Success Stories

Modular construction. Big in the news, but when it comes to actual impact in the industry—not so much. Now two stories of forward-thinking AutoCAD customers say “the modularity singularity” may soon be upon us. Why hasn’t modular construction taken off as predicted? Perhaps it’s because the building trades remain siloed. By necessity the disciplines come together for a […]

Don’t scream. We won’t be discussing politics—or politicians or political supporters (or detractors) or pundits or any of that. That’s because what we’re presenting here is an AutoCAD case study. Have you ever wondered, as you beheld the spectacle that is a “presidential nominating convention” of a major US political party, how the general contractor for such an affair manages to pull it off? Wonder no more. […]

CAD software can be easy, even fun, to use. But it’s safe to say you’re not using AutoCAD for the fun of it. You’re more likely using it to get a job done—as a means to an end. So, the question becomes, “As an AutoCAD user, what ends interest you?” Of all the ways to make […]

Goals. Constraints. Every design project has them—typically, you drive toward the goals and manage the constraints. But designing the SFMOMA expansion involved grander goals, and more onerous constraints, than your typical construction project. So to achieve its goals, which included creating an appearance that furthered the museum’s reputation as a world-class art mecca, architecture firm Snøhetta set […]

We like to think all our blog posts are special. And they are. But you, our readers, vote with your page visits and Tweets and Facebook posts. And we’ve got the numbers telling us that you—well, not you, specifically, but you, collectively—really, really liked the posts gathered here. (We won’t tell the other ones that […]

Design engineers: How do you do it? Start from a set of contradictory requirements—say, big sound and an intimate feeling. Then deliver spectacular results that delight not one, not two, not three, but four separate clients, all with a strong claim on a space that is ultimately claimed by the (ticket-buying) public. Sounds … impossible.  Read how AutoCAD customers Akustiks and HGA […]

Can you succeed by designing dwellings that are small and cheap? You bet. These AutoCAD® customers show us how. Taking on clients with modest amounts of real estate or money—or, more likely, simply with modest wants—requires creativity and commitment. If you’ve got that, the rewards can be huge. Rural Studio at Auburn University builds fully functioning dwellings and donates them to […]

Part shrink. Part new best friend. Part killjoy. These are aspects every architect displays at some point on virtually every project. But they are especially evident during residential construction. And nowhere do they appear more strongly than when an architect is working with families rebuilding after a disaster. M.B. Hearn Architecture had the (your choice: […]

Swing from a chandelier? Been there, done that. But what about a chandelier that does its own swinging—and rising and falling and tipping and tilting? All in sync to nightclub music? And is 65 feet tall, sports 20,000+ lights, and comprises eight concentric, multimedia rings? Two words: Party on! All designers dream of creating something that captures […]