Join our new community to accelerate your use of Revit and Civil 3D

Architects and Engineers have a strong dependency on the technology that fundamentally underpins the design process. However, it has been recognised within the industry that there are limitations within the most commonly used software suites such as Autodesk. This encouraged Symetri to look at how we could help and started working on a Revit and Civil 3D add-on called Naviate.

Naviate is a product portfolio of add-on software for Revit and Civil 3D from Autodesk. The add-ons include features that help productivity, documentation, collaboration, and managing projects. Working with Naviate saves you valuable time, enabling more time to create elegant and purposeful buildings and infrastructure.

Since Naviate was launched, we have seen users grow. This growth of users hasn't been accessible to anyone outside each company joining us, though. We've been thinking about how we can put everyone in one place for easy access and learning. Social media was a start, but it was time for the next step; a Naviate Community.

The Community is live

The Naviate Community is live! Spread the word to everyone who wants to discuss Naviate, Revit and Civil 3D-related topics, and we invite you to join us.

We want you to be part of the Naviate Community. As a user, your experience and feedback are valuable. You can meet up with other users and the Naviate team. Your input on our products, ideas, tips, and questions will help us make better decisions for improvements and development of Naviate.

Join Naviate Community

What Is a Suitable CAD Workstation That an Architect Should Consider?

There is no doubt that there are some amazing computer-aided design (CAD) software solutions and toolkits available in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries today, including AutoCAD, Revit, and Symetri’s own solutions like Naviate.

Architects are now more than ever, able to present some impressively detailed models to succeed in winning businesses, advance their business, and set an excellent example.

When working with new prospects, there is often a key "proof of concept" stage that necessitates being able to effectively demonstrate the final results before any agreement is made with a new client, much alone before any construction is started.

This is especially true within the building design stage in architecture, as well as many similarly challenged design firms. A detailed model is a ‘must have’ for clients on almost every project of this nature, whether it be for obtaining planning permissions, meeting sustainability requirements, or simply showing the homeowner what will be a lovely and well-thought-out design on the project for which they are investing so heavily.

Therefore, it makes sense that the industry depends so heavily on companies like Symetri and Autodesk to create the software tools required to accomplish all of this and more.

But with all this powerful CAD software at our disposal, can we really use it on just any computer?

It's crucial to make sure your hardware matches the software requirements if you want to offer the results you really desire. At Symetri, we work hard to give our customers the greatest and most up-to-date hardware available, customised to all of the CAD programmes we support, as well as many others that make use of this technology. When showcasing 3D models in Revit, creating bespoke housing models in AutoCAD, or even creating client logos in other applications like Adobe Creative Suite, we want you to be at your very best.

In light of this, I've suggested one of our top sellers that is perfect for Architects and designers alike, in creating the greatest possible 3D models that render intricate textures and visuals to impress clients.

Are you an Architect or a designer seeking for a strong, portable, sturdy CAD workstation, with a lovely and high-quality finish that you can use to show clients your designs?

If this describes you, the HP ZBook Studio G9 16" Mobile Workstation might be the perfect fit for you.

HP ZBook Studio G9 16″ Mobile Workstation

Top specs:

• Intel Core i9 (12th Gen) 12900H / 2.5 GHz (5 GHz)
• 32 GB DDR4
• 1 TB SSD – NVMe
• NVIDIA RTX A3000 12 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
• 16" IPS 3840 x 2400 (WQUXGA) @ 120 Hz
• 6-cell - up to 9.5 hours

Why do we recommend this?

• Blindingly fast CPU performance, with options going right through the intel range to the latest i9 models that offer multiple cores for CPU-Rendering.
• Up to 32GB RAM which allows for a generous amount of multi-tasking without any of the performance lag.
• Multiple GPU options available to suite a budget or for best performance such as the latest nVidia RTX A3000 with more than enough GDDR memory to support an array of applications, as well as faster clock speeds for superior GPU-Rendering and precisely detailed textures.
• A beautiful display to complement the above with a configurable options for full HD WLED / OLED display options across a 15.6” or 16” display.
• 512GB or 1TB NVMe SSD high speed storage as standard, with additional storage capacities also available.
• Impressive battery with on average up to 9.5hrs, with a fast-charging cable that can replenish the battery to 50% in as little as 30 minutes.
• HP Workstations use hardware that benefits from ISV approval (Independent Software Vendor) by Autodesk, giving you the peace of mind that this has been tested and approved at the highest level.
• All our CAD workstations are supplied with 3 years of on-site warranty, meaning that you can rest assured that unlikely issues should they occur will be resolved quickly by an engineer visit.

In addition to this, Symetri has produced a CAD workstation recommendation guide which offers more options based on your requirements: https://www.symetri.co.uk/campaigns/cad-workstation-recommendations-guide.

If you would like a personalised bespoke recommendation tailored to you, please contact SYMETRI by emailing us on info@symetri.co.uk or calling us on 0345 370 1444.

Set and Control Watermarking in Vault Based on the Current State of the File

Watermarking can signify whether the document is a preliminary version, not ready for production or just a document for pre-reviewing a design. A watermark will most likely eliminate the risk that production is done from non-released documents. 

Using native Vault functionality, it is possible to add watermarking to DWF files, but only when printing from Vault. However, many of our clients said that they required the same feature based on document level control. With the latest 2022.2 and 2023 releases of the Autodesk Vault Add In, Sovelia Vault, we now have built-in watermarking for 2D PDFs, dwfs and dwfx files. 

It has become evident that there were two main scenarios in that customers would use watermarking:

• When generating a PDF to a network / other business system
• When viewing data in the vault via mobile and thin clients.

In the first scenario, a PDF may be generated out of vault for use for the shop floor, customer or supplier checks.  These PDFs are not thoroughly checked, approved and released at this point and should not be used for manufacturing. Customers have requested watermarking to make clear the state of this information. 

In the second scenario, users may be viewing and downloading data directly from these clients; our customers wanted to ensure that downloaded PDFs were not released and were watermarked to give an element of control. In both cases, watermarking was introduced to allow users greater visibility of the current data state when using these files outside of the Vault system.

Set and control watermarking based on the current state of the file

Sovelia Vault allows administrators to set watermarking based on the current state of the file with control over the text, orientation, location, and colour of the watermark.  Text can be set based on built-up expressions of static text and document properties, allowing administrators to control displayed information.  In addition, Sovelia Vault allows control to enable watermarking on “all states”, a “named state,” or “all states except” conditions, allowing all states to generate watermarking except for a released state as required by many companies.

This new feature was critical to successfully expanding the use of Vault to staff outside of the design team within companies that tested this functionality—driving clearer information to those users and the wider business.

To find out more about the Autodesk Vault Add In, Sovelia Vault, visitor our website: https://www.symetri.co.uk/products/sovelia-vault

Or what our video below:

 Video: How to Watermark your designs with the help of the Autodesk Vault Add In, Sovelia Vault?