3D laser scanning is the best way to understand the nature of a building

3D Laser Scanning3D laser scanning is used by architects, engineers, inspectors and even students, but did you know that the technology has only been around since 1998?

In under 20 years, this technology has completely changed the way many do their professions, and has made solving problems and improving safety easier than ever.

But how can this technology benefit you, and why is it better than regular old surveying?

Benefits. Laser scanning gives us, as an engineering team, the ability to literally see through an entire structure. When you get to a job, thanks to concrete, bricks, shingles and the like, it’s nearly impossible to find out where things like structural beams and support columns are.

Laser scanning gives us data points that literally bounce off every corner, nook and cranny in a building. When we take those data points and upload them into our BIM software, we’re able to get an accurate, and cost-effective glance at how a building’s structure is faring and what needs to be done.

With laser, there is no guess work. We can pinpoint, and address problems easily with just the push of a button.

Uses. Located on the left coast? At one point or another, an earthquake will occur. If you need to update a structure, knowing exactly where a building’s weakness lies is critical to keeping not only the structure’s integrity intact, but also in protecting employees or owners from an accident.

Thorough scans of ceilings, foundations and walls can also assist in reinforcing historic or aging structures, or give business owners insight into future issues they may encounter with the building.

Contact our team today, and schedule an appointment to have your building, home or historic structure 3D laser scanned. The process is quick, affordable and can give you insight you won’t find anywhere else. We look forward to working with you.

Here’s what our team is doing to help students at City Academy

Laser Scanning UtahOver the last few weeks, Mike Hoffman has been out at City Academy, a local Charter School, scanning. The school currently has two buildings and they’re hoping to build an atrium between the two structures in order to connect them.

Jeff Hart, a teacher at City Academy, is heading this project up and is making it a student-driven project. Since Mike has spent the past few days with two of Jeff’s classes, giving them a hands on learning experience with laser scanning, we decided to sit down and ask him how the work is going. Here’s what Mike Hoffman had to say:

What made you want to get your kids involved in learning about the laser scanning happening on site?

MH: I have known their Instructor, Jeff Hart, for a few years and he is very familiar with Laser Scanning. They are working on an additional building at the school and they are teaching their students what it takes to complete a project from beginning to end, with one of the first steps getting a good survey of the area. The class has taken numerous field measurements with tape measures. We then came out and showed them a new measuring technique, Laser Scanning. We will show them how to process the data and take measurements from the computer and compare to their measurements.

Is it fun educating the next generation about this field of work?

MH: I did enjoy teaching the students how to set up the Laser Scanning equipment and teach them how the equipment works and what it is capturing and measuring. They were all willing to learn this new concept of measurement.

What is the end goal of your work at City Academy?

MH: Our end goal is to help the engineering students understand the required steps to complete an accurate set of construction documents for the building addition at the Academy.

Pretty cool, don’t you think? We’re really happy to have been able to provide this learning experience to students at City Academy and hope we can continue doing similar things in the future.

Is the hyperloop really a feasible transportation method?

Hyperloop TransportationWhen you imagine futuristic transportation, chances are good you envision flying cars, teleportation devices and artificially intelligent aircraft, but if billionaire inventor Elon Musk has his way, making a trip from New York to Los Angeles could involve being shot through a plastic tube at 800-miles-per-hour.

The hyperloop transportation system takes pneumatic piping to an entirely new level, where human passengers blast through tunnels that are true marvels of engineering. Commuters could travel to major cities for work, their private residences nestled into the woods hundreds of miles away.

As you can imagine, constructing the infrastructure for something like this is a massive undertaking with a price range in the hundreds of billions of dollars. To get world renowned engineers and architects on board, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) offered the science field’s best equity shares, instead of literal pay, for 10 hours or more work per week.

Dozens of inventors, futurists, architects and designers are working on the first phase of the project, in the hopes of launching a full-size test track sometime in 2018.

Unsurprisingly, there is still plenty of research that needs to take place. The effects on the human body of being shot through a tube at ridiculously high speeds are still unknown, and the challenges of raising funds, much less creating sound, realistic blueprints for a massive infrastructure re-haul are massive.

It will be interesting to see how this project moves ahead over the next few months. This article goes further in-depth, covering cost estimates and other crucial planning factors.

Engineering Marvels: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon floats

Thanksgiving Parade Baloon FloatsWatching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a fun holiday tradition for many Americans, but did you ever wonder how those magnificent balloons go from concept to reality? How exactly does a team take a sketch of Kermit the Frog or Garfield and turn it into a gigantic floating creation? Here’s a quick overview.

The Beginning. Whenever the float design team decides to create a new balloon, they start by sketching out a diagram on a piece of paper. Aerospace experts and engineers are then tasked with looking at the design and tweaking it to ensure it’s both safe and will float how it should. After the drawing is finished and the measurements are decided, a team creates a clay sculpture based on the original sketch. This exact replica is used to determine how much fabric is needed, and where the best areas are to place zippers and safety valves.

Testing time. Once a new balloon is ready for inflation, it goes through a series of rigorous tests to ensure that its ready to hit the parade route. Holders practice guiding the balloon, taking note of any tweaks that need to be made. New balloons are then run through a series of inflations and deflations in order to see if it holds air properly. Finally, the team adds paint and other finishing touches if required. Believe it or not, this process can take over 12 months, with hundreds of people collaborating together on one, single balloon.

Parade Day. Once the balloons are tested, and receive their final makeover, it’s showtime. The balloons are inflated in the wee hours of the morning, and teams are assembled in order to march these giant creations through the streets of Manhattan. Although balloons were in the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 1924, it wasn’t until the early 1970s that they became the main attraction. Now designers compete to see who can come with the most fantastic designs. There are even balloon-float hybrids now. Who knows, in the future they might even become holographic.

For more fun facts about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, follow the link here. We hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving, and can’t thank you enough for your support of McNeil Engineering throughout the year.

Here’s how to keep your parking lot and sidewalks in great shape this winter

Snow Parking LotBefore you know it, the temperatures will drop and our roads and parking lots will be covered in ice and snow. To help you prepare for the winter ahead, we thought it would be a good idea to cover the best parking lot prep practices. Here are some easy, yet efficient things that you can do at your own place of work.

 

Identify important areas. Before the snow and ice hit, it’s a great idea to identify important landmarks in and around your parking areas. Create signage for fire hydrants, mail boxes, handicapped parking spots and fire lanes. If an emergency happens in the dead of winter, you’ll be ready to go.

 

Train employees on snow and ice removal. Depending on the size of your company, you might do some of your own ice and snow removal. If you’re using ice and chemicals, or even just plain old snow shovels, it’s a great idea to remind your employees the proper safety practices. Are they trying to lift too much wet, heavy snow? Maybe they’re not equipped with proper snow boots. It’s never too early to cover these important safety issues.

 

Don’t obscure drains or manholes. When snow and ice start melting, there’s plenty of opportunity for water to collect. To avoid the potential for flooding near or in your office space, make sure you always shovel snow and ice away from these areas, and prevent them becoming clogged.

 

By following these three simple suggestions, you’ll be prepared to handle whatever winter throws your parking lot’s way. Good luck and stay safe.

A look at Utah’s Infrastructure Report Card

Utah Infrastructure ReportEvery four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers releases a National Infrastructure Report. Within that report is an overview of each individual state’s strengths and weaknesses. Utah ultimately received a C+ average, and that emphasizes that there are areas to improve on. Here’s a closer look at what the 2015 Utah Infrastructure Report found:

 

Utah’s report was unique in that it utilized a team of senior students from the University of Utah. As part of the capstone course, professional practice and design, the students were tasked with preparing a preliminary infrastructure report and finding relevant information and statistics that might have been overlooked in the past. After presenting their findings as part of a final project, the infrastructure report was then modified and presented before the Utah legislature’s Infrastructure and General Government subcommittee. This presentation gave lawmakers a good idea of how much money Utah needs to spend over the next 30 to 40 years in order to maintain and repair existing infrastructure, as well as to build new highways, canals and buildings.

 

Surprising fact: Utah’s population is expected to double in the next 40 years, and Salt Lake County will be right in the thick of it.

 

According to David W. Eckhoff, PhD, PE, Project Director of the Utah Infrastructure report card, there are three main areas that are critical for our state’s future: dealing with tremendous population growth, adequately planning and implementing sustainable infrastructure systems and maintaining future water supply.

 

Action is already being taken to keep Utah ahead of the curve. The infrastructure report recommends that the legislature fund a master planning study to prepare for what lies ahead. This kind of in-depth research plan will pull all of the state’s resources together and encourage coordination and cooperation within various departments and sectors. The idea? To formulate a holistic infrastructure plan for Utah’s future.

 

So what are the recommendations? Legislature should fund a master planning study, including all infrastructure elements to come up with an optimal plan for the future. This will obviously require coordination and cooperation to create a holistic infrastructure plan for Utah’s future. The overall cost is estimated at 60 billion dollars over the next 20 years.
While a B+ average is positive overall, there’s plenty of room for improvement. “Say you’re a top notch high school student. You got by with an A- average, but you’re going to college next year and it’s a whole new situation. That’s what we’re trying to say about Utah. We have a good grade, but we’ll have to do a lot of homework in the future,” said Eckhoff.
Curious about what else is in the report? You can read it for yourself, here.
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