Is moving from 2D CAD to 3D in Steel Detailing advantageous for small businesses?
There are a lot of advantages that 3D technology offers to the structural steel detailing industry and a majority of large companies have already evolved from 2D to 3D in order to boost their revenue, quality, and speed. However, a lot of small businesses are still hesitant to shift to 3D technology and are sticking with 2D CAD. In the current article, we will be looking at why small businesses still uses 2D CAD and also state the advantages of using 3D technology in Steel Detailing.
Why do AEC professionals in smalls businesses prefer 2D CAD?
There are a few reasons why still a few AEC professionals tend to prefer 2D CAD. Firstly, using 2D CAD might be in their comfort zone and since they have used it for a long period it would provide them with more speed and they would make fewer errors. Moreover, learning 3D technology could be a significant investment of both time and money which is not always possible. Finally, a lot of people still operate under the myth that 3D technology is more beneficial for big projects and doesn’t provide a sufficient ROI for smaller projects. That is not true as using 3D technology can be beneficial for small projects as much as big projects. Plus, yes it might be difficult for small organizations to hire new professionals or train the existing staff but they can always outsource Steel Detailing Services for more cost-effective solutions.
Benefits of using 3D technology for Steel Detailing:
1. It allows them to be more competitive:
The biggest limitation about working in 2D CAD is that it limits the options of steel fabricators the company can work with, as they can only work with those who also use 2D CAD. The number of steel fabricators that use 2D CAD today is slowly decreasing and hence by migrating to 3D small businesses could gain a completely new competitive edge. Moreover, it would allow them to increase their customer satisfaction drastically as 3D software would increase their speed and quality as well as provide them with better profit margins.
2. It prevents mistakes:
When working in 2D there are bound to be errors that occur due to lack of visualization as 2D drawings have no depth. This means there will some amount of imagination which is required in order to visualize the end deliverable and ensure that is consistent among all the stakeholders involved in the project. This is very prone to errors because of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. 3D technology with its enhanced visualization and clash detection capabilities ensures that there would be no errors during the actual onsite construction phase. This is a huge advantage as any undetected error, however small may it be, could lead to a significant cost of time, resources and money. For instance, it could take a steel beam up to 30 stories to find out that it doesn’t fit following which it would have to be brought back down, redrawn, and then refabricated. With 3D technology, it is possible to detect such errors well in advance.
3. It allows to extract 2D Drawings:
Finally, the 3D model also allows extracting 2D drawings which can be used onsite. The 3D model from which the 2D drawings are to be extracted is clash-free which means that these drawings are more accurate and would lead to seamless onsite construction. Moreover, the parametric nature of certain 3D software would mean that it is faster to make any modifications and any changes made in the model are automatically reflected in all required 2D Drawings.
Conclusion:
Thus, there are significant advantages that small businesses can gain out of migrating to 3D technology for their steel detailing requirements. Tesla CAD AU is an Architectural and Engineering firm offering superior Steel Detailing, BIM, and CAD Services. We have a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, and drafters who channel their domain-specific knowledge to provide our clients with quick deliverables at cost-effective rates.
