AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition -- Autodesk, Inc. , a world leader in 2D and 3D design and engineering software, announced an alliance with CADdetails.com, an industry-leading developer of manufacturer-specific design and construction details, 3D models and online building product information. Through the agreement, CADdetails product information for more than 400 building product manufacturers will now be available through the Autodesk Seek web service. Designers can use this service to search and select building product design information directly from Autodesk design applications, including AutoCAD software and the Autodesk Revit platform for building information modeling (BIM).

 

 

"Architects and engineers need content for their BIM models so building product manufacturers that make their product information easily available to the designers can create more sales opportunities," said Jeff Wright, senior director, Autodesk Content Network. "With a powerful configuration engine and their high-quality content creation capabilities, CADdetails is a valuable addition to the Autodesk content network, and we look forward to working together to open new marketing opportunities for our customers."

 

Autodesk Seek customers will now have access to the powerful CADdetails configuration and selection "engine," which significantly expands access to configurable building products and helps designers define BIM-ready objects based on their design constraints and specific requirements. The CADdetails configuration engine will be available as a service to manufacturers who want to participate in the Autodesk Seek service, allowing them to more efficiently create and maintain BIM-ready information for highly configurable or variable product lines. This service can help reduce the cost of developing and maintaining 3D models while expanding the number of configurable products available in the Autodesk Seek web service.

 

"This alliance with Autodesk will benefit our customers by further increasing their exposure in the marketplace, and providing direct access to their content from within Autodesk design applications," said Jim Ballantyne, president of CADdetails. "Autodesk's leadership is exemplary, and we are very pleased to work with them in their ongoing efforts to improve productivity for the AEC industry."

 

The Autodesk Seek service is available in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. versions of Autodesk Revit-based software applications as well as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP software. The Autodesk Seek service is also accessible through standard browsers at http://seek.autodesk.com.