Success Story
KBRACE – Mechanicsburg, PA
KBRACE is an engineering firm that handles many different types of projects providing cost effective solutions to challenging building structures and foundations in the commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential sectors. KBRACE has vast experience, but their focus remains on structural integrity through renovation and restoration of existing buildings and creative design for new structures. A few unique projects include solar design, specialized animal housing, and cold storage facilities.
The company has several individuals that are well-versed in both Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Revit, and they make use of both software packages frequently. When faced with a growing workload, but trying to make use of a limited space, the company faced a challenge of finding a solution to increase their production and drafting abilities without adding additional personnel or space.
The solution they chose was to get additional personnel involved in the production cycle and send them to Print O Stat for some CAD training. Mel R., already an employee of KBRACE, knew she could fill the gap and stepped up to the challenge of learning Autodesk AutoCAD, in addition to fulfilling her existing role as Office Manager.
She chose a virtual training scenario, and the training consisted of a 4-day class that provided the basics of Autodesk AutoCAD, and file management. The Print O Stat training team used the Autodesk AutoCAD Essentials class as a foundation with customized exercises relating to the client’s current project. This increased Mel’s understanding of Autodesk AutoCAD by providing authentic project experience within the program (not just random exercises) and an excellent instructor resource for questions as the project developed.
The class demonstrated the basic elements of drawings objects, editing objects, using layers to organize their drawings, dimensioning, the production of elevation views, plan production, and many drafting tricks and tips to help her become familiar and comfortable with Autodesk AutoCAD, the drafting process, file management, and ways to streamline workflows.
Ultimately, Mel was successful in the class, and was able to fill a gap the company had in their typical project lifecycle of analysis, design, engineering, and production. She continues to grow and learn today in the Autodesk AutoCAD environment and is becoming a valued drafting resource in addition to the other duties already performed as Office Manager.
KBRACE benefited from the local contact with Print O Stat in other ways, too, as the instructor was able to stop by and check in on her progress and answer a few questions on site with some over the shoulder impromptu training.
Project summary
Duration & delivery
Autodesk solutions
Services provided
Customer industry
Contractors Making the Transition to BIM
The biggest challenge for Reedy Electrical Services was not having the expertise needed to handle the increasing number of bids that require a BIM deliverable. This requirement limits the number of opportunities the customer can bid on. In addition, the secondary challenge was to keep their production levels up and continue to bid on new projects while implementing the transition from producing 2D drawings to 3D Revit models.
Food Service Equipment meets the BIM World
The key challenges were adoption of Revit as a valid design software solution and creation of custom families and schedules that would autofill schedules. Clark Food Service Equipment was currently doing everything in AutoCAD and had to make all of their schedules with Mtext. Food service equipment is not readily available in the Autodesk library so all families had to be custom made, along with parameters and shared parameters to meet a successful deployment of Revit.
Timberline Buildings Powered by AutoCAD
Timberline Buildings, located here in central PA, is a company that designs and builds pole buildings of all varieties. The company is small but mighty with three drafters, one of which has 2-3 years of self-taught experience in AutoCAD. The second drafter works in a remote capacity with years of software experience, and the third was brand new to the software. The goal for the team was to ensure that all three drafters were using the software in the most efficient manner, while also still being able to stay productive. Some of the examples of their work include fire stations, storage barns, agricultural structures, light commercial buildings, manufacturing shops, equestrian buildings, buildings for public parks and spaces, and buildings for townships, county, and other agencies.
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