BIM Blog

New feature for Smart Dimensions: Dimension to nearest Revit element

Placing dimensions on views in Autodesk® Revit® is a very time-consuming process, but it’s got to be done in order to have drawings to send to the manufacturer. So, the faster it can be done, the better.

Our auto-dimensioning technology for Revit – Smart Dimensions – is useful for wood and metal frames, precast elements, and more, but individual drawings are a bit different from plans, sections, and elevations. So, we have updated Smart Dimensions so that it gives better results in those views for dimensioning to the nearest surrounding elements.

Helping BIM professionals in the AEC industry automate their daily tasks is our aim, and this new feature of Smart Dimensions will definitely help in this regard.

Dimension to nearest

This new feature allows elements to be measured from the nearest grids, levels, floors, walls, etc.

Top 5 webinars of 2021

We hosted 17 webinars this year, including topics on precast concrete, framing with wood and metal, Revit library and project management, MEP design and coordination, ventilated facades, and shop drawing preparation. Our BIM Solutions that run on Autodesk® Revit® cover a wide swath in the AEC industry, allowing BIM professionals and team to work more efficiently together.

Without further ado, here are our 5 most-viewed webinars of 2021.

FYI, all of our webinars have timestamps. So that means, if you view them on YouTube, you can see what topics are covered in the video and skip to the segments of interest to you. To see the timestamps, just expand the video description below the video. And while you’re on YouTube, please hit the subscribe button.

#1 – The Best Way to Start Framing in Revit

What are Revit assembly views? Pros & Cons

Documentation in Revit is relatively easy and intuitive. Switching between views, creating new views, visibility settings, filters, annotation tools – you have everything you need right there in Revit.

When it comes to presenting your model elements on sheets, there are two ways to go about it: model views and assembly views.

Model views are sections, elevations, detail views, callouts, floor plans, etc. where all model elements are visible. Unless, of course, elements are filtered, hidden, or Category is switched off.

The other way is Assembly views. For those, you create assemblies from selected elements, then you can make views of the assemblies, and only isolated assembly elements will be visible.

In this post, I’m going to look at the ups and downs of using assembly views. And show a couple of solutions to eliminate some manual work in Revit.

New specialized framing solution released for designing with sandwich panels in Revit

AGACAD is proud to announce the release of Sandwich Panels, the latest solution to join the ranks of our specialized framing software for Autodesk® Revit®.

Panelized construction in general has become widespread in building design for the flexibility it brings to the manufacturing process and the speed with which panels can be installed on site. Since panels can be prefabricated in automated production facilities, accuracy is increased while cost and material waste are minimized. Once stacked and packed, panels may be sold locally or be bound for a far-flung port.

One type of panel that has surged among builders and designers in recent years is the insulated panel, also known as the sandwich panel. With their short installation time and large unit coverage, sandwich panels have gained popularity among certain building typologies, including storage and manufacturing warehouses, sports venues, shopping centers, and logistics facilities. We are happy to offer a solution for BIM professionals that streamlines the design of buildings composed of sandwich panels in Revit.

Global BIM Survey: Sweden relies on bold builders to inspire digital progress

Sweden offers a great case study as we continue to examine the status and local specifics of BIM use around the world. This analysis is based on an interview with BIM/VDC specialist Patrik Lundqvist of COWI-owned AEC AB, Sweden’s leading supplier of IT software and services for the building industry and an agent and partner of AGACAD in the Nordic region.

Digital construction efforts in Sweden are widespread and significant. But, as in many countries, they are still dominated by an inefficient mix of new and old approaches and are mainly limited to the design phase. Given the lack of a government mandate for using building information modelling (BIM) methods, advances in this Nordic country are mainly being driven by bold project developers.

Testing the water without jumping in

People in Sweden were eager early adopters of computers and modern telecommunications. Like their Nordic neighbours, they also took an early interest in technologies for virtual design and construction (VDC) like the 3D modelling and data management that make up BIM.

How to add starter rebar for precast wall panels in Revit [VIDEO]

One of the great things about hearing from clients around the world in the AEC industry is learning different ways of designing. In New Zealand and some other countries, for example, precast designers have to account for what is called starter rebar, that is, a length of bar at the bottom of the wall panels that is bent into cast in situ concrete.

Revit users can model this one by one using native Revit commands, but that would take quite a long time. With our Wall Reinforcement add-in, starter bars can be generated for all selected walls at once along with all the other necessary rebar. And that frees up structural engineers and detailers to focus on bigger fish to fry.

Follow the three steps below to model starter rebar in your precast Revit project using Wall Reinforcement.

How to set up collaborative Revit models & project standards

There are certain professional catchwords used in AEC offices, production facilities, and on sites. While they are supposed to get your cognitive problem-solving gears to start turning, they instead make you want to roll your eyes and go do something useful whenever you hear one of them.

One such word is efficiency – a word so overused that the only purpose it has left is to show how serious you are about the matter at hand. Still, we should try to rehabilitate and recapture its objective meaning because, let’s face it, efficient is one thing AEC professionals can agree that the design process should be.

What do we really want to say when we talk about ‘efficiency at the drawing board’ or ‘efficiency on the construction site’? From experience and having spoken with a fair number of architects, engineers, builders, manufacturers, and developers, the consensus is that efficiency is about reducing time spent modeling, scheduling, or inputting information and using it for solving problems instead. Because, to put it simply, a staff’s brainpower can be put to better use than filling in schedules. The people of an AEC outfit are capable of solving design, logistical, technical, and interdisciplinary coordination issues, so that’s what we want to free them up to do.

In this blog post I’m going to go through the key focus areas when it comes to managing BIM processes and Revit models and getting the most out of them. If you’re interested in watching a webinar on this topic, I hosted one in May 2021 that I invite you to watch.

New Panel Packer solution gives Revit users tools for optimal modular construction logistics

AGACAD is proud to announce the release of Panel Packer, a powerful solution for planning out the sorting, packing, and loading of prefabricated building components in Autodesk® Revit®.

With digital planning and coordination at the forefront of every construction project, off-site prefabrication has become the norm for timber or steel framed houses and precast concrete high rises. Panelized construction in particular is widely used since panels can be designed and documented in a 3D/2D environment, manufactured in automated production facilities, and then transported to the building site.

And that is where our Panel Packer solution for Revit comes in, to help you stay a step ahead in planning all aspects of logistics.

New features for Smart Views tool for Revit: Automated views, dimensions and tags

We’re glad to bring you some updates made to Smart Views, our Revit® tool for creating views that are auto-cropped, auto-dimensioned, and auto-tagged. Wherever you need to create views in Revit for walls, structural framing elements, casework or windows, ducts or pipes, Smart Views is there for you since it works with any element.

New features that have been added to Smart Views include making views for multiple elements, isolating elements, and adding tags for selected Revit categories or filtered elements, making this tool applicable in even more situations than it already was.

New features for Wall Reinforcement tool for Revit: Openings, bend rebar, wall sweeps

Our Wall Reinforcement solution for Autodesk® Revit® has been updated with some new features that we’re excited to bring to you. These come as a result of our ongoing communication with users of the software who have told us what they need so that their jobs, specifically designing precast concrete in Revit, can be done even more efficiently.

Among the new features is that you have more flexibility in creating rebar for openings in Revit walls. Opening size can vary, and openings created by Windows Families can be reinforced separately from other openings. Window and opening reinforcement configurations have the same options as are available for door reinforcement.