Smart Geometry

Recently (well in the last 2 months) I had the opportunity to go to a one day conference in New York City titled: Smart Geometry 2007. The conference was partially sponsored by Bentley Systems, makers of Microstation and other products. (Now I know my blog's title uses Revit, but really I'm interested in all things BIM). The conference was focused on the use of some relatively new software that has been built on top of Bentley's Microstation platform: "Smart Geometry". This software is a very dynamic and parametric software package that has the potential to allow a user to build extremely flexible, rule driven models. Unlike Revit where the programmers give the user certain access to certain functions with regards to control of your model (whether you're in a project or the family editor), Smart Geometry essentially gives you control over just about anything. When you're working in Smart Geometry it's part coding and part 3D modeling. The potentially uses of such a platform are near limitless, anything which has rules to it can be "modeled." Some of the current applications are: stadium design & seating configurations, curtain wall panel size optimization, structural design and derivation for export to analysis packages, form design and modification based on rules (FAR, proforma, programmatic requirements), adaptable and manipulatedable skins/shells. You can learn more about this unique software here:

http://www.smartgeometry2007.com/

There are some very intriguing possibilities with this unique and powerful software, and I firmly believe that it is simple another tool in our chest of BIM tools.