On the beginning of March (March 4, 2016) AGACAD team released new version of application for Autodesk® Revit® MEP users Smart Sprinklers.

Working together with one of our client’s, the company ARUP that is a global engineering and design firm, engineers AGACAD developed new features for sprinkler design. New workflow allows users to use constant pipe diameter for range pipe instead of changing their diameters corresponding to the number of sprinklers fed.

ARUP company’s request was such:

“How to configure Smart Sprinklers to work as shown in a picture:

Hot news for Revit® users! We want to fulfill as many our client requests as possible before suspending development of 2015 version and proceeding to 2016 and 2017, therefore today our team has released a new Wood Framing Wall+ update.

So what’s new?

1. From now on you can automatically add Additional Bridging as regular bridging.

AGACAD team just released a new version of BIM solution Cut Opening. We have been working together with one of our customer Anthony Lam Senior Project Manager from isBIM Limited. This is the issue he was facing:

“For setting offset, it is not that automatic as there are many different material types of pipe. For example, galvanized steel, copper, UPVC, steel, ductile iron, etc. It makes many odd numbers in settings. For different material, same nominal pipe size has different outer diameters. The difference is not big but it makes the opening size very odd.”

Thank you, Anthony, for your insights and help.

Due to this issue, AGACAD team developed new feature in Cut Opening solution that inserts openings in Revit® models in accordance to Nominal or Outer diameters. Now users are able to choose either of them:

The result looks like this:

Hello there! Today we introduce you a sizeable update release that is relevant to all wood-frame house designers. Here are some of the changes in our BIM solution Wood Framing Wall+ you should know about:

1. The latest versions of Wood Framing Wall+ from now support Curved Wall.

Similar feature is already added to another our BIM solution, Metal Framing Wall+.
If you would like to use metal Top and Bottom Plates please read more about this application update in our Blog Post:

High performance design is a very important aspect for all building designers, especially those who do framed building modeling. We always emphasize that our company is actively involved in development of new solutions for Revit® in this area. And we finally have good news: we are continuously working on new Metal Framing Wall+ version that will support arched walls and will soon be available!

Our application for Revit Metal Framing Wall+ is dedicated to those who are looking for precisely and easily framed building designs. This article will provide a brief overview of what will be available in Revit modeling. Here is a list of some of the new enhancements that the newest version of Metal Framing Wall+ will offer:

• New Metal Framing Wall+ version will have possibility to frame curved walls:
  

AGA CAD company gets a bucket of requests to create some additional functionality for our tools and solutions. Our technical team is looking into every matter and trying to find the most productive suggestions for whole engineering field. At the moment AGA CAD is working on new Cut Opening version. Let me introduce the future features of this BIM solution.

Cut Opening defines and reserves spaces in Revit® models for ducts, pipes, cable trays and conduits. Structural engineers and architects can then review, revise, and create the approved holes with a single click. Suitable openings are designed automatically based on the location and types of clashes detected for MEP elements in current, linked, or IFC files.

Currently we are working on the parameterized openings that will be dependent on the main elements’ sizes, insulation thicknesses, auto join configurations, top and bottom offset, etc. In other words we are creating the solution that will cut the openings with dependence on MEP line based element.

Some time ago we gave you a few examples of how our clients' requests can become improvements of AGACAD products. Thanks for all of you who contributed by giving us advices on how to improve our products or just expressing you wishes for Revit productivity increase.

The newest case of our client's impact in AGACAD software development is related to our BIM solution Smart Assemblies. Our team released an updated version of this application for Autodesk® Revit® at the end of January. Do you know what functionality has been included? We have added Rebar Mass calculation to Smart Assemblies. Our loyal client Jason Wallis from Hanssen Pty Ltd Drafting Office who is the enthusiastic user of this solution for Revit, has sent us a request on December 3, 2014:

"I remember seeing in one of the latest updates for Smart Assemblies a new feature that calculates the mass/weight of all the elements inside the assembly. Does this also work for rebar?
In the past, I've created a 'calculated value' parameter for rebar weight for each shop drawing, which I have had to manually add to every drawing. If it's now possible to create a schedule that will report the mass/weight of the rebar automatically, I'd love to know how to do it."