Tableau’s new app, Vizable, converts spreadsheets into charts and graphs

For those who can internalize colorful charts and graphs more effectively than spreadsheets filled with numbers, Vizable is an appropriate solution.

The new iPad app, from Tableau, converts CVS and Excel files into line or bar graphs in seconds, as Fast Company reports. From there, users choose what categories to view, and then swipe and pinch the screen to add columns, change fields, filter, and sort. Results can be shared via email and social media.

Seattle-based Tableau makes similar software for major businesses, but Vizable is meant for everyday users. For example, individuals can use the app to track their purchases, teachers can visualize their students’ test scores, and small businesses can analyze their expenses.

"We want to reach a group of people who don't think they can see and understand this type of data," said Dave Story, Tableau's vice president for mobile growth, in the Fast Company piece. "If someone's kid walks into a room and the app was open, we'd want them to think it's a fun game.

The app, which has been in production for two years, is available on iTunes for free.

Ideas are cheap. Solutions are what count. The latest installment in BD+C's Great Solutions series presents 14 ways AEC professionals, entrepreneurs, and other clever folk have overcome what seemed to be insoluble problems—from how to make bricks out of agricultural waste, to a new way to keep hospitals running clean during construction.

| Dec 29, 2014

HealthSpot station merges personalized healthcare with videoconferencing [BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report]

The HealthSpot station is an 8x5-foot, ADA-compliant mobile kiosk that lets patients access a network of board-certified physicians through interactive videoconferencing and medical devices. It was named a 2014 Great Solution by the editors of Building Design+Construction.

Husqvarnas DXR140 demolition robot in action. The robot shown here is controlle

| Dec 28, 2014

Robots, drones, and printed buildings: The promise of automated construction

Building Teams across the globe are employing advanced robotics to simplify what is inherently a complex, messy process—construction.

Sasaki Associates used detailed network visualizations like this traffic flow pa

BIM and Information Technology | Dec 28, 2014

The Big Data revolution: How data-driven design is transforming project planning

There are literally hundreds of applications for deep analytics in planning and design projects, not to mention the many benefits for construction teams, building owners, and facility managers. We profile some early successful applications.

Rendering: Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES)

| Dec 28, 2014

Using energy modeling to increase project value [AIA course]

This course, worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW, explores how to increase project value through energy modeling, as well as how to conduct quick payback and net present value studies to identify which energy strategies are most viable for the project.

| Dec 28, 2014

The lowdown on LODs: Bringing clarity to BIM

These days, BIM is par for the course across most facets of design. But a lot of the conversation surrounding BIM still lacks clarity due to ambiguous terminology, a lack of clear-cut guiding illustrations, and widely varying implementation, writes GS&P's John Scannell.

Gilbane invested $60,000 to acquire its first 3D laser scanner, the FARO Focus 3

| Dec 23, 2014

5 tech trends transforming BIM/VDC

From energy modeling on the fly to prefabrication of building systems, these advancements are potential game changers for AEC firms that are serious about building information modeling.

Quadcopters save project team $15K in warranty work

On a recent trip to see what technology Todd Wynne and the rest of the team at Rogers-O’Brien Construction have been tinkering with, I had a chance to experience firsthand which new hardware innovations will one day be applied in the AEC space.