CAD Garage Blog

Black Friday, Cyber Monday & Betweekend

Short and sweet:

CAD Garage is having a "Black Friday, Cyber Monday and everything in between (Betweekend?)" sale from now through November 30th, 2009. We'll take 10% off your order total when you enter coupon code: BFCM10 at checkout. Coupon applies to orders totaling $250 or more. And orders over $100 qualify for free shipping! Details here.

It's a great time to take advantage of those big ticket item purchases such as ArchiCAD, formS, Piranesi, Artlantis or a new plotter. So head back to CAD Garage and start saving now!

Greg

CAD Garage 12th Anniversary!

Happy 12th Anniversary to us!

Ok, CAD Garage as a brand has not been in use for 12 years but our online store began in November of 1997 with just a few ArchiCAD and formZ books available. Back then it was just the "ICS Online Store", and was hosted by a startup online e-commerce group in nearby Harvard Square who was later purchased by Yahoo. So we were a Yahoo Store from day one of Yahoo stores with the exciting URL of www.store.yahoo.com/intcad. In 2003 we registered the www.cadgarage.com domain, not knowing what we would use it for, later to realize we had this online store in desperate need of a branding makeover and CAD Garage was truly born. But alas, we still celebrate our birth as being November 1997 as a little store to sell hard to find specialty books and training materials for software programs such as ArchiCAD, formZ, Arlantis, Piranesi and many others. We have also strived to provide other hardware and software that is "best in class", unique, hard to find or just strikes us as interesting with a particular emphasis on Mac or multi-platform tools. And that's where we are today and what we will continue to offer in the future.

So thank you to all of our customers over the years for purchasing from us, coming back again, spreading the word and becoming friends. And thank you to our employees who work hard, strive for excellence and continue the tradition.

And if you did read this far you get a little prize! Use coupon code "CG12" at checkout to receive $12 off on any purchase over $50 through November 30th, 2009 at CAD Garage.

Greg

- BIMulus -

BIMulus: The Stimulus for the rest of us.

Or so my story goes.

It's clear from my travels, meetings and calls to architects that BIM (Building Information Modeling) is beginning a critical upswing within the profession. Clients, both public and private, are asking for BIM models or for teams to work within a BIM process. Contractors are starting to ask architects if they have a BIM model available and even peer pressure from fellow architects (you doing BIM yet?) is taking hold. And with all that we can start to see a future where there are the BIM have's and have not's-and projects will go to those that can provide the services clients are requesting. So in these times of reduced workload it's time to start thinking about becoming a BIM have.

Ramping up your skills now will have a big payback as projects begin to come back on board through either stimulus money or the opening up of credit markets. You'll be competing against a few BIM early adopters but by being able to show your firm has the skills in place and can meet the clients needs you're much more likely to be shortlisted. And many of the public projects receiving stimulus money will require BIM-both GSA and state government funded. In the private sector the ability to provide BIM service, at even a basic level, will set you apart from much of the competition in your marketing and business development efforts. So get BIM'ing!

Here's a few ways to start:

-Download Graphisoft's "BIM Learning Studio":

<https://trialregistration.graphisoft.com>

It's a 30 day trial of ArchiCAD 12 plus a number of tutorials to get you started on your way. Graphisoft invented the Virtual Building technology 25 years ago that we know today as BIM. And it's free!

-Learn ArchiCAD better:

The Virtual Tutor for ArchiCAD 12 DVD will assist you in learning ArchiCAD on a project from start to finish while watching video tutorials. Get the popcorn started!

-Read some BIM books:

It's not just about the software you know? You need to be able to speak about the process and do it if you win the work. So here's a few titles for you:

Building Information Modeling, by William Kymmell

BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling, By Chuck Eastman & others

Green BIM: Successful Sustainable Design with BIM, by Ed Krygiel and Bradley Nies

Those will provide you with more then enough ability to talk the talk while inducing minimal naps.

-Learn another new tool:

Now that you have yourself a fancy little Building Information Model gussy it up with Artlantis Render. A good rendering tools can help you sell yourself and your projects. And really, do you think the client just wants a big old data filled model? They want the pretty pictures too!

-If the entry price of BIM software is holding you back consider a few options:

ArchiCAD 12 PayPerUse (PPU)

Get started with a 300 hour use key for under $500. And credit up to 3 keys towards a full license through the end of 2009.

ArchiCAD Start Edition 2009

BIM for the sole practitioner, small firm or builder with an entry level price.

So wake up tomorrow and say to yourself "I'm going to put a little BIMulus in my firm"

Greg