BIM Blog

Create interlocking precast wall connections easier with this new feature of Smart Walls Revit add-on

We’ve implemented a new feature for our Smart Walls Revit add-on. In addition to controlling gap distances and joins between walls, the tool now lets you manage interlocking precast wall panels, giving you more flexibility in building design modeling.

The new Interlock Split feature modifies enhanced joint connection details between reinforced precast concrete elements and reshapes wall profiles held together by vertical steel dowels or solely by shear friction.

Let’s look at what options you now have with Smart Walls when it comes to interlocking walls in Revit models.

Global BIM Survey: Japan seeks its own path to digital construction

Drawing on the insights of our partners around the world, AGACAD is examining the status and specifics of BIM use in different countries. This time we look at Japan, in discussion with Mr Masanori Moriya, the CEO of M&F tecnica, a leading Japanese provider of ITC solutions for the building industry with offices in Tokyo, Saitama and Miyazaki. M&F have helped pioneer BIM in the country.

Japan is no stranger to modern technology and process efficiency. In many industries, Japanese firms have written the book on workflow optimisation. But in building and construction information modelling, or BIM/CIM as it’s generally called there, the country seems to be lagging internationally.

“The introduction of BIM in Japan is behind compared to other countries. The Japanese BIM market is still in the developing stage,” Mr Masanori Moriya says, adding: “Some believe this is due to unique Japanese business customs.”

The Guidelines for BIM Standard Workflows published by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2020 stress BIM cannot be promoted according to international standards immediately due to the way Japan’s construction industry functions. As in other countries, the document says, BIM guidelines should be based on ISO 19650 but customized for the local situation. “In other words, it says it is important to introduce BIM in a way that fits Japanese business customs,” Mr Moriya explains.

Unique design-build system in Japan

Renewed Revit family library of hangers & supports included with MEP Hangers add-on

Big changes are in store for our MEP Hangers Revit add-on during 2022.

One change has to do with the Revit family library of hangers and supports that comes with the tool. We started from scratch to create elements that would benefit a wide range of users.

Our goals for the renewed library were to supplement the existing library with commonly used hangers and supports, improve functionality, make families more customizable, and enhance their appearance.

Ultimately, we want to make placing hangers and supports in Revit a breeze. So you can work more efficiently and with less stress. That’s what MEP Hangers is for.

Efficiency on site: Logistics in Revit made simple

Looking for a way to manage – even automate – logistics planning for construction projects designed in Revit?

Our Panel Packer application simplifies and speeds up logistics planning in Revit for buildings composed of prefabricated panels (whether framed or precast), making it an ideal solution for architects, structural engineers, builders, manufacturers, and other construction industry professionals.

To put it simply: Sorting, packing, and stacking prefabricated building components in Revit for loading, storage, and transportation has never been easier.

Key benefits

How can you automatically number grids, annotate door swing, sort elements & more in Revit?

If you use Revit every day, you probably face the stress of spending a lot of time on repetitive tasks. Every project has a certain workflow that has to be followed containing unavoidable tasks. Although Revit itself has many features that optimize your work, it doesn’t fill all the gaps. Repetitive manual tasks still consume your time, time that could otherwise be spent creating additional project value.

But there are ways to automate many tasks and accelerate your work.

The faster way to modify Revit families & projects [WEBINAR]

Keeping up with numerous Revit families is time-consuming work, especially in large libraries and projects. Even more so when you need to fill in information that comes from some external file, such as Excel.

Sort, pack & stack prefabricated panels easily in Revit [WEBINAR]

Logistics planning is a crucial step in off-site prefabrication of timber or steel wall, floor, and roof panels. The more efficiently it can be done contributes to time and cost savings as well as overall sustainability as the project moves from the design phase to the construction site.

AGACAD suspends technology sales to Russia over attack on Ukraine

The February 24, 2022 is the date that Ukrainians and the rest part of the world will never forget.

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian troops that began on that day brings back to all of us memories of a time of conflicts in Europe, cold or hot, that we would have loved to keep in the History books.

The current geopolitical context leads us to stop of commercial operations with Russia after the sanction packages pronounced against Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. AGACAD has suspended any direct or indirect supply of new AEC technologies and services to Russian counterparts and to Russia in general. While we will continue to provide post-purchase support to our existing customers in these countries, our primary focus will be on the welfare of our clients in Ukraine.

More flexible and advanced options for structural precast element design in Revit

Our Precast Concrete solution for Autodesk^® Revit^® users has always been a top-class product for increasing productivity. Autodesk recognized this by naming Precast Concrete as an AEC Industry Partner solution back in 2018. Since then, we’ve only continued improving it, implementing lots of updates and expanding its capabilities according to customers’ needs.

At the end of 2021, our team gathered forces to add many new features that had been requested by clients, so that Precast Concrete would continue to impress current and future users, Arkance Group members, Autodesk, and other partners. The features added were based on a questionnaire sent to current users, past requests from Revit users around the world, and years of development experience.

A massive amount of work was completed in two months, resulting in the implementation of many of the features people had requested. And the groundwork was laid for development of a new UI as well, but it will be released later due to interplay with other products.

In this post, we’ll go through what’s new with modeling and then move on to the documentation side.

Quick light-gauge steel framing in Revit: from design to CNC export [WEBINAR]

AEC professionals in the light-gauge steel (LGS) framing industry face constant pressure to churn out deliverables, like drawings and schedules. Modeling and updating a frame in Revit® manually, however, means hours of additional work. Not to mention errors.

And mistakes at the design stage result in wasted resources, increasing the carbon footprint of the building project.