CAD - a real mixed bag

A view from Causeway Technologies

Monday, 22 December 2008

When Causeway Technologies acquired ECL in 2007, it became the Design and Cost Management Solutions (DCMS) division of Causeway, adding to the scope of the company's construction software suite.

Its CATO suite is the predominant system in the consultant market with a wide range of modules whilst its CAD based products, predominantly the PDS range, are used extensively by infrastructure design professionals.

True model based 3-D design ensures that ECL's PDS suite addresses the design of major highways, permanent and light rail, pavement rehabilitation, pipelines, airports and ports, as well as residential and commercial developments. Causeway is also an AutoCAD training centre with regular in-house courses.

Barry Blake, Divisional Director, DCMS, explains his views on where is the CAD market is currently at: "The CAD market certainly in the UK is a real mixed bag. The vast majority of CAD licences used in the construction industry are still being used for 2D drafting productions work. Yes 3D concepts may be modelled in packages such as Sketchup but for the majority of the market that's about it.

"This is noticeably changing as 3D becomes easier, hardware more powerful and graduates come out of University familiar with tools such as AutoCAD Architecture, Revit and Navisworks.

"We at Causeway have found over the last 12 months more of our clients asking for advise on how they tackle projects in 3D. It's not rocket science but then all things are straightforward when you know what to do and I think that's the main reason why the bulk of the market has held back. So why have some of our clients decided it's time and sought our help? Well let's take two quite different examples.

"Causeway's Watford office is located at the BRE site. The BRE won the contract for the restoration of HMS Victory and were required to model the existing ship fully in 3D. Every timber making up the hull was different and this presented a challenge for the team involved. The BRE consulted with us and Causeway's Mike Batty Smith suggested the use of AutoCAD Architecture. Not that this is an architectural design, but some of the sectioning and isolation tools prove invaluable for all types of modelling.

"More recently we were approached by Capita Symonds. We have enjoyed a long standing relationship with Capita as users of our Highway and Site Design software products and have become a trusted adviser. Capita are the leading tunnel refurbishment and ventilation consultants and have worked traditionally in 2D. For the M25 Bell Common tunnel however they decided at an executive level to tackle the project in 3D.

"A number of drivers were identified, but principally it came down to the ability to check clashes for the services, fans etc. Again we suggested AutoCAD Architecture for its sectioning tools. An unexpected spin off to modelling Bell Common Tunnel in 3D was the ability to generate visualisations and drive through, ultimately contributing to the marketing effort for future projects.

"This leads us to the subject of BIM. What does BIM mean? Different things to different people and there is still much debate in terms of how it is to be used and by whom. It is still early days, but BIM is now being used on the larger projects to aid collaboration, limit duplication, perform clash checking and to some degree, automate the quantification process.

"For all of the potential advantages the BIM presents, there are also challenges. No doubt this is the direction the industry will move in and we at Causeway are working closely with our clients to ensure they have appropriate tools to take advantage of developments in this area. Already our CADMeasure solutions measure directly from CAD drawings, PDF's, DWF's and interrogate objects within models. What does the future hold? Watch this space!   

"Neverthrless, CAD, even used in 2D is an invaluable tool for the construction industry. It ensures that market place requirements may be met, short lead times for the initial design, re-use of standard details, quick and efficient redesign. Taking this further, existing schemes can be changed easily to accommodate more affordable housing, in the residential market place for example.
 
"In the medium to longer term, the use of 3D will become more popular, the CAD tools are developing and becoming easier to use encouraging take up. Graduates and CAD technicians are interested in exploring the software capability and with more visualisation built into standard CAD packages, there is no longer the financial overhead associated with 3D.

"All of this will mean that software will help the construction industry become greener and more cost effective, maximising the use of land, reduction of waste and minimising any interference on surrounding developments and the environment. Two good and topical examples of this are flood protection and energy efficient building design."
 

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