BILTANZ 2018 – The Empire Struck Back on my Brisbane Passport to Adventure! Part 1

This year the BILT ANZ conference was in Brisbane Australia at the Royal International Convention Centre on May 24th – 26th, 2018.

It was my first BILT ANZ, and my first time to Brisbane and only second time to Australia so I was pumped to start the 25-hour journey from Calgary, AB, Canada.

We arrived in Brisbane on the day before, my wife joined me on the trip to enjoy being a tourist while I did the conference thing. The speaker social was that night, without much sleep I wasn’t sure how long I would last but it was a good time in a cool venue.

Notice Brian Mackay of BD Mackey Consulting lurking on the background of this picture.

Great group shot of all the speakers

The first day was the only day I wasn’t presenting any of my sessions (which was good because of the jetlag) so I got to attend the most sessions. But before any of the sessions, it was time for the opening Keynote with CSI’s Ashraf Habibullah. This was the second time I’ve seen Ashraf do a BILT keynote, and just like the first time, he did not disappoint!

My learning began with Paul Wintour‘s session “Computational Design 101”. Paul always does a great session and I really enjoyed learning about the 5 eras of Computational design. If you didn’t make it to Paul’s class he has shared some of it on his Parametric Monkey blog.

Next up was Sash Kazeminejad’s class all about the Revit parameters, which is one of those topics we all know about, yet always have more to learn! Sash did a great job, and I was so surprised to learn it was his first time speaking at any BILT or RTC event, but he nailed it!

For the last session of Day 1, I was lucky enough to get to help out Elaine Lee with her Analog workshop class. I really think that the “workshop” format should be a considered for future BILT events as a 2-day session (like a double lab, just over 2 days – two 75 minute sessions, one each day)

For Day 2 of BILT ANZ I got down to some serious prep work for my sessions, and then at the end of the day presented my Dynamo Lab with the help of 3 great Lab Assistants: Kelly Cone, Brian Mackey and Paul Wintour.

Session 2.5 – Friday, May 25th – 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm

•  Topic: Dynamo – Everyone is doing it – Vol. 3 – Attack of the Data (Lab)
  • This Lab is NOT for Dynamo pro’s, but for the Dynamo novice looking to expand their skills, and do more with their data.
    In this session, we will learn how to manage and manipulate data from a Revit file with Dynamo. We will also learn how to Dynamo to help us add data to a Revit model from another source, like excel. These days when working with project data a dashboard is a must, and you guessed it Dynamo can help with that too.
    We will also explore some of the new features and update of the latest release of Dynamo.
  • Teaser Pic

The Friday night social event was some fun with golf, I didn’t make it, but wished I did when I say this tweet!

Saturday, Day 3 was my busy day, 2 sessions and the vision 20/20 and it all started with my Apps and add-ins class.

Session 3.1 – Saturday, May 26th – 9:00 am – 10:15 am

• Topic: Apps & Add-ins for Revit and your AEC Workflow – 2018 Edition (Instructional demo)
  • It’s a new year with lots of new and updated Add-ins and Apps to learn about and love!
    This session is designed to be a little more fun as we explore some of the apps and add-ins that are out. We will expand past just Revit into other AEC workflows including mobile apps to let you work in the field. While the general flow of this class will be fun, there will be some helpful apps and add-ins that can increase your efferences and productivity covered also. So, sit back relax and discover some new apps, add-ins, and 3rd party additions to Revit and your AEC workflow.

Between my sessions on Day 3, I attended what I think was the best class of BILT ANZ… Luke was the ringmaster, and Joe, Dominic, Adam, and Aaron via video call all help him out. The session was very entertaining, with lots of laughs. There was also a ton of knowledge shared by some of the best BIM minds in the industry!

My last session was the last session of the conference, talking about all that is BIM 360.

Session 3.4 – Saturday, May 26th – 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm 

• Topic: Connect the Docs: BIM 360 (Industry talk)
  • Construction has a lot of moving parts. Both figuratively and literally. Having all your project data in one place can minimize risk and reduce errors as well as project time. Some of the benefits we will examine during this session about the BIM 360 eco-system and how they could help with your AEC workflow:
    • Keep up-to-date on the design
    • Detect clashes before they are built
    • Provide one location for all project documentation
    • Manage project quality
    • Do project layout from an iPad
    • Offer simple and effective punchlists for contractors

    In this session, we will see how the available tools in the BIM 360 ecosystem can enhance your workflow – regardless of the design tools used.

To wrap up BILT ANZ there was a Vision 20/20 and I was lucky enough to be one of the two finalists. Nathan Love and I each took our turn talking about “The Dangers of Technology”

 

End the end Natan was the victor with 57% of the vote and won the 1st prize of free hotel and conference fees to any BILT event in 2019

For my efforts and 43% of the vote I came in 2nd place and won the Millenium Falcon Lego set, which is pretty awesome!

 

… To be continued

 

 

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