Go mobile, go 3-D and paperless, or go home
Custom home design software will be done in the cloud, on a tablet, without paper and in 3-D, according to software manufacturers we talked to
Graphisoft
What software product do you offer?
“ArchiCAD allows architects, designers and builders to create and collaborate. Graphisoft answers the need for design tools that facilitate LEED certification, Passive House and energy-efficient design with EcoDesigner,” says Yanni Alexakis, product manager, Graphisoft North America. “EcoDesigner helps architects plan elements of a building in consideration of variables that impact energy use and consumption.”
Where are software trends going?
“We see the trend moving toward cloud-based services, products and applications, where the cloud is the ‘safe haven’ for data access. Broad acceptance and use of official standards such as IFC will become more prevalent, and to facilitate that BIM will be codified and required as a deliverable by most permit-issuing agencies. All these trends must be accompanied by a robust data production and exchange system that can be used throughout the lifecycle of the building for maintenance, energy performance and asset management,” Alexakis says.
Softplan Systems
What are the trends in design software?
“Builders, architects, remodelers and designers are using design software to work smarter and focus on their clients’ needs,” says John Jones, vice president. “Users of design software are getting savvier and clients are more discerning. Users are focusing on creating professional looking 3-D renderings to show to their clients. And they’re using the materials list to get faster, more accurate bids to their clients.”
What’s the latest design software product you offer?
“SoftPlan’s latest release, SoftPlan 2012, gives users more intuitive access to their design. A new interface, enhanced real time 3-D, and expanded libraries featuring manufacturers’ content ensure that users put their best foot forward when presenting designs to clients. As always, SoftPlan gives users the ability to create impeccable construction documents. But now SoftPlan integrates the design more than ever before, you can import content from Google Sketchup, and automatically generate REScheck energy reports, and more,” Jones says.
Where are design software trends going?
“With the way technology is transitioning, it seems the next logical design software trend will be to allow users to view and modify the design anywhere, anytime. SoftPlan sees a future where the designer creates a house plan and simultaneously, the engineers can critique the design or modify electrical layouts, tradesmen can see changes instantly, and the clients can see their home come together,” Jones says.
ProKitchen Software
What’s the latest design software product you offer?
“ProKitchen Software released a series of smart phone/tablet solutions such as iProK3D and for both Apple’s devices and Android-based devices. With these apps, customers can receive interior designs and make final decisions with respect to the color and material choices. We released multiple design ERP (pricing systems) integrations for ProKitchen with such cabinet manufacturers as Wellborn, Medallion, Huntwood, Jim Bishop and others,” says Chris Midgley, vice president, marketing/sales.
VisionREZ
What design software product do you offer?
“What AmeriCAD/ITW Building Components Groups offers is Instinct, which is the ITW brand of BIM. Instinct Components and Instinct Enabled Partners and Products can use the same data in their processes and software solutions. It starts with VisionREZ for the residential BIM design package and our Options Manager. You can use the same tools to accurately frame the model either in house or at your structural engineer’s office,” says Richard Boothman, AEC Consultant.
Where are design software trends going?
“With all of the great electronic data sets in-house, how do you deliver them to the field? Print them out in a rolled-up set of docs that end up in the back seat of a truck? Don’t do it. Invest in field tablets or iPads. Autodesk Design Review, AutoCAD WS, and PlanGrid are great cloud-based solutions that can provide most of this data to the field where it gets put together,” Boothman says.
