February

22

2024

People who spend a lot of time waiting for Revit to export data into IFC files, will want to watch the recording of this webinar on Ideate Automation, our scripting solution that allows you to schedule and run time-consuming, repetitive BIM tasks in the background at convenient times, including overnight.

In just 30 minutes, you’ll learn how Ideate Automation addresses the problem caused by file exporting processes that consume computer resources and can negatively impact end-user productivity when performed during working hours. In the webinar, we demonstrate how to:

  • Automate IFC exports from Revit using Ideate Automation
  • Control the export setup options in Revit and Ideate Automation
  • Schedule batch-exports of IFC files using Ideate Automation

Exporting to IFCs is just one of the many capabilities of Ideate Automation. Tasks include:

  • Opening large Revit files
  • Exporting data for COBie, QTO, or health check metrics
  • Exporting document deliverables in PDF, NWC, IFC, or DWG formats

It can also be used to automate time-consuming tasks within Ideate Software addins for Revit, including Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate StyleManager, and IdeateApps

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February

19

2024

As a Gold Sponsor of the 2024 AIASF Design Technology Symposium, Ideate Software enjoyed a terrific opportunity to talk with Bay Area professionals in the AEC industries, discuss and demonstrate our products, and learn about the future landscape of design and construction.

Ideate Software at AIASF ConferenceWhile at our booth, Rahul Verma and Moe Kress, both Ideate Software business development managers, answered questions, distributed brochures, handed out the ever popular Ideate Software socks, and led the giveaway of an Autodesk backpack and a box of chocolates from La Meson du Chocolate. They were also pleased to see a former colleague, Vince Dattoli, who worked for Ideate for 12 years before retiring. 

Rahul and Moe also walked the conference room floor, sparking conversations with current as well as prospective customers about projects, technologies used, and how Ideate Software products help similar companies streamline workflows, increase the accuracy of their BIM data, and improve the productivity of their teams.  

Our team is now following up with the many contacts made on topics such as on-site or virtual presentations to overview our products, staff training on specific products and workflows, information on Ideate Automation, and more.

Visit our Events page for more opportunities to meet with our team in person and virtually.
 

 

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February

15

2024

Recently a customer asked if we provide a tool that can report on whether schedules and legends are placed/not placed on sheets. In case you’ve wondered that too, here’s our response: 

Yes! 

It can easily be done with one of the built in Ideate Explorer filters.  

Finding Unused Schedules and Legends with Ideate ExplorerInstructions

Simply go to the Filter menu and choose “Views Unused,” which uses a property we created called Sheet Count that applies to schedules, legends, and any other unused views. We excluded dependent views because those that are unused may still be important. 

With that one click, you will have the information you need. 

Read the Help file for more information.

We made this process extremely easy in the latest release of Ideate Explorer with Ideate Filters.

However, we’ve had this functionality for quite some time with Ideate Query, which is part of Ideate Explorer.

Want to know if you can perform a specific function with Ideate Software tools? Contact our Support team. We are here to help. 

 

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February

13

2024

We are pleased to share this article written by our Australian consultant partner Modmation on how they benefit from using Ideate Automation, our scripting solution that runs time-consuming BIM tasks in the background. 
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In the dynamic field of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), maintaining the health of building information models is paramount. At Modmation, we leverage automated workflows and tools like Ideate Automation to enhance model maintenance, ensuring projects run smoothly and adhere to industry standards.

Modmation, an independent BIM and Digital Engineering consultancy based in Australia, stands at the forefront of BIM innovation. With more than 30 years of combined experience in digital project delivery worldwide, our team provides consulting services on BIM and Digital Engineering.

Model maintenance ensures that projects remain on track, fostering collaboration and aligning with industry standards and principles. At Modmation, we recognise the pivotal role of model health in the success of any project. Our vision is to develop innovative strategies and solutions, and implementing tools like Ideate Automation is part of our mission to increase the efficiency and productivity of our clients and their project teams.

Modmation and Ideate SoftwareIn leveraging Ideate Automation, Modmation has taken proactive steps to enhance model maintenance, addressing the critical issue of neglecting Revit model health, which can lead to productivity loss for the entire project team. Ideate Automation seamlessly integrates with Ideate Software's suite, including Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, IdeateApps, and Ideate StyleManager.
 
Whether it is automating data extraction with Ideate BIMLink or auditing with Ideate Explorer, our team utilises Ideate Automation in combination with our internal workflows to run Revit silently in the background, auditing, and compacting Revit files to ensure that they remain optimised and efficient.

In addition, project teams have access to the Ideate Automation Power BI dashboard. This dashboard offers valuable insights into their model health, making it easier for the teams to understand what needs to be reviewed and fixed.

Ideate Software and Modmation

These proactive measures contribute to the overall health of our clients' models, empowering project teams to make informed decisions for enhanced productivity. Ideate Automation not only helps our clients save time but also improves accuracy in data extraction and enhances their model quality, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity for their project teams.

In conclusion, Modmation's strategic use of Ideate Automation for model maintenance reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality BIM practices. By addressing the critical issue of neglecting Revit model health, we do not only help our clients to optimise their models but also empower project teams with valuable insights and tools for enhanced productivity.

Therefore, Ideate Software's suite has become an integral component of our workflows, contributing to the overall efficiency and success of our projects. As the AEC industry continues to evolve, Modmation remains dedicated to developing innovative strategies and implementing software solutions such as Ideate Automation that modernize how projects are designed, developed, delivered, operated, and sustained.

Are you ready to elevate your BIM practices and enhance your project efficiency? Modmation is here to help. Let us unlock the full potential of your models and drive success in your digital project delivery journey. Reach out to our team to discuss your specific needs and take the next step toward optimised BIM practices.

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Thank you, Modmation!

Ideate Automation is available for purchase as a stand-alone product or with the Ideate Software bundle, and it is included in the cost of an Enterprise subscription. Visit our website for more information.

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January

24

2024

San Francisco, CA, January 24, 2024 – On the recommendation of a staff member who spoke highly of Ideate Software, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners (BBB) reached out to learn more about the Autodesk® Revit® software add-ins developed by Ideate Software, an Autodesk Authorized Developer and member of the Autodesk Developer Network. 

“To get to know the software, we started with Ideate Sticky,” said Matthew Breau, Design Technology Specialist at BBB. “We were impressed that it did just what it was supposed to do, and it was easy to learn and use. We added another Ideate Software product, then another. We now subscribe to the entire Ideate suite and encourage all designers at BBB to leverage those offerings in their day-to-day work.”

In 2022, BBB added Ideate Automation to their toolkit, and in 2023, they started to explore ways to customize several of the scripts that ship with the software to meet their specific needs. When discussing these customizations, Matthew mentioned:

  • Structuring PDF Exports to Meet Teams’ Requests – People from various teams across BBB requested one PDF per type of drawing series. “Although Ideate Automation does not come with a script that can structure PDFs in that particular way, it comes with a lot of editable examples. We were able to study the many scripts as references and then we pulled in the pieces we needed and created a hybrid script that performs perfectly,” said Matthew. 
     
  • Model Health Reports – BBB developed a firm-standard model health dashboard by customizing several of the Data Export scripts that ship with Ideate Software tools. The exported data includes information about file-open times, model-in-place families, component family size and naming conventions, view organization, and model warnings.
     
  • Scaling Overnight Automations – To fully integrate Ideate Automation into BBB’s data-centered processes, BBB developed a workflow using Microsoft Power Automate to capture front-end Ideate Automation command line arguments and send them to the backend to run on a specific schedule. This allows for additional tasks to happen before or after Ideate Automation’s data export, beyond the Revit environment. “The flexibility of Ideate Automation’s task engine and its ability to work independently of the front-end UI is a huge plus for us,” said Matthew.

Read Spotlight on BBB for more information.

Visit www.ideatesoftware.com to learn how Ideate Software add-ins for Revit help users save time, increase model accuracy, improve deliverables, and elevate design. Give them a try by downloading trial versions or purchasing the bundle.


About Ideate Software - Ideate Software, Autodesk® AEC Industry Partner and Autodesk® Authorized Developer, empowers Revit users to gain unprecedented control over their data. They developed Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, IdeateApps, and Ideate StyleManager to solve persistent problems in architecture, engineering, and construction, and owner-operator (AECO) workflows. They developed Ideate Automation as a scripting solution to easily automate repetitive Revit and Ideate Software tasks for consistent and repeatable results.

Autodesk and Autodesk Revit are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries

 

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