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UBS: “Agacad framing tools let us confidently take on more complexity”

This US design firm identified Agacad’s wall framing solution for BIM as the only software on the market that fully meets its needs for flexibility, complexity and productivity. It also says support is “prompt and remarkable”.

Challenges

UBS provides engineering, design, and virtual modeling services for a sister company – which manufactures CFMF (cold-formed metal framing) wall and floor panels. Given limits in the functionality of Autodesk® Revit®, which the company uses, it needed tools to drive down project costs and ensure its prefabricated panels could be installed efficiently.

 

“We tried one add-on for creating the panel shop drawings but weren’t satisfied. So, we decided to hunt for other panelizing programs until we found the very best one – even if wasn’t for Revit,” says Chandel Ninmann, a Virtual Design/Construction Specialist at UBS.

United Building Solutions

UBS provides design, planning and construction services throughout the Midwest. The company sees BIM technologies as the key to lean and integrated projects.

The company had a long wish-list for its ideal software, starting with a user-friendly interface and great support. It had to generate all types of wall panels and component members, with customizable and savable configurations. It had to be able to create complex framing openings, add posts and other structural materials, generate sheathing and pre-configured shop drawings, and work well with multi-story buildings. Making changes should be easy, with auto-updates of panels and shop drawings and quick adjustment of panel numbers for sequencing. Simple creation and customization of schedules was also key.
Impact

Since adopting Agacad’s BIM framing software, UBS has seen an increase in all-around productivity as well the ability to handle more complicated jobs, according to Ninmann. She can now complete and adjust panels faster. She can also easily create any needed type of schedule: for ordering material, sending to the shop, analyzing panels across levels, finding panel weights, and more.

“We often use unique and custom details to improve productivity or make a difficult spot in a building easier for all trades to build. It used to be difficult, if not impossible, to create those details and communicate them clearly. Agacad gave us more confidence in our ability to create unique and custom panel shop drawings,” says Ninmann.
Regarding the custon join function, she says, "I was able to adjust my first join within minutes! I was also glad to see the preview adjust with each change and how the dropdown options made sense. I think I’ll end up using the spacing option the most."
All-around
increase
in productivity
Ninmann characterizes Agacad's customer support as “prompt and remarkable”, citing as an example the perfect advice she got on how to use special framing-member marks to distinguish post assemblies in a building from various types of studs. Ninmann also says she’s “baffled” by how fast the company can develop new feature requests.
Products used
While trying out multiple panel design programs, UBS’ Chandel Ninmann saw that Agacad’s Metal Framing Wall plugin seemed to stand head and shoulders over the rest. “I needed a program that could do a lot, and Agacad showed how Wall+ does just about everything I asked.” Agacad developed a few functions that she wanted and released them in a software update within two weeks. “That was enough to convince me that Wall+ is the best Revit add-in for panelization, knowing Agacad would listen to my needs and actually develop the program to meet them… at an impressive timeline too!”
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