Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 30, 1994 TAG: 9405020121
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By KEVIN DANIELS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Technology builds up in a few companies until it bursts into the mainstream,' said Craig Sharp, director of computer operations at Motley + Associates.
A photograph of Motley's office was used by U.S. News & World Report in its May 2 issue to illustrate a report titled "25 Breakthroughs that are Changing the Way We Live and Work." Featured in the picture is Sharp, who is the author of five books on using computers in architecture. He also contributes frequently to Cadence, a magazine for designers who use computers.
"It's a real compliment to the efforts of the firm and its dedication to computer technology," Sharp said Friday, adding that he has already begun hearing from acquaintances who have seen his photo in the magazine.
Sharp said computer-aided design, known among its users as CAD, has revolutionized architects' approach to their most perplexing problem: helping clients visualize the completed project.
Most people who have hired an architect are familiar with the sketches and blueprints used to depict the architect's conception of the final product. But because these drawings are two-dimensional, the client must try to mentally convert the image into three dimensions.
Architects tried to move past this stumbling block by building three-dimensional models for their clients, but that also has disadvantages: Customers may have trouble imagining how a scale model will translate into reality, and architects are unable to alter the models quickly or inexpensively to reflect clients' suggestions.
The computer program AutoCAD solves these problems, Sharp said. Architects can now design three-dimensional drawings on the computer and animate them, allowing clients to "walk through" the buildings they have commissioned to be built.
Now "clients are expecting to get their drawings done on computers," Sharp said. "They're asking for this service in their contracts. ... It's the hemorrhaging edge of the field."
Motley is staying on the cutting edge of technology, he added, by using computers in every aspect of its operations, from word-processing documents to exchanging electronic mail. The firm also is able to answer architectural questions from subscribers to America Online, a computer subscription network. Users simply need to type "ASKMOTLEY."
"We can help almost anyone," Sharp said, "from a librarian trying to set a realistic budget for a new library to a school administrator wanting to know the difference between brick and score-faced block on the front of his building."
Sharp said the US News & World Report article, which was intended to be the magazine's cover story, was shortened because of former President Richard Nixon's death.
"Tricky Dick's haunting me to the grave," Sharp said.
by CNB