specially designed for you: principals, owners, visionaries, and others who want to explore new ways to use data to make better, conscious business decisions. As a result, you’ll bring your own unique experience and insight to help determine the next steps for the AECO industry.

We encourage companies to think of BIM as an ecosystem – building up their team’s knowledge base and making connections, and now, with Data Day, we’re ready take it even further. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge from dynamic presentations and interactive, round-table discussions, where they will share company perspectives, concerns, and visions regarding data. Questions that will be discussed include:

• What is data to the AECO industry, and what related challenges does the industry face?
• What data matters most to AECO businesses?
• What can be done to better seize the value of the data?
• How can a graphic ecosystem of data management tools be developed?
• How can data be leveraged at each stage of a built project lifecycle for collective stakeholder benefit?
• What skills are required to solve industry problems?
• What methods have other industries employed to solve similar issues?

Ideate has always been at the forefront of BIM. Today, the industry is at another turning point, and we are pleased to lead discussions that will once again set the direction for the next wave of innovation – and we hope you’ll be there.

For more information and registration visit the Data Day website.

Ideate, Inc. Launches Ideate Software Website

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 2/25/2014 - Ideate, Inc., an Autodesk Gold Value Added Reseller, today announced the launch of a new website dedicated exclusively to Ideate Software. This new comprehensive site provides Autodesk Revit users access to the current two Ideate Software solutions, Ideate BIMLink and Ideate Explorer for Revit. Each helps Revit users solve problems in architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) workflows and helps the Revit community leverage Building Information Management (BIM) to its fullest advantage. 

A unique aspect of the December 2013-launched website is the ability for site visitors to see all titles of the extensive video playlists without having to close and open new windows. The intuitive interface makes it easy for solution users to locate and access quick answers that are specific to common AEC workflows. 

Additionally, customers can access Free Live Ideate Software Online Learning instantly on the website. 

Ideate Software was initially developed by Ideate out of Ideate tech team members’ needs to solve customer problems. Over more than a half-decade, Ideate Software has evolved to become a set of far-reaching data management tools. The solutions address the ever-growing need to manage BIM model data in order to:

• delete problem items 
• analyze files quickly 
• improve speed and accuracy in data flow 
• increase collaboration 
• overcome repeated workflow interruptions 

“This new website expresses what Ideate Software is all about—dedication to customer service,” says Bob Palioca, president of Ideate, Inc. “Our goal was to create a venue where Revit- and non-Revit users involved in BIM workflows could quickly identify ways to solve issues, while we also provided the means to solve them. We are delighted to present this clear and informative website to the BIM community.” 

For more information, call 888.662.7238, or contact sales@ideatesoftware.com. For support, contact support@ideatesoftware.com

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. 

Ideate Software is a comprehensive set of far-reaching BIM data management tools. Ideate BIMLink powers the “I” in BIM, allowing users to pull data from an Autodesk Revit file into Microsoft Excel for fast and precise editing, and push the data back into Revit with equal ease. Ideate Explorer for Revit lets users search, filter, quantify and select to easily manage the 100,000+ elements in a Revit model. Both solutions help Autodesk Revit users solve problems in AEC workflows and help the Revit community leverage BIM to its fullest advantage.


Autodesk, Autodesk Revit and ATC are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.   

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What's New in Ideate Explorer for Revit 2012

Large projects can be difficult to navigate - but not with Ideate Explorer! We’ve added two significant improvements to Ideate Explorer 2012: Speed and Access to Worksharing information.

We’ve re-engineered our search engine to make Ideate Explorer 2012 at least two times faster than the previous version. A 280 MB file now takes around one minute to index all objects. Finding the objects you need has never been easier.

Now, in version 2012, Ideate includes Workset data. In this image, the Keyword Search is being used to show all the items with the word “curtain” and on Level 6. When the first instance of Curtain Wall 1 is selected, the properties panel shows the new fields for both Workset and Edited by (only if it’s a worksharing enabled project).

Sorting your project by Workset is sure to become another critical project auditing methodology. With the new View drop-down option to organize by Workset you can easily scan the contents of each Workset and find objects that have been misplaced.  In this screenshot, for example, we can see that several items have been mistakenly placed within our Links and Shared Level worksets.

To fix this problem using Ideate Explorer:

1. Select the checkbox next to each incorrect instance
2. Exit Ideate Explorer
3. Using Revit Properties palette, switch the Workset parameter to Workset1 or other appropriate Workset choice.

Ideate Explorer lets you easily search your Revit project for hard to find elements so that you can quickly make the edits you need. Ideate Explorer is the number one tool for auditing Revit projects and nipping them in the bud.

Check out the What’s New video for Ideate Explorer 2012 on YouTube or on Screencast.

Learn more at ideateexplorer.com.

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Glynnis Patterson,
N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
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 Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects. @GVPinNJ

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Ideate Health Check - QC for Your BIM, Part 2

Last month Glynnis Patterson and I presented at the Seattle Revit User Group, SeaRUG. Our topic of discussion was the increasing need to quality control/quality check Building Information Models. More and more we’re seeing our customers continuing to push BIM and Revit further. Larger, more sophisticated, and advanced building information models are being created; and as a result, these models are gradually included in the deliverables in addition to the 2D documentation required for typical projects. More and more Building Information Models are being used by construction managers, estimators, fabricators and facilities management. Therefore the accuracy of these models is more important than ever before.

Simultaneously other areas of the industry are also recognizing this need as well. With the arrival of the AIA Document E202 BIM Model Protocol and the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) the foundation is being laid to standardize and regulate the collaboration between all parties involved in the design, construction and management within a BIM project and beyond.

We’ve begun to see our customers spending an increasing amount of time managing these data rich models whether it’s for performance reasons or ensuring accurate data. To address this need we offer the Ideate Health Check.

One of the tools we use extensively for our Ideate Health Check is the Autodesk Revit Model Review. This tool is available through the Autodesk Subscription Center as part of the Revit Extensions for Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit MEP. Once downloaded it’s installed under the Add-Ins tab in the ribbon.



The Revit Model Review Utility allows you to review the contents of a Revit model and linked models against your established firm/project standards, produce a detailed report and in some cases even allow you to fix the inaccuracies. The utility uses Check Files based on a multitude of parameters and filters. The utility includes several pre-built Check Files to review everything from model contents and naming conventions to energy modeling.

One of the most useful check files included with the utility is the GSA Autodesk Check. For anyone who has worked on a GSA project you know how important it is to follow their established standards. The GSA Autodesk check file is designed to be run at regular intervals throughout the life of the project; and used to review the contents of the Revit model so that it is up-to-date with current GSA Standards. It reviews items such as GSA Occupant Organization Names, Room Names, STAR Space Types/Categories, Security Zones and Preservation Zones as outlined in the GSA National 3D-4D-BIM Program. Using the the Model Review Utility coupled with the Autodesk GSA Revit Template is a quick and efficient way to manage GSA projects in Revit; ensuring all content is up-to-date with GSA Standards.



In addition to the pre-built Check Files that are included with the Revit Model Review we’ve created several of our own. They’re designed to be run quickly, yet pull detailed information from the model. One of my favorites is the Ideate Health Check_In Place Families Check File. A common mistake we see Revit users make is the use of in place families. In place families are intended to be used for unique “one time occurrence” elements, are unable to reference shared information as do regular families and can lead to performance issues. For more information take a look at the Autodesk Revit Model Performance Technical Note. It’s a great reference document Autodesk created in 2010. It goes into depth and offers best practices when working with Revit.

When we run our In Place Families Check and we see multiple instances of an in place family it tells us this object should really be created as regular family. Take a look below.



The Family Pavilion is copied eight times within this one project. I would use the Select By ID tool in the Manage tab and determine if these Pavilions are legitimate objects used in the model or if they were copied accidentally. If they are being used then I recommend creating this object as a true .rfa family.

We also use the Revit Model Review to quickly pick out case sensitive text. We built our Ideate Health Check_TextCaseFix Check File to quickly assess which annotative text, room/space name text and view text need to be changed to upper case or lower case. The best part of this Check File is Model Review will fix the text for you! You don’t have to manually search through the project selecting and editing the text. This is a huge timesaver! The screenshot below shows the results after running the check. Notice the “magic wand” icon under the fix column. Clicking the “magic wand” will fix all of the Room Names in the entire project that are in lower case or mixed to upper case in a matter of seconds. Awesome!



I highly recommend downloading and installing the Autodesk Model Review. It can be an indispensable tool to quickly assess your model and fix potential issues. When used in conjunction with Ideate Explorer for Revit and Ideate BIMLink, Autodesk Model Review allows you to produce increasingly data rich models while keeping them lean and manageable.

Is your project feeling a little under the weather? Contact Ideate, Inc. about a Health Check: 888.662.7238 or consulting@ideateinc.com.

Derek Wielkopolski
Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist
Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

BIM Experts: Subcontractor model creation sequence/schedule: who goes first?

Question via LinkedIn BIM Experts forum:
My company works in geographic areas where the BIM process is still very new to most of our subs, so in addition to the coordination efforts (these are design-bid-build projects, so subs are not involved until CDs are issued), we have to educate the majority of our subcontractor team. Needless to say, we are on a tight time line, so the BIM coordination schedule is very important. We issue a coordination schedule that is a fragnet of the construction schedule with construction milestone dates, etc. I struggle with how to sequence the tasks for developing various trade models. Does everybody start modeling at the same time or does the first trade create their model and then pass it on to the next trade for use in creating their model and so on? The staggered approach takes longer, but makes more sense. Has anybody come across a sequence that works well?

Answer from Lana Gochenauer, Ideate, Inc.:
I’ve worked both workflows. The easiest I found for all involved is to let the prime contractor take the lead with their layout. Give them a week to do that work. Friday PM the model is handed off to all of the other contractors. They will all do their layouts and hand back to the prime at the end of the week, (the prime is also working ahead during this week). At this point you have a coordination meeting in the middle of the week so the prime has time to run a coordination review. This is an “old-school” work flow for the 3D that we’ve used 10 years ago. You will have to have this workflow in writing so all the members will understand the flow and the time frame.

Lana Gochenauer, LEED AP,
MEP Solutions Application Specialist
Lana has a wealth of real world experience, having used Autodesk products on projects from hospitals to universities, restaurants to corporate office headquarters, from strip malls to tenant fit-up. Most recently she focused on coordination drawings/models with MEP contractors, and fabrication from the model. Lana successfully ran her CAD business and worked as the CAD manager for an international MEP engineering firm in Seattle. Lana is a Certified Autodesk Trainer and NECA certified electrical estimator. Currently pursuing her MBA in Sustainability and based in the Ideate ATC in Seattle, Lana provides training and services for AutoCAD MEP, Autodesk Revit MEP and Autodesk Navisworks.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Lessons in Integrating BIM – Webcast 2.24.11

Event: Lessons in Integrating BIM
From: SMARTBIM and Reed Construction Data
When: 11:00 AM PT on February 24, 2011
Where: Online (Webcast)
CEU Credits: 1.5 LUs (Webcast)

Successfully integrating new technologies and workflows takes tenacity, patience, and a sense of humor. Register now to listen to our experienced panel discuss how they are tackling the challenges of integrating BIM into their practices. This interactive discussion will allow the audience to ask questions of the panel.

Join us on Thursday, Feb 24, 2011 at 11:00 am PT for a live web event:

Lessons in Integrating BIM

Industry leaders from RLF and The Raymond Group will discuss their experiences with integrating BIM into their practice and share their insights into the successes and frustrations of adopting new technology and new business workflows.

This webcast will broadcast live and is free and open to everyone. Registration is required. Speakers Keith Holloway and Kim Lorch present their experiences in integrating BIM into their work processes and will accept questions from the audience.

Speakers:
Keith Holloway, AIA, NCARB – Project Manager, RFL
Kim Lorch – Vice President, The Raymond Group
Ashish Peters – BIM Director, The Raymond Group

Moderator:
Markku Alison, AIA

Register now.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

You've Heard About BIM - Learn More Now

Through our community events, client presentations and training, Ideate has been spreading the word about building information modeling (BIM) software and processes for several years. Architects, engineering and construction professionals work collaboratively, using a model created from reliable design info. Before even breaking ground, the team is able to make decisions faster, maintain better documentation, and use analysis tools to consider sustainable building and infrastructure design alternatives, predicting best long-term performance.

In addition to Ideate's case studies and materials on www.ideateinc.com, there is now a wealth of information on the Autodesk site, including the McGraw-Hill Construction BIM SmartMarket Reports. See the results of BIM adoption, usage, impact and infrastructure, and review case studies and interviews.

http://usa.autodesk.com/company/building-information-modeling