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MagiCAD 2019 Update Release 2
1. Integration with heating and cooling load calculation tools
[Common]
MagiCAD now enables integration with external tools for calculating heating and cooling load demands. The latest version of MagiCAD includes a new tool for preparing an export file of the Revit model, including spaces and architectural elements. After heating and cooling load calculations have been performed in an external application, MagiCAD has integrated features that allow you to import the calculation results back to Revit and apply them to space parameters. The information exchange is carried out using the standard IFC file format.
The integration between MagiCAD and external tools will improve communication and collaboration between MEP designers and energy simulation professionals. Importing the calculation results into Revit space parameters also ensures that the information is easily available in all subsequent stages of a project.
MagiCAD Group has developed the integration features in co-operation with EQUA Simulation AB. For projects where their Building Performance Simulation tool IDA ICE is used, MagiCAD also includes a tool for launching the IDA ICE Viewer that provides access to more detailed calculation results.
2. Update existing 2D symbols and assign 2D symbols to 3rd party Revit families
[Common]
You can now replace the 2D symbol of a product that is already in use in a project. Simply open the dataset, select a new symbol for the installed product and click the Update to project button. You can also assign 2D symbols to 3rd party Revit product families.
The new features add flexibility to symbol management. Designers are not locked into their original symbol selection as they can update their choice throughout a project and 3rd party products are better integrated into Revit projects expanding the materials available for designers.
3. Possibility to create provisions for products in the Provisions for Builderswork Openings tool
[Common]
It is now possible to define and assign provision objects around products with the new Product offsets setting. Using product offsets makes provision handling in the model fast and reliable and ensures that potential openings are taken into account at an early stage, thus eliminating potentially overlapping construction work.
Product offsets are available for the following product types: drainage devices, roof drains, fire hydrants, heating radiators, gas components, gas devices, combination boxes, switchboards, connection boxes, luminaires, main units, and subunits.
4. New 3D routing tool for Ventilation, Piping and Electrical
[Ventilation & Piping, Electrical]
Modelling in 3D has been made easier and faster with the new 3D routing tool. It offers a wide range of quick, helpful, and effective functions for routing work in a 3D view. You can employ both local and global coordinate systems and easily define the placement, direction and length of your MEP elements. Numerous short cuts and visual tools will also help to improve 3D modelling productivity. Although the 3D routing tool is primarily used for modelling in a 3D view, it can be used in a 2D view as well.
5. More flexible installation options for MEP components
[Ventilation & Electrical]
It is now possible to install luminaires, air devices and other MEP components according to the ceiling grid of an architectural model. You can either place individual components or an array. The components are automatically centered in the ceiling grid and tiles regardless of the shape and orientation of the ceiling. You can now also rotate components after placement to edit your installation plan.
6. Automatic sizing and calculations for duct and pipe segments with outlets
[Calculations, Ventilation & Piping]
Earlier versions of MagiCAD were unable to change the main duct or pipe size at outlet points, since the duct or pipe was handled as a single object. With a new sizing option in MagiCAD you can now split a duct whenever the size needs to be changed at an outlet. The feature then calculates and uses the optimal size on both sides of the outlet. If the same duct or pipe size is good on both sides of an outlet, the feature will remove the split and join the elements together. This removes the time-consuming work of adding and editing splits manually and performing calculations.
7. New calculation options for ventilation and piping projects
[Calculations, Ventilation & Piping]
Many time-saving enhancements have been made to MagiCAD calculation features. For ventilation projects, MagiCAD calculations now support elbows with guide vanes (if these have been defined in product data) and account for the inside lining of ducts. Air terminal sound level calculation also includes the additional sound-level filter options No filter, C-Filter and NR filter, whereas only the A-filter option was previously available. You can also select whether to use 4 dB (10 sab) room attenuation for the air terminals.
In piping projects, you can now choose whether to use manufacturer specific Zeta values (pressure drop coefficients) for fittings.
8. New options for pressure drop calculations
[Calculations, Ventilation]
Pressure drop calculation is used in early design stages for estimating the pressure drops of a network. There are three options for pressure drop calculcation:
- Calculate the pressure drops with MagiCAD data uses the information of the installed products in the network. This option is closest to balancing.
- Use pressure drops defined in the dataset allows the user to override the pressure drops from the MagiCAD database and use the given pressure drop.
- Use pressure drops defined within project settings only calculates the pressure drop of the ducts and fittings and then adds the pressure drops defined in project settings.
9. Preview your work in real time and save time with new pipe connection options
[Piping]
The Pipe Connection tool now displays a real-time preview of the piping connection being made. Seeing the connection updated as you work reduces the need to try out various routing settings and makes for more efficient use of the connection functionality.
Piping design has also been made faster and easier with several new options. You can now define pipe series and insulation series for connecting pipes. Although the main pipe settings are used by default for connecting pipes, you can now select another pipe series when needed. You can also define the height level of connecting pipes according to already installed pipes. In addition to radiators, the Pipe Connection tool is now also available for climate beams, domestic water devices, fan coil units and other pipe devices.
10. Use flexible connection pipes for sprinkler connections
[Sprinkler]
MagiCAD now allows you to select fixed length flexible pipes for the final section of a sprinkler connection pipe. Although the preceding sections of a sprinkler connection pipe are always made with the pipe series of the main pipe, flexible pipes are often used for the final section in order to have better adaptability during installation.
11. Easier wire type selection and improved usability in electrical calculations
[Electrical]
It is now much easier to edit circuits according to the results of electrical calculations. After a calculation has been completed you can select a wire type for each circuit directly from the calculation dialogue. This means that you no longer need to first close the dialogue, and then manually find and edit circuits and wire types according to the calculated values. In addition, the calculation module displays information if a value is missing and you can easily locate parameters that are missing values with the Show function. Parameter naming in the calculation dialogue has also been made more logical, unnecessary discrimination warnings have been removed, and Revit’s Rating values in circuits are now synchronized with MagiCAD Rating values when the latter are updated based on calculation results.
12. Better indication of elevation changes in cable containment systems
[Electrical]
You can now add arrow symbols to printout views to indicate elevation changes in cable containment systems. The arrows can be generated, and regenerated, for vertically slanted cable containment segments in the active printout view and you can easily select whether to show or hide them.
13. Improved circuit management
[Electrical]
You can now delete or reset circuits in switchboard schematic sheets in the Manage Circuits function. Deleting a circuit will remove all circuit data, the schematic symbol and the circuit link to the project model. Resetting a circuit will remove circuit data except for the schematic symbol and protective device data. Linked circuits cannot be reset.
In addition, a new MC Cable Number parameter has been added for circuits and wires. You can update the circuit values for supply cables with the Update Wire Data function. For other cables, the values can be generated with the Merge Parameters or Spreadsheet Export/Import functions. The parameter is supported in switchboard schematics with an “AN” label.
14. Symbol type selection for converted 2D symbols
[Electrical]
You can now convert the 2D symbol of a product into a generic model (Fixed size option) or a generic annotation (Size by scale option) in case the symbol does not have a ready-made Revit family available. This is the case with symbol databases that have been converted from MagiCAD for AutoCAD, as well as with some native databases.
