LotSpec — an Autodesk Add-In That Helps Builders Manage Plan Options More Easily and Effectively

Portfolio homebuilders know that managing combinations of plan options can be unwieldy and time-consuming. Every set of homebuyer options introduces another layer of complication to the design process — and if adequate systems aren’t in place, it can be easy to get lost in the mess.

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How Heavy Are Your Calculations?

Designing my first building was truly a learning experience. I remember one event in particular when I determined the required thickness for a steel column base plate. That day I wrote “1.5-inch thk. min.” on my calc pad and months later while out walking the job, I got to see that 1.5-inch thick plate in the flesh. Let me tell you, it was much thicker and heavier in-person than on my calc pad. This eye-opening experience – the realization that what you’re designing isn’t just a word or a number, but rather a physical object with width, height, length and weight – is something every structural engineer goes through early in their career. Designing something on paper doesn’t convey those physical properties very well.Continue Reading