Go mobile, go 3-D and paperless, or go home

In the not-too-distant future, it will be expected that engineers have instant access to a home’s construction documents, that an architect or designer can modify these documents anywhere, at any time, that takeoff and material lists can be generated at any moment, that 3-D images are available for anyone including the homeowner to view, and that all of this is done using cloud technology. And, if you’re not using a tablet device to do all this, you and your rolled-up drawings behind the seat of your pickup truck might be left in the digital dust. To get a handle on these advancements and expectations, Residential Design + Build spoke to several manufacturers of design software. Following are their thoughts on design software today and in the future.

Autodesk

What’s the latest design software product you offer?

“Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013. Autodesk recently released its newest portfolio of design software in a suite format. Suites provide customers across a wide range of industries with the tools they need to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to help win more business. For example, Building Design Suite 2013 complements the BIM process to help the users design, analyze, visualize and build better buildings. We recognize the importance of interoperability in our software,” says Joy Stark, industry marketing manager, architecture solutions.

Where are design software trends going?

“BIM/Ongoing maintenance of buildings. Fewer and fewer architecture and engineering firms are designing 2-D; in the future, 3-D models will prevail,” Stark says. “The opportunities for leveraging the data in the 3-D models are limitless. Design software development will take advantage of the cloud to manage design data, and facilitate collaboration, analysis and visualization. The capabilities provided by the “virtual construction” of building projects will expand to ensure greater communication amongst dispersed project teams and help keep all parties on time and on budget.”

Chief Architect

What’s the latest design software product you offer?

“Chief Architect offers a professional line of software for full residential and interior design. We also provide a line of products for the DIY market. It’s a great relationship because so many homeowners are using the Chief Architect Home Designer products; clients can send their design ideas to the professional for the required details needed for construction,” says Scott Harris, vice president.

Where are design software trends going?

“You can expect more clients will be using software themselves especially now that home design software is widely available for mobile and tablets,” Harris continues. “In fact, Chief Architect is making a free iPad version available to the DIY market. The continued importance of having software for 3-D visualization is really a key factor in growing a professional home design or remodeling business.”

MiTek

What’s the latest design software product you offer?

“Today we want to make sure builders, architects and engineers are aware of the industry-leading capabilities of the Sapphire Suite, an extremely rich 3-D CAD design platform. We actually offer builders, architects and engineers a free ‘viewer’ tool. It’s called Sapphire Viewer, which is a MiTek software product designed for the builder, architect or engineer to collaborate in real time on house plans with their component manufacturer using the Sapphire Structure module. Through this collaboration, in a digital prebuilding process, the Buildability of the structure is ensured. With Buildability, the builder can rest assured that the structure can, in fact, be built as drawn,” says Greg Renner, vice president, marketing.

Where are design software trends going?

“Design trends are all moving toward integrating data-rich, back-office CAD systems with 3-D images that are integral to the builder’s sales and option-selection efforts, e.g., his 3-D options selection system, fly-throughs and his website. It’s now entirely possible for the 3-D image presented on a builder’s public website to be the same 3-D CAD file that is used to model trusses and wall panels,” Renner concludes.