IT & MODELLING APPS TECHONOLGY
Autocad WS app, which allows access, editing and sharing of Autocad drawing fi les. Although some users have found
the fi le-handling capability limited, one wonders if the appreciation of such an incredible utility (on devices that can cost less than £100) is being clouded by the surfeit of apps and their associated technology. The sharing of information between users is increasingly undertaken by email and web services. For iPad users – unlike Android – there is no USB port, nor the simplicity of ‘sneaker-net’ sharing. And so the opportunity of using apps to share fi les is huge.
Android vs Apple The world associated with the building services profession
is huge, so literally thousands of apps have been developed. By far, the most are for
Android devices – Google (the One of the areas in which a tablet can
boost its position in the virtual toolkit is the ability to apply geographic information, from an inbuilt compass and GPS, to provide enhanced, localised data. For example, the Sun Surveyor and Sun Seeker apps allow instant sun plots to be created for a site producing overlays onto web- sourced mapping data. It is with the advent of ‘augmented
reality’ that the potential power of tablets can be seen in these apps where the tablet camera is pointed at a location and the sunpath diagram is superimposed live over the live image.
Apps and DECs Free apps such as Layar provide some visually stunning links to data sets. Simply by pointing the internet-connected tablet at a building, Lessen plugin superimposes on the screen image the Display Energy Certifi cate (DEC) rating of buildings for England and Wales. As images – and particularly drawings –
are a key part of a designer’s work, access to drawing fi les for review and amendment while out and about is provided by the
www.cibsejournal.com January 2013 CIBSE Journal 27
owner of Android) maintain little control on the apps that appear at their Google Play store and can be downloaded from many other sites. Apple and Microsoft, on the other hand, maintain a strict control on the apps that are available. This does not mean that the apps will be any better per-se, but it does reduce the amount of ‘noise’ in the marketplace.
The Autocad WS app
Honeywell’s PT chart
ASHRAE psychometry chart
Left: Silverglance software
SHUTTERSTOCK / CLIPAREA L CUSTOM MEDIA
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