Architectural Desktop

adt.jpg (13036 bytes) Architectural Desktop is the premier industry application for architectural design development and construction documentation. Architectural Desktop gives you the ability to increase your design productivity by ensuring that your documents are well coordinated through its use of standardization tools and construction documentation routines. This coordination reduces errors and minimizes project design time. It also enables you to design in 2D or 3D as needed, providing a smooth transition from CAD-drafting to model-based design.

Overview

Packed with new and enhanced features, Autodesk® Architectural Desktop software improves productivity, coordination, collaboration, and visualization.

Higher Productivity - Automate Tedious Drafting Tasks

  • Intelligent architectural objects such as doors, walls, and windows have logical relationships and automatically update to reflect design changes.
  • Direct manipulation of architectural objects allows for in-place editing in the design space without cumbersome dialog boxes.
  • The redesigned interface with new tool and property palettes accommodates a more intuitive, visual workstyle, requiring fewer clicks to get the job done.

Improved Coordination - Do the Work Once

  • Dynamically linked design and documentation ensures that any design work you do is reflected in your construction documents, reducing errors and omissions.
  • Automated file and level management provides an intuitive means to accurately assemble and view your designs.
  • Automated documentation routines enable you to efficiently extract specific data from your designs, such as sections, elevations, and schedules.

Better Collaboration - Work with Your Extended Design Team

  •  Integrated tools enable you to easily collaborate with your extended design team to get the project done efficiently.
  • Smooth exchange of design data with team members whether they use AutoCAD®, Autodesk® Building Systems, Autodesk® Revit®, Autodesk® Architectural Studio, Autodesk® VIZ, or 3ds max software or the Autodesk® Buzzsaw online project collaboration service.
  • Third-party applications that address estimating, facilities management, and specific niche markets enable you to extract valuable information from your design that can be used downstream throughout the lifecycle of the building.

Enhanced Visualization - Communicate Your Design Intent
With the new VIZ Render visualization feature, you can quickly communicate your design intent with photorealistic 3D modeling, rendering, and animation, without having to export your design. Whenever you update your design, the VIZ Render file automatically updates as well.

 

Features

1. Streamlined User Interface 
Autodesk Architectural Desktops' streamlined user interface improves on traditional design software in terms of look, feel, and overall functionality. With less focus on dialog boxes and more emphasis on designing directly in the workspace, the new interface provides process-focused tools that make the software easier to use.

2. Tool Palettes
Tool palettes provide access to Autodesk Architectural Desktop tools, such as walls, doors, and windows, in a single, consistent user interface. Highly visual tool palettes include a preview of each style. What's more, you can create a set of custom tool palettes that address your specific design needs and then group these tool palettes into project-based catalogs. Because both tool palettes and catalogs use i-drop® technology, you can post them externally on an intranet, the Web, or the new Content Browser.

3. Content Browser
The new Content Browser provides quick access to catalogs, tool palettes, and design content in the form of blocks and multiview blocks. The Content Browser is the central location for project-based tools and content, ensuring that every member of your design team has access to the most up-to-date tools. Because the Content Browser uses i-drop technology, team members can drag standard, project-based, and manufacturers content into their drawings from an intranet or over the Web.

4. Direct Manipulation 
With direct manipulation you can make design modifications or explore alternative design possibilities directly in the drawing, without using dialog boxes. This streamlined approach enhances productivity by keeping you focused on the task at hand. Direct manipulation functionality has been implemented for all Autodesk Architectural Desktop building model objects. You can easily make design changes using either grip manipulation or in-place object editing.

5. Materials 
A new addition to Autodesk Architectural Desktop, materials provide graphic and nongraphic detail to your drawings for design, documentation, and visualization purposes. You can attach materials to building model objects and their respective components for even greater visual detail. For example, you can now specify different materials for a door panel, frame, stop, and glass components. Style-based materials further enhance coordination among your design and construction documents; if you change the material of a wall and its individual components, all sections and elevations derived from that wall also update.

6. Drawing Management 
Easily create and manage projects and levels, and automate sheet and schedule creation. By enhancing coordination, drawing management tools ensure consistency throughout all aspects of the project. You can be assured that everyone on your design team is accessing the most current documents such as project templates from a centralized location.

7. VIZ Render 
Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2004 introduces VIZ Render, its new advanced visualization and rendering tool incorporating industry-leading technology from Discreet, the creators of 3ds max and Autodesk® VIZ software. Featuring fully automated data linking, VIZ Render provides a visualization solution that is effectively integrated into the Autodesk Architectural Desktop environment, enhancing design workflow.

Easy to use, VIZ Render provides a streamlined, interactive environment for exploring material finishes and lighting. It also offers a range of rendering and presentation options for communicating and marketing design intent.

8. Enhanced Scheduling
The Autodesk Architectural Desktop scheduling features provide the ability to track any object in a drawing. Because schedules are dynamically linked to your design data, they automatically update as your design changes. You can easily create accurate schedules from the building model, helping to increase productivity. You can create schedule tables with page breaks, tag objects through xrefs, and create schedules of external drawings, even of your completed building information model.

9. AutoCAD 2004 Functionality
Because Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2004 is built on AutoCAD® 2004 software, you have all the functionality of the latest version of AutoCAD, including performance, plotting, and file-sharing enhancements that simplify collaboration with professionals who need access only to 2D (DWG) design data. With the Export to AutoCAD feature, you can easily export your designs to AutoCAD DWG and DXF formats without using object enablers.

10. Flexible Software Licensing
Powerful new FLEXlm® 8.3 functionality helps you get the full benefit from your Autodesk Architectural Desktop licenses. With license borrowing you can install a time-limited license on your computer while disabling the license on the server for that same period. You can then use the license on your computer without a connection to the license server. License borrowing is a great benefit if you need to take your computer on a business trip or occasionally work from home.

 

System Requirements

  • Intel® Pentium® 4 1.4 GHz or later or AMD-K7® 1.4 HZ or better
  • Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (SP1 or later), Windows XP Home Edition (SP1 or later), Windows 2000 (SP3 or later), or Windows NT® 4.0 SP (6a or later) operating system
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 650 MB free hard disk space and 75 MB swap space
  • 1024x768 VGA video display 
  • Windows video display driver 
  • Pointing device (mouse or digitizer with Wintab driver) 
  • 4X CD-ROM drive 
  • Serial port (for digitizers and some plotters) 
  • Printer or plotter 
  • Modem (connection to Internet) with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
  • Sound card for multimedia learning 
  • TCP/IP or IPX support (required only for multiuser or floating license configurations)