Description
Key Learnings
- Discover how structural engineers and steel fabricators are reducing rework through BIM
- Learn how you can turn a design model into a ready-for-fabrication detailed model
- Discover how problems can be identified prior to fabrication
- Understand how you can drive and automate steel fabrication off-site
Speaker
- Philippe BonneauPhilippe Bonneau is the Technical Marketing Manager for Structural Steel and BIM in Construction at Autodesk. Prior to joining Autodesk in 2013, Philippe spent 5 years in structural steel engineering & detailing companies and then 15 years acting as a product marketing manager at a Platinum Autodesk partner. Philippe has presented multiple times at Autodesk University. He is based in Paris, France.
PHILIPPE BONNEAU: OK since we can start, good morning, everyone. Welcome to this class. I hope you had a good first day yesterday at AU. So this one, reduce waste in structural steel fabrication with BIM. So I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Phillipe Bonneau. I am working as a technical marketing manager at Autodesk.
I joined the company five years ago. My expertise is mainly on structural steel design and fabrication. I'm based in Paris in France. And outside of my work, I am a fan of car race, especially the 24 hours of Lemoore, if you know this car race.
So we know that more is inevitable. We know that the global population is growing day after day. We see more and more people going to cities. So there is a need to build more buildings, more schools, more hospitals. More is inevitable. We know also that less is a reality. By creating and constructing all these buildings and infrastructure, we know that we have less and less resources. So we have to take that in consideration.
So this is why there is an opportunity for our better. We have to improve our processes, we have to reduce waste, and we have to work better all together. So today, I would like to focus on structural steel and see how with some great work for us between Autodesk software it can help steel detainer and steel fabricators to reduce waste at shop and at site.
So today's key learning objectives, I'm going to show you how structural engineers and steel detailers can work together, and they can reduce, rework by using BIM. We are going then to see how we can turn a design model into fabrication detailed model. We are going to see how programs can be identified before starting the fabrication itself. And we will see how we can drive the fabrication itself off site.
So the first topic is how structural engineers and steel fabricators are reducing rework using BIM. So the first step is to, first the structural engineer to create the 3D model. So by using Revit, he can create easily structural columns, structural framing by using Revit families, which are available out of the box. In addition to that-- and this is quite new in Revit, the structure engineers has access to choose to modify elements. You can add a cut. It has tools to create some [INAUDIBLE] cuts. He can also insert some cupping between BIMs.
In addition, some tools are available to modern fabrication parts, such as plates or bolts, anchors, and welds. So let's see how it works. So this is a 3D model already created in Revit containing structural columns and structural framing. And I would like to show you how you can easily insert some additional BIMs, for example.
So you can work in 3D. You can work also on the level view if it helps working on this level. And what you need to do is to load some structural steel families. So if you go here to the browser, you can access to the US families from the AIC fortune 1 codes, you have access to different RF families, one for each steel shapes. And you can load, for example the W shape.
Then you get this dialog box, which appears. An from here, you could select all the steel sections, or you can just pick the one you like to load in this project. So let's go and select one of them, like the W10 by 15.
Now to insert this BIM, you just have to use the BIM command, which is available in Revit. And you choose from the combo box the section you'd like to apply for this BIM. So from the combo box, you have the different steel sections, which have been loaded in your Revit model, which are available. And now you can easily insert the steel BIM by picking the start point and the end point.
So as a result, as I said, you were working 2D in this view. But as a result, this BIM has been created in the 3D model. So if we display our model in 3D, we can see this BIM, which has been inserted here. So, as I said, this is new. It's available with Revit 2019. You have at your disposal some tools to go more in details about your model.
So you have some tools to create some plates. You can create a rectangular I'm plate. You can change easily its shape by stretching its sketch. You can add a chamfer to one of its corner. You have also some tools to shorten the BIM. You may want two shorten the bracing, the diagonal. You can give it a value.
For the chauffeur, you see, you can change the dimensions of this chauffeur. And then you can use some tools to insert some bolts between this diagonal and the plates. So you can control the way you want to insert the bolts. you can define the quantity. You can also modify the distance between the bolts. Now you can use some tools, like the move command if you want to move these bolts along the diagonal.
So this is how it looks like. And you have also a tool to insert a weld between the beam and the gusset. That means that all these elements will be shop welded. You can define that here in the properties on the left. So as you can see, you can create some connections manually. You have also tools, which are available to create bolts, connection objects, such as bolts and anchors, and also save it as a custom connection.
But to speed up the modeling of steel connections in Revit, in the Revit environment, you have access to a library of 125 Steel connections. So since Revit 2019-- by the way, this is available out of the box. In the previous release, you are to download an extension, which was a structural steel connections for Revit extension. You had to download it and install it. Now it is available out of the box.
And once you have inserted the steel connection, you can check the most common ones against code, start up codes. So you can check them against AISC, American Standards. But you can check them also against EC3, which are the Eurocodes for Europe. So the software is going to tell you is the connection pass or fail. And you will get a report, which is created automatically.
So this is the library of steel connections, which is available in Revit. You have a long list of connections, which are available here. And you can just pick the one you like to load in this project. You have also some tools some filter tools. So if you want to see only the ones that you may use for bracing, you can filter these ones. So now just pick the one you would like to load on your project from the left and move them to the right. So now they are high valuable. Here is an example.
We would like to insert your connection between this horizontal BIM and the diagonal. So you just need to select the BIMs. You go to a connection, and here, now, in the combo box, only the connections, which are treatable for the situation connecting two BIMs together are available. So pick the one you would like to apply here like a gusset plate. And it's going to be created automatically between the two beams. So that means that the diagonal is shortened, a gusset plate is inserted automatically with bolts between the diagonal and the gusset. And you can control the properties through this dialog box.
So you have different settings, which are available here. You can control the size of the gusset plate. You can control also how you want to have this skill set. Do you want to have one chauffeurs, two chauffeurs, on the chauffeurs, if you want to make it a rectangular plate, for example.
So you can control all of that. You can control also the projections. If you want to let some gap between the elements, you can manage also the bolts, if you want to have two bolts, three boats. So there are many possibilities, which are available in this dialog box.
So you see, you can insert, and you can modify their properties easily at any time. So let's have a look now at this clip angle connection, which has been already inserted into the Revit model. Again, we can modify its properties at any time. And as you can see, there is a good checking tab. So right now it's not calculated. But you can choose among AC or AC3.
You like to check this connection. You can enter the values here. It could come also from analysis software, like robot analysis, spectral professional. And now when you press check, Revit it is going to tell you is this connection failed or passed. And as a result, it's OK. So as you see the color is green. It has been verified. And you have this report, which is created automatically.
So you have the list of the different formulas, which have been used to verify these two connections. So obviously, you can print it, you can save it, and at the bottom it says that the connection is correctly designed for this situation, OK so? Very useful tool for steel engineers. You had a question?
AUDIENCE: Yeah. Where did that report go to?
PHILIPPE BONNEAU: So it's actually [INAUDIBLE] but you can save it as a doc file as well. And another possibility is to save it as HTML file. So you can easily share it with some other stakeholders or with the structural detailer, for example. And there are some options so that you can define the contents of the report. You can make it short, you can make it long, you can decide what you want to see in this report. So the next step is to create the enduring engineering documentation out of this 3D model.
So with Revit, you can easily create engineering documentation, general arrangement drawings where you can display 2D views, 3D views, you can make some details, you can have some time insurance, you can tax elements, and now we can even tax fabrication elements, such as plates, bolts, anchor, and welds.
You can create schedules as well. You have different templates, which are available out of the box. And as examples, you can easily create structural framing schedules, structural columns schedule, but also a plate schedule, bolt schedule, anchor schedule. So we have the model now, which contains much more steel connections. And we would like to create a schedule out of it.
So here on the left you have different templates, which are available. We can start by using the structural framing one. We can give it a new name. And then you can choose which token you would like to see on this schedule. So you have a long list of tokens, which is available.
We can decide to choose, for example, the quantities account. We would like to see also the cut length. And obviously, you would like to see the steel section names. So you can manage the sorting. You can control, if you want, to have the sorting according to the type. And then as the cut length, if we want to itemize every element or not-- and this is the results that you get.
So you see, you get the quantity, you get the length, you get the steel section. So this is an easy way to already estimate or even preorder those steel elements you will need to get for this project. So you can close the schedule. And at any time, if you want to reopen it, it's available in the browser.
So now we want to move to the next step. The structural engineer created this Revit model containing the structural columns, structural framing, steel connections for all the model or just a part of it. And he wants to provide this model to the steel detailer. So here, we are going to use Revit and Advance Steel.
And to make the transfer, we need to use the Advance Steel extension. So it's not installed by default. You need to download and install it from your Autodesk desktop app. So once it's installed on the top of Revit, you have access to some tools to export this Revit model to Advance Steel.
So we are going to export this design model. And in Advance Steel, we are going to import it. And the next step will be to create also some additional bill of materials in the Advance Steel environment. So let's see how it works. So in the Add-Ins tab, as you can see, you have the Advance Steel extension, which is here, available now. You have different tools. You can also access some settings.
So you can control the way you like to export the Revit model to Advance Steel. So then when you press OK, you can control, when you go through export and press OK, so you can choose a file format, by the way. You could export this Revit model an IFC file. But in my case, I am going to export it as an SMLX file, which is an XML file, by the way. So let's give it a name, like my Revit model exporter.
And let's press the button Save. And the XML file is going to be created automatically. So now let's go to Advance Steel. So this is Advance Steel. Let's start with the template, fine new, and we can select a template. And we are going to import this model coming from Revit and done by the structural engineer. So in the Rayburn, you can find some tools to import this file.
Just import it. So you see, it takes a few seconds. It may take a minute or two if the model is really huge. But you see, with the progression bars, the statutes, then you will see the model which is imported automatically. So it takes just a few seconds. And as a result, you see the model is there. And the good thing is that it contains not only the steel members, the columns, the beams, the bracing, but it also contains the steel connections.
So maybe we can change the way we display it and ask for a realistic mode display. And as you can see, beams, columns, and also still connections are there. And they are still intelligent and parametric connections. If I want to access their properties-- and, by the way, you see the dialog box looks very similar to the dialog box that we have in Revit-- you have access to the same properties as we have in Revit.
So you can control all of that. You can see the value. You can change it if you want. So now what about modifications? Imagine the steel detailer is going to complete this model. You may add some steel connections in some different locations because, for example, the structural engineers did not do it. They did not have the time to do it.
So the steel detailer is going to do it in the Advance Steel environment. Also, you can make modification. You could modify some steel connections, which are already part of this model. And so he's going to make those modifications, export the model back to Revit, and the structural engineer in Revit is going to synchronize. So he's going to have dialog box, this one, which shows with different curves what are the differences between the two models.
So with green, you know what's new, with blue, you know what's modified, and with red, you know what has been deleted. And you can accept or not these modifications. And the Revit model is going to be updated automatically. So we have the Advance Steel model here. Let's go here to this corner. And let's make a few modifications.
Right now, I have clip angles with three bolts, practically. So let's says that we want to change them to four. So we make a modification here in this corner. Here, we can see that we don't have some connections yet. Maybe the structural engineer did not do them yet here, or maybe he did it in another location and did not take the time to copy them to this location. So in Advance Steel, you have also access to the same library of automatic and parametric steel connection.
The way it's presented is a little bit different with this tool pallet. But you have access to the same connections. You have also a favorite group so that you can move the connection you use the most often. Then you just have to pick the elements you want to connect together. And as an example, I could insert here a clip angle between the beam and the column. And we are going to insert a double clip angle connection between the two beams and the column.
And again, you can control the clip angle section size. You can control the number of bolts and the distances between these bolts. So now this is done, we are going to export this model from rivet because we want to give it back to the structural engineer using Revit. So we can give it a name. It can be the same name. It can be a different name. And the export is done.
So now we're back into Revit. We are going to synchronize. We are going to load the file we just created out of the Advance Steel model. So we can select it like that. And as a result, this dialog box get filled automatically with the differences between my Revit model and the Advance Steel model.
So you see with different colors what has been added, what has been modified, and what has been delighted. You can even use some filters here. If you want to see only everything about connections or everything about beam, you can use these useful filters. So now you can select what you want to apply. We are going to apply modifications and what we added.
And automatically-- maybe it's a little bit smaller on the screen. But I'm going to make a zoom after. You see the connection, which has been added. In Advance Steel that appear here in your Revit model, and the modifications that I did here, you see we are four bolts. So this is a very efficient workflow. There is no need to redo everything and to observe risk to make some errors.
You can synchronize the model between the structural engineer and the steel detailer. And, again, you see if you go to the properties, it's [INAUDIBLE] and automatic and parametric steel connection. And you can have access to its properties. So now that the structural engineer and steel detailer can work together, they can all sort of arrange the BIM 360 collaborative platform.
As you may know, it's a cloud-based collaboration platform. You can upload different file formats. You can upload Revit files, you can upload DWG Advance Steel files, and it's a nice way for different stakeholders to better collaborate. So they have some tools. You can use some market tools. You have also sort of navigation tools. You can access your properties. And you can create some issues and assign these issues to the different stakeholders.
They get some notification, and they can then walk on the notifications that they get. So this is a Revit there model, which does not contain any steel connection. So one possibility is to insert what we call a generic connection. That means just a symbol with some characteristics, some properties where the engineer can attach a picture because he wants to show how the connection looks like.
Now it's going-- so you see this is a structural engineer. Now he's going to upload this Revit model to beam 360. And in beam 360 itself, you have some navigation tools. You can turn around the model and see how it looks like. You can insert an issue. Here, you see with this symbol. You can insert-- a description also says that you would like that the steel detailer insert an angle connection. You can attach a document like a picture. And then you can assign this issue to the detailer.
So the steel detailer, myself in this case, reserves a notification, for example, an email. And he can go and see where the issue is in the model in the beam 360 environment. So he can download or just open the picture. He can see how the connection should look like according to the structural engineer.
So now here he can download the Revit model and start working on this Revit model on inside. So he can insert a connection. He can modify the parameters so that it corresponds to the expectation from the structural engineers. And you see I have the clip angle, which is on one beam. But we can copy it easily with the copy command in Revit. We can even continue the Revit model and add steel connections everywhere where it's missing.
We can have some schedules. We can create some general arrangement like that. And we can upload the Revit model back to beam 360. So you have the rationing. You can see that now we have the version 4 of this Revit model. So we can go back to the issue. And because we inserted the steel connections everywhere, especially where the structural engineers wanted to see them, we can notify this structural engineer.
This one now can I have a look to model in the beam 360 environment. And if everything is fine for him, he can close the issue and give a comment if needed. Now we are going to assign a new issue to the steel fabricator because a model is ready for steel detailing and fabrication. So we can observe steel fabricator importing the SMX from the Revit model into the Advance Steel environment, checking the 3D model, using some ready-to-use template to generate automatically the shop drawings.
So this is how it looks like. This is how the [INAUDIBLE] file looks like as well to drive machines at workshop. And how this is done, it can go back to the BIM 360 platform. He can upload the results, the shop drawings as PDF files or as DWG file. And then the steel detailer can approve and say, OK, let's start the fabrication. So this is really a very efficient way to work together as a structural engineer, a steel detailer, and a steel fabricator using the beam 360 platform.
OK, so let's continue now in the process. Now I would like to show you how you can turn a design model into a ready for fabrication detailed model. So as you have seen in one of these previous videos, in Advance Steel you have a connection volt with complete comprehensive library of steel connections. You have also [INAUDIBLE] categories where you can move the connections you use most often.
Also, we have some additional tools, such as a connection group. You can create one connection. And this same connection happens in different locations in this 3D model. You can create a group of connections. And the advantage is that if you modify the first connection, all the connection linked to this first one are going to be updated automatically. So this is an easy way to manage modification and also to make it in a way that all your connection looks the same. It will help you reduce waste at fabrication.
So let's see how it looks like. So we have a connection, which is already in place here, which is against the plate for this bracing. So let's pick the base-- the gusset plate, and we can use a dedicated tool, which is available here in the tool pallet. We can select the different beams to which once we would like to apply this connection.
OK, so you see in just a few clicks, we have the same connection, which is now in different situations. And as I said, because this is a connection group, if we come back to the first one, and if we make a modification, like changing the bolts quantity, everywhere the bolts quantity get changed. Very useful. You can make the modifications, like changing the gusset plate chamfers.
You can also make it smaller or bigger and everything. These changes apply automatically. So with these connections, you may sometimes use the same type of connection. And you may use the same connection with the same values because you try to create some standard connection. So the good thing here is that when you insert a connection, you can save it. And it's going to save the values of the connection.
So next time, these values are going to be able to be available for the same connection in your project or for the same connection in your next project in the future. And you can use some wide CAD values, you see? If you want to save and you get some lines with a specific steel section value, change it and use some [INAUDIBLE] like that so that it's applicable for all the double usage steel shapes, for example. So let's see how it works.
If we go back to the properties of one of these steel connections, we can see in the Properties tab that we have something named library. So here, I have two lines, which are already saved. And I want to save the values from this connection. So you see a new line is created automatically. You can edit this line. It's a database. And you can give it a command.
So in my situation here, this gets applied as two bolts. So let's save it with the name two bolts. Let's make a modification, get three bolts, and save the values with bolts. We can edit the cell and give it a comment with three bolts. Let's make a third case where I'm going to modify the good set shape so that it's a rectangular shape, something easy, simple to fabricate. We can save it, again, to the table, and give it, again, a name, like three bolts and no chauffeur.
So, you see, it's very easy to define your library of connections. And then at any time, if you pick one of the lines, it's going to take the values and apply them automatically to also connections. So this is a very efficient way to store your settings, to store your values. And by creating some standardization like that, it helps you speed up the modelling and also helping the fabrication at the workshop.
You may have in your project, miscellaneous steel, such as railing stairs. And Advance Steel is very [INAUDIBLE] in terms of miscellaneous steel. There are some automatic macros for creating railing, curved or straight railing, but also stairs, [INAUDIBLE]. There are a lot of options, which are available. You can control if railings are shop welded or if they are going to be assembled at site. So very powerful tools, which are available here in the Advance Steel environment.
Just to show you how it works, you will find the tools here on the top with different macros. You can even create a wall [? rail. ?] You can create a railing with some bolts at the intersections. And if you want to insert, let's say, a railing on this platform, you just need to start the micro. You select the supporting beams, and then you define the starting point. And you can access-- you see the start points.
So you start with the starting point. We can end the railing here at the end of this column. And then the railing is going to be created automatically, so very efficient tools. You get the [INAUDIBLE], you get [INAUDIBLE] array. You can go to the library. And if you saved previously some cases, you can just pick the cases.
And you see the railing adjusts automatically. So it can be the case with the plate on the top of the supporting beam. It can be a case where you like to get the railing a little bit outside of the supporting beam with some clip angle, for example, so you can control all of that. You can manage the distances between the posts as well. So the modification are done automatically.
You can control also the quick rail, and you can ask here for some elbows between two [INAUDIBLE]. So it can be a miter cut. It can be an elbow. You can manage reduce and so on. The good thing also is that you can add n of n rays. You can ask [INAUDIBLE], for example and [INAUDIBLE] as well. You can manage all these values. And you can define If all of that is going to be shop welded or not.
Then in Advance Steel, you have some tools to just display an entire assembly. So quickly see if the railing correspond to your expectations. So this is how you like to fabricate it so that it helps the fabrication, and it speeds up also the erection at site.
So the topic here is to see how we can also convert the design model to a fabrication model. And here, we have some tools. Because it may happen that you need to create some slotted holes. It's going to help erection at site. You may want also to insert punch marks because it's going to help fabrication at workshop. We have specific tools, which are available here in Advance Steel.
Just for example, earlier in this base plate, if I go back to the properties, in the dialog box. As you can see here, I have something, which is named benchmarks. So if you select here and say you like to see some punch mark, you have this small green symbol just at the corner of the-- you see, of the column, which are automatically created on the top of the base plate.
So the result is that if you run the numbering and if you create the shop drawing for this plate-- so we just need to use the template, which is available out of the box-- the shop drawing is created automatically. With a right click, you can easily open it.
So you see the base plate as being created, the shop drawing as being created automatically. And here, you have the punch marks, which are there. So it's going to add the fabricator art workshop. In our example, we see we don't have the dimensions. So you have also tools, which are available to add some dimensions. You can add horizontal dimensions, vertical dimension, and so on.
Once this is done, you can go to the Dimension Properties. And if you want to add a comment, like a label here, you can say this is corresponding to the punch marks so that it's easy for the steel fabricator to know what it means. And with these punch marks, it will help the fabrication and hopefully it will reduce waste that show up as well.
Also, we see steel fabricators trying to use standard parts when the parts are always the same between two projects to try to create this part in various quantities. Usually, they have a specific number. And they all like to use the standard part as much as possible in the next project. So a way to do that in Advance Steel is to define the standard part in a specific file, to assign the number you like to use, and to save this file in the specific location.
And then the next time you are going to create another steel project, in the Numbering dialog box, you can go to the Standard Pattern Plates tab. You can select this template, and Advance Steel is going to compare the template and your model. And if it finds some standard parts, it's going to give this part number to the parts in the model. Let me show you how it works. It will be easier to understand.
So let's see in this model. We have different base plates. And let's imagine that these base plates are some standard parts in my company. So I'm just going to select them, copy them, and paste them in a new file. Does it just appear here? OK, here we go. If they are a little bit too far from each other, you can easily move them like that. They don't need to be in the exact location for sure.
So we have a small base plate. We have a bigger base plate. And let's say that's for the small base plate we would like to assign it a prefix like STD part plate and also a mark, like 123. So it will be the SDT plate 123. And the bigger base platelets say that we want to assign need as a number, same prefix, ATD plate. And let's go for 456, OK? So the small one is 123, and the big one is 456.
So let's save this. You need to save it in a specific location, by the way. This is a [INAUDIBLE]. You need to save it here in shared standard pattern plate. This is a DWG file. You just need to give it a name. So you can call it my standard part, for example.
So once this is done, just close the file. Go back to your project. So I just wanted to show you that right now the part are not numbered yet, OK? They have no number. This side is empty. So let's go to the numbering dialog box. We are going to run the numbering.
But if we go to the standard pattern plate, you see the file here with the path has being located automatically. And we want to use it as a reference file to compare and to use a single part number. So let's runs the numbering now. And it takes just a few seconds. We get the result here. It's like the numbering history.
We can go to the second single part, and we see that the number has been used for 16 of the base plates here in my model. So now if we go back to one of them. We just double click on these base plates, we go to these properties, and we see that this number has been used automatically. So we see this is an efficient way to define standard part and to have them automatically used in your 3D model.
In addition, this great tool, which is a model browser, you see, again, you can see these plates. And you have some buttons to see them where they are in the 3D model. You have some isolate button, which are very useful, so that you can see where this 16, if I remember right, base plates are located in your 3D model.
OK, so let's go to the next step, which is to discover how-- let's see how our problems can be identified prior to launching the fabrication itself. So it's always a good thing to check if there are no collisions in your 3D model. Just verify if a bolt is not in collision with a stiffener, if a base plate is not in collision with a beam, for example. It will avoid collisions at site. So this is very important to verify.
So, let's take an example. Let's make a zoom here on these connections. So we have a horizontal beam, we have two bracings, and we have some corresponding connections. If we go to the gusset properties, I'm going to make a mistake. I want to extend a little bit these gusset plates so that it's in collision with the column. So it's not that much visible here. So I recommend you to switch to 2D wire frame. And now can see a little bit more.
But a good thing in Advance Steel is that you can run the crash check. So you can run it on the entire model, or you can just run it on the selection. So this is what I did here. And as a result, you see I have two collisions. Sorry. So one is about the shear plate. But the one I want to have a look at is the one about the gusset plates.
And with a red arrow, you see-- I don't know if it's that much visible here. Yes. You see there is a red-- with a red color, this is an interference area. So you know exactly where you have a collision between the gusset plate and the column. So for sure, we need to fix that because if we don't fix that, we will have this collision at site.
So I wanted to give you some more information about the model browser itself. It helps you control what is in your model. You can select a line. It's going to highlight in your model where it appears, where it's located. You can sort. Sort you can add some properties if you want to know more about some elements. You can add the column.
You would like to know, for example, what is a model role for some specific parts. You can access to all of that. And you can even edit properties. If you want to change some other properties, you can do it from this model browser. It may be useful in some cases.
So you can access the model browser here on the top left. And you get this dialog box. So here, we just see the single part, the object name, and the quantity. And you see, as long as you select a line it's going to highlight automatically where this part, 11 part here, are located in the 3D model. So this is a nice way to help you control this model and to check if it's ready before creating that accommodation.
You can add a column. We would like to see the model roles. So for some of them, it has not been defined yet. But for most of them, we can see the model role like columns for the columns. So this is about the single part. You can change also the way you want to display the content in the model browser.
You may want to see per assembly. And you see you have the B2, which is made of a beam and clip angles. And you can select all of it. If you say, Isolate, it's just going to keep them out of the 3D model. So this is an easy way to play with a display of your model and to say where these assemblies are in your model. So you can have a look at them. You can see if clip angles are correctly connected to the right beam as well.
By the way, if you want to redisplay everything and you see [INAUDIBLE] connection box appear like that, that you can easily undisplay them from the tool palettes. I wanted also to show you another way to control your model, which is a model views. So with the model views, you can split your model. You may want to see only one elevation, one level. You may want to see also two elevations together or just a part of your building.
So you have some tools to create this model views. And to display them, you just have to click on the bubble icon which appears in front of the model view name here in the model view browser. Also, in addition to that, we have the visual filters. It's a great help to help you display some specific elements by colors.
You may want to display the columns in blue color. You may want to display plates with a specific thickness in a different color, and so on and so on. So, again, let's go to the project explorer. And as you can see here, we have the possibility to create subqueries. So we are going to use a search filter dialog box. And we can enter some criterias.
So we want to find on the entire model where elements, which model role each column are located. And we want to assign a specific color to the result. So here, we want to see them in magenta color, and we can give a name to this query.
As a result, this query appears here now. You can run it by clicking the bubble in front of it. These result in the 3D model. So you can easily locate where are your columns with a specific column color. We can do the same with the plates. We are looking for some plates, which are the specific plate thickness. And we want to save this query. We can give it a specific name. And we want to assign a specific color. And now we can run the query automatically and see where these plates are located.
So this is an easy way to select specific parts from your model before creating the documentation. Just a third example, here we are looking for specific match our materials. For example, A992, we would like to save this query with a specific color, like green. We can give it a name. And again, it's going to be saved in the project explorer-- so efficient tools, visual filters to better control your 3D model.
Also, you have some possibilities to just display an entire assembly. And this is a way also for you to control that this assembly is ready for fabrication. So you have some dedicated tools. You can even ask for the center of gravity, which may be useful if you want to know exactly where it will be on the beam on the assembly. You may want, for example, to weld a specific gusset plate, a plate so that you can shift it at shop or at site. So let me show you what it looks like.
So if we display the Advance Steel tool pallet, and if we make a zoom-- and let's say that we have a look at some of these assemblies-- so either you have this tool to show only selected assembly. So you can pick one part. And the entire part with a welded gusset plates to this part, are going to be displayed. We can do the same with this column, you see? The column itself and all welded plates is shown. So you can control graphically how your entire assembly looks like. It's good to have this control tool.
And as another example, if I display another entire assembly, which is this one, you see, again, you can see what is weld to this beam. And you can navigate. And the next step would be to add a 3D view of this assembly on the assembly drawing so that it helps still fabricators at workshop. So now let's go to the next step, which is to see how we can drive an automated steel fabrication.
So now that the 3D model is done, now we checked this 3D model, we used some tools to verify everything was well welded, we can run the shop drawings. So to create the shop drawings in Advance Steel, you can create some ready-- you can use some ready-to-use templates and create automatically single part drawings assembly drawing. We get DWG files, separate DWG files. But they are still linked to the 3D model.
So if you make some modification, Advance Steel is going to tell you which drawings need an update. And to create these drawings, so we are going to use some ready-to-use templates, but you can create your own templates. You can customize the templates, which are variable by default, and you can create your own ones.
So let's say that we are going to create some shop drawings, maybe not for the entire model here, but just a part of it. So we can make a selection. And we are going to display the drawing processes tool palettes. So as you can see, you have different templates, which are available. You have a preview on the right so that you may understand how it's going to be, to look like. And now we can press this, one of these templates, so different categories as well.
We can go to the selected single part, and we want to have each of them on an NCB drawing size. By pressing OK, shop drawings are going to be created right now. So as a result, if you go to the document manager, this is where you will see the results. So you have different files, as I said. And you can't open them. But you can just preview the results.
And as you can see, everything has been dimensioned automatically and labeled automatically. So you have automatic dimension for the old, for the cupping as well. You have a main view, you have a top view, if necessary. You have all the information to start the fabrication of these elements. So you remember from the Revit model to Advance Steel to these shop drawings, this is still the same data we are transferring. And this is helping the process.
We have also the report, which is created automatically here on the bottom left of the drawing. And we have permission in the title block. So let's close. Let's say then close this drawing. And now what I will like to show you is how we can create assemblage rings.
So let's pick some elements like these beams, these columns. We can use other templates, which are available out of the box. You can see the preview. So you see we can control the display of the tool pallet itself. And we can use one of these templates. So let's start using this one, NCC. And by pressing OK, assembly drawings are going to be created automatically. So it just takes a few seconds.
And now if we close the tool pallet and go back to the document manager, we can see that we have assembly or something which corresponds to the assembly drawing. So you see contains more information. You have the main view. You have also welded parts or shop bolted part, which appear here. You have the labels. Everything has been dimensioned automatically. If you move a little bit to the right, you can see that you have some cut views which have been created automatically as well.
So you see how it looks like with the different clip angles, which are shop bolted. You have put on the top where you have all the information about, which are a part of this assembly. So this is how we can create automatically shop drawings in Advance Steel. So it's a nice way, as I said before too. It's nice also to insert a 3D view of an assembly on the assembly drawing itself. It will aid the steel fabricator. You know they prefer to see something in 3D than to see something complex in different 2D views.
So you may have the drawing created out of the 3D model by using ready to use template. But you have some tools to easily add a view to a drawing. So let's see how it works. So as an example, we can create a shop drawing for one of these elements. Let's take this beam. So, again, I'm going to use a template, which is available out of the box.
And we will get the assembly drawing for this beam. [INAUDIBLE] only 2D views, main views, section views, and so on. But what you can do, you can-- you remember, in the 3D model you can isolate this entire assembly. So we just want to display this entire assembly, and that's all. Now, with some tools, first of all, we need to place [INAUDIBLE] on the view. And then we can use some other templates. So we can select the entire assembly. We can use some other templates, which are available in the Drawing Styles tool palette to create a 3D view of what I just selected.
So here, you have a possibility to create this view and to add it to an existing drawing. So this is what I'm doing here. I am adding this 3D view to my existing assembly drawing. Now if I go to the document manager, [INAUDIBLE] I have the assembly drawing itself. And I have the 3D view, which has been created on the top left.
So if it's too small, you can change the scale. You can make it bigger for sure. And then you can move it and place it where you would like to see it on the assembly drawing. So again, it's very useful and very appreciated by steel fabricators. It helps a lot, especially when you have complex assemblies to fabricate. So what about modifications now? What happens if we have some modifications in the Advance Steel model and shops drawings are being already created?
Well, if we use a document manager, the document manager will tell you which drawings, which documents, drawings, bill of material, or NC files need to be updated automatically. And as a result, we have also documentation being updated. And we can update it with a revision. So we can enter some information about the revision itself, revision title, revision name, revision comments, and so on, and it will appear automatically on the drawing.
Even more, we can have some revision cloud, which appear automatically everywhere where some modification have been done. So let's say that we have a drawing which has been created, and we want to make some modification. So we go back to the 3D model. As an example here for this clip angle, instead of having three bolts vertically, I want to change it to two bolts. So that's it for this first connection.
And to do it to the other connection, by the way, you can transfer the properties from the first connection to the second connection, OK, if it was not a group of connection, I mean. So now the two steel connections are similar. Let's run the numbering so that Advance Steel takes these modifications in consideration from the numbering itself.
It should not change the numbering. It will not change the numbering. But it's going to tell you through the document manager's manager which drawings need an update. So now on the right you can press this button. I want to add that, my drawings with a revision. And in this dialog box, you can enter the revision, like revision A. You can enter your name. You can enter some description. You can ask also for a backup of the drawing, how it was before updating it.
And when you press OK, Advance Steel is going to update the drawings automatically. So the drawings go back to the up to date branch. They get the A in the file name itself. And if you open the drawing from the document manager, you can see the result. So you see it has been updated. We have only now two holes vertically instead of three. And we have some revision clouds. So everything has been updated with revision clouds everywhere necessary.
In addition, on the right, you see you have these revision tables, which displays all the information about the revision. And you have the revision A, which is here on the top right, so very efficient way to manage modification in your steel detailing process.
OK, one of the last steps is to create the NC files for driving machines at the workshop. So we can automatically create what we call DSTV files. DSTV is a German standard, but we find it everywhere in the world. It helps drive CNC machines at workshop. We can also create the exit files. Sometimes it may be useful to have DSTV for plates.
And we have also the possibility to send the 3D model and also data to MI software. Just to name a few name, [INAUDIBLE] and so on. It's going to help you optimize your steel fabrication process. I just want to show you quickly how you can create these NC files. So again, the 3D model is done. It has been validated.
And just a single click, you can automatically create all the DSTV files. And now we want to create the DXF. So as a result-- sorry-- as a result in the document manager, if you go to this branch, you can see all the NC files are there. If you go to the preview-- so maybe you are not an expert, but this is how it looks like. It's made of different blocks. And this is going to drive automatically NC machines at workshop.
So this is good for beams. But, again, it might be useful for plates to create DXF files as well. So we can [INAUDIBLE] filters in the Advance Steel tool pallet. We may say, oh we would like to see only the plates. So you can push this button, and only plates get selected in your 3D model. And now we are going to create automatically all the DXF files for these plates.
So it just takes a few seconds. And as a result, we will see how it looks like in the document measure by going back to the manager. So you have another branch, which is an NC DXF file. And you have all this file. And in the preview, you see the results. So you see an example here with the plate. You see some stiffener, some cap plates.
And the good thing also is that you can have some scribing like that. So it's going again to aid fabrication to get exactly as describing of the parts which need to be welded at workshop. I'm going to end the presentation with automatic nesting.
Now that we have the DXF files for the, plates we may want to import them in Inventor, for example. Because in Inventor, we can run a tool and have some automatic nesting. So it will add optimize a fabrication. And again, in the spirit of reducing waste, it's going to optimize the way plates are fabricated. So let me show you how it works. So, again, from the 3D model, we can create the DXF files. So we can just use some filters to access the plates and click. We can create the NC DXF files for all these plates.
So as a result, in the document manager we have all these DXF plates. So now if we start-- so let's start Inventor. And I'm going to use a tool from Inventor, which is a nesting utility tool. And it gives you the possibility to import these DXF files. So you just get them imported in Inventor. They all align on the same line, I would say.
So now you can control some options. You may want to define some packaging. You want to define the size of your plate, for example. You want to control the thickness. You have access to some different options for the nesting itself.
And now I'm going to-- you have also the possibility to control the quantities, OK? If you want to fabricate more plates, if you want to change the quantity, you can control all of that from this dialogue. Now we can control the packaging as well. Here, we can assign this plate to packaging and the automatic nesting is going to start automatically.
And this is what you get, you see? So we get automatic nesting of this plate, which has been created in Advance Steel and previously in Rivet, maybe by the structural engineers. So great optimization. And in addition, you have some tools which are available to see the tool paths. So just by specifying a few additional options here on the left you can control different settings. You can say if you want to have this tool pass for all your plates or just some of them.
And now we are going to press the simulate button. You see now by pressing Play you see the tool and the tool pass on this plate. So this is a nice way for optimizing the tool pass and see what will happen at the shop. And this is the end of our simulation. And this is the end of the presentation. So hopefully--
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you. We are on the top of the hour. If you have some questions, please come and see me. It will be easier to answer, or maybe I can take your first question.
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].
PHILIPPE BONNEAU: It's not recognized as a family. When you import your Advance Steel mode-- so you can either start in Revit or start in Advance Steel. If you start in Advance Steel and import in Revit, it's recognized as family. So you can select the shape, and you have access to the family properties. Yeah, yeah.
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].
PHILIPPE BONNEAU: OK, yeah, we can investigate with you, if you want. OK, so have a great day. And thank you Don't forget to fill out the surveys. The surveys-- everybody has a right survey. So if you enjoyed the session, don't hesitate. Thank you.
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