printer friendly version

Improve the door opening design process

Sub-Saharan African provider of smart and secure access solutions, dormakaba South Africa, has developed the freely available Autodesk Revit plugin that integrates with the 3D model-based building information modelling (BIM) process. It facilitates a user-friendly and fast transfer of door openings between the client and dormakaba.

“For us, BIM is about supporting our customers by providing up-to-date, reliable and precise product data for the planning, construction and management of buildings. With the Revit plugin, our clients can significantly simplify their workflow when it comes to improving door scheduling accuracy and getting access to detailed door specifications that includes product images, prices and the technical documentation of the products,” says Hannes Nortje, BIM business manager at dormakaba South Africa.

The Revit plugin provides a streamlined specification service that delivers complete ironmongery specifications inside the client model. And with product families available on request, it can be customised according to any requirement.

The process is as easy as exporting the opening details to a small file that is emailed to the dormakaba consultant. In turn, the consultant prepares the ironmongery specification and sends the information back. Once imported, the user can view the ironmongery specification inside the project. And with the dormakaba consultant not requiring access to the central file, the user can continue working on the project model and simply import the door opening changes when completed. Furthermore, the imported file does not increase the model size.

“Because the dormakaba consultant does not require the project model, the customer’s information stays within its own environment. This makes the process as secure as possible without compromising on the functionality of the Revit plugin. The specification reports can be generated directly using Revit while providing the user with a complete overview of all the products specified on a per-door level,” adds Nortje.

Changes to the openings within the client model are automatically flagged for the dormakaba specifier which improves workflow and turnaround time on revised specifications.

“BIM represents the digital revolution of the construction process across the project lifecycle. But it is about more than just downloading 3D objects in different graphical formats. It is about leveraging modern innovations to speed up the design work and make the process as easy as possible for clients who face time and financial pressures. The freely available Revit plugin is the perfect example of what is possible when it comes to the future of project work,” concludes Nortje.

Share this article:

Further reading: