Project conceptualization has the largest impact on the functionality, performance, and cost of a building - this is when key decisions about layout and aesthetics are being taken. Although the depth of data required to make these decisions is best served by BIM, it is understandable why architects are reluctant to use BIM tools in the creative process.
Concept design requires tools that support unconstrained sculpting of built form. Being able to make quick iterations is key to test multiple options in a relatively short time. BIM tools, being largely restrictive, are better suited for documentation.
As such, BIM has been consigned away from the early phases of design. It usually comes into the picture once a project is won. Early drawings or models are thrown away and the project is started afresh on BIM to accommodate the level of accuracy the project delivery requires. In the process, data about design is either relinquished or is stitched together through multiple specialized integrations.
BIM can be easy and intuitive
Imagine an alternative workflow. You sketch and sculpt spaces easily, while a parametric building information model is created in the background, with no extra effort required. This is what Snaptrude brings to the table.
Snaptrude is an intuitive and highly automated design tool for architects. With Snaptrude, BIM is no longer too complex or slow for early design. The foundation of BIM is built while you design with familiar tools.
With the ability to start from either a napkin sketch, an AutoCad plan, or a 3D terrain map, Snaptrude is built for the flexibility needed for designing.
Democratizing parametric modeling
Draw three-dimensional spatial volumes, rather than lines or walls. Spaces are parametric and embedded with intelligence. Simple spatial, room and typology tags update spatial properties and appearance. Multi-floor massing models can be converted to neat, detailed models with a one-click wall and slab generator. Each floor plan can be further detailed in 2D and 3D with a collection of parametric families.
Using Snaptrude, Max Dediuhin, an architect based out of Monte Negro, has been able to simplify his design workflow. “It’s extremely easy to use, there’s no need for hundreds of pages of manuals or training sessions. For me, it's amazing because I work a lot on complicated software, where to even draw a wall or roof you need to watch a lot of tutorials.”
Painless data-driven design
Because it's on the cloud, new age design tools like Snaptrude give users no-code access to global data on terrain, climate, material costs and more. Snaptrude offers simple solutions to keep sustainability at the forefront of your design workflow.
What's more, data on your designs are automatically calculated in real-time, as you iterate. This includes detailed and completely customizable program areas. Choose to exclude terraces, lobbies, basement parking, or even certain walls from FSI, and tailor your design to regulatory needs.
Snaptrude’s auto BoQ enables you to weigh design options for budget implications very early in the process. Users can choose the best option from both the design and cost perspectives. For example, decisions like minimizing expensive glazing, or choosing between exposed concrete and a specific cladding, can be taken even before the first client presentations.
Flexibility and interoperability
Snaptrude runs on web browsers and is therefore extremely light; it can even be used on a tablet to sketch your thoughts. Stan Fowler of SF Architects says, “I was impressed with the way Snaptrude is shaping up. Other design software is 20 years old and confined to windows workstations. We need the next generation tools to innovate and disturb. As a web platform, I can use it on Mac.”
Possibly the greatest advantage of designing on Snaptrude is the seamless integration with industry standard tools. Export from Snaptrude to .dwg, .ifc, and even directly into Revit, with complete parametric family information, and connect with the rendering platform of your choice with exports to .fbx, .obj, and more.
In conclusion…
BIM has become a necessity for architects, but it does not have to be as complicated as it has been in the past. Snaptrude was built to demystify BIM and make it easy to implement. Your team can be BIM enabled with little to no additional training.
Snaptrude’s fully integrated workflow empowers users to save weeks to months worth of effort that would otherwise be spent on repetitive and mundane tasks. With Snaptrude, users can put design first, work intuitively and eliminate the steep data chasm between design stages.
Snaptrude offers a free trial. Check it out by signing up here.