With BIM mandates and pressure to improve collaboration and efficiencies on construction projects, how are teams taking advantage of digital workflows to improve the potential of BIM?

Did you make it to Autodesk University (AU) this year? There was a great deal of buzz about infrastructure and the ways in which, in the words of Autodesk’s Theo Agelopoulos, “we can develop more sustainable and resilient infrastructure yet optimize their operations and longevity”.

But there were also some great breakout sessions on all things civil infrastructure design, engineering, and construction – many of which are now available to view online, for free!

It doesn’t matter whether you work in the federal, state or local government, rolling out any new software to your workforce can be a challenge. This is especially true of CAD software. Oftentimes, a department may upgrade from AutoCAD to a discipline-specific tool like AutoCAD Civil 3D or Revit, or depart radically from an old way of doing things with new software.

Team leads or CAD managers face several challenges. Standards must be reviewed and modified, staff must be trained, trial projects must be identified, and user/management expectations met.

Did you know that construction is anticipated to be the largest use case for commercial drones?

Drones can collect a site’s progress with a degree of accuracy previously unseen in the industry and reduce the amount of building site materials that end up in landfills. Furthermore, that sensor data can be turned into 3D models, maps, and volumetric measurements (which can help monitor and track costly gravel and sand inventory).

Making the move to AutoCAD Civil 3D is a big step up for many agencies and public sector teams. Whether you’re coming off using Land Desktop or AutoCAD for your civil infrastructure projects, Civil 3D can seem like a daunting leap forward, despite the many benefits the software brings in terms of greater efficiencies, long-term cost-savings, and reduced errors. It’s something we often hear from our government clients.

We frequently write about BIM principles, use cases and best practices here on the DLT blog, but one area that often goes neglected in BIM are the soft skills or people skills. What is the role of a BIM manager anyway? How can you better achieve your project goals as design technology managers or support your personnel?

Look out for the pot hole! Did you know that one out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition and in need of rehabilitation? If you’re a civil engineer, you’re probably not surprised. The bulk of highway system funding goes towards highway repair, and with good reason.

Did you love “BIM on the Rocks”, Autodesk’s blog dedicated to all things infrastructure design/build/management? Alas, as of August 31^st, it’s no more. Before you grab your Kleenex, take a look at the new kid on the blog – Infrastructure Reimagined.

Infrastructure Reimagined takes over from where BIM on the Rocks blog left off. Launched in June of this year, this new site is more of a slick resource hub than a regular blog feed. Easy-to-navigate, whatever your specialty or interest, the site is worth a bookmark.

Hurricane season is far from over, but with four major hurricanes – Category 3 or greater – already causing untold damage in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, 2017 has already proved to be a brutal one.

The U.S has trailed much of the world when it comes to roundabouts, aka traffic circles or rotaries. In fact, Americans must pass through 1,118 intersections before they are likely to encounter a roundabout. In France, you’ll encounter one every 45 intersections and the UK every 127 intersections (source).