So we started doing some research on software. When we were in Italy, we looked at the software that Emmegi had created. We also had a demo of the Logical software. We met with the folks from Engineering Intent (now owned by Autodesk). All of them seemed interesting, but didn’t really meet our needs for various reasons. Finally, Chip Steel from Emmegi introduced me to SoftTech.
SoftTech is a company out of New Zealand. They make a product called V6. Essentially, it allows you to create 3d elevations of your windows and curtainwalls and automatically creates the Bill of Materials information.
SoftTech America is out of Florida. There are about 6 guys working in the states. Really great people and very qualified. SoftTech has a development agreement with Kawneer and I think Kawneer has pumped over a million dollars into the software to get it to do what they need.
You start by creating a library of your extrusions and accessories (screws, gaskets, setting blocks, etc…). You then use these to create what they call assemblies. The assembly contains the parts that create each detail along with other information like how the parts intersect with other parts and any machining required.
You then create a framing system with the assemblies and finally create your elevations using the framing system.
