Cadalyst - October 2008 - (Page 30)

cadalystlabsreview pation in standards efforts with real-world projects and use cases that go beyond the mere prospect of interoperability to demonstrate here-and-now reality. u Documentation. Model-based work flows require new approaches to distributing and viewing project information for effective team communication; therefore, software representations must be adaptable to BIM work flows. Where We Stand Today Turning to the version at hand — ArchiCAD 12 — a company spokesperson told me that in planning this release, Graphisoft looked at the industry and recognized a shift from leading-edge users to general adopters as users begin embracing the BIM concept on a large scale. The VirtualTrace feature, along with the BIM Experience Kit training tool also introduced in version 11, helped smooth the transition for early adopters, and version 12 aims to further enhance this experience for a broader class of users. In response to evolving BIM adoption, Graphisoft’s goals for version 12 seem to be focused on three areas of product improvement: u Speed. Model-based design methods consume more CPU and graphics resources and impose more complex file, data storage, and retrieval requirements than 2D drafting-centric work flows; therefore, software performance must be optimized. u Design. Users of model-authoring tools increasingly demand the ease of predefined content and the flexibility to create any new systems and content they desire; therefore, software tools must provide both. Enhanced Speed Program speed is an important issue in all BIM software because routine operations such as file saving typically operate on the entire building model. This setup has the same effect as saving dozens or hundreds of drawings at once, and it often seems to drag on commensurately. Differences between modeling tools make speed comparisons across diverse products and vendors impossible, but Graphisoft does claim a sixfold improvement for ArchiCAD 12 over ArchiCAD 11 on common tasks such as section regeneration. Much of this speed enhancement has been achieved through what Graphisoft claims are “optimized algorithms for screen navigation to optimize use of the hardware.” I leave it to the code and hardware mavens to parse that claim, but in practice ArchiCAD 12 is fast. Further performance benefits take advantage of multiprocessor capabilities in some newer PCs, and I believe ArchiCAD is the only AEC CAD/BIM tool exploiting multiprocessor hardware that is currently shipping as of this writing. ArchiCAD 12 can use as many as eight processors for certain operations, with company-claimed calculation time ADVERTISEMENT Tell us how HP Workstations with Intel Quad-Core technology have you Working Differently Share your story and you could win an HP xw6600 Workstation with a Quad-Core Intel processor and a 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor How do you rely on HP Workstations to build models and to deliver projects quickly, efﬁciently and affordably? Share your success story at www.cadalyst.com/workingdifferently to be entered to win. We want to hear from you! Rules & Requirements (for complete rules, visit www.cadalyst.com/workingdifferently.) (1) Timing: The Contest begins on September 15, 2008 and ends on December 31, 2008. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm Paciﬁc Time on December 31, 2008. (2) Eligibility: Contest is open to all individuals age 18 years or older who are residents of the United States. Employees and the immediate families of Questex Media and/or Hewlett-Packard and/or Intel are not eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. (3) Categories & Judging: Each entry must meet the requirements, as speciﬁed below in section 4. Any non-conforming entries will be disqualiﬁed. Altered, defaced, mutilated, illegible or incomplete. Entry Forms are not eligible and will result in disqualiﬁcation of entry. After each entry is screened for compliance with the entry requirements, it will be judged by Sponsors. The judges’ decisions are ﬁnal and binding. The entries shall be judged based on the following information: (a) What were your Objectives; (b) What were your Challenges; (c) How do Hewlett-Packard Workstations with Intel Quad-Core technology help you overcome your challenges; and (d) What beneﬁts did you/your company realize? Please quantify your answer with examples from any of the following: (e) number of workgroups involved; (f) number of man hours saved off a development cycle, decision process, etc.; (g) number of revisions you reduced; (h) number of people communicated to; (i) estimated cost savings; and (j) Hewlett-Packard Workstation product number. 30 www.cadalyst.com cadalyst October 2008 http://www.cadalyst.com/workingdifferently http://www.cadalyst.com/workingdifferently http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Window Cad Central SimCity for Real Designs Spring to Life — 3D Publishing Tools Make File Sharing as Easy as Opening a Book Xi MTower 2P64X — Dual Quad-Core Workstation ArchiCAD 12 — BIM Software Dell Precision M6300 — High-End Mobile Workstation Cad Manager Mcad Modeling Aec Insight Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry

Cadalyst - October 2008

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