CAD Services - Blog

Now you can experience an improved reinforcement workflow with new in-canvas tools that replace the Rebar Constraints dialog box in Revit 2017.

You can place rebar more precisely with the graphical constraints manager. You can place standard rebar shapes that snap to adjacent standard rebar or constrain them to host faces.

The user interface highlights each rebar segment that can be constrained, along with available targets. The snap constraint maintains its relationship when you place, move, drag, or copy rebar.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Graphical Rebar Constraints Management

Roundabout-related features from Autodesk^® Vehicle Tracking have been integrated into AutoCAD Civil 3D enabling the creation of a new type of roundabout object in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

You can now bring roundabouts into an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing from Autodesk^® InfraWorks® 360.

Reinforcement connectors are family-based and fully customizable, and each team member can use them according to their needs. Rebar connectors interact with the rebar that they connect to, facilitating change management.

Structural engineers can use schematic connectors to define requirements.

Detailers can use them to produce shop drawings.

Manufacturers can go into full detail, precisely modeling and representing reinforcement connectors to create installation instructions.

You can add the connectors to groups, assemblies, and partitions with unique coupler numbering, and you can export them to various formats.

Overall, Revit 2017 is the fastest and best performing Revit yet.

With the improved performance, Revit now:

• Displays only the visible elements of a view and does not draw elements that are hidden
• Processes color fills in the background
• Navigates models more smoothly and continuously

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Improved Software Performance

Dynamo visual programming platform is now fully integrated with Revit and no longer requires an additional download. It provides you with powerful scripting capability without any additional installation. It’s also accessible to non-programmers and programmers.

With Revit 2017, you can now have your complex geometric and data problems solved faster with a fully integrated visual programming interface.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Built-in Dynamo

In Revit 2017, Schedules have been enhanced in a few areas. In order to simplify the reuse of schedules, you can create a schedule view template. Schedule view templates include parameters for Fields, Filter, Sorting/Grouping, Formatting, Appearance, and Phase Filter.

The Schedule Properties dialog has been improved to facilitate schedule creation and modification. You can also now display minimum values, maximum values, or both minimum and maximum values for calculations in columns.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Schedule Improvements

Annotation tags now allow calculated values and obey pin restrictions. You can also create a tag with a calculation in it and use it with any tag type. When you reposition an element, a pinned tag remains in place while its leader adjusts to accommodate the new position of the element.

A pinned tag does not relocate when the leader is turned on and off and when set to Free end. Additionally, the leader of a pinned tag does not change its shape when you switch from Free end to Attached end.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Calculate Annotation Tags

Global parameters have been enhanced in Revit 2017. Now you can associate global parameters with a type property for an element and with instance or type project parameters.

You can also assign a global parameter to a group for better organization as well as move and sort global parameters within their assigned groups. Select the "Show Label in View" option to display the global parameter name with the dimension value and better understand how and where global parameters are used in a model.

You can also filter a schedule by global parameter association to help find elements that have a global parameter association or are missing an association. And last but not least, you can transfer global parameters between projects.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Global Parameter Enhancements

Autodesk Raytracer is now the only visualization engine in Revit. It is based on physically more accurate lights, materials, and reflected light and enables great visualization with better performance.

Raytracer greatly improves performance, as there is a notable increase in speed when using Raytracer. You get more physically based rendering results that are more accurate.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Enhanced Autodesk Raytracer

Tangency Locks allows you to place tangency locks to sketch lines, and works when in the sketch editor and family editor.  It works anytime you are sketching a shape (like a floor, ceiling, etc.)  It works when creating geometry in the family editor.  However, it does not work for model lines or reference lines.

You can lock the various lines when sketching to avoid accidentally moving them.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Tangency Locks

FormIt 360 Converter is now provided with the Revit installation, which gives you the ability to continue to work easily with your FormIt designs in Revit.

You convert FormIt 360 files into an open Revit file from within Revit. You can also convert SketchUp SKP files for use within FormIt, Revit RFA files for use within FormIt, and RFAs used in FormIt, back into the original RFA in Revit for a fully integrated BIM workflow.

You can launch FormIt 360 from within the application.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - FormIt 360 Converter

Autodesk Revit 2017 includes access to Autodesk Insight 360 as part of your Revit subscription. Insight 360 provides Revit users with a fast, intuitive, outcomes-driven guide to better building energy and environmental performance throughout the building lifecycle. 

By simply applying a geographical location and utilizing Revit’s automatic Energy Analytical Model, Insight 360 empowers architects and integrated teams with clear guidance and recommendations powered by widely used simulation engines that lead to better building performance outcomes. Instantly reveal a range of potential design outcomes through the Energy Cost Range factors to help you quickly identify key energy performance drivers and compare design scenarios.

Insight 360 integrates many exiting workflows such as Revit Energy Analysis and Lighting Analysis, as well as expanding on these tools to provide a holistic approach to building performance. Access to EnergyPlus heating and cooling load data and in-context solar analysis results are also included in Insight 360.

Watch Video below for more information.

Video & Screen Shot - Autodesk Insight 360

In a continued effort to improve product quality and stability, Autodesk released Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2014.

Clickhere to access and download the service Pack.

The service pack can be applied to Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2014 installed as a standalone or the one installed from the Autodesk Design Suites.