Category: Precast Blogs

Tek1 has detailed over 100,000 precast panels over 19 years.
over 90,000 were detailed under a proxy name Advanced Pretty Pictures Pty Ltd

PRECAST PANEL DETIAILING
EXPERT PRECAST PANEL DETIAILING
  • The Connect Handrail Command – Demo (BubbleDeck)

    A lovely picture of handrails.
    A lovely picture of handrails.

    This is a little utility which connect handrails. It does so if:

    1. The handrail block references are parallel to the panel edges, and
    2. If they are a minimum 560 mm away from the edges and
    3. If they are colinear with each other.

    Here is a demo:

    Demo – Connect Handrails Command in AutoCAD` from Tek1 on Vimeo.

  • Tek1 Adds QR Codes to Drawings backed by an App on the cloud

    Clear lines of communication is one of the keys to the success of any organisation.

    Now you can easily track and record information pertaining to panels with a QR code on each panel drawing.

    Here’s how it works:

    • You scan the QR code, if you’re on the construction site and want to find out specific information about the panel, or if you want to record information about the panel.
    • Everything is backed by an app on the web.

    In this case, we can record things like:

    • panel status
    • drafting issues/errors – pertaining to a panel (so the entire drafting process can be improved).

    Once the status is recorded, or issues are raised, this is tracked and recorded by the app.

    The basic point is that it is very difficult to track and record information pertaining to a panel throughout the entire organisation. Not anymore!

     

     

    You scan the QR code, if you’re on the construction site and want to find out specific information about the panel, or if you want to record information about the panel.
    Now you can record and communicate panel specific information to everyone in the organisation.
  • Create Truss (Process) – BubbleDeck Detailing

    Not a truss, but it looks good.
    Not a truss, but it looks good.

    A nifty little tool that automatically inserts trusses into bubble deck panels depending on:

    • Their thickness
    • their width

    And also their:

    • specified ball / void spacing.

    Please remember to select all the panel lines.

    You can see a video demo here:

    Create Truss – Tek1 Tools for BubbleDeck from Tek1 on Vimeo.

  • Drawing Metal Edges – BubbleDeck Detailing (+ Video Demo)

     

    Drawing these metal edges is time consuming and error prone.
    Drawing these metal edges is time consuming and error prone.

     

     

     

    What is the task at hand?

    You have a set of 30 panels. You need to draw metal edges around the edges of all these panels. That’s easy, but it’s subject to certain specific requirements.

     

    If it’s a Perth job then:

    • The metal edge can only be a maximum of 3.0m long.
    • Minimum distance: 0.4m long.

     

    If it’s an Adelaide job these are the metal edge requirements:

    • The metal edge can only be a maximum of 2.4m long.
    • Minimum distance: 0.4m long.

    That means you may need to do some maths. And you actually have to draw the things in. It’s a royal pain, and more than likely, you’ll make mistakes.

     

    Video Demonstration of the Draw Metal Edges Tool

    This tool obviates the need for manual calculations and drawing by hand. Chances of pick point errors and wrongly stipulating an unmakable and unorderable metal edge is there by significantly diminished.

     

    Here is a video demonstration:

     

    Draw Metal Edges from Tek1 on Vimeo.

  • Identifying Duplicate Panel Names (+Video Demo)

    How are you going to identify one duplicate in a sea where everything looks the same?
    How are you going to identify one duplicate in a sea where everything looks the same?

    Duplicates are a problem – an expensive problem, especially if you are dealing with hundreds and perhaps even over a thousand panels. Somebody cocks up – usually on the client side – but how are you meant to identify it?

    You could manually do it, but then that will more than likely take a long time. Or you could just employ Tek1 to do that sort of thing for you. Here is a video demonstration:

    Identify Duplicate Panel Names In Precast Panel Detailing from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    Features:

    • It can work for all clients with only very minor modifications. Very well abstracted out in the code.
    • It is super fast. Comparing the thousands of elements in each drawing takes a bit of computing power – but with smart algorithms, you can cut down the time.
    • It can work in the marking plan and elevation or layout. The same code, the same command, but x3 the power.

     

    Example of Well Abstracted Code:

     

  • Comparing Panels Demo – This Time from the Shop Drawing to the Elevation!

    Showing a sample elevation panel with deliberately misplaced panel elements.
    Showing a sample elevation panel with deliberately misplaced panel elements.

    This is big. Huuuuge! I’ve talked before about our ability to easily cross check between the Layout and Shop drawings. Now you can cross check from the other direction – when you are in the shop drawing, you can now check the corresponding panel which exists in the layout.

    You can clearly see any differences.

    So now if someone moves a ferrule or a cast in plate etc. you will be able to easily see those changes.

    It could save you from some expensive errors.
    Here is the demo. I hope you enjoy it!

    Compare and Import Difference From the Layout Into Shop Drawings from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    Features:

    • It can work for all clients with only very minor modifications. Very well abstracted out in the code.
    • It is super fast. Comparing the thousands of elements in each drawing takes a bit of computing power – but with smart algorithms, you can cut down the time.
    • It works for all sorts of edge cases – what if the panel was made up of arcs, polylines and straight lines – this plugin can handle all sorts of things. It can also handle voids.
  • Generating Bubble Deck Precast Order Forms From Excel To AutoCAD (Bubble Deck, AutoCAD .net)

    Ordering thousands of items in a layout is not easy. Order efficiently with Tek1!
    Ordering thousands of items in a layout is not easy. Order efficiently with Tek1!

    This is a demonstration of how we use Excel-Add ins and AutoCAD plugins to simplify the process by which order forms are created for Precast panel jobs.

    Please watch the below video:

     

    Print Bubble Deck Order Forms from Tek1 on Vimeo.

  • Checking for Panels with Nibs – Precast Detailing (+ Video Demo inside)

    A gif showing how easy it is to check for nibs on bubble deck slabs using my command.

    A gif showing how easy it is to check for nibs on bubble deck slabs using my command. There are certain panels which we have that have protruding elements – salient features. These can be problematic if they go to production unnoticed. Given there are entire teams of people doing things, it can be hard to track – people forget that they cannot draw a panel with such a dimension.

    This is a plug in which enables one to easily identify all such panels with nibs like this:

     

    There is a need to identify panels with protruding features because they could be problematic if fabricated.
    There is a need to identify panels with protruding features because they could be problematic if fabricated.

     

    Here is a video demonstration:

    Bubble Deck Detailing – checking for panels with salient features from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    Summary:

    • This procedure and command saves us and the fabricator a lot of time and money.
  • Ferrule Comparison – How to check for clashes in the starter bars for two adjacent panels (Demo Video)

    How are you going to ensure that the starter bars do not clash? You’ve got 1000s of panels to detail and a dozen detailers working on different projects. How are you going to manage this?

     

    What is the problem?

    Consider this situation – you’re got a marking plan in front of  you. You want to make sure that the ferrules in corner panels do not clash. How are you going to do that?

    How would you solve the problem?

    You’d have to find the corner panels, and then go to the appropriate drawing – both of them mind you – and you’d have to make sure that they are at different heights. That can get very tedious and it’s very time consuming, and more than likely, you’ll make some mistakes – because the panel elevations might not be adjacent to each other.

    It’s not the easiest thing to see and compare in AutoCAD.

    What is a better way to solve the problem?

    But now you have a tool which allows you to easily compare the heights of the ferrules in two panels, straight from the marking plan.

    There’s a lot of code and logic which goes with this. Perhaps I will outline it in another blog post.

    Code Synopsis

    For a very, very brief description of the overall route used, you can check out the code synopsis from my sister blog here. There I post the base class and interfaces used to derive the result – but have excluded all the implementation details.

    Video Demonstration

    Here is the video demonstration – and yet another example of the type of technologies and innovations you will have at your disposal if you work with us:

    Checking for Clashes in Starter Bars between different panels from Tek1 on Vimeo.

    We’re always pushing for better, faster and more efficient.