After the successful merger of Precast Software Engineering and Allplan almost two years ago, the next joint milestone was achieved in October 2022: the integration of precast design workflows in Allplan.​

With the inclusion of numerous functions for precast design, the Allplan AEC 2023 version offers a common BIM solution for the building lifecycle, from design to precast design, to manufacturing and construction. Specifically, the complete range of functions of Planbar, one of the most innovative planning solutions in the precast sector, has been included in Allplan AEC. As a result, engineering offices, precast manufacturers, and construction companies can now model precast concrete elements of any complexity directly in Allplan.

Seamless information flows with the integration of Planbar

The joint version offers numerous advantages to existing Planbar users: all Planbar users with a current Serviceplus contract receive free access to additional Allplan tools, such as the Open BIM collaboration platform, Bimplus, or the home office and remote solution, Allplan Share. In addition, former Planbar users have access to further functions for cost planning, civil structures, and much more. Since Allplan AEC is available in numerous languages and regional versions, this facilitates cross-border collaboration between engineers and manufacturers. Thanks to the intelligent views and sections functionalities in Allplan, customers benefit from a higher- quality plans. The administration effort is also significantly lower because installation and licensing are only required once.

New precast element functions in version 2023

Merging Planbar and Allplan not only simplifies project coordination, but also enables new, even more efficient workflows. For example, precast elements can be created quickly using functions in Allplan as well as PythonParts. A special precast highlight in Allplan AEC 2023 is the Smart Converter, which interprets and analyzes stair drawings (2D or 3D). It then corrects angles if necessary and transforms the drawings into manufacturable, fully parametric stair models.

A proven feature for precast design is the unique Elementplan technology. Thanks to this, Allplan automatically generates shop drawings – including reinforcement, fixtures, and dimensioning. In version 2023, the layout catalog has been expanded to include numerous setting options. As a result, the layouts for shop drawings can now be customized even further.

Allplan offers numerous simplifications when it comes to handling fixtures. For example, the identifier checks whether precast elements with their specific fixtures and reinforcements are identical to other objects. A new feature in version 2023 is that fixtures can now be created using Python scripts. This opens up completely new perspectives for the fixture functionalities. For example, Allplan can automatically calculate the correct positions and diameters for necessary drill holes based on the dimensions of a steel plate. Parametric size changes are also easy and convenient to implement. Definable rules additionally increase the degree of automation. Dennis Hansen, BIM and ICT manager at Contiga Tinglev, is impressed: "The availability of associative views and sections on drawings that contain reinforcement makes our work much easier. This is because we often create sections of an area and then send it as a 3D PDF in case we need to clarify something with the customer. The fact that the properties of openings, for example, can now be changed directly in the properties menu also saves noticeable time," he explains.

Allplan Precast:
Highly automated design of walls and slabs

Allplan Precast offers sophisticated planning workflows for wall and slab production for precast manufacturers in addition to the full range of functions in Allplan AEC, such as automatic divisions, automatic basic reinforcement, or automatic calculation of transport anchors. In addition, Allplan Precast enables precise preparation of production-relevant documents and data and includes numerous interfaces to production machines for smooth information flows.

Optimized processes in precast plants with Tim 2023

Successful precast design requires perfect work preparation and quality assured data for production, commercial systems, and BIM applications. To meet these needs, the Competence Center Allplan Precast developed Tim|work. Tim assists in numerous routine tasks, provides greater efficiency and accuracy, and helps eliminate errors. Version 2023 offers numerous further developments for even more user-friendliness and performance: such as the improved import of UNICAM and PXML data, numerous shortcuts, as well as the possibility to use several Explorer windows simultaneously.