8. "CAD" and "BIM" Software - 'How and Who'

BIM Software

• Autodesk's Architectural Desktop and Mechanical Desktop were developed around 1999 with the idea of designing a building that can with other applications. Autodesk MEP continued the "Desktop" series under a different name.
• Autodesk REVIT
  According to Reed Construction Data, Autodesk's RevitŪ is the dominant BIM authoring application and Revit's market penetration into architectural firms is occurring three times faster than the market penetration of 2D CAD during the 1980s. They said that in the next few years, the majority of all projects will be modeled in Revit. Autodesk is pushing this hard and will begin phasing out the older products in the near future.

Products with less AEC market share than Autodesk but analogous to Autocad mechanical Desktop are:

• Bentley Microstation MEP: Adopted by Dewberry and some other prominent AE and EA firms, and other entities, notably electric utilities, transportation departments, other civil engineering related users.
• Vectorworks (Graphisoft) Archicad: Architects and Engineers in commercial and residential construction Purchased and merged in 2007 with Nemetschek VectorWorks.

BIM "Interoperable" Software
Collision detection (interference checking and multi-discipline coordination across differing software platforms. It is intended to let users of Autodesk share the model with users of competing software like Bentley and Graphisoft).

• Navisworks:
• Solibri Model Checker

• Primavera Project manager
• Microsoft Project
• Newforma

Cost Estimating

• Timberline Estimating

Energy modeling and Building Simulation / Performance

• Green Building Studio (Formerly GeoPraxis), bought by Autodesk in January 2008. Reads-in and supports Revit GBxml output on a web based interface to develop sophisticated building energy models. In 2007 Revit was reportedly having output validation issues (probably data translation problems) which have since been resolved.
• Trane Trace
• Carrier HAP E20
• Plus/DOE-2/E-Quest
• IES Integrated Environmental Systems (Virtual Environment) bought by Autodesk last year. They claim Revit MEP has a 'native' capability to calculate heating and cooling loads, but eventually it will have other features. Demonstration / beta stage
• Ecotect (also bought by Autodesk recently) - analysis on solar, thermal, shading, lighting, and airflow

HVAC Specific Simulation and Calculation Software

• Elite CHVAC load calculation
• HVAC Solutions
• Wright Software

• Design Master 3D-BIM Coordination Design Master Electrical is capable of producing 3D models for use in clash detection with other disciplines. Model the large components of an electrical design, such as the conduit, cable tray, and switchgear, or model the whole plan down to the receptacles and switches.
• Automatic Code Compliance checking Not yet ready for prime time----Inconsistent data formatting and accuracy make this problematic. The standardized IFCs (Industry Foundation Classes) supposed to mitigate that inconsistency are slow to be adopted, especially in the US. There is some conceptual development occurring in the form of intelligent software which can "clean up" the data.