SPIRIT 14 - BIN – Building Information Network

At the IBF 2007 trade fair, SOFTconsult presented a new version of the SPIRIT system. This AEC/CAD system has been under development since 1986. It is supplied in Europe, America, Africa, and Australia. SPIRIT was fully localized for the Czech Republic and Slovakia as early as 1992. The Czech Republic has a special position in the distribution network, with SOFTconsult playing a significant role in the direction of this product, as evidenced by the visit of Mr. Heimlich, CEO of softTECH, and Mr. Müense, the main development manager, at the IBF fair.

Main Features of SPIRIT

The main asset of SPIRIT is the ability to combine various CAD design techniques. The ZAK system, an object-oriented technology for creating building structures, ensures automatic connectivity between the spatial model and the various levels of project documentation. The user also has general tools for 3D modeling and 2D creation at their disposal. Creating custom furnishings, a detail catalog, and site plans is therefore not a problem. SPIRIT integrates the visualization tool Fresco II, which allows for direct creation of visualizations and animations over the 3D model without inter-data conversions. Information about assigned materials and texture mapping is part of the SPIRIT data format, so new visualizations are generated instantly when there are changes in geometry. Outputs for price calculation and documentation for implementation are provided by Pronto Reporting, a very powerful and necessary tool for the Building Information Network. You can easily get an immediate overview of the ZAK building elements and all SPIRIT elements, from 2D lines to 3D bodies. Pronto Reporting is directly integrated into SPIRIT, running parallel to the current drawing, so there is no need to export the evaluated data. Pronto Reporter directly accesses the drawing database and automatically recalculates the required quantities and values (volumes, areas…). SOFTconsult has been long involved in preparing data from specific manufacturers for AEC/CAD systems, and this data base is continuously expanded for SPIRIT. The list of brands that are automatically included with the system delivery includes: Knauf, Porotherm, Prefa Rastra, Rigips, Supertherm, Velox, Ytong, BS Klatovy, Filigran, Spiroll, Wieneberger, Sapeli, Jika, Laufen, Ravak, Roca. Finally, it is necessary to mention the range of its various modifications. This range allows users to gradually grow with SPIRIT from student years to full professional practice. SPIRIT student is free, allowing you to work with professional software even during studies. SPIRIT DC (19,800 CZK) is a modification that provides 2D building drawing and 3D modeling, aimed at beginner designers and smaller offices. SPIRIT werkplan (34,000 CZK) includes object-oriented ZAK in 2D, and is recommended for the technical-oriented project offices for execution drawings. The full version of SPIRIT (68,000 CZK) contains all modern AEC/CAD creation tools. From each level of SPIRIT, you can upgrade to a higher level for the price difference.

ZAK - Parametric Building Elements

In SPIRIT, parametric objects are linked with a CAD technical approach. For each phase of the planning process, the ZAK system contains the corresponding display of the building component. This means that you can gradually define corresponding drawing data for the initial design (study), as well as for construction permits and execution and detail drawings. It is up to you whether you prefer 3D information or reports that are stored in the background, or whether you use the ZAK system to draw sandwich walls in one go. The new version of the ZAK system no longer uses symbols from which various views are created for display on the monitor and generate printed outputs; instead, it uses references. The graphic representation of SPIRIT - ZAK drawings is performed directly in SPIRIT. Situations, for all drawing scales, are defined in the respective sheets. These situations can be displayed in the drawing in which the components are used through the Situations function. The display scales (Working mode) have new names: Study, Standard, Implementation, Detail.

Advantages:

• you create building elements using all SPIRIT functions, which can be edited for all levels of detail simultaneously
• building elements are separate drawings, variants do not need to be constructed again, they can be saved as new components
• building elements can be easily updated via the Internet
• 3D components, such as windows and doors, can be DXF/DWG, SketchUP files
• you draw all types/styles of windows/doors in SPIRIT, without shape restrictions
• extension axes allow the use of dynamic windows

This philosophy applies to walls, frames, windows, doors, columns, ceilings, and spaces, as well as furnishing objects. The complexity of SPIRIT is emphasized by parametric tools for modeling terrain, roof structures, and stairs.

Outputs

Part of building design includes providing all types of data to other collaborators and partners. SPIRIT offers output preparation using multi-document techniques, which allow the combination of vector and raster outputs in various scales. It is possible to have attached files of different formats and scales on one document. Summary reports are in the form of legends on the drawings, or outputs from Pronto Reporting, as dimensional and spatial data for further applications. Further processing or publishing of the design from SPIRIT supports export to formats: PDF, DWF, DWG, DXF, BMP, O2C, and VRML. The O2C format with the 3D design is displayed using the O2C Viewer (free software). The design scene can also be presented in Quick Time (MOV) format and, of course, through static visualizations in raster formats.

BIN – Modern Integration of Graphic Data

The BIN – Building Information Network strategy was developed in 2003. A step toward this vision was the acquisition of the company Quadric, the manufacturer of the calculation software Avanti and the Pronto application, and subsequently also the manufacturer of the photogrammetric module. Thus, SPIRIT shifted the palette of its production from the CAD platform to support the entire construction process, from mapping the existing state to invoicing. This means that the products are directly linked without requiring auxiliary files for interfaces. Meanwhile, the competition has decided to support essentially the same thing – BIM. There is a difference in approach. Other manufacturers take a procedural and technological approach to the problem. They support the products, and thus their task is practically complete. However, SPIRIT operates on further levels – connecting participants in the process and manufacturers with the software user. The user gets not only the product but also a range of information with the possibility of further use. SPIRIT is a tool that processes graphic information and allows the user to assign specialized information and applications. The comprehensive integration that took place directly in softTECH has been apparent since version 12, allowing for calculations according to Western standards (Spirit – CAD, Pronto – graphic organizational model of the project, Avanti - calculations). Pronto allows various views of the project – a layer view for the designer, functional links for the investor, and specific displays for the estimator. The cost manager is a tool that allows real-time verification of the proposed project's price based on the technological assumptions of the project. Another significant innovation is the native support for the DWG format without conversions and the ability to create references to DWG files, which is important for collaboration between companies. Since version 11, SPIRIT has been linked to SketchUp for the pre-project design phase. Directly in SketchUp, you can specify the quality of surfaces and texture properties, which can then be loaded into SPIRIT - the visualization module Fresco. To expand the offering of available interfaces, we also mention the scripting languages Ruby and VBA, which allow data to be used for other applications connected to SPIRIT.

Version 14 of SPIRIT represents an important turning point in development. A new philosophy of technological approaches has emerged.

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> More about the Spirit 14 program can be found at www.Spirit3D.cz

The company SOFTconsult spol s r. o. operates in the field of implementing information technologies, primarily in construction and architecture. Experience in these areas encompasses both theoretical and practical aspects, including publishing activities.
The achievement of these goals is supported by the distribution of several software systems - primarily the CAAD system SPIRIT, the program for visual architecture ArCon, and the project manager PowerProject. The company continuously engages in training and consultation activities and collaborates with educational institutions to support education in the aforementioned areas. Long-term activities of the company are especially represented by participation in data projects that focus on information in construction.

SOFTconsult spol. s r.o.
Pražská 1279/18
102 00 Prague

phone: +420 271 750 510
mobile: +420 602 975 003

email: info@softconsult.eu
www.softconsult.eu