Project Storm is here!

Autodesk has announced an interesting technology preview for Revit Structure called Project Storm. Storm is an extension that provides Engineers with the ability to perform cloud based structural analysis directly from a Revit Model with the same analysis engine that powers Robot.

Autodesk Labs description:

Project Storm for Autodesk Revit Structure is a technology preview that provides cloud-based structural analysis to structural engineers as a part of the BIM process. With Project Storm, engineers and designers can extend design models from Revit Structure to the cloud for structural analysis from directly within Revit Structure. Results can then be visualized and explored within Revit Structure and disruptions to work flows are minimized by performing analysis in the cloud as users continue to design.

For more informaiton; Autodesk Labs Program Manager Scott Sheppard has posted an article about Project Storm that includes a good overview and work flow examples. There is also a good post about Storm at the  BIM Apps blog.

 For more information and to try out Project Storm for yourself please visit the Autodesk Labs Project Storm website

Programming and validation webinar from HOK

HOK has posted a webinar on the dRofus programming and validation from the New York City Revit User Group session to their BIM blog.  The webinar demonstrates how the use of BIM-based program management tools such as dRofus can support and improve the project delivery process.  The dRofus presentation starts about 12 minutes in with a 40 minute overview of dRofus.  The integration with Revit begins about 50 minutes in.

If nothing else watch from 50 minutes to 60 minutes for the Revit focus content.

Program Management Integrated with BIM from James Vandezande on Vimeo.

Revit, Vasari meet Project Nucleus

Project Nucleus is an interesting program that has been around for a while now.  I wanted to do a quick post to bring it to the attention of our readers. Nucleus is a technology preview from Autodesk that integrates the Nucleus simulation engine from Maya into Revit and Project Vasari. It allows designers to experiment with "form-finding" by simulating a wide range of physical phenomena in real time such as gravity, wind and collisions, generating free form shapes that would be just about impossible otherwise.

Head on over to the labs graduate page to try out Project Nucleus for yourself

-The current technology preview will expire on December 31, 2011

If you would like more info I have included a few videos demonstrating Nucleus from both Autodesk and Zach Kron after the jump...

Tips for Cooking Your First Design Visualization: The Recipe for Succese Recipe for Success

With a big thanks to Group2's Todd Dutton for bringing this to my attention, this Autodesk webcast is for anyone getting started with creating design visualizations. After this 22 minute overview, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect, the workflow and the tools involved.
 

Autodesk - Tips for Cooking Your First Design Visualization: The Recipe for Success

Revit 2012 Roombook Extension

Roombook is an interesting extension for Revit that has been available to subscription customers for a few years now. Essentially it provides users an enhanced toolset for accurately  quantifying the materials on visible surface area of walls, floor, ceilings and other elements of a model beyond what is possible with Revit alone.

 The official description of  Roombook from the Autodesk subscription center:

"The Roombook Extension helps calculate the surface area of walls, floors and ceiling elements, room circumferences and the total number of furnishing elements within a project. In addition to the automated detection of room areas and surfaces, this extension helps users configure these elements manually to local requirements, as well as achieve more accurate model take-offs. Quantified results can be exported to Microsoft® Excel® software and Autodesk® Quantity Takeoff (QTO) software."