Let's face it, the Wii generation is upon us.  Our preoccupation with board games in the 80's has been replaced by paying homage to the little white box that allows us to move ourselves---or an object in real-time--spatial reality.  We have grown accustomed to the notion of using physical gestures to control our interaction with machines.

While the Trimble Field Link construction layout solution will never enter the living room in place of the infamous Wii, it does aid contractors and sub-contractors in their ability to more precisely layout duct and cable tray hangers as well as pipe and electrical conduit sleeves.  And now, Trimble Field Link for MEP includes our very own fluid, real-time control over a Trimble total station.  We call it "Dynamic Joystick". 

Announced today as part of  the Trimble Field Link for MEP 1.1 update, Dynamic Joystick enables contractors to more finitely control their Trimble total station—easily stopping the laser pointer on a desired point location.  Combined with the laser pointer, the feature allows the user to step away from behind the total station scope and control the instrument.

While it's not quite like using your Wii puck to play Madden NFL, it is a major leap forward in being able to more easily control your Trimble total station.

Check out the video below, or see the press release

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on their World Series Championship. But did you know that the hot-hitting team’s new $1.5 billion home was a BIM project? The Constructonomics blog is out with an interesting article that goes into more detail about how Building Information Modeling was used to cut costs and increase project coordination. A key takeaway? During the economic downturn is a great time for contractors to adopt BIM:

"Subcontractors should take this downturn that we have right now and invest. If money is available for anything, they should invest in [BIM] technology to be ready for the explosion that’s going to happen in 2013 or 2014 when we finally wake up and realize that it’s time to go back to work."

Read the whole story on the Constructonomics blog: http://constructonomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/yankee-stadium-product-of-bim.html .

BIM seems to be everywhere you turn these days. Here’s a rundown of some of the week’s BIM news:

Rob Phillpot at the Built on Collaboration blog has a post on the continued growth of BIM among US AEC firms. He cites a Buiding Design & Collaboration survey released in July that pegs BIM adoption at 80% among the nation’s largest AEC companies. His takeaway: “It is no longer a question of whether BIM will replace traditional CAD systems, but when.” Read the full article here: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/CA6668193.html?industryid=42769.

Constructech Magazine is out with a couple articles about BIM, including one that talks about the benefits of BIM for estimating:

• Use BIM for better bidding
• Developers need to turn to technology

James Van at the All Things BIM blog has a very detailed post about the recent decision by Indiana University, based on past success with BIM construction projects, to require BIM on all future campus buildings.

And finally, the London and District Construction Association in Ontario, Canada, will be offering accredited BIM training courses. If you’re in the area you should definitely think about taking advantage of these:http://dcnonl.com/article/id36374.

Have a great Thanksgiving. QuickPen is closed all week.