CAD users need both skill and talent to succeed. CAD software helps facilitate success as well. Many people use AutoCAD, Creo, and other programs today. However, there are several important best practices to keep in mind to make your product development or sustained engineering processes more efficient.
Organize Your Ideas
Organization is one of the most critical components of success with CAD modeling during the design process. As an idea evolves, it is common to have multiple changes or develop new variations of a model. Saving those improvement ideas or modified versions as different files may seem like an ideal solution. However, product development ideas or proposed changes should all be kept within the same CAD package to ensure that they are easier to find and use.
Also, be sure to keep the information connected to those developments organized. Logs for activity, changes and part requirements are three important elements of organizing information in product design. If there are multiple people working on developing a new product, logging each person’s time and contributions helps you to track time spent and know who did what. Logging part requirements improve project and idea organization by making sure the right parts are available when they are needed to avoid delays. This may also improve communication with the purchasing department. While keeping files and information organized is important, there is a simple solution for accomplishing this, which will be discussed later.
Avoid Showing Too Much Detail
When a CAD system generates data, it should be useful and accomplish the intended purpose. However, sometimes CAD data is too detailed to the point of being confusing. Detail overload can happen when information for a CAD project comes with instructions that are too complicated. One common reason for this happening is adding too many symbols to CAD drawings.
While details add value to the design and serve as a useful form of communication, too many can lead to misinterpretations. Finding the fine line between enough details and too many can take practice. One solution is to think about each symbol to determine if it is necessary. In some cases, complex designs may require many symbols. If this happens, a potential solution is to create individual part drawings to show separate details for each part, along with their assembly. This idea is similar to the feature tree in SOLIDWORKS, which shows an overall view of the part, drawing, or assembly along with information about construction.
Practice Top-Down Design
There are multiple approaches for top-down CAD modeling. Top-down design involves using a central file for a design table, a part, or an assembly. With a top-down approach, drafters or engineers have an easier time controlling the project since there is a central file. It also allows changes to be made to subfiles when there are updates that apply to them. For example, a designer may extrude a surface, create fillets, change tolerances, or use chamfers to alter edges. If there are subfiles containing the pre-change data as well, using design intent to automatically apply to modify changes is more efficient than opening up all the files individually.
Additionally, the top-down design promotes consistency and accuracy. One of the key reasons for using the top-down design is better overall control of the project. Computer-aided design projects often include more components today. For instance, they may have internet connections, aesthetic housings, and many other complex components. To better manage all these aspects for optimization of the manufacturing process, a top-down design approach makes the most sense.
Explore Possibilities of New Technologies
New technologies can enhance content creation for 3D CAD projects. With the evolution of 3D modeling, 3D printing, and other trends, there are new technologies to consider. The world of CAD design is changing rapidly, and designers often have a difficult time keeping up with changes to keep their products relevant. While embracing new technologies is essential, it is important to approach it in an effective manner. Although there are several important technologies to consider, two key technologies in CAD design are augmented reality and generative design.
Generative design contributes to the design process as well as the efficiency of the product itself. It is especially beneficial in applications with complex and high-value products. When combined with artificial intelligence and human contributions, optimal design solutions are possible while reducing material waste. Augmented reality fits well with generative design for better visualization. Some CAD tools already use augmented reality applications. Integrating applications and CAD software can help minimize the need to create excess content from scratch.
Combining augmented reality and generative design can help create more interactive and useful content. This is especially helpful when engineers or designers need to visualize a complex object at scale. Augmented reality is valuable in design with its interactive benefits. The design benefits can make content updates more efficient and give the project more overall design potential. Combined with other solutions like parametric design, these and other technologies can improve efficiency by wasting less time.
Get Performance Feedback as You Design
Think of this concept like performance reviews for work. If there is a continuous or frequent feedback structure, problems do not linger for a long time like they would if there was an annual performance review. With some CAD project feedback designs, there are specific procedures to follow and more manual steps. In such an outdated system, there is also unnecessary waiting. For example, a designer may wait days or weeks for a response from a simulation expert about what may happen if a hole or feature is moved in another direction using a specific metric measurement.
Waiting for a response can delay the design process. Some modern tools provide a valuable real-time simulation that answers such questions and eliminates the hassle of waiting. With the ability to test and modify different design ideas, optimization is easier to achieve. Modern programs also include important CAD standards and use them to improve functionality for users.
Use a Product Lifecycle Management System
Going back to the earlier point about keeping files and ideas organized, one valuable solution is a product lifecycle management system. Product lifecycle management is a strategy for managing the entire process of a product’s creation. For new products, it starts with ideation. If a product is being improved, it starts with concepts for improvement. The lifecycle management process ends with the disposal.
Product lifecycle management is an ancient concept. Digital product lifecycle management has broader applications today but actually started with computer-aided design software. Those early solutions addressed problems related to the reuse, distribution, and management of CAD files. Computers stored less data then, and product data management was developed to help solve the issue. By the 1990s, globalization and outsourcing led to other developments in product data management. It is a key part of product lifecycle management today as well.
Software for the lifecycle management of products keeps all the relevant information safe and has valuable tools for tracking and more. It may also manage information related to globalized supply chains. Quality workflows, critical documents, parts, products, and other necessary information can all be organized to create a more coherent view of every requirement for a lifecycle. Today, product lifecycle management solutions for CAD include configuration management, better visualization, and change management features. These features facilitate better development understanding, communication, information sharing, improvement tracking, and more.
If you are looking for ways to improve your design process, these tips will help you work more efficiently and see better outcomes.
As the AEC industry accelerates to a new era of digitization, the way Architects, Engineers, and Construction professionals work is being transformed. In order to deliver projects better, faster, and with less risk, the industry is finding new ways of working that facilitate rich collaboration between disciplines and ensure the seamless flow of data across the entire project lifecycle.
Project Delivery is more than just delivering on a contract. In its broadest terms, it’s about how project data is organized, coordinated, structured, and streamlined for real-time collaboration, data-driven decision making, and risk mitigation – whether the project is Design-Bid-Build, Private-Public-Partnership, or any other model.
As the foundation of this digital transformation, BIM is revolutionizing the way projects are developed and delivered across industries adding intelligence and efficiency to project execution – and connecting teams, data, and processes in the cloud for better project delivery.
“The power of the cloud modernizes collaboration and unites our teams. As an integrated team, we build a project based on shared information. Both horizontal and vertical infrastructure teams can coordinate design data in real-time and share the latest data with clients at any point in the project.”
David Butts, Engineering Technology Manager, Gannett Fleming
3 steps to deliver projects better, faster, and with less risk
1. Connect People: Leverage the power of real-time collaboration
Maximize efficiencies and avoid the loss of important information and insights by connecting disparate teams across offices, industries, or companies via the cloud. By setting up workflows around a common data environment, all team members and stakeholders have access to a single source of truth providing them with the right information at the right time. This real-time design collaboration leads to more transparency, less rework, and better cost control throughout the project lifecycle.
2. Connect Data: Transform data into business insights
Draw better insights out of your data to help you make better, more informed decisions. By collaborating in the cloud within a common data environment, you can gain a deeper understanding of project performance, find and quickly resolve potential issues, prioritize daily activities and, track package completion.
3. Connect Processes: Boost your project management capabilities
Connecting processes and providing teams a consistent and secure data management platform makes project management significantly more impactful. With a common data environment, project managers have complete control and visibility of project data, including access controls and cloud-based reviews of project milestones leading to better project oversight.
Cloud collaboration tools and better delivery are driving transformational change in how AEC teams, data, and processes connect. By centralizing all design and construction data in the cloud, you can simplify workflows while allowing all stakeholders to access the same platform for complete transparency and the most accurate information in real-time.
Autodesk’s portfolio of cloud collaboration solutions integrates the entire project lifecycle, from design to construction, connecting leading products like Revit, Civil 3D, and AutoCAD across one common data environment enabling you to realize better ways of working and better outcomes for your business, industry, and the built world!
Why Use BIM for Enhancing Project Delivery?
Efficient collaboration and coordination among stakeholders are crucial elements in successful construction project delivery. With the advancement of technology, tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM) Collaborative Pro have emerged to streamline project workflows and enhance communication between project participants. In this article, we explore the benefits of utilizing BIM Collaborative Pro for project delivery, highlighting its ability to improve collaboration, coordination, visualization, documentation, and overall project efficiency.
Improved Collaboration and Coordination
BIM Collaborative Pro serves as a centralized platform for architects, engineers, contractors, and subcontractors to collaborate and share information in real time. Gone are the days of relying solely on emails and phone calls for communication. This tool fosters seamless collaboration, reducing errors and enhancing overall project efficiency. With stakeholders working together on a unified platform, the potential for miscommunication and delays is significantly minimized.
Integrated Design and Construction
One of the key advantages of BIM Collaborative Pro is its ability to integrate the design and construction phases of a project. By enabling the sharing of 3D models, design files, and project data, the software facilitates early clash detection and conflict resolution. Identifying clashes between different building systems or components at the design stage saves time and reduces rework during construction. Moreover, this integration allows for better decision-making and more accurate cost estimation, benefiting both project stakeholders and clients.
Clash Detection and Coordination
BIM Collaborative Pro incorporates clash detection capabilities, which automatically identify conflicts within the 3D model. By proactively addressing clashes before construction begins, the software minimizes coordination problems and potential construction delays. This clash detection feature not only streamlines the construction process but also improves constructability by ensuring that building systems and components fit together seamlessly. As a result, the likelihood of costly rework and change orders is significantly reduced.
Improved Visualization and Communication
Effective visualization and communication are crucial for project success, and BIM Collaborative Pro excels in this area. The software provides a visual representation of the project through 3D models, rendering, and simulations. This visual representation helps stakeholders gain a better understanding of the project, enabling them to make informed decisions and provide valuable feedback. Clients, in particular, benefit from being able to visualize the final product before construction begins, leading to more accurate expectations and increased satisfaction.
Streamlined Documentation and Data Management
BIM Collaborative Pro simplifies the storage and management of project documentation, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the most up-to-date information. By centralizing documents such as drawings, specifications, and schedules, the software minimizes confusion and conflicts arising from outdated or incomplete data. It also streamlines document control, versioning, and revision management, saving time and improving overall project efficiency.
Increased Project Efficiency and Cost Savings
By promoting collaboration, coordination, and visualization, BIM Collaborative Pro significantly improves project workflows and productivity. The early identification and resolution of clashes and issues minimize project delays and rework, ultimately leading to improved project efficiency. Additionally, the software facilitates accurate quantity take-offs and cost estimation, helping stakeholders maintain better control over budgets and potentially achieve cost savings.
Post-construction Benefits
The benefits of BIM Collaborative Pro extend beyond project completion. The software supports the delivery of an as-built model, capturing the final state of the project. This valuable asset can be utilized for facility management, maintenance, and future renovations. With a comprehensive as-built model in hand, facility managers can effectively plan and execute maintenance activities, ensuring the long-term durability and functionality of the building.
Speak to an expert to learn how BIM Collaborate Pro can improve your Project Delivery
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