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Welcome to AVAwire!
Welcome to the latest edition of AVAwire -
our periodic newsletter created to maintain a constant flow of information
to our customers. We want to keep everyone informed through both this
newsletter and our website, www.AVAware.com.
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2011 Catalogs Now Available
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We have recently released new
2011 edition Norton, Yale, Corbin Russwin and Rixson (US) catalogs,
available for pricing orders to be submitted in the upcoming year.
Updates have been released for
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Curries, Dorma
ED and Dorma LK catalogs, as
well as the Steelcraft Hollow Metal catalog from Ingersol Rand.
Updates consist of removals and or addition of
products, updates to pricing, the
inclusion of
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additional product information,
etc.
Catalog and Software updates can be downloaded via our website, www.AVAware.com.
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AVAware Catalog Technology
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Some manufactured products
are inherently complicated, as is evident when navigating a Division 8
Hardware catalog. Each manufacturer creates products with different levels
of complexity; even similar products from different manufacturers will use
different nomenclature and be configured using manufacturer specific
methods.
In fact, products with only a
few options can yield literally millions of different product permutations.
As such, the technology behind indexing a hardware catalog must
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be extremely flexible. order
to overcome these obstacles, we approach catalogs differently - our catalog
team deconstructs products into their most granular components and various
options. Using proprietary software, we recreate these catalogs digitally,
creating the catalog files that power AVAproject.
Our catalogs are unique in
that they are an elegant solution to a complicated process. To learn more
about how our catalogs work, see the AVAware Catalog Technology
document.
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The AVAproject Product Builder
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AVAproject Fusion Beta
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The AVAware development team is
currently wrapping up development of the initial release of AVAproject Fusion.
AVAproject Fusion
is a powerful tool used for combining and visualizing data and report
generation. Fusion
is able to absorb data from one or multiple AVAproject files, or draw from a number of
external data sources including SQL databases, Microsoft Access files and
more. Data lookups, called Criteria Sets, can be created by users of AVAproject Fusion in near
plain english syntax to produce reports displaying exactly what data
required. Additionally, AVAproject
Fusion will be shipped with a library of pre-built Criteria
Sets, providing single-click operations that will produce the most common
data views and reports.
Correlating and sorting large or small amounts of data is a breeze with AVAproject Fusion. Any
type of report can be created, including purchase orders, sales orders,
custom lists and more!
As our developers are getting close to completion, we are looking for
community input with respect to the pre-built Criteria Sets to be shipped
with AVAproject Fusion.
This Criteria Set library will ensure AVAproject Fusion hits the ground running and
instantly provides solutions for your reporting requirements.
Criteria Sets can be as simple or complex as required. For example, one
Criteria Set may produce a report that displays all hardware made by a
specific manufacturer. Another Criteria Set may display all door pairs
where the opening profit is greater than $100 and the opening number starts
with "2".
If you have ideas, requirements or suggestions for Criteria Set(s) that
your company would benefit from having
in the pre-built
Criteria Set library, please
email info@AVAware.com and tell us
about your needs. We appreciate your input!
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A Combined Material List composed of data from
several AVAproject files, grouped and sorted by Manufacturer
The AVAproject Fusion Criteria Builder uses plain
English
input to create complex data queries
AVAproject Fusion's interactive Print Preview
interface allows live modification to documents and can display single page
or thumbnail view (shown above)
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AVAproject Tips: Custom Hardware
Locations
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When hardware is applied to an opening in AVAproject, each hardware item is placed
according to manufacturer specifications. If needed, the default Hardware
Locations can be overridden to conform to another manufacturer’s frames
using the Hardware Locations pull-down under Project Info.
Special columns exist in the Hardware Groups if manual hardware
positioning is required. To specify hardware locations manually, first
insert the “Preparations” > “Vertical Position” column if it is not
already visible in the Hardware Groups window.
The Vertical Position value is composed of two letters followed by a
dimension entered in decimal inches (e.g. TT6.25 or BT12)
The first letter specifies the location of the hardware on the
opening, and has three possible values: “T” for top of frame, “B” for
bottom of frame, or “C” for center of frame.
The second letter specifies the location on the hardware, with the
three same letters: “T” for top of hardware, “B” for bottom of hardware,
or “C” for center of hardware.
If the quantity of this hardware item is more than one, each item’s
location must be specified and separated by commas. For quantities of
three (or more), simply entering “EQ” for the third value signifies equal
spacing between the other two.
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A
Hardware Group using Custom Hardware Locations for all entries
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Industry Watch: BIM
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Building Information
Modeling, or BIM, is a hot topic in the architecture, engineering and
construction world. BIM aims to reduce the estimated $200 billion that is
lost annually due to inefficiencies and delays in the U.S. construction
industry.
Historically, architects have produced multiple drawings of a building to
provide enough detail for construction. A greater number of separate
documents unfortunately translates into
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Sample 3D BIM Model
greater probability of
error. Specifications for electrical, plumbing, construction and more have
been developed individually and often conflict with each other.
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The BIM model merges all of
this information together into one central building model. From this
centralized model various documents can be printed and distributed to
different distributors or contractors.
BIM is set to radically change the way buildings are designed and
constructed by adding layers of components over one another, preventing
conflicts before they show up on the work site.
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LEED 2010 Draft Released
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Mentioned in our October
newsletter, LEED is a rating system for green buildings that awards credits
based on the sustainability of design, construction and maintenance. On
November 8th the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released a draft for
the next revision of LEED, known as LEED 2012, for public comment.
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The latest draft of LEED
proposes six new prerequisites and three new credit categories, creating a
total of 15 prerequisites and 10 credit categories. A proposed Bicycle
Storage prerequisite would require any LEED certified project to include
bike racks for 2.5% of occupants. If there are enough bicycle racks for 5%
of occupants, the project is eligible
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for the new Bicycle Network,
Storage and Changing Room credits, which factor in the location of bike
racks and changing rooms for bicyclists. The Reduced Automobile Dependence
credit has also been introduced to replace the previous Sustainable Sites
credit, with requirements that are more inclusive.
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The USGBC has also announced
that they have certified over one billion square feet of commercial
LEED buildings, showing growth even through the economic downturn.
LEED has certified more than six billion square feet of registered
buildings worldwide since beginning in 2000.
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We welcome any questions,
comments or suggestions you may have. Please visit our website for more
information, or contact us directly at (416) 239-9099
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