Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

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Is 4D in your future?

Monday, 7 April 2008

Keith Sands of URS Corp in Tampa talks about increasing productivity with proper training and the future of CAD.

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Keith Sands of URS Corporation in Tampa stopped by the Axiom office here in Clearwater the other day. He talked about the many road projects around the Tampa Bay area, using 3D and 4D in the design and construction process, his 18 years at URS and his push for proper CAD training.

Learning world domination being planned by power-manager Keith Sands and Axiom’s Mike Arroyo.

MST: As an experienced CAD Manager for a major civil engineering player (URS Corp), what are some of the problems you encounter?
Keith: I am the Roadway Group CAD Manager. We normally have 55 to 60 full-time employees in our group. I also support the MicroStation users in the Surface Transportation Planning Group and the Landscape Group as well. We have approximately 450 to 500 people in the Tampa office.

Problems? Well, one thing people don’t realize is that if we have X number of pages that show the finished product of say, the Spruce Street interchange, here in Tampa, we might have anywhere from three to seven times as many pages for maintenance of traffic (the roads you build to handle the traffic during construction).

But really what I want to talk about is training. I think most people you interview for these articles tend to talk more about the technical problems encountered in MicroStation and how MicroStation Productivity Toolkit and its various utilities help them to overcome these problems. I believe that training is a bigger problem to overcome due to the time it takes and the costs that can be associated with most training choices. Those choices involve either sending people to training sessions at another location or taking someone else away from their production to train, instead of producing plans, etc. For several years, I conducted in-house classes in MicroStation that would last four hours per session and would take place after my regular workday was completed. The training would last for 40 hours at which time the attendees would be “ready” to start working on projects. The problem with this approach is that I was continually taking time to refresh the newly trained individual’s memory of how to do things they couldn’t remember from the classes, again pulling me away from production work. When I was promoted to CAD Manager, one of the first things I started searching for was software that could take the place of instructor-led training. After using another company’s software for a few years, I started seeing the Axiom product advertised and arranged to have a demonstration at our site. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the product and decided to replace what we were using with the LearningBay software. We have been using LearningBay for the last couple of years to train our new employees in both MicroStation and GEOPAK. I have been very pleased with the results. The software gives the new users a solid foundation to start from and an excellent resource for review.

Another feature of the LearningBay software is that an individual can be designated to the role of instructor, thereby having the permission to review the progress of the students and view the test scores for each class that a student completes. Several experienced users are also taking advantage of this training to learn new techniques, and methods of resolving design problems for both MicroStation and GEOPAK. This also is realizing a substantial amount of savings in our training budget every year, while improving drafting and design skills of our personnel.

MST: Where do you think CAD is going?
Keith: I believe that we will eventually design everything in 3D and information from the 3D model will in turn be able to be used to actually run some of the equipment that is used in building roadways and other construction, especially earthwork. (This is already being tested). I believe that 3D simulations will be used to find design problems before they are discovered during construction. What I envision is an actual 3D model, derived from the proposed design, being used in conjunction with software that has yet to be developed. This could simulate a drainage condition of a specific amount of rainfall over a given time span that could actually be set in motion and the results viewable in real time. Or perhaps a simulation of vehicular movements along a proposed interchange to determine if certain defined vehicles are able to negotiate the turning radius as designed. Another hot topic is 4D which involves the use of CAD files and scheduling software to visualize the construction process and make sure everything works together as intended, before construction begins.

I also believe that Intelligent Transportation Systems will evolve into a more sophisticated element of roadway (highway) design, involving the use of more advanced computers built into our automobiles and utilizing even more the power of Global Positioning Systems to guide traffic and decrease congestion. It will also help to decrease the frequency of auto accidents and help traffic find detours around troubled areas of travel.

MST: What do you do when you are not working?
Keith: When I am not at work, I like to involve myself in home improvement projects, golf, art projects with my wife, photography or kayaking around the great waterways in this area of Florida.

MST: How did you get into CAD?
Keith: I worked as a land surveyor for 15 years and then migrated into civil engineering roadway design, as the two fields work closely together. I’m originally from Pendleton, Oregon, a small town in the northeastern part of the state. I moved to Florida in 1984, to get away from the depressed economy in that part of the country.

MST: What would you like to be doing in 10 years?
Keith: It would be great if I was able to be retired and working on enhancing my artistic abilities, relaxing and having the resources to travel.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Keith: Are you serious? I have never had any desire to be a writer. I do love to read though.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
Keith: That would be my wife. I would love to be able to see things from the perspective of the person I love the most. The person that I consider my best friend and that I trust above anyone else.

MST: Thanks, Keith.

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Trains keep a rollin'!

Friday, 7 March 2008

On track with Gerard Hall of Scott Wilson Railways

London, United Kingdom — As CADD/EDMS (Electronic Document Management System) Manager for Scott Wilson Railways, Gerard Hall is responsible for managing and supporting the CADD and EDMS systems of one of the top ten largest engineering consultancy firms in the United Kingdom. He talked with us recently about some major rail projects, including transportation preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Gerard Hall uses FileFixer once a week.

MicroStation Today: What are some of the projects you have been working on?
Gerard: One major project is the London Crossrail. This £16 billion project includes the planned construction of a brand-new rail link across London from Maidenhead and Heathrow Airport in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The railway will utilize existing infrastructure on the western and eastern surface (above-ground) sections of the London Crossrail, coupled with a brand-new tunneled section beneath central London, to link major existing Underground (subway) and National Rail stations. High-frequency train service will serve all stations within this central zone. Scott Wilson Railways has been one of the significant players in developing the Crossrail project in its current form. In addition, Scott Wilson has been awarded a contract as a multi-disciplinary consultant for the London Crossrail surface routes west and northeast.

Another big venture is the East London Line Project. Phase one of this £900 million project will form a key part of the transport strategy for the 2012 Olympics, incorporating an extension to the south via the London Bridge branch of the Brighton Main Line, allowing trains to run through to West Croydon and Crystal Palace. Scott Wilson will provide all structural engineering for the new, refurbished and extended track structures, including the architectural design of all stations which includes the Dalston Junction remodeling.

MST: With all that going on, what are some of the problems you have encountered?
Gerard: We are finding that more often, clients require the original design files, to support the delivered hard copy or PDF. These files, quite rightly, must be supplied such that they conform to project standards for collaboration purposes. Typical requirements include specific settings for reference files, such as “locate” and “snap” turned on, and making sure that only final, deliverable reference files are attached. Also, the reference file name must not include any file path.

Apart from design file settings, we also need to check for departures from standards, such as changes to global origin, elements drawn outside the limits of the project grid, non-standard text and dimension styles, non-standard levels, elements that are on incorrect levels and so on.

So, for whatever reason, it is not possible to maintain the design files in a “to standard” condition while in they’re in design development, be it for purposes of efficiency or user preference. From the point of view of delivery, it must be considered that all files, in some way, do not conform to standards.

We first check the files while in their design development using SpecChecker to both affect a partial fix and generate a summary report which is returned to the file owner for correction.

Then for larger projects, where there can be up to a thousand files in each delivery, we use Axiom’s MicroStation Productivity Toolkit in a series of batch processes to cleanse the files prior to issue. RefManager is used to ensure that “locate” and “snap” are turned on, that all reference files are detached from models and that the ProjectWise file path is removed from the filename. We also use Global File Changer to copy the design file settings from the project seed file into the batch of project files.

We haven’t measured the overall time saved, but typically a batch of 50 design files is processed in around an hour, using Global File Changer, compared with manually checking each file at 20 to 30 minutes per file. Anyone can do the math.

As part of our day-to-day support to the CADD teams, about once a week we are asked to recover a file from back-up because the original file has become corrupt and unusable. More often than not, this is not necessary, as FileFixer either completely fixes the file or recovers enough design data that the file can be re-used. This way, the designer gets the file back in a quarter of an hour or so, as opposed to the one to three days that it takes to retrieve a file from back-up. This is much better than the last resort – and the bane of every draftsman – having to draw the same design twice.

Just recently, I have become aware that virtually all design files have some problem that needs fixing. It may or may not need an immediate fix, but as matter of course, all files will need to be fixed prior to being made available to the users.

MST: How did you get started in CAD?
Gerard: I’ve been in civil and structural engineering since 1979 as a draftsman. From 1988, I have been primarily involved in the rail industry, specializing in bridge design. In 2000, I changed tack and since then have been working in coordination and management roles. Since 1981, CAD has played a significant role in my career. For five years, I worked on Scott Wilson’s own in-house system, but since 1990 I have been utilizing the more “industry standard” systems.

MST: As busy as you must be, do you have time for anything else?
Gerard: Outside of work, I enjoy playing a lot of sports. My main passion was rugby – but alas, the body is no longer willing. So now most Saturdays are spent playing golf, which although less physical, is no less competitive. The frustrations of the week are now taken out on the green, instead of on the rugby pitch. [Editor's note: "Pitch" is a British term for a ball field.]
I have been married for twenty years and have two children. As any parent of teenagers will concur, your time is no longer your own. Though, naturally, I would not wish it any other way.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Gerard: I’d like to think that I’ll be working in a similar role and still have the enthusiasm and appetite that I do now, but not with quite so many working hours.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Gerard: I’m never without a book on the go, non-fiction or novel. The book I would most like to have written, I have yet to read. Recently, I read a biography on Chaucer. His Canterbury Tales is recognized as being the first work of literature in English, at a time when all other written material was in either Latin or French.

On Saturdays, you will find Gerard on the green.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
Gerard: Tiger Woods. Just so I know what it’s like to hit a golf ball properly.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Gerard: I don’t believe that there is much more that can be added to the existing CAD platforms so my best guess is that there will need to be changes in the way that we share data.

In the UK, our infrastructure has been underfunded for many years. This is now changing, and a large amount of investment is being pumped in, especially into rail projects. This, coupled with the large number of civil/structural CAD designers nearing retirement and not enough school-leavers taking their place, has put a huge demand on these resources. Consulting engineers are now setting up design offices overseas and using local labor for the engineering design and drawing. With this comes the problem of file sharing. We have to become smarter in the way that this is managed. By “smarter”, I mean that there should ideally be only one file, which can be accessed by all, rather than having multiple copies that are held on local area networks, CDs, e-mail, local C: drives, etc.

And, by “one file”, I mean that by the efficient setup of caching servers and local caching, there will be little need to drag the entire file all over the world, taking up bandwidth. However, when a file does change, delta file technology facilitates this by transferring only the part of the file that has changed. [Editor's note: "Delta file technology" is a technology which analyzes changes in content between two versions of the same file.]

So I think that we will see a blossoming of project collaboration software using delta technology for the file sharing.

MST: Thanks, Gerard.

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Insisting on the best — How CAD Manager Donnell Griffith handles the constant pressure to get the job done faster and easier

Thursday, 7 February 2008

New York City, New York, USA — CAD Manager Donnell Griffith was so impressed with Axiom products at his previous job, that when he came to work for Urbitran, he requested Title Block Manager, RefManager and Microsoft Office Importer straight away.

Donnell Griffith jumped at the opportunity to learn.

MicroStation Today: Hi Donnell, what are some of the problems you encounter in your position?
Donnell: Some of my problems? Well, I guess the same as any other CAD manager: drafting production, quality assurance – and anything else they decide to throw at me. The biggest problem I face is the constant pressure to get the job done faster and easier. Axiom’s products help me do that. The Axiom tools I currently have are Title Block Manager, RefManager and Microsoft Office Importer. Axiom products help me by saving time through automating time-consuming tasks.

I had this one situation on my last job, when I was at Jacobs, Edwards and Kelcey. We had a job that was over 1,000 drawings. The job was broken up so that we were working on it in three of our offices: Miami, Chicago and my office in New Jersey. We had three sub-consultants working on it as well. When the time came to combine all the work, there were many little changes that had to be made to make it all consistent. Then we would get new drawings, from Chicago or Miami, which meant all of the existing sheets had to be renumbered. Title Block Manager made it very easy to do the renumbering in batch. About 900 had to be renumbered in all. We basically had one title block we used on all the drawings but each office, with the help of Title Block Manager, would change it slightly to reflect that it was drawn in that office, you know: “drawn by,” “checked by,” and so on.

When the drawings were finally combined, with all the references attached, we used RefManager to handle the levels that needed to be turned off. Using RefManager allowed us to do this on many files at the same time.

We used Microsoft Office Importer to import large quantities of data from Excel. Since Microsoft Office Importer establishes a link between the spreadsheets and the design files, it was easy to update the many little changes we had to make to that data. That is why I requested getting those Axiom products at my new job. I have a job I am working on now that will require me to renumber about 500 title blocks. Title Block Manager will come in handy.

Another big way Axiom helped me was through their training. The trainers at Axiom showed me the best ways to use the products. It made life much easier.

MST: Donnell, you have a pretty interesting story on how you began in the CAD field. Can you tell us about that?
Donnell: I was introduced to CAD through a minority training program called JUMP in 1994. I couldn’t afford to continue in school and needed a job. I went to the business library in Manhattan and found a book on scholarships and internships. I made a few calls and got in the program. I have been in love with CAD ever since. [Editor’s note: The Joint Urban Manpower Program helps New York engineering firms meet equal opportunity and affirmative action requirements by recruiting and training females, minorities and disadvantaged individuals for entry-level drafting and construction inspection positions on New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Engineering Agreements.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Donnell: I would still like to be working within the CAD industry, something other than engineering and architecture. I would like to be doing something more creative and pushing the limit of what CAD can do.

MST: What do you think is your greatest accomplishment?
Donnell: I don’t think I have accomplished it yet. I am still young and I feel very good about the future. I see myself growing in the CAD field. I want to see how the CAD field grows too.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Donnell: CAD: Making the Most of Computer Aided Design.

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
Donnell: New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg – he doesn’t need money.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Donnell: I think the next big thing will be with hardware. The way we communicate with CAD drawings currently involves a lot of input. You don’t have as much freedom as you do when drawing with a pencil.

MST: Thanks, Donnell.

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The importance of integrating CAD and IT – An interview with Ken Shigemitsu

Friday, 7 December 2007

Washington, DC, USA — As Director of IT at Shalom Baranes Associates, the lead design firm working on the Pentagon after the terrorist attack of 2001, Ken Shigemitsu knows the importance of keeping everyone on the same page. The project, when it is finished in 2012, will have rebuilt space equivalent to two Empire State Buildings. As busy as Ken is, we managed to persuade him to take a few minutes to answer some questions for MicroStation Today.

From karate to mountain climbing to 3D, Shalom Baranes’ Ken Shigemitsu loves a challenge

MicroStation Today: Hi Ken, you work on a variety of high-profile MicroStation projects at Shalom Baranes — like rebuilding the Pentagon, for example. What are some of the problems you encounter in your position?
Ken: There have been plenty. I mediate and coordinate technical issues with our consultants and clients regarding CAD standards and IT-related issues. Technical issues such as translation between various CAD programs have become very common. There have been several occasions where large projects required that we incorporate the CAD standards specified by the client into the drawing set. In one situation, the implementation of the CAD standards established by the client’s CAD department was required for all of our consultants working on the team. Many of our clients have become very CAD savvy and understand the importance of CAD quality control. Therefore, our clients have started to require that we submit a set of coherent CAD drawings that adhere to their standards. Because of this, it has become imperative that our CAD applications are interoperable and offer the capability to quality-control check the CAD drawings we produce.

We use a variety of tools on a daily basis to help us accomplish these objectives. One of these invaluable tools is Axiom’s MicroStation Productivity Toolkit. We use CellManager, I and I (to name a few) to manage the working drawings. These tools allow us to automate processes, which saves us many laborious hours. As an example, I provides us with the capability to manage and repair problematic cells used throughout the drawing set. I allows our CAD coordinator to ensure the quality of the DGN/DWG files and compliance with the CAD standards required by the project. We have just started to use RefWriter and Title Block Manager to manage reference and sheet files to ensure that the most current changes made in the reference files are being updated on the sheet files. These applications are essential because they improve our users’ productivity by many times. We are exploring other tools that Axiom offers and are hoping to incorporate these applications soon.

MST: Shalom Baranes has worked on the restoration of the Pentagon, the Treasury Building and Washington National Airport among other major facilities. What are some of the issues with working on those projects?
Ken: One of the common requirements for government projects is to produce a set of CAD drawings compliant with the CAD standards published by the government. The demand to produce a set of coordinated and organized CAD files, from pre-construction to post-construction, is becoming more and more common. For this type of project, we must implement an additional set of CAD standards to satisfy the requirement.

On one of the projects, we actually developed and distributed the CAD standard to all of our consultants working as a team. We then used SpecChecker to monitor, update and manage the files.

Another challenge was to convert, audit and repair various versions of DWG (r14 – 2004) and DGN (J and V8) files. In early 2000, we also realized the importance of creating 3D visualization models. Since then, we have utilized various 3D applications to help us address these design issues. The 3D tools range from an interference detection application to virtual walk-through.

Lastly, we are preparing ourselves to be BIM-ready by closely following the National Standard for Building Information Modeling published by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).

MST: How did you get into CAD/IT?
Ken: After receiving my master’s degree in architecture, I worked as an architect for five years. During that time, I became fascinated with the digital revolution, specifically in CAD, 3D modeling/rendering, computer networking and the Internet.

I began my IT career in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, working for a variety of AEC firms in the early 1990s. I then accepted a full-time position as an architect/CAD specialist at Shalom Baranes in the mid 1990s. I am now the Director of IT there.

It has been a blessing for my career to have been given the opportunity to work with so many talented architects, engineers and IT professionals. I have learned a great deal of invaluable working knowledge regarding CAD/3D, graphics and IT systems. This has helped me set my foundation to be more involved in the CAD/IT management arena. Shalom Baranes has a reputation for its expertise in government, commercial, residential and institutional design. We work with a variety of consultants and clients who use various types of CAD applications. This has made us extremely versatile and competitive in dealing with CAD/IT issues, regardless of the size of the project or the application required by the project. I enjoy these CAD/IT technical challenges because it keeps us on the cutting edge.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Ken: For work, I hope that our in-house 3D training will have made a difference so that in ten years everyone, including the designers, would be proficient in various 3D applications. I hope that my day-to-day challenges will switch from dealing with 2D drafting issues, to solving complex 3D design issues.

When I am away from work, I enjoy many different types of outdoor sports. I am also an active Karate practitioner, which keeps me physically and mentally fit. I hope to be able to continue to climb mountains and stay fit so I can enjoy other outdoor sports that I have not yet tried.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Ken: A fiction novel regarding space travel beyond our universe. But more realistically, I wish that I had written a technical reference book. Based on my previous consulting experiences, I have noticed that although CAD and IT share so much common ground, they are often not integrated to work seamlessly. An IT manager may need to rely on a CAD manager for application configurations, whereas a CAD manager may need to rely on an IT manager to understand how to integrate CAD as part of the network to share the resources. For this reason, I wish I had written a user’s reference book about system integration — a reference book that would help bridge the gap between CAD (transition between 2D and 3D files), graphics (use of graphics in CAD applications) and IT (integration of CAD and Network environments)..

“I am hoping that space travel will become common and inexpensive in the near future, so the average person would have a chance to view Earth from space.”

MST: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would it be?
Ken: Neil Armstrong. I don’t need to be the first human on the Moon, but I sure would enjoy being able to stand on the Moon and look toward the beautiful Earth we live on. I am hoping that space travel will become common and inexpensive in the near future, so that at least the average person would have a chance to view Earth from space.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Ken: A lot has happened since the digital revolution in terms of how computers have become an essential tool. But at the same time, very little has helped us to be more productive as a user. The divide between a designer (using 2D and pen and paper), a CAD architect (a 2D user) and a 3D modeler is still apparent. However, I do see changes taking place and it is encouraging. A variety of easy-to-use 3D applications are increasingly becoming more intuitive and popular for those who have limited capabilities in using a complex 3D application. The more 3D exposure a designer gets, the better chance that they will become more proficient in the 3D environment. As much as BIM is being talked about, I think it will still take a while for the industry, as a whole, to figure out exactly what BIM is all about. For those who are interested in this subject, there is an interesting short article written by Nigel Davies, dated 26 March 2007 at this Web address: http://www.eatyourcad.com/article.php?incat_id=1478

I think that as the easy-to-use 3D applications become more advanced, more designers will start to use 3D applications as design tools, as opposed to using just drafting tools. As the CAD application becomes more 3D friendly, a designer would be able to quickly produce a variety of massing study models and they could be transitioned into a more precise and complex 3D model for rendering. [Editor’s note: a “massing model” is a simple, exterior-only, 3D model.] The process from creativity to visualization has always been 2D (a designer using pen and paper) to 3D (a modeler using sophisticated 3D application), and I think the creative process may become fully 3D in the not-too-distant future.

MST: Thank you, Ken. I hope you can find the time to write that book.

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From city streets to drag strips to dams — An interview with Burns & McDonnell’s Frank Nelson

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

Kansas City, Missouri, USA — When MicroStation Today caught up with Frank Nelson at the Mid-Continent MicroStation Community (MCMC) summer conference in Kansas City, he was swamped. In addition to his busy life as project manager for Burns & McDonnell, he also volunteers as a vendor coordinator for the MCMC and just had a grandson.

Frank Nelson would like to introduce Wesley

MicroStation Today: You have been in the design field for almost 35 years now, how has your role changed?
Frank: In 1988, after 15 years of hand drafting and design, I purchased my first laptop with a 20MB hard drive and started learning drafting and designing in CAD. However, it was not until I joined Burns & McDonnell in 1998 that I encountered MicroStation and went from the world of AutoCAD to the world of MicroStation. I did have some adjustment time. About the time that I began to understand and become familiar with MicroStation V7, the Bentley folks took a quantum leap into V8. The introduction of V8 moved MicroStation from a good drafting/design platform to a great platform and from swearing at it to swearing by it. As a transportation/civil engineer, I have developed CAD designs in a dozen states and a couple foreign countries. These designs have included parking lots, city streets, state highways, sanitary sewers, a racetrack/dragstrip combination in Topeka, Kansas and roadway relocation for a water supply dam in Arkansas. I am a registered professional engineer in Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

MST: What is your official position? What are some of the problems that you encounter in your position?
Frank: My official position at Burns & McDonnell is Project Manager.

Putting together a set of plans for a state highway department always requires an inordinate amount of quantities tables, drainage area/storm sewer tables, design data tables and miscellaneous tables. In one particular set of plans for a highway improvement project for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), there was a multitude of these tables and the scope of the project was continually changing (depending upon which ODOT manager had last reviewed it). Consequently, the tables were continually changing. I knew there must be an easier way than the old-fashioned way of copying parallel lines and entering text, then having to revise the entire drawing with every change. When I looked into importing the design spreadsheets, instead of drafting them into the drawing, I found that the spreadsheet import capabilities of MicroStation and Excel were entirely inadequate for the size of spreadsheets that the Oklahoma project required. Since Burns & McDonnell had Axiom’s MicroStation Productivity Toolkit, I decided to try Microsoft Office Importer. I was surprised and pleased. After I learned how to use Microsoft Office Importer, I could import our huge drawing-size spreadsheets with ease. The spreadsheets could be easily updated in Excel and Microsoft Office Importer’s linking capabilities would automatically update the table in the drawing. Additionally, if you took the time to set the spreadsheet up in a professional manner by formatting the cells, rows and columns, the result would be a sharp, professional looking table in the drawing. I was so pleased with the results that I presented a session on Microsoft Office Importer’s capabilities at our user group’s (MCMC) summer conference the next year.

The CAD gurus at Burns & McDonnell taught a course on FileFixer. Using FileFixer to put the data back in the right places saved my sanity. It was extremely frustrating to have worked many hours on a design drawing in MicroStation and GEOPAK and having it “crash” on you. You can see the hours that you and your other designers have spent on that drawing flash before your eyes and can only imagine how the loss of this drawing will impact your project deadline. Fortunately, the CAD gurus at Burns & McDonnell did get FileFixer for us and taught us how to use it.

I have begun using FileFixer for V8 on DGN files before I export them to the DWG format. Likewise, I use FileFixer for V8 on DWG files that I have imported into the DGN format. It is nice to have a tool like FileFixer for V8 that cleans up the loose ends that “get lost in the translation.”

Another Axiom product that I have used to solve a problem is LearningBay’s MicroStation V8 Essentials. This self-paced, computer-based learning program has increased my productivity in V8 by teaching both the basics, as well as some good tips and tricks for using V8. MicroStation V8 was relatively new when I first went through the program. I also plan to go through Axiom’s LearningBay courses on GEOPAK Drainage and Site.

As a project manager, I am also concerned about our design and detailing staff’s productivity on my projects. Most of them know how to use Microsoft Office Importer and FileFixer. However, there are many other tools in Axiom’s MicroStation Productivity Toolkit that could be of great benefit to our company if the staff were aware of them and knew how to use them. This August, we were fortunate to have Axiom’s Mr. Greg McKinney come to our MCMC summer conference. The day before the conference, I invited Mr. McKinney to come to Burns & McDonnell and give us a brief overview of all of the other tools in Axiom’s Toolkit. The luncheon session was packed. In addition to Greg’s interesting and informative presentation, the attendees were enthusiastic about the potential uses for these new tools. We appreciated Greg’s visit and his presentation. He also provided copies of Axiom’s excellent brochure “Time-Saving Tools for the Overworked MicroStation User” for all of the attendees.

Frank Nelson speeds up projects with FileFixer and Microsoft Office Importer.

MST: Where would you like to be in ten years?
Frank: Retired. Maybe teaching and playing with CAD and dabbling in design on a part-time basis.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Frank: What I’d like to see as the “next big thing” in CAD is for Axiom to put together a self-paced, computer-based LearningBay program on MicroStation Productivity Toolkit and other tools. It was nice to have Greg come to tell us about all the tools, but unless my staff can get trained on them, odds are they won’t use them to their fullest potential, if at all. Like every tool, whether it’s a simple claw hammer or a multi-million-dollar jet fighter, the productivity increase that the user gets from that tool is directly proportional to the user’s capability to use that tool. Training increases capability, which in turn increases productivity.

MST: Thanks, Frank.

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Bringing new ideas to life — An interview with Dr. Victor Frankenstein

Sunday, 7 October 2007

Castle Frankenstein, Transylvania — Scientist and inventor Dr. Victor Frankenstein rarely grants interviews, but recently he came out of seclusion to grant a very special interview to MicroStation Today.

One of Dr. Frankenstein’s goals is to design additions to his castle that look like they’ve been there for hundreds of years.

MicroStation Today: Tell us about yourself.
Dr. Frankenstein: I like to think of myself as a philosopher. I have spent most of my life working as a scientist and inventor. Lately I have been getting into designing with CAD. Although I inherited a small fortune, I spent much of it doing scientific research — it can be very costly.

I started using CAD when I found I needed to enlarge the doors in the castle. Then I started using CAD to design things I needed around the laboratory and castle to save money. I found there was actually a market for some of the designs I had created. I have done quite well with a lightning rod I made several years ago. It is a very special lightning rod that enables you to actually harness the power of the lightning. I love creating things, bringing a new idea to life.

Now, not only do I design most of the equipment in my laboratory, I also do some custom design work for a few very special clients.

MST: What are some of the problems you encounter?
Dr. Frankenstein: Right now I am working on training one of my, uh, associates on CAD. He is kind of like a son to me — the son I never had. Anyway, he is a very quick learner (sort of), but is incredibly shy. We really needed a learning system that enabled him to study at home by himself. Castle Frankenstein is pretty secluded and it is an arduous journey down to the design school in the village. Unfortunately, in the past he has had a bad experience with studying in a classroom setting — he gets nervous around large groups of people. The capability of LearningBay to provide individual study is very beneficial. He likes that he can go at his own pace. He likes to burn the midnight oil (as long as there is no actual fire involved).

He has finished all of LearningBay’s MicroStation V8 Essentials, the LearningBay GEOPAK series and is halfway through Microsoft Word 2003 for Engineers.

MST: What do you use GEOPAK for around here?
Dr. Frankenstein: I had my associate redesign the road leading up to the castle last year. The road would often wash out in a heavy thunderstorm. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good thunderstorm, but they do have their drawbacks. This is the first year the road hasn’t washed out during the rainy season. As luck would have it, Axiom came out with LearningBay’s Introduction to Digital Terrain Modeling of the GEOPAK Beginning Road series, right as we were starting on the road redesign process. My associate got through the whole GEOPAK series in no time. That saved us a lot of effort. We finished the entire road a month ahead of schedule, before the rainy season started.

MST: What other uses do you have for CAD here at the castle?
Dr. Frankenstein: Well, I am always adding on to the castle, a new guestroom here, an observation tower there, maybe a secret laboratory or two. Call me eccentric, but I like to have secret entrances and exits in the castle — just in case I have to leave in a hurry and don’t want to be seen. In the past, I have sometimes had visitors from the village that I didn’t really want to see right then. It is nice to be able to slip out and in quietly, unnoticed. I also used MicroStation to design much of the equipment in my laboratory. I find I often have need of specialized equipment that I am afraid you just can’t get at the local department store or even on eBay. And some of the major vendors just ask too many questions.

MST: You mentioned you use some of Axiom’s other products, can you tell us about that?
Dr. Frankenstein: My old friend, Captain Nemo, introduced me to Axiom. He told me he used Global File Changer extensively when he upgraded from MicroStation V7 to V8. It saved him about a thousand hours. You know he designed the Nautilus himself, on paper. He used Axiom’s conversion service years ago to convert his paper drawings to V7, then he migrated them to V8 a few years later. The first thing I did was to purchase [MicroStation Productivity] Toolkit. Its arsenal of ready-made tools has proven time and again to be extremely useful. Did you notice the moat around the castle? The design file for that got corrupted from a lightning strike. But FileFixer repaired it in no time. I would have had to start all over from scratch.

MST: What type of work do you do for your special clients?
Dr. Frankenstein: Well, for one of my clients I designed a special box — I mean sleeping chamber — with an escape hatch underneath. For the same client, I also designed a special dinner jacket and vest made of Kevlar® and designed to be impervious to sharp objects (particularly things made of wood). I am working on another, stronger dinner jacket and vest that will be silver bullet–proof.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Dr. Frankenstein: That’s easy. Like most people, I guess, I’d like to be financially independent enough to be able to spend my time on my passion in life. In my case, that would be um, well let’s just call it research. I spend a lot of time roaming the countryside collecting. things. I also like just tinkering around the castle. I would also like to dig up a wife for my associate.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Dr. Frankenstein: I have always had an interest in creatures of the night, vampires and others, maybe Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Dr. Frankenstein: I am also very interested in recycling. I would like to see a program where you could take parts from several design files and combine them into one composite design.

MST: Any final words for our readers?
Dr. Frankenstein: Don’t underestimate the specialty market. I do a lot of networking and I have made a good living from providing services to clients who. well let’s just say they are a little outside the mainstream.

MST: Thanks! It’s been very… interesting.

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Changing files across the globe – An interview with Australia’s Colin Asplin

Friday, 7 September 2007

Perth, Western Australia, Australia — CAD Administrator Colin Asplin, of Perth, Western Australia, loves a challenge. Whether it’s paragliding, video editing or re-mapping hundreds of design files, he’s willing to take the jump. He took some time away from his job at Thyssenkrupp Engineering Australia (TKEA), and paragliding, to give us a rundown of what’s happening down under

In one afternoon, Colin Asplin updated every title block, mark number, part list and reference in 200 design files.

MicroStation Today: Tell us about yourself.
Colin: I’ve worked as a draftsman for nearly ten years, mostly with TKEA, although I’ve also worked a few years for BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. [Editor's note: BHP Billiton is a global leader in the resources industry (minerals and petroleum). Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group.]

My hobbies include paragliding, photography and video editing. I’ve recently developed a keen interest in programming VBA. [Editor's note: Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a programming language built into many popular software packages, including Microsoft Office and MicroStation, that allows automation of tasks and creation of new features.]

For those of you who don’t know TKEA, we design and manufacture industrial mining equipment. We also have a division that specializes in mineral processing equipment for clients across Australia.

It was the diversity of the work TKEA engages in, and the opportunity to learn new skills, which lured me back to work for them 12 months ago. This time it was in the role of “CADD Administrator”.

Currently, Western Australia’s resource sector is experiencing unprecedented growth due to the global demand for iron ore, driven mostly by China, with many new projects being “fast-tracked” (using existing drawings wherever possible) to take advantage of the higher commodity prices.

MST: What are some of the problems you encounter in your position?
Colin: Our clients mostly use MicroStation as their standard CADD application. Virtually all [clients] have their own, often quite stringent, set of CADD standards that we’re obliged to adhere to when submitting drawings to them.

Years of simply adopting client standards on each project, combined with a lack of our own CADD standard, has definitely reduced the efficiency and competitiveness of our drawing office in the long term. The industry boom we’re experiencing is exacerbating the problem as we struggle to reuse, or “fast-track”, our legacy data for new projects, with limited resources and time.

It was clear that for TKEA to remain competitive in the marketplace, we had to remove ourselves from exclusively using client standards in the future by developing and adopting our own set of CADD standards.

This has placed an increasingly heavy reliance on accurate and expedient conversion of drawings between CADD standards and also between platforms (MicroStation to AutoCAD for example). As CADD administrator, it falls on my shoulders to ensure these conversions are done in the most cost-efficient and timely manner.

One of the first decisions I made was to purchase [MicroStation] Productivity Toolkit. Its arsenal of ready-made tools has proven time and again to be extremely useful in all our conversions between DWG and DGN formats.

One of my favorite utilities in the Toolkit stable is Global File Changer. I’ve found it to be exceptionally versatile, and I’ve come to rely on it to do many of the conversion and re-mapping tasks that need to be done — whether they’re simple tasks performed on a single file, or complicated tasks to be executed across hundreds of files.

A recent example was a job that required the renaming and numbering of approximately 200 design files. Every title block, mark number, part list and reference number within the drawings had to be cross-referenced to new numbers and physically changed, including some common, non-standard variations. (A mark number is a numerical descriptor for a sub-assembly of parts used within a main assembly. For example, a mark number on a drawing should be written like this: MK A-084M08276. However some variations commonly found in design files include: MK A_F084M08276, MK F084M08276-A or even MK A-08276.)

In truth, the hardest part of the whole process was mapping the drawing numbers (old numbers changed to new numbers) inside a spreadsheet (that was done by the Lead Engineer). Once the original spreadsheet was given to me, I basically copied the original into separate spreadsheets and, using basic search and replace tools, created the variation lists. These were lists of the possible variations, like the variations mentioned for mark numbers earlier. I then appended them to the original spreadsheet. The rest was quite easy using Global File Changer’s built-in text replacement feature.

Admittedly, I did have to re-work the mapping table [spreadsheet] quite a bit. This included adding common number variations to the mapping table to handle the variations from our standards that might be in the design files. The number variations in the design files were just slight differences in the way numbers were written. For example, two CAD users using the same bolt in their designs, one may have written the part number with hyphens and the other may have written it without hyphens.

Then I saved the file as a simple .txt (text file) so that Global File Changer could import it.

In this job, there were 500 to 600 lines in the re-mapping [text] file that Global File Changer imported, which had to be applied to the batch of 200 design files. Within an afternoon, every number in all of the 200 plus drawings was correctly updated to reflect the new project numbers! I’ve since repeated this on two more projects, with the latest being composed entirely of DWG files, saving us literally hundreds of hours.

The project manager was surprised at how quickly the job was done. He told me that a few weeks earlier, he’d spent the best part of a day manually processing five drawings for the client presentation and the client found an error on first drawing he looked at.

I’m still finding new uses for Global File Changer. When used in conjunction with your VBA or MDL skills, there’s very little you cannot do in a short amount of time!

I’d definitely recommend Toolkit to any CADD Manager who frequently needs to edit or update large drawing sets of DGN or DWG files. I haven’t calculated the savings yet, but we achieved a positive ROI [Return on Investment] with Toolkit from practically the first project we used it on.

[Paragliding is] one of the easiest and cheapest was to fulfill the dream of flight,” says Colin Asplin.

MST: What would you like to be doing in ten years?
Colin: Okay, that’s easy. Like most people, I guess, I’d like to be financially independent enough to be able to spend my time on my passion in life. In my case, that would be paragliding!

“What’s paragliding?” you ask.

It’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to flying like a bird and, luckily, it’s also one of the easiest and cheapest ways to fulfill the dream of flight too. If you’ve ever dreamt of flying but thought you couldn’t afford to, or that it’s too hard — think again! If you’re interested, there’s a ton of info on the web, just Google “paragliding” and take a look!

You can also view a few of my videos on YouTube.

MST: What’s a book you wish you’d written?
Colin: Polymer-Layered Silicate and Silica Nanocomposites by Ke and Stroeve. Okay, I’m just kidding. There are so many books I’d love to be talented, smart or interesting enough to have written, I couldn’t possibly list them all. I guess the final book of the Harry Potter series springs to mind. I think J.K. Rowling is an incredibly gifted author.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Colin: It would probably be easier for me to write a bestseller (no chance!) than predict this. However, I’ve noticed a few trends, with the most notable being the global shift in engineering to embrace collaborative technologies and solutions.

This is being fuelled by a hyper-competitive global marketplace and is made possible with new web and communication technologies. The ability to manage and share data quickly between business units, customers and with downstream processing has been identified as being a critical driver of business performance, and some would argue business survival.

For CADD and engineering applications, this inevitably means a continued drive towards more “open” formats and architectures that allow data transfer between applications with minimal data loss.

An open format requires an accepted, published standard. For example, without the web standards and guidelines created by the W3C since 1994, the development and usefulness of the Internet today could not have occurred. [Editor's note: the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is an international association of organizations where member organizations, a full-time staff and the public work together to develop web standards.]

I think once this occurs in the CADD industry, we’ll begin to see some exciting and truly innovative developments. Bentley has long recognized this with the excellent interoperability of DGN and DWG in MicroStation V8, and has extended this further with MicroStation XM by including Google Earth technology and support for PDF attachments.

What’s the next big thing?

Who knows, but hopefully I’ll be around in the industry long enough to see “virtual 3D”, where the engineering is done in virtual reality! Now that would be cool! Just imagine the internal debates of whether or not to go “virtual”, or stick with “traditional” 3D. It may not be as far off as we think.

As for 2D, “What’s that again?”

MST: Thanks, Colin.

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If you want return business, make your drawings look good.

Thursday, 7 June 2007

An interview with Crispell-Snyder’s Chris Elvin

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA — We at Axiom meet interesting, dedicated MicroStation users every day. This month, we’d like you to meet Chris Elvin, CAD Administrator for Crispell-Snyder, Incorporated of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

“Give someone a product that leaves them thinking of you and they’ll come back,” states 13-year Civil Engineering veteran, Chris Elvin, CAD Administrator for Crispell-Snyder, Incorporated of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

MicroStation Today: Why do you feel your company’s work stands out from the rest?
Chris: It’s a challenge to any firm to make sure they produce products in a timely manner and in a way that’s also aesthetically pleasing. I feel this is something that’s been lost because we’re in the mechanical age. I’d like to see more firms focusing on “graphic standards” that are concerned with the look and the style of the products. That approach sets our company apart and has brought us a level of return business that is vital to us.

MST: What led to your company choosing that approach?
Chris: It started like this. My company, Crispell-Snyder, Incorporated, made the decision to go with MicroStation in the early 1990s for two reasons, 1) for Department of Transportation compatibility and 2) because MicroStation is much more customizable than other CAD programs. This was crucial to us because, before CAD, our company had created board drawings that were unique to us and our customers liked them. [Editor's note: For the benefit of those under the age of 30, we thought we'd mention that before the advent of CAD software, designing was done on paper using a drafting table. These tables were often called "drawing boards" or simply "boards".] We wanted a CAD program that could recreate the look of our board drawings and MicroStation was able to do that.

MST: What makes your work so unique?
Chris: Aesthetics. Our work looks good. In my experience, aesthetics and functionality go hand in hand. The better the drawings look, the more functional they’ll be. From the beginning, our customers have appreciated our attention to detail (like the use of line weights and minimal abbreviations). In engineering, you can go to anybody and get a drawing, but are they going to give you plan sheets that are easy to use, easy to read and nice to look at?

MST: Do you really think how a drawing looks is that important?
Chris: Yes. A drawing has to be aesthetically pleasing. It has to be easy to look at. If you want your product to stand out, you can’t underestimate this point. We’ve proven that following this philosophy promotes return business — give someone a product that leaves them thinking of you and they’ll come back.

MST: That’s great advice. What else do you focus on in your position?
Chris: CAD standards library creation, management and enforcement are probably the largest use of my time. CAD software compatibility is also a big issue, as not many of our subconsultants and clients are MicroStation users. Staying billable is important to me. A good CAD Administrator must be a proficient user and one who takes the lead and sets the example. Anything to make handling libraries, files and corruption faster and easier is going to give me the time I need to be productive and in the end, productivity is what really matters. CellManager, for example, makes tedious cell library maintenance a lot simpler with the ability to split large libraries into separate, optimized libraries for different groups of users. The ability to quickly combine cell libraries is great, especially for archiving.

Google Earth’s user interface showing how a design can be referenced to satellite imagery to show drawings in a more realistic setting.

MST: What do you predict will be the “next big thing” in CAD?
Chris: Object-oriented design is obviously the next big thing in civil design. CAD, in the civil arena, must deliver a more intelligent product in a world of GIS (Geographic Information System), BIM (Building Information Modeling) and Google Earth.

MST: Tell us a little about your background.
Chris: I have been working in the Civil Engineering arena for over 13 years. My degree is in Information Technology and Business Education.

MST: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Chris: I’ll be doing the same thing, only better. I am fortunate to be in a profession that I enjoy, creating a product that I am proud of.

MST: If you wish you had written one book, what would it be?
Chris: The Bible. It is, after all, a bestseller.

MST: Thank you so much for your time today Chris!

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Team effort that changed a man's life

Monday, 7 May 2007

An interview with Engineering Specialist, Luis Sanchez

El Paso, Texas, USA — Luis Mario Sanchez III is an Engineering Specialist for Bain Medina Bain, a Texas engineering firm. In his 12-year career, he has dealt mostly with transportation infrastructure projects. Luis told us of one special project that he’ll never forget.

Luis Sanchez, Engineering Specialist, at the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas.

MicroStation Today: What’s your definition of a challenging project?
Luis: That’s easy. A good example would be ROC 52, the biggest transportation design-build project in the Midwest Region. [Editor's note: ROC 52 stands for U.S. Highway 52 in Rochester and Oldsted Counties, Minnesota.] The pressure on that project was that we were getting constant “change orders” for overhead sign structures and striping layouts coming in from the field every couple of hours. The work had to be done and sent back out to the field within an hour of receiving the order. This went on for two years, nine to ten hours a day!

MST: Why the unusual time demands?
Luis: It was very important to the company running the ROC 52 project that the schedule wasn’t inhibited in any way. It was important that we did not inconvenience the public with multiple construction zones any more than was absolutely necessary. Since this was the first design-build of its kind, public support was vital to its success. Plus, we needed to stay on schedule and not lose money. Even with the unrelenting demands to produce, we managed to get 14 months ahead of schedule in the roadway department. Using Axiom tools religiously helped us a lot. SpellCheckerPlus and Microsoft Office Importer helped out with importing spreadsheets, verifying quantities, checking all our notes for plan sheets and creating summaries for ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) and MOT (Maintenance of Traffic) layouts. There were so many summaries and estimates in the design-build that we did not have time to create them the old way, using only MicroStation. Microsoft Office Importer made it so easy to import data into our design files. Time is money. But in design-build, time is critical to the engineer’s scheduling and the contractor’s deadlines.

MST: How did you manage that incredible pace?
Luis: With an incredible team. There were seven of us from Alliant Engineering and URS Corporation. Everybody worked together, checking each others’ work and coming up with solutions on the fly. It was very productive and the camaraderie was outstanding! We certainly worked hard, but we played hard too. It was through the interaction and trust in each other that the bonds of that remarkable team were built.

MST: So this team of guys from different firms all became friends?
Luis: Yes, and not only work friends. It went far beyond the bounds of our working relationships during a time of personal crisis for me. I was living in Rochester, Minnesota in an apartment complex. There had been flooding in the area and my complex was affected. I arrived home and was devastated to find that many of my belongings had been ruined, some of great sentimental value to me. On top of that, the landlord told me I had to relocate in 24 hours! My friends from Alliant Engineering and URS Corporation heard about the situation and came to my aide. Not only did they work tirelessly to get all my stuff loaded on a moving truck, they also drove me to Minneapolis and helped me move into my new place. I’ll never forget the support they gave me when I really needed it. That’s the kind of team this was. I wish everyone could experience what it’s like to be part of something like that. It’s life changing.

MST: That’s a wonderful story. How does it feel looking back on that team experience?
Luis: I am very proud to have been a part of the ROC 52 group and consider it the most complex and challenging project I have ever encountered. I enjoyed working for a great firm with my former bosses: John Dillingham of Alliant Engineering, David Rossman of Bonestroo Engineering and Gary Shannon and Kao Yang of URS Corporation. I look at my work experience and my career as a life-experience classroom among friends, extended family and culture. I have taken advantage of every opportunity possible to learn something new. I value my coworkers not only as friends, but also as part of my family.

MST: Can you summarize your experience and what you’re doing now?
Luis: I was educated at El Paso Community College and interned at El Paso Water Utilities. I then joined the Texas Department of Transportation in the Survey Department. From there I went into the private sector which has taken me to Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, New Mexico, California and back to Texas. I’m an Engineering and GEOPAK Specialist at Bain Medina Bain and am also pursuing a degree in Surveying under the guidance of my mentor Raymond Medina, who is my boss and good friend. Our survey projects are some of the most complex in South Central Texas.

MST: In your 12 years of CAD work, have you used any tools that have “saved your skin”?
Luis: Yes, FileFixer definitely saved my skin when I was called in to salvage a job while working in Montana. I pushed hard and did six months worth of work in six weeks. Then suddenly the file wouldn’t load because MicroStation couldn’t read the corrupted elements in one area of the file. My boss used FileFixer and we were able to salvage almost the entire file, saving me four weeks worth of work. Our deadline was three days later and we made it!

MST: Fantastic! Thank you for sharing some important moments of your CAD career and your life with us.

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InRoads guru, Mark Ditko, and Axiom unite to create first-ever InRoads e-learning courses.

Saturday, 21 April 2007

Clearwater, Florida, USA — Another major development in the MicroStation e-learning world occurred at the end of 2006 with the combining of two training powerhouses. In late December, InRoads master trainer, Mark Ditko, and Axiom’s LearningBay team finalized an agreement to join forces in creating the world’s first full e-learning course series for InRoads.

Mark Ditko, world-famous InRoads guru

Mark Ditko, founder of Zen Engineering, has 20-years of experience working with grading, paving, water, sewer and other utility design, with emphasis in the use of CAD in the production of engineering working drawings. Ditko specializes in surveying, coordinate geometry, hydrology and pipe and channel hydraulics. He also works extensively in site grading and earthwork calculations for corporations such as Bechtel, Arco, Mobil and many DOTs as well as large projects such as Euro-Disney development. Read more about Mark Ditko’s vast experience at www.zenengineering.com.

“What makes me excited about this joint venture with Axiom,” says Mark Ditko, “is that I am able to combine my years of InRoads training know-how with Axiom’s proven learning technology to produce the highest quality on-demand e-learning courses.”

Axiom and Zen Engineering plan to release dozens of browser-based courses focused on two primary goals:

  1. To provide the most comprehensive, cost-effective, on-demand InRoads educational content for everyone on the planet who wants to master InRoads design software.
  2. To enable companies of all sizes to insert their own training material (such as best practices, custom workflows and time-saving tips) into any of the InRoads LearningBay courses using simple editors such as Microsoft® Notepad and Paintbrush — without needing any programming experience of any kind.

According to Mike Arroyo, Axiom’s Vice President for Learning, InRoads courses are scheduled for release over the next six months. “It has never been easier to become so proficient, so quickly on Bentley technology,” states Arroyo. “Making new employees able to produce for billable accounts quickly, right from their own desk, has become our hallmark.”

InRoads, along with GEOPAK, are Bentley’s two most popular civil engineering software solutions that are used by most United States Departments of Transportation (DOTs). According to recent Bentley press releases, the last three states to standardize on InRoads as their road design software include California Transportation (Caltrans), Washington DOT and Georgia DOT.

“At the end of the day, what matters most is how productive you are today,” says Ditko. In his “Zen-centered” contemplative voice he continues, “It’s the first opportunity for me to clone myself. Imagine your very own personal InRoads instructor, right inside your web browser, ready to help you master the design process… That is so cool!”

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