Earlier this year, directors of the AEC specialist, CADline, acquired the manufacturing solutions reseller Midas Technology. We asked Paul Watson of Midas if this move reflects a general trend for architects and suppliers to work together more closely and how using Autodesk Inventor can help

With a revolving door designed in Inventor, simulation and stress analysis tools could then be used to develop a digital prototype to ensure the revolving mechanisms all function correctly.

It all comes down to business. On the one hand thereÝs a growing number of huge design and construction projects presenting a myriad of opportunities. But on the other, thereÝs intense global competition, customers becoming increasingly discerning and sophisticated, the need for environmental compliance and an ever-strengthening demand for projects to be built not just better ± but much faster too.

In this environment, every company is searching for ways to become more agile and responsive. Many have found that encouraging different disciplines to work closer together ± either in-house or as multi-organisation project teams ± is a key factor to progress in this area.

Improved communication between professionals brings better understanding and empathy, resulting in buildings which retain their design integrity. It provides synergies and economic benefits through materials and supply chain efficiencies. But, importantly, it also presents a united, organised and confident profile to the client - which is more likely to lead to repeat business.

Because of the continuing growth of globalisation and remote working, closer relationships in the traditional sense can prove difficult. But, from our experience, these are increasingly being played out in a virtual world as much as in the real one.

As a result, we are detecting a growing interest from AEC professionals in AutodeskÝs 3D manufacturing solution, Inventor. Demand is particuarly strong from multi-disciplinary organisations or prime contractors on projects such as universities and schools, office buildings, retail spaces or even private homes and yachts where fittings and furnishings are integral to the design.

Testing and analysis

So what advantages are there to creating products, from mouldings to customised furniture, in Inventor rather than AutoCAD? For a start, it enables designers to develop new concepts in 3D which are frequently a challenge in 2D, enabling more elegant solutions to the difficult spatial problems often encountered on these projects.

It also provides them with the technology to assemble, analyse and test designs. Suppose, for example, a designer was creating a revolving door as an entrance to a hospital. Simulation and stress analysis tools will enable them to develop a digital prototype to ensure the revolving mechanisms all function correctly and test it on screen.