HxGNn Live 2019: The Las Vegas Conference

Issue #1,019

 

by Ralph Grabowski   Data can save the world" was this year’s theme for Hexagon's 9th annual user conference.  Introduced by pounding music offering doomsday lyrics amongst thick, artificial fog and seemingly hundreds of multi-colored spotlights, Hexagon ceo Ola Rollen (see figure 1) rolled out one grim statistic after another to the 3,000+ attendees as giant screens behind him projected gruesome numbers on the coming end of world: this many millions of acres of forests logged, thatmany billion tonnes of CO2 emitted....   Figure 1: Hexagon ceo Ola Rollen As he spoke, the digits making up the millions and billions spun rapidly, as if in real-time. (See figure 2.)     Figure 2: Spotlights decorate the continually-updating statistics The end of the world will come in 2050, the date we run out of food, as we were told several times, which, happily, is double the deadline projected by the Green New Dealers. Hexagon's ceo said the answer is bottom-up capitalism, more specifically the efficient re-use of data. (GNDers prefer top-down socialism through government fiat.)  Mr Rollen explained that it's easy to change the world when you use the incentive of money, such as paying fishermen to collect garbage from shores and waters -- Hexagon supported one NGO [non-governmental organization] by buying its plastic bracelets for all attendees. He asserted that there is no conflict between saving the planet and satisfying shareholders. He never did specify precisely how Hexagon would be involved, other than getting customers to process data better. "Data is in our DNA," he exclaimed. [Just as I was wondering why the conference was being held in Las Vegas, the city of insatiable appetite, instead of on Skype, Mr Rollen told us not to feel guilty about having flown to his conference.] The eco-story coming from Hexagon is unsurprising given its headquarters are in Sweden. "Do well to do good" is the company's official slogan, both at the conference and on its Web site. Doing good cannot be altruistic, Mr Rollen explained: it has to be profitable. Other buzz phrases from Hexagon include “Scalable Sustainable” and “Empowering an Autonomous Future.” Hexagon sees much opportunity in making use of data that isn’t being used right now, specifically with their line of measurement sensors. During a breakfast press conference the next day, Mr Rollen opined that 100% use of electric cars is not an answer, as there is insufficient electrical generation to recharge them all. When one reporter questioned why Hexagon was not lobbying the US government to force change on the population, the ceo replied that government is too inefficient to get things done, and that lobbying doesn't work. It is up to corporations to enable the changes that he envisions.   Hexagon's Smart Future It turns out that Hexagon's solution to eco-destruction is to make every factory a smart factory. This also is the aim of competitors Siemens and Dassault Systemes (not named by him), but Hexagon's approach is different, because it recognizes that every factory is different. Hexagon says it works with customers step-by-step, instead of putting in all available software at once, as competitors presumably do.  We were shown a scale model of the Smart Factory concept sliced into four parts (see figure 3):   Figure 3: A smart factory in four parts Part 1. Design and Engineering -- except that what Hexagon calls "design" is what we call pre-design. Executives told me that third-party CAD software would probably be used for design-design, with Catia mentioned most often. Never mind that Hexagon already owns three CAD systems, albeit none at the level of Catia. Similarly, what Hexagon calls "engineering" we call simulation, and of course it owns MSC Software for that stage. Part 2. Manufacturing -- where most of the machines are provided by third parties. Hexagon's line of CAM software and robotic sensors play a roll here. Part 3. Validate -- which is Hexagon's strength through CMMs [coordinate measuring machines] that measure the output from the additive and/or subtractive machining operations to verify whether it is within tolerance. If not, then adjustments are made in the software that controls the machines.  Part 4. Cloud -- where all the data from the many software packages and machines is exchanged, examined, and expelled.   Hexagon Steps Out Into AEC Hexagon PPM [process, power, marine] last fall acquired Bricsys to replace AutoCAD in its CADworx line of software. The big question was, how else will Hexagon make use of BricsCAD’s abilities in general drafting, 3D modeling, and BIM -- and conversely, which Hexagon technology will BricsCAD adopt? For instance, BricsCAD is in desperate in need of analysis software (it currently has none), which could be provided by MSC.  I interviewed a half-dozen Hexagon executives about where else they saw BricsCAD fitting into Hexagon. In short, the answer always was, "It is still early days." Point clouds are an obvious one, and sheet metal might be another. But then I received my first definitive answer: BricsCAD is working with HxGN SmartBuild to be Hexagon's new foray into the AEC [architecture, engineering, construction] market. BricsCAD was presented as the front-end design software, while SmartBuild provides the back end for construction management. The back end is very complex, needing three slides to show all of it (see figure 4.) As with Smart Factory, it is the sensors that provide feedback from the field.   Figure 4: A fraction of Hexagon's software for SmartBuild No new division is being created for the two programs; instead, the PPM divisionis  expanding from oil and gas to BIM and construction. Hexagon is concentrating on connecting Hexagon’s own software for now, so there are few connections to external programs, such as from Autodesk, except via IFC. MEP services were thought to be made available from third-parties via BricsCAD's APIs. SmartBuild is currently in beta, with Hexagon claiming a 7x productivity gain from beta testers. It will ship in Q3 as a limited release. As it is cloud-based, subscription fees will apply.   What Ralph Grabowski Thinks Hexagon AB is a large, complex corporation that earns over $4 billion a year. I attempted to count the number of its product offerings (hardware and software) and came up with 230, which might or might not be accurate. It seems to have nine divisions. Again, it was hard to for me to determine the true number, as some divisions, such as MSC Software, are not listed on the corporate Web site. Hexagon is building a series of Smart-branded applications from its huge collection of software and hardware. (This is akin to Graphisoft's new collaboration efforts, which I described in the previous issue of upFront.eZine.) In addition to Smart Factories and Smart Build, it will have Smart Farms, Smart Mines, Smart Cities, and more. (See figure 5.) All of these are being written to work autonomously, as much as possible.    Figure 5: Hexagon's plan for Smart-branded software-hardware collections Here's the catch: Hexagon doesn't yet have a smart package to offer. Instead, all of its divisions, which previously operated separately, are now working together on processing and reprocessing data. Even MSC Software is still working on getting its APEX package working with the other ten simulation programs.  Once it has the pieces in place, Hexagon with its sensors would have a significant advantage over competitors, who probably aren't even aware of the behemoth emerging from Sweden. https://hexagon.com/ Architecture from IDEA www.4msa.com Okino Graphics == 3D CAD & DCC Conversion for MAXON's Cinema-4D Animation System == Okino (Toronto) and MAXON (Germany) celebrate 20 years of supporting MCAD data visualization through Okino's PolyTrans-for-Cinema-4D conversion software. MAXON's Cinema-4D is one of the world's most used and respected animation systems for MCAD data visualization. Okino's PolyTrans software transforms ultra-massive 3D datasets into highly-refined models for fast, efficient, and optimized animation creation. All conversions are 'Load & Go,' with no model rebuilding necessary. Popular CAD data sources include SolidWorks, ProE/Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, DGN, IGES, STEP, Parasolid, and JT. DCC data sources are Cinema-4D, 3ds Max, Maya, FBX/Collada, and many more. Perfected over three decades, we know 3D data translation intimately, providing you with highly personalized solutions, education, and communication. Contact CTO Robert Lansdale at [email protected]  www.okino.com And In Other News Vectorworks isn't having its Design Summit user conference this year, but it will take place during April 2020 in San Diego. As the conference Web site puts it, only 304 days to go! vectorworks.net/design-summit  - - - Nanosoft is offering you the opportunity to beta test nanoCAD Plus 11. Read about it and download it from nanocad.com/page/Betatester  - - - Planner 5D sued Princeton University researchers who scraped 5GB of 3D objects, then offered it for free download, as part of Facebook's Scene Understanding and Modeling challenge. The firm also sued Facebook for using the stolen data to train its robots in 3D. theregister.co.uk/2019/06/07/facebook_ai_3d_models_princeton_lawsuit - - - Dassault Systems gets into selling health by buying Medidata health care software for $5.8 billion. - - - Spacemaker sounds a lot like Digital  Blue Foamventurebeat.com/2019/06/09/spacemaker-raises-25-million-to-power-urban-construction-projects-with-ai - - - Health and marketing are the green movement's biggest foes: "Syringes, IV tubing, saline bags, packaging: Canada’s hospitals couldn’t function without single-use plastics," which the Canadian government wants to ban as of 2021. - - - Virtalis is using HOOPS Exchange from TechSoft3D to convert CAD data into data for AR and VR in Visionary Render. Visionary Render maintains all geometry, naming hierarchies, metadata, and PMI (product & manufacturing information) data. www.techsoft3d.com - - - Maker Faire, which some CAD vendors promoted heavily, halted operations after 15 years, and laid off all staff, following a money shortage. "Microsoft and Autodesk failed to sponsor this year’s flagship Bay Area Maker Faire." https://www.gadgetnewsupdate.com/gadgets/maker-faire-halts-operations-and-lays-off-all-staff/ - - - Martyn Day: "All the BIM systems currently on the market were never designed to drive a digital fabrication process, to actually generate the GCODE that runs CNC machines. The phrase Digital Twin is now being used in the context of BIM but the reality is that BIM models do not contain enough information to be a real ‘twin’, they are just geometrical representations, lacking fabrication level detail." aecmag.com/technology-mainmenu-35/1806-embracing-digital-fabrication  - - - "With more than 4.2 million units sold, Sony’s PlayStation VR has become the most successful high-end VR headset on the market." Switching the number to percent, only 4% of PlayStation owners bought a VR headset. - - - William Gibson's Neuromancer was supposed to be fiction: "WeChat was gone. So was Alipay and the shopping app Taobao. She then installed a VPN on her smartphone to use with the secure messaging app Telegram in an attempt to stay hidden from cyber-monitors."  lmtonline.com/news/article/ong-Kong-s-protesters-find-ways-to-outwit-the-14000211.php   Letters to the Editor I love your eZines. Very informative. Excellently put together.     - Neb Radojkovic   Re: Graphisoft's Key Customer Conference Interesting to see that GRAPHISOFT is still pushing ahead and brings innovation. Bim software is far from fully mature and new integrations are welcomed.     - Stefan Boeykens (via Twitter) - - - This is a superb review of the "new" ArchiCAD; very valuable. Especially as some of us (well, myself, in any case) had long assumed that Revit, as #1 tool, would have to be used and paid for, no matter the oblivious attitude toward independent architects of the gigantic Autodesk. So, we (I...) never seriously looked at ArchiCAD, assuming it was just another DataCad, AutoCAD, tortured 2D type of program. Now, one can see there is significant incentive to switch. I especially like the curved reference idea, to shape special beams/columns in a natural way. Also, as a non-code writer, Python is a more accessible language, if we feel a need to get deep into customization. So, more thanks for your reporting & evaluation. I'm off to get some prices on ArchiCAD 23 for us obscure professionals. & to chip in another small donation to upFront.eZine.     - Michael David  Rubin, architect - - - Just FYI spelling correction 'drufus' is called dRofus.     -Adam Sheather (via Twitter) - - - What a story! and that behind the Iron Curtain!     - Herbert Grabowski - - - Ah, communist China with its hideous human rights record, who wouldn't want some of that? 5G is a weapon and will have profoundly negative implications for everything. 5G is about creating a surveillance grid to monitor the populace 24 hours a day.      - Ernest (via WorldCAD Access)   Re. Blender vs SketchUp Pro I'm interested as to whether your Letter-to-Editor writer designs actual buildings in Blender. No question that it's vastly better than SketchUp Pro for almost any type of serious design. However, I find, as a still-learning-Blender architect (full-time anchored to Revit), that there is considerable clunkiness for architectural design in Blender, too. For video game designers, & graphic pictorialists of various sorts, Blender is totally cool. Would that I had the time to explore flying saucers, hot babes of scanty medieval or neolithic costume, wild landscapes, etc. It seems that architectural modeling, as opposed to fully detailed design, in Blender is good. Rendering (especially) with some add-ons, is quite impressive. However, Revit -- and now evidently ArchiCAD -- seem way out in front, for sheer fluency and speed, if it weren't for the huge cost gap. Let's also remember that us curious USA types (and many in Canada) use Imperial feet-inch notation for its familiarity, and for certain calculation advantages. Blender does not know how (maybe in the new v2.8?) to write, say, 10'-2 1/2". Metric system symbology always seemed to me just a curious relic of the tender policies - logique! - of Robespierre: 10-day weeks? 10-month years? Guillotines? Whatever, no serious design, using whatever tools, separates the form of buildings from technical details; working drawings are, in a sense, the most crucial design drawings.     - Michael David  Rubin, architect The editor replies: I am not at all familiar with Blender, so I can't address its limitations. But we certainly use Imperial units here in Canada, after 45-odd years of metric having been imposed on us. - - - Thanx for the reminder about Blender. I tried learning it a few years ago, but it was too complicated and undocumented. Think I’ll give it another try. Great reporting job, as usual! Maybe you should join the mainstream American media and show them how to do it?     - Chris Cadman The editor replies: Thank you for the vote of confidence! Thank You, Readers Thank you to readers who donate towards the operation of upFront.eZine: Holly Stratford Martin van der Roest: "Thank you for your continued efforts. I sure appreciate your reporting and insights." Should you wish to support upFront.eZine through PayPal, then the suggested amounts are like these: $25 for individuals > paypal.me/upfrontezine/25 $150 for small companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/150 $750 for for large companies > paypal.me/upfrontezine/750 Should Paypal.me not operate in your country, then please use www.paypal.com and the account of [email protected]. Or mail a cheque (US$ or CDN$ only, please) to upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd., 34486 Donlyn Avenue, Abbotsford BC, V2S 4W7, Canada.   Spin Doctor of the Moment "I don’t really think that preventing Huawei from using PTC software accomplishes anything meaningful for anybody, to be frank."     - Jim Heppelmann, ceo, PTC      crn.com/news/internet-of-things/ptc-ceo-u-s-blocking-huawei-as-a-customer-doesn-t-do-any-good

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