CADD MicrosystemsJune 14th, 2018
The annual Autodesk University Call for Proposals closed on Monday. When the deadline arrived nearly 1,200 experts from 49 countries had submitted 2,155 proposals. With the time to submit proposals for the 2018 conference behind us, now comes the hard part. Those 2,155 proposals must be whittled down to the roughly 700 classes to be offered come November.
As a user conference, a big part of that selection process rests in your hands - users of Autodesk software. From now until July 13, 2018, you can shape Autodesk University 2018 by telling Autodesk the classes you would like to see.
Vote for the AU Classes you want to see.
Among the more than 2,100 proposals submitted are twenty-two from the team of experts here at CADD Microsystems. In alphabetical order, those proposals include:
A Match Made in Coordinates: Bringing Revit, Civil 3D, & InfraWorks Together at Last
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager
Description:
Many building site projects live in two worlds; everything inside the building, and everything outside the building. The two worlds only come together after an excessive amount of swearing, and hours of unnecessary time spent. But does it have to be that way? Absolutely not! Coordinating Revit and Civil 3D doesn’t have to require a degree in nuclear physics, and this session will show you how. Co-presented by a Revit and a Civil 3D specialist, you will gain an understanding of the expectations for each platform and how to configure it. With coordinated model locations in place, we will define effective practices for exchanging data between Revit software and Civil 3D software. Leveraging the full potential of each coordinated design model, you will learn how to assemble your project in the context of its surroundings using InfraWorks software, and generate a virtual reality scene.
Learning Objectives:
- Establish shared coordinates between Revit and Civil 3D.
- Incorporate Revit model data in AutoCAD Civil 3D and Civil 3D model data in Revit.
- Assemble design model data into an immersive InfraWorks model.
- Generate virtual reality scenes of your complete project model.
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager Frank Mayfield, AutoCAD Tuesday Tips Blogger
Description:
The desert sun blasts down on the two gunslingers. A tumbleweed rolls by. Somewhere in the distance, a hawk screams. No one knows why a hawk is inside the building, but it’s Vegas so no one bats an eye. The two men square off in the crisp climate-controlled air of The Venetian. Fingers poised over their mouse and keyboard, ready to let loose with a salvo of clicks and command line inputs to see who has the hottest AutoCAD tip in town. With so many drawing variables at play, it’s impossible to say who will share the most commanding tip. The only guarantee is TheMadCadr and The CAD Geek will present their sharpest shooting productivity tips, tricks, and techniques for this winner-take-all duel in the desert! Though there will be but one loser in this duel, there will be many winners who discover new ways to remove tedium and boost productivity on their projects. Cowboy boots, large belt buckles, and ten-gallon hats are optional, but encouraged to pick up what these two are putting down.
Learning Objectives
- Increase productivity with recently added features.
- Learn how to make use of underutilized features.
- Push AutoCAD to new extremes with tips veterans and gurus know.
- Have fun!
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager
Description
If you want to master AutoCAD, join Autodesk Expert Elite member Donnie The CAD Geek, Gladfelter as he shares a plethora of power-user tips acquired from writing six books on AutoCAD and blogging for more than a decade. Donnie will take you through a powerful collection of proven productivity techniques that are certain to improve your everyday drawing life. From simple to advanced, you are sure to discover new ways to remove tedium and boost your ability to meet project deadlines.
Learning Objectives
- Complete common AutoCAD tasks in fewer steps.
- Harness recently added features to improve productivity.
- Leverage AutoCAD across platforms (desktop, web, & mobile) to improve collaboration.
- Use secret tips AutoCAD software veterans and gurus know.
Jason Kunkel, AEC Manager
Description
Understanding the tools of building a model in Revit is critical, but many essential parts of using Revit in a BIM project workflow can get overlooked during training or even when you are working on your early projects. This session presents a series of high-end, topics that will help you start to look at your Revit model from a more holistic point of view, and not just a series of walls, levels, and components. Collected over hundreds of hours of teaching Revit, building content, and creating project standards, and inspired by those corny Hang In There, Baby, posters that you find in some of the most bizarre places, this collection of topics is essential for pushing your Revit model and your Revit workflow understanding to the next level.
Learning Objectives
- Learn more about what makes your Revit model tick and ways to keep it happy
- Understand the Revit model from a different point of view, beyond a construction document generator
- Find out powerful Revit features that often get overlooked from new users and firms new to Revit
- Push your Revit workflow with some BIM process best tips
T.J. Meehan, Vice President of Technology Solutions
Description
Are you required to provide a COBie deliverable and you’re using Revit? This is the class to learn all you need to know about the Construction to Operations Building Information Exchange format and how to deliver a compliant spreadsheet using the Autodesk COBie Extension for Revit. Presented by the team who built this free Autodesk utility, you will learn the key aspects of COBie, how to use the COBie Extension effectively, pitfalls to avoid, and other tips and best practices.
Learning Objectives
- Discover what COBie is and why it’s important
- Learn how to use the COBie Extension
- Discover pitfalls to avoid when working in Revit
- See tips and best practices
Nick Sipes, Applications Specialist
Description
For interior design, one of the most challenging hurdles is getting the clients to understand a design early in the process. Showing 3D graphics at this stage is an excellent way to explain space to clients. But how do you add the ability to create 3D graphics without adding more time to a test fit? This class will answer that question by explaining the main factors for creating generic 3D graphics. We will explore the importance of having a material library designed to support generic graphics, as well as having a library and template file that utilize these materials. We will review the importance component families on the 3D graphics. Finally, we will pull it all together by looking at some example models.
Learning Objectives
- Configure materials to support creation of conceptual 3D graphics for interior spaces.
- Understand the benefit of having a family library configured with generic materials.
- Understand the importance of the style of 3D components.
- Configure view template to support quick creation of 3D graphics.
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist Nick Sipes, Applications Specialist
Description
A tight template contains a good set of standard elements that are common on most projects, which can be used with little to no tweaking, while at the same time not being too overstuffed with content that bogs down the performance of the model. You want to start with enough to get you going 85% of the time, with a good framework to find other elements and workflow items that can be loaded on a project by project basis. By setting this up you will eliminate wasted time looking for common elements, creating duplicate elements, and trying to standardize graphics and workflows across projects. A good template makes the on-boarding process of a new employee go much smoother and make it much more efficient to have staff pitch hit, on projects to meet a deadline, since there is a good degree of workflow and graphic standardization across projects. This session will review the key elements to a tight, template and how to utilize Dynamo to automate repetitive workflows.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the importance of using a customized Revit template when starting a new project and what types of elements to include – following the Goldilocks rule.
- Understand what inherent features of Revit can be automated to make the creation of documents more efficient.
- Utilizing the interface to communicate with your team when you deviate from the template, why and how.
- Learn how to integrate Dynamo scripts into your workflow utilizing Dynamo player, making it easy for everyone.
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
Revit is a powerful design and documentation tool that can greatly increase productivity for any design project, including those that contain phases, with or without an existing building in the mix. The software has the built-in ability to accurately phase construction, even as far as including temporary, elements (things that are constructed to help with construction and then removed, such as shoring or temporary protection). With over 10 years of working with phased, projects, and 7 of those years in Revit, I have encountered almost every issue you can think of and found creative solutions to tricky phasing situations. This session will dive into the real world tested tips and tricks to help make phased projects run smoother. By the end of this session, you will feel more comfortable working with phases and have a vast toolbelt to help you conquer almost any problem that might arise related to phasing a building in Revit.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the best practices for modeling an existing building or a multi-phased new construction project.
- Learn how to control graphics via phase filters, and the general hierarchy of visibility and graphics controls when working with phases.
- Learn the best practices for using phasing with elements that don’t phase properly, such as rooms and areas.
- Learn the best practices for showing phasing with elements such as schedules and topography.
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
As the AEC industry has become more complex, the teams for projects have come to include a wider variety of specialized members. Just like we have consultants for engineering, lighting design, kitchen design, etc., we also need now need a BIM consultant, as the technology is the center of how we get our projects designed and constructed. In this panel discussion we will bring together a BIM consultant and a variety of design professionals to discuss both the common challenges to all disciplines and the unique ones as they relate to technology and how a BIM consultant can assist with streamlining workflows, creating content, and sharing advanced knowledge to improve a project as a whole. We will also discuss how the decision to include a BIM consultant was made, what value they brought to the team, how the cost of this services was handled, and any lessons learned for future projects.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the value including a BIM consultant on your project teams.
- The costs associated with adding a BIM consultant to your office/project team and strategies for reducing the impact on your bottom line.
- Gain an understanding of the best practices and lessons learned when outsourcing BIM assistance.
- Learn some strategies on how a BIM consultant can work together with an in-house BIM manager to improve the BIM experience firm-wide.
Nick Sipes, Applications Specialist
Description
So, you’ve heard the word Dynamo., Maybe you even know that it has something to do with improving workflow or programming. But what is it really? Should I invest company time to develop content for and based around it? Where do I begin? These are all good questions. Most users of Dynamo dive head first into the murky unknown water, hoping not to drown. This course is focused on concepts useful to determine if taking the jump is worth it, and what to do afterwards to help stay afloat. We will focus on explaining the fundamental concepts of Dynamo, things to know before installing Dynamo, and how the software interacts with Revit. Finally, we will discuss some typical pitfalls encountered after starting to utilize the software.
Learning Objectives
- Know what Dynamo can and cannot accomplish in relation to Revit.
- Understanding of the effort required to write a script.
- Understand how Dynamo versioning works with Revit versioning.
- Understand how to configure and deploy Dynamo in a firm.
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
Let’s face it, putting together a signage package can be tedious and requires a great attention to detail. Typically, there is a lot of repetition and you need the ability to change properties and populate these changes throughout the schedule. Revit is the perfect tool for this since it can schedule almost any element in a model. This lecture will walk you through the steps to creating a cohesive, accurate signage package. Create custom families to place in your model that can be scheduled easily, including the associated room. Create schedules and associated key schedules. Create a tag for your plans and assign types to your families. Set up your model to only see the signs on specific sheets (worksets or view filters). Create details of sign elevations utilizing detail components. Explore how to integrate signage with other disciplines.
Learning Objectives
- How to create the families you will need, including custom generic model and tag families.
- Learn how to set up schedules and key schedules to help streamline repetitive information.
- Set up drawings to effectively illustrate signage locations and details.
- Insure that your signage portion of the project works cohesively with the rest of your Revit mode.
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Jason Kunkel, AEC Manager
Description
More AE firms are moving toward a completely BIM based design and delivery practice. Because of the inherent complexity of the workflow, understanding how BIM can benefit a project at every stage, from initial client contact, through facilities management, is vital to the success of a project as a whole. Every BIM Execution Plan (BEP) planning guide stresses the importance of coming at the process from the desired end product backwards, but in order to do this, we as the design professionals need to ask the right questions up front, and EDUCATE our clients about BIM, to temper their expectations. Integral to this process is a codified BEP that is updated throughout the life a project to ensure that any changes along the way are agreed up and recorded for the entire project team. This session will walk you through the importance of a BEP, the major elements it should include, and strategies to keep your team on task throughout the life of a project, from first contact onward.
Learning Objectives
- Why and how BIM can be discussed at every phase of a project, from initial client interaction, through facilities management.
- How to coordinate between the marketing and design parts of your firm to make sure that everyone is on the same page and selling the same thing (aka, not selling more than you can actually do).
- How to sell BIM to your clients and convince them that it’s worth it.
- Identify the key elements to include in a BIM Execution Plan.
Saurabh Gangwar, Construction Industry Manager
Description
A common adage about project managers is they spend 90% of their time communicating. Construction project management relies heavily on human interaction and linear flow of information. Recent advances in construction technology has disrupted this linear process of information flow. Information is now shared at a central location in cloud accessible to all stake holders with varied permission. Workflows are created to automate the process decision making. Information relayed through hundreds and thousands of drawings and submittals now rests in a single federated model. This has changed the paradigm of construction project managers from being people managers to information managers. This presentation will focus on the impact of technologies like Building Information Modeling, cloud computation, mobile technology, offsite prefabrication, 3D printing and augmented reality on the project management methodology in the AEC industry.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the traditional role of Project Manager in the AEC industry
- How the role of Project Manager is unique in different Project Delivery Contracts
- How has BIM/New Construction Technologies have impacted the role of a traditional Project Manager
- How the Next gen Project Managers will be transformed into Information Managers
T.J. Meehan, Vice President of Technology Solutions
Description
Ever want to be able to fill in Revit parameters by picking from a list of values? Ever want to have all the industry standard classifications at your fingertips? Ever want to manage all your standard data to use across all your models from Excel? Come see the Autodesk Classification Manager for Revit! This free utility, now included with Revit, will allow you to do all these things and more. It comes pre-loaded with the complete UniFormat, MasterFormat, OmniClass, and Uniclass databases as well as databases for IFC and FICM. Plus, you can build your own quickly and share them across your organization. We will show you how to use this powerful tool and provide detailed examples of what you can do with it. Presented by the not-so-classy team who developed it.
Learning Objectives
- Learn what the Classification Manager is and how to use it
- See how to take advantage of all the classification databases included with the tool
- Discover how to build your own custom databases easily in Excel
- Learn about how to share your data across your organization
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
Schedules are an integral part of conveying the information that is required to construct a building. With some simple formatting tricks and creative thinking, schedules can also be used to help plan out the space in a building, quantify the amount of materials used, verify if design and code requirements (space planning, egress, etc.) are being met, help to quickly standardize graphics across multiple views, control the sheets in a drawing set, and more. In this session, we will cover lesser-known features in Autodesk Revit such as calculated values, conditional formatting, and editing units. We will also cover the 4 main types of architectural schedules – and some outside the box uses for each. Find out some tips and tricks to improve graphics using view templates. The presentation will wrap up with examples of creative ways to use schedules, some building related, and some not, since, after all, Revit is a database and if you can think creatively, you can do it!
Learning Objectives
- Understand how to use each of the main types of schedules, their benefits and limitations, and how they can be used in non-traditional ways.
- Use the various features available in schedule parameters – including calculated values, percentages, and units.
- Better control the graphics of your schedules when printed and combine information logically when a single schedule can’t provide all the information you need to show.
- Understand how schedules can be used for model management and design, not just as catalogs of information in the drawings.
Jason Kunkel, AEC Manager
Description
Keeping your Revit model in compliance with production and submittal standards has never been more essential. The free Autodesk Model Checker for Revit was built from the ground up with the single goal of accessing and confirming information within Revit parameters and the model overall. As a companion, the free Autodesk Model Checker Configurator for Revit lets you build your own checks with ease. This session will show you how to leverage the Configurator to structure, organize, and build your model checks to be the most effective method of running checks on your Revit models. From using the easy to use Wizard workflow to building an elaborate series of checks from scratch, you will learn the ins and outs of making checks that can streamline your requirement checking process, as well as real world examples and tips on how to craft your own model checksets to meet your needs both for internal standards as well as deliverable requirements.
Learning Objectives
- What the Autodesk Revit Model Checker for Revit and the Autodesk Model Checker for Configurator are and what issues in the industry they address.
- How to effectively use the Model Checker and Model Checker Configurator to monitor and maintain standards in Revit models
- Where to find extra resources for the tools and make the most of them
- Techniques for making advanced checks
Chris Lindo, Applications Specialist
Description
In the days of BIM coordination and Virtual Construction, more firms are looking for the role of BIM Manager/Coordinator to be filled. Unfortunately, there is no real road map on how to gain the knowledge necessary to be effective in that role. In this class, you will learn how to approach becoming a new BIM manager/coordinator or learn how to build upon the skills and knowledge you already have. Learn from those who made the leap from designer to virtual manager and what pitfalls, stresses, and successes they had along the way.
Learning Objectives
- Utilize existing resources to help you become an effective BIM Manager/Coordinator
- Solve Revit Modeling and stability issues
- Manage Revit content and coordination efforts effectively
- Increase productivity and quality of BIM design
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
We all know the importance of having a BIM manager in a firm, but the just as important role of a Model Manager often gets overlooked. Just like a project needs a Project Manager to keep it on track and moving smoothly, equally important is a Model Manager to keep the Revit file – the heart of the construction documents – running smoothly. The Model Manager’s job is to oversee the health of project models and ensure that the standards and protocols set forth by the BIM standards are followed and that BIM users are adhering to the overall BIM strategy of the firm. In this session you will learn about the importance of a Model Manager on every Revit project, the general roles and responsibilities of the position, and strategies on how to incorporate this role into your firm successfully (aka how to sell it to the big guns). It’s one thing to designate a person on each project for this role, but more importantly it needs to be properly integrated into a project team to reap the benefits.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the importance of a model manager on every project.
- Gain an understanding of the general roles and responsibilities of the position
- Take home strategies to help you incorporate the role of model manager into your firm.
- Learn general best practices on keeping models happy and healthy.
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager Jason Kunkel, AEC Manager
Description
Are you a glutton for good training? Do you lust over other company’s effective education technology? Bad training programs can leave your employees full of wrath, so don’t be slothful Бcome check out this session that will outline the issues many companies see when building up or overhauling their own training programs. Your competitors will be green with envy when you pridefully show off your skilled employees – just don’t get greedy. This session will focus on overcoming the seven deadly sins of training and put your program on a righteous path. We’ll explore the process of defining education mission statements, align curriculum with student learning styles, and methods to reinforce learning. You will benefit from the unique experience and knowledge shared by two instructors who have built successful training programs in firms of more than 350 people, designed Autodesk Official Press curriculum, and who continue to build training programs for firms across the nation today.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the internal and external factors affecting professional development.
- Overcome common mistakes that limit the success of corporate training programs.
- Establish a training mission statement, and methods for program reinforcement.
- Build a training roadmap based on a proven framework.
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager
Description
No matter how great the curriculum or instructor, without reinforcement teams will forget up to 90% of what they learn in just a month. Video offers an efficient way to close this gap, but where do you even start to record a video, much less a video your users will watch? In this session, you will learn the secrets used to produce AutoCAD training videos seen more than 1,000,000 times on YouTube, plus strategies for applying that experience to corporate training programs. Beyond understanding how to pick the right microphone, recording software, and other technical elements, details such as video structure, format, and distribution are equally important for success. This session will connect the dots between each of these with experience-based recording, production, and distribution strategies you can take back to your office.
Learning Objectives
- Plan and structure video content based on data-driven insights.
- Build a recording studio with the proper hardware and software.
- Edit and produce video with simple effects, branding, and more.
- Implement strategies to distribute final videos to your company.
Chris Lindo, Applications Specialist
Description
Connecting content developed during the design and build phases of a project to an operations and management system can be tedious. The operations and management of a facility is, by far, the largest phase of a building’s’ lifecycle, so why not grab all that design and construction data?. Using BIM data along with 3D model visualization is the next step in truly leveraging a BIM model. In this class, users will gain the knowledge in how to utilize a Revit model for space and facility management, prepare it and connect to FM Systems using the FM Interact addon, and us FM Systems to manage your facility.
Learning Objectives
- Tie facility information to a Revit BIM Model
- Interact with BIM Modeling for facility analysis
- Coordinate new construction efforts utilizing an As-Built Revit Model
- Build an active BIM Facility Database for your facility
Purvi Gandhi Irwin, Senior Applications Specialist
Description
Revit is a powerful tool for creating construction documents but it can also be used successfully at the early stages of a project, in lieu of other 3D modeling platforms. In this session, we will discuss the benefits of using Revit for Schematic Design, how to transition your design team to Revit, and creating a lean template that contains only the content needed for this, including schedules, color schemes, titleblocks, and graphics more suited for presentations. You will learn how to link in CAD files and use floors to quickly calculate GSF and test fit options. We will touch on using Formit as part of the SD phase of a project and how this software can integrate directly into Revit. Finally, we will talk about how to take this SD model and move it forward into the next phase.
Learning Objectives
- Create a streamlined Revit template specific for the Schematic Design Phase
- Utilize best practices for using Revit during the SD phase of a project.
- Use model elements creatively to report the information that is important for this phase.
- Create simple graphics that clearly show your design and associated information.
Donnie Gladfelter, Technical Product and Online Manager Jason Kunkel, AEC Manager
Description
Are you a glutton for the perfect CAD/BIM standard? Do you lust over other CAD/BIM managers who have the authority to get things done? Do project teams become greedy of their own standards, wrathfully rejecting the standardized and more efficient ways you pridefully implement? You need not become slothful, as this class will focus on ways to put you into the enviable position of having users who listen to you. Combining over two decades of CAD, BIM, and IT support and management experience plus years of working with numerous companies to help support their technical managers and staff, this session talks about the things nobody likes to talk about – the sins CAD and BIM managers commit while doing their jobs. What sins might you be guilty of, and what’s the path to righteous? Join this session to learn some of the common pitfalls, missteps, and misconceptions that come with the job and the how and why to avoid them.
Learning Objectives
- Learn some of the common missteps that CAD/BIM Managers often take
- Understand the importance of looking at the CAD/BIM Manager job from multiple points of view
- Discover strategies to avoid falling into tradition traps
- Find out how not to be that, support guy