F. Pires is a 3D Designer and instructor of Computer Aided Design (Autodesk AutoCAD). He has a degree in Computer Science from the Engineering School of Piracicaba.

M. Tripodi is currently a Registered Architect, licensed in 5 states including NY, VA, NC, SC and GA. Over the past 17 years, he has specialized in design, drafting of production drawings, project management, and construction administration. He has worked extensively on Multi-Family residential complexes, commercial offices, medical offices, financial institutions and mixed-use buildings. Mr. Tripodi is an expert in AutoCAD and has been using Revit for 3D renderings for 3 years.

J. Roberts has extensive experience in serving as a Project Manager in the field of architecture. He is involved in the project from the early schematics from the beginning through to construction where he liaises with clients and contractors to ensure that all parties are satisfied with finished product. Mr. Roberts has 15 years of experience in residential architecture, working with AutoCAD in both 2D (for Construction Documents) and also 3D (for presentation packages). He has a B.Sc. in Building Control.

Z. Breeding has worked in the field of construction world for the over 10 years, and is familiar with all aspects of construction. He has deep expertise in the construction of schools, offices, police stations, and other large projects. He is skilled in the area of 2D modeling on AutoCad and 3D modeling using Sketchup and Revit.

M. Robinson is currently an independent CAD consultant, a role he has performed since 2005. Mr. Robinson was previously the head of CAD Manager and IT Support at Brownworth Engineering Associates, a leading MEP design company based in the United States, from 1980 to 2008. Mr. Robinson managed a team of 2D and 3D designers (focusing on Revit, BIM and AutoCAD). His leadership and support resulted in over $500 million in annual revenue for Brownworth Engineering. Mr. Robinson started his career as a CAD Draftsman at Brownworth Engineering, and worked there from 1991 to 2008. He was responsible for implementing the use of CAD tools in the company. Mr. Robinson also worked directly with the companys customers, including architects and engineers.

G. Duva was previously Chairman of the Art Department at a Catholic High School, from 2004 to 2008, where he proposed and implemented the “New Art Program”. He is an expert in a variety of graphics/CAD programs, including: Rhino3D, Macromedia Flash 5, Wacom Tablet with stylus, Coreldraw 9, Autocad 2000i, Umax Astra 3400 scanner, VistaScan, and Coffee Cup.

K. Bhargava is a qualified Architect, specializing in architecture, coordination and landscape design. She specializes in using AutoCAD both in 2D and 3D, Adobe Photoshop CS2 and has some knowledge of 3D Max and Google Sketchup. Her work has included working on institutional buildings as well as housing projects and townships.

C. Fekete is a registered architect, an AIA member and a LEED Accredited Professional. He specializes in developing construction drawings for architects and builders. Based on hand sketches, programmatic and building code requirements and budgets, he develops a project in CAD (Autocad, Vectorworks, Sketchup among others) and produces all the drawings for the completion of design documents necessary for client review and approvals, bids, building permit submission and construction management. During this process, he typically prepares floor plans, elevations, details, notes, and 3D views. In addition, he can mine the data in the drawings to produce various kind of schedules, including door and window schedules, space and surface reports (for heating, cooling and energy needs), material takeoff for cost budgeting, 3D analysis for informing the design and finding areas where building systems and structures come in conflict. Versed in financial analysis and construction economics, he also advises clients with respect to value engineering, life cycle cost, return on investment, and feasibility studies for institutional and commercial projects. As a registered architect, he can review existing conditions or a set of drawings and determine the need for updating and any changes necessary to satisfy the requirements of the building codes and local officials.

T. Mifsud is a CAD consultant providing services to architects, engineers, builders , construction managers, and facility managers. He provides a range of CAD services, including implementation, standards and best practices development, training, project support, CADDBIM management and 3D BIM modeling services. He has extensive experience with Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Navisworks and AutoCAD. He is based in Southern NH which allows him to provide daily on-site services for clients in all 6 New England states. He has extensive real world experience in AEC-FM and CADDBIM management.

Comments

All project are challenging in different ways but the two main challenges are: unrealistic schedules and trying to meet our clients’ expectations

I use AutoDesk Suite and Revit. Pros and cons are too much detail to go into.

Training is ongoing. I have a program for our staff called “sharpen the saw” days, i.e. for 4 days a year (scheduled as work permits for the individual) each person or group selects a specific topic, researches/studies and develops a presentation for the benefit of the entire staff.

We don’t outsource anything in our skill set but do outsource to IT and web content/development consultants

Interview with Mr. T. Mifsud

1. 1. What kinds of clients do you serve?

   We serve architects, construction managers, facilities manager for CAD, REVIT and BIM and our particular areas of expertise are training, implementing software, support services, library development, standards development.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting?
   What challenges did you face?

   I work with and support many clients on their projects so there isnt one stand-out that I could describe as the most interesting.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   REVIT Architecture is my favorite software and I teach classes in it It makes everything easier than 2D AutoCad.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   Over the last 5 years the trend in New England has moved totally away from drafting in 2D AutoCad. We anticipated this trend, moved ahead of our clients and now work primarily in 3D BIM.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I like not being tied to one desk and the challenge of constantly changing projects.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   Ive been using remote software for 6-7 years. The one I prefer now is TeamViewer because it is good for remote support, training, teamwork whereas others we have tried are not as quick or flexible. Working remotely with clients is good for handling all types of questions. For comprehensive introductory training of 2 hours or more its preferred to have a face-to-face meeting.

K. Land is currently a design drafter. He has 12 years of experience using various Autodesk, Bentley, and Adobe software like Architecture 2010, Plant 3D, Microstation V8i, Photoshop, and Illustrator. He started his work at an Architectural/Engineering company, and created CAD block and layer standards that are still in use today.

B. Goossens is an independent CAD consultant. He started his career as a CAD support technician, and gained experience working on a host of architectural and engineering related projects. He has also served as a CAD cartographer, and has deep experience in the use of CAD/GIS and topographic mapping and worked on a host of engineering related projects. He provides services in CAD/GIS (geographical information system), and is an expert in piping and its use in the residential and commercial industry. He is also a CAD designer, and is an expert in the preparation of piping and instrumentation diagrams, PFD’s (process flow diagrams) and engineering related projects. As a piping designer, he has extensive experience in working on piping layouts, 3D modeling, detail piping design and piping drawing production for process piping. He has deep experience working on PDS (piping design system) 3D equipment modeling, PDS 3D piping design, PDS interference manager, PDS isometric pipe spool extraction, squad checking and marking of vendor drawings, and quarterly meetings with chief engineers using visualization technology for review of design areas. As a CAD piping designer, he has been responsible for the detail design and drawing production for process piping. He has extensive experience working on PDS 3D equipment modeling, PDS 3D pipe routing, PDS drawing generator, and PDS isometric pipe spool extraction, plant designs, plot plan developments, piping layouts, P&ID’s, PFD’s, interfacing with vendors, project review meetings, and field surveys. He also has extensive experience in providing engineering support, developing standards for best practices, project management, and construction management.

A. Higgs specializes in Injection Mold Design, and Plastic Product Design. He is a contract mold designer with 30 years experience, specializing in quality precision multi-cavity molds for Hot Runner, Cold Runner, Slides, 2 Stage, In Mold Closing, Unscrewing, Stack Molds, 2 Shot Molds, A half Strippers, etc. Certified SolidWorks, Using the latest SolidWorks 2011 for full 3D and 2D designs. He has worked in the cosmetic industry for over 20 years. During that time he developed many solid mold designs ensuring quality molds with extended mold life. Mr. Higgs stared his career as a toolmaker work his way to Engineering Manager in 2002, earning a B. Sc in Mechanical Engineering from Bristol University in England.