What is meant by Commissioning a Building?
You will hear the term Commissioning a Building more frequently as BIM, LEED Certification and Green Building initiatives take root in the construction industry. Commissioning for a new building is like taking the building for a test drive before it is put into service. Commissioning for an existing buildings is done periodically similar to the reasons why a person would go to the doctor for a routine physical exam. In both situations the building owner/steward is looking for a comprehensive evaluation to learn about the building’s performance.
Why commission?
Object Enablers* are built into AutoCAD 2012
Posted by Brian in CAD Managers on October 14, 2011
According to a post (5/26/2011) I read in the AutoCAD LT Discussion Group Object Enablers for AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP are now built into AutoCAD 2012. This info was posted by Kate Morrical, AutoCAD LT Technical Marketing Manager, Autodesk, Inc.
*Some Object Enablers are build-in. Visit http://www.Autodesk.com/oe to get a complete list of available object enablers.
Learn about the AutoCAD® User Interface Quickly.
Posted by Brian in CAD Managers, CAD Skills on September 3, 2011
Here are a few tips to make the AutoCAD User Interface more “discoverable”.
You may be just starting to learn AutoCAD, or you want to introduce a newby to AutoCAD or you have been recently stumped on AutoCAD® trivia questions at the office. You are coming from a point of reference where the terminology is unfamiliar. Read further and get a very quick, very convenient overview of the parts of the AutoCAD User Interface (UI).
Become visible and valuable or starve to death
Yearning for the days when work was falling from the sky into your lap? The new “normal” is a lean organization that has cut costs to the bone. Businesses that continue to provide the same services that are no longer in demand are starving to death. Reinventing your business is easy to say but what does it really mean? 
I’ve found that many successful people are good at saying “NO”. Its what they refuse to do that opens the door to better opportunities. Directing time and resources toward more viable business prospects and away from “same old, same old” is a simple and effective strategy. Thought before action can help you choose what to do and what to avoid.
Constantly evaluate what defines and motivates your customers. First ask, “Do I want them as a customer?” What makes them a better customer? That’s the defining part. Study what your customers want. You can guess but its better to just ask them what they want. That’s the motivation part.
You are now armed with this the results from this process. You know who you want to do business with and how you might address their needs. Now the challenge that sets businesses apart is making your offer more attractive than anothers. That is if they even notice your offer.
Have you ever felt invisible? Have you ever stopped to figure out why you felt that way? Remember what successful people do, say no. Saying NO to what is keeping you invisible can help you become visible. Waiting for the phone to ring = invisible. Picking up the phone and with your pitch rehearsed start calling people you know. Now you are becoming visible. It does not happen overnight. It is a long road that discourages most people. Persistence in your tasks, in your beliefs, in your actions gets results. Re-evaluate your strategy and change direction if things appear to be stalled. Stay visible.
You are good at what you do. Give your desired customers a taste of what you can do for them. Give them free samples. Become valuable by providing what your customers want, when they want it, in as convenient a manner as possible. With persistence on your side you discover you have become both visible and valuable and are getting the work you want.
The selfish motive behind this post should be obvious to you now. If not, I’ll be blunt. If your business is starving it won’t do me any good. If your business improves we all win. I will have a better chance of working with you to help you make your business even better. Why? Because I have become visible and valuable to you.
Why you need Named Page Setups in your drawing template
Posted by Brian in CAD Standards on April 30, 2011
Named Page Setups are a way to preconfigure your plot settings, matching this sheet size with that plot device to produce consistent repeatable output.
My 5 Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts (hotkeys) in Windows
Posted by Brian in Windows Tips on February 20, 2011
The Windows logo is a key on your keyboard.
You can use it in combination with other keys to do some very common tasks that will save you time. These key shortcuts are know as hotkeys. I have picked 5 of my favorite hotkeys to share with you. Read the rest of this entry »
Elevation Views Using the Camera and Clip Front and Back
Posted by Brian in CAD Skills on February 13, 2011
Lets say you have created a model in AutoCAD. You may even have a point cloud in your drawing. Now you want to display a thin slice through the model. Use the Camera command in AutoCAD and apply clipping planes front and back. In this example I overlaid 2 viewports. One viewport contains the tank and grid lines. The other viewport contains just the point cloud with a named view created using a camera object and clipping planes.
CAD/BIM Technology Center A/E/C CAD Standard Update
Posted by Brian in CAD Standards on November 19, 2010
The US National CAD Standard as implemented by the military is located at the CAD/BIM Technology Center. It is called the A/E/C CAD Standard. What has changed recently? Drawing Templates have been grouped together making it much more convenient to download and deploy. The web page containing the links is date stamped 09/07/2010. Groupings are as follows:
Architectural/Structural/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Template files (1.9 Mb ZIP)
CIVIL/SURVEY MAPPING File Templates (736.2 Kb ZIP)
How to find the CAD/BIM’s NCS 4.0 downloads. Read the rest of this entry »
3d DWF files as Underlays are not backward compatible
Posted by Brian in CAD Skills on October 21, 2010
I discovered the 3Ddwf file I created in AutoCAD 2011 got an error when using as an underlay in AutoCAD 2010. It appears 3dDWF files are not backward compatible for underlay purposes.
I also tried using a DWFx format with the same result.
Advanced Surveying Technology
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