Advances in laser scanning and photogrammetry have reached the tipping point.

Bluebeam Software is pushing the envelope of collaboration, 3D and building information modeling with the latest upgraded version of its signature product. Revu 10 offers users more cloud storage integration, collaboration support and project communication.The Pasadena, Calif.-based company says new features include real-time collaboration with integrated cloud storage, hyperlink management, space definition for automated tracking in PDFs, 3D PDF creation and markup to 3D views. "The industry is ready," says Don Jacob, vice president of engineering for Bluebeam. The release follows extensive testing with power users and other beta testers who provided feedback to the company on specific uses for

Courtesy of Balfour Beatty Data-rich information models not only can support exquisite representations of facilities, like this one of the Presidio Parkway in San Francisco, but more importantly, they can be used to study alternatives, and optimize design, construction, operations and maintenance for the lifecycle. Balfour Beatty PLC is stepping up its support of new software and digital tools that underpin full lifecycle use of building information modeling around the globe. A recent deal with Autodesk is a key part of the strategy.Chris Millard, head of systems integration for the 50,000-employee, UK-based infrastructure firm, says the goal is to expand

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Color-Coded Computed using city data, the map breaks down energy use into four categories: space heating, space cooling, electricity and hot water. Researchers at Columbia University's school of engineering have laun-ched a public, online catalog of all New York City buildings, each characterized by estimated energy consumption based on size and use.When users mouse over the interactive map, pop-ups present energy consumption estimates for individual buildings. The estimates are derived from a formula that multiplies square footage by the building type, such as single- or multifamily residential, business, school or industrial. Energy consumption is broken down

Guest Commentary: With President Obama’s proposal for a new $100 billion infrastructure jobs package still on the table, there has never been a better time for our industry to talk seriously about how we build and design American infrastructure. And, with the U.S. currently ranked at 16th place in terms of global infrastructure – falling from a previous ranking of 6th – engineering and construction firms will be challenged to find new ways to better build or retrofit infrastructure when this new funding becomes available.As we wait for the final infrastructure job bills, the question firms have to ask themselves

Photo courtesy of Gehry Technologies Frank Gehry forms an advisory board of noted architects and construction professionals to advance the use of BIM and similar technologies in design and construction. Gehry Technologies is forming a new strategic alliance of prominent architects and construction professionals to serve as an advisory board that will promote new technologies in design and construction. Frank Gehry, who founded the Los Angeles-based company in 2002, said in a statement on Oct. 18 "I am dedicated to giving architects better control of the process so they can deliver the fruits of their imagination, which is what our

+ Image + Image Construction and technology can be strange bedfellows at times.Take the U.S. Air Force example: Last year it graduated fewer fighter pilots and now uses more virtual pilots than real aviators (with UAV—unmanned aerial vehicles such as Predator drones). That's one story of innovation and its impact.What does this mean for the construction industry?  How is innovation affecting our profession? Sometimes you have to review the basics to understand the trends. In “Diffusion of Innovation,” by Everett Rogers, a sociologist from the University of Iowa, Rogers uses math and charts based on his theory of how ideas,

In a difficult economy where new design projects are still hard to land, many firms are adding in as many services as possible to the list of client deliverables. The idea is to charge a higher fee while offering more than your competition's pricepoint.How to make that happen? Designing entirely on a computer screen certainly helps;  changes, whether from the construction site or due to changing client needs, flow through the project naturally to the as-builts. In the months ahead, I’ll be talking about some of the ways that’s done during construction, with the latest portable equipment.But in this case,

After years of chugging along, the development of the nation's first consensus-based standard for the use of building information modeling is finally picking up steam. The buildingSMART alliance, which is releasing the National BIM Standard-United States, or NBIMS-US, says a version of the standard will be out by year's end. Beginning on Aug. 3, the 30-day public-comment period will broach the 45 topics that form the core of the standard.“We're out of the back room,” says Deke Smith, executive director of the alliance, which is a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, D.C.Smith and his colleagues have

Attendees of the Society of American Military Engineers' annual agency briefing burst into applause last month upon hearing the news the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving to a platform-neutral approach to building information modeling software for its standardized building designs contracted through its Centers for Standardization. Rendering: Courtesy of STV Inc. Virtual model of Ft. Stewart, Ga., Army brigade building was used for structural erection. Their delight may be short-lived. The Corps' apparent reversal of a policy that mandated use of only Bentley Systems Inc. software for BIM project models has a few more twists. Each of the