Hale TiP to attend NY Build 2020

David Nachreiner and Charles Finn will be representing Hale TiP at the NY Build 2020 conference this week in New York City! We are looking forward to some great presentations and the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals. We will see you there!

Ugandan Water Project 5K

Hale TiP is pleased to be sponsoring the Ugandan Water Project 5K this year. Join us on Saturday, April 20th for the 5K race at Powder Mills Park in Pittsford, NY to support a fantastic cause. Water is life for the communities in Uganda that have been helped by the UWP. To learn more about the 5K, this fantastic organization, and how to help, please visit: https://ugandanwaterproject.com/events/5k/

Hale TiP is AU Bound!

Hale TiP will be at AU 2018 in Las Vegas, NV this year! Come check us out at booth 502 as we showcase our portfolio of services to include Scan-to-BIM Training, 3D Laser Scanning, BIM Modeling, and VDC Coordination & Management! Stay tuned for more Hale TiP posts regarding our Scan-to-BIM workflows leading up to AU 2018!

Greg Hale to Present on Scan to BIM Best Practices

Clearedge hosts Free Webinar: 18 NEW Tips, Hacks and Lessons Learned for Best Practice Scan to BIM

Greg Hale joins other experts in the field to discuss the best practices of Scan to BIM.  Please register for the Free Webinar at the link provided below.  

Thursday, July 26th @ 1pm

https://info.clearedge3d.com/l/311571/2018-07-13/7sfkn?utm_source=In-House+List&utm_medium=Email+Blast&utm_campaign=2018-07+15+NEW+Tips+Webinar

Congratulations!

Lots of great things to celebrate at Hale TiP! We would like to congratulate Stephen Dornelus and David Nachreiner on their one year work anniversaries! Congratulations to Samantha Houk (Wyant) for tying the knot! And Congratulations to David Nachreiner for his promotion from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant! Thank you for all you do to support the success of the company! We are proud of all of your accomplishments! 

SPAR 3D Conference and Expo Bound

Heading to SPAR 3D Conference and Expo this week in Aneheim, CA?  Be sure to check out the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) track on Tuesday at 3:30. Greg will be presenting on Reality Capture and VR. Hope to see you there! https://www.spar3d.com/…/rapid-actionable-insight-with-rea…/

HALE TiP Pleased to Welcome Newest Team Members

We are very pleased to welcome our newest HALE TiP team members!

David Nachreiner, VDCM

David Nachreiner, our new Virtual Design and Construction Manager, comes to us from LP Ciminelli, where he served as VDCM in the field of construction with a focus on MEP Coordination. He is a graduate of ITT where he obtained his BS in Construction Management. In addition, David currently serves in the US Army Reserves. We are excited to have him on board.

Stephen Dornelus, DTS

Stephen Dornelus, our new Design Technology Specialist, is a 2016 graduate of Clarkson University where he earned his BS in Civil Engineering with a concentration in architecture. He worked as a teaching assistant in the Building Information Modeling lab, assisting students with Revit. Stephen has a passion for 3D design and is already busy learning 3D Laser Scanning and our Scan to BIM workflow here at HALE TiP.

Luke Kelly, Intern, BIM Technician

Luke Kelly joins us for the summer as BIM Technician while he is home on break from Oswego State University. Luke is entering his senior year at Oswego in their Technology Management program.

Live Drone Demonstration at Black Creek Park for GIS/SIG Picnic

Here at Hale TiP, we are always looking for exciting opportunities to introduce professionals to different technologies that could meaningfully impact their workflow. That is why we were thrilled to give a live UAV demonstration to the Geographic Information Sharing Special Interest Group (GIS/SIG) on June 13th. It was a great opportunity to showcase the ease of data collection using drones as well as explore some of the different processing methods that are available.

The scope of this project included the Sunnyside Lodge and its surrounding area at Black Creek Park in North Chili, NY. To ensure sufficient data collection, Greg Hale P.E. set up two automatic flight paths using the mobile app Pix4DCapture. First, the entire landscape was scanned as the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone flew in a series of straight lines across the landscape. Afterward, the drone was set on a circular flight path around the lodge to ensure proper coverage of the structure. The initial data scanning took a total of 12 minutes, most of which was automated flight time.

After the data was collected, it was processed using two different pieces of software for comparison; the desktop application Pix4D Desktop and the browser-based application DroneDeploy. The workflow in Pix4D started with the initial processing during which the pictures from the flights were imported and the images were tied together with outliers having been flagged. Upon completion of the initial processing, GPS data collected by Michael P. Arsitz, LS of A&A Land Surveying was added as ground control points in order to more accurately geolocate and scale the project. Once the GPS data was added the project was recalibrated and allowed to generate the point cloud and the 3D mesh. The workflow in DroneDeploy, on the other hand, consisted of uploading the desired pictures to their cloud service and adjusting minimal preset parameters. The results generated did contain some differences. Take some time to explore the 2D and 3D models created in DroneDeploy as well as the model created in Pix4D and compare the results. We have also provided the original pictures from the drone flight and hope that you will use these in your own trial software to generate your own results. We recommend trying DroneDeploy, Pix4D Cloud and Pix4D Desktop, Drone2Map for ArcGIS, or Skycatch. Each of these programs have their pros and cons so be sure to explore them to get an understanding of which best suits your needs.

Map showing the automated flight paths

Image from Flight 1

Image from Flight 2

Greg Hale presents to the GIS/SIG

Liftoff!

Heading to Haiti

On Monday morning Greg Hale, from HALE TiP and Tom Pavone from LaBella Associates, will fly to Pot au Prince, Haiti. This will be Greg's fourth trip since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck there in 2010. He first went with a team to help assess the structural damage of buildings affected by the earthquake. He soon realized how desperate the need was for Haitian engineers to be educated on safe building practices. You see, in Haiti there is no OSHA, there are no building codes, there is no permit process when you want to put an addition onto a building. So, in addition to helping to assess the buildings, he began to teach. He wanted to help them to build safer structures that could withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. While there he was introduced to the vision of Haiti Providence University. Haiti Providence University was founded in October 2011 - a Christian liberal arts unviersity located 30 miles east of Port au Prince, Haiti. "The mission of this university is to provide a Christian, liberal arts education where students can live on campus. The country of Haiti needs graduates who will remain in Haiti and contribute to the betterment of Haitian society, economy, and culture. HPU provides a solid education based on Christian values and promotes social entrepreneurship during their academic career." Since the earthquake Greg and other engineers from Rochester have been providing technical support and education on safe construction practices. On this trip he is taking the drone down to fly the 200 acre campus. They will use the data collected for future site planning. To learn more about the University and find out ways to help it grow, please visit the Friends of Providence University website at http://www.hpufriends.org

The first graduating class from Haiti Providence University in 2016. 

As-Built BIM

Free On Demand Webinar from ClearEdge3D 

As-Built BIM: Case Studies in Best-Practice MEP Scan-to-Model Workflows

The built environment is in a constant state of change. Renovations and retrofits give new purpose to aging structures, however, these projects come with an increasing set of challenges and complexities. Inaccuracies, delays, and inefficiencies at any stage in the project compound to erode profits and relationship equity. Starting with an accurate representation of the existing conditions is critical for project success.

Industry experts Greg Hale, PE and Kris Nixon, PLS share their best practices for accelerating piping and duct scan-to-model workflows in case study format. Take a trip into the field and hear their experiences on two active projects:

• The Dome Arena and Expo Center Rehabilitation Project (Rochester, NY)
• 1145 19th Street MEP Upgrade Project (Washington, DC)

Watch this webinar and learn:

• Laser scanning tips to ensure the best and fastest field collection
• Hidden challenges that can put a project off schedule or off budget
• Best practice data processing and modeling tips to speed your back office workflow

http://www.clearedge3d.com/free-on-demand-webinar-as-built-bim-case-studies-in-best-practice-mep-scan-to-model-workflows/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=AsBuiltMEPBIMWebinar

ROC City RUG to combine with BBUG and Syracuse TDC

The Western New York AEC Technology Group was created to provide a venue to discuss, learn and contribute knowledge about technology used within architecture, engineering and construction.  Some specific topics/platforms that have been discussed are BIM, Autodesk Revit, 3D Scanning, rendering, 3D Printing, Newforma,  and Mobile Apps.  The group is focused in the western New York area including the major metropolitan areas of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse as wall as the surrounding areas. Each meeting offers a chance to network with other users and learn more about these technologies and how to use it effectively for design, construction and operations. At the Western New York AEC Tech meetings discussions range from business issues to production; allowing experts and those just getting started to learn and contribute in a focused environment. The meetings bring timely, valuable, practical information about these topics with a real world focus. This site is a public meeting place that provides members of the with a shared calendar , discussion forums , member profiles , photo gallery , file storage and more. We encourage you to upload your photos, complete your profile and participate! Our group meetings will be held at different venues across the state so look for a meeting near you. Please RSVP to the next event.

Please visit our MeetUp page at http://www.meetup.com/WNY-AEC-Tech/

University of Rochester Research Team Uses 3D Technology in the Field

We are pleased to share these articles about the work being done by the Department of Art and Art History and the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies to capture the subtle differences in how old train stations were built using 3D Laser Scanning Technology. It was a privilege to be able to partner with this team, training them to utilize this valuable tool in their research.

http://www.rochester.edu/…/researchco…/september-4-2015.html
http://www.rochester.edu/…/researchc…/september-11-2015.htm

SPAR Point offers Free Webinar Series for Owners and Service Providers

Three Part Webinar Series Announced: Existing Building Documentation for Owners.

Find out more information and register for this series at the following link:

http://www.sparpointgroup.com/News/Vol12No29-Existing-Building-Documentation-for-Owners/

Article Published in Talk of the Towns and Topics

Greg Hale was published in the current issue of Talk of the Towns and Topics in New York State. The Title of the article is 3D Laser Scanning.  

To read the article in its entirety you can view the .pdf here.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0-oTnDthlCfTGRIUjRPWnRoSVU/edit?usp=sharing

5 of my Current Favorite Revit Add-Ons

I often get asked the question about Revit Add-Ons.  Few people have the time to play around with new toys when they're not sure whether or not the time spent monkeying around with it will pay off in the end.  Fortunately for you, I'm the guy who doesn't mind wasting my time testing these out.  For anybody that's seen my ribbon in Revit, they know that I've looked at my fare share of add-ons.  So here's a short list of some of the tools that I favor.  I could go on and on because their or so many, but I'll keep it short enough to keep you awake.

1) Bluebeam Revu CAD - The key functionality that makes this tool worth it is the 3D PDF.  If you've ever sent 3D files for others to review, the first response is usually "Do I have to install software to see this."  In this case, the answer is no.   Anybody with Acrobat Reader can view these files.  The 3D PDF retains many of the Revit properties, objects act as layers that can be turned on and off, and the model can be fully sectioned, all in an easy-to-use format.  

2) Kiwi Codes Family Browser - Anybody who works in Revit long enough understands that family management can be the most time consuming task in daily workflow.  This tool provides a a nice graphic tool palette interface with thumbnails that are linked directly to your company standard files in Windows explorer.  When a file is added, it is automatically populated into the tool palette for all to use.  Organize it however you like.  Its easy, intuitive organization at a very reasonable price.  They also have a wonderful set of bonus tools.

3) COINS Auto Section Box - This is a very simple and functional tool for everyday use.  Select an element, the apply the auto section box tool and it will create a 3D view with a section box around that element.  There's no better way of resolving issues in a particular area very quickly.  It's one of the top rated free tools in the Autodesk App Exchange. 

4) Schedule Sync - Provides the basic functionality of exporting schedules directly to Excel, allowing you to modify the fields, then re-importing into Revit to update the data.   Its a free app and well worth placing in your tool chest.

5) Tally - This is an app that is newly available, but has enormous potential.  It's a building performance analysis tool that focuses on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).  Developed by KieranTimberlake, PE International, and Autodesk.  I haven't played with this much yet, but I'll make sure to make the most of the trial.  I hope its a game-changer.