GREENBUILD 2011: Software an architectural game changer

SMARTBIM and Vizerra launched their new collaborative software project, VIMTrek, at the Greenbuild Exposition and Conference in Toronto. The VIMTrek software can convert a fully BIM detailed standard Revit design file into an immersive collaborative 3D environment in under five minutes while retaining the BIM data.

The application is able to rapidly convert Autodesk Revit designs into immersive and interactive environments and then share these over the Internet.

The idea came from advanced technologies in the video gaming industry where hyper?fast rendering algorithms are required to produce the immersive and highly detailed environments. The industry standard architectural rendering techniques, which convert design drafts into photorealistic visuals, typically involve a laborious and time?consuming process that can take 15 hours or more to complete and requires a high degree of expertise and computing power. The results of these traditional renderings produce visually stunning but static images, allowing no interactive or, more important, collaborative capabilities because of the large file size.

The software can convert the same Revit design file into an immersive 3D environment in less than five minutes with no extra training or experience required. The new rendering process utilizes unique compression technology that makes the file one?tenth the size of a traditional render and is completely interactive, allowing designers, architects, contractors, and their clients to navigate the environment and experience the building as though they were moving through a video game. BD+C

All-electric multi-family Passive House projects can be built at the same cost or close to the same cost as conventionally designed buildings, according to a report by the Passive House Network. The report included a survey of 45 multi-family Passive House buildings in New York and Massachusetts in recent years.

Regulations | Aug 23, 2023

Gas industry drops legal challenge to heat pump requirement in Washington building code

Gas and construction industry groups recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit they had filed to block new Washington state building codes that require heat pumps in new residential and commercial construction. The lawsuit contended that the codes harm the industry groups’ business, interfere with consumer energy choice, and don’t comply with federal law.

Government Buildings | Aug 23, 2023

White House wants to ‘aggressively’ get federal workers back to the office

The Biden administration wants to “aggressively” get federal workers back in the office by September or October. “We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people,” according to an email by White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. The administration will not eliminate remote work entirely, though.

Building Owners | Aug 23, 2023

Charles Pankow Foundation releases free project delivery selection tool for building owners, developers, and project teams

Building owners and project teams can use the new Building Owner Assessment Tool (BOAT) to better understand how an owner's decision-making profile impacts outcomes for different project delivery methods.