No longer is the color palette the first thing one thinks of when they hear the word 'green'. Rather, visions of a healthy, long lived, sustainable planet comes to mind. A green planet is definitely high on the priority list of many people these days and it is wonderful to see many individuals and corporations take the initiative to step up to the next level. Recycling, although a valid and key component to a greener Earth, is no longer enough. We must broaden the philosophy that recycling was based upon and commit to 'building' a whole, green Earth. It is a task that will require dedication, determination and education, but it is also a task that will benefit everyone here and now and benefit those who are yet to grace this fine blue green globe. Imagine the pride we will feel leaving this Earth, our healthy green Earth, as a legacy to our children.

I received my copy of TurboCAD Pro V15 recently and I was extremely pleased when I opened it up to find eco-friendly materials and green content. Immediately visible are well over a hundred eco-friendly materials which are available through the Materials palette, a link to the TurboCAD Green Building Design Center on the Internet palette and several folders of eco-friendly design symbols that are available on the Library palette.

Prior to the release of TurboCAD V15, the existing materials were carefully sifted through and eco-friendly materials were tagged by IMSI Design with a green tree logo. Material categories include Brick, Carved Stone, Grass, Marble, Roof Tiles, Stones, Stucco, Tile, Weaves, Wood Floor and Wood Inlay. These materials are applied like all other TurboCAD material, through the material editor. They are all fully editable, allowing the user to achieve the desired look.

The image to the left displays my TurboCAD desktop configuration with a basic house structure in quality raytrace rendering mode. The Materials palette is pinned opened with the Eco-Friendly Brick category displayed. The category dropdown menu is open and shows the other Eco-Friendly materials among many of the additional TurboCAD materials. Although the image may portray a cluttered desktop, the palettes have an auto-hide option and the desktop is fully customizable. If a user desires, dual screens (as indicated in the image below) can be employed for an awesome work environment.

It is the hope of IMSI Design that this first step toward eco-friendliness will be coupled with ongoing efforts to partner up with some name brand eco-friendly companies and eventually include their materials in the program. Although a difficult area to address, due in part to the often opposing views as to what constitutes eco-friendly, any efforts made in this area are surely steps forward.

Much time and effort was put into creating IMSI Design's Green Building Design Center. This included considerable time spent researching key eco-friendly topics via the Internet and through discussions with long time builders and architects. It is hoped that the various links provided will help designers and builders make informed decisions about their projects. IMSI Design intends to update the Green Building Design Center as research broadens.

The eco-friendly design symbols include construction details for such things as Attic Accesses and Air Seal Systems, Foundations and Flooring and much more. Although users are not required to use the symbols, studying the energy efficient examples may help the reader develop a more in-depth understanding of energy-efficient design concepts, and perhaps, allow the user to feel confidant enough to incorporate these into new designs. The various eco-friendly design symbols were subsidized by the United States government and supplied courtesy of the Southface Energy Institute. The symbols can be easily inserted into model or paper space with a click of the mouse. The symbols are fully editable should this be required to meet specific design needs.

The image to the left shows one of the attic access symbols inserted into TurboCAD. All the symbols under the Green Building Design Symbols category are eco-friendly. They include Attic Access & Air Seal Systems (2 symbols / examples), Building Integrated Photovoltaics (6 symbols / examples), Foundations, Floorings (7 symbols / examples), Insulated Siding (4 symbols / examples), Insulating Concrete Forms (14 symbols / examples), Structural Insulated Panels (21 symbols / examples).

A new version of the plug in called "1st Pricing" (U.S.-specific) is available for TurboCAD. The 1st Pricing palette includes a large selection of ready-made windows, doors, skylights, and block glass symbols that can be easily inserted into TurboCAD walls, thus saving huge amounts of drawing time. Once the 1st Pricing symbols have been inserted into the drawing the user has the option to generate a schedule based on the inserted items. Once the generation process has been initiated the 1st Pricing server is contacted with the schedule of specified items. The user is then presented a display with multiple brand choices based on the submitted schedule. With current concerns about energy efficiency, brand choice products that have earned the Energy Star by meeting specific energy efficiency criteria have been identified and this can be taken into consideration when making selections. Pricing is calculated after the final selection and becomes part of the user's schedule.Additionally, to help the user make greener choices, the 1st Pricing plug in has also seen a new schedule field that identifies Low-e materials (low-emissivity). These are products that are designed to suppress radiative heat flow, thus reducing a product's U-factor (measure of heat loss).The image to the left illustrates the 1st Pricing palette, as seen in TurboCAD.

Once inserted, objects show as 2D or 3D objects and once inserted a user can generate a schedule which shows the various specifications of the inserted objects.

To further the move toward green CAD, IMSI Design is currently looking into the integration of some type of integrated energy analysis system for the program.

It is actually quite a smart move on the part of IMSI Design to include green material and content within the program as this is where many environmental issues can be nipped in the bud by designers. Obviously, IMSI Design is indicating that they are hoping to be part of the green solution and by this inclusion they are really asking us to also step up to the challenge. It is my understanding that TurboCAD is the first CAD package to come forward with a green focus. That's leadership and that is, in my opinion, an awesome sight to see.

As designers, we are in an excellent position to do our part. During the design process we can insist that eco-friendly materials are used by directly specifying them right on our blueprints. We can steer our projects away from products or processes that pollute toward things that can be recycled or things that biodegrade when it is time for renovation or removal. A schedule of local recycling facilities can be included to help in this regard. Follow this practice and in time one's firm will come to be known for its drive toward ecological responsibility and in the end they will have made a difference.

As builders and contractors, we can insist that our trades work eco-friendly and respect the well thought out eco-friendly building designs that have been supplied. As builders and contractors, we can encourage the trades, or actually insist, that they gather their cutoffs and waste and recycle it. Make it part of the job expectations.

There really is no excuse anymore not to participate in the greening of Earth. Technologies, materials and educational resources abound, as well as facilities that make it easy to dispose of the unavoidable scrap from projects. Make it your priority - you won't regret it.

TurboCAD is a product of:

IMSI Design
100 Rowland Way
Suite 300
Novato, CA 94945, USA
Phone: 415-878-4000

About the Author:

Aside from his Design and Illustration business interests, Donald (Don) B. Cheke tutors new users in the operation of TurboCAD and creates in-depth TurboCAD tutorial which he makes available on the Textual Creations Shopping Page.

Don lives and works from his home office in Saskatoon, SK Canada.
To view his many TurboCAD galleries visit Textual Creations

Don Cheke
51 - 425 Bayfield Crescent
Saskatoon, SK Canada
S7V 1E6
(306) 242-9690