AEC TECH NEWS: Autodesk enhances Advance Steel and Steel Connections for Revit

San Antonio, Texas — Since acquiring Advance Steel in 2013, Autodesk has worked toward better support for Building Information Model- (BIM-) centric workflows for structural steel design and detailing. For instance, the company has been working to strengthen the interoperability between Autodesk Revit design software and Autodesk Advance Steel software. In advance of opening day of NASCC: The Steel Conference, Autodesk announced that the forthcoming Advance Steel 2018 release in April will offer seamless consumption of Level of Development (LOD) 350 Revit models.

The Level of Development (LOD) Specification is a reference that enables practitioners in the AEC Industry to specify and articulate with a high level of clarity the content and reliability of BIMs at various stages in the design and construction process. For LOD350, the model element is graphically represented within the model as a specific system, object, or assembly in terms of quantity, size, shape, orientation, and interfaces with other building systems. Non-graphic information may also be attached to the model element.

Autodesk said the improved operability means that engineers can deliver more accurate designs and bills of materials to the detailer and fabricator. And for the detailer, it means they can more quickly respond to design changes while delivering the files needed to drive steel fabrication. This interoperability will help steel detailers and fabricators take full advantage of the steel design model.

https://youtu.be/6Ht-LR8swrk

The Autodesk Steel Connections for Revit 2018 release will include several major updates, including more than 130 parametric steel connections. These connections may be transferred to the Revit model to help improve design coordination between engineers and fabricators. The update will also have custom-made framing Revit families for custom sections and the ability to transfer code check for customized parameters.

Advance Steel 2018 includes several enhancements designed to improve usability. For instance, it has been fully integrated into the AutoCAD platform so users will now have one simple installation and one licensing mechanism for their software. In addition, settings from one version of Advance Steel to the next can now be easily transferred with one simple interface to help users spend less time moving to a new version.

Advance Steel 2018 also includes updates that allow users to better control documentation and customized model information. These new features include:

• Model views combined with cameras help to simplify the process of creating general arrangement drawings.
• Customized model information in DWG to communicate designs more effectively to other stakeholders.
• Blow-up Details – Callouts to help users save time on drawing creation.

To make things easier for steel construction professionals as they embrace new processes and technologies for BIM-to-fabrication workflows, Autodesk has packaged the software tools needed to support steel projects in the Autodesk industry collection for architecture, engineering and construction such as Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Navisworks Manage software. When paired with Advance Steel, project teams now have access to a set of BIM-based tools that support the entire steel project life cycle from design to detailing to fabrication.

Autodesk Advance Steel 2018 is expected to be available globally starting on April 1, 2017 in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, and Portuguese (Brazilian). Pricing and availability information is available at https://www.autodesk.com/products/advance-steel/subscribe. Autodesk Steel Connections for Revit 2018 is expected to be available starting April 14, 2017 in English, German, French, and Polish.

Watch how Autodesk products support connecting design and fabrication: