Advance Steel
3D Structural Modelling, Detailing and Manufacturing for AutoCAD
2D 3D
Your Solution Your System
Portals
Multi- Storey
Industrial
Bridges
Steelwork
Composite
Commercial
Residential
100% Dedicated to Steel Construction
‘UFO Zoetermeer’ Sports Hall - CSM
Advance Steel
Advance Steel is a powerful 3D modelling, detailing and material listing system for all structural and secondary steelwork. Recruitment of steelwork detailers and their training is made easy as Advance Steel runs in AutoCAD, the construction industry standard platform. Additional user friendly features include a wide range of drag and drop intelligent objects (profiles, joints, etc.), parametric macros, single click functions and visual management tools to help automate the entire process.
Features • Fully integrated with AutoCAD • International section and bolt libraries • Comprehensive support for cold rolled products • Automated connection detailing • Sophisticated clash detection • Automatic production of drawings & lists • Production of CNC (DSTV and DXF) files • Secondary steelwork (including ladders, stairs)
Stairs and Ladders
Detailing
Quickly create a structure’s geometry, member properties, connection types and materials.
Automated Connection Detailing
Model
Royal Naval Submarine Museum - Hawk Structures
Cold Rolled Sections
Create Your Structure Advance Steel’s object oriented functionality provides you with powerful tools to quickly create a structure’s geometry, member properties, connection types and materials. You can use real sections to dictate the necessary detailing requirements and solve practical problems whilst generating the model. All elements within the building model - beams, columns, plates, bolts, etc. are intelligent objects which retain their individual set of parameters for easy editing. Grid tools will assist with the initial layout of the main members, whilst easy-to-use frame generators speed up the creation of most typical frame types. Advance Steel identifies and allocates identical part numbers automatically at any stage of modelling. Work with multiple models and drawings using standard AutoCAD functionality.
Automate Connection Detailing
Detail Stairs and Ladders
Model commonly used joint types with the help of powerful parametric macros. Assemble individual components interactively to detail unusual joint types. Enter values in moveable tabbed dialog boxes for connection macros and save joint settings for future reuse. See the model update with every input.
Use macros, tools and other facilities to detail secondary steelwork. Detail stairs, handrails, spiral stairs, ladders, cladding, etc. Itemise separately, if required.
Exploit Comprehensive Hot Rolled Section Libraries Utilise international hot rolled section profiles and create compound, welded, tapered and custom sections as required. Add userdefined profiles of any shape. Model and detail curved members of any profile and create plates in any shape and thickness. Add and customise Bolt Libraries to suit company and project requirements, or define your own bolt and weld symbols for automatic use later in drawings and details.
Utilise Cold Rolled Products Enjoy full support for a comprehensive range of cold rolled sections and components. Click on manufacturer icons to easily access their supported products. All main cold rolled connections are ‘generic’, meaning a change in manufacturer will update all connections automatically.
Check with Powerful Clash Detection Clash check using powerful internal clash detection engine. Use a single mouse click to check entire model. Detect all collisions between members, plates, bolts and even the root radii of hot rolled sections. It is even possible to clash check against standard AutoCAD objects in the model.
“We now feel that our in-house team can offer more than rival companies, as our software is better.” John Bennett, Hawk Structures, Advance Steel CAD Manager
Produce drawings at any stage of the modelling process.
Document Manager
Drawing Style Manager
Create and Output Your Drawings Produce drawings at any stage of the modelling process. Advance Steel can automatically create all the drawings you need for fabrication and construction from an easy to use menu while utilising best-fit scaling and automatic drawing sheet sizing. These include general arrangement drawings, fabrication drawings, part details and developed template drawings for tubes, folded profiles and complex folded plates such as boxes, cones etc. To aid the understanding of complex structures and to assist with the resolution of problems, Advance Steel can also produce 3D stick or solid drawings of the model. These realistic 3D images assist clients and architects in visualising the structure.
Document Manager
Output CNC and Other File Formats
Monitor drawing revisions with a built-in drawing management system and automatically update them to reflect subsequent model changes. All superseded drawings are automatically backed up for future reference when evaluating contract variations etc. Preview drawings, lists and NC data from this single access point and batch plot multiple drawings to a printer or as electronic files.
Create CNC files for direct input to fabrication machinery. Communicate to a fabrication machine console via a local area network, or across the Internet. Interface to all leading fabrication machines via the common DSTV and DXF NC file formats. Transfer models to and from other design and CAD systems via SDNF, CIS/2, STAAD, PSS and DXF file formats.
Create Reports and Lists
Via the powerful AutoCAD platform, 2D and even 3D DWF files can be created for easy sharing of model and drawing information by email, or across the internet using Autodesk’s FREE DWF viewer. Export of models to other 3rd party software such as NavisWorks ® is also possible if installed.
You can also create all material lists and other reports directly from the model. Advance Steel includes many predefined report formats (material lists, bolt lists etc.) and supports custom templates: content definition, customisable sorting, logos and pictures. Control the content of material lists, plate lists, saw lists, assembly lists, bolt lists and even lists for ‘Special Parts’ (AutoCAD objects). These lists can then be printed or exported in various file formats such as PDF, XLS and many others.
Customise Desktop and Drawing Styles Create your own custom toolbars and pull-down menus. Use Viewports to split modelling/drawing area. Customise the layout and style of drawings to your company, client or project requirements. Use the ‘Drawing Style Manager’ and ‘Process Manager’ to control the paper size, dimensioning, presentation and labelling, etc., for GA drawings and automated shop details.
Mezzanine Floors Advance Steel is the UK’s market leading 3D CAD software for designing and detailing mezzanine floors. The mezzanine macro provides a simple and fast way of creating cold rolled deck beams in handed pairs within a defined floor area. Comprehensive setting out options, choice of cold rolled sections and automatic modelling of tie bars create a floor in seconds. The user’s choice of hot or cold rolled main beams can be connected to the columns and deck beams along with bracings, stairs and handrailing via automatic parametric macros. Drawings and part lists can be produced automatically, as required, along with NC files and other electronic deliverables.
The large AutoCAD user base, shorter learning curve, and smooth file exchange between project partners (DWG), make Advance Steel an essential investment.
AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop
Support
Working within AutoCAD ensures a flexible and solid industry standard software platform that reduces running costs and risks. The large AutoCAD user base, shorter learning curve, and smooth file exchange between project partners (DWG), make Advance Steel an essential investment. Advance Steel objects can also be created in other AutoCAD solid models for integration with other disciplines.
CADS offer a combination of training, support and a maintenance contract. This ensures that you can fully exploit all that Advance Steel has to offer your business.
Operate your Advance Steel software with ADT and benefit from combined models, including brickwork & concrete ADT objects. ADT brings additional benefits that include better fit of steelwork to existing structures and visualisation of the finished job before it is fabricated. From a technical point of view, Advance Steel uses the latest and most powerful 100% AutoCAD compliant development technology: Object ARX. Experienced AutoCAD users can incorporate Advance Steel commands into their AutoCAD lisp routines for even more automation. AutoCAD Grips make member editing, manipulation and stretching very quick and easy. AutoCAD Multiple UNDO/REDO - can be used to quickly examine alternative modelling solutions and correct input errors. Dynamically view models with AutoCAD ‘Real-time’ Pan, Zoom and Rotate functions in wire frame, hidden line, shaded or rendered presentations.
Detailer Training Adequate and appropriate detailer training has been shown to reduce the overall learning time and increase the return on capital investment. To this end we regularly run 2, 3 and 5 day Advance Steel courses. These courses are formal and are supported by a complete set of notes which trainees keep and can refer to later. All trainees are assessed and their previous experience, type of work and ability are all taken into account, and the course may be adapted accordingly.
Advance Steel Support Advance Steel support is provided by the CADS central helpdesk via email, fax and telephone.
Software Maintenance FREE Upgrades are provided under CADScover, our software maintenance and support contract.
Hardware / Software Requirements These are MINIMUM requirements. Faster hardware will improve performance for large or complex models accordingly: • PC with Pentium Processor minimum 1.4 GHz (2.4 GHz or more recommended) • Minimum 512 MB RAM (2GB recommended) • AutoCAD compatible graphics-card 32 MB (128MB or more recommended) • Minimum 1 GB free hard disk space • Network adapter • CD-ROM Drive
One of the following installed operating systems: • Windows 2000 Professional • WindowsXP Professional • Installed network-protocol TCP/IP • Email system for support purposes
One of the following AutoCAD versions installed: • AutoCAD 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007 • Architectural Desktop 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007
CADS is a leading international software company specialising in structural engineering design and detailing software. CADS applications are used worldwide by consulting engineers, civil engineering contractors, builders, national and local governments, the structural steel industry and rebar fabricators. CADS employ over 300 staff across 4 countries and has been in business for more than 30 years. Nearly 4000 clients, in 70 countries, use over 48,000 copies of CADS supplied software. Advance Steel is a GRAITEC solution, but co-developed by CADS for local market requirements. Advance Steel is 100% dedicated to the steel construction industry, and with the support of CADS has grown into a powerful, tailored solution for steelwork modelling, detailing and fabrication.
CADS System CADS System is a suite of engineering software that can be used independently or in combination to fulfil your individual project requirements. Advance Steel also links to the following CADS System software: • SMART Modeller • Analyse3D • A3D MAX • SMART Portal Computer and Design Services Ltd Arrowsmith Court, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8AX Tel: +44(0)1202 603031 Fax: +44 (0)1202 658549 Email:
[email protected] Web: www.cads.co.uk
