What's New in the Autodesk Building Design Suite?

The Autodesk® Building Design Suite 2015 provides powerful software for building design and construction with even more data-driven design than before.  Global BIM adoption is motivating architects, engineers, and construction professionals to move to a Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow so that better decisions are made earlier in the design process preventing costly errors and material waste.
Many features, interoperability and workflow solutions have been added.  Let’s start with the overall Autodesk Building Design Suite updates and then we will move onto the products.
Overall Suite Enhancements:

• More streamlined workflows
• expanded toolsets and a more consistent user evxperience
• Cost-effective
• Access to the cloud services through Autodesk® Subscription

The Autodesk Building Design Suite is offered in three editions allowing you to optimize your software for your needs:  Standard, Premium, and Ultimate editions.  We’ll go through each one, as each one builds on the previous.

Standard Edition:

Autodesk® AutoCAD® 2015

AutoCAD has many new features this year.  To see the details of the new features, see our post “What’s New in Autodesk AutoCAD 2015?”  There we also list videos for the new features to see them in action.  Here are just a few updates to give you the idea:

• New Tab Page
• New Ribbon Galleries
• New Help Tools and Search
• New Interface
• Connect your workflows across integrated desktop, cloud, and mobile AutoCAD solutions
• Reality Capture
• Darker theme to reduce eyestrain and make lines and text stand out

Autodesk® AutoCAD® Architecture 2015

Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture software is the version of Autodesk® AutoCAD® software for architects. Architectural drafting and documentation is more efficient with the software’s intuitive environment and tools built specifically for architects. Experience greater productivity gains while learning new features at your own pace. Easily share and communicate designs with TrustedDWG™ technology.
Some of the enhancements include:

• Color-coded version differentiation
• Easier style import
• Easier style searching
• Preview Architectural Objects styles
• Movable Style Viewer
• Real-time Fillet/Chamfer changes
• Dynamic wall moves

See the Autodesk site for all features labeled new.

Autodesk® AutoCAD® MEP 2015

AutoCAD MEP software is the discipline-specific version of AutoCAD software for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) designers and drafters. AutoCAD MEP automates tedious drafting tasks, enabling designers and drafters to create more accurate construction documentation faster. Sharing, collaborating, and coordinating with architects, structural engineers, and contractors is easier using the software’s reliable, widely used authentic, reliable DWG™ technology.

• Project Navigator CheckIn / CheckOut
• Style Search
• Style Viewer
• System Import
• Command Preview (fillet & chamfer)
• Command Preview (duct, cable tray, etc.)
• Visual Compare
• Electrical Project Database (EPD) backup

To learn more, visit the Autodesk page for AutoCAD MEP.

Autodesk® AutoCAD® Structural Detailing

Autodesk AutoCAD Structural Detailing software helps structural engineers, detailers and fabricators create more precise detailing and fabrication shop drawings. Built on the familiar Autodesk® AutoCAD® software platform, it’s structural engineering software for steel and concrete structures.
We haven’t found recent updates for this one yet, but will update you as we find out more.

Autodesk® Showcase® 2015

Showcase 3D visualization and 3D presentation software provides easy-to-use presentation and design exploration tools for architects, designers, engineers, and marketing professionals. Quickly transform 3D CAD models into interactive walk-throughs and presentations, so that you can evaluate aesthetic and design alternatives in real time with peers, constituents, and customers.
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Autodesk® AutoCAD® Raster Design 2015:

Convert raster to vector with powerful tools that help you create higher-quality drawings while using standard AutoCAD commands. AutoCAD Raster Design 2015 helps you to:

• Save time using image display features that help you embed, insert and export images, and display image subsets with a polygonal mask boundary.
• Improve image quality with editing and cleanup tools that help you despeckle, bias, mirror, and touchup scanned design information.
• Easily erase raster images, lines, arcs, and circles using standard AutoCAD commands on raster regions and primitives with raster entity manipulation (REM).
• Create lines and polylines from raster images with vectorization tools.
• Incorporate geospatial raster data with image transformation functionality. Display and analyse geo-referenced images when the software is used with AutoCAD®, Civil 3D® and AutoCAD® Map 3D software.

For more information, contact us or go to the Autodesk Raster Design page.

Autodesk® ReCap™

Capture and integrate reality directly into your design process with ReCap reality capture software. ReCap point cloud and image-based 3D modeling software and services work seamlessly with Autodesk design and creation suites, so you can start your design with accurate dimensions and full photo-quality context rather than a blank screen.
Click to watch the ReCap 2015 Overview on YouTube.

Premium Edition

In the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium, you get all of the previous products, plus Autodesk Revit 2015, Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2015, and Autodesk 3ds Max software.  Here are the updates for those:

Autodesk® Revit® 2015:

Revit 2015 increases data-driven design for architecture, building and construction.  We have a whole update on “What’s New in Revit 2015” here.  However, there have been enhancements to:
Platform and Architectural Enhancements:

• Sketchy lines
• Anti-aliasing improvements
• Ray trace usability improvements
• View references

Structural Engineering Enhancements:

• Enhanced analytical model
• Reinforcement numbering
• Single fabric sheet placement

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) Engineering Enhancements:

• Calculation methods for pressure drop
• Tapped duct and pipe tags
• Electrical API enhancements

See “What’s New in Revit 2015?”

Autodesk® Navisworks® Simulate 2015

The new features for Navisworks® Simulate include tools to enable project tracking, coordination, construction simulation, model review, and whole-project analysis.  To read more, see our post specific to Autodesk Navisworks solutions.

 Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2015

This year 3ds Max Design has so many additions to the features, we just want to name a few:

• Scripting to Python tools
• Modeling tools: Placement Tool, Quad Chamfer, Point Cloud
• Character animation tool to populate
• ShaderFX Editor
• ActiveShade Improvements

To see all the details, read the details in “What’s  New in Autodesk 3ds Max?” posted by the AREA, the site for Autodesk visualization and animation.

Ultimate Edition

The Ultimate edition of the Autodesk Building Design Suite includes the Premium solutions, plus a few more to increase with your businesses growth and design needs.  Instead of Navisworks Simulate, the Ultimate has Navisworks Manage that has additional capabilities that Simulate does not.

Autodesk® Inventor® 2015

Autodesk Inventor has had many enhancements, please see our full post on “What’s New in Inventor 2015?”

Autodesk® Navisworks® Manage 2015

The new features for Navisworks® Manage include tools to enable project tracking, coordination, construction simulation, model review, and whole-project analysis.  To read more, see our post specific to Autodesk Navisworks solutions.

Autodesk® Robot™ Structural Analysis Professional 2015

Robot Structural Analysis Professional allows you to more quickly perform simulation and analysis of a variety of structures.
See the video below for an overview:
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Autodesk® InfraWorks™ 2015

Autodesk® InfraWorks™ has only been around for a couple years and has already been transforming civil infrastructure design processes.  Manage larger-scale infrastructure models created from existing data sources and generate proposals and early design concepts more effectively in the context of the built environment.  Rapidly generate data-rich proposals to better predict how design alternatives may perform in the existing environment.
See our full post on “What’s New in InfraWorks and InfraWorks 2015?”
That is a pretty long overview and it is not complete.  You can also learn more about Autodesk Subscription (which has grown) and relevant posts about the individual tools below.
Building Design Suite brochure

Autodesk Subscription Value

Autodesk is increasing the value of the Subscription by offering three types of offerings: Desktop Subscription, Maintenance Subscription, and Cloud Services Subscription. Read more about the changes in Autodesk Subscription in our post, “What’s New in Autodesk Subscription 2015?”
Do you have questions?  Contact us by phone (800.836.5440) or email.  We look forward to helping you stay ahead with your Autodesk solutions.
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