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Technology Inc. The application will also read IFC files, which are commonly used in BIM systems. The software will interoperate with a number of design tools (Revit, Bentley, ArchiCAD), so writers won't be locked into, or out of, specific programs. "There certainly is a desire from spec writers for this sort of editing tool," Thornber says. "They want to be involved in the BIM process. They've seen it work for the engineers and architects they work for and they want their piece to fit into the model." Thornber adds that the new software doesn't have a name yet. Innovative Technology plans to introduce the application during Construct Canada, scheduled for December 4 to 6 in Toronto. The company expects to make the software available for use in early 2014. 4Projects is a construction-industry collaboration program that enables architects, engineers and other project participants to share contracts, edit documents and discuss drawings via the web. The program – from the U.K.-based software company of the same name – was created specifically for the cloud. "We had to operate in the cloud," says client development manager Duncan Mactear. "A collaboration infrastructure system just doesn't work on a locally hosted basis." When users are geographically remote from each other, it makes more sense for the software to reside online. If the program were situated on a company's server, users would need to access the company's network to use the software. That raises security concerns for some organizations. Portland-based Viewpoint Construction Software acquired 4Projects in February. As a result, ViewpointCS gained a cloud-based offering for its increasingly web-savvy customers. Mactear says 4Projects now has a dedicated sales team in Canada to help spread the word about its collaboration platform. Noteworthy upcoming enhancements include a BIM viewer that gives users access to building information modelling details through a web browser. Mactear says this service will be the first viewer of its kind on the market. "It means there's nothing to install, whereas all other BIM viewers tend to require some kind of installation on a local server," Mactear says. "It's more ubiquitous than existing BIM viewers." Spec writing may be changing to become more BIMintegrated, but other technological aspects of the construction industry seem constant. Witness the ongoing reliance on paper and printing. Despite growing use of tablets and smartphones, businesses in the building sector continue to require high-quality printers and print media for blueprints, renderings and other documentation. According to Eric DuPaul, Hewlett-Packard's business development manager for Designjet Americas, many companies prefer to have physical copies of documents on hand. "You can see the document in its true scale," DuPaul says, pointing out that smartphone and tablet screens are relatively small and display only portions of the document in detail at any one time. There's something to be said for the durability of traditionally printed materials. As DuPaul notes, when contractors print documents on Tyvek for use No stopping the press on the job site, the reference sheets withstand all sorts of conditions – being dropped or rained on, for example. It's a different story with a tablet or smartphone: drop the device in the mud and it may not survive. Hence the industry's continued use of printing. But this doesn't mean printers haven't advanced. DuPaul says the latest printing systems make it easier for companies to create documents as needed. New technologies also simplify printer management. Modern Designjet printers feature screens where users can quickly call up files saved in the cloud, on USB thumb drives and within the printer, and print them directly without having to return to their computers to set up the print job. Newer printers also contain built-in web servers that enable users to set up alerts when the ink is low or the media stock is nearly depleted. The alerts can be sent to a person's mobile phone by text or email. "Many of these companies don't have dedicated technology staff," DuPaul says. "They need this to be as easy as possible. If the printer can tell them when it needs ink, that takes the guesswork out of it." Guesswork represents a serious waste of time for businesses working to weed out costs and ramp up profitability. Fast access to data is one of the keys to reducing operational waste. Technological d evelopments such as HP's advanced printers, Innovative Technology's upcoming BIM-spec software, and BQE's project management programs help companies access information quickly – from nearly any location, when the cloud comes into the picture. These high-tech improvements all pave the way to quicker decisions, better resource management and lower costs. n RESCo ENERGY INC. YOUR GREEN ENERGY PARTNER October 2013 issue ANNUAL INDUSTRY FEATURE: Curtain Wall / Window Wall Book your ad space now: Dan Chapman 604.473.0316 Alexander Sugden 604.473.0358 Software for AEC p48-51Software.indd 51 august 2013 /51 13-07-18 11:39 AM