In a world swimming in AI-related hype, several CAD software firms are making serious progress in the race to eliminate workflow bottlenecks using new technologies. Martyn Day looks at the field of drawing automation and identifies some of its frontrunners Throughout their history, desktop CAD systems have been sold on the promise of delivering one overriding benefit: improved productivity when compared to manual drawing. That makes sense, since productivity improvements are always sought by firms looking to save money and to increase their competitive edge. In these highly digitised times, th ..read more

Mobile workstation features Intel Core Ultra processor with NPU and Nvidia RTX pro GPU for AI workflows Lenovo has introduced the ThinkPad P1 Gen 7, the latest version of its ‘ultraportable and high-performance’ mobile workstation. The 16-inch pro laptop features an Intel Core Ultra processor with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) and a choice of Nvidia RTX Ada Generation GPUs, both of which can be used for AI processing. According to Lenovo, the integrated NPU is dedicated to handling light, continuous AI tasks, while the Nvidia RTX GPU with Tensor Core technology is meant for more d ..read more

Point cloud to mesh software will be used to ‘drive forward’ Autodesk’s future scan-to-BIM workflow Autodesk has purchased certain PointFuse IP and commercially available offerings and plans to integrate the UK firm’s reality modelling technology into the Autodesk portfolio. Details of the deal were not disclosed. PointFuse technology will be integrated within the Autodesk portfolio, where it will be used to ‘drive forward a future scan-to-BIM workflow’. PointFuse software, as a standalone application, will cease to exist on May 1, 2025. As it stands, the PointFuse software converts point clou ..read more

Software allows users to create geotechnical graph outputs using data from Seequent’s OpenGround Oasys Giraphe is a new geotechnical graphing software designed to makes it easier for users to create, customise, update, and interpret graphs. It is integrated with Seequent’s OpenGround geotechnical information management solution. According to Oasys, with few clicks, users can retrieve OpenGround data and plot it on any of the geotechnical graphs in Giraphe’s predefined library. Custom graphs can also be built using custom queries to sample fields from project data grids in OpenGround, or f ..read more

Acquisition will give Graitec tools for enhancing Revit model efficiency AEC software developer Graitec has acquired Ideate Software, a US firm that offers plug-ins for Revit as well as a scripting solution that enables Revit users to run time-intensive Revit tasks in the background. Ideate Software plug-ins are designed to help companies streamline Revit data management processes, control, enhance data accuracy, and improve the health of their models. With Ideate Automation, firms can automate time consuming Revit tasks, or schedule them to run overnight, to help reduce the chance of human er ..read more

Platform uses Esri GIS technology to help manage environmental impact and reduce risk of airport disruption from accidental damage to utilities London Gatwick has created a new geospatial platform using Esri’s GIS technology to support multiple operational areas at the airport, including engineering and environmental services. The system helps make engineering and construction works safer by reducing accidental strikes on buried utilities and enabling better management of the airports biodiversity. The geospatial platform contains critical infrastructure information spanning the 70-year histor ..read more

Enscape Building Performance module to deliver real time analysis and visulisation for energy, daylight and thermal comfort Chaos has shared more details about its partnership with IES designed to bring real time building performance analysis to its real-time rendering tool Enscape. The public beta of the new Building Performance module, covered in detail in AEC Magazine last month, will be available in the second half of 2024, with the commercial release to follow. The initial release will be available for free to all Enscape users. The integrated solution will allow users of all En ..read more

Partnership with Octopus Lab will allow allow users of IESVE software to simulate the concentration of over a thousand pollutants IES has signed a strategic partnership with French software company Octopus Lab to bring better indoor air quality simulation to a wider international audience. Octopus Lab’s Indalo software uses Inca-Indoor, which is claimed to be the world’s only validated indoor air chemistry calculation engine. IES’ Virtual Environment (VE) software, which is used for building performance analysis, currently simulates the ventilation and impact in terms of internal CO2 concentra ..read more

Nvidia RTX A400 (4 GB) and A1000 (8 GB) GPUs to enhance AI and visualisation workflows Nvidia has launched its first entry-level professional desktop GPUs to feature RT cores for ray tracing and Tensor cores for AI. The Nvidia RTX A400 (4 GB) and RTX A1000 (8 GB) are built on the Nvidia Ampere architecture, which was first introduced in 2020, and not the Nvidia Ada architecture used in its most recent Nvidia RTX 2000, 4000, 4500, 5000 and 6000 class professional GPUs. According to Nvidia, the new GPUs have AI processing capabilities that surpass traditional CPU-based solutions, enabling profes ..read more

As an industry, offsite modular is pretty much collapsing in the UK. There’s a serious scarcity of skilled labour, and the traditional construction industry racked up more insolvencies last year than any other sector. So what hope does the UK have of digitising fabrication and building the homes we need? Martyn Day speaks with Bruce Bell of Facit Homes The first time I wrote about Facit Homes was back in 2013, when the company had just been highlighted on Channel 4’s Grand Designs as a design-build architectural firm. What set it apart from other design-build firms I knew about was that the ho ..read more