Meet Our Latest Design Platform Release: hsbDesign 27 for Revit®

At hsbcad, we're reshaping today's construction industry into a sustainable and innovative tomorrow with solutions that take your design, manufacturing, and assembly experience to new heights. With that goal in mind, we’re pleased to introduce our latest hsbDesign release: hsbDesign 27 for Revit®

For context, hsbDesign is a platform developed with the goal of providing you with more flexibility, detail, and precision within Revit® and AutoCAD®, when designing for manufacture and assembly in offsite timber construction. It's the foundational platform upon which we've created a range of dynamic toolsets that eliminate the redundancies associated with 2D and 3D designs:

  • Enhancing design flexibility to bring your project to life without traditional constraints
  • Enhancing collaboration and reducing errors by establishing a single source of truth
  • Enhancing process automation so you can focus more on your designs
  • Preventing data loss to CNC machines to ensure your designs are accurately manufactured, assembled, and BIM compliant (WYDIMAB).

Our latest upgrade, hsbDesign 27 for Revit®, is packed with exciting new features that will boost your capabilities within Revit® and enable you to execute complex designs with more ease and efficiency than ever before. Read on to find out more about how hsbDesign 27 for Revit® can help you enhance your workflow, reduce complexity, and broaden your design horizons.

What's New in hsbDesign 27 for Revit®?

To give you a better idea of how hsbDesign 27 for Revit® can elevate your experience, we’ve grouped each of the new features into 2 categories:

  • In the limelight: The updates we think you’ll be most excited about
  • General updates: Updates that build on existing features to boost your experience 

Let’s get started!

In the limelight

Customize your workflow with Autodesk Dynamo integration packages

hsbDesign 27 now integrates with Autodesk Dynamo, providing users with enhanced flexibility to customize and optimize their workflows. This integration automates manual design processes, significantly saving time and increasing efficiency during the design phase. 

Functionalities include importing framing styles, overriding details, assigning elements to item containers, generation of item containers, and exporting. This integration empowers users to tailor the software's capabilities to their specific project needs.

Reduced file size

hsbDesign 27 significantly reduces the file size of projects with numerous connections and edge detail families. Now, there will only be one connection and one edge detail family. Users can easily customize or override these through the customize command, optimizing project storage without sacrificing detail.

Multilingual support

The detail editor in hsbDesign 27 now features multilingual support, catering to a global user base. It is fully translated into English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, making the software more accessible to non-English speakers and enhancing the user experience across diverse geographical regions.

Create custom item container labels

Our enhanced formatting engine makes it possible for users to customize the labels displayed on item containers (e.g., enabling you to show the framing style alongside the item container number). This would help ensure that essential information is immediately visible and tailored to your specific project needs.

Get enhanced project information output 

Project information is now automatically incorporated into various exports using the default parameters, ensuring consistent and detailed documentation across your outputs.

General updates

Flip your item containers with ease

Item containers can now be flipped 180 degrees to better adapt to your project requirements.

Compound ceiling connections

Compound ceilings in hsbDesign 27 have enhanced versatility. They can now be utilized to attach specific framing styles and facilitate construction, functioning similarly to floors in connection scenarios. 

Overwrite item container framing styles 

The framing style of an item container can now be overwritten. The connections within the design will now reflect the new style rather than the original.

Distribute the frame based on grid elements

In hsbDesign 27, grid elements can be used for the distribution of the frame. Each perpendicular intersection of a grid with an item container will automatically trigger the placement of a beam, making the process more automated and convenient. 

Distribute your frame based on a distribution point

hsbDesign 27 introduces the ability to distribute frames through a 'distribution point' family. This innovative approach uses a virtual grid, defined by the position and rotation of the distribution point family, to determine where beams should be placed when they intersect with item containers. 

Use Revit assemblies in framed item containers

In hsbDesign 27, you can now integrate Revit assemblies directly into your framed item containers. These can be displayed in your item container shop drawings or created as separate shop drawings. Furthermore, the assemblies are fully compatible with our export functionalities, ensuring that all your components are accurately represented.

Incorporate dummy beams 

hsbDesign 27 introduces the ability to add dummy beams to your designs. These beams will not be created in the model but can help you build the correct geometry for your design.

Manually recalculate blocking, lifting, pockets, vents, and point load tools

hsbDesign 27 now offers manual recalculation capabilities for blocking, lifting, pocket, vent, and point load tools. This feature allows users to manually adjust tool settings without the need to regenerate the entire item container. This enhancement saves time and increases efficiency by allowing for precise, on-the-fly adjustments during the design process.

Configure and run extensions on both framed and manually adjusted item containers

With the new Group Extension Runner in hsbDesign 27, you can easily configure and run extensions on both framed and/or manually adjusted item containers. One good example of this feature's capabilities is to automatically add nail and saw lines to the item containers, taking into account manual adjustments to your frame.

Add beams with type and property settings using our improved dialog

hsbDesign 27’s enhanced dialog makes it possible for you to add beams with customizable type and property settings.

Arrange your objects in the detail editor

Layer utilities can be used to arrange certain objects. This functionality enables users to move objects to the foreground or background with ease, allowing for faster and smoother creation of your details.

Use embedded images for clearer zone filler settings 

To improve user understanding and interaction with zone filler settings, hsbDesign 27 now includes embedded explanatory images. These visuals clearly depict the properties and behaviors of different settings, aiding designers in making informed decisions about how zones are filled and managed within their projects.

Use background filtering for your plugin list to get a better overview

Your plugin list is now automatically filtered in the background using tags from the framing style editor and group extension manager. This enhances your overview, enabling you to swiftly identify and apply the most relevant plugins for your current project context.

Get bulge support for saw and milling lines

Saw and milling lines have been enhanced to support bulges, enabling the creation of arc segments. This improvement allows for rounded or circular openings for MEP holes.

Use rotation line in connection details

You can now incorporate a rotation line in your connection details, a feature previously limited to edge details only.

Revit Support

hsbDesign 27 for Revit will only support Revit 2022, 2023, and 2024. Support for 2025 will come in the near future.

Try hsbDesign 27 Today!

Ready to try hsbDesign 27 for Revit®? Click here to access your free trial or request a demo from your local office to see hsbDesign in action. You can also check out hsbacademy for more details about hsbDesign 27 for Revit® and how it can help boost your design experience, and visit our YouTube channel to watch the tutorials we have prepared for this new version!

Download Press Release
Autor:
Renè Strack
Business Development Manager