“A/E/C systems going to Chicago” Presented By: Haitham M. Hazem Nour By: B.J. Novitski Topic Number: 156 Date: 13 June 2001

Next week in Chicago the A/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 Exhibition and Conference will once again bring together the leaders of digital technology in the architecture/ engineering/ construction industry. Thousands of design and construction professionals will gatherA/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 The exhibit hall will showcase innovations in project collaboration, e- procurement, financial management, cost estimating, specification writing, document management, facility management, wireless communication and more. Some examples of the leading computer- aided design systems, illustrated here: Next week in Chicago the A/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 Exhibition and Conference will once again bring together the leaders of digital technology in the architecture/ engineering/ construction industry. Thousands of design and construction professionals will gatherA/E/C SYSTEMS 2001 The exhibit hall will showcase innovations in project collaboration, e-procurement, financial management, cost estimating, specification writing, document management, facility management, wireless communication and more. Some examples of the leading computer-aided design systems, illustrated here: AutoDesk Inc.AutoDesk Inc. will introduce Architectural Studio, designed to resemble a traditional designer's desktop. The new software is a multimedia environment with a simple, understandable tool palette and easily manipulated views of related drawings, documents, and data. The San Marco Arcade, sketched during a design charrette by Douglas King, principal of Perkins Eastman Architects, a pioneering user of Autodesk Architectural Studio. Image: Douglas P. King, Perkins Eastman Architects, PC.

GraphisoftGraphisoft will show the new ArchiCAD 7.0 and Project Xchange for Web-based design collaboration and project workflow management. These tools support review and markup through a Web browser, even for users not equipped with the originating CAD system. Published files can be opened, reviewed, and redlined in Graphisoft's Project Reviewer, a free Java-based viewer embedded in published documents. Non-CAD-using partners and clients can monitor progress of a design from their ordinary browser. Image: Graphisoft Besides these and other CAD systems, we'll get another look at the state of the art in project extranet technology. After peaking last year at too many companies for anyone to keep track of, the project collaboration industry is settling down — through mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies — to a relatively few remaining leaders.

"A Day in the Life of a Project" demonstrations staged throughout the several days of the show will dramatize communication and collaboration between owners, architects, project managers, and clients. "Women in the AEC Industry," an educational forum, will provide an opportunity to discuss gender issues in the profession and to share information on recruiting and retention. The "U.S. National CAD Standard Implementers Workshop" will discuss practical ideas for making the transition to the new CAD standard. And dozens of other special-interest programs and user group meetings will take place in Chicago Four days of seminars, ranging from beginning levels to advanced, will offer educational opportunities in such subject areas as computer imaging, project collaboration, and practice issues. Hands-on workshops will introduce users to CAD and project management systems