BIM Blog

How to automate views in Revit without creating assemblies [WEBINAR]

Creating assemblies is a useful feature in Revit. It lets you take advantage of the benefits that working with assemblies brings, such as separate drawings for assemblies and easier project documentation.

But what happens when you need to detail individual elements that are already part of an assembly?

Revit doesn’t have a feature for doing specifically that, so Revit users often face problems like these:

Auto-documentation in Revit: Creating views without making assemblies

Detailing building designs requires many hours of work, especially for structural projects that require a high level of detail. And it doesn’t matter what BIM software is used to create them. Preparing shop drawing documentation often accounts for at least half the total project preparation time. That’s why automating the design process has always been a critical need for AEC industry experts. The principle is very simple: TIME IS MONEY.

Being environmentally aware: sustainability in AGACAD’s activities and in the construction industry

We conclude the 2021 blog series with an article on a theme that has been with us and has been relevant throughout this year. And not only this year.

Sustainability. It has always been important to our company. Saving energy resources was one of the criteria for choosing the new office we moved into at the end of 2020. Our current office is located in an A+ energy class building, with energy-saving systems installed. We only print paper documents when we really need to, as most of our documents are digital.  The AGACAD team sorts rubbish not only in the office but outside too. Some of our employees use solar energy at home, electric cars, scooters or bicycles. Still others prefer to walk to the office.  So the AGACAD team is striving to live more sustainably, thinking about the planet’s resources and its future. 

The AGACAD team also thinks about sustainability when developing products. A responsible approach to the environment and the desire to leave as small an ecological footprint as possible has led to the development of the latest products, Panel Packer and Sandwich Panels, for Revit users. The desire to contribute to sustainability has also guided us in the development of our existing BIM solutions for Wood Framing, Metal Framing, Precast Concrete and others.

Merry Christmas to you & a caring sustainable 2022!

Dear Clients, Colleagues, Friends and Followers,

Showing that we care about others is at the heart of the holiday spirit. We do so by what we write and say and do, and sometimes by thoughtful gifts. That helps build up and sustain our ties of friendship and love, so that they’ll last a long, long time.

We care about you too, as we try to show in our work throughout the year.

And we also care about future generations. So, knowing the key role that architecture, engineering and construction play in sustainable development, we strive to contribute in big ways and small, and invite you to do so as well. For a greener planet today and tomorrow. A better place to live.

Hence our holiday wish, for you and for the building industry, is what lasts, what is sustainable and enduring. Since we care about the happiness of your home and the homes of the future too.

Merry Christmas to you and a happy, caring, wonderful New Year!

Sincerely,
The AGACAD team

Vestack’s greentech building revolution incorporates AGACAD tools

In a drive to disrupt the construction industry with cost-effective environmentally friendly building solutions, this innovative Paris-based ‘green technology’ company says it has found big value in several AGACAD add-ins for Revit^®.

Client Profile

Vestack is a French startup that designs and manufactures low-carbon buildings using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and related technologies to achieve major efficiency gains and sustainable processes. Founded in 2019, the company has earned national recognition as a greentech innovation leader as well as backing from a well-known venture capital firm.

New feature of Wood/Metal Framing suites makes tagging elements in Revit views faster

Tagging elements in Revit is a relatively straightforward task. Revit has a range of default tags to offer and some basic functionality as well. You can even place tags automatically by chosen category. That is a great feature…until you need to adjust each tag on the drawings…keeping in mind that each drawing may contain dozens of them.

It’s an issue that Revit users commonly face. That’s why we developed and recently released a configurations-based solution for it. Introducing Smart Tags.

Smart Tags dramatically extends native Revit tagging functionality, saving you a lot of time during the documentation process. It can be used in combination with Smart Views and Smart Dimensions to take full advantage of automated drawing creation. Based on your criteria, you can preset what views will be created and how tags and dimensions will be applied. All this is done automatically once configurations are confirmed.

Where is Smart Tags?

New features for Wall Reinforcement add-on for Revit: Rotate rebar hooks, copy settings

Since styles for reinforcing precast walls vary from country to country, we receive feature requests from different parts of the world to make rebar detailing in Revit easier and less time-consuming. The latest came in from New Zealand and Finland.

Let’s take a look at what has been added in the latest release of our Wall Reinforcement BIM software.

Rebar cover reference

Rebar Plane Reference is a parameter that can be found in all rebar configuration tabs and allows you to change the plane in which the position of the rebar is calculated.

Below you can see the default option where two bars are created with Edge cover being calculated for each of them separately:

New feature added to Smart Browser BIM Solution for Revit

We have updated our Smart Browser solution for BIM managers by integrating our Sort Mark T4R Add-on into the Family Modification window so that users can work with all the Revit families they select for modification.

We hope this enhancement will help BIM and AEC professionals work even more efficiently when it comes to Revit family management. We made it with your needs in mind, for less stressful, more productive work in Revit.

New version of Cut Opening for Revit: Enhanced cooperation possibilities

A new version of Cut Opening has been released that allows for better coordination of openings between different models. We’re always looking for ways to enhance our software, especially based on client feedback, so that Revit users can complete their tasks more efficiently and, in this case, work together as seamlessly as possible.

Below is an explanation of the two main changes and how they benefit your future work using Cut Opening.

Global BIM Survey: U.S. market is maturing as advances wake imaginations

We continue to review the status and specifics of BIM use around the world, this time taking a closer look at the USA. The analysis is based on an interview with Geoffrey Jennings, the Director of BIModular, a global BIM consultancy and a North American partner of AGACAD. BIModular specializes in Design for Manufacturing and Assembly applications of BIM. It works with modular manufacturers, component fabricators, and architectural and engineering firms, mainly in the USA, Canada and France.

Significant and steadily increasing BIM adoption

Building information modelling (BIM) has reached the mass-adoption stage in the U.S. with its $1-trillion-a-year construction scene, BIModular Director Geoffrey Jennings says. That’s because enough architecture, engineering and construction professionals now understand BIM to make it accessible for projects and because tools and consultants are helping people realize the method’s amazing potential.

“Most disciplines now utilize BIM in their design process. Over 98% of large architecture firms in the U.S. have adopted BIM and over 30% of small firms use it for some modelling and documentation. The collective BIM adoption rate in the design industry is nearly 80%,” says Jennings.

He has been active in BIM design and helping others implement digital construction technologies since 2003 and sees the U.S. reaching a 95% adoption rate soon. But he admits most organizations are still mixing old and new methods – 2D drawings and 3D models – and it may take another decade to consolidate full-fledged BIM use across the country.