Small architectural firm triples in size and increases profits thanks to the efficiencies of its new building information modeling workflow. 

By Cameron Kruger, ArcWest Architects

Editor’s note: This post is part of a series sponsored by Autodesk, highlighting how Autodesk® Revit LT is improving the design workflow and overall success of small architectural firms. Click here to view the full series as well as other Revit-related blog content.

Walking into the office these days, I know things are going to be more streamlined than we’re used to. Dropping off my lunch, powering up the computer, and taking a moment to make a carafe of coffee, there is no rush to get started. We no longer feel behind. There is no need to refuse valuable projects or inflate our fees. I have time to respond to the plethora of email that magically appears overnight, and even to squeeze in a project like writing this blog series!

A small firm’s transition from AutoCAD to Autodesk Revit LT wasn’t a piece of cake — but it has paid big dividends.

By Cameron Kruger, ArcWest Architects

Editor’s note: This post is part of a series sponsored by Autodesk, highlighting how Autodesk® Revit LT is improving the design workflow and overall success of small architectural firms. Click here to view the full series as well as other Revit-related blog content.

How does a small architectural firm update a design workflow that has been established for nearly a decade? How does a small firm keep up with the changing standards and increasing demands of the AEC industry? Those were the tasks ahead for our firm, ArcWest Architects, and Autodesk® Revit LT was our answer. Armed with rented software, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, and an existing workflow not much different than the one we would be adopting, our firm set out on what we thought would be a daunting task but in reality became a small but advantageous challenge.

A small architectural firm shores up business with a move to Revit LT.

By Cameron Kruger, ArcWest Architects

Editor’s note: This post is part of a series sponsored by Autodesk, highlighting how Autodesk® Revit LT is improving the design workflow and overall success of small architectural firms.

Walking down the streets of Denver, peeking past the small gaps in the covered chain link fence of a construction site, you can’t help but notice a sense of vitality in the hard concrete surfaces and piles of bent steel around the unfinished building. Life has yet to begin in this building, but you seem so aware of the energy the building was designed to project. I was walking toward the building when it hit me: The energy is coming from the thin sheet of vinyl wrapping the chain link fence, which reads, “Future home of. …” Above the text, an image shows a building yet to exist, a 3D rendering produced through a computer program that gives life to this area even before the occupants arrive.

Chad Jackson of Lifecycle Insights understands that the technology needed to design products evolves. To keep up with that changing technology, Lifecycle Insights helps users to understand these changes and move along with them.

In what ways does Lifecycle Insights offer services for software providers?

Lifecycle Insights provides insights on technologies used to design products. We explain how technologies work and what it means for you. Our content is unbiased, independent, clear and concise, offering digestible insight on technology. In short, Lifecycle Insights helps you "get it."

In what ways do trends in the CAD industry affect engineering strategies?

The engineering profession and the nature of design is changing.

Engineers are spending less and less time at their desk. They are always on the go, running from conference rooms to the shop floor to a supplier's campus. They need technologies to help them be productive even when traveling or working remotely. They also must be working on the right data.

Another change is that design is becoming more democratic. Engineers can no longer worry just about form, fit and function. They must engage a lot of different stakeholders — ranging from manufacturing to procurement to service — to get their input and incorporate it into the design. Engineers have become the pivot point for collaboration on products designed for enterprise considerations. They need technologies that let them plug into the right stakeholders no matter where they are at.

What have any of your recent studies shown regarding the impact of CAD on engineering strategies?

Our 3D Collaboration and Interoperability study found that 49% of engineers spend at least 4 hours a week fixing imported geometry. Our Simulation Driven Design study showed that 50% of engineers work nights and weekends due to prototyping and testing failures. Our latest research, the PLM Study, shows that only 55% of projects are released on time. So in all, there are still lots of problems in engineering where technology can help.

The good news is that advancements in CAD like Direct Modeling and Direct Sketching capabilities, integrated Data Management functionality, and running CAD in the Cloud and on mobile devices all help address these issues. Direct Modeling and Sketching lets engineers develop concepts and manipulate imported geometry far more easily than ever before. A startlingly low number of engineering organizations have adopted data management, so they are susceptible to higher than necessary scrap, failed tests, incorrectly ordered parts and more. CAD with integrated data management that automatically tracks changes is a real boon for engineers, and it doesn't require hardly any time from them at all. And finally, we're just coming into an era where mobile devices can truly run complete CAD software applications. That means engineers can be fully productive on the road, in another office or at home; even when they are not in front of their desktops.

Adopting such technologies can have an impact on the productivity of engineering organizations. But let's be clear: adoption of technology alone won't address these challenges. Organizations must also change their practices and procedures to support them. But the potential to improve is definitely there.

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Sometimes a group of technologies can be lumped together to create an entirely new technology. This is the case with rapid prototyping. Using a group of technologies developed for CAD design, ink jet printing, and other applications, rapid prototyping is revolutionizing the fields of engineering and manufacturing. What is rapid prototyping, and how is it relevant to the world of CAD?

On August 1, 2012, Sam Muirhead embarked on a life that most people can't even fathom. This native New Zealander who now lives and works in Berlin started an entire lifestyle of using only open source products, designs, entertainment, transportation, and more. Though most people think of open source as related to computer code, Muirhead expanded this concept to include anything that did not come with the restraints of copyrights or patents.

What is a 3D printing farm? For now, nobody is completely sure. It does involve growing plants, but it is yet unclear how. It also involves a lot of 3D printers. So far, the farm has a FlashForge and Type A Machines printers, with an Ultimaker 2 and Lulzbot Mini (just released) to follow soon. Farm owner Mike Adams, who calls himself the Health Ranger, plans to choose which of these printers works best and then invest in more of those to complete his farm. He fully expects that he will not be able to generate enough of the parts he's developing at his Austin, Texas farm to meet demands, and will make the object files available via free download on the website, FoodRising.org.

We asked Chris McAndrew what innovations he's most excited about today in the world of CAD.

People say that the best way to learn something is to teach somebody else. In the process of describing it, you break the subject down into its components andu begin to see the limits of your own understanding.