BIM & BEAM

Registration is now open for the Autodesk MEP & Structural Fabricators Forum

Do you spend your time detailing or fabricating structural steel or rebar? Are you interested in learning what Building Information Modeling means for your profession? Then this event is for you.

Registration is now open for the second annual Autodesk MEP & Structural Fabricators Forum!

Knowledgeable and technical experts, who really understand your business, lead the sessions. Our lecture style sessions focus on how technology can benefit your business, how to ramp up with new technology, and how to implement new business processes. There’s also a schedule of technical classes for any skill level. 

In addition, your registration also includes an evening event to meet and mingle with others who “speak your language.”  Learn more about the event and the sessions here www.autodesk.com/fabforum

Revit Sunrise Release Preview

The release preview provides a sneak peek into potential future enhancements for architects and MEP and structural engineers. With more than 25 features and enhancements to try, the preview includes new Global Parameters which allow you to embed design intent into your model by bringing the parametric power of families into the project environment. Experience additional features in the preview that build on the significant project productivity improvements in Revit 2016.

Because this is an early in-progress release, there are no guarantees all the features you might see or read about will appear in a future release of Revit. Please keep this in mind when making any future purchasing decisions.

Try Autodesk Revit Sunrise. 

The Faster Path to Accurate Reinforcement

Engineering firm Melia Smith & Jones uses SOFiSTiK software for 3D rebar modelling in Autodesk Revit.

Most engineers still produce classic 2D reinforcement drawings using programs such as AutoCAD^® combined with CADS RC. Melia Smith & Jones is in this respect one of the pioneers in 3D rebar modelling, Craig Larkin (Senior Technical Manager, MSJ) is certain: “Due to all the benefits of 3Dreinforcement modelling, Revit/SOFiSTiK greatly reduces the risk of on-site problems that can result in missed deadlines and cost overruns.”

MSJ started using SOFiSTiK software in 2013 as a replacement for their prior method of doing reinforcement drawings in 2D, using Autodesk AutoCAD. Today at MSJ, SOFiSTiK handles the detailing of reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) structures modelled in Autodesk Revit. SOFiSTiK involves the annotation side when creating reinforcement drawings in Autodesk Revit.

“The functionality SOFiSTiK Reinforcement Detailing adds to Revit is amazing”, Craig Larkin says. “If any other company is planning to move into 3D modelling of reinforcement using Revit, I definitely recommend the SOFiSTiK reinforcement add-on. It is an essential tool for RC detailing in Revit, making it faster to generate drawings and increasing their quality while also reducing errors. This software provides automated bar marks, layers, bending schedules and more.”

In terms of IT infrastructure, Autodesk Revit and SOFiSTiK fit perfectly in MSJ’s software landscape. Autodesk Revit is an important component for generating engineering drawings and details. SOFiSTiK completes this toolset very effectively while providing outstanding usability.

In terms of quality, Larkin appreciates how SOFiSTiK opens the way to reinforcement modelling that makes engineers physically see how the cage fits together and also check if the reinforcement clashes with any other modelled items. “Think about in-slab drainage, for example”, he says. “In a previous model we created at MSJ, we reinforced a large raft slab which also had the in-slab drainage modelled. We could then fly around the cage to ensure no reinforcements clashed with that drainage. You cannot do this with the traditional 2D method of detailing, making it quite difficult to predict if or where these collisions occur.”

Larkin says: “The SOFiSTiK reinforcement add-on for Revit lets us to unlock the full potential of Revit’s 3D reinforcement modelling tools. This has allowed MSJ to produce reinforcement detailing more effectively with the added bonus of a 3D model to help visualize the reinforcement cage and its relationship to other elements of the building.” Facing an industry that has headed down an irreversible path towards Building Information Modeling (BIM), Larkin sees no other option than switching to 3D modelling for concrete reinforcement. “We expect the entire industry to move into this type of reinforcement modelling since it provides huge advantages over the conventional 2D method of RC detailing. It’s the only way forward.”

Read more.

Robot-AdvanceSteel Link is Available on Autodesk Labs

Robot-AdvanceSteel Link is a  technology preview that enables engineers and designers data exchange between Autodesk^® Advance Steel^® 2016 and Autodesk^® Robot^™ Structural Analysis Professional 2016, through a complete set of functionalities like import, export, or synchronize.

Using Robot-AdvanceSteel Link, models created in Robot, can be exported in an .smlx format. The .smlx file can be then imported in Advance Steel to continue the workflow with structure detailing capabilities and creation of the fabrication documents. Users can also start their work in Advance Steel. Using Robot-AdvanceSteel Link, models can be exported and then imported in Robot in order to perform structural analysis and code checking. Results can be transferred through the .smlx file to Advance Steel and used there for code checking of connections. Users can also track changes in the same model in the different applications using the synchronization feature.

A short demo presenting the workflow will be available shortly.

Continuous Girder Bridge with Dynamo and Robot

In many cases the bridge engineers need to take assumptions before they start building up their analysis models. In this video you can see how this can be anticipated by using Autodesk Dynamo Studio and Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis. With this combination you can explore multiple design options of your analysis models.

Learn more on Dynamo and Robot.

I would also like to let you know that a new version (2.1) of Structural Analysis for Dynamo is available and can be downloaded via the Dynamo Package Manager.