U.S. CAD? Named Southern California's and Hawaii's Exclusive Reseller of Sustainable Design Software for Use With Autodesk® Revit®

Costa Mesa, Calif. (PRWEB) February 11, 2008 -- U.S. CAD, Inc. (formerly L.A. CAD), the Western U.S.'s largest provider of computer-aided design (CAD) consulting, training and support services, and its largest Autodesk® solutions reseller, has been named Southern California's and Hawaii's exclusive reseller of Integrated Environmental Solutions' (IES's) building performance modeling software  a powerful tool in the green building design movement. Offering both performance analysis and building information management (BIM) capabilities within the same platform, IES's software links directly to Autodesk Revit Architecture 2008 and Revit MEP 2008 to provide powerful new functionality for sustainable building design.

"U.S. CAD and our customers are at the forefront of the building information modeling and sustainable design movements, and we're pleased to be the only Autodesk reseller in Southern California and Hawaii to offer the IES Virtual Environment tools," said Daniel Hebert, U.S. CAD's vice president of building solutions. "Autodesk Revit and IES Virtual Environment enable building professionals to accurately model and visualize their facility, and thereby have more reliable information for design decision-making, energy consumption, construction planning and, eventually, the facility's management and operation."

Powerful 'Plug-in' for Revit Architecture

IES has developed a toolbar that "plugs in" to Autodesk's Revit Architecture 2008, providing a direct link to the Virtual Environment software and IES's new architect-orientated Virtual Environment Toolkits. The Toolkits are designed to allow architects to undertake top-level building simulation analysis, facilitating sustainable design with a few clicks. This development enables the Revit Architecture BIM model to be easily imported into IES's unique system of integrated building performance analysis tools. Core aspects of a building's performance can be assessed without any special simulation knowledge or the need to re-input geometry data. The user doesn't even need to leave the Revit environment to use the core analysis tools in the VE Toolkits.

Added Capabilities for Revit MEP

Autodesk Revit MEP 2008 provides an interface where the user can assign construction and room-type properties for the building. New, built-in features calculate ASHRAE heating and cooling loads for the building, and these loads are used to size the HVAC plant and ductwork sizes in the proposed design. IES provides the core engine for these calculations. IES also provides additional tools that can make use of the extra detail in the model. By clicking the VE button within the MEP interface, the model is transferred and the VE Toolkits are displayed.

The reports and movies that the VEToolkits can produce expose a level of insight and understanding of performance that was previously unavailable. This allows architects and engineers to make informed decisions about orientation, layout, form and construction. Generating such high-quality building performance information at the early stage of the design process makes it easier to design sustainable, low-energy buildings.

The VE Toolkits are exclusive to Autodesk Revit, uniquely levering sustainability and LEED compliance into BIM projects.

U.S. CAD will host free informational seminars on IES's Virtual Environment software in Southern California and Hawaii during the first week of March. The seminars will be held March 3 in Los Angeles; March 4 in Costa Mesa; March 5 in San Diego; and March 7 in Honolulu. For more details, visit www.uscad.com.

About IES

Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) Ltd. is an innovative company at the forefront of the use and development of powerful software simulation tools which help architects, engineers, facilities managers, and all those involved in the development and management of building design and maintain truly sustainable properties. The company's services and products aid significantly in the provision of healthier and more energy efficient built environments. For more information, visit www.iesve.com.

About U.S. CAD

Based in Costa Mesa, Calif., U.S. CAD, Inc. is a major provider of computer-aided design (CAD) consulting, training and support services, and Autodesk software solutions. Specializing in the civil, mechanical and architectural design, building-engineering and geospatial industries, the company provides technical expertise and customized training to deliver superior customer solutions. Customers value U.S. CAD's quality instruction from Autodesk Approved Instructors, and its flexible training options, including modular mobile training labs. With Autodesk Authorized Training Centers at its Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, San Diego and Honolulu, Hawaii locations, U.S. CAD has become the Autodesk provider of choice for many of the West's leading CAD-related companies. For more information, visit www.uscad.com.

U.S. CAD and L.A. CAD are trademarks of U.S. CAD, Inc.

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