miniPLAN News - 2008 Archive
22/12/2008 Supporting Non-Domestic Energy Assessors (NDEAs) - posted by Steve B-F
We have won a contract to provide survey information for several commercial premises. miniPLAN will be used to capture the building and zone information, and the Energy Assessor report will provide the customer with the information they need to populate the iSBEM software.
02/12/2008 Building Information Reports - posted by Steve B-F
Two further reports have been added to miniPLAN. Each report is exported as a Comma Separated Variable (CSV) file, which can be loaded into another software application. For example Microsoft Excel can easily import CSV file.
The three reports are:
- Full building report - Floor, Room, Walls, and all Features with all dimensions
- Energy Assessor report - Zones, Walls, areas, volumes and dimensions
- Feature report - Features and quantities - ideal for producing an automatic quote or costing by pasting this report into a separate cost sheet
18/11/2008 Zoning for Energy Assessors - posted by Steve B-F
Zoning has been added and Rooms may now be zoned by their activity. Also we allow the specification of walls as either internal or external. Room area calculations have been modified, again to accommodate Energy Assessors. There is an Energy Assessor report that allows the Energy Assessor to transfer data to Excel.
The content and layout of the Energy Assessor report has been designed with the help of three Commercial Energy Assessors (NDEA's), and the concept is to allow rapid data entry from the miniPLAN report into the iSBEM software application. If you are responsible for producing Commercial Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) then miniPLAN can help you save time and reduce errors and inaccuracies with data.
07/11/2008 Interbuild 08 - posted by Steve Bury
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Thanks to everyone who supported us at the Interbuild 08 exhibition. Feedback and sales of miniPLAN were excellent given the difficult conditions in the industry. Read the full article on miniPLAN at Interbuild 08. |
16/10/2008 Stop Press! See us at Interbuild 08, at the NEC, Birmingham - posted by Steve B-F
Following the successful launch of miniPLAN we have been invited by Leica to demonstrate the software on the Leica exhibition stand at Interbuild 08. To see the software in action with the Leica DISTO™ products see us at Leica's exhibition stand at Interbuild 08, Hall 4 on stand C55/D60. Look forward to seeing you there from Sunday 26th to Thursday 30th!
10/10/2008 launch event - posted by Steve B-F
The launch event was a great success. Businesses that attended included Fire Protection, Energy Assessment, Surveyors, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, and 3D/4D Modellers. Thanks to all those who made the effort to see the presentation and live demonstration of the software. Leica supported us with a display and Steve Cox, Leica UK Country Manager was very complementary about the application's features and speed - the perfect companion for the Bluetooth Leica DISTO™.
15/09/2008 updated website - posted by Steve B-F
We have updated the screen shots and our website, showing the latest features and new look application style. A great deal of testing has been undertaken, and the product has proved to be quicker than local surveyor's current methods.
10/09/2008 miniPLAN graphics - posted by Steve B-F
New graphics have been incorporated into the product, and we are in the final phase of testing.
Today we compared sketching on paper to using miniPLAN. It took 5 min 45 sec to measure an office using pen and paper, plus time to draw-up the project into AutoCAD. Compare this to the 5 min 25 sec it took to measure the same office using miniPLAN, and there is no CAD time - export to DXF as a finished drawing takes a couple of seconds! The trial and supporting videos can be seen on YouTube.
14/07/2008 miniPLAN testing - posted by Adam
The software was successfully field trialled in a property in London. A large house converted into a number of apartments was measured using miniPLAN. Some intricate bay windows were particularly challenging, but the software coped with this and some other quite awkward shapes.
07/07/2008 Supporting Energy Assessors
The Non-Domestic Energy Assessors currently spend a great deal of time onsite measuring the structure and material composition of commercial properties. They then enter this data into the SBEM software, which is government provided software. However, this software has no graphical representation of the building, and doesn't allow validation and verification of measurements on site. Therefore, costly return visits are needed.
miniPLAN is being adapted to support Energy Assessors, and its graphical intuitive interface allows rooms, walls and their physical attributes to be accurately captured. The result will be a detailed coherent report of the building, allowing the Energy Assessor to rapidly and confidently enter data into the SBEM package.
20/06/2008 miniPLAN launch date
The software will be available in September 2008. We have a number of companies registering for beta-versions. If you are interested in joining the scheme, or wish to place advance orders, please enquire.
02/05/2008 miniPLAN success
miniPLAN was successfully used to measure a large nursing home in South Wales. The project consisted of many rooms, and the surveyor used a Samsung Q1 and a Blueooth Leica DISTO™, speedily measuring the building. The surveyor was able to survey 50% more rooms than compared to using previous techniques.
