DesignWorkshop
I credit my first exposure to 3D modeling to DesignWorkshop. Back in 1995, I was self employed and on the Macintosh computer platform using a 2D software called PowerCADD. To supplement my drawings with 3D models, I downloaded a trial copy of DesignWorkshop. In a matter of days, I was producing 3D models of my projects. I then went on to work for Douglas Teiger of Teiger Architects in Santa Monica, CA where I got to use DesignWorkshop extensively. Here’s a couple of images that are still posted at Artifice’s Gallery page:
1997 - 3D massing model of a movie theater (Arvada, Colorado) created for Behr-Browers Architects, Westlake Village, CA
1998 - Retail store (Main Street, Venice Beach, California) created for Teiger Architects, Santa Monica, CA
As you can see from these two images above, I have been incorporating a lot of details to my models already which made them stand out and look realistic.
Sketchup
My exposure to this software came from a colleague who contracted me to do massing studies for a proposed casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the knowledge I gained from DesignWorkshop, I bought Sketchup and was up to speed in a couple of days. Aside from the illustration below, I was able to do movies, walkthroughs and other views using Sketchup.
2004 - 3d Massing of a Proposed casino in Las Vegas, Nevada
Revit
I am proud to credit my Revit exposure and experience to Friedmutter Group, a well known Las Vegas architectural firm specializing in casinos and other hospitality projects. It is with this company that I got my firsthand experience in BIM using Revit for construction documents and details. Aside from getting the chance to work on multi-million dollar projects, I had the privilege of working with world class Revit users.
At Gensler of Nevada, I was working on BIM projects side by side with the company’s top Revit experts.
Books and References
Numerous Revit books are available out there. Here are a few of the ones I constantly refer to for directions and ideas:
- The Aubin Academy Master Series: Revit® Architecture 2011_by Paul Aubin
- Mastering Revit® Architecture 2011_by Eddy Krygiel, Phil Read and James Vandezande
- Introducing Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2011_by P. Davis with C. Busa, B. Turner,S. Stafford
- Revit® Architecture 2010_No Experience Required_by Eric Wing
- Mastering Revit® Architecture 2010_by Greg Demchak, Tatjana Dzambazova and Eddy Krygiel
- Mastering Autodesk® Revit® Building_by Paul F. Aubin
- Revit® Structure 2010_by Thomas Weir, Jamie D. Richardson and David J. Harrington
Internet Sites
Thanks to the internet, we have tons of sites dealing with Revit which are too many to mention here. They are a source of information as well as inspiration in my everyday work. I also constantly purchase books dealing with 3D modeling, building construction and detailing.
Computer Setup
Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop:
T9550 (2.66 GHz/1066 Mhz FSB/6M L2 Cache); 4 GB DDR3, 1067 MHz 2 Dimm for XPS 1640; ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 – 512 MB; 500 GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive; Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Edition
24” LG Flatron W2486L External Monitor
Epson Artisan 710 Muliti Purpose Colored Printer
HP Pavilion Elite HPE-270F Desktop PC
Intel Core i7-930 Processor (2.8 GHz, 1 MB L2 Cache + 8MB Shared L3 Cache, Intel X58 Express Chipset); 24 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM memory; Two-1 Terabyte (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drives; Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe Technology; ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card with 1GB DDR5 dedicated graphics memory, HDMI, dual-link DVI, display port, and VGA capabilities;
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Edition
24" LG W2486L monitor
BOXX 4920 XTREME
Intel i7 Six Core Enhanced Performance Processor (4.5 Ghz); 32GB DDR3 1600 (8 DIMMS); NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB; 256 GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s; 180 GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s; 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer; Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64−Bit; 1 Terabyte (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive
2 - BENQ EW 2420 monitor
Navigation Devices:
SpacePilot PRO by 3Dconnexion
SpaceMouse Pro by 3Dconnexion
SpaceExplorer
SpaceNavigator
SpaceNavigator for Notebooks
Autodesk® Software
Autodesk® Building Design Suite, Premium 2013
Autodesk® Building Design Suite, Premium 2012
AutoCAD®
AutoCAD® Architecture
AutoCAD® MEP
AutoCAD® Structural Detailing
Autodesk® Showcase®
Autodesk® SketchBook® Designer
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture
Autodesk® Revit® MEP
Autodesk® Revit® Structure
Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture Suite 2011
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture Suite 2010
