Autodesk Revit Structure Seamlessly Coordinates Physical and Analytical Models to Speed Production of Construction Documents

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today introduced Autodesk Revit Structure, a new structural engineering software product that offers concurrent modeling for design, analysis, coordination, and documentation. Built on the Autodesk Revit platform, a technology foundation for building information modeling (BIM), Autodesk Revit Structure enables engineers to realize their ideas in a single building information model. Autodesk Revit Structure helps structural engineers improve accuracy of designs and documentation with bidirectional linking to industry-leading analysis software; collaborate better with direct links to architectural models; and ensure design and documentation are always coordinated, consistent, and complete with Revit parametric change management.

"By adopting Autodesk Revit Structure as our structural modeling and documentation system, we have minimized the time and effort required to coordinate design and engineering changes -- because the software's parametric change engine automates that aspect of our work," said Paul Andersen, senior structural engineering technician, Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates, Inc. "A recent project that would have taken three weeks using legacy software took just three days to complete with Autodesk Revit Structure."

Autodesk Revit Structure allows structural engineers to more efficiently and flexibly create quality construction documentation by integrating a physical model -- for layout, coordination, and documentation -- with independently editable analytical models for materials including steel, precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, masonry and wood. It also helps structural engineers share building design information with the extended project team by directly linking to information from architectural and building services engineering models. Structural analyses are streamlined through bidirectional linking to industry-leading analysis software from Computers and Structures Inc., RISA Technologies and RoboBAT.

"Architects and engineers with every intention of working together efficiently still have to accommodate last-minute design changes," said Jay Bhatt, vice president, Autodesk Building Solutions Division. "Autodesk Revit Structure is the latest in a family of products we've designed to bring the power of building information modeling to the entire project team. It creates a common model for engineering and documentation for an intuitive understanding of a building's complex structural behavior -- one that maintains the accuracy of data wherever it's used, and advances design quality and team responsiveness, flexibility and productivity."

Building Information Modeling for Structural Engineers

Using Autodesk Revit Structure, structural engineers can build structural models from scratch or create designs over existing 2D CAD files. The software also enables users to link directly to intelligent 3D architectural and building engineering models. Structural engineers gain a powerful tool for BIM, a design approach that uses coordinated, internally consistent computable information about a building project in design and construction. As a result, users can easily coordinate interferences between architectural, MEP engineering and structural engineering systems and correct errors before they require costly redesign.

Autodesk Revit Structure capabilities include:
-- Greater efficiency through concurrent modeling for analysis and documentation: Information is entered only once, and can be used for engineering, analysis, design, documentation, and coordination with the rest of the design team. Simultaneously create a physical model for coordination and documentation, as well as multiple, fully associated analytical models for different types of analysis.
-- Higher quality, more accurate and coordinated documentation: State-of- the-art parametric change management coordinates analysis results updates throughout design and documentation files. Any changes made in one view are dynamically updated in every related view, including drawings and schedules on sheets ready to plot.
-- Flexibility to explore design alternatives and changes: Engineers can explore alternate structural designs using combinations of multiple materials -- steel, concrete, masonry, or wood and edit the analytical model to reflect engineering judgment -- for gravity, lateral, seismic, and other analyses. Autodesk Revit Structure keeps all analyses associated with the physical model, minimizing coordination headaches.
-- More effective collaboration and support for multiple design sources: Engineers can create their own structural models from scratch or work on top of 2D CAD files from the architect. They can also accelerate their work and automate coordination by linking bidirectionally to any available 3D architectural or MEP engineering models from Autodesk Architectural Desktop, Autodesk Revit Building or Autodesk Building Systems.
-- Integration with leading analysis applications: Bidirectional exchange of information with industry-leading analysis applications helps ensure that models reflect accurate structural data. Analysis software links include ETABS from Computers and Structures Inc. (CSI), RISA-3D from RISA Technologies and ROBOT Millennium from RoboBAT.

Availability

Autodesk Revit Structure is available immediately in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/structure. To locate the nearest Autodesk Revit Structure reseller, visit www.autodesk.com/reseller.

A Comprehensive Portfolio of Software Solutions for the Building Industry

With a proven combination of leading-edge technologies, decades of industry experience and worldwide services, Autodesk offers the most comprehensive portfolio of products for the building industry. Ranging from the most advanced technology for building information modeling (BIM) to the most widely adopted design and documentation solutions, Autodesk supports information and management needs throughout the building lifecycle. Building solutions products include Autodesk Revit Building, Autodesk Revit Structure, Autodesk Architectural Desktop, Autodesk Building Systems, Autodesk Buzzsaw, Autodesk AutoCAD Revit Series and DWF functionality and applications.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With six million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, DWF, DXF and Revit are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. (C) 2005 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact: Noah Cole, 415-547-2045

Email: noah.cole@autodesk.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
06/07/2005
CONTACT: Noah Cole of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-547-2045 or noah.cole@autodesk.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com