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General |
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ENERCALC for Revit© is a powerful Revit add-in that provides access to the structural engineering capabilities of ENERCALC SEL directly inside the Autodesk Revit environment. It allows engineers to 1.) easily launch ENERCALC calculations from Revit elements, 2.) perform design of structural components, and 3.) automatically update the Revit model to match the resulting structural designs.
ENERCALC for Revit© accelerates the daily work of engineers by bridging the gap between two powerful programs that are widely used for structural design. This eliminates the need for time-consuming manual creation of ENERCALC calculations to design various structural elements found in the Revit model. Instead, calculations can be built quickly and accurately by simply selecting a Revit element. The element is then designed using the familiar ENERCALC interface and any resulting design changes are automatically applied to the Revit model. This instantly boosts a firm’s productivity by eliminating both the time wasted building calculations and the time wasted in manually modifying the Revit model to comply with the findings of the component design. Automatic communication between the two programs also provides a lower risk of inaccuracy due to human error in data entry. Additional time savings and enhanced accuracy are also available via the all-new “Load Linking” capability.
“Load Linking” refers to the all-new ability for users to easily share reaction forces between structurally-related ENERCALC calculations. This includes a number of common design conditions, including beam-to-girder, girder-to-column, column-to-footing, etc. Any scenario where an ENERCALC user would traditionally be forced to manually transfer information from the reactions of one calculation to the applied forces in another calculation can now be handled with ease via load linking in ENERCALC for Revit©. Support conditions and tributary relationships are specified by the user in the Revit environment, allowing the appropriate reactions to be automatically associated to the proper supporting element within the structural load path.
For most modern structural engineering firms, Revit is the nerve center of the entire production workflow. Revit is the home for all the information you receive from other design disciplines and the home for all the structural systems and sheets that you create. But most Revit-connected products create a fork in the road by pulling you out of Revit and forcing you to walk a tightrope to a secondary model which then needs to be managed. ENERCALC for Revit© is different because the entire focus is keeping you inside Revit to let you do what you do. One model and one intuitive linear workflow.
Yes it is! For ordering information please contact Jennifer at info@enercalc.com.
ENERCALC for Revit is available through our ENERCALC subscription and will be accessed via an add-in that installs in your applicable versions of Revit.
No. Please contact our business office to learn about starting an ENERCALC for Revit© subscription. It will be an added cost to the regular cost of your subscription.
The cost of ENERCALC for Revit© is a per-seat add-on to your regular subscription cost. Current pricing information may be viewed at any time on the product page: https://enercalc.com/enercalcforrevit.htm.
At this time, complete Revit integration is available for design of steel beams and girders, composite steel beams and girders, and wood beams and girders. Concrete beam, steel column, and general footing features are in active development. Ultimately, we expect ENERCALC for Revit© to include integration with a wide variety of ENERCALC modules that have modeled counterparts available in Revit.
No. One of the driving philosophies behind ensuring ease of use is our belief that most engineers do not wish to break from their standard workflow in order to manage Revit analytical elements. Although certain aspects of the program do require that analytical elements be enabled for data storage purposes, the user does not need to manipulate geometry, intersection points, or any other aspect of the “stick model” analytical data as would be required in other Revit-connected structural software packages.
No. All core structural design functionality is 100% usable with default out-of-box Revit loadable content. Certain optional productivity enhancements are available using families that come with the install, but these are not mandatory.
Yes. ENERCALC for Revit© will obtain loadable content on the fly as needed by using the library location specified in your Revit “Options” menu. As long as the naming of .rfa files and section sizes are consistent with Revit standards, the types will be loaded successfully.
Yes. ENERCALC for Revit© is designed to be fully compatible with Revit’s native collaborative abilities, including both network drive worksharing and cloud-based BIM360 worksharing.
Yes. In addition to working seamlessly with Revit worksharing, ENERCALC for Revit© also provides the ability for individual engineers to link in their own respective .EC6 calculation files to work independently of each other on designing different portions of the Revit model. ENERCALC for Revit© also supports load-linking between .EC6 files owned by different team members and provides tools for monitoring any associated load path issues.
ENERCALC for Revit© provides a wide array of tools for automatically monitoring the Revit model for various changes that may jeopardize the accuracy of any linked ENERCALC calculations. When a Revit model inevitably evolves throughout the lifespan of a project, warnings, status alerts, and bulk recalculation tools are provided so that the engineer can easily manage the updating of all impacted calculations.
ENERCALC for Revit compatibility follows a rolling 4-version schedule that aligns with Autodesk's licensing standard for Revit itself. EFR support is offered for the newest version of Revit and 3 previous versions. Each time a new year-version of Revit is released, support for the oldest version of Revit will be phased out of EFR and retired. For example: When the newest available version of Revit is 2023, then EFR will be available for Revit 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. When EFR for Revit 2024 is launched, then EFR for Revit 2020 will be retired.
No. An instance of Revit can be launched at any time without impacting your ENERCALC licensing. Opening Revit will not automatically claim a seat of ENERCALC. The two programs do not become forcibly co-dependent when the add-in is installed. Even after the add-in is installed, you can easily use Revit and ENERCALC separately as you always have before.
An ENERCALC license is only consumed when the user specifically triggers the commands to either create, edit, or recalculate a Revit-linked calculation for an element in the model. When one of these commands is triggered, ENERCALC SEL will launch. This has the same licensing impact as manually opening an instance of ENERCALC SEL. The instance of ENERCALC SEL will then remain open until manually closed by the user.
The license behavior during use of ENERCALC for Revit© will be the same as during conventional use of SEL. If a user has activated using the option “Indefinite on this Computer”, then the license will remain occupied until manually deactivated. If the user has activated using the option “Automatic when Launching and Closing”, then the license will be released when SEL is closed.
Yes. Even when linked to an ENERCALC .ec6 file, a Revit model may be opened and modified without requiring an ENERCALC license.
An ENERCALC license is only consumed when the user specifically triggers the commands to either create, edit, or recalculate a Revit-linked calculation for an element in the model. When one of these commands is triggered, ENERCALC SEL will launch. This has the same licensing impact as manually opening an instance of ENERCALC SEL. The instance of ENERCALC SEL will then remain open until manually closed by the user.
The license behavior during use of ENERCALC for Revit© will be the same as during conventional use of SEL. If a user has activated using the option “Indefinite on this Computer”, then the license will remain occupied until manually deactivated. If the user has activated using the option “Automatic when Launching and Closing”, then the license will be released when SEL is closed.
Yes. A drafter accessing the model for non-engineering tasks will not require a seat of ENERCALC. The engineer can easily create, edit, and manage ENERCALC calculations from within the Revit model while BIM staff also access the Revit model for pure drafting and modeling tasks.
To make this workflow even easier, we'll be recommending that BIM staff also install the ENERCALC for Revit add-in. It will not consume an ENERCALC license or allow access to engineering tools, but allows the engineer to be notified if changes to the model have impacted the design calculations. For example, if the drafter is shifting columns or deleting beams, this could endanger calculations already created by the engineer. It has not been announced yet whether there will be an additional charge for drafters to access the monitoring tools. These details will be documented in the ENERCALC for Revit© pricing structure when it's released.
The entire installation process should take roughly 2 minutes or less. You can install the most current build of ENERCALC on the same computer as any existing older builds of ENERCALC (specifically, SEL 6.*, 10.* and 12.*). This will not disrupt access to existing .EC6 project files. Depending on the speed of your computer, this installation typically takes 60 to 90 seconds. The Revit add-in portion of the ENERCALC installation will provide the Revit-based ribbon bar used to access ENERCALC functionality. The applicable version of Revit must be closed prior to install and reopened after the installation completes.
In contrast to other Revit-connected structural design software, use of ENERCALC for Revit© is instantaneous. There is no need to manipulate the Revit analytical model and no time-consuming bulk export/import process. Simply select an .EC6 project file to link to, click an element, and the design will launch in ENERCALC. The “Save and Close” button in ENERCALC causes the design results to seamlessly and automatically update the Revit model.
Nonexistent!! For users who are already comfortable in both the Revit and ENERCALC interfaces, the system is 100% plug and play. The only new task to learn is using a Revit-based ribbon bar to launch ENERCALC module designs.
ENERCALC provides a number of different resources for getting comfortable with how to use ENERCALC for Revit©. In addition to a library of narrated video clips demonstrating various features and functions users will also have access to both a comprehensive user manual and a series of module-specific quick-start guides included with the program install.
ENERCALC for Revit© is useful for any Revit-based structural project where engineers are designing or checking individual structural components (i.e., beams, girders, columns, foundations, etc.). The integration is designed to completely eliminate the laborious process of manually transcribing data from Revit to create component calculations in outside programs. Because the data are retrieved from Revit, there is no need to transfer or re-enter information such as section sizes, length measurements, support locations, etc.
Yes. ENERCALC for Revit© is not mutually exclusive with other structural software tools. It can be easily used in any scenario when you would normally turn to a manually-created ENERCALC calculation. Even if structural design is already being performed using another analysis package, ENERCALC calculations can still be launched from Revit and used for preliminary sizing, back-checking, designing, and updating of Revit elements.
No. At this time, we do not have plans to integrate with additional BIM platforms other than Revit. While our plans could change, it is unlikely.
No. The purpose of ENERCALC for Revit© is to quickly and automatically generate or edit structural calculations by using existing Revit model geometry.
No. Autodesk’s Revit LT does not support the use of 3rd-party add-in applications. Please contact your Autodesk sales rep or reseller to discuss options for acquiring a full Revit license. You may want to consider Autodesk Flex licensing as a way to begin modernizing your BIM workflows without major cost barriers: Autodesk Flex | Pay as You Go Pricing for Occasional Use
