Cadalyst - January 2008 - (Page 32)

cadlabsreview Online specification and design tools at the click of a mouse. Spec the possibilities. SM USG Design Studio. A powerful new online resource to help you quickly, easily and accurately design, specify and find just the right products and systems for your interiors. Spec the possibilities at www.usgdesignstudio.com, or contact your USG representative for a guided tour. Design Studio an Architectural Solutions Center of file and data exchange via DWG translators. This is how VectorWorks 2008 reads and writes AutoCAD 2007/2008 files (handling of DWG and DXF as xrefs was discussed above). Similarly, while Autodesk has made extensive and forceful arguments in favor of its DWF publishing, viewFigure 3. As a Mac and Windows cross-platform product, ing, and markup VectorWorks 2008 offers users competitive functionality in format, everyeither interface. one else in the industry, including Nemetschek, communicates very pedia credits for coining bootylicious well in the real world via the widely as “a portmanteau of booty and deliaccepted PDF format. cious”), BIM-oliciousness is the quesVectorWorks 2008 provides the tion of the day for every designnow de rigueur support for importing authoring tool. Unfortunately, every Google SketchUp models, as well as authoring-tool vendor tries to spin exporting 3D content back to Google the definition of BIM in a way favorEarth. Dating back to its earliest Macable to the home team. Instead of only days, VectorWorks maintains competing BIM-capable products, strong presentation capabilities along the user community is confronted with specialized graphics files import with competing BIM definitions. and export formats to support printed Anyone can wordsmith components and onscreen presentations. These of a definition of BIM to support the presentation capabilities have been childish taunt “I’m BIM, and you’re expanded in VectorWorks 2008 to not.” Try this one on for size: a BIM include support for object transparenauthoring tool must support a full cies and support for unlimited colors, array of NURBS surface-modeling as well as color swatch libraries from tools to create and manipulate the Pantone, Benjamin Moore, Sherwinwidest possible range of building Williams, and others. geometry. Sounds reasonable enough For an additional $400 per seat, for architectural software, until the users can add RenderWorks, which realization sets in that such a defininow includes support for backtion would decree Revit and ArchiCAD grounds and interactive shadows in not-BIM, while VectorWorks 2008 — OpenGL, libraries of new textures, and with its built-in NURBS modeling — Final Gather, a sophisticated renderwould revel in its BIM-oliciousness. ing function that combines the light The solution to this problem lies bounce and indirect lighting effects not in further gaming the system. of radiosity with the speeds and effiThe Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) ciency of ray tracing. model format is an internationally recognized standard for data interopIs it BIM-olicious? erability in AEC. The National InstiWith apologies to Beyoncé, Destiny’s tute of Building Science (NIBS) is hard Child, and Snoop Dogg (who Wikiat work on a National BIM Standard 32 January 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://www.usgdesignstudio.com http://www.usgdesignstudio.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - January 2008

Cadalyst - January 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Chasing the Dolphins CAD that Won’t Break the Bank AliasStudio 2008 — Design and Visualization Software VectorWorks 2008 — CAD/BIM Authoring Software Dell Precision M4300 — Mobile Workstation What’s in Store for 2008? Low- or No-Cost CAD Goliath Reinvented Doin’ the DEED Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes The Return of Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - January 2008

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