Autodesk Brings Together Digital Prototyping and Building Information Modeling

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Greenbuild Expo 2009--Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that building product manufacturers including Reilly Windows & Doors (Reilly) and Mestek, Inc., are successfully using the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping to collaborate with the building information modeling (BIM) process and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

By providing “BIM-ready” product models that can be directly incorporated into the building design and construction process, product manufacturers help AEC firms make better design decisions around constructability, fit, aesthetics, performance and cost, while increasing their own ability to win new business.

With the growing adoption of BIM in the building industry, AEC firms are increasingly requiring 3D, BIM-ready models from manufacturers as part of the acceptance criteria. Autodesk Inventor software gives building product manufacturers the ability to create digital prototypes of their products and then publish simplified 3D representations with intelligent connectors and product information as BIM objects. These 3D representations can be consumed by the Autodesk Revit suite of products, which are purpose-built BIM applications designed for architects, engineers, and construction professionals. BIM-ready models can also carry important information about a product’s green characteristics, providing early insight into potential LEED certification.

Digital Prototyping as a Competitive Advantage

Reilly designs, fabricates and installs custom windows and doors that exceed the expectations of even the most exacting clients. To create elegant, high-quality products, Reilly relies on a Digital Prototyping workflow based on Autodesk Inventor software to design, visualize and simulate its products digitally and to deliver models of its products to architects who use Autodesk Revit Architecture software.

“Delivering 3D models to architects is a huge value, particularly because most architects can’t spend time creating realistic models of windows and doors,” said Michael John Iwanyczko, director of marketing at Reilly. “We’re offering them highly detailed 3D models that they can incorporate into their architectural designs — it’s another level of service that sets us apart.”

Mestek, Inc., is a family of more than 30 specialty manufacturers providing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) products. For more than 40 years, the company has focused on creating a superior indoor environment for building occupants through its offerings. The company recently started using digital prototypes created in Inventor software to develop BIM objects and currently has a published library of more than 300 objects that can be downloaded directly into Revit models.

“The ability to reuse our digital prototypes and repurpose that data to create BIM objects is very important for us, especially since our products tend to be complex and highly configured,” said Mike Kaler, general manager of Mestex, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Mestek. “Sharing these BIM objects with the architects and engineers provides tremendous time savings since we don’t have to create the content from scratch again.”

“Autodesk’s established presence in both the AEC and manufacturing markets is enabling more effective communication and collaboration between disciplines,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “Using Inventor software-based solutions allow building product manufacturers to go beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping, and it allows our AEC customers to leverage digital prototypes in their Revit-based BIM workflows.”