What a Facility Owner wants you to know

    I cannot count how many times I have spoken to the AEC industry on a perspective from the Owner's side. It is so important to have our voice heard, for design teams to learn from us as we learn from them and we meet together to create a sustainable lifecycle for our buildings and data.

    But with the last team who approached me, I was not sure what to present on, and the organizer, Karen Kensak, suggested something like Digital Twins. I was like, UGH not another shiny technology, when people do not even deliver what they are contracted for most of the time. 

    So... that became the topic of my conversation. They do not record their presentations, so I decided to record my own and post it, because it is a really important discussion. 

    Behind every technical analysis I have responded with over the years, is a disappointment that most design teams are not consistently meeting contracted requirements. 

    Yes, I lay plenty of blame on the Owner's side, from the PMs not understanding or caring to Finance closing out books and sending out final payments before requirements have been met... but just because someone lets you get away with something, does not mean you should.

    If you do not care to watch an entire video, and prefer podcasts instead, I did touch on some of the same topics (although a little less forthrightly) on an episode of BIMThoughts last year. After hearing the playback of that interview, I felt I should make a presentation addressing how I always dance around the real issue for us owners, but did not get around to it... until today.

    We have such passion and energy in our industry, among those of us who share knowledge. But not everyone is like us. They do not understand or do not care or have too many time pressures, whatever the issue is, if we close the loop, it will benefit all of us.

if you do not see a video embedded here, try switching your browser to "View Web Version" or click directly on this YouTube link. 

    Not only will it make the next renovation easier, faster, and cheaper for all parties involved, it should help our economy as a whole. As I refer back to (yet again) the NIST study that shows that there are billions of dollars of lost information in our industry every year, most of which is borne by the capital facilities portion, aka, our clients.

    I also mentioned in my talk, the article I wrote about the 'alphabet soup' of acronyms for FM, so here is the link: TLA/FLAs for FIM/IWMS

Facilities Management Q&A forum: https://www.augi.com/forums/forumdisp... Salary Survey 2021 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021AUGIsurvey Are you looking for a new job? https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021JobSearch

FMDesktop: Will it live?

There have been a lot of questions, conjecture and rumors suddenly flying around about the ultimate fate of the FMDesktop suite (Autodesk's somewhat recently acquired CAFM/CMMS solution).

Of course, there has been no 'official' word or press release confirming the demise of the product or the declaration of what might replace it 'if' it goes the way of the dodo.
But, believe me, if I come across anything definite and confirm-able, I will post about it here.

However, if you'd like to see where I first heard the rumor and read some of the user, reseller, developer commentary, you could always check out this thread, "What's going on? No more FM Desktop?"

[EDIT]
Alright, finally formal word on the FMDesktop Suite appears on Autodesk's website confirming they will no longer be selling FMD (although existing subscriptions will be valid until 01/31/2010).
I do encourage folks to follow my link above to the 'No more FM Desktop' thread, to see what some folks have said about FMD and other products.
If I hear anything else that I can share, I will post about it here on my blog.

Autodesk University 2008 Course Listing

Looks like the AU 2008 class listing is now available!

Of the over 600 classes available across every discipline, there will also be six 'Power Tracks'.
AutoCAD, C3D, Geospatial, Industrial Design, Inventor and Revit

There is also some further breakdown in the Mechanical classes, I think there are five different categories. Customization & Programming and Development are now in two different categories as well.

There are nine Facilities Management/CAFM/BIM classes this year (to check out the class handouts from some of the past courses offered at AU, refer to post “Free Facilities Management Class Handouts”).

FM100-1 - Space Management on a Shoestring Budget: Using Autodesk® FMDesktop™
James Niles - Virginia Commonwealth University - Autodesk FMDesktop
FM210-1 - BIM for FM and Beyond
Bob Fahlin - Autodesk - Autodesk FMDesktop
FM214-1 - Autodesk® Facility Manager: Beyond the Basics
Stephen Komisarek - Autodesk - Autodesk FMDesktop
FM300-1 - It's Official! Autodesk® FMDesktop™ can Make your Practice More Profitable!
Shaun Bryant - CADFMconsultants - Autodesk FMDesktop
FM304-1 - Blue Line to Bottom Line with Autodesk® FMDesktop™: The Real World
Matt Davoren - CADD Microsystems, Inc.- Autodesk FMDesktop
FM310-1L - Autodesk® Revit® and Facilities Management: What's in Your Toolbox?
Clyne Curtis - Brigham Young University - AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite
FM314-1 - Revit®, AutoCAD® Architectural, and AutoCAD® Drawings to DWF™ for FMDesktop™
Arthur Franz - Simple Solutions FM - Autodesk FMDesktop
FM318-1 - NCS Version 4.0: Revisions You Need to Know About
Charles Green - Wilson & Company - AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite
FM500-1 - Facility Management: Down to the Nuts and Bolts
Jon Luby - Raptor Software - Autodesk FMDesktop

Some pretty interesting stuff there with some good instructors. I'll really miss not attending these classes this year (as well as classes for MEP and CAD Management), especially since we FINALLY GET A LAB. I've been waiting for that and asking for that for a few years now. I'd love to hear some reports from those who do attend and participate in this track (either just a personal email for my own information, or a nice writeup that I can post here with proper credit given back to the writer).

Do check out the spreadsheet on the referenced blAUg post for a complete listing of courses and teachers to see what you might find valuable in your industry and discipline.

FMDesktop Pilot Program Status

Hi there, fellow FM'ers. I just wanted to give you folks an update on how my project has been going.

I started out about a year ago with FMDesktop 7.0 (FM, FL, FW) and cross-graded to ACA08 (for the SpaceAutoGenerate feature), which then made me update to FMD7.1 (because the older one didn't work with anything newer than 2007, also remember that 2009 will not work with 7.1, so I hope you've got FMD subscription for when the development team adds that ).

Anyway, both programs were a slight learning curve for me. I've been on the discussion groups and at AU pumping everyone I could find for guidance on FMDesktop for the past couple of years. I made a few mistakes (accidentally deleted one field which undid a couple of weeks of work, there's the drawback of working in a database, there's no 'undo' button). But, it was quicker redoing the information since I'd already done it once before (if we push this live, I'll set up automatic nightly backups to a portable hard drive, IT does this, but, it's a big hassle to just look for and restore one file or folder on a system as large as ours).

The space creation and cleanup took about two weeks for one floor of my campus (big campus), the export to DWF went okay (once I realized I had to save in the current file format... we're saving down to an older one to accommodate older seats), import into Facility Manager was totally painless.

I found it really simple and easy to start clicking and picking to assign departments, room usage and other data. I imported a bunch of plans with my MEP info to show how easy that was, and I created queries for the information I added during my pilot (asbestos locations, plumbing shutoff valves, which air handling unit serves each area) and liked the out of the box reports (although, if you've used Access before, you know these are pretty easy to modify with some practice).

So, I'm in the second year of my pilot as we speak, but, the BIG thing in this project was the presentation I just made a couple of weeks ago.

Every year my department hosts a planning and education conference for all of our facilities group (managers and supervisors), some of our corporate folks and even some facilities people from the system's other facilities. We present on various projects we've done or wish to do and get feedback from our experienced coworkers.

I put together a presentation (I only had an hour) and had to remember that these folks were engineers, project managers, skilled mechanic managers and nontechnical administrators; NOT software or computer technicians. That's a challenge for a dork like me who is surrounded by other nerds like me all the time, they sometimes tell me I speak a different language.

But, we did just practice effective speaking and did test presentations in a course I just took in my studies at Saint Louis University, so that allowed me to hear some good tips and feedback from the professors and other students.

I reminded them of the definition and the purpose of CAFM, gave some examples of other facilities who utilize such systems and reminded them of pitches we'd been given in the past by software vendors.
Then I told the positives of FMD over others (cheaper startup cost, ease of modification, no need for a web server so we can just use our existing file server, ability to expand to include a work order system [ours is a bit outdated]), informed them of the information I put in this pilot and walked them through how it can be accessed and easily modified, suggested either having our space management firm adopt this or bring a portion of it back in house, queried for the office and associated equipment of our director as a sample and finally showed them a brainstormed list we'd put together years ago with the type of information we might choose to include with a full rollout.

I ended by telling them where they can watch a video I made (I love CAMTASIA!) walking through how easy it is to use the program to make changes (they've all seen me polyline spaces in AutoCAD before when I first did some of these plans and know it takes awhile).

Of course, I also revealed to them how many staff I thought we'd need and was grilled on that a bit, which gave me an opportunity for my long-standing justifications.

Anywho, wish me luck. This lives or dies by the reactions to that presentation. I was told by my Manager and Director that I'd presented well and they were re-convinced (believe me, it took a lot of talking to get the ten grand I needed to just get this far).

It seemed to be well-received and I got a lot of good questions from the audience (about 45 people), and even managed to mention BIM (which our corporate overlords kept mentioning during their presentations because they're starting to require it... I'm trying to make the point that I need to be more involved in that, because their current open standards will not help me much from a long-term system management position, although it's been proven to streamline the design process).

All I can do now is... wait.

Wish me luck.

Webcast: Facilities Management Meets BIM

Registration is open for an upcoming webcast: Facilities Management Meets Building Information Modeling (BIM)

It's being presented by Avatech and is described as, "

see how using Autodesk® FM Desktop™ and Autodesk® Revit® together will help you better manage your facilities in today’s BIM focused world. We’ll cover how to: Bridge the communication gaps between design, build, and operation management phases using DWF technology Fulfill GSA requirements regarding PBS CAD Standards Make informed decisions and stop “piece-mealing” disparate building data from multiple resources Capture design data and bring it into the facilities management environment Eliminate costs associated with the manual creation of polylines

".

There are options with 'polylining' these days. FMDesktop has some tools with Facility Link that make things easier and AutoCAD Architecture has Space Auto-Generation (spaces replace polylines in this case) which isn't 100% automatic, but, does save A LOT of time and effort.

Now, Revit is slightly different... when you're designing in Revit, the program pretty much knows where you intend room boundaries to be, which is what the above is referring to.

This (free) webcast will be February 20th from 10-11am (Eastern time zone), just register before the 19th of this month.

Anyway, as I might have mentioned, my corporate overlords are beginning to require BIM on our projects, so I certainly try to gather as much information as I can get my grubby little hands on.

FMDesktop tip: Keep it clean

FMDesktop's Facility Manager component is a CAFM program, but, we should remember that a CAFM program is primarily a database. One which is being constantly written to.

FMDesktop can be selected for a couple of different database backends, but, in my case, I chose MS Access, since that is what I'm currently using for other purposes, and where I've gotten my training.

So, I just wanted to post a little housekeeping tip for FMD. Check out your database file through Windows Explorer (FMData.mdb).

Open up the mdb file with Access, select Tools > Database Utilities > Compact and Repair Database (we AutoCAD users can think of this operation as being similar to the 'Purge' command).

You can see that after I run this utility to tidy things up, I've shrunk my file to less than a quarter of it's previous size.

I try to remember to do this every couple of weeks, but, you might want to make it a weekly event if you access your database frequently.

Autodesk Launches FMDesktop 7.1 product suite

Looks like Autodesk has made a few more improvements to Facility Manager, Facility Web and Facility Link (and, I assume also, Facility Request), and released them as FMDesktop 7.1.

Announcing Launch of Autodesk FMDesktop 7.1 Products

Autodesk® Facility Manager software brings drawings and data together in a way that gives users more information than stand-alone floor plans, databases, or spreadsheets. The open architecture in Autodesk Facility Manager software makes it flexible enough to meet the needs of the many disciplines involved in facility management.

The new release of Autodesk® FMDesktop™ software launches today, October 19, with enhancements to Autodesk Facility Manager software, including:

• Performance improvements that allow users to run reports faster
• New drawing viewer improvements
• More powerful .DWF import capabilities

Facility Manager 7.1 software users can now:

• Import asset information from CAD or BIM using the .DWF import wizard
• Receive instant audit reports of new, existing, or orphaned assets
• Share facility drawings and data with others who have the free Autodesk® Design Review viewer

The Autodesk FMDesktop 7.1 products are compatible with the 2008 versions of AutoCAD® and Revit® products.

I reported in a post this spring that the 2008 product compatibility was going to be released as a Hotfix eventually, but, it was apparently rolled into the new release instead.

Of course, you'll still be able to use it with older versions of AutoCAD, verticals, etc.

One handy tip from the ReadMe file, Facility Link will work with AutoCAD Architecture (ADT or ACA) and AutoCAD MEP (ABS or AMEP), BUT, it will not work if you try to use it with the profile option "run as AutoCAD".

Where have I been? Wandering, of course.

I just wanted to give a rundown of what I've been doing and what I will be doing in the near future so the curious faithful readers (yes, both of you) can have some insight.

It all started last fall. I was working on the Salary Survey, which takes up more than enough of my time anyway, when I had the opportunity to work for one of my personal heroes in writing a little for her book. This was intimidating. This was also A LOT of work. I didn't know that writing could be so hard. Deadlines and 'voice' and explanations of new topics that hadn't been covered before. It was a lot of work, but, it was well worth it and I'm so thankful for the experience. And, no, I won't get any royalties, so feel free to purchase this wonderful AutoCAD reference, without fear of lining my pockets. ;)

1. I had an action-packed week at AU with AUGI and the FM team
2. finished up the CAD/Design Salary Survey, which was published in the January/February 2007 issue of AUGIWorld Magazine as well as preparing additional documents with more information, for download from the survey channel
3. finished my part on the autocad and autocad lt 2008 bible
4. then I had my spring quarterly Gateway AUG meeting next, for which I was presenting both segments (AutoCAD 2008 features, as well as general CAD tips and tricks for any version)
5. and started planning the following meeting for the summer quarter with Rudy and Tomislav, which was about BIM
6. sat on another industry advisory board meeting to discuss the state and needs of the local design community
7. wrote an AUGI HotNews article: TIPniques: Dashboard Customization
8. started doing a 'Technical Edit' on the 2008 version of the 'Applying AutoCAD' text. I also ended up editing and writing exam questions to match, I finished up my work in this book very recently.
9.10. prepared for and attended our company's annual Planning, Design and Educational conference with corporate, which is always two days just PACKED full of learning and new appreciation for the expertise of my coworkers, and a chance to connect with those from other facilities and hear about their triumphs and frustrations. Not only was I an attendee, but, I also handled all of the a/v needs (one cool part was that I could control the lighting in the room with a remote control... if someone started to ramble before a break, I'd turn the lights back on as a big hint to wrap it up. ;) )
11. lost a family member very close to me. :-(
12. wrote an AUGI HotNews article: TIPniques: Using Referenced Files
13. was mentioned in CADalyst magazine by my new friend, Kenneth Wong.
14.15. finally ordered and installed FMDesktop for a pilot project. it's an attempt to gain more widespread support by showing off the software. I have wanted to do some CAFM at my Facility for awhile now, obviously, and took every FMDesktop class at AU last year and learned from the BEST (not only the best, but, also the creator, Bob, whom I had met at previous AU's when he was still hawking his wares on the exhibit hall floor with the rest of the 3rd party software guys ;) ).
16. ordered and installed AutoCAD Architecture to assist in space preparation (ie, prevent me from having to polyline every single area. SpaceAutoGenerate works a little differently in AutoCAD Architecture 2008 than it did back in Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007. I'll try to make a post outlining the new steps (it's controlled via the properties palette now, rather than a dialog). Thanks to Jimmy for pointing me in the right direction.
17. bought a house
18. started working with a 'Women in Design' initiative with a nearby college. their administration is attempting to recruit more talented young women for their design curriculum. We've just been emailing so far, but, will have our first sit-down planning session this Friday. I'm very excited about meeting more talented local ladies in various disciplines, and I'm thrilled to see the instructors taking initiative on this. I've asked for a writeup to give an outline/details/goals, etc to share here, I'll post it as soon as I receive something.
19. began planning the fall quarterly meeting of the Gateway Autodesk User Group. It will be a joint meeting with SLAMSUG the evening before the St. Louis AUGI CAD Camp. Clear your calendars and be ready to come and learn and have fun at both events!
20. moved from my role as Forums Co-Manager of the AutoCAD Community, to the duty of Community Chair.
21. wrote an AUGI HotNews article: TIPniques: AutoCAD 2008 Odds and Ends
22. had my blazer in the garage because some dingbat t-boned us
23. had my blazer in the garage again because of... what the heck is dex-cool anyway?
24. started talks with corporate about the future of BIM deliverables (who cares about architectural models? I'm only interested if we've got MEPFP's to go inside of them), and we've got some meetings coming up about it. It's nice to not be the only one paying attention to this and to hear other people finally starting to talk about it. (You might remember me mentioning two past Planning and Educational conferences where I've mentioned it in my own presentations.)

~pause~

So, yep, the Wanderer is wandering again. It seems like just yesterday, but, I know it was really a few years ago, that I posted to you that I was in the middle of, yet another, move.
We're fleeing (sort of) the bright lights of the city and the conveniences inherent therein to the cozier feel of the suburbs.
The much longer commute will stink to high heavens, without a doubt, but, our little angel will be starting school in 2008, and we want to make sure he's got closer to the best of what this region has to offer in public schools.

So, I'm busy packing up now. We've ordered most of the necessities and will be moving in a couple of week's time.

edit:
25. Oh, and as if it weren't enough to be moving houses, my office will also be moving.
So.. yeah, NOT a big deal... for the rest of the Engineering dept. Offices all under 150 sq ft.
Desks, computers, file cabinets.

Now, me, on the other hand. My office space is one thing. BUT, I also have a blueprint room, an O&M manual room and a copy room that need to fit in somewhere. ~sigh~ So... 2,340sq ft of stuff for me to move... and I don't think we'll be able to put it on the same floor that we'll be moving to. I'm already 3 floors up from my copy/blueprint rooms, and it's a pain... if I have to do that in a larger, busier building than the teeny, quiet one we're in now? Lord, help me!
So, we'll be vacating our current spaces by the end of the year. ~taking a deep breath~ eep.

We're also planning on a little jaunt across the puddle to visit family and friends in England and Ireland not long after that. My Mom's big 5-0 this year demands a decent celebration, too. ;) Next thing I know it will be time to run the Annual Salary Survey again.

Anywho, wish me luck!

Look forward to future postings from me on the Women in Design Interview Series I've been conducting. I've got a Civil Engineer in the wings and I'm not afraid to introduce her! And I hope to see you locals at upcoming meetings of GAUG.

Video: Autodesk University 2006

I know it's well past, but, I finally got around to throwing together a little video from AU2006. Skip over the first third if you don't want to see our side trip to the Grand Canyon. ;)

And, no, there is no soundtrack on this bad boy. I don't have much by ways of a music library on this computer yet. Enjoy!



URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC7M-znfL4k

National BIM Conference

Saw a notification about it today through a CADalyst magazine email...
The conference is being held May 15th through 17th in Anaheim, CA. Looks like registration is under $600.
It is sponsored by National Institute of Building Sciences, Facilities Information Council, National BIM Standard, AECnews and CADalyst; the site for the event is www.bimconference.com

I'm not exactly sure what the AEC-ST exhibit is, but with the description in the CADalyst announcement makes it sound like it's something that would affect FMers:
"The National BIM Conference is part of AEC-ST - the only event addressing the IT needs of the entire facilities and construction team and covering the entire lifecycle of the built environment. AEC-ST is co-located with Ecobuild America which covers green and sustainable building. For more information on AEC-ST, visit http://www.aecst.com."

I'd love to hear from anyone who attends. What type of 'now' and 'future' projects others are doing, recommended resources, etc.


For the past two years at my Facility and Corporate 'Planning Conference', I've presented briefly on BIM as applied to our field (Facilities and MEP design planning, building, maintenance) to plant the idea in the heads of the executives and get them to start thinking about it as momentum grows with BIM adoption and education.

This year I won't be formally presenting, but, I believe I'll be speaking at least a little on CAFM again, as I've just gotten approval to roll out a pilot program for a small portion of my facility with the FMDesktop suite.
I've turned over a list of the information I intend to gather over the next few months.

I'm waiting for a purchase order number and then I will be ready to roll. I know that the FMD install is pretty simple already, and I can't wait to actually have 'work' time to fully explore it. I really hope there are some hands-on classes at Autodesk University 2007 for FM Desktop/Facility Manager/Facility Web, etc. I had some good FMDesktop classes last year, but, they were all lecture courses, and I learn better with my hands than with my ears. ;)

Wish me luck as I break some new ground, moving from CADD Coordinator to CAFM Technician (well, in skills only, not like my job or pay is actually changing, I'm honestly wondering how the !*$% I'm going to squeeze this work in with my normal duties :-o)

Free and Updated Autodesk Products

Where to start? This has been a busy few weeks for Autodesk announcements and I know I haven't kept you up to date, so be prepared for this little deluge below:

Design Review - View, measure, markup and print 2D and 3D designs for FREE.

DWG True View - View and plot DWG's and DWF's... PLUS now you can convert between different releases from R14 through 2008! (this functionality was previously offered in a different free download called True Convert)

Units Converter - don't forget about this nifty online tool.

ScriptPro - Easy interface for scripting (apply a set of commands to many drawings).

AutoLisp Compatibility Analyzer - searches for known compatibility issues in lisp files created for versions prior to r2004.

Approved Grapics Card List - See if your card is Certified, Supported and Recommended, Supported and Not Recommended or Not Supported. (if you're ordering a new pc, send your IT guy up here first when selecting a card, they'll find their favorite brands and be able to tell which models will work)

AutoCAD LT 2007 SP2 - I believe this is the service pack that helps LT07 work with Vista. Don't forget to read the notes. Still install even if you're not using Vista... there are a lot of other fixes in here as well that you won't want to miss.

AutoCAD 2007 SP2 and other updates - Check out the whole list here and make sure you've got everything you need. From Vista to Copy/Paste bug, to Activation Errors, OLE errors, Regenerating Text, Fatal Error During Save, Closing Drawings, etc...


FMDesktop - There are a few updates here, but, I wanted to point out some recent compatibility discussions:
Facility Link with AutoCAD 2008 - Installation problem, patch is not yet available.
FM Desktop with MS Access 2007 - Some bugs with saves in forms, does not affect the data; patch is not yet available (I'm sticking with Office 2003 for now, just to be on the safe side).
FMDesktop with Revit Systems 2 (Revit MEP) - Cannot import spaces or plan views from RSys (RMEP) into Facility Manager at this point. Product teams communicating and working on future compatibility.

FMDesktop Tips and Tricks

Trying to learn a new program, the first thing I'm going to do is keep up with Peer to Peer Discussion Groups!

There has been a lot of activity recently over on the FMDesktop area on the Autodesk Discussion Groups. Check out what others are saying, and add in your questions and/or solutions!

Don't forget about the AUGI forums, there have been some good posts in there as well.

But, my post was actually prompted today by a thread started by Robert Burns over on the FMDugi (that's FM Desktop User's Group International) forums, with some great FM Desktop Tips and Tricks. Read what's posted and add your own!



Read everything else I've posted about FMDesktop!

As Bob is my witness, I'll never be Plining Spaces Again!

Creating Spaces for Use with Autodesk FMDesktop

Alright, Scarlett O'Hara, I'm not... but, I do feel this is one of those moments in history that should be captured for posterity. I just 'p-lined' the entire floor of a building in less than 20 minutes.

:-o

What's got me so excited is that this isn't actually polylining. Any Space Manager can tell you how mind-numbingly dull that task is.

Well, at one (of many) of my fabulous classes at AU2006, Bob Fahlin was the instructor, there was discussion of how FMDesktop 7 can read ADT (ACA!) spaces and Revit rooms. So, on top of that wonderful news, there was the revelation of the AutoGenerate Spaces command in ADT/ABS (Acad MEP)!

So, instead of tediously polylining, or quasi-tediously click-dragging spaces, you can set up and automate the creation of spaces.

True, this isn't a 100% *perfect* tool, but, since no *perfect* tools exist, I will be happy with this one!

I took a floor plan, 9,500 sqare feet, just the basics, right.

First, I turned off the casework and plumbing and text layers, just leaving pretty much walls, doors and windows. This is also where good drafting practices can come into play... you need those happy little osnaps working so you don't have gaps at your walls and doors, etc. You *can* add in a 'fudge' factor to ignore gaps, but, really, isn't it just easier to do it right the first time and not have to worry about making the fudge too big and ending up with a mess?

Anyway, I ran the command and here's what I ended up with on my first pass through...
Not too shabby for less than two seconds worth of work.

I manually selected the three spaces near the top that weren't generated for whatever reason, and then I did go back through and drop in a couple of spaces that weren't generated because their openings were... erm, open. Then I quickly plined the two reception areas and three hallways that were left and generated the spaces. That, along with fixing the staircase and elevator spaces and deleting the space on the patio, took all of 20 minutes.

I know this isn't a very big floor, it is one floor of one building on my campus of over 30 buildings, but... it was so much faster than manually polylining that I will take it, and happily.

The only drawback is that, if we adopt this program at work, I'll be cross-grading from my current production software of Autodesk MAP3d (love the cleanup tools) to AutoCAD Architecture (ADT/ACA) and I'm afraid of contaminating my MEP engineers with architecture cooties. :-/ (sorry, Jason M said that earlier today and I couldn't help snickering over it)

This is just one step in setting up an FMDesktop project, but, one of the most important ones.

Free Facilities Management Class Handouts

You all remember that you can download course handouts from past Autodesk University's on AUGI.com right? One of the wonderful member benefits. Membership is free after all.

Following are a list of FM class handouts from courses offered at Autodesk University from 2002-2005 (remembering that the Facility Management classes at AU2006 which don't appear on the AUGI site yet were the best ever and I hope for more of the same at AU2007):

2002

Developing a FM Automation Program for AutoCAD - A Real-World Example!

Instructor: Brian M. Wildt, Phil A. Leverault, dave espinosa-aguilar

In this course we'll show you how we developed an automation program from concept to implementation. We'll discuss how to get started, what things to keep in mind as the concept gets off the ground and a few problems that you may run into. We know there are many companies out there looking for ways to save time and money in their drafting departments. We want to share our experience with you and show you just what can be accomplished and maybe give you some ideas to get started with a program of your own.

Facility Management Made Easy with faciliCAD

Instructor: Bill Kilp

Needs Analysis, Existing Data Review, Software Selection, Data Input, Data Extraction, Data Management and Software Maintenance are all phases of implementing a facility management system. Each of these topics could be a class in itself. The intent of this course is to give the student a bird’s eye view of the process from the early stages of conceptual meetings, to implementation and use of the system. The main focus will be on data entry. We will discuss the minimum requirements for creating space chargeback reports to entering additional data such as employees and assets. We will cover the basic steps necessary to attach and link CAD floor plans to an external database using faciliCAD. The combination of faciliCAD and AutoDesk’s AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop or AutoCAD Map, gives the user all the tools needed to create graphic and non-graphic Space, Employee and Assets reports.

FM Desktop™ Leveraging AutoCAD to Meet Your Facility Management Needs

Instructor: Robert Fahlin

Using FM Desktop™ and Autodesk® technologies to return sanity to the chaos that is facility management.

2003

Autodesk Map™ and Autodesk MapGuide® for Facilities Management

Instructor: Barry Kelly

This session will address both inside and outside plant FM requirements. Most facilities management drawings are not spatially referenced, a factor that can impact the use of Autodesk Map™ and Autodesk MapGuide®. You will learn tips and tricks for this environment.

ChargeBack Reports: From CAD Drawing to Database Report

Instructor: Bill Kilp

When budget time comes around, one of the goals of any facility manager is to produce a chargeback report. This session will analyze all the elements required to produce chargeback reports. We'll use AutoCAD® 2004 to define the methods for outlining the spaces, faciliCAD v2 for the data entry of room information, and Crystal Reports for the final report.

Digging Deep into Databases

Instructor: Scott McFarlane

This session takes a holistic approach to the topic of database integration with AutoCAD®. Rather than focusing only on the tools (such as dbConnect), we will examine all the issues that you are faced with when integrating a CAD system with a database system. You will learn the fundamentals of database design and SQL, and study real-world examples that show how important these skills are to the success of your application. This session will also explore how development environments, such as VBA, can be used to extend the built-in features. We will combine this knowledge with the use of AutoCAD and dbConnect to develop a complete application from start to finish.

From CAD to CEO with Autodesk and ARCHIBUS/FM

Instructor: Gregory J. Alevras

This class explores ARCHIBUS, Inc.and answers the question: "Why automate facilities?"

Introduction to dbConnect for Facilities Management

Instructor: Scott McFarlane

This hands-on lab will give you a jump-start into the world of database connectivity. Learn how to set up a database connection, create links, and turn your drawing into a powerful interface to your database. Explore the dbConnect Manager and the Data View window and create intelligent annotation using Labels.Create simple and even complex queries with the Query Editor.

2004

Digging Deep into Databases

Instructor: Scott McFarlane

From Architectural Desktop to Facility Management Reports

Instructor: Bill Kilp and John Janzen

Learn to use Autodesk® Architectural Desktop and faciliCAD V2 to connect CAD drawings with a Microsoft SQL database, harnessing the power of Architectural Desktop with facility management-specific features. Link Space and Area objects to database records to transform Architectural Desktop drawings into intelligent resources, extending their value beyond the design phase throughout the life of the building. Learn to create a live database link between architectural Space and Area objects to records in an SQL Database. Changes in the database affect the CAD drawing and vice versa.

Introduction to dbConnect for Facilities Management

Instructor: Scott McFarlane

Publish Building FM Information to the Web Using Autodesk MapGuide®

Instructor: Bill Kilp and Glenn Stazak

Building Lifecycle Information can be entered, accessed, and edited within an AutoCAD® or Autodesk® Architectural Desktop drawing and published to a customizable web-based environment using Autodesk MapGuide® technology and faciliCAD. Use MapGuide to view and report on space, people, and asset information from a web-based format that requires virtually no learning curve. This class is designed for CAD managers and users. It will be somewhat technical but interesting for its simplicity

2005

Autodesk® Architectural Desktop: The Facility Manager's Dream

Instructor: David Shepherd

The combination of new Architectural Desktop 2006 features, such as Display Themes and Database Fields, together with ADT Areas, Spaces, and Scheduling make the software a formidable out-of-thebox solution for facility managers. This session will demonstrate how easily room booking, asset tracking, and lease/chargeback data can be linked into ADT 2006 without complex programming or recourse to third-party applications.

Chargeback Reports: From CAD Drawings to Database Report

Instructor: Bill Kilp

When budget time comes around, one of the goals of any facility manager is to produce a chargeback report. This session will analyze all the elements required to produce chargeback reports. We will uncover the mystique surrounding the ANSI/BOMA and IFMA documents defining Standard Methods for Measuring Floor Area. We will use AutoCAD 2006 to define the methods for outlining the spaces using Polyline as the space boundaries. Once defined, these boundaries can be linked to a database using a third-party CAFM solution.

dbConnect for Facilities Management

Instructor: Scott McFarlane

DWF™ and Effective Facility Information Management

Instructor: Robert Fahlin

Learn how to unleash the power of DWF to address the facility information management and documentation needs of your organization. Learn how embedded Autodesk technologies can provide an end-to-end solution for CAD operators, administrators, and others responsible for the management and dissemination of facility information. DWF provides the catalyst to bring facility drawings and data together in an easy-to-access format.

Introduction to dbConnect for Facilities Management

Instructor: Scott McFarlane, Bill Kimbrell (Assistant), and Jimmy Bergmark (Assistant)

This hands-on lab will give you a jump-start into the world of database connectivity. Learn how to set up a database connection, create links, and turn your drawing into a powerful interface to your database. Explore the dbConnect Manager and the Data View window and create intelligent annotation using Labels. Create simple and even complex queries with the Query Editor.

Tips and Tricks for Evaluating, Selecting, and Implementing a CAFM Solution

Instructor: Bill Kilp

The following are all phases of implementing a facility management system: needs analysis, existing data review, software selection, data input, data extraction, data management, and software maintenance. Each of these topics could be a class in itself. The intent of this course is to give attendees a bird’s-eye view of the process from the early stages of conceptual meetings, to implementation and use of the system. The main focus will be on data entry. We will discuss the minimum requirements for creating space chargeback reports to entering additional data such as employees and assets.

AN FMDESKTOP BLOG!

Yeah, I'm a little excited to see a blog about FM Desktop!!!, what can I say?

I'm trying to talk the bosses into letting me do a pilot project with FMD over the course of the year, to convince the other departments and financial department that a CAFM program is worthwhile and achievable.

Plus, I'm always happy to see talk about FM!

I've had the pleasure of meeting fellow FM blogger Shaun Bryant during classes at Autodesk University this year. You might also recognize him from there as one of the leaders of the UK AUGI Country Chapter or as a Panel Member for the class on Successfully Implementing a CAFM Solution.

AU 2006: My Photo Diary

Well, I pared my library down from 758 photos to just 190. Whew. Hopefully I've touched on only the best. These photos go from our trip to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon to AU and related activities for Autodesk University and AUGI. I am making notes to talk about the AUGI Local Chapter Leaders Seminar, the Industry receptions, keynote, AUGI annual meeting and AUGI day celebrants. Lots of good stuff that I'm unable to cram all into a single post by the end of the evening. To those I met there, it was GREAT to see you, I wish we could have had more time together; to those I didn't, I'm sincerely sorry I missed you. (~waving to Robin~ thanks for the pen!) AU2006 Photo Album Let me see if I've got this YouTube thing figured out... I posted a video there from the AUGI Annual Meeting with the Country Chapter Leaders from around the world introducing themselves and saying 'Join AUGI' in their native language.

AU2006 Keys to Successful CAFM Implementation

Alright, Brian Haines made a crack at the end of the class, asking if I could have my notes posted before the show tonight, and I don't think he believes that I can, so here I am... The title of this post is the name of a class/panel discussion I had the honor of attending. There were no handouts, so I took copius notes, as I knew the panel members (and some members of the audience) had VALUABLE information to share... the panelists were: Denise Cahill from Cahill & Co. Shaun Bryant from CAD/FM Consultants Ltd Aaron Bukowitz from Avatech Matt Davoren from CADD Microsystems David Jordani from Jordani Consulting Group and was mediated by Mark Evans from Autodesk BSD

(thanks for humoring my blogging and posing for this photo, panelists!)

Mark introduced the panelists and gave some background for each of them. They are very experienced; ranging from large to small projects. The audience was a mix of backgrounds (space planners, engineers, in house facilities and software developers/service providers) and experiences (for-profit, institutions/not for profit, educational and government). The first question was a good one... each panelist was asked to give their top two items, the two things they believe played vital parts in successful implementations. I've got 6 items here instead of 10 because everyone agreed on the same subjects. 1. Buy-in from all players (at least those who could affect things) 2. Breaking down/phasing implementation to manageable bites so you're not overwhelmed 3. Consistency (having trustworthy information) 4. Education and Training 5. Have goals and objectives laid out up front to prevent rework or unneccessary efforts 6. Resources (I believe this meant competent people in-house who could keep things going) "software, implementation, upkeep" <- key points I haven't credited the originators of the previous or following answers and I apologize, but, things moved fast enough that would have been difficult to keep up with the conversation, and I had a really small piece of paper on which to take notes. Some bulletpoints: First Step is defining your final needs New technologies are a mental catalyst for employees You don't know what you don't know (see previous statement) Manage expectations to avoid unreasonable disappointments Make the CAFM System central to your processes to avoid forgetting about it or taking it for granted Add 'Data Management' (upkeep) to someone's job description The software is only 20% of the success factor, the rest is processes and implementers Keep up with training There needs to be someone in-house with the skillset to manage the system and take personal responsibility/ownership once it is set up Quantify the benefits (roi? continuing justification for participation/compliance?) CAFM is undergoing a change in awareness these days. People are realizing how important proper management of an operating facility is. Years ago, noone talked about CAD Standards... it wasn't needed, files weren't being shared, consistency/continuity worked differently before. Some steps to implementation: Discovery/data gathering/cleanup/a pilot/implementation/training/turnover How long might discovery take? A couple/few weeks to go onsite and interview/assess resources, hammer down goals/expectations/deliver proposal Ah, yes... there were two perspectives present at the talk... the CAFM consultants... referring to the deep and mysterious processes of implementation... and the 'starry-eyed technologist point of view' (Steve Segarra's words, but, I liked them) that sees nothing but good things with the current resources. The most important thing is to discuss things with your peers... your questions are not going to be unique, don't reinvent the wheel. This year at AU, there were 11 FM specific courses with a 71% signup increase over last year. More than 500 individuals registered for the various courses (which I'll speak more about when I've got more time to write). I've heard through the grapevine ~shifty eyes~ that if there are enough good course proposals, that next year there could be a full Facilities Management Track (16 courses). I've got my fingers crossed. There ya go, Brian, that's what you get for challenging me. ;) Edit: I have edited this post since I got home, adding the photo the panelists were kind enough to pose for prior to the class session, as well as hyperlinks to assist readers in finding out more about the consultants who shared the preceding information. I really did enjoy the company of all of the FM people that I met throughout the week. Not only were they experienced and brilliant, but, they were also all really nice. I'm still young, I'm always curious, and I'm sure I ask stupid questions sometimes, but, someone (whether Autodesk employee or fellow FM'ers), was always kind enough to share their thoughts with me. I also note that we just had A LOT of fun throughout the week. We're all excited about what we do and where we see our industry going, and it's fantastic to get a chance to hang out with like-minded individuals. My public thanks to everyone I met this past week, you made my Autodesk University experience this year SO valuable and personally enjoyable.

Facilities Management (FM) Classes at AU 2006

From the Autodesk University blog: When Revit® Meets Autodesk® FMDesktop: Not Even “When Harry Met Sally” Compares to This Digging Deep into Databases [Part 1] From Blue Line to Bottom Line Using Autodesk® FMDesktop The Keys to Successful CAFM Implementations Implementing Scalable Facilities Management Solutions on the Web Using Autodesk MapGuide® Getting Results in Space Management Make FM Part of Your AutoCAD® World Digging Deep into Databases [Part 2] Facility Management Handbook Autodesk® FMDesktop from CAD to the Web Bottom Line Success with Facility Space and Asset Management Systems BIM and Facility Management Complying with the U.S. National CAD Standard Download the course scheduler for details on all classes and start narrowing down your choices now.