Transforming an initial idea into a concept design is a complex process. It requires understanding project requirements like context, program, budget, and functionality and rapidly iterating—usually with a team—to arrive at a concept, leading to multiple iterations at an early stage.
A common frustration among architects is that concept tools today are either too rigid for design exploration or don’t integrate well with BIM tools—forcing them to either constrain their design to the tool or spend days re-working a concept model on Revit to transition to schematic and detailed design.
Snaptrude is building a tool that makes the entire conceptual design-to-construction process efficient, collaborative, and flexible. A newly released wave of updates designed for quick iterations during the early design stages and high-fidelity interoperability with Revit allows designers to go from program requirements to BIM faster than ever before.
Import Your Program Data or Existing Context
Architects start projects with a brief from their clients that includes a list of spaces and their areas. They spend a lot of time drawing these out to visually compare the volume of each function before beginning space planning.
After talking with a number of major firms, Snaptrude built and released a feature that lets you directly import your program briefs as editable 3D spaces. Upload a .csv or .xlsx file to convert spatial program data directly into 3D masses. This helps establish a spatial framework for the project, allowing more time to explore design solutions.
Alternatively, you can import your existing conditions model from Revit to continue working on tenant improvements, interior architecture, retrofit, and renovation design projects within Snaptrude's collaborative environment.
Iterative Design in Snaptrude
You can start the concept design process once your program requirements are built as masses. Bring in context and surrounding buildings from anywhere in the world and use the Design Tools to make spatial edits or draw directly with BIM objects like Walls and Floors.
Spaces in Snaptrude represent open or enclosed areas with walls, slabs, floors, and ceilings. They provide a quick and easy way to perform massing studies while also giving you the power to convert them into detailed models at any time.
This integration of BIM from the early design stages provides greater control during the transition to schematic and detailed design. As you assign function-wise labels to the spaces, their dimensions and materials adjust automatically. You can see data and metrics updates in real time, allowing you to keep track of metrics on the fly.
Collaborate With Your Team
Invite your team to collaborate in real time with one click. With shared object libraries, you can upload and assign custom properties like cost details for doors and windows to your assets and use them across projects. These properties update project data in real time and keep track of all changes to project costs with change logs, helping you make informed decisions.
When you’re ready, share live links to the model with stakeholders so they can leave comments, and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Convert Massing Models to BIM
Use the ‘Create Building’ tool to convert a massing model into a LOD 350 detailed building with walls, slabs, and flooring with one click. These elements can then be edited parametrically, with instant updates to project areas and cost calculations.
Export to Revit With No Data Loss
When you’re ready to move into the documentation process, you can export your Snaptrude model into Revit with a few clicks and no data loss.
Most standard Snaptrude BIM objects like walls, slabs, columns, and beams are converted into parametric elements in Revit, allowing you to edit object properties without redrawing them.
Snaptrude uses your existing Revit families (.rfas) to create the Revit model, preserving all parameters and metadata. Material textures are also safeguarded during transfers between Snaptrude and Revit, keeping your designs presentation-ready.
System families and custom elements like doors, windows, or furniture families can be imported into Snaptrude using RFAs, preserving data integrity. After importing objects, send them to your shared team libraries for reusability, sharing, and organization.
Snaptrude allows you to iterate on multiple design options, present your projects, and request stakeholder sign-offs. When you’re ready to continue the design process, export to Revit with high fidelity. This negates the need to remodel a conceptual design model from scratch at the BIM stage, allowing you to make design iterations faster and with more data. All this from your browser, with your team.
Find more information on Snaptrude here and learn how it is built for architects, by architects.