At Eagle Metal, our TrueBuild® software gives you an efficiency advantage. Our leading parametric 3D capabilities and app-free model sharing makes visualization painless and gives our customers more time to build. In the next two installments, we will explore some cutting edge, efficiency driving capabilities that TrueBuild® software can bring to your operation.
Do you remember hearing the old adage, “You either have it or you don’t.”? I hear it most often today pertaining to a component design candidate. It used to be that component designers were people who worked their way up through the ranks at a fabricator. Or sometimes a framer would decide they were ready to get paid even on rainy days. In both cases, these candidates have “it,” meaning they are able to read 2-dimensional information and visualize in 3 dimensions. Today’s entry level design candidates are more technically advanced than they were 25 years ago, but unfortunately they often lack the hands-on experience to aid in 3D visualization. Fortunately, today’s component design software capability has also grown immensely, and these advancements can help make the difference in growing your designers’ abilities.
Let’s consider some of the changes from “back then” to “now.” My first job in the industry was in design and we did not have any 3D capability “back then.” We didn’t even have a layout program! Placement plans were done with pens and pencils directly on paper plans or in a CAD program. Either way, you had to be able to translate that 2D information into 3D designs one truss at a time. But “now,” TrueBuild® software uses parametrics to give immediate visual response to changes.
What does the term parametrics mean exactly? Parametrics is a method of linking dimensions and variables to geometry in such a way that, when the values change, the part changes as well. How exactly does that apply to component design? Using referenced dimensions, TrueBuild® models enable live, real-time changes to appear in the 3D model as they occur. And because the model uses parametrics, the walls, planes, and even trusses will change with the model as referenced dimensions are adjusted. Now, there is no need to re-define planes or re-profile trusses. The walls, planes, and trusses will all change with the change in referenced dimensions.
Best of all, the program will assist your rookie designers as well as your experienced staff—the updates are automatic regardless of their skill level. In the past, one “small” change could have led to a full day’s work (or more) re-drawing elements. Now, the software makes all of the updates to all of the elements that are affected by the “one” change. And, you’ll be able to see quickly how the change affects the overall structure.
As we all know, changes are an ever-present aspect of our design jobs—and changes continue to be a constraint for fabricators. In response, how quickly and how accurately a fabricator can make the necessary changes will separate them from the competition. TrueBuild® parametrics can make those changes quick and accurate.
At Eagle Metal, our TrueBuild® software development team works hard every day to improve efficiency for our fabricators. Next month, we will explore some more features that are aimed at allowing you to build more. If you have any questions or want to see our software in action, please give us a call today.