Updates to SmartBIM Library and SmartBIM QTO

Full press release can be read HERE.

Reed Construction Data today announced updates for two of its leading BIM solutions, SmartBIM Library (SBL) and SmartBIM QTO, tools to help Autodesk® Revit® users increase efficiency and organization in the design phase.

The release of SmartBIM Library version 3.8 offers users improved thumbnail creation for all Revit families and adds support for publishing curtain wall panels in user-created catalogs.

SmartBIM QTO 1.3 has improved functionality for exporting a quantity takeoff to Microsoft® Excel.

More information on SmartBIM Library and SmartBIM QTO can be found at www.reedconstructiondata.com/bim/bim-library/ or www.reedconstructiondata.com/bim/qto.

Reed SmartBIM Library and QTO now available for Revit 2010

Just received word this morning that the SmartBIM Library v3.5 (SBL) and SmartBIM QTO v1.0 are now available and supporting Revit 2010!  SmartBIM Library v3.5 provides support for Revit 2010 and improves Family Publishing and Catalog update functionality. SmartBIM QTO v1.0 is now available for Revit 2010 as well as Revit 2009.

The information listed below will enable you to download and install these products.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact a representative from MasterGraphics.

SmartBIM library v3.5 and SmartBIM QTO v1.0 for Revit 2010 download and installation information. The installer is a combination installer for both SBL and QTO.  Also, there is a separate installer for Revit 2009 and Revit 2010. If you currently are NOT using SBL or QTO but would like to try it out, the download can be used as a trial for I believe 30 days.

Installer download links:

Revit 2009:  http://content.reedconstructiondata.com/smartbim/release/200908/SmartBIM_Installer_Revit2009.exe

Revit 2010:  http://content.reedconstructiondata.com/smartbim/release/200908/SmartBIM_Installer_Revit2010.exe

If you are currently using SBL on 2009 and want to update it to v3.5 for 2009, remember to uninstall the previous version before installing v3.5.

One thing to note…Vista users need to turn off the UAC in order for SBL and QTO to install correctly.

Reed SmartBIM Library 3.2 Launched

Press Release - http://www.reedconstructiondata.com/press-releases/press-release/reed-construction-data-releases-smartbim-library-v32/

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The release of SBL v3.2 offers new features and enhancements including the drag-and-drop family publisher, allowing users to automatically publish and load Revit families into SmartBIM Library from a user’s file system, Autodesk® Revit project files or Autodesk® Seek.

Additional functionality allows users to attach files, including text documents, spreadsheets and images, to SmartBIM Objects using the drag-and-drop feature, and to view them from the attachment pane.
SBL 3.2 is also now an e-SPECS® Compliant BIM Library to assist users in automating the specification process.

“This release gives Revit users a way to significantly reduce the time spent looking for or creating BIM objects,” said Candice Dobra, director of BIM solutions, Reed Construction Data.  “The high-quality SmartBIM objects delivered in SmartBIM Library combined with the ability to easily manage existing content, bring a new level of efficiency in the design process.”

Version 3.2 comes pre-loaded with over 21,000 high-quality Revit product types, including 200 new generic families.  The SmartBIM Library will also publish content on a continual basis from a growing list of manufacturers including: Kolbe, Karona Inc., Hager Companies, LinEL Signature Skylights, Oldcastle Glass, Armstrong, Da-Lite Screen Company, Draper Inc., NanaWall Systems, ZeroFlush, Figueras International Seating, Next Door Company, Laticrete International, Skyco Shading Systems, Beta-Calco, Cornell Iron Works, Sun-Dome, GAF Materials Corp., PPG Industries, Coronet Lighting and more.

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I've personally seen and played with SmartBIM v3.2 and it's a great improvement from the previously released versions of the program.  The new drag-n-drop functionality they've added to creating libraries is great and a much improved process than before.  One thing to remember with the SmartBIM Library...you are not really paying for the content, you are paying for the program to manage YOUR library.  The content is an extra little bonus, and you do get any updates to the SmartBIM Library they make or if they add extra content.

If you are located in WI, MN or IL and are interested purchasing the SmartBIM Library, please contact a MasterGraphics Account Manager (1-800-873-7238) for more info!

Are You Wasting Money Finding Revit Objects

If you've ever asked yourself this question or if you've never even thought about it, I suggest reading THIS ARTICLE from Dennis Neeley of Reed Construction Data titled "You are Wasting Your Money".  If this question seems like it's not for you, pass it on to your CAD/Revit/BIM Manager...or whoever you think would like to know the answer to this!

Reed has a survey out that has allowed them to get information about this very question. You can take the survey (Click here to start the survey) and help build the database.

Here is a very small snippet of the article, but you can see in the chart how quickly looking for and/or creating objects can add up!

The chart below translates the survey results into dollars, your wasted dollars. For these calculations, it is assumed the employee is costing you $40 and hour (fully loaded, salary, benefits, occupancy and taxes). Soon, Reed will have a tool on our Internet site where you can plug in your specific office numbers to see what objects and object management are costing your firm.

Now sure, Reed is going to use SmartBIM Library in this article because it's a product they sell and would help reduce some of these costs.  But the point (in my opinion) is that anyway you can decrease the time it takes to work with families (whether it's searching, creating or modifying) can save you money.  Maybe it's better organization using Windows Explorer?  Maybe it's an intranet site, or whatever you can use to share families with everyone in the office.  If a family is added to the library, why not send a notification to everyone so it doesn't get re-made?

Anyway you look at it, becoming more efficient and saving money now will not only keep costs low in the current economy, but will continue to save money for a long, long time...especially when the library get's larger and more and more users are in the mix!

http://www.reedconstructiondata.com/articles/read/you-are-wasting-your-money/

Reed Construction Data Acquires Tectonic Partners Inc

This is some exciting news for those who have been using or looking to use Tectonic... and anyone looking to integrate cost estimating into their Revit projects! For more on Tectonic, please check out their site through the link in the below press release. I'm also looking into posting some more info on Tectonic in the near future once I get the latest release installed.

Reed Construction Data Acquires Tectonic Partners Inc
(Atlanta, GA) Dec 09 2007

Construction information provider to deliver industry-defining technology for BIM

Reed Construction Data today announced the acquisition of Tectonic Partners Inc., a leading developer and service provider of building information modeling (BIM) for the architectural, engineering and construction industries.

The acquisition represents a significant strategic move by Reed Construction Data to become a leader in the emerging building information modeling space and complements the strategic partnership with RCMS Group announced earlier this year.

An agreement between the two companies was signed today in Atlanta. The acquisition will formally close Feb. 1, 2008.

The combination of Reed Construction Data and Tectonic will give architects, engineers and contractors (AEC) a powerful set of solutions for creating and managing BIM content on their desktops, as well as integrating RSMeans’ industry-leading cost data into the objects and the drawings themselves.

“By combining the power of RSMeans data and other Tectonic applications, we’ll be able to make a huge impact in the daily business lives of the AEC community,” said Iain Melville, CEO of Reed Construction Data. “I am excited about the potential to create rich BIM content for BPMs and to create many new products and services in the future.”

“Reed Construction Data and Tectonic together will move BIM to truly integrate RSMeans data into the work flows of architects, engineers and contractors,” Melville said. “We think this is powerful marriage of both BIM technology and integrated data.”

As part of the agreement, Arol Wolford, CEO of Tectonic, and one of the leading innovators in the industry, will stay on as a consultant to Reed Construction Data.

“I’m very excited to work alongside Reed and to match our products and services with the strong content that they provide,” Wolford said. “BIM has opened up countless opportunities in our industry, and the combination of our companies will give us the power to deliver full service BIM options to the AEC community.”

Tectonic provides several unique products and services, including BIM Library Manager, a software application for the organization and management of Autodesk Revit families, which helps assist in efficient creation of BIM.

Tectonic also has built an expansive library of BIM objects and is in the process of developing a powerful quantity take off tool to further meet the needs of the AEC community.

The emerging BIM technology provides consumers with the ability to improve visualization, coordination, simulation and optimization, which translates into direct advantages such as cost savings, fewer errors, productivity gains and the ability to manage building information throughout a project’s entire lifecycle.

Link: http://www.reedconstructiondata.com/press-releases/press-release/reed-construction-data-acquires-tectonic-partners-inc/