Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices

Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices Productivity comes in many forms, whether it is the tools, the technology enabled communication, connected workflows, or even the mindset. The ENGworks Global office recently took a survey called “Elevate Your Workflow” with a theme that focused on computer mouse devices. We participated in this survey because we were curious to know if there was an edge to using particular devices in BIM related roles. Whether it was the lights, the buttons, or cool racing stripes… we wanted to understand what moves the needle in productivity. Most importantly, we wanted to pass those insights on to you. Read further to see our analysis, our survey results, and our top 10 recommendations to elevate your workflow. Highlights from the Survey Responses To start off, here is a visual that shows an overall ranking with the top three features across all mouse devices that appeared in the survey results. Now, let’s get into an analysis of specific features. Programmable Buttons & Wireless vs. Wired Debate In my personal experience, I have found that equipment meant for gaming purposes can work well in CAD and BIM related roles. Gaming equipment has a lot more features, customizations, buttons, and the performance to handle long durations of use, which could be a very suitable solution in the AEC industry as well. Programmable buttons on mouse devices are popular for gaming because of the built-in shortcuts and macros that can be context specific in different games. With the plethora of software available in the industry, I had wondered if that would translate as a use case for shortcut commands in Autodesk® Revit® or AutoCAD®, for example. To my surprise, more programmable buttons didn’t always necessarily mean “better” or “more popular.” In fact, mouse devices with fewer than five buttons received almost double the amount of survey responses compared to those that exceeded 10 buttons. These mouse devices also tripled the amount of responses compared to those that had 6 to 10 buttons. Additionally, the race was very very close between wired and wireless mouse devices. It just so happens in this office that wired beat out wireless mouse devices, according to the number of survey responses. Full Feature Breakdown Here is a full breakdown of all features and all mouse devices that appeared in the survey results. Notice that several differently ‘called out’ features are noted by independent survey respondents and ultimately result in similar mouse recommendations. Mouse Device Recommendations Here are our mouse recommendations along with comments about each one. 1 – Logitech G502 HERO: This mouse device is the most popular device in the office. It is noted that while it is Number One on the list, the 10+ button feature category responses are only attributed to this mouse device and no others. From my personal experience, I have programmed the lower rhombus shaped button as a trigger to make emails automatically read and archived to a certain folder. I have also configured the top scroll wheel to automatically set up an MS Teams invite by toggling it to a hard left. Finally, the lights are pretty cool. Here are additional comments about this mouse below. “Many programmable buttons within easy reach of index finger/thumb.“ “Ergonomic, suitable for palm and claw style grips.“ “Unlike other mice with programmable buttons, this mouse uses the G-Shift button that gives double functionality to each programmable button.“ “Increases speed“ “Programmable buttons that are context specific.“ 2 – Logitech M500: This mouse device is the next most popular mouse device in the office. Based on the comments below, it seems simple yet mighty. For those who are interested in something that just gets the job done and do not need a lot of bells and whistles, check out the comments below. “Simple, easy, responsive…not too complicated“ “It has outlived 3 PCs and hasn’t failed me yet.“ “It allows me to navigate different facets of my work environment more quickly.“ “Reliable“ “Cool racing stripes”*** 3 – Logitech MX Master: This mouse seems to be a step up from a traditional design but with a little ergonomic flair. “Ergonomic design is nice for long work days, and the app specific customization makes me more efficient.“ “Ease of use and comfortable in hand.“ 4 – DELUX Ergonomic: This mouse is definitely for those who are more serious about ergonomic design. Those who experience strain from using traditional mouse devices may benefit from thinking outside the box a bit. “The position of the wrist and hand while using a vertical mouse is more comfortable than twisting the wrist to match the traditional mouse. If you have to pull your hand out every once in a while because it’s strained, then comfort is the most important criteria here.“ “Programmable buttons in the mouse decrease the time of travel from your mouse to keyboard and back to mouse when performing commands, therefore, increasing productivity. The keyboard can also have programmable buttons so this is not that big of a criteria.“ “Vertical Position“ 5 – 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse® Wireless: Well, this is certainly a different design altogether. Rather than a re-purposed gaming mouse, this mouse seems to have been designed specifically for those using CAD applications. “6 degrees of Freedom with 3D modeling software. Aids in easier navigation and makes the 3D model navigation in Navisworks/Revizto look more professional for Coordination meetings.“ 6 – iClever Ergonomic: The picture really doesn’t do this one justice. This one also appears to have more of a vertical design. It gives off a feeling of working on while on the beach with its interesting seashell shape. “Extended wrist rest provides user friendly experience, and avoids any hand pain.“ “Hours of clicking sounds can be annoying. The reduced tip noise improves concentration, learning, and productivity.“ 7 – Razer Naga Hex V2/Trinity: According to the website, “Razer™ is the world’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers.”(MOBA / MMO Gaming Mouse – Razer Naga Trinity). This could be another great option for those interested in mapping keyboard

Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts

Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts Safety glasses. Forklifts. Yellow lines. These were common sights I experienced from working for a manufacturer for almost a decade. I often found myself walking through the shop floor to get to meetings. My specific role was in supporting CAD/BIM software platforms for AEC professionals using software such as Autodesk® Revit® and Fabrication CADmep™. I managed manufacturer specific BIM content assets. That said, it was great to have the constant reminder about the realities of the real-life manufactured product in the back of my mind. It proved to be a defining chapter in my career. Valuable Experience – Valuable Benefits It is so valuable to have first-hand experience, especially in an industry where there are labor and skill shortages. In addition to shortages, there are often disconnects between field and office. A couple of years ago, I put out a very informal poll on Twitter. I asked how many times someone as an AEC professional has visited a job site or visited a shop floor. About 20% of the sixty-four votes on that poll stated that they had fewer than ten visits or first-hand experiences. Out of that segmented group, over half stated they had fewer than five visits or first-hand experiences. Note that the informality of the poll did not cover additional details such as career stage, additional breakdowns beyond ten visits, and the trade involved. My purpose for that poll was hoping that the percentage of people visiting job sites or shop floors does not go down over time. This is especially the hope, given that we have experienced a lot more virtual and flexible situations in the industry over the last couple of years. BIM is a technology that can accelerate productivity in the construction industry. If we are to truly realize the full potential, we can focus on BIM content as an incredibly effective driver. To do this, we need to focus on what matters. Focusing on what matters includes integrating real-life constructability and compatibility scenarios. This is especially the case for helping AEC professionals who may experience challenges with resources, training, productivity, and more. Without the right focus, you end up with digital paperweights that unfortunately do not serve the need. On the other side of the coin, trying to make something look perfect in software might not translate to a real-life benefit. BIM Content – More than a Download BIM content (especially for manufacturers) has the potential to be so much more than a download. If we don’t focus on the right things, however, we risk losing the forest for the trees. At a base level, a downloaded file is simply another file in someone’s Downloads folder. It says nothing definitive about what someone did with that download or if it worked for their workflow. Therefore, a downloaded file is not a guarantee that a building product manufacturer product was specified in a project. In addition, a downloaded file could make or break the user experience. For manufacturers interested in making efforts in a BIM content strategy, there is a cost not only in inaction. There is also a cost in acting without both a macro and micro focus on the right things. Taking it further, there is a cost without sustained action. So, to consider BIM content more than a download, we need to change our thinking about it. We propose to define the whole concept of manufacturer BIM content a bit differently. We think of BIM content as a digital asset that represents an actual product in more ways than just appearance. Manufacturer BIM content is a digital asset that represents the product in terms of critical dimensions, clearance, performance, adherence to product standards, availability, applicable features, and system applications. Manufacturer BIM content needs to do this while functioning to the best of its ability in the current releases of the intended software and with respect to the product lifecycle. That is quite a lot of pressure on a downloaded file. How do we address this? The Approach Matters If we are not careful, one-size-fits-all approaches and quick fixes are about as fruitful as the claw games at arcades. I am talking about the ones where you put about $5.00 of quarters in only to leave with a low-quality stuffed animal. Or worse, you end up with nothing for the effort. Additionally, in a real-life piping system, a common phrase I learned from working for a manufacturer is that the system is really only as strong as the weakest point. Connections on fittings are often the weakest point (LeVesque, 2017). In the same way, BIM components, especially those meant to connect to pipe and other elements, are potentially the weakest point in your project. Therefore, quality BIM content for manufacturers needs a more thorough and multi-faceted approach to bridge the gap between real-life product scenarios and digital design for better outcomes. The tricky part is defining quality in a way that is not a blanket statement. Several areas may have potential to have “weak points” or deficiencies with respect to many factors. Different AEC professionals place different levels of importance on various things: Introducing the Quality Polygon Score Defining high quality BIM content risks being too subjective if we do not consider a bigger context as well. To visualize something with a more comprehensive lens, we have created the BIM Content Quality Polygon Score, or QPS for short. The QPS is derived from a series of “Yes”/”No” questions. The questions span in a variety of categories pertaining to Geometry, Functionality, Management, User Experience, and Product Data. In addition, there are sixteen sub-categories. Much like the detailed assessments you can get for your car, the QPS is a seventy-five point assessment we use for evaluating BIM content assets and their likelihood of user utilization. Questions within these categories range from “Can you identify the component as a product in multiple ways?” to “Does this component connect with other components at the right places?” and more. “Yes”

Autodesk University 2020 – Day 1 Recap

Autodesk University 2020 – Day 1 Recap That’s a wrap on the first day of Autodesk University 2020! What a day of keynotes yesterday! To us it was clear that there are several key through lines of thought being presented by Autodesk. The three key pillars that were mentioned during each of the keynotes was, Data | Automation | Insight. A quote from the day that resinated with us about data was, “Data is meaningless without context. Context turns data into information.” Additionally, Common Data Environments (CDEs) were a large focus in all discussions as well, whether that was in reference to Docs, Vault, or even Shotgun for the media and entertainment sector. “Autodesk University always provides a great opportunity for us to engage with customers and partners, and even though AU 2020 will be our first completely digital AU experience, this year is no exception,” said Lisa Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “This digital shift creates the opportunity to virtually connect and learn from each other in completely new ways. Solving problems and driving innovation across our industries is what our extended community does best and I’m excited to reimagine what’s possible together, no matter where you are in the world.” We have challenged Jisell Howe to create some of her amazing mind maps for AU’s first-day keynotes to share with all of you and is amazing how it turned out. Below we have included AU’s keynotes on-demand videos together with Jisell’s mind maps and some highlights from the day. Read Jisell Howe’s article “Sweet Map O’ Mind: Mind Mapping for Beginners” from AUGIWorld Magazine. General Session: Introducing Autodesk Build: One Platform to Connect the Office and the Field Autodesk Quantify: The New Cornerstone for Preconstruction Workflows in Autodesk Construction Cloud Autodesk Construction Cloud Expands with Powerful New Project Management, Quantification and Design Coordination Products Autodesk Docs Extension for AutoCAD Autodesk has announced the launch of its Certification Program, which will offer certificates for specific products, specific workflows, and industry roles. AEC Keynote: Spacemaker, AI software for urban development is acquired by Autodesk. Read article here! Introducing Autodesk BIM Collaborate: Design Collaboration and Coordination Made Seamless Autodesk Docs Extension for AutoCAD Autodesk Tandem was announced for creating and managing high fidelity digital twins Civil Site feasibility studies with assisted ML Autodesk as a Digital Twin Consortium Founding Member Product Design & Manufacturing Keynote: Inventor to Revit Round Trip that maintains constraints Virtual Reality training Vault moving to a more agile delivery method with Vault Mobile and Vault Connect Forge Keynote: Forge for Manufacturing was announced to assist product manufacturers develop bespoke solutions for their business problems Forge Simplification was discussed as a potential future solution to make Forge more accessible. This possibly hints at a possible low-code or no-code Forge environment There were several companies highlighted during the keynote; however, BAMCORE stood out to us as creating an end to end DFMA ecosystem to produce bambo wall panels and structures Stay tuned for more throughout the week! The ENGworks Global Team Please also connect with us on our social media platforms below to stay up to date with our announcements. 1-800-356-8933 info@ENGworksGlobal.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin Back to the Blog Related Posts Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices • August 30, 2022 Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts • May 26, 2022 Are You Losing Trust in Fabrication Content? Are You Losing Trust in Fabrication Content? • May 10, 2022

Getting Ready for Autodesk University 2020

Getting Ready for Autodesk University 2020 Join us for Autodesk University 2020 Virtual Event! This year, like many other events, Autodesk University has gone virtual. Every year we go to Las Vegas and meet with all our colleagues in the industry to catch up and see what everyone has been working on. This year, we have adapted and have created several ways for us to interact during the AU 2020 virtual event. Check out below our agenda, register to the events and beside the #AU2020 hashtag use our #ENGworksGlobal hashtag to follow the conversation. Something we would like to remind everyone is about their technology setup. While we do not know what platform Autodesk will be hosted on it is always a good idea to do some computer housekeeping (or as much as IT will allow 😊). Agenda: Have you heard? We are hosting a Live Virtual Hangout! Ready for AU 2020 virtual? Join us for our Virtual Happy Hour immediately preceding the first day of Autodesk University 2020. Get ready for some social distancing socializing with your preferred drink. We will be hosting a conversation about the Autodesk keynotes that will be presented on the first day of AU 2020. Would you like to chat directly with us? Check out our Autodesk University 2020 Networking page to schedule a time to chat with us! Content on Demand Are you a manufacturer or user in need of high-quality BIM Content at a reasonable price? We have developed a great solution to facilitate your BIM Content needs at the palm of your hand. Content on Demand, a web-based platform, delivers personalized and dynamically created BIM Content whenever and wherever your users need them. Schedule a demo today! We look forward to seeing you there! The ENGworks Team Please also connect with us on our social media platforms below to stay up to date with our announcements. 1-800-356-8933 info@ENGworksGlobal.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin Back to the Blog Related Posts Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices Elevate Your Workflow – Computer Mouse Devices • August 30, 2022 Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts Visualizing BIM Content Quality and its Impacts • May 26, 2022 Are You Losing Trust in Fabrication Content? Are You Losing Trust in Fabrication Content? • May 10, 2022

Revizto for Continuity

Revizto for Continuity With the #DigitalTransformation of our design and construction processes, ENGworks has implemented Revizto to promote collaboration on projects. Want to know some of our tips and tricks? Please fill out the form to read about how ENGworks implements Revizto to promote collaboration on projects. 1-800-356-8933 info@ENGworksGlobal.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin

Mercy Hospital Jefferson Case Study

Mercy Hospital Jefferson Case Study ENGworks believes in a whole building perspective to combine sustainable design, data, and technology. Owners are realizing the value of accurate as-built models and information as a project deliverable, not only for a 3D visualization tool but as a means of organizing and connecting the BIM database of information to address any issue over a facility’s lifecycle. The Enhanced Integration process takes technology, sharpens it, and facilitates collaboration that transforms vision into reality. Please fill out the form to read about Why Enhanced Integration Matters to Owners. 1-800-356-8933 info@ENGworksGlobal.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin

ENGworks Value Addition

ENGworks Value Addition Please fill out the form to read about our Value Additions to your company, team, and/or project. 1-800-356-8933 info@ENGworksGlobal.com Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin

BuiltWorlds Insights reveals The Adoption Leaders 50 List 2018 and guess who is in it?

Here at ENGworks, we are happy to announce that our Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Ian McGaw, has been selected by the awesome people of BuiltWorlds in their Adoption Leaders 50 List for 2018. According to BuiltWorlds, all the individuals selected on this list are not only champions of technology of their organizations but leaders who stepped into newly created roles that exist today as the result of increased tech adoption. Want to know more about Ian McGaw? Check out number 29 on the Adoption Leaders List in the link below! You can also find more information about ENGworks on BuiltWorlds directory. https://builtworlds.com/insights/adoption-leaders-50-list-2018/