Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™Steel
Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
Michael Falck bocad Software GmbH
Revit products have a wide horizontal coverage over all disciplines in the BIM arena. The bocad
products emphasize the vertical segment of creating steel structures, beginning with the detail's design
and covering all steps up to erection on site. As there is a little overlap in features, both products
complement each other. In this class, we show how an industry partnership is created, from steps
already performed through work remaining to be done. We will discuss implementation of export and
import facilities between the products, proposed workflow and lessons learned. In addition, we will cover
roundtrip support, enhanced workflows, and development proposals. Finally, we will discuss integration
of bocad knowledge into Revit Stucture, marketing requirements, and business possibilities.
Class ID: SE5903
Learning Objectives
You will learn about:
• bocad’s history and facts, bocad’s strengths and competences
• bocad main product lines and see some references
We will discuss:
• detailing in steel construction business
• the “WHY” of Revit and bocad
• the development of our partnership from a a technical view
• current implementation of an interface between the products
• pending tasks, especially the roundtrip aspect
• future possibilities and expectations
At the end of this lesson
• you will be able to assess different needs for detailing design
• you will be able to evaluate the partnership of bocad and Autodesk
About the Speaker
Michael Falck
Based in Bochum Germany, Michael is managing partner of bocad Software GmbH since 1984.
Bocad is specialised on software for the steel building construction industry.
Michael is in charge of development in his company, his special interest is linking bocad’s software to
other systems, where he delivered one of the first working solutions for the IFC, and currently he is
implementing the link to Autodesk esp. Revit Structural.
1985 Michael obtained a doctorate in Civil Engineering from Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
He is member of DStV, IAI, IEEE-CS and ACM. He is a first time presenter at Autodesk University.
eMail: mf@bocad.com
Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
1. bocad Group – History, Dates and Facts
bocad was founded as spin-off of the Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany based on CAD research in
the steel girder construction. Starting in 1983 bocad was the first company on the world market to develop
a complete CAD software system for construction, production planning and manufacturing of steel
constructions for successful sales in international markets.
bocad is a group of companies coordinated by bocad orbit GmbH & Co KG, where bocad Software GmbH
is in charge of development and others do distribution and international sales and consulting.
bocad offers two product lines:
• bocad-3d a model based CAD-system for steel alike constructions
• bocad-PS a production-management system
bocad group achieved a cumulated turnover of 10 mill.€ with app. 100 employees in the fiscal year. There
are app. 5000 seats of bocad-3d and 500 of bocad-PS installed.
Strengths of bocad
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bocad has a long term experience on the customer´s branch.
bocad provides solutions fast and open for modifications.
bocad recognize the local requirements.
bocad acts independent of „shareholder value“.
Core competences of bocad
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The range of our portfolio covers the complete supply chain
bocad is characterized by high quality of analysis with high flexibility
The business model of bocad is application-oriented, not product-oriented
bocad offers an integrated portfolio of solutions
bocad starts, when others fail due to complexity
Strengths of bocad products
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bocad products are designed to follow the customer´s processes.
bocad always provides compatible updates containing
all purchased products the customer needs for his work.
bocad clients can easily do their own adaptations or
even applications with or without the help of bocad engineers.
Advantages of bocad-3D "Edition Steel" as an example
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Adaptation to the individual customer requirements for a successful appliance
Special functions depending on requirements of customers and appliances
Perfect generation of manufacturing documents reduces any post processing to a minimum
Combination of a complete 3D model and the conventional working methods in plane overviews
makes working easy and guarantees relaxed and concentrated designing
Advantages of bocad-PS
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Adopting the complete 3D model from bocad 3-D
Transparent project status is available for all those involved with the project
Individually organized lists and screen – improves control options, reduces
Define completely free units for manufacturing, visualize and analyze them at any time
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
2. About detailing in steel construction business
Detailing is the step in the building process, which glues main components (columns, beams)
together, where production support is meant to deliver all kind of information needed and drive
shop and erection.
The average amount of main components depends on building type and can be considered
between 100 (agricultural barn) and 5000 (power plant). During detail design the amount of
simple elements such as bolts, welds, holes, ... explodes. The ratio between main components
and those elements can be regarded as 1/50.
Drawings are regarded as the language engineers talk together. The amount again depends on
building type and again there is a factor between overviews and shop drawings.
Detailing constraints are determined by local geometry, loads, public standards, costs and
company standards. Cost optimizing is often done by providing simpler geometries of
connecting parts and increasing of repetition factors in favor of reducing material usage.
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
3. The “WHY” of Revit and bocad
The Autodesk Revit family provides a wide horizontal coverage of the building engineering
market, whereas bocad products emphasize on the vertical penetration of the steel related part.
There is an overlapping in features but no competition, but more both are prefect complements
to each other.
bocad has not only all the basic tools to do detail design, but offers automation in the detailing
design
• by it’s predefined methods (families)
• by it’s sophisticated method-editor.
bocad is able to generate shop drawings/schedules/NC data automatically
• usually more than 90 % of assemblies are OK,
• for the rest we deliver a good starting point
• Single parts drawings, schedules and NC data are as correct as the model itself is
To serve many domains ?
• Integration in the planning process is most important ?
• Steel detailing is minor problem, easily done with Revit’s tools ?
• Revit is the choice !
Only steel structures ?
• Not interested in parametric planning ?
• Optimized and profitable manufacturing process required ?
• Stick to bocad-products ! ( as bocad customers do today )
Many domains, BIM is a must ?
• optimized planning and manufacturing process
• best of both worlds in perfect collaboration (Revit and bocad) needed !
• Here starts the industry partnership of Autodesk and bocad
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
4. Partnership
We regard Partnership is not acquiring or merging with the other. Instead there is a commitment
to fair by all means. Autodesk has great experience in gaining partners whereas bocad is a first
timer.
After evaluation, "in deep" presentation and training a supposed workflow has been developed.
This workflow defines how both products can work in collaboration and made the following
assumptions:
• Revit is the leading BIM platform
• Responsible for the design of main building elements
• Responsible to keep all data necessary for the whole BIM process
• Supposed
• there is a certified content
• Common terminology for building elements
• And it is not possible to migrate bocad’s software in reasonable time to the Revit platform
 an interface is needed
 should work seamless
 should do exactly, what customer needs, not what developers think customers need
 prototype available asap
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
5. Interface Implementation
Interface design requirements
Create the possibility to enter and to continue the design process at any time in the lifecycle of
the project. Therefore to build a proper interface:
• need to identify an element on both sides (unique identifier)
• need to know which elements have been new or modified or deleted
• need trace interface-steps
neither system is prepared to do that for the other system:
 a communication middle layer is needed
The communication middle layer has to
• use proven technologies
• have a minimal footprint
• has to be hosted by one side
Roadmap
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Step 1
FY 12
two independent products
connected by an interface, every transfer and scope is initiated manually
history is to be maintained be the user
Step 2
FY 13,14
two similar products with Revit's look and feel
exchange has still to be initiated but scope and history are no issue any more
Step 3
FY 15
no products to distinguish (but they still exist)
exchange is event driven
During development two aspects demanded attention:
Families for arbitrary plates
As a result of detailing plates(stiffeners, …) with an arbitrary amount of edges will be produced.
Supposed they are needed in BIM. Revit needs families, but no such exist.
First :
programmed family, no parameters
Drawback:
every individual creates a new family,
a contradiction to the family, family instance concept
Question:
What means arbitrary, is that really arbitrary ?
Survey:
Assuming arcs count as 3 points, 70-80 % of all plates have below 12
outer points of which again 60% have between 4 and 8 points
Next :
8 parameterized families with 4 to 12 points each, the above family for the
rest. Family instance concept is met.
Complex families
A vital concept of both products. Existing standard interface definitions such as SDNF or IFC
don't provide a solution. First implemented a tapered beam. Compared to the effect the effort
was neglectable.
But learned : Both systems have great tools and it makes fun to see them working together.
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
6. Pending Tasks and Roundtrip
Interface prototype is available, but features have to be expanded, this is small trade.
The demand "should work seamless" causes work on "roundtrip".
Roundtrip
Definition :
freely passing models from one domain to the other, expecting an enhanced model
Early experience :
model morphing
You started with a bike, in the next step it became a trike
and often ended as a one wheeler.
Another aspect:
time aspect
well known as “collaborative” or “concurrent” work,
engineers working on the same topic, prevent them from undoing the other’s work
Roundtrip, the time aspect
As systems matured solutions became available
• Revit :
Collaborate, Revit server
• bocad :
VTA (shared work)
Proven technologies
• based on lock, check-out check-in and unlock features
• with special consideration of ownership
For the interface to be done
• More sophisticated task, artisanry, but possible
• Today all exchange information is kept in the middle layer, for coordination
purpose an independent status is to be maintained in every system (possible)
Roundtrip, the model aspect
Revit already manages different domains and thus different models
• architecture
• structural (analytical)
• MEP
• BIM-model
Steel detailing is another but similar model
• amount explodes, ratio 1/50 from main to all components
• even omitting connector stuff (bolts, welds) ends at a ratio 1/10
• today’s solutions :
bocad’s model is the native detailing model
the interface links Revit’s BIM and bocad’s model
• future solution :
not yet known, problems: amount, connector stuff, manufacturing, …
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Autodesk® Revit® Structure Linked to bocad™ Steel Detailing Design: A Path to Industrial Partnership
7. Future possibilities and expectations
Integration of bocad detailing knowledge
A matured partnership can be regarded to be more than just linked.
From the existing technologies it seems feasible to transfer bocad knowledge or parts onto the
Revit platform, supposed the detailing model aspect is properly addressed and solved.
This a long term aspect.
Market considerations
Bocad is well known in the steel detailing business, but lacks the market penetration of it’s
competitors. As the junior partner, we are eager and willing to learn and possibly participate
from Autodesk's market approach. Autodesk gains a mature complement to it’s portfolio in the
steel detailing business.
So for both parties it could will be a win-win situation.
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