Wednesday, September 30, 2009

But First: The Big Picture

Autodesk LandXplorer. F*^!!! yes, I say!!!

You can plan on it.
-Dr. Pun

No real need to say more... yet.

Watch the videos: Autodesk LandXplorer

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Old News New to Some: Revit on MAC Supported (at last?)

Revit on MAC has been available and working for a couple of years now using Bootcamp and/or Parralels (links below), but guess what?

Well, I'll tell you; ADSK now 'supports' Parallels...officially!! CLICK ME

So if you use a MAC then this may be the news you've been waiting for; or if you just need an official word on the support possibilities now available to us then this article is for you too.


Just consider that Bootcamp is a solution to virtualization and may be recommended, depending on how you want to work.

Do you want to use your whole MAC for Revit or just parts of it?

All =
Bootcamp

Part = Parallels

Best =
Both

Or you can use a PC and ignore all of this...

A few perceived cultural differences from a Los Angeleno InDia

Some perceived cultural differences from a Los Angeleno InDia and traveling there. First off I saw some smoking "fish tanks" in Frankfurt, Germany, in the airport,where smokers can close themselves in and puff away... the warnings from nation to nation obviously vary yet of the few I've seen the US has the least scary of all; The following are some offerings (partial credit: Wikipedia)

USA:
* SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide. (1985-)
Moderately scary if one isn't ignorant of the problems with Carbon Monoxide...

GERMANY:
My favorite:
o Raucher sterben früher - Smokers die sooner.
A bit more scary.

INDIA:


CIGARETTE SMOKING KILLS and SMOKING CAUSES CANCER with a picture of lungs with a red blob in one
Way to bottom line it!!!


Fucking odd that the "less developed" country has the most honest and clear smoking warning...

On to the next one: Shaking one's head yes and no.

I showed my ID to get into the office park, while InDia and the security guard kinda shook his head side to side (close to how we shake for no) but really he was just (quickly) tilting his head side to side, not so much turning it, so I asked the folks in the office and as they laughed they said that basically means yes, or it was a general acknowledgement (that's a no as a yes to me) so now I must check to see if the people I am teaching are saying that they understand me or not (they do find it funny too I think)... It took me about a week and a half to get that unconsciosly...

Next... Dogs.
InDia there are a lot of what we in the US might all stray dogs, and can be found in most all the streets (yes some people have dogs as pets and I am told they act like dogs all over the world... I just see the strays so we'll stick with them, plus it's fun)... Anyways the strays InDia could not care very much less for humans or human interaction; they nearly completely ignore people, cows, cars, etc. Squish... I saw one run into a bicyclist, both going a bit fast... and one run over by a taxi driver... doggy got up as far as I saw though...probably laying in that hole in the dirt street's cool surface...

Shit that's a change; dogs in the streets back home would try to force their demeanor, good or bad on everyone around them in many cases... Pretty nice of the street dogs here (India) to ignore us, since they probably don't hit the local Beverly Hills dog groomer too often.

More? OK: Fire Ants.
I live in LA and being a Chaparral ecology, bordering on desert one can find Fire Ants, especially in said deserts. If you have ever been near these critters you know they can search out any animal, even people and when they do there are usually nasty and painful (for a month) bites to follow... Well InDia has Fire Ants ALL THE FUCK OVER, yet they, like the street dogs, seem to not give a second thought to people., let alone want to climb on people and bite. Hmmm, can these be Ants looking for good Karma? If so they get my vote!!!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Inaugural Revit Users Group Bangalore (RUGB)

Here are a few small images from the Inaugural RUGB or Revit Users Group Bangalore, that I started in an effort to gain some Revit Karma points!!! The night was a success with a better than expected showing for a meeting where there was but a limited prior notice. With the help of folks at Studio-I (and the new RUGB Chairman; Alagu Chendur Murugan Pannir (Murugan to his friends) alagu.murugan@studioi.co.in), the night was hosted by and at Venkataramanan Associates, (just say Venka - Tara-Manan) who provided a great location and hospitality with food and refreshments in traditional Indian fashion -after the meeting... (dinner is late night typically!!!); Shanti and the whole staff at VA was great and I loved the flowers, thanks again!!!

Also supporting this and lending help was Amarnath and S. Venkatesh of Kruthi Computer Services; along with
Vinayak Suresh Shanbhag of Autodesk India Thanks for the book!!! (See this post for my history with Vinayak (pronounced Vin-Eye-Ak).

Needless to say it went really well and I will be lending any support that Murugan and the others need (or want); to see that the RUGB continues to happen regularly; and one day BIM will be to the World what it already is for some of us.

So is anyone here from India? (No I didn't say that)


This is how we do a Revit Users Group, a Revit Users Group, a Revit Users Group, This is how we do a Revit Users Group -in -Bangaluru... (if you sing that in a manner like the kiddie 'round the mulberry bush song you'll catch what I was going for)


Murugan is second from the right, in the front row...


Nice turnout!!!


Implementing Revit is both Macro and Micro... Assess, Plan, Create, Validate!!!


Why yes I'd like to enjoy some refreshments; thanks!!!


Thanks again to all who helped and all who came by!!!

Monday, September 07, 2009

MythBusted? BIM/CAD is no panacea for lacking experience

Images from the Gommateshvara Statue I visited yesterday... and some of those 650 steps that I am about to mention (yikes on the calf muscles today)... As to this post: CAD/BIM may have even helped the builders of this (get the steps even, etc ;-) -though I doubt it) but their vision and know-how needed to be there first!!! I salute all of their bloody knuckles!!!

Yes, it's the world's largest monolith, they say...
And I am
so glad it' take's navigating over 650 steps up through /over solid Granite...

DId I mention barefoot? Since it's in a Temple... well, in and at the top of a Temple built into a solid Granite/
Shist outcropping of the Sub Continent.


Phew, finally at the top, and only 20 minutes to get there.


Tools are to use; Not to be...

CAD, BIM and the like are simply tools and in my opinion ones that can magnify ones abilities or lack there of, in a given field. (I really don't know how I am not making any juvenile comments about tools right now... Oh well... :-)

If an Engineer or Architect or Designer or
User isn't worth their salt then no tool can save them. For instance; if a designer can't design within the budget, well, that is an HR problem, not a software problem. BIM/CAD tools just do what we tell them and if we don't have experience and know-how to guide us then it will surely show... I have heard some say that is "the problem" with Revit (and other BIM tools -that "users need to know construction methods" before being able to model correctly, furthermore junior, inexperienced staff can't be simply thrown into all levels of the BIM... PROBLEM??? I think that's one of the best things. If an "Architect" doesn't know how to build a building or at least the fundamentals of construction methodologies then I question the term Architect being appropriate I think they should not necessarily have primary project development/input responsibilities without the foundation of know-how, experience, etc... if a person needs to learn then great let them and help them learn -but don't think that just because they can draw pretty pictures that "look like" buildings that what you'll get out the other side "is" a good building; if they are in BIM with lacking know-how and experience that lacking can surely rear it's head.

ARCHITECT:


The following quote is from a Popular Mechanics interview of Mythbuster Jamie Hyneman. Thanks Jon!!!

"...Let’s look at a staple of home-repair toolboxes: the pipe wrench. You just know it was designed by a guy who needed to get a job done in close quarters, and it was based on bleeding knuckles. The jaw is at 90 degrees to the handle, which is unlike any standard wrench. The heft of the tool, the rounded shapes of the pieces—all of these features were informed by users with years of experience in the field. And there’s a great deal of slop—loose tolerances of all the moving parts—so that the wrench still works with rust, dirt and gunk all over it. The slop also means that the more torque you apply, the more the components shift, and the tighter the jaws bite into the pipe. Sometimes slop is our friend, but I’ve never seen it on a pull-down menu."

I just love that last line!!! "
Sometimes slop is our friend, but I’ve never seen it on a pull-down menu."