CAD & BIM Manager's Survey 2011

The UK Architectural, Engineering & Construction CAD & BIM Manager's Survey 2011 is now open for your input!

Organised by respected independent BIM consultants, Evolve, the survey is one of the most important of its kind in the UK construction industry, comparing the roles performed by CAD, BIM and Technology Managers in the sector. Topics covered include, roles and responsibilities, salaries, the ratio of CAD & BIM support staff to users, opinions on support providers, quality of training, standards and much more.

Evolve Principal, Nigel Davies, comments, 'Responses in previous years have been phenomenal, so we encourage people to take part this year to help paint a true picture of CAD and BIM within the UK as we continue to slowly progress out of a deep recession, and BIM begins to become more and more important.'

Nigel adds, 'The questions are mostly multiple-choice so the survey should take around 20-30 minutes to complete fully. Please feel free to leave any questions unanswered if you wish, there are no required fields.'

Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UKCADBIMManagerSurvey2011

Results will be published in the Autumn.

R

KS Library update

We've had a few mails in recent weeks, asking about updates to the KS library, so I thought I'd drop a few lines on the blog about what we're working on..

Updates to existing data sets are a common theme this summer.  We work with a network of independent specialist authors, to create the KS OTS (off the shelf) titles. Juggling schedules with talented authors is challenging - as their skills are always in demand!  However, we are making good progress, with a rolling programme of updates and new releases, taking us into the autumn period.

So, in approximate date order:

AutoCAD 2D fundamentals 2012 - Aug 11

AutoCAD 2D 2012 - Xpress - Aug 11

AutoCAD 2D for occasional users 2012 - Aug 11

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 (part 3) - Aug 11
RAC 2012 fundamentals (metric), new questions - Aug 11
RST 2011 fundamentals (metric), including new coaching notes - Aug 11
RST 2011 - Xpress (metric) - Aug 11
RST 2012 fundamentals (metric) - Aug 11
RST 2012 - Xpress (metric) - Aug 11

Google SketchUp fundamentals - Sept 11

RAC 2012 fundamentals (metric), including new coaching notes - Sept 11

RAC 2012 - Xpress (metric) - Sept 11

RAC 2012 fundamentals (Imperial) - Sept 11

RAC 2012 - Xpress (Imperial) - Sept 11
RST 2012 fundamentals (Imperial) - Sept 11
RST 2012 - Xpress (Imperial) - Sept 11

Inventor 2012 module 1 - Oct 11
Revit for Interiors 2012 - Oct 11
Revit Standards module 1 (community resource) - Oct 11
RST 2012 fundamentals (metric), new questions - Oct 11

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 (part 4) - Nov 11

Ecotect 2012 - Nov 11

Navisworks Manage 2012 - Nov 11
Revit for occasional users 2012 - Nov 11
RMEP 2012 fundamentals (metric), new questions - Nov 11

We'll also be adding 2012 data sets for the following titles (dates TBC):

Revit Content Creation
Revit MEP fundamentals (Mechanical) (Imperial)
Revit MEP fundamentals (Plumbing) (Imperial)
Revit MEP fundamentals (Electrical) (Imperial)
AutoCAD Civil 3D (parts 1-4)
3ds Max (modules 1-4)

So that's about it for the next few months.  These dates might be subject to change, but this gives you a pretty good idea of where we're aiming to be by the close of the year.  There are a few more ideas in discussion, including topics like Codebook, Bentley Navigator, MS Excel, MicroStation Select Series 1-3, Adobe Illustrator and USACE Attachment F.  We'll keep you posted..

R

Revit Standards - update & comments

OK, so we’ve had quite a few comments on this topic over the past week.  Most in favour, but some who are having a hard time believing that a ‘generic’ pool of material can have relevance to the way they work.  I accept both viewpoints, but ultimately my feeling is that it’s worth a try.

There are a number of firms who have agreed to pitch in and contribute a couple of questions, including, HASSELL, Opus, NBBJ, Capita, KEO, Cox, Woodhead, BDP, M+NLB, Jasmax, Zaha Hadid, HOK, Stantec, ARUP, Geyer, Levitt Bernstein, Pascall + Watson and FRCH.

If a handful of key people can find a spare couple of hours, over the next 5 or 6 weeks, we should have a sufficient volume of questions to comprise Revit Standards module one – Project start-up.

BTW, if anyone else wants to help, the proposition is pretty straightforward.  This is a FREE community resource.  (KS does not need to monetise this in any way.  If it works out, the association with a useful, helpful, relevant Revit community initiative will be worth the effort).  But there is a cost of entry, to join the club, if you like.  To use banking parlance, in order to make a 'withdrawal', a firm must first make a 'deposit'.  The cost of entry, to access the library of tools, is one new question, for each module in the Revit Standards series.

So we currently have 20+ firms writing a couple of questions apiece (either task based, or knowledge based), on any aspect of their choosing, on ‘good practice’ for project start-up, using Revit.

For each question, the required info is as follows:
- Question copy (i.e. name, summary, question wording, answer(s), training keywords) using a sample s/s template (which we can happily email across).
- Coaching notes, which either walk a user through the correct steps to successfully complete a task, or provide a line or two of background info, about the subject being covered in the question (and why it is important).
- Sample Revit file (if applicable, i.e. for task based questions).  If possible, we have requested that any sample data sets are created using Revit 2012.

We've suggested a 'deadline' for the first cut of material, of end August.  (I fully appreciate that everyone contributing to this experiment is super-busy, and doing this in their personal time, so we very much appreciate the willingness to participate).

We’ll then compile the questions into the KS system, present them in module format, and release the live content into the KS library.  I would anticipate that firms will then make the appropriate edits locally, to make it fit for purpose in their own environment.

It has been interesting to read the range of comments which have filtered through on this subject.  Here are a selection of (anonymised!) replies, both for and against.

Glass Half Full

"I think it would be a fantastic idea to have an assessment of someone’s understanding of either industry best practice or corporate standards. Essentially…’take this course to learn how we do things’…’now take a test to demonstrate you understand.’"

"This all sounds achievable - I'll programme in some time to complete.  Am excited to be a part of this. There is definitely common ground and (global) best practice for all of those core areas - I'd love to test our teams here on Project startup process....we have one in place but no one bothers to use it, which in turn leads to a higher support component..."

"I am a strong believer in model managers and have previously had a check list for model managers to go through on project start-up and throughout the project. I could see this module of KS acting as a tool to help analyse the best person to perform this role."

"Quite spookily we’re currently discussing (the need for) a Revit Project Setup KnowledgeSmart test to ensure Revit project team members understand the ‘absolute must do’s’ before being allowed to start work on a live Revit project."

"Yes, yes yes yes yes!! Count us in. I agree that it’s a great idea and is definitely worth a try."

"Love the idea – I’ll give you 2 items."

"You asked “is there sufficient common ground, to enable the creation of a 'generic' set of Revit standards questions” and I think that the crowdsourcing approach answers that question perfectly. I suppose you can assume that if your most KS friendly firms can’t develop a standard set of questions, it probably can’t be done. But I think it can be."

"Coincidentally, this is something that (firm name) have been discussing recently – a test or checklist of some sort for project standards (setup, etc…). There are generic fundamentals prior to the more firm-specific things that all projects have to account for. We would argue that the more industry standards we can set now, the better off the industry will be in the future. CAD standards developed completely out of control and I would hope that we all learned a good lesson from that. . I love this concept!"

"Anything with a standard is tough.  I think crowd sourcing assessment material is a great idea."

"I think this is a great idea, one of the main things being that once again this will be a collaborative effort, and bring the BIM community together to hopefully create a common best practice series of ideas that aren't company specific. I love the idea of open source approach."

"I really like the “crowdsourcing” idea for a Revit standards assessment. Our (leadership) group just finished up trying to create a “BIM assessment” – something that would tell us if people “get” how BIM is different from CAD. I think we’d all agree that it would’ve been great to have a pool of questions to start from and tweak, rather than start from scratch!"

"Your email is well timed, as we have just been discussing the very issue of standards, their implementation and assessment. I think the idea is a good one and with all new ideas, even if it isn’t perfect the first time, it very soon will become perfect as everyone chips in. I feel this will be invaluable and we are happy to participate."

"Anyone having spent time in Revit or in the Revit community knows that the attitude is a bit more open for sharing content and procedures than has previously been expected from other software packages.  My observation is that while every firm has a twist on a standard, there are indeed commonalities for those best practices.  The concept of sharing these should not be viewed with trepidation but embraced as a learning opportunity. I think testing on best practices is a good idea to ensure the data has been communicated well to the users.  At the very least it will make them think about those best practices again to remind them it is a concern and is important."

"I think this is a very workable idea."

On The Fence

"Personally I really like the idea however I am a little dubious as to whether or not it will work. It’s hard enough getting a consensus about anything BIM related with just a handful of people, never mind opening it up to all. I agree that it does seem pointless everyone going through the same process but I kind of think this is unfortunately engrained into the architectural world so deeply that I can’t see it changing. The jury is out as to if the open standards would work.. my gut feeling is not.. I would love to be proved wrong!"

"Pulling together content, be it families, libraries, best practise in the way you have suggested is a great idea  (assuming people are happy to participate)."

"I think there is something to be said for some well managed crowd sourcing. You have a massive task ahead trying to achieve this, so good luck!"

"This could have some legs, you just need to get the right people to submit questions... I will find some time to submit a couple to see where this goes."

"We use Revit standards internally based on the AEC (UK), Autodesk and other published standards and best practice guidelines and our BIM process methodology draws on the work of Penn State, Georgia Tech, the VA and buildingSMART.  BIM standards are emerging, but there is still nothing definitive, maybe the US NBIMS with fill that gap.  Like CAD standards of old, I believe that Revit standards will tend to be developed by companies internally, with reference to external standards. We have some very specific requirements which fit with our process and back office systems, so I couldn't imagine relying on external standards alone."

Glass Half Empty

"What makes a firm unique? Why you would hire one Architect over another is the unique way they design. Each firm comes to solving the problem of design in a different manner. To me the CAD/BIM world is just a set of tools we apply to the way we design. Those tools must be flexible enough to be applied to very different methods of design from conception to working drawings. The more we try to find standards the more we will restrict our different ways of designing."

"The idea is sound, but I suspect you won't find anyone who will actually put in the time. Crowdsourcing sounds great in theory, but the reality is that most people are too busy (or too selfish!) to share."

"Sorry, we don't have time to get involved in this.  But keep us posted, as it sounds like an interesting idea, in theory, at least."

"A universal standard is the paramount end goal, yes.  But do I think it's valuable for KS to get involved?  Not really."


So there you have it.  An interesting mix of reactions, but on the whole more positive than neutral or negative comments.  Of course the 'proof of the pudding', is in whether people can actually free up the time to write a question or two.  Any crowdsourcing initiative lives or dies by the momentum generated by a few key people.

I think back to last year's KA Connect, where Chris Parsons told the story of 'shirtless dancing guy', which provides an interesting view on the significance of momentum and the all-important, 'tipping point'.  http://sivers.org/ff

So, here we are, in the field.  Anyone care to dance? :)

R

Revit Standards

There has been much discussion in recent months, surrounding the topic of common methods of 'good' working practices, in particular for firms using Revit.  Earlier this week, I attended the Leeds RUG and enjoyed listening to visiting speaker, Neil Munro, from Opus NZ, talking about Revit Standards & Protocols.

Just a few weeks ago, whilst attending RTC AU, I sat in on an interesting presentation from the committee responsible for the Australia & New Zealand Revit Standards document.  Here is a link to the ANZRS site, which is definitely worth a look:  http://www.anzrs.org/blog.

And of course we have our own home-grown initiative, the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Revit, which has been making impressive progress over the past couple of years, with a strong committee-led approach:  http://aecuk.wordpress.com.

There is a useful discussion thread on standards to be found over on Revit Forum.org.

And this month, the Twittersphere has been ablaze with postings about the new Open Revit Standard, led by industry stalwarts, Sean Burke and David Fano, among others.  For those Twitterers among you, search for the hash-tag #OpenRevStds, to follow the ongoing dialogue.  And check out the new wiki-style site: http://openrevitstandards.com.  This promises to be a fascinating initiative.

So I got to thinking.. as Revit is already a hugely popular topic for skills assessment material, how useful/feasible would it be, to create a series of KS modules which cover 'good' practices for Revit standards?   

I'm thinking of modules covering the following core areas:  Creating a Revit template file, Installation & setup of Revit, Project start-up process, Work sharing, Creating & managing Revit Families, Collaborative working, Draughting standards, Model management.  Anything else?

And whilst I appreciate that such modules would naturally vary from firm to firm, is there sufficient common ground, to enable the creation of a 'generic' set of Revit standards questions, which could then be edited by individual firms, to wrap around their own in-house standards & protocols?  Would it be too much to suggest that anyone starting a new Revit project, must first demonstrate to the team Principal or Job Captain, that they have taken (and aced) the project start-up module?  That they do, in fact, understand key 'do's and don'ts' before being allowed to start work on a live Revit project.

Further, what if, instead of one individual author doing all the heavy lifting on this one, we employ the concept of 'crowdsourcing' the content, one module at a time?  For example, if we start with Revit project start-up process and deliver a module of 20 questions on this subject.  This makes more sense than 200+ firms all reinventing their own version of essentially the same wheel! In my experience, it is far easier to start with an existing set of data, than to write everything from scratch, each time.

So, to start the ball rolling - and to see if the concept has potential - what if we invite 10 KS-friendly firms, to write two questions each, on general Revit standards for project start-up?

My thinking is that this could be a 'free' resource, for any firms using Revit, who want to assess their users' understanding of in-house standards.  The 'cost' of entry to the club, however, could be to submit two (or more) questions to the overall Revit Standards 'pool'.

We have a number of Revit specialists whom we can call on, to sanity check the content and generally ensure that it is fit for purpose, prior to release into the Revit Standards library.

We'll be speaking to the team behind the Open Revit Standard, in more detail over the coming weeks.  It will be interesting to see if we can align any assessment content for Revit Standards, with the community-led initiatives currently taking place.

More to follow on this topic..

R

Revit Top Cat - Australia vs USA

So, now that both RTC AU and RTC USA are finished for 2011, who walks away with the honours for the Top Revit Top Cat?  The uber-Top Cat, if you like! :)

Let's examine the evidence..

In the heats, the overall benchmark for 76 assessments (AU - 36 / USA - 40), across all 3 disciplines of Revit combined, looks like this:

RTC ALL = 75% in 9 mins 22 secs.
RTC AU = 73% in 9 mins 27 secs.
RTC USA = 78% in 9 mins 23 secs.

So, first blood to the US of A!

How about drilling down to the 3 separate Revit flavours?  Here are the stats for each one:

RTC AU
RAC = 80% in 8 mins 49 secs (24 results).
RST = 66% in 9 mins 27 secs (5 results).
RMEP = 56% in 11 mins 37 secs (7 results).

RTC USA
RAC = 79% in 9 mins 7 secs (28 results).
RST = 75% in 9 mins 45 secs (5 results).
RMEP = 76% in 10 mins 10 secs (7 results).

So, for RAC, AU users take the prize by a nose, but RST and RMEP comfortably goes to camp USA.

And so to the Grand Final.  4 heat winners from Australia, 3 from the USA.  10 questions on advanced concepts of Revit Project Process.  These questions were pretty challenging!  Here's how the finalists compared:

RTC Final ALL = 63% in 8 mins 5 secs.
RTC Final AU = 62% in 6 mins 47 secs.

RTC Final USA = 64% in 9 mins 48 secs.

So, extremely close, but the USA just about takes the prize.  However, it is worth noting that the average time taken by the AU finalists was much faster.  It's also interesting to note that all 7 finalists were men!  

So what training issues did the data from the Grand Final highlight?  Even though every single one of the finalists proved themselves to be Revit champions, there is still more to learn!  Here are the top 12 training workshops, in priority order, from the Revit Project Process module:

Annotation, Key Schedules, Schedules, Tagging, Creating Views, Worksharing, Model Management, Clipboard, Families, Worksets, Local Files and View Types.

And last - the big one - who takes the title of overall Revit Top Cat?

Well, once again, the prize goes to the USA!  2 of the top 3 individual scores were posted by users from RTC USA.  And the overall Revit Top Cat for 2011... Brian Mackey from CAD-1.  

(Special thanks to Autodesk for providing a grand prize of an i-Pad 2, which Brian claimed as the overall winner.  (Although the RTC grapevine suggests that Brian's better half, Dezi, has the inside track for who gets to actually use the i-Pad! :) )).

So there you have it, the gauntlet has been thrown down.  The inaugural Revit Top Cat challenge has been won convincingly by our American friends.  Can the Aussies prevail in 2012?  Will the Europeans throw their parametric hat into the ring? Or perhaps a Top Cat Asia?  (Rory has graciously volunteered to travel over for the Caribbean leg of the contest!).  And perhaps a Grand Grand final, where the winners from each continent duke it out in a Winner-Takes-All Revit extravaganza??  The RTC Revit World Series?  The possibilities are endless..

R

Revit Top Cat USA - The Results

Last week, in the stunning location of Orange County, California, nearly 300 Revit aficionado's descended for 3 days of knowledge-sharing, teaching, learning, networking and a whole lot of fun.  After several years in the planning, the inaugural Revit Technology Conference (USA) had finally arrived.

Just like at the parent conference (RTC AU) which took place in May, on Australia's Gold Coast, KnowledgeSmart was tasked with delivering the 'Revit Top Cat' contest.  A practical skills assessment, pitching Revit top guns from across the industry, where only the bravest of BIM souls can prevail.

To recap on the format; Round One - a skills assessment comprising a mix of 14 knowledge and task based questions, using Revit 2011 across 3 streams (Architecture, Structure or MEP).

The Grand Final - where the 3 candidates with the best scores from each stream go head to head, tackling 10 advanced questions about Revit Project Process.

Congratulations to the following victors, from each heat (pictured left to right):

Charles Jolin  - Revit MEP - 96%
Brian Mackey - Revit Architecture - 100%
Priit Luhakooder - Revit Structure - 100%

And so to the finale. (And to give the proceedings even more spice, two of the three contenders were representing Autodesk ATC's!).  After 10 spine-tingling minutes, a new champion was crowned.  And the winner of Revit Top Cat USA 2011 is.....

Brian Mackey from CAD-1. (Editor's note: er, shouldn't that be BIM-1, Brian? :) ).


So let's take a look in more detail at some of the results from the competition..

The overall average for the 40 results was 78% in 9 mins 23 seconds.

Drilling down a bit more, there were 28 results for RAC, 5 for RST and 7 for RMEP.

The average scores for each discipline were:

RAC = 79% in 9 mins 7 secs.
RST = 75% in 9  mins 45 secs.
RMEP = 76% in 10 mins 10 secs.

So how did the boys vs girls stats look, this time around?  Well, unlike the RTC AU stats, this time the boys took the title, in the Revit battle of the sexes!

Boys = 80% in 9 mins 18 secs.
Girls = 66% in 9 mins 50 secs.

So what does all this mean,  in terms of performance and training?

For Revit Architecture, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Conceptual Massing, Shortcuts, User Interface, Dimensions, Principles of BIM, Coordinates, Shared Locations, Phasing, Floor Elements and View Properties.

For Revit Structure, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Brace Symbols, Structural Settings, Repeating Details, Drawing Lists, Project Information, View Properties, Visibility/Graphics, Beam Systems, Copy/Monitor and Crop Regions.

For Revit MEP, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Pressure, Pipe Properties, Pipe Types, Fixture Units, Plumbing Fixtures, Routing Duct, Duct Fittings, Duct Sizing, Duct Systems and Properties Pallet.

Overall, an extremely enjoyable conference.  Special thanks to Wes, Heidi and the RTC team for all their hard work, over the last year.  Thanks to the RTC AU committee (Clay Hickling, Michelle "Disco Diva" Leonard, Rodd Perey and Simon "90% even when blotto" Whitbread) for making the trip.  And thanks to the RTC USA committee (Jim "Gadgets" Balding, Bob "Saturday Night Fever" Bell, David "Blondie" Harrington, Nicholas Kramer, Steve "Keith Moon" Stafford and Phil Read) for all their efforts in hosting a knockout first conference.  Looking forward to RTC USA 2012 (somewhere on the East coast!).

R

Revit Top Cat AU - The Results

In the beautiful setting of Australia's Gold Coast, last week saw the gathering of almost 500 enthusiastic Revit professionals, for 3 days of learning, networking and general BIM shenanigans.  The seventh annual Revit Technology Conference was, in short, a tremendous success.

As part of the proceedings, KnowledgeSmart organised a practical skills contest for Revit gurus - from all 3 disciplines - to demonstrate their Revit knowledge and credentials.  And so 'Revit Top Cat' was born. (Recognition must go to RTC committee members Rodd Perey and Wesley Benn for their role in conceiving and naming the competition!).

The format was straightforward.  Round one - a skills assessment comprising a mix of 14 knowledge and task based questions, using Revit 2011 across 3 streams (Architecture, Structure or MEP, as appropriate).

The candidates with the best score from each stream would qualify for the grand final on Saturday. In the event of a tie for best score, the user with the fastest time gets the nod.

After some technical challenges (it's tricky to run a web-based assessment when you have no web! :) ), we eventually got everything set up.

36 brave souls stepped up over the course of the Friday afternoon, going toe-to-toe with their fellow Reviteers.  The results were tallied up and on Saturday morning the winners were announced, ready to take their place in the final.

Congratulations to the following victors, from each heat:

Andrew Bagnall - Revit MEP - 93%
Glenn Sinclair - Revit Architecture - 96%
David Harrington - Revit Structure - 100% *
Adam Sheather - Revit Structure - 100% *

(* David's time was a bit faster than Adam's, but as they both did so well, and we had an extra PC, Adam was also invited to take his place in the final.).

And so to the finale.  A new assessment module, comprising 10 questions about Revit project process.  Not for the faint hearted!  After 10 tense minutes, a new champion was crowned.

And the winner of Revit Top Cat 2011 is.....

Andrew Bagnall from GHD.  Many congratulations to Andrew and indeed the winners from all 3 streams!


So let's take a look in more detail at some of the results from the competition..

The overall average for the 36 results was 74% in 9 mins 17 seconds.

Drilling down a bit more, there were 24 results for RAC, 7 for RMEP and 5 for RST.

The average scores for each discipline were:

RAC = 80% in 8 mins 49 secs.
RST = 66% in 9  mins 27 secs.
RMEP = 56% in 11 mins 37 secs.

At the risk of courting controversy, we thought it might be interesting to see how the boys compared to the girls.  You could argue that this is an unfair comparison, as there were more scores posted by the boys than the girls overall, however a counter argument might be made that this was also reflective of the wider demographics at the conference.  Either way, we think it's a relevant metric, so here it is... it turns out that the girls comprehensively beat the boys - for both accuracy and speed - so no great surprises there! :)

Girls = 84% in 8 mins 40 secs.
Boys = 72% in 9 mins 33 secs.

So what does all this mean,  in terms of performance and training?  Well, not surprisingly, the overall level of performance, across the 3 disciplines, was very high.  But you might expect that to be the case at a user conference.

So what were the main training issues that were highlighted, in a detailed analysis of the results..?

For Revit Architecture, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
User interface, Conceptual Massing, Shortcuts, Principles of BIM, Dimensions, Phasing, Coordinates, Floor elements, Shared locations and View properties.

For Revit Structure, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Drawing lists, Project information, Brace symbols, Crop regions, Roofs, Structural settings, View properties, Visibility/graphics, Repeating details and Floors/slabs.

For Revit MEP, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Plumbing, Fixture units, Pressure, Pipe sizing, System inspector, Pipe properties, Pipe types, Duct sizing, Duct systems, and Creating supply systems.

So, overall a thoroughly enjoyable conference, with many new friends made along the way.  A robust contest, across the three main disciplines of Revit.  The structural engineers posted the only maximum scores in the heats.  MEP engineers won the overall contest.  And the girls comprehensively beat the boys, in what may now turn into a Revit battle of the sexes!  And it all began in a small town on Australia's Gold Coast...

R