Acquisition will give Graitec tools for enhancing Revit model efficiency AEC software developer Graitec has acquired Ideate Software, a US firm that offers plug-ins for Revit as well as a scripting solution that enables Revit users to run time-intensive Revit tasks in the background. Ideate Software plug-ins are designed to help companies streamline Revit data management processes, control, enhance data accuracy, and improve the health of their models. With Ideate Automation, firms can automate time consuming Revit tasks, or schedule them to run overnight, to help reduce the chance of human er ..read more

As an industry, offsite modular is pretty much collapsing in the UK. There’s a serious scarcity of skilled labour, and the traditional construction industry racked up more insolvencies last year than any other sector. So what hope does the UK have of digitising fabrication and building the homes we need? Martyn Day speaks with Bruce Bell of Facit Homes The first time I wrote about Facit Homes was back in 2013, when the company had just been highlighted on Channel 4’s Grand Designs as a design-build architectural firm. What set it apart from other design-build firms I knew about was that the ho ..read more

Will this latest change diminish the role of the CAD reseller? Throughout its history, Autodesk’s business model has been constantly evolving. Someone joked on LinkedIn recently that ‘Autodesk’s business model is to get you to the next business model.’ For end users, this continual change has been seen in the form of product bundles, Suites, Collections, proprietary to subscription, tokens, removal of network licensing, mandatory named user licensing, etc. The rapid evolution has meant that many firms are operating the same software under different licensing conditions. Autodesk also regularly ..read more

In our spring 2024 edition we delve deep into a future where drawings are fully automated, look at a new approach to building performance analysis, report on a new massing tool for architects, plus plenty more on acoustic design, reality capture, workstations, modern methods of construction, and laptop processors It’s available to view now, free, along with all our back issues. Subscribe to the digital edition free + all the latest AEC technology news in your inbox, or take out a print subscription for $49 per year (free to UK AEC professionals). The dawn of auto-drawingsSeveral CAD software ..read more

Graphisoft, Nemetschek’s leading BIM company and developer of Archicad, has announced that it will gradually phase out perpetual licences in favour of subscription Adobe led the way with Creative Suite transitioning to monthly Creative Cloud, closely followed by Autodesk, which perfected the subscription model in the AEC space, driving increases in revenue and new licensing options. Pretty much every publicly listed software firm in BIM has now shifted from perpetual to subscription, irrespective of customer sentiment. Graphisoft describes the move, as ‘part of its strategic shift to a sustain ..read more

Consultancy services include digital transformation strategy, computational BIM & digital design, 2D / 3D application development and more Two former Hawkins\Brown digital design associates, Ben Porter and Jack Stewart, have launched a new built environment consultancy, Remap. According to the duo, Remap stands at the intersection of technology and construction, using creative solutions to address long-standing industry headaches and set new standards. Key services include digital transformation strategy, computational BIM & digital design, 2D / 3D application development and design to ..read more

Through new partnership, companies plan to drive adoption of digital twins Hexagon’s Geosystems division and the Nemetschek Group, which owns leading AEC brands including Graphisoft, Allplan and Vectorworks, have formed a strategic partnership with a view to ‘accelerating digital transformation within the AEC/O industry’. As a first step, the partnership will look to drive the adoption of digital twins. The two companies aim to provide customers with tools, services and expertise for an ‘end-to-end digital twin workflow’ by joining the up-to-date building data through Hexagon’s reality capture ..read more

Automates tasks for Revit files stored in Autodesk Build, Docs or BIM 360 Ideate Automation, a software tool designed to automate tasks in Revit, now integrates with Autodesk Construction Cloud. With the new no-cost Ideate Cloud Connector, project teams can ‘seamlessly integrate’ with Revit models managed in Autodesk Build, Autodesk Docs, or BIM 360, enabling Ideate Automation’s scripting capabilities to run time-intensive BIM tasks in the background. Examples of tasks that can be started in Ideate Automation manually or scheduled to run at regular intervals include: opening large Revit files ..read more

MacBook Pro with Apple M3 Max reported to be up to 3x faster than Intel-based iMac Graphisoft has published Archicad benchmark scores comparing the new Apple Macbook Pro with Apple M3 Max silicon to older generation Apple computers, including a Mac Studio with an Apple M1 Max, Mac mini with Apple M1 and iMac with Intel Core i7 . According to the company, compared to an Intel Core i7-based iMac, the new M3 Max chip is up to 2.5x faster at opening files, up to 3x faster in section generation and display, up to 3x faster in documentation layout update and display, up to 2x faster at rendering wit ..read more

Merger will deliver technology stack to address architectural through structural analysis and design to structural detailing and prefabrication. The Nemetschek Group is to bring together three of its AEC software brands – Allplan, Scia and Frilo – under the Allplan umbrella. Allplan, a German-headquartered provider of BIM solutions, will be joined by structural engineering software brands Scia, based in Hasselt, Belgium, and Frilo, located in Stuttgart, Germany. According to Nemetschek, the merger will provide a unique solution for architects and engineers. Allplan offers a single BIM pla ..read more