After working a while with SketchUp, every 3D modeler will invariably find out that the best thing about this software is that it can easily be extended using free plugins. If a function is not available in plain (free) SketchUp, then chances are actually quite good that there is a plugin available on the internet to fill that void. Functionality that can be added to SketchUp in this manner includes curved shapes (like spheres or onion domes), physics simulation, otherwise unsupported file export (like OBJ or STL) and many others. Read more...

Just a few more days until the updated roster of Autodesk products arrives. In the meantime, I came across this screenshot from our good ol' CAD application, which apparently now has been renamed "Raptor". While the name should give it more bite, the user interface comes across featuring a sleek and stylish dashboard.

Source: It's alive in the lab blog

Let's see how the horizontal band works out. For example, I don't like it in the latest MS Office release - it is just too feature-laden. And with screens now being manufactured predominantly in wide-screen aspect ratios, it would have made more sense to arrange everything in a vertical bar on the side of the screen.

I like visiting the Lynn Valley suspension bridge in North Vancouver. It is not as commercial as its big sister - the Capilano bridge - yet it gives you the same thrill walking over it. It was even safe for the kids - apparently the deck got an overhaul last year. What I hadn't seen before was the new cafe and ranger station next to the parking lot. This is a nice pavilion featuring a combination of wood, glass and aluminum. Main features are the big, doubled-up and angled glulam columns and connections that use shear plates and possibly split rings. What was interesting to see was that although there is a good roof overhang (and all columns being sloped inward AND large trees surrounding the location), the two outermost glulams already show quite pronounced signs of weathering. Read more...

I finally got around to updating this year's timber engineering and wood design related conferences. You can find the list here. If you want to submit any aditional conferences, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page.

It seems like this is the year for industry consolidations in the technology field. After Microsoft's bid for Yahoo and their purchase of Caligari it is now time for Green Building Studio to be acquired by a much larger company, Autodesk in this case. In an announcement that just fluttered into my inbox, GBS acknowledges the acquisition and pledges their commitment to easy-to-use and efficient BIM-based energy evaluation of building designs. Read more...