second life - Public Works Group Blog

May 30, 2008July 2, 2010

Siemens PLM Software â€“ Making CAD Easier and Even More Fun to Use

Siemens PLM Software has hosted a few events recently in the virtual world of Second Life that have been fun and interesting for anyone interested in CAD. And according to their calendar, this is just the beginning. During one of these events, held on May 20, the company hosted a live launch of its Velocity series in Boston while at the same time hosting a live virtual launch in Second Life. Although I would never have been able to attend the Boston event, I was able to find my way into the Second Life event. What a great presentation!

Photo of Bruce Boes in Second Life and in real life giving a presentation about Siemens PLM Software Velocity Series

By attending in Second Life, I was able to find out the following information presented by Bruce Boes, global vice president, Velocity Series Marketing:

The company has 425 channel partners on a global basis

90% of the company’s Velocity business goes through their channel partners

Siemens PLM Software currently has a third of the market and is projected to represent half by 2011

A case study on Conn-Weld Industries showed a reduction in design time of 66% in their move from 2D to 3D

The presentation was fun and energetic and really nothing like I would have expected or had ever seen before having worked in the engineering field for the last 25 years or so. Lets face it, engineers aren’t usually thought of as the life of the party. But Siemens PLM Software showed me that maybe things are changing a little in our field. Throughout the presentation, a guy who introduced himself as the “answer man” would jump onto the stage to offer his own take on what was going on. The distraction provided a unique method of introducing key points.

A photo of the Answer Man who kept interrupting the Siemens PLM Software Velocity Launch Event in Boston.

Several videos were shown to demonstrate the ease with which products can be designed with the software in the Velocity series. I have to admit that I primarily use CAD for mapping and producing civil engineering plans which are quite a bit different from mechanical drawings. But even I could appreciate the ease with which products could be designed and then changed on the fly.

Some benefits included the ability to create specific constraints in the drawing such as holding a particular dimension, and then making changes to the product without having to worry about going back and checking or updating each constraint. During the editing process, the software revised everything on the fly as specified. You can even tell the software to always make sure a particular hole or component is always located in the center of another part – thus specifying a constraint based on a formula. That seemed impressive to me. I wish I could do that in my CAD software with my roadway or sewer design as easily as this was done in the Siemens PLM Software.

So in answer to why this type of drawing manipulation – termed “synchronous technology” is useful, Boes said it will allow the engineer the freedom to be an engineer and not have to be fully proficient in CAD. And this is good – if engineers can actually start creating the product drawing while they are designing, a significant decrease in time and elimination of mistakes can be realized. And this is what company’s are experiencing. Boes went through several design process examples to show how much time and money can be saved.

Anyway the grand finale was a man who got on stage and put himself inside a balloon. Now there’s something you don’t get to see everyday. And that part happened at the real life event!

May 29, 2008May 30, 2008

Tapping Creativity and Increasing Productivity

This blog entry is a follow up to the last one: Losing Your Creativity

I am sure that Google could serve up a zillion ideas about how to nurture your creativity; I searched my self and found a pretty decent article about creativity in the workplace (you can read it by clicking here). But instead of serving up what you can already find, I decided to just take a simple approach and give you my take on what I see regular folks doing to tap into their creative side, find their mojo, or what ever you want to call it. Most of these are probably fairly basic, and you may already do some of these. If you have some that should be added feel free to add yours in by commenting! The bottom line is to find one or more that works for you and just do it!!!

Listen to music
Read a book (for enjoyment – not work)
Go for a walk
Go for a boat ride
Go for a drive and look at the scenery (but remember to watch the road too) and long enough that you stop thinking about all that work or all those problems at the office
Fish and actually look at the fish you catch
Visit an art gallery or museum and really look at the exhibits/painting – imagine how they were created
Swim (but only in deep water if you know how to swim – otherwise wading in shallow water is good too)
Garden
Do yoga or other stretching exercises/movements
Dance
Paint/Draw (even if it is with your kids with chalk on the sidewalk or with fingerpaints in the kitchen)
Stroll through a downtown and really look at the architecture and the form and colors of the buildings
Take photos of common, everyday objects – take some at unusual angles
Write a story, letter, blog, diary entry, article – even if no one else will ever see it
Relax in a hot tub or whirlpool or sauna

In addition to these ideas, I have to add that my time spent in Second Life has definitely enhanced my creative side. Trying to build objects in a virtual world requires you to look at objects in the “real world” in a whole new way because you have to try to figure out how to make them using the tools and constraints of that software. I end up seeing shapes and colors and textures that I never really noticed before.

I realize that most users of Second Life have already discovered this, but I add it for those who have yet to venture in. Not only is there the opportunity for you to create, but you can gain a new perspective by visiting and viewing the creations of others. I always think of it as being allowed to look into the creative side of someone else’s mind. And looking at what others have created is always a great way to stimulate your own creativity.

March 28, 2008August 8, 2010

Using Second Life to Teach Building Codes

Because I initially joined Second Life as a means of promoting the awesome community that I live and work in, my primary focus was always to find displays or builds that would help our city reach out to the community. One of the ideas I had thought about implementing was a “Code House” – a building in which the the International Residential Building Code could be shown in 3-D.

As the city’s building inspector I discovered that many builders and homeowners do not have the time, the patience, or the motivation to sit down and read the code book. I do think that the code council has done the best job possible in setting up the book and presenting the information, but let’s face it, few people want to sit down and read a book of regulations. So I have often wondered how to best convey the information in the code book in an easy and simple way that will engage everyone’s interest.

I believe that the Second Life environment provides the opportunity to create a presentation that will show the code requirements in a simple and intuitive manner. If I need to find out the height at which to install switches or receptacles, I simply walk into the house and the dimension is shown on the wall. If I need to show the width of a doorway, I put phantom text hanging in the doorway space. How much simpler can it be?

Well, I started building the house but have to admit that it has been slow going – too much to accomplish in Second Life and that darn real life thing (such as my real job) keeps me from hanging out in SL as much as I would like. So I was happy to find a kindred spirit in the avatar of Brand Woodin. Brand, who is from England, had been considering the same type of idea but of course, wanted to build a home that would convey the English code. So we thought, how cool is that to have homes built to teach codes from different countries.

Last night we discussed the project some more and came up with some fun and interesting side projects like creating a kit to wire a light switch where someone in SL could get the kit and practice actually wiring it as they would in real life. The completed wiring job would work (turn the light on) only if wired correctly. Otherwise maybe it would blow up or something cool like that. Well, now we need a good scripter to help us implement that idea.

Anyway, the home I am working on is located on the Public Works sim for now. Brand will be building his “across the street” from mine. English and American. Now if only we can find others from different countries who are interested in creating homes to reflect their codes. There is so much that can be illustrated and accomplished, so if anyone is interested in joining in with us to implement this project or create related projects, we would love to have you join in and become part of our team.

March 17, 2008May 24, 2008

Second Life Build as a Deliverable

Over the last year or so since my first introduction to Second Life, I have found myself trying to think of ways that this technology can improve or prevent problems or issues that I have at work. As I blogged about the other day, we had a terrible problem with the design/builder of our water plant reconstruction project – they completely failed to listen to our design requirements and ended up designing something that we do not want at all.

So as we work through the solution that I have come up with to resolve the design problem, I keep trying to think of how the use of Second Life may have prevented this. I don’t think it comes as any surprise that problems with the design usually arise during construction. This is really the first time that someone other than the designer takes a good look at what he or she has created. Also, design problems are hard to ignore as they are turned into “bricks and mortar.”

So how does SL help? Well, if customers/clients required a Second Life build of a design as a deliverable for each job, then the problems that would have arisen during construction may come up during the SL build process. I realize that this would probably only be true if the process followed more closely that of a RL build. (Wouldn’t it be cool if someone designed a tool in SL that actually knew if the build would fail in RL?)

Also, after the build is up, the designer should have to “walk” with the client through the build showing them what they are getting and how it will work (using scripting here). The build could stay up during the construction process so the client could continue to refer to it if questions arose.

Second Life has many possibilities and terrific usefulness in the design/construction industry. However, some people will only use tools if forced to do so. If we as the client push our designers to deliver a SL build as part of the project, perhaps the industry will finally catch on to what many of us have already discovered.

March 16, 2008May 24, 2008

Knowledge Networking Group

Today I attended one of the three weekly meetings of the Knowledge Networking Group that was set up by Farnham Farrjones in Second Life. Farnham lives in Texas and works for the EPA. He has set up the group to help all of us meet and discuss what is going on with integrating the new Web-based tools with our real lives – both professionally and personally.

I think a group like this was really needed. After exploring and learning about as many of these tools as I can, I wonder how we are all processing it and working it into our lives. There is so much happening so fast it is hard to keep up. Yet I realize some have not even started. (When I try to talk about all of this with those who have not yet “see the light” they dismiss it all and say that they just don’t have the time to delve into it all.)

Although this group won’t help those that don’t even realize they need help, it will offer guidance for the rest of us moving through the tangle of new tools and sites. For any of you looking for a good business-related group to join for a general discussion of the use of the Web 2.0 tools for serious work, this is it.

February 24, 2008August 8, 2010

Jeff and Sadieâ€™s Bricklayer Display

Jeff Brody and Sadie Edelman have collaborated on creating a cool bricklaying animation and display and have set it all up on the dock near the education display (under the wind turbine) on the Public Works sim. If you teleport to the island, look for the red poseball by the brick wall, right click on it, choose “lay brick” and your avatar will begin placing brick on the wall.

This animation came about because we had been talking about how there really are no construction-related animations in SL, so Jeff and Sadie started by making the bricklaying one which is really cool for all of us working in construction-related fields. If you need an animation like this for your site in SL, you can buy the animation by clicking on the red poseball and paying $250L. (Jeff and Sadie have graciously offered to donate the money to help fund the tier on the island.) A brick trowel and brick are located in the poseball and can be pulled out if you buy the poseball. Then you can wear these attachments to make the animation even more convincing.

Sadie worked on the other elements of the display like the wall, mortar pile, bucket, and cement mixer (which turns and looks awesome). The two of them have done a great job, and I can’t wait to see more of their creations! If they are able to make enough of a variety of animations, we talked about being able to have a construction site display with avatars demonstrating the different trades.