Case Study: JE Dunn Construction

Every project JE Dunn undertakes involves a multitude of moving parts – equipment commissioning, delivery scheduling, construction process coordination, safety planning, and others. From project start through project completion, JE Dunn's Engineering Services Group consisting of in-house designers and engineers strives to ensure building quality.

Necessity is a driving force for innovation. JE Dunn's need to communicate critical information led them to the use of Google SketchUp as a way to deliver information in an efficient, clear and meaningful way. During a project building envelope coordination meeting, the JE Dunn team found it difficult to communicate the complexity and overall project scope to the various teams involved in its construction. The coordination between the teams in the installation process was particularly important as they needed to ensure a water-tight product.

The JE Dunn team turned to SketchUp to virtually mock up complex parts of the project, such as the window installation, into 3D SketchUp models. These 3D models were then presented at the job site enabling the participants to visualize the complexity of the install and understand the sequencing of parts.



For all involved, it was as though a light bulb had been turned on. JE Dunn had used SketchUp to drive a much deeper level of collaboration. The results were an improved way to pro-actively identify and address project issues, generate better solutions as a collective team and, in the end, the production of a high-quality product with stakeholder sign-off.

Coming out of this success, JE Dunn began using SketchUp on other projects, eventually standardizing the way it uses SketchUp to drive quality improvements and lower costs, and even mandating the use of virtual 3D building envelope mock-ups on projects costing $20 million or more.

Today, JE Dunn uses SketchUp throughout the planning and building process. With SketchUp, the company and its subcontractors rapidly prototype and compare design options. Using SketchUp, JE Dunn precisely and efficiently develops building skin installation sequences.

With LayOut, the 2D design documentation feature of SketchUp Pro, JE Dunn is able to combine traditional 2D information with their 3D model information into coherent and useful documentation for teams to use in the field. "LayOut helps formalize how we put the information together. It becomes the glue that brings it all together in an organized fashion" says Rodd Merchant, Vice President of JE Dunn's Rocky Mountain Engineering Services Group.


In combination with Google Earth, the company uses SketchUp to plan project logistics, from fencing to deliveries to construction site traffic flows. It is used to help clients visualize and better understand the status of projects, and how and why clients will have to make temporary adjustments to their workplace and workplace processes in order to accommodate for different phases of construction (for example, when a project will require the temporary closure of one wing of a client’s building).


"The productivity of JE Dunn employees has been impacted by SketchUp as many can now help drive critical processes they wouldn’t have been capable of contributing to in the past" says Merchant. JE Dunn uses SketchUp to communicate and get buy-in from everyone involved on its projects – from property owners, developers and designers to subcontractors, field employees and other stakeholders. “SketchUp is a great visual aid,” says Rodd Merchant. “It’s absolutely made us better, more intelligent builders. We’re more confident and more productive – and just as important, we’re dramatically reducing our risk.”

The complete case study is posted on our website and you can also view additional models from JE Dunn.

Posted by Chris Dizon, SketchUp Sales Team

Synchro: 4D scheduling software for SketchUp

In terms of representation, the first dimension is characterized by a line. A square is two-dimensional, and an extruded square – a cube – is 3D. So what the heck is 4D? Time.

Synchro Project Constructor is a 4D application that lets you manage a 3D model in time. It's a scheduling tool for visualizing how construction phases will occur. Basically, different parts of your model exist at different points on a timeline, and you can show and hide those parts depending on when you are. Pretty neat.

Even neater is the fact that Synchro Project Constructor is specifically designed to work with SketchUp models. It's a lower-cost, standalone application that anyone with SketchUp can use to add a temporal dimension to their project planning and design.

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Evangelist

3D printing from SketchUp with CADspan: Now even better

You might remember reading about a nifty 3D printing-from-SketchUp plugin called CADspan that we blogged about a few months ago. It would appear that the folks over at LGM (who make CADspan) have been busy since then. They've released a new version of the plugin, and here's some of what's new:

• CADspan is now available for both Windows and Mac
• It now supports SketchUp 7 (which we released in November)
• File processing times are about 10x faster
• The system is much more reliable (hooray for beta testing!)

Here's a video that explains more:



In related news, there's now a Pro version of CADspan that provides some extra benefits. Check out the Pro page on their websites for all the details.

A couple of SketchUp models that were eventually printed in 3D

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Evangelist

Advanced 3D Warehouse search in SketchUp 7

If you are one of the millions of users who has visited the Google 3D Warehouse, you know it's bursting at the seams with models of every imaginable variety from lots of different sources. And it's getting bigger by the hour.

That's great, and all the more reason you should be using Advanced Search to zero-in on just the right model. Accessing this feature from a web-browser is easy - just click on the Advanced Search link. You can refine your search by title, description, author, quantity (single model or collection), and minimum rating. But let's say I'm working in SketchUp and I don't want to stop what I'm doing to launch Firefox.

Okay, not to worry, I can get the same results using SketchUp's built-in mini-browser or better yet, with some practice, using the Component Browser itself. Let's say I'm looking for window treatments for a house I'm designing. I start by selecting the 'Get Models' button, which opens the mini-browser in SketchUp.


If I just type "window" into the search-box, I get about 8,700 models. Now, I have to refine my results by clicking 'Advanced Search'. The simplest qualification I can do is to search for "window" in just the title. That narrows my results to about 850.

It turns out I know the names of a lot of manufacturers that have added their windows to the 3DWH, so I can further narrow by Author. So I can add a company - let's say 'Pella' - under Author. What's really neat is you can run an advanced search and then look at both the results and how the search appears in the search window, as below.

Here are some pointers to help improve search syntax. Also check out this help page

• Field name (for example, "title") followed by a colon : and then term you are looking for... "window." Don't put a space between the colon and the next word.
  
• To search in multiple fields, you just put a space and repeat for the next qualification. Note also that you can use the key term "is" to search for either a model or a collection, which is pretty cool.
• If your field is more than one word, put quotes around it: e.g., title:"title:"Dropped Placemarks."

Now if I wanted to really get efficient, I could get all of this right from the Component Browser window that I know and love from previous versions of SketchUp! I go to the 'Window' menu and select 'Components' and can type in my advanced search terms.

1. I type in "window" and hit enter (8300 - too many!)
2. Put a space and "author:marvin" (ok, cool, that gives 820, but still too much)
3. I know I want an open pane, so I put a space and type "title:picture" (we're getting there, 172 results)
4. Finally, I know that I want a Casement frame, so I put a space and type "casement"
   

Voilà! 54 windows that meet my needs that I can toggle through using the arrow in the lower right of the Component Browser.

Posted by James Therrien, SketchUp Team

Virtually experience the Inauguration

Earlier today, the Lat Long blog posted some tips about how to use Google Maps to be prepared for tomorrow's Inauguration. Well, for those who aren't able to take in the historic event in person, our own 3D data specialist Nathan Kohrmann put together an amazing model of the Inauguration venue -- the US Capitol Building.



Visit the Google 3D Warehouse where a full scale replica of the 2009 Inaugural Stage is ready to be explored... complete with Barack Obama taking the oath! With Google Earth installed, click "Download Model" to instantly import the stage into a fantastic 3D view, then let the fun begin. Zoom in close to where Barack Obama is standing on the stage to take in the exact view he has or swoop down to the National Mall to see what millions of other spectators are watching.

News.com.au has also put together a great Street View "walking tour" of the Inaugural Parade route, which is another great way to feel like you're a part of the festivities no matter where you are.

Posted by Elaine Filadelfo, Lat Long Blog Team

Don't let history pass you by!

Back in November we launched the Ancient Rome in 3D Curriculum Competition alongside a brand-new Google Earth layer highlighting the historic city in breathtaking detail.



Whether you're putting the finishing touches on your submission or have yet to explore the new layer, you still have some time! Just be sure to register and upload your files no later than Monday, February 9th.

Bona Fortuna!

Posted by Anna Bishop, Google Earth Education Team

Kolbe & Kolbe goes dynamic

Over the last few months, we've been thrilled to watch Kolbe & Kolbe, a window and door manufacturer from Wisconsin, build one the most impressive product catalogs on the Google 3D Warehouse. Kolbe has published over 1,800 SketchUp components, making it one of the leading manufacturers to use the 3D Warehouse for product promotion.


Today, we're even more thrilled that Kolbe has inaugurated their first Dynamic Components collection, which adds dynamic configuration options and animation to their product models. Check 'em out – we think you'll find them useful.

Posted by Peter Saal, Product Manager

Gingerbread results are in

Having spent some time perusing the entries for the Google SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Competition, we've reached a verdict – but it wasn't easy. Your models are (as expected) beautiful. For what it's worth, I accidentally ate part of my computer screen while we were judging. Drum roll please...

First Prize

Gingerbread House by Skeat

An absolutely beautiful use of the base model, in combination with some of the supplied dynamic candy components, to create an entirely believable construction. This is a gingerbread house that aficionados – analog and digital alike – can admire. It's also a skillful use of SketchUp by someone who clearly knows what they're doing.

Second Prize

Temple of Gingerbread by t

With this model, it's all about the details. The pediment (the triangular part of the roof) contains a scene of gingerbread people. The entablature (it sits between the columns and the roof) is heavily ornamented and altogether believable. When you go inside, there's an altar to a gingerbread deity. This entry is complete both in concept and execution. Gingerbread Vitruvius would be proud.

Third Prize

Gingerbread2009 Disaster by kiwijbob

This one made us laugh. The house itself is intricate and skillfully modeled, but the best parts reveal themselves upon closer inspection. Someone's taken a giant bite out of the roof, and a giant gingerbread stormcloud (complete with gingerbread lightning bolt) threatens overhead. It's nice to see someone using a digital tool to do something that physical materials can't – ignore gravity.

Sprinkles Prize
(for the best additions to the base model)

Gingerbread Hall by Toy Maker

A classic example of a thought carried through to its logical (and very appetizing) conclusion. The house, the men, the reindeer and the sleigh are consistent in that they are made of gingerbread. This house is constructable, and a lot of work went into making it that way.

Swirl Prize
(for the best use of Dynamic Components in the model)

Gingerbread House by diweiman

A close contender for best model overall, we decided to award the Swirl Prize to this entry because it's interactive. Aside from being a stunning example of SketchUp mastery, the strings of flags are Dynamic Components that lengthen and re-color as you scale them. Clicking with the Interact tool causes a rainbow to appear. You really need to download the model and open it in SketchUp to experience the full effect.

Sweet Tooth Prize
(for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient)

Candy Cane Log House by Jan Melin

Candy canes for the walls. Candy canes for the roof. Candy canes for everything. Nice.

Take a look at all of the entries in this 3D Warehouse collection. Also peek at this Picasa album slideshow of some of our favorites:



Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist

SketchUp visits the AIAS Forum

The American Institute of Architecture Students welcomed the new year in Denver, Colorado for its annual AIAS FORUM. The event brought together over 600 students from various Architecture and Design programs in the US as well as representatives from chapters in Australia, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The AIAS FORUM offered students an opportunity to learn about both the experiences of professional architects and issues surrounding architecture education, while interacting with today's best architects and designers and meeting other students to exchange ideas.

Having attended the AIAS Forum in Boston a few years back, this year's event brought back lots of good memories. I remember the Expo from that Forum, and there was a certain excitement about finding the opportunities and tools needed to get us a real bona-fide spot in the architecture world. Lunch was pretty good, too.

Like in Boston, the Architecture College and Career Expo this year gave students and teachers an opportunity to grab some lunch and wander through an exhibition of colleges, architectural firms, building materials suppliers, and computer software tools. At our demo table, we answered lots of great questions, talked about the new features in SketchUp 7, and handed out some much appreciated souvenir Chapstick to the students who skied the day before.

It was great to meet the many students who had previous experience with SketchUp! Lots of them use SketchUp in their studio classes and arrived with specific how-to questions about tools, techniques, and plugins. Other students preparing to start SketchUp classes watched live demos of SketchUp and Google Earth. SketchUp has become a staple for architecture students, whether they are making massing models, detailed designs, analyzing energy performance, or designing t-shirts.


We also hosted a workshop called Mastering 3D Using SketchUp: Geomodeling Training. Attendees were taught the fundamentals of SketchUp and learned how to optimize models and geo-reference them in Google Earth. The room was filled to capacity, so there was certainly no shortage of interested and enthusiastic students. We had fun finding solutions to their personal SketchUp questions and sent them on their way with as many SketchUp tips as possible!

Posted by Catherine Moats, 3D Data Specialist, and Josh Reilly, SketchUp Trainer