Advance Steel

CAD Digest – review of GRAITEC Advance’s BIM Capabilities for Structural Design

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CAD Digest, one of the most popular online sources for CAD, CAM & CAE articles, reviews the capabilities of the GRAITEC ADVANCE suite as a complete solution for structural design.

The author of the review, Protim Banerjee  (with 15 years of experience in construction management, structural engineering and AEC software development) provides an overview of the GRAITEC ADVANCE suite, highlighting the pros as well as the cons for compatibility and data exchange with Revit Structures 2012.

GRAITEC ADVANCE and Revit Structures have been compatible since 2006, up to the present time. This integration has allowed engineers and design offices using software solutions from both suites to run their structure calculation and drawing creation quickly, without recreating the model and with a minimal risk of errors. As an Autodesk partner for over 10 years, GRAITEC offers an application for Revit Structures – GRAITEC BIM Connect – that ensures the compatibility of Revit models with the GRAITEC Advance suite and with industry standards, such as IFC and SDNF. With GRAITEC BIM Connect, data is imported and exported between applications, using GRAITEC’s own transfer file format – GTC files. The free Revit add-on is available for download here. This add-on generates GTC files for import into GRAITEC applications, and also works as a two-way transfer.

CAD Digest – review of GRAITEC Advance's BIM Capabilities for Structural Design

“The Revit add-on allows model synchronization, a tool very useful for comparing the original model with updated ones. The changes that are alerted include member additions (appended), member modifications (modified), and member deletions (deleted); the alerts are made by color coding and by tabulating them in the synchronization dialog. You can review the changes, and then decide whether to accept them” Protim Banerjee states.

CAD Digest – review of GRAITEC Advance's BIM Capabilities for Structural Design

GRAITEC BIM Connectt is, in fact, a concept which has constantly improved since 2009. Its key features include data synchronization with the GRAITEC ADVANCE Suite, IFC Interface (Import / Export), CIS/2 Interface (Import / Export), SDNF Interface (Import / Export), PSS Interface (Import / Export). The 3D model is imported from Autodesk Revit Structure (or Autodesk Revit Architecture) to the desired GRAITEC Structural Analysis or Detailing product. To complete the model, a structural analysis and design process is run to optimize the structure, and then synchronized with the Revit Structure model to include any modifications. The implemented elements are structural elements (columns, beams, wall, slabs), custom families containing an analytical model, supports and loads.

CAD Digest – review of GRAITEC Advance's BIM Capabilities for Structural Design

“GRAITEC has carefully conceived the overall BIM process with the use of its GTC file format. The concept of cross section mapping and synchronization of changes is certainly very innovative. GRAITEC scores good points when it comes to the software design”, Protim Banerjee concludes, stating also that the GRAITEC ADVANCE suite covers all aspects of structural BIM workflow.

CAD Digest – review of GRAITEC Advance's BIM Capabilities for Structural Design

You can read the full review here.

Free Webinar: Strucad switchover to Advance Steel

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Steel detailers, Structural Engineers:
Discover the Powerful and Affordable Steel Detailing Software

Thursday, September 13, 2012 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM or 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM CEST

Register online to Advance Steel webinar

Advance Steel® is specifically designed for professionals who require an easy-to-use 3D structural steel detailing software that automates the production of drawings, BOMs and NC files.

Advance Steel® is part of the GRAITEC structural BIM solution, automating the entire structural design process, from engineering design to detailing and fabrication.

Trough this webinar we will demonstrate a number of the features and enhancements that Strucad customers require.

From the modeling of complex folded plates to the automatic creation & update of high-quality documents, Advance Steel can be used with or without the AutoCAD® platform and offers the flexibility and the productivity gain that you expect from steel detailing software.

Strucad switchover to Advance Steel webinar

Advance Steel TOP benefits:

1 – Advance Steel® 2012 allows users to use their software with or without AutoCAD®: the product includes its own graphics engine, and the user can select the desired CAD platform

2 – Short learning curve: reduces new employee ramp up time

3 – Specific features for miscellaneous steel and sheet metal: automatic functions for all type of stairs and railings, automatic tools for sheet metal creation, folded and twisted plates, etc.

4 – Precise and automatic creation and updating of construction documents: BOMs automatically created from the 3D model, revision control, revision clouds, drawing presentation template, automatic drawing scaling, paper formats and views, etc.

5 – BIM and collaborative work: DXF / DWG / Revit imports, multi-user technology, interoperability with major industry leading detailing / fabrication / engineering / MRP packages (CIS/2, SDNF, DSTV, KISS, etc.), etc.

6 – More Productivity with the flexible and efficient 3D modeling automatic tools: complete international catalogs, library of parametric joints, single or multi-user mode, etc.

Advance Steel – Sheet and plate metal work

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Folded plates of various shapes are widely used in various fields of steel construction: stair ramps for buildings, pipe connection, gas ducts in petrochemical industry, etc. Usually these elements are difficult to model without 3D view, also, obtaining the workshop drawings is a time consuming task.

With Advance Steel it only takes two clicks to create an element, for example, a conical shape from two CAD entities (circle, square, etc.) or between two profiles with different diameters or different sections. All necessary documents (including NC files) are created directly from the model with a simple click. All folded elements are displayed unfolded in workshop drawings which means great cost and time saving.

Below are presented some fragments of the article, to read it full please click here.

Various shapes created in no time!

Automatic tools are available to create plates of any shape. It only takes a few clicks to create a folded element.

All shapes are accepted and can be easily created using a complete set of intuitive tools.

  • Rectangular plates (with one central point, two or three points)
  • Polygonal plates (created from a polyline)
  • Any contour can be cut to get the desired shape
  • Holes can be created

Advance Steel: Automatic tools are available to create plates of any shape

Conical and twisted plates

Advance Steel: Conical and twisted plates

Just two clicks to create a wide variety of complex irregular shapes such as:

  • A conical shape from two CAD entities (circle, square, etc.) or between two profiles with different diameters.
  • Square – to circular folded elements
  • Twisted elements from two curves or splines

Easy to modify while working in 3D

Once created, the folded plate is treated as a single element.
It can be easily modified without loosing the relations between the elements.

Cut any contour

  • Create any type of contour cuts on any of the faces or on the folded line
  • Create holes of any type: round, slotted, countersink, etc.
  • Trim or split any of the joined plates

Add weld preparations
Weld preparations are frequently required for heavy plate fabrication.
With Advance Steel, any chamfer (straight or fillet) can be added to a folded plate edge for weld preparation.

Secure modeling

At any moment it is possible to check if the created plate can be developed into one sheet of material. This insures a correct modeling – very important as Advance Steelcreates automatically the workshop drawing directly from the model.

The unfold representation can be displayed also during modeling.

Advance Steel: The unfold representation can be displayed also during modeling

Accurate drawings created automatically!

Advance Steel automatically creates workshop drawings of all folded plates! All necessary information is included:

  • The unfolded representation
  • Folding line
  • Bending direction
  • Folding angle
  • Dimensions

Bend allowance calculation

The end-user can control the bend allowance calculation when getting automatic workshop drawings with the representation of the part unfolded.

Advance Steel: Bend allowance calculationThere are different available choices:

  • By inner contours
  • By outer contours
  • By pure median line
  • By DIN
  • By table

Click here to read the entire article

GRAITEC ADVANCE Steel – Before and After Standalone

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May and June editions of Roof & Facade Asia,present the versatility of ADVANCE Steel for easy fabrication and erection at site without any errors, either with or without AutoCAD.

 Historically based on AutoCAD, Advance Steel is the software solution 100% dedicated to steel construction. It can accelerate the design phase by offering an extensive library of smart objects, automatic joints and specific tools for creating standard structures, stairs, railing and miscellaneous steelwork.

In 2012, the standalone version was released, offering users the possibility to select the desired CAD platform, thus using the software with or without AutoCAD.

May edition of Roof & Facade Asia magazine has a case study for the ADVANCE Steel software solution, used directly on the AutoCAD platform, in the making of Valenciennes Stadium, in France. In short, ETI started using AutoCAD® to draw the firstlines of the project in 2D and submit it to thecontracting owners. The project owner’s and architect’s need to view more precise details in3D the most complex assemblies required the use of Advance Steel, which has a BIM approach. Advance Steel enabled fast modeling of all steel structural elements. From the 3D model, Advance Steel allowed the automatic creationof all fabrication and assembly drawings, with all the necessary labels and dimensions for the workshop.

GRAITEC ADVANCE Steel – Before and After Standalone

So, was this easy for ETI? Surely not. The size of the project required four people working full-time on it: one Project Manager, Mr Fabrice Grisot, one Construction Engineer, Mr Stéphane  Dottori, and two draftsmen. In order to follow the architect’s wish to have no visible bolts on the structure once the construction is erected, ETI had to design assemblies early from the study phase. Thus, bolted assemblies were designed to ease the transport of parts (that can reach a weight of 10 tons each) and the parts were welded together at site with fastening plates. The welds were then painted and grinded to get a perfect aspect. Therefore, it was necessary to model many weld preparation chamfers on the edges of the plates and the profiles to get a realistic result and, most of all, for these elements to appear clearly on the fabrication drawings.

But was it error free? Certainly seems like it…Mr. Stéphane Dottori, Construction Engineer for ETI Design Office later declared: “We did not receive a single phone call from the site foreman to report any error!”

Well, how great is that!? All the tools are provided for fast and efficient modeling either in 2D or 3D, depending on the user’s preference, subsequently creating all project documents (drawings, lists, NC files), covering every step, from structural modeling, to drawing creation, document management, up to manufacturing and fabrication, with no risk of errors.

 So, if the union between AutoCAD and ADVANCE Steel offers so many benefits, why would a Standalone version be better?

First of all, the Standalone version of ADVANCE Steel has many improvements and innovations in functionality, graphics and drawing quality. Second, it features the very well known ‘Ribbon’ interface, for model ‘creation’. Of course, so does AutoCAD, even with a more polished appearance and hosting the Advance Steel commands to the right of its standard tools, while the standalone version stores the most commonly used commands in the home tab, with more advanced features available further along the ribbon.

But in terms of display modes, the Standalone version “features basic wireframe and flat shaded”, while AutoCAD has a more advanced real time display mode. AutoCAD users will benefit from the ability of the platform to quickly model particularlycomplex curves. “While it is possible to do advanced compound geometry in the standalone version, it will be much quicker to do this in the full AutoCAD.”

So, is the standalone version still a competitive and advanced tool for customers? We hope so. Advance Steel’s ability to make lightwork of complex detailing tasks such as stairs and railings, means there is much potential and also still room for improvement.

Most of all, receiving the advanced features of AutoCAD and at the same time, shaving $4,000 off the overall cost by using Advance Steel Standalone is pretty hard to ignore. For existing AutoCAD users, the learning curve for the Standalone version is very fast, benefitting from good interoperability, built-in rendering tools, good 3D navigation tools and DWF available for design/review and sharing data over the web.

“At the core of the product there is little difference between the two versions. Layers, XREFs and other AutoCAD features are all supported in the standalone version and the workflow inside the products is virtually identical” – June’s edition of Roof & Facade Asia magazine states.

Here you can dowload the pdf version of the article appeared in June edition of Roof & Facade Asia magazine

GRAITEC Advance – September free webinars

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Advance Steel: BIM software for structural steel engineering, detailing and fabricationAdvance Steel

Advance Steel® is specifically designed for structural engineers and steel detailers who require professional and easy-to-use BIM structural steel detailing software that automates the production of drawings, BOMs and NC files. Advance Steel® drastically increases productivity and drawing quality, while reducing the risk of errors. Advance Steel® can be used with or without AutoCAD®.

 
1/ General overview: discover the software in 30 minutes
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST – Metric
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST – Imperial
 
2/ StruCad® switchover to Advance Steel
Discover a number of the features and enhancements in Advance Steel that StruCad® customers require.
Thursday, September 13th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
Thursday, September 27th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
3/ ProSteel® switchover to Advance Steel webinar
Discover a number of the features and enhancements in Advance Steel that ProSteel® customers require.
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
———————————————————————————————————————–
 
Advance Design® is specifically dedicated to structural engineers who require professional and easy-to-use BIM solution for simulating and optimizing all their projects. It includes a user-friendly structural modeler, an automatic load generator, a powerful FEM engine, comprehensive wizards for designing concrete and steel members, and efficient post-processing and report generators. Advance Design® implements the latest European standards, American standards ACI and AISC.
 
1/ General overview: discover the software in 30 minutes
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
2/ Steel and concrete design according to US codes with Advance Design
During this ½ hour presentation, you will discover how you can benefit from dedicated tools in Advance Design to handle steel and reinforced concrete projects: in a few clicks, you can design and optimize the steel and concrete members including buckling and lateral torsional buckling effects, sections optimization, concrete columns design, cracking analysis and get detailed reports with all intermediate values.
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
———————————————————————————————————————–
 
Advance Concrete® is specifically designed for structural engineers and reinforced concrete detailers who require professional and easy-to-use BIM software that automates the production of drawings, BOMs and NC files. Advance Concrete® drastically increases productivity and drawings quality, while reducing the risk of errors.
 
1/ General overview: discover the software in 30 minutes
Wednesday, September 12th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST
 
2/ Formwork drawing and layout creation
We will show the creation of formwork drawings and layouts based on a model created with Advance Concrete in this webinar. One part of the webinar is the creation of dimensions and annotations with the focus on the Advance commands. Another topic is the drawing update process after some changes are made in the model. The last part is the creation of printable layouts with header and frames and finally assigning the created drawings to the layouts.
Wednesday, September 26th, 2012
⇒ 9:00 AM CEST to 9:30 AM CEST
⇒ 6:00 PM CEST to 6:30 PM CEST

A general schedule including the whole webinars which will take place until the end of the year is online on GRAITEC website: www.graitec.com/en/events.asp?Archive=&EventCategoryID=3

Important notice about your StruCad license

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Still not made a decision about your StruCad upgrade?

You may have only upgraded some of your StruCad licenses?

You do have options!

We are aware that StruCad users are faced with some tough decisions regarding software upgrades over the coming months. StruCad is a very good system and we respect your investment in it. We at GRAITEC believe  Advance Steel is a highly competent modern 3D modelling CAD system developed for the steelwork industry that will serve all your needs for many years to come.

We would like to help StruCad users protect their investment in StruCad by offering a sensible solution to upgrade their software to  Advance Steel.

Our StruCad upgrade offer:

  •  Advance Steel professional license
  • 12 months software maintenance and suppor
  • Training (tailored StruCad-Advance Steel transition course)
  • No time restrictions for your continued use of StruCad
  • Upgrade any of your StruCad licenses, whether they are up to date with maintenance and support or not
  • We will upgrade any StruCad license i.e. StruCad Full, StruCad Lite etc to an Advance Steel Professional license with no limits!
  • Maintenance and support on-going costs some 50% less than our competitors and the price is fixed for a minimum of three years!
  • Training – dates to suit your requirements
  • Flexible payment terms with finance option

With 10,000 clients around the world. GRAITEC UK alone have over 800 clients using their software, with 200 + clients investing in  Advance Steel, a number which is continually expanding in the UK. GRAITEC’s Advance Steel solution guarantees a future proof investment for all your steel detailing and 3D modelling requirements.

 

-> To view our Advance Steel 2012 videos CLICK HERE

-> To view client projects CLICK HERE

 

What our customers are saying: 

“Blows other software providers out the water”
Builders Beams, David May

“A project that could have taken four weeks can now be completed in a week”
Rob Miller, IAC Ltd

“Productivity gain will double using Advance Steel”
Mark Simmen, RS Construction

“Using Advance Steel will increase productivity in every area”
Joe Bennett, Roltech Engineering LTD

“Using Advance Steel will increase productivity in every area”
Joe Bennett, Roltech Engineering LTD

“Using Advance Steel will prevent drawings bottle necking the company”
Michael-John Varrall, MJV Design

More info about our StruCAD offer

Cluj Arena Stadium, designed with ADVANCE Steel, nominated for the WAN Awards 2012

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Cluj Arena Stadium, designed with ADVANCE Steel, nominated for the WAN Awards 2012

This year, Cluj Arena Stadium was nominated for the WAN Awards 2012, in the Civic Buildings category, by the International Awards for Architecture.

With a budget of over 35 mil Euros, Cluj Arena Stadium in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, managed to meet the highest norms in performance and functionality, totaling latest UEFA and FIFA standards.

The stadium built in the central part of the city, was designed to be multipurpose, accommodating numerous social events including football and sports competitions.

Cluj Arena Stadium, designed with ADVANCE Steel, nominated for the WAN Awards 2012

Some brief details:

  •  30 328 seats (approximately 1500 seats for the VIP section and 30 seats for people with disabilities);
  •  8 lane accredited athletics track;
  •  80 meters practice track for young athletes;
  •  2 electronic scoreboards (60 square meters each);
  •  Underground parking for over 300 cars;
  •  Nocturnal lights for HD transmissions;
  •  Video surveillance system, with over 100 surveillance cameras throughout the entire stadium.

Dico şi Ţigănaş Design Office was in charge of modeling and detailing this complex project, which was finished in the autumn of 2011.

“It is more than a stadium; it is the new landmark of the city, in which we managed to capture the passion, the emotions and most of all, the spirit of fair-play”, Eng. Florin Dico from Dico şi Ţigănaş Designe Office.

Cluj Arena Stadium, designed with ADVANCE Steel, nominated for the WAN Awards 2012

For more details, you can visit the official web-site of Cluj Arena Stadium: http://www.clujarena.ro/

AEC Day 2012 – Presentation of BIM GRAITEC Advance suite

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AppliCAD was founded in 1994 by a team that decided to penetrate the Windows based CAD/CAM market after experience in UNIX-CAD/CAM with SUN Workstation for 4 years. The company started its business with Plant Design Management Software and expanded the product line. Presently, AppliCAD is highly committed to offering customers the best solutions for their requirements. Thereby, it is recognized as The Best Design Technology Expert in Thailand.

AEC Day 2012 – Presentation of BIM GRAITEC Advance suite

With over 15 years of experience, AppliCAD Thailand is a “GRAITEC ADVANCE Authorized Reseller” enriching our Value Added Reseller program. It provides mechanical solutions, architecture engineering and construction solutions, rapid prototype and 3D scan solutions and also plant solutions for a wide range of customers in Asia Pacific.

For the 2012 AEC Day, AppliCAD presented the BIM GRAITEC Advance suite as a complete solution for architects, engineering offices, detailers and fabricators which require global CAD / Analysis & Design solutions.  AppliCAD highlighted the GRAITEC Transfer Center (GTC) which allows all the models created with GRAITEC software to be synchronized, with no data loss and no need for data reentry. The GTC is an important step in creating and handling a BIM (Building Information Model).

The main subject of the presentation, however, was ADVANCE Steel and Concrete software, as an advanced modeling and detailing system, easy to use, time saving and cost effective.

You can watch the presentation below, and although it is in Thai, the above summary describes its content.

Fantastic feedback from one of our UK clients!

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Westbury Park Engineering  are a service Engineering Company specialising in Fabrication, Structural and Mechanical Assemblies together with custom built equipment.

Fantastic feedback from one of our UK clients - Westbury Park Engineering

Their experience and diversity from being involved in the industry for more than 20 years has culminated in a wide knowledge and understanding of working practices, technologies and industry requirements.

Westbury Park Engineering have the experience to complete contracts from complete materials handling plants, MOD and Petrochemical Fabrications with full manufacturing traceability to mechanical and custom built assemblies including Hydraulics, Pneumatic, Electrical and CNC systems.

Westbury Park Engineering has been working with GRAITEC software for a number of years now.

Nial Ball, Westbury Park Engineering, recently sent in his comments following a site visit by one of the Technical Support team at GRAITEC UK: “I would like to thank John Bennett for the hard work he did yesterday in re-installing my Advance Steel. I think the work involved was a little more than he had anticipated but my Advance Steel seems to be working so much better now. Thanks again for your commitment to customer service and satisfaction. I can’t imagine that many other companies would be so dedicated to their customers“.

GRAITEC UK are committed to providing customers with the most efficient Technical Support service possible – a first class service our customers have come to expect over the years.

We remain focused on delivering outstanding service, and we are delighted to receive these extremely positive comments.

GRAITEC UK offers its users a wide range of services which can help optimise productivity: complete service maintenance, phone and E-mail based technical support, interactive live web support, general and custom training, CAD/design projects, custom software development and many others.

You can visit our Support  page for more information, or take a look at GRAITEC Advantage to see all the services included in our maintenance contract.

Another success story – Tesco Superstore, Woolwich, UK

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Another success story in constructions - Tesco Superstore, Woolwich, UK

-> Architecture office: Sheppard Robson Architects

-> Structural Engineer: Walsh Associates

-> Master builder: Willmott Dixon

-> Steelwork Design: TSI Structures Ltd

-> Location: London, Woolwich

-> Dimensions: 180m x 85m x 52m

-> Specification: 80,000 sq ft Tesco superstore, various other retail units and 259 homes over 17 stories.

-> Total Build Cost: Woolwich Central – Phase 1 & 2 £400m

TSI Structures undertook the challenge of modelling a 17 story, post tensioned concrete structure for connecting secondary steel to a major new supermarket complex in Woolwich, UK.
The 80,000 sq ft Tesco superstore, various other retail units and 259 homes over 17 stories was a total build cost of £400m. The store opening date was set before construction started, so they were under pressure to complete the project to a tight deadline.

Another success story in constructions - Tesco Superstore, Woolwich, UKAnother success story in constructions - Tesco Superstore, Woolwich, UK

Advance Steel allowed TSI Structures to model concrete slabs, walls and beams. They were able to model the cast in channels, and using Advance Steel meant these elements came across onto the drawings. The DWG file format aided in the approval process.

Adrian Betts, from the TSI Structures LTD design office, explains why Advance Steel was the best solution for the completion of this project: “We would not have been able to produce this building in 3D without Advance Steel’s ability to model external elements such as concrete. We were the only member of the construction team with the ability, software resources and technical knowhow, to fully model the enormous concrete structure in three dimensions. Our model and the 3D drawings were used by the Architect for client presentations. With the AutoCAD base this enabled us to add different material renders to the concrete surfaces creating a more realistic and aesthetically pleasing model”.

Click here to see more images

Watch this video to see the story behind the project:

Architectural/Miscellaneous Steelwork Webinar

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Register online to Architectural/Miscellaneous Steelwork WebinarAre you a Steel Fabricator or Steel Detailer?
Do you detail steelwork such as stairs and railings?

In our next free webinar, discover how to gain productivity and reduce errors with Advance Steel for Architectural Metalwork, from the comfort of your own desk!

Friday, July 27, 2012 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM BST

During this webinar, we will create:

– Platforms
– Stairs, railings joints etc
– 26+ drawings with 73 parts
– 20 Assy drawings 1x Ga
– Full material lists

all in just 45 minutes! How long would this normally take?

Join us for this FREE Webinar on 27 July, 12pm-1pm

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

GRAITEC announces +20% turnover growth for Q2 2012

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GRAITEC announces 19.7% turnover growth for the second Quarter of 2012, compared to 2011. The year to date growth reaches a consistent 20% for first half of the year.

After a very successful 2011, at the end of Q2 Graitec’s turnover, margin and profitability grew by +12% . This positions  Graitec as the industry’s fastest growing company.

The performance of Graitec, North America, Asia Pacific, Russia, Germany and France have been absolutely remarkable during the first semester. Graitec’s turnover more than doubled in key regions, demonstrating the capacity of Graitec to expand its business outside more traditional markets. This demonstrates a great capacity to sustain a fast rhythm of growth for example Germany + 40% year to year, Italy +13%  and France +11%.

The Graitec Advance Suite is a global structural BIM solution for construction professionals.  Graitec have achieved an amazing growth of +34% in 2012 compared to 2011.

“This is a great performance that demonstrates the growth capacity of GRAITEC solutions but also their fit to the market, customer needs and BIM environment. I’d like to highlight the fact this growth is driven by the international Graitec subsidiaries such as North America or Asia Pacific “, comments Alexandre Tartas, GRAITEC COO.

Advance Steel: BIM software for structural steel engineering, detailing and fabricationAdvance Steel, after an strong 40% growth during Q1 2012, continues on an even more positive trend growing by 60,6% during Q2 every territory has contributed to this success.

For Alexandre Tartas : “Advance Steel illustrates quarter after quarter the dynamism and the relevance of Graitec Advance Suite positioning in the construction industry. Graitec reinforces its positioning of specialist solution provider for highly qualified professionals in the construction structural field. Advance Steel standalone is contributing to the great performance of Advance Steel and customer feedback is absolutely fantastic. GRAITEC has during Q2 addressed many requests from StruCad users demonstrating the relevance of Advance Steel for their most advanced needs “.

Advance Design: BIM software for FEM structural analysis including international eurocodesAdvance Design continues to benefit from a high adoption rate especially in the French market that recognizes GRAITEC Advance as the very best structural analysis solution on this market.

“The quality of the solution provided,  such as the comprehensive international codes and the service provided by GRAITEC have highly contributed to the great first half of the year result for Advance Design with 21% growth”, says Alexandre Tartas.

Advance Concrete: BIM software for structural concrete engineering, detailing and fabricationYear to date, Advance Concrete performs with a 16% growths compared with 2011.

Alexandre Tartas explains : “Great improvements have been realized in Advance Concrete to better answer to customer and market expectations. Graitec R&D team continues to work to meet expectations. We have a great confidence in our team, to bring the best in class solution to the market and make Advance Concrete the leading solution for 3D reinforcement. “

Alexandre Tartas concludes : “Q2 and more generally speaking first semester 2012 have been a great success. But it is only half of the GRAITEC 2012 road to 29 million Euros. However, with14,5 M € turnover (about 17,71M USD) we can realistically  expect to be on or even above target in 2012, this is very encouraging. Every employee can be proud of  their contribution to this result. “

Graitec Pte is looking for a Technical Manager

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GRAITEC offers a dynamic, ambitious, and high growth potential work environment coupled with the opportunity to add a commercial flavor to your engineering background. Competitive salary + performance bonus matching experience. Only candidates deemed suitable shall be contacted.

GRAITEC is looking for it’s subsidiary in Singapore a Technical Manager (pre-sales Advance Steel AE)

Job Purpose:

  • To contribute to the increased profitability and development of Graitec customer base by providing a range of pre and post sales consultancy and training services and utilising in depth technical experience to work with the teams across the business to enhance the company’s services and product offerings.
  • To fully understand, use, demonstrate, position and localise where applicable our flagship Steel modelling and detailing product Graitec Advance Steel in accordance with the Asian market.
  • To support the pre and post sales efforts of the sales teams and company as a whole by expertly providing varying and relevant product demonstrations, support, training, consultancy, configuration and customisation to clients and prospective clients.

Key Accountabilities:

  • Positioning Advance Steel as the preferred solution for the relevant industries.
  • Providing product training for both AutoCAD and Advance Steel and any other agreed products either at Graitec reseller site and potentially at client site or within Graitec Asia offices.
  • Developing an understanding of the complete functionality of Advance Steel to ensure every opportunity is maximised.
  • Preparing Advance Steel for the Asian market. This will required monitoring associated and relevant standards. Creating and updating product databases, product defaults and specifications. Contributing to the continued enhancement of the product based on personal and client feedback.
  • Technically liaising with suppliers and manufacturers and creating specification documentation according to developments required to create libraries of the components and sections they provide. Thereafter interpreting and converting these specifications, following industry standards and best practices into useable product macros and libraries.
  • Providing product demonstrations, presentations and creating, specification documents for customising application software to meet specific requirements.
  • Providing ongoing product support and promotion in conjunction with the sales and technical teams. This will include conducting online webinars and other similar activities as required.
  • Supporting customers and staff with technical queries face to face, by telephone, online and via email.
  • Organising and running technology workshops for new and existing customers/ resellers to further enhance Graitec Asia reputation as a leading advisor and consultant in the market.
  • Being an ambassador for the Graitec during all customer interactions and acting as a role model for the behaviours which will develop Graitec into a truly service orientated business.
  • Supporting “the people” strategies, which hold the integrity of the Graitec Group values.
  • Participation in Company projects as and when required.
  • Carry out any other ad-hoc duties within your capabilities that are relevant to the job and reasonably requested of you by your manager.

Person Specification

Outline Competencies:

  • Customer Focus
  • Quality Focus
  • Communication
  • Personal Organisation
  • Personal Development
  • Teamwork
  • Self Motivated
  • Commercial Awareness
  • Innovation and Problem Solving
  • Product Knowledge
  • Industry Knowledge
  • Training
  • Building Relationships
  • Influencing Others

Technical Skills:

  • Training experience
  • Experience of Autodesk products supported by Advance Steel (incl. AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP or current and past versions)
  • Experience within any technical industry, ideally Architecture, Construction or Structural Engineering
Locations:

  • Singapore
  • International travel will also be necessary from time to time

If interested please send your resume to: info.asiapac@graitec.com

Focus Magazine, June Edition: Redefining the Future of Construction with Innovative IT in Asia Pacific

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Focus Magazine, a prestigious magazine aimed at promoting French businesses in Singapore and in the region, is a publication written in English, produced by the FCCS (French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore ) and distributed to the French, European and Singaporean Business Communities in Singapore. Each issue deals with a specific subject related to French businesses in Singapore or in Asia.

Focus Magazine, June Edition: Redefining the Future of Construction with Innovative IT in Asia Pacific

Last month’s edition welcomed our very own Pascal Bergougnou, Managing Director of GRAITEC Asia-Pacific in Singapore, to talk about the major changes that occurred in Asia Pacific, mainly Singapore, in recent years and his strategic move for the GRAITEC PTE subsidiary. He states: “From commercial to residential, new development to upgrade, retrofits to restorations, Asia is the engine of growth. The Singapore construction sector has enjoyed robust growth with building contracts worth 25.7 billion USD, representing an annual increase of 14% in recent years.”

Singapore’s construction industry is set to grow significantly over the next years. But the political scenario is not as favorable as it should be. Several changes to government policies have affected the construction industry, including a 40% reduction in foreign workers by 2013. As Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President of the United States of America, once stated: “Asia is rich in people, rich in culture and rich in resources. It is also rich in trouble.”

Despite this, the Asia Pacific economy is showing signs of recovery from the global recession. The construction industry’s growth will be sustained by demand for public housing and other major infrastructure projects. Organizations like Build Smart Singapore and Building & Construction Authority have been extremely active to achieve higher productivity through the buildable design legislation.

With more than 13 years of experience in sales and business development across Asia, Pascal Bergougnou has a comprehensive understanding of business in Asia. After a year and a half as Managing Director for Asia Pacific, he articulated the goals of the GRAITEC Singapore subsidiary: exploring business avenues, expanding market share and penetrating into emerging markets and sectors of growth in Infrastructure and Construction.

 To see the full June edition of Focus Magazine, click here

Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre – awarded at RIBA 2012

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Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre designed with Advance Steel was awarded at RIBA 2012

Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre designed with Advance Steel was awarded at RIBA 2012

Brentwood School’s new Sixth Form Centre has won the 2012 RIBA Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The new Sixth Form Centre, designed by architects Cottrell and Vermeulen, took almost two and a-half years to build and was completed in August 2011. Although, it has been used by students since the beginning of the new academic year in September, the Sixth Form Centre was officially opened in November 2011 by His Royal Highness, Prince Edward.

RIBA judges were very impressed by this project, stating that the three buildings which make up the centre (the remodeled Victorian vicarage, the classroom block and the Wessex Auditorium) “celebrate the spirit of education, unfolding as a sequence of spaces for learning, socializing, and gathering: a new sixth form block, a remodeled Victorian vicarage and a new assembly block. Drawing inspiration from the existing Victorian vicarage, the new design is expressed in a language that is both contextual and contemporary. The sculpting of the roofs creates non-standard, domestic-scaled classrooms filled with natural light, reminiscent of the gabled roofs of the Victorian vicarage, but with an added measure of playfulness.”

Brentwood School Sixth Form Centre designed with Advance Steel was awarded at RIBA 2012The project consists of the three buildings which make up the centre – the remodeled Victorian vicarage, the classroom block, made of a steel/concrete hybrid design, with a very complicated roof and the Wessex Auditorium, an assembly hall with a complex box section truss design.

Facilities include common rooms and private study areas; 16 additional classrooms equipped with up-to-date teaching aids, interactive whiteboards and the internet; a dedicated computer suite and the multi-purpose auditorium, with 400 seats. The rooms are heated by a ground source heat pump which draws water from 15 vertical pipe loops penetrating 100 meters below the ground. A sophisticated building management system allows the temperature in the building to be controlled remotely and windows opened or closed automatically.

Adrian Betts, from the TSI Structures LTD design office, explains why Advance Steel was the best solution for the completion of this project: “The ability to import AutoCAD drawings and convert these lines into Advance Steel objects was essential. Without this command many extra office hours would have been spent modeling the new concrete steel structure and the existing building.”

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GRAITEC Advance July webinars

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Register now for one of our webinarsStructural Engineers, Steel and Concrete Detailers… Discover how to gain productivity and reduce errors with our BIM software… 

Attend to our upcoming free webinars!

ADVANCE Design : Eurocode 3
Discover how you can design and optimize steel member sections according to the latest version of EC3 with Advance Design.
Advance Design: BIM software for FEM structural analysis including international eurocodes

On Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 
From 9:00 am to 9:30 am CEST
From 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm CEST

During this half hour presentation, you will discover how you can benefit from dedicated tools in Advance Design to handle your steel construction projects: in a few clicks, you can design and optimize the steel members including buckling and lateral torsional buckling effects, check the fire resistance according to EN1993-1-2, design the connections according to EN1993-1-8 and get detailed reports with all intermediate values.

ADVANCE Steel: Model views & Project Explorer
Manage and display your project with Advance Steel
Advance Steel: BIM software for structural steel engineering, detailing and fabrication

On Thursday, July 12th, 2012
From 10:00 am to 10:30 am CEST
From 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm CEST

We will show the benefits of using the Project Explorer based on a model created with Advance Steel in this webinar. End-users can easily create different model views from their model (e.g. an elevation view, a specific level, different viewports of a joint) and control their display with the user-friendly Project Explorer.

ADVANCE Concrete: General overview 
Discover our Concrete detailing solution in 30 minutes
Advance Concrete: BIM software for structural concrete engineering, detailing and fabrication

On Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
From 9:00 am to 9:30 am CEST
From 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm CEST

In this webinar, you will have an overview of the software and see the benefits of using Advance Concrete such as: efficient structural 3D modeling tools (2D/3D modeling from structural elements, modeling of complex geometries), advanced drawing and finishing tools, unique reinforcement modules (creation of bar lists, 3D visualization of reinforcement, automatic control of collisions, etc.), user customization (interface, drawings, lists, objects, etc.) and collaborative work (DXF / DWG / Revit imports, multiuser technology, BIM approach for data synchronization, IFC standards, NC files, etc.).

GRAITEC is partner with PEDDINGHAUS

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Established in 1903, Peddinghaus Corporation is the acknowledged global leader providing innovative machine tool technology for structural steel and plate fabrication. From Anvils and Bench Vises to Technologically Advanced Structural and Plate Fabrication Systems, Peddinghaus has served the Steel Construction, Heavy Plate Fabrication, and related Metal Working Industries for more than 100 years.

Being committed to the industry for such a long time, Peddinghaus turned to GRAITEC’s ADVANCE Steel, because of its ability to automatically generate bills of materials and NC files. With ADVANCE Steel, there is a direct link from the model to the Peddinghaus machine tool. Basically, CNC machines can be programmed by advanced design software, enabling the manufacture of products that cannot be made by manual machines, even those used by skilled designers or engineers. Modern design software allows designers to simulate the manufacture of their ideas. There is no need to make a prototype or a model. This saves both time and money, while providing the most accurate, productive, and profitable parts or products.

ADVANCE Steel creates all fabrication drawings and offers a large selection of tools for automatic detail creation, dimensions, annotations, and accelerates the creation of general arrangement drawings, fabrication drawings, list of materials and NC files: complete library of structural elements, parametric and customizable connections, wizards for miscellaneous steel (stairs, railing), materials library, sections, bolts, and others.

Needless to say, the advantages of combining computer aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer aided designing (CAD) are many: reduced cycle time and non-production time, jobs can be set up more quickly, improved accuracy, reduction of scrap and lower scrap rates.

GRAITEC supports ‘Virtual Design World Cup’

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GRAITEC is supporting FORUM 8, its Value Added Reseller operating in Japan, by providing free Advance Steel and Advance Concrete licenses to the participants of FORUM 8’s 2nd Student BIM and VR Contest open to students worldwide.

GRAITEC supports 'Virtual Design World Cup'

The theme of this year’s contest is “The Sustainable Design of a Marine City. The objective is to design a sustainable and self-sufficient Marine City on the sea with innovative designs to overcome the problems all modern cities face in the 21st century.

Work by each and every contestant will be uploaded on FORUM 8’s cloud server, VR-Cloud(R) server, to be judged on its logistics, technical and design aspect, as well as its creativity and how innovative it is. Participants are required to use FORUM 8’s award-winning software UC-win/Road, and at least one other software of their choice from a lineup of BIM and VR software available for free rental during the contest.

GRAITEC Products: CAD and Design Software for the Construction IndustryAdvance Steel and Advance Concrete are among the software the participants can rely on to design and model innovative structure. For this purpose GRAITEC have conceded 50 free short term licenses of both Advance Steel licenses and Advance Concrete for the students. In July 17, Advance Steel and Advance Concrete experience seminars will be organized through 5 cities in Japan (Live-Tokyo TV Conference system- Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka. Sendai).

The Award for the winner is a grand prix worth approximately US$3,600 including scholarship, certificate, World cup Trophy and mementos. Among the rest of the participants, 5 lucky ones will also receive a laptop and every contestants will of course win a participation reward for their work. Applicants have until September 30th to register online. Once they have registered and created their VR model, they will need to submit their work including scripts during the period from October 1st to October 23rd, and once they have submitted their work, they will be notified of the webpage on FORUM 8’s VR-Cloud(R) server to which they can access to browse and test their submitted model, along with their login ID and password. FORUM 8 and special guest judges will come to a decision and determine the winners on November 20th, and they will be awarded in the awards ceremony the following day.

If you are a student due to graduate after November 2012, click on this
FORUM8’s Virtual Design World Cup contest website to register today!

GRAITEC supports 'Virtual Design World Cup'



For more information, please contact:
Europe, The Middle East, Americas & Africa: office@forum8.com
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania: anita@forum8.co.jp
Asia and for all other general inquiries: yokoyama@forum8.co.jp

Check out last year’s winners: http://www.forum8.co.jp/english/studentBIM1-Award-e.htm

About FORUM 8 
FORUM8, the Japanese 3D software specialist, produces state-of-the-art 3D VR and engineering software. Founded in 1987, FORUM8 is at the forefront of 3D Visual Interactive Simulation (3D VIS) technology and provides 3D VIS capabilities to specialists from various professions, including transportation, engineering, planning, emergency training, architecture, road safety and many more.
For more information, please visit www.forum8.com

How Advance Steel can help your business profitability

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In 2010, an article written on www.submityourarticle.com stated that the ultimate aim of specialized steel detailing software is to increase a company’s bottom line profit. But in 2012 what was a concern for steel fabrication businesses, steel engineering companies and even self-employed steel detailers has now become a fact. Those who have the most competitive steel detailing software solution are the ones that are the most profitable on such a dynamic market.

In short, investing in a steel detailing software helps you save time, optimizes your resources and reduces costs with materials and labor. A good example is given by one of our customers, Nial BALL from Westbury Park Engineering which worked with ADVANCE Steel for a boat mold structure (35-40 m long steel structure for fiberglass bouts). He states: “With three days to go before ‘D Day’ our TWO men arrived on site with the pre-fabricated assemblies and in TWO days the structure was erected and we were home in time for tea with a day to spare. Thanks to ADVANCE Steel, we knew the structure would fit long before we arrived on site.”

Stairs and platforms for Arcelor Mittal Steel Plant, Galati, RomaniaOff course, not all projects can be finalized in two days using just two men, but reducing the time spent on a very complex project from maybe three months to three weeks is not that bad either. Gheorghe CEPRAGA, engineer at UZINSIDER ENGINEERING, has been working with ADVANCE Steel at his most recent project – assembly of new elements (stairs, railings and platforms) on an existing structure in the ArcelorMittal steel plant. For him,the decision was clear: “I have been working with AutoCAD, especially in 3D view, for a very long time now. I think it is safe to say that it would have been very difficult for us to model the entire structure in AutoCAD. Without ADVANCE steel, the execution would have taken too long”.

Can it be that simple? Sometimes, time saving leaves room for errors. Not a problem because ADVANCE Steel drastically increases productivity and drawing quality even for the most complex and unusual projects, while reducing the risk of errors.

Bregenzer Festival Stage, Bregenz, Austria

For the Bregenz festival in Austria, Bregenzer Festspiele fascinated with a spectacular stage engineering, resulting in the biggest sea stage in the world (17m long, 15m wide and 15m high),portraying Jean Paul Marat, one of the leaders of the French Revolution. The construction of the head was connected to a steel construction which was already located at the sea stage.

Although, ultimately, the best steel detailing software is the one that addresses the business’ needs and issues, ADVANCE Steel can efficiently accelerates the design phase (either single or multi-user mode) by offering an extensive library of smart and efficient objects, automatic joints and specific tools for creating standard structures, stairs, railing and miscellaneous steelwork. For the renovation and extension of  TIGNESPACE Center, a sports complex equipped with modern multipurpose structures, Thierry Depollier, Eng, at Ets BOUCHET states: “The ability of ADVANCE Steel to work in realistic mode together with 3D navigation have greatly facilitated our work and have improved the efficiency of our weekly meetings with the other disciplines. It is worth mentioning that the fabrication of the welded beams at workshop was simplified with the high-quality drawings automatically created “.

Renovation and extension of the TIGNESPACE center

Functionality-wise Advance Steel detailing software has everything you would expect from a specialist structural steel detailing package. Ultimately, what makes ADVANCE Steel special is its accessibility to any type of company which is interested in investing in steel detailing software.

AEC Magazine reviews GRAITEC Advance Steel 2012®….

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….the BIM software for structural steel engineering, detailing and fabrication

AEC Magazine is the UK’s number 1 journal for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries. AEC Magazine has a bold agenda that reflects the evolutionary nature of this fast-moving sector with its proliferation of software and hardware technologies and the collaborative working practices that are integral to today’s design and engineering workflow.

The June edition features an extensive review of GRAITEC’s Advance Steel 2012® software. GRAITEC is a leading developer of CAE and CAD software technology, fully BIM enabled for the construction industry.

Advance Steel® BIM system is specifically designed for structural engineers, steel detailers and fabricators who require a comprehensive yet user friendly 3D structural steel detailing software that automates the production of drawings, BOMs and NC files. Advance Steel 2012 is in a league of its own offering users the freedom to run with or without AutoCAD.

AEC Magazine reviews GRAITEC Advance Steel 2012

Click here to download the pdf version of the AEC Magazine – May/June edition