Sim Sala BIM

IMPACT Revit Base Tools

2012-01-24T15:19:00.003+01:00

IMPACT Revit Base Tools 11.2 is now available on the download page.

2011-12-22T17:11:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

WIN-Statik 6.3

2011-12-22T17:04:00.004+01:00

WIN-Statik 6.3 is now available on the download page.

Foundation
Frame Analysis
- Concrete Module
- Steel Module
- Timber Module
Concrete Beam
Concrete Column
Concrete Corbel
Concrete Prestressed
Concrete Section
Punching

All programs and modules with Eurocode support.

VIP-Energy 2.0

2011-12-07T13:54:00.001+01:00

VIP-Energy 2.0 is now available on the download page.

IMPACT Revit Base Tools Beta

2011-12-01T12:42:00.003+01:00

Now with syncronization of floors and levels.

XREF

2011-11-18T12:15:00.005+01:00

Now you can find External reference in the Edit menu in FEM-Design 10.0.

IMPACT 11.2 is here

2011-11-14T08:24:00.005+01:00

IMPACT 11.2 is now available on the download page.

This version has focus on quick and easy Reinforcement:

New Templates
New Reports
New Componenets

Beta Programs November

2011-11-04T14:31:00.003+01:00

Current Beta Programs are:

FEM-Design 11.0
IMPACT Precast 11.2
IMPACT Project Manager 11.2
IMPACT Revit Base Tools 11.2
WIN-Statik Concrete Prestressed 6.3
VIP-Energy 2.0

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name and company. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in.
Only valid for users with maintenance agreement.

IMPACT 11.2

2011-10-05T14:42:00.004+02:00

In IMPACT 11.2 we have added Reinforcement Templates to Colums & Beams

WIN-Statik Releases

2011-09-30T11:39:00.009+02:00

New WIN-Statik releases are available on the download page.

Concrete Beam 6.2.002
Concrete Column 6.2.003
Foundation 6.3.000
Frame Analysis 6.2.007 (with Eurocode Timber)
Punching 6.2.002

FEM-Design Revit Add-In 1.2.006

2011-09-30T11:23:00.004+02:00

Now the Revit Add-In links directly to FEM-Design 10.0
from both Revit Structure 2011 and 2012.
Version 1.2.006 is available on the download page.

Floor Plans in MV

2011-08-31T09:29:00.015+02:00

In the Model Viewer (MV), right click on a floor and select 'Erection Planning'.

To view full model again, right click on the drawing area and select 'Reset Isolation'. Turn off the tags by clicking on the'Toogle Tags' button in the view control bar below the drawing area.

Finally click on the 'Home' button in the drawing area.

Beta Programs August

2011-08-25T16:37:00.004+02:00

Current Beta Programs are:

VIP-Energy 2.0
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.2 (with Eurocode timber)
WIN-Statik Foundation 6.3

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name and company. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in.
Only valid for users with maintenance agreem

FEM-Design 10.0 is here

2011-06-30T12:43:00.005+02:00

FEM-Design 10.0 is now available on the download page.

IMPACT Model Viewer is here

2011-06-30T12:36:00.006+02:00

IMPACT Model Viewer (MV) both version 10 and 11 are now available on the download page.

IMPACT Model Viewer (MV)

2011-06-27T09:52:00.006+02:00

With the new free model viewer you will have a very easy graphical tool to view and manage your projects. Follow up Drawing Revisions, Production Status and other properties.
The view is 'live' and you will have a direct update on all modelling activites.

It's more than a viwer. With the following tools: Set Erection Sequence and Simulate you can plan and play the whole assembly in the 3D model.

Beta is availible for users with maintenance agreement.

IMPACT 11.1 is here

2011-06-23T16:14:00.011+02:00

IMPACT 11.1 is now available on the download page.

FEM-Design Updates

2011-06-11T10:02:00.003+02:00

New updates are available on the download page.

FEM-Design 9.00.019
FEM-Design 8.05.001
Revit Structure 2012 To FEM-Design Add-In

Beta Programs June

2011-06-11T09:53:00.002+02:00

Current Beta Programs are:

VIP-Energy 2.0
IMPACT 11.1
FEM-Design 10.0

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name and company. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in.
Only valid for users with maintenance agreement.

IMPACT Precast Definitions

2011-06-10T08:35:00.012+02:00

In IMPACT 11.1 you will be able model all element types (including Walls and Slabs) with the help of Definitions. IMPACT Precast Definitions are templates for precast products like beams, columns, slabs, walls, hollow cores etc. In a Definition you can set up Panel thicknesses and materials, Lifting, Reinforcement Layout, Naming rules etc. depending on element type.

With the new Revit Add-In you can auto generate families from definitions.

Copy Floors

2011-06-02T10:59:00.005+02:00

When you are modelling a multi story building in IMPACT it is very convenient to copy floors or parts of floors in PM.
Choose 'Copy Elements' if you want to keep the element marks.
Choose 'Copy Elements and Element Marks' if you want new marks on the new floor.

IMPACT 11.0 is here

2011-05-16T08:41:00.008+02:00

IMPACT 11.0 is now available on the download page.

WIN-Statik 6.2 Concrete Prestressed

2011-05-09T13:30:00.006+02:00

WIN-Statik 6.2 Concrete Prestressed is available on the download page, now with topping.

New updates are also available for following WIN-Statik programs:

Frame Analysis (Ramanalys)
- Concrete Module (Betongmodul)
- Steel Module (Stålmodul)
Concrete Beam (Betongbalk)
Concrete Column (Concrete Designer- Column)
Concrete Section (Concrete Designer - Section)
Punching (Genomstansningskontroll)

All programs and modules with Eurocode support

Smart IMPACT

2011-04-27T17:35:00.003+02:00

Access your shop drawings on iPad, iPhone, iPod or Android Mobile with the AutoCAD WS free app.

Beta Programs April

2011-04-13T18:00:00.008+02:00

FEM-Design 10.0 and IMPACT 11.0 are available for beta testers.

Current Beta Programs are:

FEM-Design 10.0 (improved Timber Design )
IMPACT 11.0 (improved Columns & Beams, improved Shop Drawing Layout, 3D modeling with Revit or AutoCAD)
WIN-Statik Concrete Prestressed 6.2 (with Topping)

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name and company. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in. Only valid for users with maintenance agreement.

Keeping Element Id

2011-03-24T09:39:00.051+01:00

Every element in the IMPACT 3D Model has a unique identifier (Element id). When you are exporting and importing to other sites or fabrication systems it's very imortant to preserve the ids.

If you delete an element in the model and insert a new, the new element will automatically get a new id and the link to the fabrication is lost. Please use the commands Edit, Replace and Save As when it's appropriate.

First I will show how to locate the Element ids.

In 'Settings Plan' you can turn on the id in the model tags.

Then it will look like this.

It is possible to modify the layout of the tags (element mark blocks) in your company standard.

In Project Manager (PM) you will find the element id in the Expand or Planning view in the model.

Edit element
Edit element will never change id.

Before Edit

After Edit.

Save As
Save as with a new name will never change id.

Before Save As

After Save As

You should not erase and draw a new one.

Replace
Replaces with a new element mark will never change id.

Before Replace

After Replace

You should not erase and insert a new mark.

Rename
Renaming element marks will never change id.

In PM yo can rename an element mark with or without shop drawing.

Before Rename and Update Plan

After Rename and Update Plan

New Updates

2011-03-23T16:53:00.003+01:00

New updates are available on the download page.

FEM-Design 9.0.016
FEM-Design Revit Add-In 1.2.005
IMPACT Precast 10.1.008
IMPACT Project Manager 10.1.008
VIP-Energy 1.1.5
WIN-Statik Concrete Column 6.2.001
WIN-Statik Concrete Corbel 6.2.001
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.2.003

Steel Sections

2011-02-16T13:48:00.013+01:00

Do you need steel sections in your IMPACT project?

Download files below.
In Project Manager: Right Click on Components
Select Import
Select BeamSteelSections.zip
Do Import once again for ColumnSteelSections.zip

Don't forget to add Steel in the Materials table.

BeamSteelSections.zip
(CHS, FSQ, HEA, HEB, HSQ, IPE, LE, LU, U, UPE, VKR)

ColumnSteelSections.zip
(CHS, VKR)

2010-12-22T13:52:00.005+01:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

WIN-Statik 6.2

2010-12-03T14:50:00.003+01:00

WIN-Statik 6.2 is now available on the download page.

Frame Analysis (Ramanalys)
- Concrete Module (Betongmodul)
- Steel Module (Stålmodul)
Concrete Beam (Betongbalk)
Concrete Column (Concrete Designer- Column)
Concrete Corbel (Upplagskonsol)
Concrete Section (Concrete Designer - Section)
Punching (Genomstansningskontroll)

All programs and modules with Eurocode support.

IMPACT 10.1

2010-11-26T09:45:00.004+01:00

IMPACT 10.1 in both 64 and 32 bit versions are now available on the download page.

IMPACT Sync

2010-11-25T08:43:00.005+01:00

Together with Skanska and Elimatic we have developed a very close integration to the production planning system ELiPLAN. Now you can use IMPACT PM (Project Manager) to follow up the daily production and deliveries of all of your projects in a very easy way. PM will also help you to find bottlenecks in your projects.

(Project Nereus, IMPACT model by Prekon i Syd AB)

IMPACT Sync is a small add-on to the server which automatically synchronizes the IMPACT and the ELiPLAN databases.

Beta Programs October

2010-10-15T10:57:00.004+02:00

IMPACT Reinforcemet 10.1 64-bit is now available for beta testers.

Also available for beta testers are

WIN-Statik Concrete Beam 6.2
WIN-Statik Concrete Column 6.2
WIN-Statik Concrete Corbel 6.2
WIN-Statik Concrete Section 6.2
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.2 (with Eurocode steel)
WIN-Statik Punching 6.2

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name, company and address. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in. Only valid for users with maintenance agreement .

VIP-Energy 1.5

2010-10-15T10:50:00.006+02:00

VIP-Energy 1.5 is now available on the download page.

More...

BIM In Real Life

2010-10-14T10:41:00.014+02:00

Yesterday some of the programmers from StruSoft Software Development visited the site of Scandinavia's largest shopping mall: Emporia. All concrete element were modeled in IMPACT by Prekon and Tyréns and delivered by Strängbetong. Empora will open in the end of 2012.

It was nice to see the quality and the smooth assembly of the elements thanks to IMPACT BIM.

Parts of the geometry are very spectacular and complex.

FEM-Design Updates

2010-10-01T09:24:00.004+02:00

FEM-Design 9.00.010 is available on the download page.

Version 9.00.010 requires COMPLETE uninstall of already installed 9.0 version.

Due to some bug fixing and compatibility problem, existing documentation that is created or saved in version 9.00.006 or earlier would be deleted in version 9.00.010 and later.
But there is a way to Backup and later bring back the documentation in the new version.

More...

FEM-Design 8 on 64-bit Windows

2010-09-27T15:59:00.004+02:00

The latest service release of FEM-Design 8 (8.04.013) supports Windows 64-bit with following settings:

Set the compatibility option to run as Windows XP.
The user must have full Admin Permission.
Bring the security UAC to lowest level.

Version 9 does not need these settings.

IMPACT Precast Updates

2010-09-13T08:59:00.009+02:00

IMPACT Precst 10.0.008 is available on the download page. There are three options.

IMPACT Precast:
A complete installation with AutoCAD tools and configurations.
Should be used the first time you install version 10.0.

IMPACT Project Manager:
Project Manager only.
Should be used by all project members without AutoCAD. Can be configured with a free drawing viewer.

IMPACT Precast Patch:
A small installation with the new features only.
Should be used to keep all your previous settings if you already have installed version 10.0.

WIN-Statik 6.1

2010-06-29T12:04:00.018+02:00

WIN-Statik 6.1 is now available on the download page.

Frame Analysis (Ramanalys)
Concrete Module (Betongmodul)
Concrete Beam (Betongbalk)
Concrete Column (Concrete Designer- Column)
Concrete Corbel (Upplagskonsol)
Concrete Section (Concrete Designer - Section)
Concrete Prestressed
Punching (Genomstansningskontroll)

All programs with Eurocode support.

Beta Programs June

2010-06-01T12:25:00.002+02:00

VIP-Energy 1.5 is now available for beta testers.

Current Beta Programs are:

VIP-Energy 1.5
WIN-Statik Concrete Beam 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Column 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Corbel 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Section 6.1
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.1
WIN-Statik Punching 6.1

Sloped I Shape Beam

2010-05-27T15:56:00.004+02:00

In IMPACT 10.0 you can visualize the reinforcement in 3D.

Timber bridge

2010-05-07T11:07:00.011+02:00

Timber frames and panels can be modelled, analysed and design in accordance to EC 5 with FEM-Design 9.0. Below is a model of a wooden pedestrian bridge, analysed with FEM-Design 9.0.

Model

Utilisation

New Updates

2010-05-06T14:33:00.009+02:00

Windows 7 (32/64-bit) compatible versions:

FEM-Design 9.0.003 (2010-05-05)
IMPACT Project Manager 10.0.000 (2010-04-23)
VIP-Energy 1.1.1 (2010-04-07)
WIN-Statik Concrete Beam 6.0.002 (2010-04-07)
WIN-Statik Concrete Column 6.0.003 (2010-04-07)
WIN-Statik Concrete Prestressed 6.1.000 (2010-04-23)
WIN-Statik Concrete Section 6.0.002 (2010-04-07)
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.0.006 (2010-04-07)

Revit Structure 2010/2011 (32/64 bit) compatible versions:

FEM-Design Revit Add-In 1.2.002 (2010-04-22)

ArchiCAD 13 (32 bit) compatible versions:

FEM-Design ArchiCAD Add-In 13 (2010-04-09)

AutoCAD 2010/2011 (32 bit) compatible versions:

IMPACT Precast 10.0.000 (2010-04-23)
IMPACT Reinforcement 10.0.002 (2010-04-23)

AutoCAD 2010/2011 (64 bit) compatible versions are under construction.

Beta Programs May

2010-05-05T09:30:00.005+02:00

FEM-Design 9.0 and IMPACT 10.0 are closed. Thanks for all input.

Current Beta Programs are:

WIN-Statik Concrete Beam 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Column 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Corbel 6.1
WIN-Statik Concrete Section 6.1
WIN-Statik Frame Analysis 6.1
WIN-Statik Punching 6.1

Transparency

2010-04-27T15:52:00.008+02:00

In FEM-Design 9.0

In IMPACT 10.0

IMPACT 10 is here

2010-04-23T09:01:00.015+02:00

IMPACT 10 suite

IMPACT Server
Installs IMPACT BIM Server on top of Microsoft SQL Server or Ingres Database.

IMPACT Project Manager
Easy management and reporting of your projects from early design and site planning to final delivery.

Links to ERP systems such as ELiPLAN and Betsy.

IMPACT Precast
Efficient 3D modeling of concrete structures:

Columns
Beams (inducing Prestressed and sloped I Shape...)
Walls (including Sandwich and Double Wall...)
Slabs (including Hollow Core and Form Slab...)
User Defined (Linked)

Automatic drawing generation.
Links to Analysis & Design systems such as FEM-Design and WIN-Statik.

IMPACT Reinforcement
Automatic or manual 3D modeling of Reinforcement (Mesh, Bar, Stirrup, Bamtec...).
Links to Fabrication systems such as Unitechnik, LEIT2000, BVBS and Q-spec.

Tips and tricks - Annotation scale

2010-04-19T08:25:00.005+02:00

Did you know that IMPACT Reinforcement can use Annotation scale instead of ltscale for scaling of endmarks and texts?

AutoCAD 2008 introduc

ed a new method to simplify scaling. Annotation scale is meant to replace working with the variables ltscale and psltscale and can be found on the bottom right-hand side of the AutoCAD window. On a layout, when a viewport is selected, a similar control for viewport scales are shown.

The recommended settings when using this feature is msltscale=1, psltscale=1, ltscale=1.

Using these settings will also trigger IMPACT Reinforcement to scale texts, endmarks and distribution line marks accordingly.

Note: When opening a drawing created in AutoCAD 2007 or earlier, msltscale will automatically be set to 0.

The template files that come with the IMPACT Reinforcement installation have been prepared with msltscale=1. If you do not wish to use annotation scale when creating new drawings, we recommend that you create a new copy of desired dwt-file and change msltscale to 0 in that.

Example:

1.	Create a new drawing. Make sure that msltscale=1, ltscale=1 and psltscale=1. Annotation scale will be 1:1 by default.

2.	Draw a bar. Text and endmarks will be very small.

3.	Now toggle the annotation scale in modelspace to 1:10. Texts and marks will be scaled up automatically.

4.	Now change to a layout tab. Create a second copy of the viewport.

Change the viewport scales by selecting the frame of a viewport and toggling the list of scales at the bottom of the screen. Set the first viewport to 1:10 and the second to 1:20.

The viewports will automatically zoom to the correct scales. If needed, double-click in the viewport to pan the view so that the reinforcement object is visible.

6.	To initiate scaling of the reinforcement objects, run the Regen All command from the view menu, or type regenall and hit enter. (This is not needed for a plot to be correct).

7.	Now the appearance of the objects will be correct.

IMPACT BIM Server

2010-04-16T11:41:00.009+02:00

One Database and 3(D) Applications: Revit, FEM-Design, and IMPACT.

Revit Architecture

FEM-Design 3D Structure

IMPACT Precast

Bricks & Hollow Core

2010-04-16T09:54:00.009+02:00

Here is an IMPACT model from Skanska.

FEM-Design 9 is here

2010-04-06T15:54:00.005+02:00

FEM-Design 9.0 is now available on the FEM-Design download page.

FEM-Design ArchiCAD Add-In

2010-03-31T17:15:00.001+02:00

FEM-Design ArchiCAD Add-In 13 is now available on the FEM-Design download page.

FEM-Design Revit Add-In

2010-03-31T14:59:00.006+02:00

FEM-Design Revit Add-In 1.2 is now available on the FEM-Design download page.

News in 1.2:
* New Report Dialog
* Can now show problematic elements using the Report Dialog
* More descriptive Error and Warning messages
* Braces are now exported as Beams
* Spring Modulus values for Boundary Conditions should now always be correctly exported
* Command name change:
Export to FEM-Design => Export to File
(It does exactly what it says, exports to file)
Export and launch FEM-Design => Export to FEM-Design 8.0
(Will no longer promt user to save file, instead launches FEM-Design directly)
Material & Profile Mapping => Mapping
(The command still does the same thing)
* New Commands added:
Settings
(User can now easily filter what elements to export)
About
(Shows a About dialog with information about the Add-In)
User Manual
(Opens the user manual)

FEM-Design triangles

2010-03-26T06:52:00.009+01:00

FEM-Design model IRL.

The new underground railway station 'Triangeln' in Malmö, Sweden.
Opening in December 2010.

Model made by Integra Engineering AB.

IMPACT 10.0 Beta (Steel)

2010-03-23T22:04:00.007+01:00

A funny frame with IMPACT 10.0

EcoDesigner review in AECbytes

2010-03-11T11:48:00.007+01:00

http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2010/EcoDesigner.html

IMPACT 10.0 Beta (Parking Structures)

2010-03-03T13:25:00.010+01:00

A parking structure in IMPACT 10.0 after 4 hours modeling.

FEM-Design 9.0 Beta

2010-02-23T12:04:00.007+01:00

With a new calculation algorithm, FEM-Design 9 runs analysis much faster than the previous versions on the same project and on hardware/system configuration.

Quick tool to model timber slabs and wall panels is optionally available for later analysis (3D Structure and PreDesign modules) and timber design (3D Structure module).

IMPACT 10.0 Beta

2010-02-19T14:38:00.008+01:00

Element types in IMPACT 10.0

Tooltip in IMPACT 10.0

Analyse your BIM

2010-01-29T07:15:00.013+01:00

With VIP-Energy you can perform an energy analysis of your model. VIP-Energy imports models from ArchiCAD.

With FEM-Design you can perform a structural analysis of your model. FEM-Design imports models from ArchiCAD, Revit Structure and Tekla Structures.

In version 9.0 of FEM-Design you will also be able to import direct from IMPACT.

A precast structure in FEM-Design 9.0 imported from IMPACT.

Beta Programs

2010-01-12T19:59:00.007+01:00

Did you know that all users with maintenance agreement can apply to participate in the StruSoft Beta Programs?

Learn about the new features
Prepare your organization for the upgrade
Contribute to the development

Current Beta Programs are:

WIN-Statik 6.1
FEM-Design 9.0
IMPACT 10.0

Please apply by sending an email to info@strusoft.com with your name, company and address. Don't forget to write which Beta Program you are interested in.

2009

2009-12-21T08:13:00.060+01:00

In May we released IMPACT 9.0, the new generation of precast modeling and detailing tools. The new database will be a robust foundation for the continuous development of IMPACT. The release also included among others new drawing layout tools, improved hollow core element types and several production features like; reinforcement collision checks, mass and size rules for forms and reinforcement, and much more.

In June we released FEM-Design 8.04 with the new Revit FEM-Design Add-In 1.0.

The development of the next IMPACT version 10 started already in April and in August we could test construction site tools like crane-, erection- and transportation (stack) planning. IMPACT Reinforcement 10.0 was released in September and IMPACT Precast 10.0 will be released during the beginning of 2010. IMPACT 10.0 will have more planning features and new tools for all kinds of columns and beams.

IMPACT 10.0 is compatible with AutoCAD 2010 and will also come with new Revit IMPACT Add-Ins. SQL Server 2008 will be supported.

During the whole year we have been working with FEM-Design 9.0, with a completely new graphical engine, much faster calculation and automatic design. FEM-Design 9.0 will be released during the beginning of 2010.

We look forward to make many more good and integrated releases in 2010 and we wish you all

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The current releases are:

FEM-Design 8.04.012
Revit FEM-Design Add-In 1.1.002
IMPACT Precast 9.0.017 and Reinforcement 4.1.003
IMPACT Reinforcement 10.0.000

WIN-Statik Concrete Prestressed 6.0.001

Hollowcore Online

2009-12-16T17:59:00.010+01:00

Together with the Hollow Core Slab producers in Sweden
we have made a calculation guide according to Eurocode.

It is a free service on internet, it is in English and it is
very easy to use. Please click on the picture and try it yourself.

3D Viewer

2009-11-27T14:50:00.004+01:00

Here is another IMPACT model made by Prekon i Syd AB in Lund, Sweden.

I'm using Navisworks Freedom 2010 to view this model.

Designing your Report

2009-11-25T16:01:00.009+01:00

This is about how to make you own report. When you design your own report you can choose from four different types of selections: Element Mark, Element ID, Reinforcement, Cast-In Material or Drawings.

I will show you how to make an Element Mark Report.

1. First I will make a template in Excel.

Line 1-4 is the 'Header Section', here I would like to have name in cell (10,1) and date in cell (10,2). Line 5- is the 'Selection Section'. I would like to have 11 columns in the report with the same data as the 'Element Mark' table in the 'Project Manager' (PM).

The template should be saved in the templates_reports folder e.g. '...\impact_1101\common\1100\1100\templates_reports\MyReport.xls'

2. Now I have to add and configure the new report in 'Administrative Tool' (AT)

Right click on the Reports node and select new.

Write Report Id and Name. Report Type should be 12.

File name should be the template file name e.g MyReport.xls. The continuous section starts at row 5 and has no end row (0). I have chosen to have no max page size (0,0) and no continuous header (0) or footer (0).

Now I have to tell AT where to put data in the Excel file.

Add the two fields to the Header Section

Add columns to the Continuous Section.

The configuration is done!

3. Update the Report in PM

All report templates are copied to the project once when the project is created.
If the report is new or changed I have to update my project template.

Right click and select 'Update Template'.

4. Generate the report in PM

Good Luck!

IMPACT Reinforcement 10

2009-10-26T14:50:00.005+01:00

The IMPACT Reinforcement family has a new addition in version 10, whichs works on the 32-bit version of AutoCAD 2010.

New in this version is that, in addition to the traditional menu and toolbars, reinforcement commands can be found the ribbon interface.

Project Manager

2009-10-08T08:19:00.009+02:00

Do you know that everyone in the team from Sales to Transportation can install and run Project Manager (PM).

With PM you can gather useful information like bills of quantities, statuses and drawing lists...

If you download 'DWG TrueView' from Autodesk (it's free) you can open, plot and take measures on drawings without changing anything. Just change 'Drawing Startup Configuration' to 'DWG TrueView'. You will find this setting under the Systems menu in PM.

Revit Add-In 1.1

2009-09-28T08:52:00.004+02:00

There is a new version of the FEM-Design Revit Add-In (1.1.000) on the download center. Now with improved Material and Profile Mapping.

Concrete & Steel

2009-09-24T16:54:00.015+02:00

Prekon i Syd AB is a design company specialized in IMPACT and prefabricated concrete and steel structures. Here is an IMPACT model I got from them recently.

.

In this case the steel was originally modeled in Tekla. and then exported to IMPACT via dwg. All steel parts were saved to the IMPACT database as 'Linked Elements'.

With the help of the steel frame the concrete slabs were modeled in IMPACT,

In the end the complete IMPACT model can be viewed in a free 3D viewer.

By selecting an element you can read the element properties from the database.
The dwf viewer is good tool to distribute and analyze the IMPACT model.

IMPACT Reinforcement - Revit workflow

2009-08-31T14:27:00.022+02:00

So you want to use IMPACT Reinforcement in your Revit projects? With the right settings it's easy.

In Revit, export a dwg-file for each plan that you want to reinforce.

Create a new AutoCAD-drawing and xref the Revit export into it, making sure that the instertion point is 0,0.

Start reinforcing. Here I created a simple reinforcement plan using the palettes surface reinforcement tools.

Save the drawing and go back to Revit.

Back in the plan view, run the link CAD command. Import CAD can also be used, but this will not allow you to update the drawing to reflect changes made in the dwg-file.

Make sure that Positioning is set to Auto - Origin to origin so that the drawings line up correctly.

If you have used the same scales in AutoCAD as you have set in Revit, dashed lines should appear the same. However, as you can see in the picture to the left, I have lost the diameter symbol for the rebar text. This has to do with Revit using standard Windows fonts while AutoCAD uses SHX-files for text.

In your Revit installation folder ...\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure 2010\Data, there is a file named shxfontmap.txt. Open this in a texteditor. Here you can see what fonts AutoCAD shx-files are replaced by when imported into Revit. To add a font, simply write on a new row the name of your shx-file followed by a tab and the name of the font you wish to use in Revit. Depending on the font used, it may require some testing before the texts look ok.

In this case I used "iso.shx isocpeur". The diameter symbol looks ok, but a linebreak has appearedd in some of the texts.

In this picture I used "iso.shx isocp", which seems to be working for me.

Edit: It has come to my attention that the isocp font is too thin for printing properly. This is probably because it is not a proper TrueType font. Instead I have found that using Arial Unicode MS has given me good results. Diameter symbols show up OK and there dont seem to be any incorrect carriage returns.

Now when I have made any changes to the reinforcement, I can simply reload the CAD link using the manage links command.

In 3D view I can even see the leg of the L-shaped rebar connecting the slab and walls.

Happy reinforcing!

Revit to FEM Design

2009-08-27T21:18:00.002+02:00

IMPACT Reinforcement Detect bar shape

2009-08-25T23:07:00.010+02:00

Erection Sequence and Remark

2009-08-14T07:54:00.007+02:00

Last week we talked about cranes and erection sequence. Erection sequence was already implemented in IMPACT Precast version 8.2. In 9.0 we have implemented Remark. You can add a remark to the element in the 3D model e.g. a note for the team or complexity factor. The remark will also be transfered to Eliplan and Betsy or to your reports.

There are new service releases available. These are the latest versions:

FEM-Design 8.04.007 (August 13)
Revit FEM-Design Add-In 1.0.000 (June 30)
IMPACT Precast 9.0.006 (August 5)
IMPACT Reinforcement 4.1.001 (June 16)

Keep your software updated.

Construction cranes

2009-08-07T10:02:00.008+02:00

With the new IMPACT 9.0 we have made a total redesign of the database and also a new powerful configuration tool 'IMPACT Adminitrative Tool'. All old superusers will be surprised, no more tables. The new database will be a very good platform for the future development.

The development of version 9.1 is already almost done and the tesing has started. One new component is the Crane. You can add different cranes types with differnt lifting capacities at different radiuses and make restrictions to sectors, max height and max radius. You can then add virtual construction cranes to the 3D model. IMPACT will check the units mass with the crane capacity.

In the example above the green elements are ready for production, the red are not ready and the blue are to hevay for the crane. (You can use your own colors.) The new tooltip will show element information like Type, Name, Id, Phase, Mass etc.

You can also set and show erection sequence in the 3D model. All information will of course be transfered to the planning systems like Betsy and Eliplan.

Analysis

2009-07-10T09:10:00.008+02:00

Here is a model made by Tyréns AB, Sweden

In Revit Structure

Exported to FEM-Design

One of many analysis results in FEM-Design

Connections

2009-07-06T08:59:00.036+02:00

With the new IMPACT 3D multiuser database it is easy to connect various tools, applications and users to the 3D model. I have made two sandwich walls to show you some examples.

Here are the newly created walls in Revit Architecture.

With the IMPACT Revit Tools you can save the walls to the IMPACT database. At the same time the walls will get unique IMPACT element ids.

Here are the same walls in AutoCAD. With the IMPACT AutoCAD Tools you can add end caps, reinforcement proposals lifting devices etc.

Here are the same walls in a more detailed design.

With reinforcement mesh.

In Project Manager.

Now you can set the walls ‘Ready for Production’ and batch generate shop drawings, make reports and exports to production and planning systems like Betsy, UniCAM, ELiPLAN, LEIT2000 and exports to reinforcement robots with Unitechnik, BVBS and Q-Spec files.

You can also export to dwf for free viewing and markups.

Now you can update or generate the final model in Revit Structure.

With the FEM-Design Revit Link you can export the model to FEM-Design 3D Structure for analyses.

The walls in FEM-Design

The different tools like IMPACT Revit, IMPACT AutoCAD and IMPACT Project Manager are connected to the same walls in the database. Also the shop drawings are connected to the walls which means you can update the model from the shop drawing which sometimes is very efficient.

More connections:

In Revit you can import and export the walls as IFC models.

With the IMPACT Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) Data Source ‘IMPACT_9’ you can access the walls from any application, for instance Microsoft Excel…

… or Microsoft Project.

The first IMPACT Revit Tools will be included in the IMPACT 10.0 distribution this year. All other connections are available in IMPACT 9.0 or FEM-design 8.04.

FEM-Design 8.04

2009-06-30T10:45:00.015+02:00

FEM-Design 8.04 was released last week.

Now you can import a model from Revit Structure to FEM-Design 3D Structure.

Italian code has been added to the list of design codes.

IMPACT Precast 9.0

2009-06-26T07:56:00.014+02:00

Version 9.0 was released in May with a completely new database and many new features. The feedback from users has been overwhelming good. Here is an example of what you can do.

What have been especially popular are the new layout tools which lets you manage your shop drawings very easily. For example, it is very easy to add, move and delete sections and views.

More information about 9.0 will come later.