ARCHITECTURAL TOOLS

DoubleCAD™ XT PRO includes an integrated suite of architectural tools that accelerate productivity in 2D design and drafting, or in the documentation of existing compatible 3D architectural models. The DoubleCAD AEC objects are AutoCAD® Architecture (ACA) compatible so that .DWG models with ACA extensions may be read, modified, and documented as needed.

Using self-healing walls is dramatically faster than designing with standard double line tools. The DoubleCAD XT PRO wall tool includes compound wall definitions to generate multiple-component walls with separate design parameters such as width, offset, and even hatches to represent each material within the wall. Because AutoCAD includes object enablers for AEC wall objects, a 2D design from DoubleCAD XT PRO will keep its self-healing properties even when modified in the basic AutoCAD, or AutoCAD LT®, neither of which includes the tools necessary to create the architectural objects.

The integration of the tools facilitates productivity: create a roof automatically by selecting the walls; add a railing to stairs with a click; drop in a schedule and see all the elements generated on the fly.

And with Version 2, all the architectural objects now have full 3D capabilities so that elevations, floorplans, and ISO views are easier to document. There are many other improvements to the tools, including many more door and window types and shapes, terrain capabilities, and more.

Using the wall, stair, and other tools can be an effective way to kick off a project to be designed in a 3D application. Explode the walls and bring the file into SketchUp™, create faces from the outline: begin extruding the walls and add depth to the slab, add doors, windows, and other details. Then bring the .SKP back into DoubleCAD XT PRO to prepare elevations, add dimensions, and complete your construction documentation.