Blog Post 6: Course Reflection

I did not have much of an idea of what the class would be like, but I am happy with what I got out of it. I enjoyed the fact that there was a wide variety of topics, especially ones that I did not know much about. I knew about Revit and Building Information Modeling, but I had not taken classes that discussed sensors, robots, or AI much at all. It was very useful to broaden my understanding of what goes into intelligent building and where future technology is headed.

I have a lot of experience with AutoCAD, but barely any experience with Revit. The Revit assignment was very helpful in getting me familiar with the program and the step-by-step instructions, as well as the video walkthrough, was very helpful. I would have liked a second part to this assignment that walked us through using Dynamo as well. The sensor database assignment was useful as well, both in creating a database in Access from scratch and from trying to find data on different sensors.

The lectures and videos on 3D printing, robotics, and AI were all very interesting to me. I had already seen some of the technology that was shown because of my personal interest, however, I had not been keeping up with the new developments. Being able to automatically 3D print buildings and other structures will cause drastic changes in our current infrastructure.

I enjoyed the guest lectures, especially Kayleigh’s because I had never heard of visual programming before. I had been thinking about looking for jobs in BIM so it definitely got me curious when she said, “BIM is dead.” However, this sent me down a path from Building Information Modeling to Visual Design and Construction to visual programming and generative design. Generative design was the topic of my project paper and I learned a lot about it.

Overall, this class was very helpful, and I will use what I’ve learned throughout my career. The discussions and blog posts taught me to research new technology and think/talk about what changes will occur. It is important to learn about future technology and stay ahead of it or else you will be left behind. 


Comments:
To Sean Reifer
I am jealous that you did your project on Dynamo. It was something that I wished the Revit assignment went into. I can learn it on my own, but as you mentioned, it is more challenging to work through it on your own. A video walkthrough detailing exactly what you are trying to accomplish is very helpful in learning quickly.

To Nick Maloney
I agree that we learned about a lot of different topics, but did not have enough time to go in depth with each of them. It was definitely useful to get some information from the various topics, but there are some topics that I wish we went into in more depth. I believe the idea of the project was to allow us to pick what topic we wanted to learn more about during the course and do our own research which worked well.

Yicheng Li
I also learnd a lot of new things about 3D printing, sensors, and databases. I agree that the blogs helped us learn about something new and write about them almost every week as well as read other people's findings. My project focused on generative design which could become a problem when it comes to reducing or eliminating certain jobs. However, I believe some jobs will remain and their tasks will be altered and some new jobs will be created due to the changes within each industry.

B3 - Future of BIM

From personal experience, I think BIM will be made the priority for training in the upcoming 10 years. Right now, it seems like the majority of big firms are currently using some version of AutoCAD. I work at AECOM and we use CAD Civil3D every day and throughout all of our projects. Most of our clients still utilize CAD and require we work in it as well. While CAD is a great tool, it isn’t as intuitive as Revit or other software, which is why we are starting to see a push towards BIM.

Recently, our team has been required to go through Revit training for one of our clients. Through the training, the PM has been discussing the benefits and limitations of Revit. The main use we see for our team is the cohesion of all disciplines working in one document. This crucial change will allow companies to grow and complete projects more efficiently. Another aspect to BIM is how user-friendly and intuitive it is with users. The only drawback right now to Revit is the lack of compatibility in between versions. For example, I did my entire A.1 project at work on 2019. The school computers only had Revit 2018, so I had to redo the entire project because there was no way to save back or convert or open a later version of the software. Once this issue is taken care of, I feel that BIM will be prevalent in all offices with CAD only as a backup for companies that have not made the push to advancing technologies.

Aside from just Revit, BIM and robotics are making a push now to become more widely used. In 10 years, the benefits will outweigh the costs and limitations for companies and I feel like it will be the standard for firms.

Comments:

Hailey Ihlow – I agree with your post. I’m seeing more and more companies look into the benefits of using Revit vs. CAD. In later years, the companies that have already made the push into Revit will be pursuing other programs while the rest of the world plays catch up.

Hanyan Chen – I agree that the use of robotics in construction will be the future. Why would companies spend time and money on man power when the potential for robots to perform is there? Also the companies are liable for workers on a job, whereas should something fatal occur while the robot is working, it’s much less cause for lawsuits.

Nana Rasmussen – I’ve never worked with Rhino or Grasshopper, which is why I can see your point in companies spending time and energy to train employees. I think that when these programs are more widely accepted, universities will start spending time offering courses on these topics.

B3 Revit's Relation to Drafting Programs - Alkiviadis Tsitsios

Revit and AutoCAD are both Autodesk design softwares which are used to design a variety of components to a construction project. The main difference between the two is that AutoCAD is a computer-aided design drafting program. It is used for accurate drawings, both 2D and 3D. It has access to many industry toolsets. It is a more general drawing tool that can be applied to a large amount of projects with a broad application. Revit, on the other hand, is a building-specific design software. It offers documentation solution, and is used throughout all of the phases of a construction project. It can be used to plan, model, design, construct, and even manage infrastructure with the many tools that it contains. While the two softwares have different functions, their core purpose is the same. To help model and visualize the design of a certain project.
AutoCAD and Revit coincide and can be used together. 2D designs compiled in AutoCAD can be exported into Revit, to incorporate building designs and functions. Revit can then use its BIM capabilities, and create intelligent components of designs. AutoCAD is often the first step, while Revit steps in to provide BIM deliverables, enabling collaboration with other factions who may be using the design at hand. For example, in AutoCAD, ducts are often represented just as lines. The lines are indicators of the ducts with no additional information, unless it was labeled and detailed in a table elsewhere. With Revit, the AutoCAD data can be turned into components of a system. Not only that, the components can even have technical specifications, and proper materials can be assigned. AutoCAD has the capability of creating 3D models as well, but they are solely geometric with no component information. Revit models contain component information.
AutoCAD is the predecessor to Revit, launched in 1982. As it has been updating regularly, Revit launched in 2000. When Autodesk purchased Revit, the potential was very clear. Revit can be used to further develop AutoCAD drawings. As technology is improving and new buildings are erecting, building systems are improving as well. Revit fills that gap as AutoCAD is used for existing buildings and renovations projects regularly. Overall, the two go hand in hand as leading design softwares in the industry. CITATIONS Tobias, Michael. “How Do AutoCad and Revit Compare?” MEP Engineering & Design Consulting Firm, New York Engineers, 15 May 2018, www.ny-engineers.com/blog/how-do-autocad-and-revit-compare. YIDI LI Great way to correlate BIM with the future of AI development. As AI technology improves, the importance for BIM becomes more relevant. Automation will increase. While AutoCAD is still primary as you said, BIM will become an important component of an engineer’s skill set regardless. As the technology improves, it is important to adapt with the times. WEIYI TANG Data optimization is in AEC’s future as you mentioned, I do not agree that it will take as long as you say though. It is true that Haste makes waste, but as the intelligent technology industry is growing exponentially, industries which are correlated must follow. Yes, it will not become true instantaneously, but I believe the transition will be more swift than you think. It is so easy to share information between programs in modern times, which will speed the transition. It is not like decades ago, where computer aided implementation was a groundbreaking difference. YICHENG LI I was intrigued by your problem 2, where IT departments will need to improve just as the technology does. The requirements rise, and departments will have to re educate themselves on the industry. Also, they will need to hire qualified personnel.