South Coast Revit Users Group

November 14-17 I will be attending my third straight Autodesk University conference. The last two followed a marathon flight from the opposite side of the globe. It's great to be back! On 8 a.m. Tuesday at one of the first sessions, it is my pleasure to introduce my colleague from the Middle-East, Kelvin Tam , whose presentation " Strategizing Mega-Projects " discusses modeling alternatives for large and complex projects. Kelvin is a passionate architect and scientist with many accolades to his credit. He has worked for RTKL and Rosetti in Los Angeles, and NBBJ in Ohio where he was named 2014 'Mentor of the Year'. ~~~ . All SCRUG members who are attending AU and would like to meet up, post in the comments section. Perhaps at the... Party at the Promenade Celebrate all you’ve learned and accomplished at AU 2016 and raise a glass with new friends. Enjoy food, drinks, and entertainment throughout the evening, all within walking distan...

Colleagues, Thanks again to all who attended the October SCRUG meeting. Thanks to LPA and our host Alejandro Lopez, and to our sponsors Kelar, Microdesk and U.S. CAD. SCRUG BIM Survey The survey will remain open for collection of additional data. To participate follow the link above. Survey results are also published and available for members' review. A big surprise to me was the revelation that three-fourths of the firms surveyed do not practice BIM planning: The Future of SCRUG... In addition to reviewing the results of the survey, attendees were invited to discuss ideas to re-invigorate the group and provide more value for members. One of our challenges is the broad range in the application of BIM technology among members. Different markets, design disciplines, and firm dynamics. From sole practitioners to the multi-office national design leaders - we have them all. These differences should strengthen, not weaken, the group. The Artificial Intelligence Revo...

Colleagues, The purpose of our anonymous SCRUG BIM Survey is to determine some characteristics of our current membership and the practices in which they are involved. We have about 300 group members identified in Orange County, and nearly 200 who practice in the Greater Los Angeles area. Your feedback will help shape the purpose and direction of the group going forward. For example, one surprising statistic is that almost one-half of the respondents so far report that their practice does not have published BIM standards. One of the goals for most design practices is the achievement of graphic consistency, both within a single project and also between successive projects. Published standards and protocols are useful for orienting new employees, and for assuring that all team members follow best practices. Furthermore, for those working with external consultants, there is a need to define a level of quality and content that is expected to be achieved, and for this to be legal...

Colleagues, Thanks and congratulations to LPA's Design Technology Director Nick Kramer, who is retiring as Chairman of SCRUG after three very successful years. Nick continues to serve the community in his role as Program Manager of Revit Technology Conference, and will be attending RTC Europe in Lisbon, Portugal October 20-22. According to our tradition, the South Coast Revit Users Group was the first group of it's kind. Formed in October 2000 by Jim Balding of WATG. The history of the group was featured in the premier issue of AUGI-EDGE magazine. I previously served as organizer and co-chairperson (with some interruptions) from 2006-2013.  Now, after almost three years in the Arabian Gulf, I've returned to Southern California and I'm eager to reconnect with everyone as Chairman of the SCRUG. There has been an amazing amount of progress and innovation surrounding BIM since those early days, and SCRUG meetings have always provided the community the oppo...