Progman, a Glodon Group company that has been specializing in software and services for the building industry for 35 years, has released the latest version of its flagship building information modeling (BIM) platform, MagiCAD 2018 Update Release 2 (UR-2).

Progman’s products are developed in Finland and are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In keeping with its commitment to providing its customers with intelligent solutions that help make daily engineering and design easier, faster and more profitable, the company’s latest release, MagiCAD 2018 UR-2 for Revit and AutoCAD, is now available for download and introduces new features for MagiCAD Ventilation, Piping, Electrical and Room modules. Here’s a closer look at some of those new features.

Simulate the operation of ventilation systems— MagiCAD 2018 UR-2 enables users to evaluate how a ventilation system will perform in a building long before the system is built or installed. Using the software, flow distribution can be calculated for different fan settings and damper positions. This BIM feature helps ensure that an economical and efficient system is designed. This feature is also available in the AutoCAD module.

Use an extended set of standard connections with rectangular ducts— Designing duct connections can be a time-consuming process, especially when the ducts you are connecting are different sizes. This new feature helps you save time by automating duct connections using standard (15, 30, 45, 60 and 90) bends. You can connect either two duct ends or a duct end to the side of another duct. Even if the ducts you are designing are not the same size or height, MagiCAD automatically adds the necessary reducer when creating the connection.

Install access panels in ventilation projects— This MagiCAD release includes blocks for multiple types of access panels, including circular, semicircular, flat surface-based panels as well as end cap panels. Having these premodeled blocks to choose from means easy installation and management of access panels for a fully designed ventilation system. Not having to model these items from scratch saves time, and we all know that time equals money.

Select and configure S parts and Y branch fittings— Another time-saving function in the latest MagiCAD release is the ability to select, configure and install S parts and Y branch fittings directly from the MagiCAD toolbar when designing and modeling the system. All you need to do is select the relevant fitting type, enter the connector sizes, and install them.

Create flange definitions for rectangular ducts— You can design the best ventilation system possible, but if you haven’t taken into account commercially available standard duct lengths, you’re going to rack up custom fabrication costs very quickly that could potentially eliminate any savings you’d hoped to achieve with an efficient design. MagiCAD allows you to create ductwork flange definitions. The MagiCAD Split Segments tool allows designers to divide the duct system into standard lengths and then assign flange definitions from the dataset for individual duct instances and fittings. This enables you to identify individual duct parts and count them correctly when generating bills of materials and when ordering products from manufacturers.

Perform calculations based on actual product temperature difference— Accurate flow data is essential for sizing pipes and pumps. Utilizing the new temperature difference setting with fan coil units, climate beams, heaters and so on, the flow and pressure drop values are automatically recalculated, which enables more accurate flow data for sizing and pressure drop calculations.

Use Find and Replace with combination boxes— The new Find and Replace function can now replace Revit assemblies with other assemblies and reestablish circuit connections by connecting the matching new elements to the existing circuits. Identifying data like running index data and Object IDs are transferred to the new objects within the assemblies.

Benefit from improved switchboard schematics— With this latest release, you no longer have to make changes separately using the Manage Circuits dialog. By utilizing the Set Circuit Properties function, you can now define circuit data for preselected circuits directly after they have been added to a project, which greatly streamlines the process. You can view the circuit list with all the symbols used in the schematics, making it easier to review the entire system.

Connect devices and switchboards using area selection and system-based filtering— The new Host Area function makes it easier for users to connect data devices to a host, as well as provides new filtering options for connecting devices from only the selected systems. It allows you to automatically connect completed circuits, as well as all data devices, to the host. In addition, a new systems filter for both the Switchboard Area and Host Area allow you to select desired systems for a selected area, and connect only the devices from the selected systems to the switchboard or host.

Visualize insulated pipes and ducts in single line presentation— It can be problematic if you are trying to design a system in which you must fit multiple insulated pipes into a small space and you forget to take into account the diameter of the insulation around the pipes themselves. With this latest version of MagiCAD, insulated ducts and pipes can be visualized with a user-configurable line type in single line presentation. In addition to plan drawings, the insulated pipes and ducts will also be presented visually in axonometric drawings generated with MagiCAD.

Add configurable beams and columns with MagiCAD Room— This release also includes new user-friendly tools for modeling beams and columns in varying lengths. The shapes and dimensions of the beams and columns are stored in the project. When adding beams and columns to the model, you can either define a fixed length, or define the length when modeling each beam or column.