ZweigWhite principals Christine Brack, PMP, and Claire Keerl are currently developing a conference for women in the AEC industries, to be held this spring. If you have any suggestions or success stories you'd like to share with them, or are interested in sending the women in your firm, please contact Christine Brack directly at cbrack@zweigwhite.com. "I'm sure you have smart, talented principals, associates, project managers, and designers among you who would love to go. We would love to meet them," Brack said.

The Nemetschek Structural Group is accepting submissions for its 2013 International Engineering Contest - Inspirations in Engineering.  Now in its eighth edition, this unique competition recognizes outstanding achievements and innovative works from the world’s top engineering and construction professionals. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2013.

Autodesk, a San Rafael, Calif.-based cloud-based design and engineering software company, announced that the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has expanded their use of Autodesk software to include Autodesk Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions for road and highway design projects statewide.

John Tocci, Sr., is a key player in a crusade for “complete process transformation” through BIM-enabled integrated project delivery. His firm is involved in three IPD jobs and has already completed one of the most talked about IPD projects to date, the Autodesk AEC Headquarters building in Waltham, Mass., done in a three-party contract with architect Kling-Stubbins and owner Autodesk. Tocci also serves as chairman of the Associated General Contractors BIM Forum. Tocci started the building information modeling forum—which meets three times a year and includes architects, building owners, engineers, other construction professionals and even subcontractors— in 2005. He had been inspired to do something related to BIM beyond his own company, Tocci Building Company, by a presentation on a BIM-enabled project for Lucasfilm in San Francisco in early 2004. It was given by Tom Brady, Lucasfilm’s in-house construction manager. “The presentation was so compelling it sucked the air out of the room,” says Tocci. The forum includes seven subforums covering academia, constructors, designers, lawyers and insurers, software suppliers, owners and subcontractors. It is popular because it provides a place for “conversations that never happened before,” says Tocci. Membership, which is free and not limited to AGC members, has grown to 1,600. Tocci sat down to discuss the BIM Forum, his role in Tocci Building Companies and the future of BIM.

The Leica 3D Disto won the Performance and Innovation Award at the recent EquipBaie trade fair in Paris. This tool is able to measure, scan, or project to any location in a room independent from a room’s geometry or around a building in three dimensions while visualizing and documenting the results immediately on a display. 

 Hexagon AB, a global provider of design, measurement, and visualisation solutions, signed a definitive agreement to acquire the business of GTA Geoinformatik GmbH, a pioneer in georeferenced virtual 3D city models and highly efficient building reconstructions.

GRAPHISOFT and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) announced the selection of the 2012 GRAPHISOFT AIAS Freedom by Design Grant recipient. This year, GRAPHISOFT and the AIAS partnered to award $1,500 to one AIAS chapter for an upcoming AIAS Freedom by Design project. The 2012 Grant recipient is the AIAS Illinois Institute of Technology for its Lissette Project. 

Simpson Strong-Tie introduced its new Dealer Locator mobile app, enabling customers to quickly and easily locate dealers carrying Simpson Strong-Tie products while on the go. Using the mobile app, customers can get instant results for dealers within a specific zip code, and can map to a location in seconds. 

Chapoo, provider of a cloud-based project information and collaboration platform, announced worldwide availability of the Chapoo Premium service and the introduction of a free service. The Chapoo Free service allows users to upload files, share them with friends and colleagues, view and annotate them in the cloud, all without the need to download them first or install any software. The Chapoo Premium service provides enterprises across different industries with a complete Software-as-a-Service solution to vastly improve project team collaboration and productivity. 

Calling all building industry professionals with an interest in building information modeling (BIM). The National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance, developer of the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US), is looking for volunteers to get involved in development of the NBIMS-US Version 3.