Autodesk Australia announces the release of several new apps created for
the architecture, engineering and construction industries.
The company’s new Autodesk BIM 360 Layout app uses the BIM 360
cloud service to provide general contractors and MEP (Mechanical,
Electrical and Plumbing) contractors the ability to connect Building
Information Modelling (BIM) to the construction layout process.
The new BIM 360 Layout app connects a digital model with the physical
world by controlling a robotic instrument from Autodesk’s strategic
partner Topcon Corp. With a direct connection to the Topcon
LN-100 robotic instrument via Wi-Fi, the field user is guided to physical
locations on the job-site based on points created in the 3D model that are
represented in the BIM 360 Layout app.
Jim Lynch, vice president, Building & Collaboration Products, Autodesk comments
that their expanding mobile and cloud portfolio for construction includes tools
such as BIM 360 Layout, which helps their customers bring constructability to
life by managing data across multiple platforms and formats, and increased
productivity with fewer errors by helping to streamline the touch points that
allow for higher levels of project collaboration.
Autodesk BIM 360 Layout helps improve field accuracy and productivity by
replacing error-prone manual layout techniques with laser-guided precision. The
BIM 360 Layout app has already been field tested by several customers including
DPR, Mortenson and PCL Construction.
Autodesk has also unveiled several new applications on Autodesk
Labs to simplify sustainable design. Emma Stewart, head of Sustainability
Solutions, Autodesk explains that tighter integration of building performance
analysis and cost-benefit calculations within the design environment allows
project teams to make better decisions when it matters most.
Three new apps help building and infrastructure project teams
cost-justify sustainability strategies, and include Energy Cost
Range (ECR), a single, simple indicator of a project’s overall potential
energy use range, including comparison to the Architecture
2030 benchmark, and the key factors that influence it; Project ECMFin,
a technology preview that allows users to conduct financial analyses on desired
energy conservation measures (or ECMs); and AutoTBL, a new app that automates
triple bottom line cost-benefit analyses for low-impact storm water strategies
inside AutoCAD Civil 3D and Autodesk InfraWorks 360.
Two new apps bring tighter integration between Building Performance
Analysis (BPA) and BIM workflows for Autodesk Revit and Autodesk FormIt users,
and include Solar Analysis plugin for Revit, an app that calculates solar
exposure on surfaces using the specific annual hourly climate data from
Autodesk’s Climate Server, which pulls in data from weather stations around the
world; and EnergyPlus Cloud Service, which is based on initial Autodesk
internal testing, and can process EnergyPlus models 5x-10x faster than desktop
processing.
Availability
The Autodesk BIM 360 Layout app is available for download on the Apple App
Store and requires a subscription to the BIM 360 web service. Autodesk’s new
building performance analysis tools and apps are available on Autodesk Labs online.
