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With SharePoint 2003, users can store their project documents in a central repository, and by using AutoVue, they can save all their markups directly into SharePoint as well. This way, design teams can access the same repository for their entire design process.

According to Pam Petropoulos, Marketing Manager for Cimmetry, “you can take native documents from virtually any CAD vendor – AutoVue views native documents without requiring seats of the authoring CAD tools, and without converting it to some neutral or proprietary format. That’s key in the 2D and 3D worlds.” With the 19.1 version of AutoVue you can now view both the 2D and 3D versions of AutoCAD and MicroStation formats.

“A lot of PDM and PLM systems have very complicated CAD integration. They have systems that import complex CAD documents and once that’s all imported and runs through converters like Pam mentioned, can do design collaboration with partners,” added market development manager, David Edwards. “With SharePoint, you can take a very complex CAD document, just zip it up, drop it in SharePoint, assign a couple of user accounts to it, With AutoVue, people can remotely retrieve the designs and collaborate on the native files. It is like supply chain design collaboration for dummies, and you can have this up and running in a few minutes.”

All this can be done without involving significant IT resources, and there is a single interface to open a variety of CAD formats. “We process from the native documents, we don’t have to convert them,” said Edwards. The way AutoVue works is that the native document is on the server. The markup files are all separate objects so they can be overlaid all at one time or consolidated, making it easier to manage the feedback.

Edwards said that SharePoint 2003’s “real time collaboration” enables someone who is reviewing a document with AutoVue and SharePoint, to invite other users that are connected to the SharePoint Server to also join a real time session. They can have multiple people review the same design drawing at the same time. “You can do a multi-party concurrent review. That’s really good for trouble shooting, with designers in different areas and maybe even not speaking the same language. We’re looking at further embedding it in the Microsoft stack.”

Must everyone who is invited to view the design files have AutoVue? “All you need to participate is a web browser,” explained Petropoulos. A common problem for engineering managers is that when people need to review a design, they have had to interrupt the CAD users to ask them to come and show a design. Now you can just drop the file in SharePoint and everyone can view it with their web browsers. “You stop disrupting engineers to drive design reviews; you can just do it without them.”

Engineering managers are also charged with getting more input from suppliers, customers and marketing, but get the product done faster. “This way they can use SharePoint to publish what they’re working on rather than have a lot of meetings,” noted Edwards. “With AutoVue you can actually capture people’s comments. Annotations and markups get stored within SharePoint as separate objects. It doesn’t modify the CAD file but it captures people’s feedback. Then all you have to do is go back to the database to SharePoint and look at all the different comments people have collected. Anyone can use the markup capability within AutoVue. You can set it up so people can have different levels of markup capability in AutoVue.”

The Cimmetry product that integrates AutoVue and SharePoint is VueLink. Customers purchase SharePoint 2003 directly from Microsoft.

AutoVue and AutoVue Professional support primarily 2D formats. For viewing 3D CAD formats, AutoVue SolidModel is required. Price ranges anywhere from $474 to $1795 which includes the first year of maintenance. To purchase the VueLink integration piece in addition, there is a 15% markup on whichever product is bought.

Acquisitions/Agreements/Alliances

Autodesk, Inc. announced it has entered into a strategic relationship with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) aimed at expanding the use of technology and to facilitate further adoption of sustainable design and green building. Autodesk and the USGBC plan to work on several initiatives to make sustainable design easier and more efficient through the use of technology such as the Autodesk Revit platform for building information modeling (BIM), ultimately reducing the causes of climate change by increasing the number of green buildings that emit less carbon dioxide. As the first step, Autodesk and the USGBC plan to develop an educational curriculum for architecture and engineering students.

Punch! Software, home design software, announced the acquisition of CADSoft Solutions Inc. (CSI). CSI is a leading provider of precision based computer aided design (CAD) applications for Windows® and Macintosh® platforms.

Announcements

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Conservation Services Group (CSG) recognize a Cambridge property as receiving a certified rating in the "LEED(R) for Homes" pilot program. Located at 53 Standish St., it is the first LEED-certified home project in Massachusetts and the first multi-unit building in the country that meets the USGBC standards for sustainable design and construction. The property has also been designated an ENERGY STAR(R)-labeled home by CSG, a non-profit group that provides certification services for both the LEED for Homes and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s ENERGY STAR Homes programs in the Northeast. Cambridge, Mass.-based Aedi Development LLC is the developer of 53 Standish Street. Aedi Construction LLC, the general contractor, received both certificates.

Autodesk, Inc. announced the results of the 2006 Autodesk Green Index, which provides a measure of the adoption of sustainable design techniques by architects. The overall Green Index number, based on a score of zero to 100, is expected to double by 2011, from 30 in 2006. Seventy-seven percent of this year's respondents indicated that client demand is the top driver for architects to practice sustainable design, up from 64 percent in 2005's Green Index. In last year's survey, customer demand was tied with fuel costs as leading drivers for the adoption of green building practices.

Intergraph Corporation announced the completion of the first Intergraph Marine Advisory Council (IMAC) held in Shanghai, China from 24 - 26 October 2006.

Representatives from major organizations throughout the international marine industry including ship owners, classification societies, shipbuilders, engineering companies and technology providers gathered to discuss how Intergraph technologies impact strategic directions and opportunities in shipbuilding design, constructon, operation and maintenance.

Following the success of its inaugural integrated users conference, Intergraph Corporation announced Intergraph 2007, to be held May 21-24, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. In its second year, this international conference will be built around the theme "Realize Your Vision," exploring how customers across the globe are using Intergraph's spatial information management software to address today's challenges but also those of tomorrow.

Avatech Solutions, Inc., the nationwide technology experts for design, engineering, and facilities management, and an Autodesk Premier Solutions Provider, announced that its technical support program is one of the first of an exclusive group of companies selected to provide Autodesk(R) Subscription Gold Support.

New Products

Nemetschek North America announced that ZZYZX, Inc., has released ESP Vision 2.2, which supports VectorWorks Spotlight with RenderWorks 12.5 and includes the modeling plug-in for the Macintosh® platform.

Nemetschek North America announced that Entourage Arts has developed three new tree and plant image prop volumes for use in VectorWorks non-photorealistic renderings.

NPR Trees & Plants Volume 1 contains 121 hand-rendered watercolor-style trees and plants. Tree species include ash, birch, fir, maple, poplar, palm, blue juniper, weeping cedar, and more. Plant species include black-eyed Susan, clematis, hosta, lobelia, lysimachia, and begonia. NPR Tropical Trees & Plants Volume 1 contains 113 hand-rendered tropical trees and plants, including fuschia, bromeliad, century plant, croton, bird of paradise, purple heart, pampas grass, white caladium, bougainvillea, footstool palm, oleander, and more.

Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC), a leader in content visualization, secure publishing and collaboration technology, announces the release of Brava!(R) Reader 2.5, the company's free reader for TIFF, PDF and CSF files. Brava Reader is part of the Brava visualization and annotation/markup product line, which includes Brava Enterprise, Brava Desktop, and Brava SDK (Software Developer's Kit).

The Blue Book of Building and Construction announced that it has made additional enhancements to BB-Bid, the company's free online bid-management system. Based on feedback from owners, architects and general contractors who use the service, The Blue Book has enhanced reporting features in BB-Bid, and now provides a total of 11 different format options for tracking and managing projects throughout the bidding stage. In addition, earlier this year, The Blue Book integrated an industry leading take-off tool into the BB-Bid Private Online Plan Room, which allows free hosting, viewing and downloading of project plans and specifications.

 

Upcoming Events

Bentley Community Construction Computing Event 2006
Date: November 22, 2006
Place: London, United Kingdom
Another First For The Bentley Community (UKI). We will be at the Construction Computing Show 2006