Autodesk Updates Revit Platform for Building Information Modelling

Enhanced Applications and New Functionality Redefine Traditional Design Process
At its Global Product Launch event yesterday, Autodesk announced comprehensive updates to its Revit platform for building information modelling (BIM) software applications, and an expanded portfolio of solutions that address the building industry’s evolving requirements for productivity and efficiency. The latest updates to the Revit platform help provide immediate competitive advantage, better coordination and quality, and increased support for sustainable design, all of which can lead to better performing buildings and higher profitability for architects, engineers and the extended building team.
“BIM is accelerating the pace of change in the building industry as information-based modelling becomes the norm across the building design and construction disciplines,” said Jay Bhatt, vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “The newest versions of Revit-based applications will help our customers get even greater benefit from BIM and transform traditional design and industry processes with better decision-making information to reduce costly complexity, mistakes and delays.”
Enhancements Take Advantage of BIM to Redefine Design Process
The roles of architects, engineers, and designers in the building process are changing with the increasingly global and complex nature of design, engineering and construction, a more demanding business climate and more widespread adoption of BIM. BIM is the creation and use of coordinated, consistent and computable information about a building project. Such information is crucial to more efficient design decision making, precise construction document production, performance predictions, cost estimations and construction planning, as well as managing and operating facilities. At the core of the Revit platform, Autodesk’s purpose-built solution for BIM, a powerful parametric change engine automatically helps coordinate all changes across design, documentation and analyses. The Revit platform can keep information coordinated, up-to-date and accessible in an integrated digital environment, giving architects, engineers, builders and owners a clear overall vision of all their projects, as well as aiding their ability to make better decisions faster.
To even more closely align products with customer needs and requirements, Autodesk has modified the names of several Revit-based applications. Revit Architecture 2008 (formerly Revit Building), Revit Structure 2008 and Revit MEP 2008 (formerly Revit Systems) software products support new ways of working for architects, designers, drafters and engineers, helping them to predict, analyse and deliver better building performance.
Revit Architecture 2008
Purpose-built for building information modelling, Revit Architecture mirrors the real world of buildings, so architects and designers work holistically, rather than with isolated elements such as floor plans, sections and elevations. In addition to improvements to the many powerful features of this mature product, Revit Architecture 2008 also delivers:
· Improved management of linked model information and improved DWF file specification support.
· Google Earth Plug-In for publishing Revit models to Google Earth mapping functionality.
· Better interoperability with Autodesk 3ds Max animation software to help drive design consensus across project stakeholders.
Revit Architecture 2008 also delivers new features to enable sustainable design with analysis of materials, quantities, energy use and lighting. With enhanced gbXML (Green Building Extensible Markup Language) functionality, designers can quickly perform energy analysis and study building performance using tools such as those from Green Building Studio, Inc. and IES Ltd.
Revit Structure 2008
Revit Structure 2008 redefines structural engineering by making it easier for structural engineers, designers and drafters to design and visualise their structures. Building on the Revit platform’s parametric change management technology, the latest release lets structural engineers create a building information model and related construction documentation more easily with new features including:
· New modelling tools for parametric structural trusses, warped structural slabs and curved beams.
· Construction documentation enhancements such as dependent views for split drawings, dimensions and element visibility.
· Improved usability and interoperability with industry-standard tools and third-party analysis applications.
Revit MEP 2008
Revit MEP 2008 delivers BIM for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering market with improved features to support building performance analysis and better decision making. Revit MEP 2008 is available as part of AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite, which combines Revit MEP 2008 for systems information modelling and AutoCAD MEP 2008 (formerly Autodesk Building Systems) for MEP documentation. Important features in Revit MEP 2008 include:
· Fully parametric change management increases coordination and maximises the efficiencies of the Revit-based workflows across the architecture and engineering teams.
· Automated exchange of engineering design information improves communication and minimises design coordination errors between MEP engineering disciplines, as well as with the architectural and structural engineering disciplines.
· Integrated building performance analysis for sustainable design through a direct link to the Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), Virtual Environment -- providing reportable building analysis data including annual energy requirements, whole building carbon emission output, occupant satisfaction, day-lighting and thermal analysis capabilities.
Visualisation Tools Enhance BIM
The Revit platform can be used with design visualisation and conceptualisation tools built on the same technology as Autodesk’s leading film, gaming and product design software. These tools, together with Autodesk simulation and analysis applications, give users the flexibility to optimise and improve their designs before they are built — helping to save time and money, improve quality and foster innovation. The latest version of Autodesk VIZ 2008 software provides architects, designers and visualisation artists with the modelling, lighting, rendering and animation tools required for professional-quality 3D architectural visualisations. VIZ 2008 also includes improved support of AutoCAD and Revit software files; new, simplified architectural rendering tools; speed and performance enhancements; and new learning tools.
AEC Solutions Portfolio Consolidates Products, Services
In addition to updating industry-leading applications, Autodesk has consolidated its efforts across the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries to address the evolution of the building industry and serve the business needs of the individual disciplines comprising the industry. Autodesk AEC Solutions incorporate industry-leading civil engineering, building design and engineering, and building operation applications, as well as collaborative project management (CPM) tools for construction. In addition to the Revit family of products for BIM, the portfolio features AutoCAD-based applications such as AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Autodesk Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD MEP (formerly Autodesk Building Systems), and AutoCAD Civil 3D; Autodesk FMDesktop software for facility management; and Autodesk Buzzsaw and Autodesk Constructware software and services for CPM.

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