Architecturals

The advanced architectural modeling software for AutoCAD and Bricscad, Architecturals allows you to take advantage of advanced 3D modeling in your 2D environment. It's easy to quickly create complex 3D buildings and structures - just add and subtract volumes. Need to make changes to the model ? No problem - all relationships between walls, windows, slabs, roofs and openings are maintained automatically, and scale-dependent 2D drawings, quantities and cost estimates are instantly updated after a change. Architecturals is based on industry-standard technology such as XML and DWG and can be customized via Visual Basic for Applications.

Connectivity and parameters allow you to make quick changes to the model.

All information can be read and modified by external applications.

Uses AutoCAD DWG for geometry and XML for attribute data.

• Native DWG support
  Architecturals offers native support for the industry-standard AutoCAD DWG file format. Custom objects created with Visual Basic plug-ins can be viewed by other users without installing special object enablers.
• Solid Modeling
  Architecturals uses the ACIS solid modeling engine to model the most complex buildings, including those with doubly curved surfaces and extrusion profiles. Exact volume and surface quantities are instantly calculated, and accurate 2D sections and elevations are easily generated.
• 3D Rooms
  In Architecturals rooms are 3D forms that hold additional information such as room areas and volumes, room types and the measurement of floor, ceiling and wall surfaces. This information is particularly useful to quantify room finishes. Whereas normal forms typically describe building elements, a room can be though of as a special form which describes the space that is left over by its bounding forms. As with any form in Architecturals, connectivity is maintained. This means that moving any one of the boundary forms will also force the room to update, hence dynamically modifying its measurements and parameters.
• Project Management
  All materials, styles and other settings can be specified at the project level to be shared by all members of a design team. This enables you to make changes in all files of a project simultaneously and facilitates archiving and transferring project information.
• Library Project database
  The Library Project database is delivered in Imperial and Metrics units.
• Picture Menu
  This is a user defined menu system that allows to launch commands by clicking pictures that illustrate the coming action. Besides the command and it's options, style settings that apply can be defined along. Picture menus are a convenient and easy way to setup and implement office standards.
• Form Styles
  All building elements such as walls, windows and slabs can be linked with a style that specifies their appearance, materials, cost and shape. This offers a top-down design approach, where all walls in the entire project are changed from simple to multiple walls by modifying the style definition.
• Control Surfaces
  Control surfaces are complex 3D shapes that specify the position of walls, slabs, roofs and openings. Change a single control surface, and all building elements linked to it are updated automatically.
• Frame Builder
  Complex doors and windows with inner and outer sills, bearings and panes can be created graphically. You can change the definition of the opening at any time - all doors or windows of that type update automatically.
• Roof Builder
  Quickly create complex roofs with multiple slope angles, eaves and profiles. Once the roof has been created, its definition is saved for later use and can be modified at any time during the design process.
• Stair Builder
  The built-in stair builder allows you to create linear and spiral stairs that can be further customized using Visual Basic for Applications. After placing a stair, you can alter it by double-clicking on it and changing parameters.
• Plug-ins
  Plug-ins are user-definable, intelligent objects written in C++ or Visual Basic that can reconfigure themselves depending on the model. For example, a stair plug-in can automatically create new steps if the distance between two floors has increased.
• COM Interface
  All parts of the model are accessible to other applications via the Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) interface--information such as geometry, position and attributes can be read and modified via external applications written in C, C++ or Visual Basic.
• XML support
  All styles, materials and other attributes are now specified using XML (eXtensible Markup Language). This facilitates integration with other systems such as e-commerce applications and allows experienced users to make changes using a XML editor instead of a CAD program.
• User Defined Tags
  Tags are user-definable pieces of information that can be attached to building elements. They identify a particular subset of the model or interface with other systems for cost estimation, construction scheduling and the like.
• Buildings and Storeys
  In Architecturals a project consists of one or more buildings; in turn each building consists of one or more storeys. Every entity in the 3D model belongs to one specific storey. A storey defines a set of parameters: thickness of the structural slab, thickness of the floor finishing layers, sill height, lintel height, ceiling height and the overall floor to floor height. Since the storey parameters are project-wide, forms can share the same style throughout the project, but still take on different heights depending on the storey to which they belong. The storey notion also allows you to move or copy existing forms from one storey to another.
• Assemblies
  You can create complex buildings by combining different models into an assembly. Alternatively, you can define sub-assemblies, where parts of a building are excluded to simplify the representation or evaluate alternative configurations.
• Drawing Representations
  Representation scripts are rules that define the appearance of layers, materials and styles in 2D engineering drawings, depending on scale or target audience. If you make a change to the 3D model, the entire set of drawings is automatically updated.
• Automatic Dimensioning
  Architecturals can automatically render 2D drawings based on user-definable dimension band styles. Once you define the styles, your plans are automatically re-dimensioned when you change the model.
• Door and Window Schedules
  You can attach tags to doors and windows that specify basic information such as left- or right-hanging door, dimensions and place in the building. A table that lists all the door and window properties can be generated and placed in the drawing or imported into other systems.
• Cost Items and Cost Groups
  Architecturals makes it easy to define cost-item unit prices, measurement units and pricing rules. By combining cost items into cost groups, you can automatically calculate prices of compound elements, such as a wall with two layers of brick, insulation and plaster.
• Quantity take-off
  Architecturals creates reports that list all building elements and their position, size, volume, surface area, perimeter, center of gravity and cost group. This list can be imported into a procurement application, a spreadsheet or database for further grouping and sorting.

"Anyone who's been dismayed or intimidated by the complexity and difficulty of tools such as Autodesk Architecturals Desktop (ADT) will be pleasantly surprised by Architecturals (BCA)... BCA adds all the architectural intelligence one might expect, without sacrificing one's investment in AutoCAD skills and data."

"... first class architectural modeling and data-handling capabilities on top of plain vanilla AutoCAD. This approach leverages intelligent design while preserving production compatibility."

"... extraordinary intelligence and programmability ; aggressive price for the functionality ; forward looking emphasis on underlying data-acquisition, integration and transmission troughout the building life cycle."
Jerry LAISERIN, The LAISERIN Letter.

"Architecturals takes AutoCAD to the next level."
Ed Goldberg, Cadalyst.

"The team chose Bricscad because it was a true 3D solid modeling application that supports 2D capabilities. Other applications on the market are just the reverse; they are 2D applications trying to support 3D."
Jim Ray, DPR Construction, Architecture Week.

"Architecturals is a powerful and impressive modeling tool, but what really excites us is what it means for the entire building process. For the first time, the goal of an entire project team sharing rich data with a unified platform is actually achievable."
Michael Medina, Associate Principal, Callison Architecture.

"The architectural smarts of this software are truly impressive. It is not only a premier 3D modeling design tool, but it will be instantly familiar to any AutoCAD or IntelliCAD user. It will make the leap from 2D drafting to 3D modeling easy and practical for every firm."
Geoffrey Moore Langdon, AIA.

"The Aquarium project expects the best in planning, CAD modeling, and project control. Resolving complex geometry using Architecturals and getting clear information to every team member in a timely way is a vital part of our project."
Kenneth H. Stowe, P.E., Director of Project Services, Macomber.

"What makes Bricscad entry into the architectural market interesting is the price point for Architecturals. Buyers of architectural software have historically been a price-sensitive group who are also less willing to move to new software or platforms than other AEC groups. Bricscad entry with Architecturals will help keep the market moving forward."
Sharon Tan, principal analyst, Dataquest.

"Architecturals has won an AEC Systems Show Stopper Award because of its innovative technology that enables architects and engineers to design complex buildings and structures."
Arnie Williams, Cadence magazine.