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3D Day Is Here
The story, "Build
It First Digitally" was very interesting (ENR 10/10 p.
28). Our design software for fire sprinkler systems has allowed
us to do this since 1997. It is called Autosprink, by M.E.P.C.A.D.
(www.mepcad.com).
It is for fire sprinklers, but
the intuitive design allows the
entire building and systems to be drawn in real 3D, just like
you were building it. We can then plot the standard "plan
view" as well as color pictures of the final product
for field use and owner review. With the interference checking
tool, most problems are found before the steel hits the dirt.
The day is here when the A/E team
sends out a 3D model, and the subcontractors each route their
respective trade through the building. Congratulations to
GM for taking the bold step.
Building Trades Should Bolt
I have been a reader
most of my life and a subscriber for close to fifty years.
I know the industry well and I have been a student of the
Building and Construction Trades Dept. and its affiliated
international unions, as recently described in the article,
"AFL-CIO in Turmoil As Big Unions Bolt" (ENR 8/1
p. 12).
The AFL-CIO has over the past 20
years or more grown to be nothing more that a political action
committee. The building trades no longer have the power within
the AFL-CIO that they once had under George Meany and they
have had little in common with current AFL-CIO membership.
This is the time for the building
trades to withdraw from the AFL-CIO and go on their own. They
will be stronger as a result and will be more capable of developing
a larger union segment by working with their employers to
be more competitive and productive.
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