Autodesk University was a rounding success for both Contex and attendees last week in Las Vegas. Trends are showing that the demand for wide format scanning solutions continues to grow, especially in the AEC community of design professionals, engineers and architects.
"About 25% of attendees were looking to replace an older, wide format scanner. More notably, 75% were without a wide format scanner in their offices, and were interested in purchasing one for archiving and day-to-day scanning," reports Michael McMillen, Western Region Channel Manager reports. "A 36- or 44-inch wide format scanner is ideal for these users."
McMillen adds, "We also met with a lot of customers who were looking to replace their scanner because of the change in OS." He continues, "It often happens that our scanners outlast operating systems."
Red-Lines Still Make a Mark for Autodesk University Attendees
Autodesk University attendees are continuing the practice of red-lining hard copy blueprints in the field. Yet, getting these red-line changes back to designers is still a challenge that can consume valuable redesign time.
With the affordability of today's wide format scanners, architectural firms are placing the equipment directly at project sites. This enables onsite project managers to scan the marked-up blueprints and email them back to the office in seconds versus hours, allowing the design team to begin working on changes right away.
Reducing Large File Sizes
Keeping the files small is a must for emailing scanned images, especially in the field. Contex Nextimage solves this challenge. McMillen notes, "Our Nextimage scanning software is a big differentiator from the competitors. There's no other scanner on the market that can match the quality of the scans, coupled with the ability to significantly reduce image file sizes." He adds, "For users in a middle of construction project, the Contex technology will cut out delays and get design changes resolved quicker."
