16 Sep 180916 – OpenBIM and CPD

Following on from the first instalment of my comments on Vitruvius, the following demonstrates just one aspect of the importance of learning. At school over 40 years ago the beginnings of computing were interesting us as sixth formers and Maths lessons included learning BASIC. Some teachers were very ‘anti’ but most understood that times were changing. On getting to University to study Architecture computers were banned and all designs were done with pencil and paper, pen and ink, on drawing boards. During the 6 year course the engineering department moved from one computer fro 5 Universities to each department in each University having a room full of Commodore PET computers for student use, except the School of Architecture. One Architecture student even chose to write a simple CAD programme for his final project but was failed because of it 🙁

Upon entering the World of work, within a couple of years I was using AutoCad R2 but most practices were still drawing board based. By the early 1990s I was implementing 3D CAD to the practice I was working for, but practices were still using 2D CAD and drawing boards. I have now been using full BIM as it develops for a decade using Vectorworks but still happen across practices using 2D CAD and even drawing boards. The following illustration is VERY appropriate 🙂

There is nothing wrong with using 3D CAD, 2D CAD, or drawing boards except the lack of productivity: simple tools, draughting machines, 2D CAD, SketchUp, 3D CAD, early proprietary BIM (Revit and early ArchiCAD), OpenBIM (ArchiCAD and Vectorworks). Whilst a £10 million project is within my capabilities as a team of one using Vectorworks that would be impossible using 2D CAD or a drawing board.