United States site instead?Graphisoft announces its 2007 Virtual Construction line of products and services
Budapest – December 11, 2006 – In keeping with the Company’s tradition of delivering products that revolutionize how buildings are designed and built, Graphisoft announced today a major update to its Virtual Construction™ suite of applications and services. The new version incorporates completely new mechanical, electrical and plumbing functionality. Already installed at owner/developers, project managers and major construction companies throughout the world, the 2007 product release will further accelerate the adoption of Virtual Construction within companies, and speed the time to project realization.
“There has been a tremendous acceleration in the awareness and implementation of Virtual Construction over the past 18 months” says Clay Freeman, Vice President of Construction Solutions. “Companies are achieving clear bottom-line benefits in terms of delivering projects earlier and with lower cost. The 2007 series of software and services will further enhance the business competitive advantage the companies are already achieving.”
“We see the use of 5D Virtual Construction as mission critical, allowing Hensel Phelps to continue to satisfy our owners and project team members,” said Ryan Martorano, Senior Estimator, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. “We’ve already experienced tremendous benefit over the last six months from 5D Virtual Construction, and this new release for 2007 will help us make the usage of this more mainstream in our company.”
Responding to increasing demand from the construction industry for information-rich tools to better manage projects, Graphisoft’s Virtual Construction suite of products combines modeling, scheduling, estimating and financial analysis in one easy tool, enabling contractors to more quickly and efficiently complete projects. Graphisoft Virtual Construction products have been updated as follows:
- Constructor 2007
The new version of Constructor is based on award-winning Archicad® 10, which introduces new functionality that increases modeling freedom and productivity. The software also includes performance enhancements such as improved integration with Graphisoft Control.
Constructor includes the new MEP Modeler, a full mechanical, electrical cable tray and plumbing modeling module. The MEP Modeler is accurate and easy to use, and contains a detailed library of duct, pipe, fittings and equipment with standard sizes. Duct routes are automatically delimited by the components available from the specification library.
- 5D Presenter 2007
The new 5D Presenter features tighter integration with Cost Manager and Control, and an overall enhanced performance. It also displays the projected cash flow based on estimate and schedule defined in Estimator 2007 and Control 2007.
- Estimator 2007
Estimator 2007 now supports Bid Package functionality, including defining, receiving and awarding packages. Awarded bid packages override estimated unit costs in the reports. In addition, Model Versions, published from Constructor, are now logged and maintained in Estimator, allowing users to see when a version was published and if or when it was imported into the estimate. Categories and content are now easier to read thanks to banded cost reports: categories and cost items are shown with a specific color which makes it easier to recognize and interpret the cost report.
- Cost Manager 2007
Cost Manager 2007 is a new product which aids both visual and detailed cost analysis. It enables visual presentations on estimating information for client purposes, and it visually compares one version of the estimate to another one, or to the target costs. The software also performs target cost analysis on the overall project and individual systems with full drill-down capabilities for accessing the detailed cost breakdown information.
The software allows users to import estimating information from MS Excel® or Estimator 2007, and connects to 5D Presenter.
Cost Manager 2007 is designed as a standalone and independent product.
- Control 2007
Control 2007 features a more transparent visualization of Critical Path Method links and calculations, a powerful new dependency engine and schedule optimization tools. The software links to traditional scheduling tools, including MS Project®, Primavera® and PowerProject®. In addition, Control 2007 features improved connections to 5D Presenter to display model objects that are late, or at risk of being late.
In addition, Graphisoft has added to its service offering and now provides an improved Discrepancy Report for more effective and efficient design coordination, facilitated by the MEP Models.
Graphisoft is introducing the new Changes Report which details all changes identified between two releases of design information. The services team uses Graphisoft Change Manager to identify and document changes, saving time and reducing the risk of missing a change.
Graphisoft also offers enhanced subcontractor support during construction phase – ensuring that users realize the full benefits of the Virtual Construction process.
The 2007 Virtual Construction product suite is now available. Additional information including detailed product descriptions can be found at: https://www.graphisoft.com/products/construction/
About Virtual Construction:
Graphisoft Virtual Construction software and services help owners, contractors and subcontractors win more business through the creation of compelling 5D presentations to owners, and reduce the time required to produce estimates during the bidding stage. Project predictability is improved by early identification of problems in design documents and the synchronization of design, cost and schedule to reduce errors and save time.
About Hensel Phelps Construction Co:
Since 1937, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. (Hensel Phelps) has delivered the best value in building services by placing expert construction professionals on every project undertaken. Hensel Phelps is consistently ranked among the top general contractors and construction managers in the nation by ENR (Engineering News Record).