Here we are again, another New Year, another opportunity to look back and plan ahead! Here at Acronym, it’s no exception. 2013 was an exciting year. From the astonishing success of our 2nd Annual Public Sector CAD Awards and Expo (hosted virtually in February and attended by nearly 1,000 people), the release of several new educational e-books, and the launch of our new website earlier this summer – 2013 has kept us busy!
But let’s not forget our blogs and articles. We’ve published nearly 100 articles this year, featuring insights, tips, best practices and commentary on all aspects of public sector digital design. Plus, a big thank you goes out to our team of guest bloggers and interviewees, including Lynn Allen, Shaan Hurley, IMAGINiT Technologies, CADD Microsystem’s Donnie Gladfelter, CADSoft Consulting, KnowledgeWell, and more!
These folks have contributed some truly interesting blogs that we think will stand the test of time. With this in mind, here’s a round-up of your favorite Acronym blogs of the year.
1. How Government Agencies are Using LiDAR to Cut Costs Across Hundreds of Use Cases
What’s this LiDAR business all about and why is it taking off dramatically in the public sector? We examine how this low-cost and highly accurate technology is being used by federal, state and local agencies to survey vast amounts of territory quickly with tremendous savings. From the production of shoreline maps and making digital elevation models for use in GIS systems, to assisting emergency operations, this article explains how LiDAR simplifies 3D mapping and modeling.
2. Four Questions with Four CAD Experts | Part One – Our Infrastructure & Cloud
How can visualization and collaborative design tools help rebuild and strengthen our nation’s infrastructure? We posed this question to four industry leaders at one of the panel sessions at this year’s Acronym CAD Awards and Expo. Here’s what Autodesk’s Shaan Hurley, IMAGINiT’s Joe Eichenseer, CADD Microsystem’s Scott Eden, and BIM expert, Brian Skripac had to say.
3. Four Questions with Four CAD Experts | Part Two – 3D Printing & Doing More With Less
And now for part two! The same team of industry leaders provided some fascinating insight in response to this question: How can the public sector leverage 3D printing and what lessons can they learn from the commercial sector’s use of 3D printing?
4. Six Free Autodesk University On-Demand Classes for Govies
From lessons learned managing CAD and GIS data on a military installation to bringing BIM into the rotary design process, these six government-centric on-demand classes from Autodesk University are not to be missed.
5. BIM is Big – Meet the Winners of our 2nd Annual Public Sector CAD Awards
Achievements in building information modeling (BIM) ruled at the [acronym] 2nd annual Public Sector CAD Awards and Expo. Winners in both the state and local category and the federal/contracting category were honored for fulfilling their respective organization’s vision of a BIM implementation that impacted the entire building design/build/operations lifecycle – in very different application scenarios.
This article explores how the Iowa Department of Corrections used BIM to correct fractious and complex building management issues across its correctional facilities while creating a more sustainable and energy-efficient penitentiary. In addition, we examine how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in conjunction with Lockheed Martin, plans to use BIM to improve building lifecycle management capabilities across their agency.
This was the fourth in a series of blogs that shares the extraordinary and sometimes life-changing stories and experiences of a group of CAD, AEC, GIS and BIM experts who have chosen to share their knowledge with under-served communities and nations. These volunteers work hand-in-hand with KnowledgeWell, a non-profit organization whose goal is to transform the barriers faced by under-resourced nations into opportunities for successful business enterprise and public sector programs.
This piece, written by Nancy Mann Jackson, showcases the efforts of Autodesk’s Pete Kelsey and Joe Travis as they team with KnowledgeWell to digitally document the terrain of the island of Kosrae with the goal of helping the island become recognized as a World Heritage Site and prepare their infrastructure for increased tourism.
7. Government Officials Realize the Power of Rendered Animations and Time Lapse 3D Visualizations
Video time lapse is nothing new, but with the advent of 3D model visualization, time lapse videos and rendered animations are proving an essential resource for a number of use cases – from visualizing infrastructure projects before they are built to helping transportation officials piece together, analyze and hopefully prevent serious accidents such as the high-speed rail crash earlier this year in Spain. This interactive article also examines the growing role of 3D visualizations in the AEC industry.
8. 3 Signs that your BIM Process Needs a Health Check
If your agency has decided on a BIM process and a technology to support it – how do you know if your BIM process is efficient? Are you getting every benefit available? Here are some simple checks, recommended by IMAGINiT Technologies, that you can follow to determine whether you’re getting the most out of your investment.
9. Mastering Civil 3D’s Intersection Wizard to Create a 4-Way Intersection
Always the source of great tips for AEC and infrastructure professionals, the folks at IMAGINiT Technologies were kind enough to let us reprint this article showcasing the many engineering tools that Civil 3D has to offer for roadway design, in this case the Intersection wizard. Read on for tips on how to use the wizard for a step-by-step approach to create a four-way intersection that maintains each road’s crown elevation.
10. Liking them Civil 3D Apps on the iPad
Who doesn’t like a free, productivity-based app. This blog from CADSoft Consulting, introduces several iPad apps for Civil 3D users that makes the business of creating, accessing, sharing and collaborating a breeze!
Banner image courtesy of Cortega9.
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