It doesn’t matter if you are an Architect, a Contractor, or an Engineer there will always be a time where you are required to stamp a drawing. As budgets and schedules become more restrictive we need to find areas of improvement in our workflow to make ourselves more efficient. Watch …
Bridging the Gap with Tim Speno – MEP Force 2019 Edition
Eric DanielKeynote speaker Tim Speno, president and CEO of E2E Summit joins us to talk about how to stay agile in an industry full of change and information.
A Life Raft for the Shrinking Construction Labor Pool: PlanGrid
Jackson SensatThe construction industry is experiencing a technological revolution. General contractors and subcontractors around the country are either experiencing the return on investment (ROI) impact of their initial technological implementation, or they are trying to figure out what tech works best for their firm. One thing is for certain, if your …
A Ton of 360 Sync Updates
Michael ReuterThe software product 360 SyncTM automatically updates BIM 360 libraries. By eliminating double data entry, it saves users time and effort and makes possible integrations between enterprise systems. 360 Sync is patent-pending technology developed by the Applied Software BIM 360 experts. By keeping in touch with the 360 Sync user …
MEP Force Rocks the Trades
Eric DanielThe MEP trades are at a turning point in construction history, and it’s a good place to be. Never before have the signs of the times been so clearly pointed toward the men and women of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades. Those signs say, “Take a seat at the …
The Elusive ROI of BIM Adoption
John AdeWhat will my return on investment be with BIM?” We hear this question all the time. When companies decide to make the transition to Building Information Modeling, it’s common to want to keep track of the numbers that justify the move. Making a design technology and process change will be …
Inventor – New in 2020.1
Carol DunnAutodesk Inventor contains tools for engineering and design professionals to perform 3D mechanical design, product simulation, visualization, and documentation. Both 2D and 3D data can be integrated into a single design space with free-form, parametric and direct-edit options. A full virtual representation of the final product allows “testing” of its …
Plant 3D As-builts Using Point Cloud Data
Kaleb FlowersConstruction project drawings go through multiple changes and iterations before the project is completed. “As-built” drawings are the official record of the project upon completion, and they show how the original “as-designed” working drawings changed, including deletions, additions and adjustments to the contract specifications. As-builts show dimensions, geometry and location of all …
Bluebeam Bites: Create a Fillable Form
Christopher RiddellAre you an eXtreme user? Have you ever created a form? If you have not utilized the power of Revu eXtreme to create instantaneous, fillable forms than you need to watch this video. Join in as Christopher Riddell looks at how you can use a PDF form to create a …
Plant 3D 2019 and 2020 System Requirements
Eric DanielThe system requirements remain the same for AutoCAD Plant 3D 2020 as they were for 2019. Recommendations are based on complex design requirements including point clouds and large piping models: Operating system Microsoft® Windows® 7 SP1 with Update KB4019990 (64-bit only) • Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Update KB2919355 (64-bit only) …
Why AutoCAD is Still Relevant in a BIM World
Barbara ThompsonI’m an AutoCAD fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love Revit. The intelligence, the immersion, the possibilities… However, as a long-time user and instructor of Autodesk AutoCAD, I still see a bright future for Autodesk’s signature software. Why? In many cases, it is the right tool for the job. Not …
Best Plant 3d Reseller: Plant 3d 2020.1 Update
David WolfeHappy Monday morning to you! In case you haven’t noticed, Plant 3d had update 1 for 2020 release last week. Here’s the low down on what you can do with it. We’re still exploring, and we will post as we find new goodies. We appreciate the hard work the Autodesk …
Maintenance Software. . .the end is near!
Jason PorterFor those of you who have not heard or who have not yet made the move from maintenance plans to subscription plans you need to keep the date May 6, 2020, in mind. Why? Because Wednesday, May 6, 2020, is the absolute last day companies can make the move from …
Over Three Dozen Features We Are Excited About in Autodesk 2020 Releases
Carol DunnIf you’re in the AEC industry, design software has become a huge part of your world. When you’re on a deadline, it seems like it can also consume a huge part of your day. The newly-released Autodesk 2020 products have features that will streamline your design process, saving you and …
7 Signs You’re a Revit Productivity Expert
Carol Dunn and Matt DillonAccording to Jeff Goins in his July, 2016 article The 7 Differences Between Professionals and Amateurs, “. . . success in any field is more about commitment to a process than it is about finding one magic trick that will make it all come together.” That’s what it’s like when …
Civil 3D 2020 and Infraworks 2020 are out!!!
Jason PorterToday Autodesk released their newest versions of Civil 3D and Infraworks. You can find them in your Autodesk Account. Check this link out for some of the new features regarding both: Say hello to InfraWorks and Civil 3D 2020
13 Things About Civil 3D You May Not Have Known
Carol Dunn and Brian HaileyWe interrupt this program for an important news bulletin: *Great news! Brian Hailey’s new eBook “Residential Subdivision Grading” is now available for download from Applied Software. Save yourself time on feature lines and grading surfaces while maximizing efficiency when designing final detailed grading around houses.* You think you know a …
Why You Should Spend More Time Thinking About Proactive Quality Management
Carol Dunn and Michael ReuterManaging Job Quality with Excel Was Dumb When I started doing QA/QC, we managed our reports with Excel and some PDF floor plans that had each issue located on them. On the spreadsheet, we listed the issues, descriptions and locations. Sure, the spreadsheet ended up having a ton of information. …
AutoCAD 2020 and AutoCAD 2020 LT. . .They’re Here!
Jason PorterAutoCAD 2020 and AutoCAD 2020 LT were officially released today. There are some really cool features in this release. My favorites are the new quick display measurements tool, the update purge tool, the enhanced drawing revisions comparison tool, and the integration Microsoft OneDrive. You can read more about the new …
Revit Sloped Pipe Tags
David RonsonRevit Sloped Pipe Tags can tend to be a bit confusing, so I decided to put together a video to help us all get through it. Check out this video to see how the flexibility of Revit families can help you set up sloped pipes.
Advance Steel Import Formats
David WolfeMany clients want to re-use existing structural models in Advance Steel. Here is a list of the file formats from which Advance Steel can import geometry and data. Revit IFC CIS/2 smlx STD PSS (DSTV) KISS (version of CIS/2) The success of the import is limited by the degree to …
How to Explain BIM Coordination to Your Mom
Carol Dunn“BIM coordination” may be a scary sounding phrase, but it’s really just the act of putting together a complex puzzle. Autodesk characterizes the BIM coordinator as someone who provides consistent coordination methods throughout the lifecycle of a BIM project. The BIM coordinator learns about how the project team solves problems, …
Why We Love Panzura
Carol DunnIf you don’t already work with Panzura, you probably can’t imagine being overly fond of technology unless it’s a robotic lawn mower on a hot summer day. But if you’ve got multiple offices and project team members scattered across the country who are leveraging Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, …
Autodesk Revit 2019.2.1 Hotfix
Rabi SidawiThis hotfix includes new functionality, addresses issues and crashes reported directly to Autodesk, and contains the fixes included in previous Revit 2019 updates and fixes.
Over Three Dozen Features We Are Excited About in Autodesk 2020 Releases
Carol DunnIf you’re in the AEC industry, design software has become a huge part of your world. When you’re on a deadline, it seems like it can also consume a huge part of your day. The newly-released Autodesk 2020 products have features that will streamline your design process, saving you and …
6 Horrible Mistakes in Prefabrication
Carol DunnThe pre-construction phase of any project is critical: understanding the job flow, determining materials, bringing subs up to speed. So many things can go wrong on a project, sometimes it’s daunting. Avoid the following mistakes that burn up profit, and you’ll be more likely to have a profitable fabrication process. …
5G Era Gets Launched
Clay SmithThe Wall Street Journal has released a number of recent articles about 5G for smartphones, and it looks like the launch has finally started. Last week’s WSJ had an article on Thursday April 4, touting the launch of 5G with Verizon in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, while carriers in …
7 Signs You’re a Revit Productivity Expert
Carol Dunn and Matt DillonAccording to Jeff Goins in his July, 2016 article The 7 Differences Between Professionals and Amateurs, “. . . success in any field is more about commitment to a process than it is about finding one magic trick that will make it all come together.” That’s what it’s like when …
Renumber with eVolve MEP 1.4
Amy WorthyThe renumbering tool has been updated and enhanced to include new features. Watch this video to see how it works.
13 Things About Civil 3D You May Not Have Known
Carol Dunn and Brian HaileyWe interrupt this program for an important news bulletin: *Great news! Brian Hailey’s new eBook “Residential Subdivision Grading” is now available for download from Applied Software. Save yourself time on feature lines and grading surfaces while maximizing efficiency when designing final detailed grading around houses.* You think you know a …
Why You Should Spend More Time Thinking About Proactive Quality Management
Carol Dunn and Michael ReuterManaging Job Quality with Excel Was Dumb When I started doing QA/QC, we managed our reports with Excel and some PDF floor plans that had each issue located on them. On the spreadsheet, we listed the issues, descriptions and locations. Sure, the spreadsheet ended up having a ton of information. …
What Could You Possibly Teach Others About Making a Wedding Cake?
Carol DunnOK, maybe there’s not much you could teach someone about making a fancy cake. That’s not your business, and maybe the closest you get to “pastry” is a case of wax donuts. Your business is mechanical-engineering-plumbing, and you likely have a sense of the direction fabrication is moving. But is …
AutoCAD 2020 and AutoCAD 2020 LT. . .They’re Here!
Jason PorterAutoCAD 2020 and AutoCAD 2020 LT were officially released today. There are some really cool features in this release. My favorites are the new quick display measurements tool, the update purge tool, the enhanced drawing revisions comparison tool, and the integration Microsoft OneDrive. You can read more about the new …
Revit Sloped Pipe Tags
David RonsonRevit Sloped Pipe Tags can tend to be a bit confusing, so I decided to put together a video to help us all get through it. Check out this video to see how the flexibility of Revit families can help you set up sloped pipes.
How to Explain BIM Coordination to Your Mom
Carol Dunn“BIM coordination” may be a scary sounding phrase, but it’s really just the act of putting together a complex puzzle. Autodesk characterizes the BIM coordinator as someone who provides consistent coordination methods throughout the lifecycle of a BIM project. The BIM coordinator learns about how the project team solves problems, …
Why We Love Panzura
Carol DunnIf you don’t already work with Panzura, you probably can’t imagine being overly fond of technology unless it’s a robotic lawn mower on a hot summer day. But if you’ve got multiple offices and project team members scattered across the country who are leveraging Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, …
6 Horrible Mistakes in Prefabrication
Carol DunnThe pre-construction phase of any project is critical: understanding the job flow, determining materials, bringing subs up to speed. So many things can go wrong on a project, sometimes it’s daunting. Avoid the following mistakes that burn up profit, and you’ll be more likely to have a profitable fabrication process. …
5G Era Gets Launched
Clay SmithThe Wall Street Journal has released a number of recent articles about 5G for smartphones, and it looks like the launch has finally started. Last week’s WSJ had an article on Thursday April 4, touting the launch of 5G with Verizon in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, while carriers in …
Renumber with eVolve MEP 1.4
Amy WorthyThe renumbering tool has been updated and enhanced to include new features. Watch this video to see how it works.
What Could You Possibly Teach Others About Making a Wedding Cake?
Carol DunnOK, maybe there’s not much you could teach someone about making a fancy cake. That’s not your business, and maybe the closest you get to “pastry” is a case of wax donuts. Your business is mechanical-engineering-plumbing, and you likely have a sense of the direction fabrication is moving. But is …
Advance Steel Import Formats
David WolfeMany clients want to re-use existing structural models in Advance Steel. Here is a list of the file formats from which Advance Steel can import geometry and data. Revit IFC CIS/2 smlx STD PSS (DSTV) KISS (version of CIS/2) The success of the import is limited by the degree to …
Why We Love Panzura
Carol DunnIf you don’t already work with Panzura, you probably can’t imagine being overly fond of technology unless it’s a robotic lawn mower on a hot summer day. But if you’ve got multiple offices and project team members scattered across the country who are leveraging Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, …
10 Things Your Competitors Can Teach You about Collaboration
Carol Dunncol·lab·o·ra·tion/kə,labə’rāSH(ə)nNoun: the action of working with someone to produce or create something.”She wrote a book on holiday recipes in collaboration with her aunt Betty.”Synonyms: alliance, association, combination, cooperation, partnership. Collaboration empowers teams, individuals, clients and partners to share, communicate and cooperate with minimal delays and challenges, allowing all stakeholders to perform …
Fabrication: The Path Forward
Carol DunnWhere have we been? It’s been nearly fifteen years since Revit was introduced to the world as the best way to achieve building information modeling. Once the term BIM was coined, it was everywhere. It seemed like everyone was writing about BIM, extolling the wonders of BIM, telling you that …
9 Ways eVolve is Driving Your Mechanical Firm’s Technology Forward
Carol DunnAs a group, mechanical contractors have been willing to embrace the evolution of construction technology from paper-based coordination to 2D model collaboration and finally to the present 3D-model driven office, shop and field production. The mechanical construction segment really has driven technologies forward. The eVolve development team has spent a …
Fabrication Straights in Revit QA/QC
David RonsonUse Revit Schedules with Conditional Formatting to check your model prior to exporting the .maj to Fabrication CAMduct.
MEP Force Recap
Amy Worthy“95% of MEP Force attendees would recommend MEP Force to a colleague.” MEP Force kicked off last month with a bang. If you haven’t already heard, MEP Force is an exclusive conference for an elite force of MEP heroes to unite and learn from other industry experts. For those looking …
eVolve: Don’t Let Kryptonite Bring Down Your MEP Superhero
Carol Dunn| Evolve – to come forth gradually into being; develop | You may not think of yourself as a hero. You know who the real heroes of this world are. But give yourself credit for being a survivor in this industry – a sort of “superman,” if you will. You …
Best Plant 3d Reseller: Plant 3d 2020.1 Update
David WolfeHappy Monday morning to you! In case you haven’t noticed, Plant 3d had update 1 for 2020 release last week. Here’s the low down on what you can do with it. We’re still exploring, and we will post as we find new goodies. We appreciate the hard work the Autodesk …
Water/Waste Water Piping with Plant 3d
David WolfeRecently we have had more inquiries about how to approach doing water/waste water design with Plant 3d. This series will document some issues and different approaches that are required when doing piping design in the water and waste water industry. To get started we have prepared a guide to adopting …
Over Three Dozen Features We Are Excited About in Autodesk 2020 Releases
Carol DunnIf you’re in the AEC industry, design software has become a huge part of your world. When you’re on a deadline, it seems like it can also consume a huge part of your day. The newly-released Autodesk 2020 products have features that will streamline your design process, saving you and …
Plant 3D: Creating Symbols, Valves, Fittings, and Block-Based Parts
Carol Dunn and David WolfeIf you’re like most people in the manufacturing industry, you’re always on the lookout for ways to accomplish more in less time. One solution you can use immediately is to avail yourself of the Plant 3D Checklists that Applied Software has developed to save time and effort in your daily …
Editing Setup Files in Plant 3D Collaboration
David WolfeFor most Plant 3d configuration even with collaboration, you can use project setup to make your changes. However, for certain activities like modify the projsymbolstyle.dwg or editing isoconfig.xml’s, you might need to make changes that are not available in the project setup dialog. The basic workflow is as follows: Open …
Why We Love Panzura
Carol DunnIf you don’t already work with Panzura, you probably can’t imagine being overly fond of technology unless it’s a robotic lawn mower on a hot summer day. But if you’ve got multiple offices and project team members scattered across the country who are leveraging Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, …
Creating a Plant 3D Project with Custom Specs in Vault
David WolfeOne common issue when working with creating new project in Vault and Plant 3d is that the pipe specs that the project uses are from the stock specs instead of the project template that is used in Vault. The core issue is that when the wizard process can’t find specs …
6 Enhancements That Make iLogic Irresistible
Carol DunnUsing iLogic, you can embed rules as objects directly into part, assembly, and drawing documents. The rules determine and drive parameter and attribute values for your design. With this kind of rules-driven design, you can define behavior of the attributes, features and components of a model. Knowledge is saved and …
How Manufacturing is Evolving
Carol DunnWhen it comes to manufacturing technology, we’ve already run the gamut from the Flintstones of the stone age to the Jetsons of the space age. Sci-fi inventions that seemed quirky in the Jetsons shows of the 1960s are now reality: robot maids, push-button appliances, holograms, digital diaries, work computers with …
10 Things Your Competitors Can Teach You about Collaboration
Carol Dunncol·lab·o·ra·tion/kə,labə’rāSH(ə)nNoun: the action of working with someone to produce or create something.”She wrote a book on holiday recipes in collaboration with her aunt Betty.”Synonyms: alliance, association, combination, cooperation, partnership. Collaboration empowers teams, individuals, clients and partners to share, communicate and cooperate with minimal delays and challenges, allowing all stakeholders to perform …
Plant 3D Collaboration Cache Location
David WolfeYou may want to change where Plant 3D stores the download project when using BIM 360 Team to collaborate. To control where Plant 3D caches your BIM 360 Team collaboration project, go to Collaborate > Plant Collaboration and click Options. The Check Specify working folder (1), click the Browse button …
Calling Plant Team Members!
David WolfeWe are looking for two new people to join our Plant team! https://www.asti.com/about/careers/ Personally, I am so excited to be able to look for people interested in working with Plant 3D and other Autodesk design products. First of all, I’d like to take a minute to frame the direction we …
Addition of Director of Design Technology positions Applied Software to develop new service offerings for cutting-edge firms.
Carol DunnATLANTA, May 16, 2019 – Applied Software, an Autodesk Platinum Partner based in Atlanta, Georgia, has announced the hiring of Robert Plummer in the role of Director of Design Technology. Plummer is an industry-experienced practitioner with architectural degrees from Rice University. Richard Burroughs, president of Applied Software, said, “We envision …
Applied Software Employee Steps Up to Support Cancer Research
Carol DunnAnthony Zuefeldt, Senior Solutions Specialist in the Applied Software Rocky Mountain office, is stepping up to help fund research for childhood cancer. Along with his wife, Megan, Anthony is participating in a fundraising event for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer and donor powered charity …
eVolve Mechanical Version 1.02 Delivers New Features, Enhancements
Todd WeyandtAUSTIN, Texas — October 2, 2018 — eVolve, a revolutionary new product leader in the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) industry, announced today the release of eVolve Mechanical version 1.02, the first significant update to the company’s real-time …
TriBuild and Applied Software Announces Collaboration to Extend MEP Workflows in CAD/Fabrication and Field Solutions
Todd WeyandtApplied Software, a leading systems integrator for the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), Architectural, Engineering, Construction, Fabrication and Manufacturing industries, today announced its partnership with TriBuild, a Construction Technology provider of advanced field and office technology solutions for all phases of the construction project lifecycle. In combination with the newly …
eVolve Mechanical Enables True Collaboration, Greater Efficiency
Todd WeyandtNew MEP Software for Mechanical Contractors is First Offering from Applied Software Spin-Off AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 28, 2018 — eVolve, a revolutionary new product leader in the MEP industry, announced today the launch of eVolve Mechanical, a software solution built with the mechanical contractor in mind for better efficiency. eVolve Mechanical enables all …
Applied Software’s eVolve 2.0 Offers Wide Range of Enhancements
Todd WeyandtThe new version includes an array of major improvements and new features, including greater levels of control, more powerful workflows and lots of additional new content. eVolve continues to grow as the leader in the electrical prefab workflow.
Applied Software Hires Two in Director-Level Positions to Support MEP Industries
Todd WeyandtApplied Software announced today the addition of two new directors to the company’s growing staff. Adam Heon is the new director of Electrical Services, and Brett Stacks joins as director of Fabrication MEP Services.
Applied Software Hires David Wolfe as New Director of Manufacturing Services
Todd WeyandtApplied Software announced today the addition of David Wolfe as the firm’s new director of Manufacturing Services. Wolfe has an extensive career as a strategies and technical expert in process and power, manufacturing and mechanical engineering.
Director of AEC Sales Earns MBA
Todd WeyandtIn a company like Applied Software® where customer and industry needs are always changing, it’s important that everyone on our team continues to learn and grow professionally. With that mission in mind, we’re pleased to congratulate Brad Kramer, our director of AEC Sales who recently earned his MBA from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.
eVolve 2.0 is Now Available!
Todd WeyandtThe electrical pre-fab workflow has evolved again! With major workflow improvements and many new features we are excited to announce the new release eVolve 2.0 is here!
Applied Software Honored with 2018 Autodesk Platinum Club Award in “New Subscriptions Sold” Category
Todd WeyandtApplied Software® was recently named an Autodesk Platinum Club Award winner as the Top Reseller in New Subscription Sold. The announcement marks the tenth time the company has received the Autodesk Platinum Club Award.
Applied Software Announces Partnership with ManufactOn
Todd WeyandtApplied Software®, a leading systems integrator for the architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing industries, announced today its partnership with ManufactOn, provider of a collaborative, cloud and mobile solution for prefab production and supply chain management. ManufactOn is a SaaS (mobile/web) platform that helps construction firms plan, track and manage both prefabrication and regular material handling.