Allplan is a comprehensive design software system created for architects and engineers worldwide. As an open BIM platform, it supports over 50 file formats—including DXF, DWG, PDF, and IFC—ensuring seamless data exchange and cross-border collaboration across different systems.
Allplan Precast is specialized design software tailored for prefabrication factories. It covers the entire workflow from CAD architectural design and BIM processes to detailed component disassembly design.
Added Value
Allplan Precast offers a 3D visualization during the quotation process, serving as a foundation for accurate and error-free billing. Compared to traditional cost accounting methods, it reduces costs while ensuring safety in both design and budgeting.
Good design anticipates implementation challenges. Allplan Precast transforms design, evaluation, production, and process insights into digital data that automatically informs production, logistics, and settlement in a one-to-one correspondence.
Prefabrication factories typically receive design documents in paper or electronic formats, aiming to quickly and precisely convert these into prefabricated components. Allplan efficiently reads these files—usually in DXF, DWG, or IFC formats—and intelligently segments prefabricated components. Each section is automatically divided to meet construction, production, transportation, and installation requirements.
While automation handles much of the process, users can selectively intervene, adding necessary details to the automatically generated results. For potential changes that might affect panel generation, Allplan Precast also accommodates these adjustments. Advanced automation equipment, such as automated formwork machines, recognize the contours of prefabricated parts, while automatic concrete pouring machines identify reserved holes on panels—no additional input is needed, as Allplan Preview directly provides this information.
Industrial Design
Efficient Parameterized Component Design
As prefabricated component production becomes more complex, the need for flexible application programs increases—not only to quickly initiate projects but also to accommodate changes.
Although parameterized components offer efficiency, they can lack flexibility. To address this, complex components are broken down into smaller parts—such as support legs—that are then assembled into a complete component. For more intricate situations, interactive interventions can leverage CAD advantages.
Advantages: Even with complex structural components, Allplan proves to be a valuable assistant for technicians.
iPart – General Intelligent Method
iParts provide maximum design flexibility. If parameterized components are too rigid, building components like spiral staircase prefabricated parts can be created in Allplan and defined as iParts. These components support parameter input familiar to users during floor and wall panel design and automatically generate lists and detailed drawings.
Optimizing Production Through Identification
To improve design and production efficiency, it is ideal to use as many identical components as possible or activate “recognizers.” Recognizers automatically compare prefabricated parts based on attributes like geometry, steel reinforcement, and embedded elements, assigning identical numbers to matching parts. Any changes are instantly highlighted, keeping everyone informed and enabling timely interventions.
Connecting Components
Joining prefabricated components presents challenges in architectural design and production. Allplan offers an automated approach to streamline this process. By selecting the connector type, entering parameters, and clicking on reinforcement and supports, complex building designs involving various components and requirements can be completed efficiently and safely.
FormBau Molding Program
One-Click Mold Making
Simply point to a prefabricated component and click to complete the mold creation. For example, stair design requires only a few parameters. Other components are modeled using specific structural functions, making modeling simpler than working with plan and section drawings.
FormBau automatically calculates concrete quantities and generates location maps, component lists, exploded views, and milling machine data. Each surface can also be treated or enhanced with additional template designs. A key feature is the intentional inclusion of seams and diagonal cuts.
Ensuring accuracy with milling machines, customers use this method to produce micro-conical concrete components for easy demolding—a simple and effective solution.
Decomposition Diagram – Revolutionizing Mold Making
This precision facilitates mold making, demolding, and subsequent concrete processing, saving significant time and materials. As customer Rauter notes, “the five-axis milling machine combined with exploded views is a revolution in mold making.”
Seamless Interaction: Structural Analysis – CAD – Automation Equipment
From Design to Steel Mesh Welding Systems
Seamless interaction means integrating software tools to enhance collaboration and eliminate design and production errors.
For example, in floor production, Allplan Precast imports the floor layout into an analysis program that defines pressure conditions and loads. The system analyzes the floor, displaying pressure on slabs through steel bar coloring. These results feed back into Allplan Preview for floor slab generation and fully automated reinforcement.
The design remains flexible, allowing engineers to modify steel reinforcement—such as around openings—while color coding aids in identifying required reinforcement levels.
Production-Ready, Optimized Reinforcement
A key feature is that steel mesh welding systems only accept producible drawings. This prevents expensive equipment downtime or mid-process steel bar additions. Allplan Preview pre-validates designs, alerting engineers to any infeasible elements.
This workflow preserves information integrity, eliminates redundant data entry, and minimizes errors at the source, ensuring smooth production.
3D Views in PDF Files – Enhancing Reinforcement Understanding
Displaying 3D models within PDF files is a breakthrough for factories seeking to improve productivity and quality. Whether detailing architecture or reinforced concrete columns, Allplan provides interactive 3D structures that users can rotate, zoom, and examine as if handling physical components. Users can also define and measure cross-sections.
This level of transparency surpasses even the best traditional designs.
Matching Settlement and Production
Quantity calculations, component lists, reinforcement tables, and embedded parts lists are core benefits of Allplan Precast. The quantity calculation method adheres to standard physical principles while incorporating customer-specific calculation preferences.
Allplan analyzes prefabricated component data based on overall geometry. For instance, if a reserved hole runs horizontally through a double-layered panel, commercial calculations count it as one hole, while concrete distribution accounts for two pours, reflecting the actual process.
Steel bar tables can be generated for actual or theoretical lengths per standards. Checklists evaluate components individually or as a whole.
Price lists and quotations can be integrated into the software’s settlement process, providing reliable data for financial systems without manual follow-up.
Data Serving Business Systems
Allplan Preview supports various data formats to interface with business systems. Without rigid standardization constraints, its interfaces are highly adaptable. Data is provided in widely readable formats like ASCII and CSV, allowing direct processing by ERP software. Additionally, structured query language (SQL) databases with embedded information technicians enable direct access.
Data for Factory Control Computers and Equipment
The data standard supports direct transmission from CAD to automation equipment. This fundamental principle ensures accurate content—including precise magnet placement by template manipulators, smooth steel mesh production via welding systems, and accurate laser layered projections.
Allplan Preview coordinates with automation equipment and factory control computers to guarantee smooth, malfunction-free factory operation from start to finish.
Prefabricated Component Design Program: Elementplan
Automated Template and Reinforcement Drawings
Elementplan addresses the production of basic floor and wall panel systems, automatically generating template and reinforcement drawings for each panel after design completion.
Allplan offers more:
The Elementplan module automatically creates geometric models with reinforcement and stands out for its ability to:
- Allow arbitrary modifications and additions to automatically generated drawings
- Include an update mechanism to maintain consistency between models and drawings
The visual presentation of design drawings for diverse prefabricated components is unique.
From CAD and BIM to Integrated Solutions
This technology significantly enhances production efficiency and product quality. An ideal complement is a production terminal within the factory, enabling 3D model viewing in PDF format alongside design visualization.
For building information modeling, the Allplan Precast integration solution is laying a new foundation, already adopted by our prefabricated component factory customers.
Supplier
Nemetschek Engineering GmbH
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