HOK is a global design firm with 1,700 employees across 23 offices. The document discusses how HOK uses FME software to transform and visualize urban design data from various sources like Revit and AutoCAD into 3D city models in CityEngine and Infraworks. Initially, FME was used to convert transect data from Revit into GeoTIFFs for use in CityEngine rules. FME has also helped automate various "dirty jobs" like file reorganization and analysis. There is potential to expand FME's use through new REST APIs.

1. FME at a Global Design Firm (HOK)
David Baldacchino

2. FLIGHT PLAN
 Take-Off: Introductions
 Appetizer: FME 1st “date”: Big Cities,
Urban Design & Interop.
 Main Course: Notifications &
other IT “dirty jobs”
 Dessert: “Can we do this?” &
future expansion (REST APIs)
 Landing: Conclusions & References
Pilot: David Baldacchino
Firmwide Design Tech Mgr

3. HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.
1,700 people in 23 offices
…Our design solutions result from a collaborative process that encourages multidisciplinary professional
teams to research alternatives, share knowledge and imagine new ways to solve the challenges of the
built environment.

4. Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @
Visualizing Hypothetical Cities

5. Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @
Visualizing Hypothetical Cities
Where is the data and in what format?
● Transects, Social Infrastructure (Revit Rooms - > Colored Floorplans)
• Develop Smart Codes to define density, frontage, setbacks and sections
● Road Types (AutoCAD Centerlines)
● Visualize in City Engine & Infraworks models

6. Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @

7. Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @
City Engine can use raster images to drive the rules we create for
generating building massing, roads etc.
• Transects from Revit (fill patterns) are exported and transformed to
GeoTiffs in FME.

8. Transects, Social Infrastructure (Revit Rooms - > Colored Floorplans)
Smart Codes, Road Types (AutoCAD Centerlines)
City Engine, Infraworks models
https://www.safe.com/presentation/big-cities-big-dreams-big-data-
problems-making-urban-design-tools-talk-to-each-other-with-fme/
Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @

9. Appetizer: FME’s 1st “date” @
Visualizing Hypothetical Cities

10. Main Course

11. Prevention is better than cure

13. Aggregate
Query
Deliver
Automatic
project creation

14. Aggregate
Query
Deliver
Automatic
project creation

17. Record
Event
Inappropriate
Access
Educate
Notify (hourly)
PREVENT inappropriate access

18. RECORD Revit model file stats

19. Dirty Jobs (beauty exists in many forms!)
Photo by SwapnIl Dwivedi on Unsplash

20. 63 operations
RENAME folders and MIGRATE data

21. SEPARATIONS - account management
Disable
via API
Disable
manually

22. ANALYSIS – software license usage

23. Dessert!

24. Dessert: Future Expansion (REST APIs)
Create a series of “HOK Web Services” on FME Server to interact
with various services we use, and call them from other workspaces
or custom scripted applications

25. Dessert? Extract & rename images
from Word
Command line 7-zip
utility to unpack .docx
Command line to
rename image files

27. RESOURCES
● https://www.safe.com/presentation/big-cities-big-dreams-big-data-problems-
making-urban-design-tools-talk-to-each-other-with-fme/
● https://knowledge.safe.com/questions/41201/read-microsoft-word-file.html
● https://blog.safe.com/2016/10/ocr-for-fme-now-i-know-my-abc/
● http://www.hok.com

28. THANK YOU!
David Baldacchino
david.baldacchino@hok.com
@dourevit
linkedin.com/in/dbaldacchino