Beyond the Paper

Quantity Extraction from 2D or 3D DWF?

You bet!

Brian Haines has created this very cool video, showing in detail as to how the process works. He describes the steps, from the creation of 2D or 3D content with Revit Architectural to the import into Autodesk Quantity Takeoff, and the subsequent data display.

Autodesk® Quantity Takeoff software enables cost estimators to gather design data, high-quality images, and precise information from intelligent design applications such as AutoCAD®, Revit® Architecture, and AutoCAD® Civil 3D®, as well as from “nonintelligent” CAD data and image formats.

Way to go, QTO.

You can view the video here or download it, by right clicking the link and choosing the "Save Target As.." option.

-Volker

FMDesktop Import DWF Flash

In an ealier post, I mentioned a Flash animation I got from Product Designer, Bob Fahlin, that gives an introduction to FMDesktop.

View FMDesktop Introduction Flash Demo

I got another one from him. This one depicts how to import a DWF file.

View FMDesktop Import DWF Flash Demo

Once a DWF is imported, the information contained therein, such as spaces, is linked to the facility management database. Check it out.

--Scott

FMDesktop Introduction Flash

How many of you recall the movie called Kentucky Fried Movie? Probably not many of you. I am showing my age. This movie lampoons many things - one of which is Bruce Lee Kung Fu movies. I know many of you are saying, "Bruce Lee, who is that?" Once again I am showing my age. Well anyway there is a classic scene in the movie where the Bruce Lee like character says "This is not a charade. Now once more - with feeling."

I got a Flash demo from Product Designer, Bob Fahlin, who works on FMDesktop. The opening line is "Facilities Management is not a one time event." Based on the intonation of the speaker, I couldn't help but recall "This is not a charade." It's true. Facilities Management is not a charade. Events like office moves, floor maintenance, and remodeling occur regularly. Management activities happen again and again. Now once more - with DWF.

View FMDesktop Introduction Flash Demo

Check it out.

DWF-based CAFM versus CMMS

Product Marketing Manager, Gabrielle Friedly, reported that DWF partner, FM Systems, used DWF to develop a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that focuses primarily on maintenance issues and problem resolution. This is not to be confused with Autodesk FMDesktop that is a computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) application with CMMS functions built in. CAFM software focuses primarily on space management issues: who owns it, which employee works in it, where it is, how much of it is there, how much does it cost, and so forth. Facility managers typically want a single application to manage both facilities and CMMS processes. Autodesk FMDesktop fills both needs nicely. For more information on FMDesktop go to www.autodesk.com/fmdesktop.

Thanks for the info Gabrielle.

FMDesktop Screen Shots: Take a look

As a follow up to his identification of FMDesktop components, Product Marketing Manager, Brian Haines, sent me two slides:

1. Autodesk Facility Manager
   Manage all facility drawings and data in one database environment. Query, pan, zoom, print, and share drawings and data.
   
   The markup capability allows for communications to be tied to specific locations - such as office moves.

2. Autodesk Facility Web
   Use the web to access and share all facility data and drawings through the internet or your organization's intranet.
   
   The results of database lookups can be correlated with specific locations, such as highlighting an employee's office space after looking him up in an employee database.

DWF plays a key role in FMDesktop in that it provides the format for sharing drawings and data. For more information, look on the FMDesktop section of the Autodesk web site. Thanks Brian.

FMDesktop 7 Gives Nod To DWF

You can read about the Boston Scientific success story.

boston_scientific_success_story.pdf

Product Manager, Mark Evans, reports that the three main components of Autodesk® FMDesktop 7, Facility Manager, Facility Link, and Facility Web characterize a very exciting release that demonstrates revolutionary concepts for the Facilities Management software market. Here are some quotes from customers who have seen version 7 in the last 2 months:

From facilities managers:

• "No polylining is phenomenal! The long term cost is probably 30% less on that alone."
• "The way you put graphics in a work order… I’ve never seen that before."
• "This seems intuitive. I like the Outlook look and feel."

From our channel partners:

• "Overall publishing and the web page itself have definitely matured! Extremely happy!"
• "Dynamic Hatching. Excellent A+++ on this one, it gives me the flexibility to produce great reports."
• "Overall, A++ for demos, A- for real use"

From architectural firms:

• "I am impressed by the simplicity of all this."
• "I’m not sure there are any competitors if this is as easy as it looks."
• "It’s just a matter of time before we want to use this with one of our clients."
• "Being integrated with Autodesk is going to change the world of CAFM."
• "This would be a clear, clean, deliverable – better than DWGs and Xrefs that are nearly unusable for a facility manager."
• "As for Little, we definitely see this as a major step towards the inevitable future. As you probably already know, we are becoming heavy Revit Users and all of our projects going forward will be done in Revit. Having FMDesktop as an instant value add only improves our position with current clients as well as new ones. "

Mark goes on to say that the ease of use and powerful graphics that our customers love wouldn’t be possible without DWF. Thanks Mark!

DWF Developer Success Story FM Systems and the National Aquarium

Product Marketing Manager, Gabrielle Friedly, reports that FM Systems has used DWF to develop a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that focuses primarily on maintenance issues and problem resolution. FM Systems is an Autodesk DWF Partner. FM:Interact™ Workplace Management Suite (IWMS) runs on an organization’s intranet and can be accessed by all employees using standard Web browsers.

“As the user-facing element, DWF is essential to allowing customers to realize the full potential of IWMS.”
Marty Chobot,
Vice President of Marketing,
FM:Systems

For more information:
Download AutodeskFMSystems7.pdf (588.2K)

Thanks for the info Gabrielle.

FMDesktop Components

Product Marketing Manager, Brian Haines, notes that Autodesk FMDesktop includes 4 major components:

1. Autodesk Facility Link
   Connect objects in your facility drawings to records in the Autodesk FMDesktop database.
2. Autodesk Facility Manager
   Manage all facility drawings and data in one database environment. Query, pan, zoom, print, and share drawings and data.
3. Autodesk Facility Web
   Use the web to access and share all facility data and drawings through the internet or your organization's intranet.
4. Autodesk Facility Request
   Help your facility occupants enter service requests ranging from corrective measures to moves.

DWF plays a key role in FMDesktop in that it provides the format for sharing drawings and data. For more information:

Download FMDesktop7_Overview_US_v6A.pdf (575.8K)

What is quantity takeoff?

Some blog readers have read my bio and noticed: "Scott recently accepted the position of Engineering Project Manager for our DWF-based quantity takeoff application that is under development." They want to know what is quantity takeoff?

Professors Kevin R. Miller and Thomas H. Mills have written a paper with some interesting background material called Teaching Paperless Detailed Quantity Take-off and Estimating. Quantity takeoff is an activity performed by General Contractors, Subcontractors, Cost Consultants, and Quantity Surveyors as part of the construction process. It involves counting the number of items associated with a particular construction project, determining the associated materials and labor costs, and formulating a bid (or estimate) as part of the bidding process. Quantity takeoff is also applied to the pricing process.

Today the quantity takeoff process is typically done manually using a printout, a red pen, and a clicker. A digitizer is often used for taking measurements from paper. Autodesk is seeking to streamline the process electronically using DWF. Imagine if software could answer questions like: "How many doors do I need for the 3rd floor? What fire ratings do they require? How many square feet of carpet do I need?"

A key market driver in the building industry is the concept of the Building Information Model and leveraging data throughout the construction life cycle. Creating a quantity takeoff solution extends customer investment in digital design data to other project members such as estimators. Providing a solution that generates a set of takeoff elements (counts, measurements, conditions that affect cost) enables estimators to more quickly and more accurately perform takeoff for bidding or pricing.

Carl Bass' Autodesk University 2005 presentation is available for download. You can select a large or small Windows media file based on your available bandwidth:

Autodesk U Large WMV (465MB)
Autodesk U Small WMV (147MB)

At 40 minutes into the presentation, Jonathan Knowles and Carl provide a demo of quantity takeoff. This gives you a sense of how data can be culled from a DWF file as the basis for creating a bid or price.

DWF files are published by all of Autodesk products. Creating a solution that allows customers to perform project-critical tasks such as takeoff allows users outside of the original design team to benefit from digital design data. This is made possible by the geometry and metadata in a DWF that can be counted and/or measured. Autodesk's takeoff solution will do for quantity takeoff what Autodesk Design Review did for the design Review process. So Autodesk's takeoff solution will provide another example of DWF going beyond the paper.