Description
Designers make responsible decisions on details but fully reflecting fabricators' knowledge of real production difficulty and cost is not straightforward. Quantities often emerge only once drawings reach the contractor. What becomes possible when fabricators engage as technical consultants during design? This session shares a joint study with a steel fabricator. Positioning Revit as a single source of truth, connection rules for diaphragms and splices were implemented as components in Tekla via IFC, automating detail generation and takeoff. Fabricators proposed cost improvements; designers made the final geometry decisions. We also examine data retention, the limits of automation, and role boundaries showing both what became possible and the challenges that remain.
Key Learnings
- Learn what's retained or lost via IFC between design BIM and Tekla, and discover the conditions for continuity and challenges.
- Learn how far diaphragm and splice components automate detail generation and takeoff and specify limits and exceptions.
- Evaluate the benefits of integrating fabricator feedback on cost and difficulty into design, enabling wider decision making.
- Learn how designer and fabricator roles change when fabricators engage in the design process as technical consultants.