With a staff of designers, builders, engineers, architects, and others who have hands-on experience in the field, we know the incredible benefits of being able to work together to make sure everything in the building fits together, provides easy access to parts that require manual manipulation (e.g., electrical panels, gas valves, water valves), efficiently heats and cools, meets codes and regulatory requirements, is aesthetically pleasing, etc., etc., etc. … BEFORE the building is ever built!
What are BIM tools?
Everyone at Ideate Software is obsessed with building information modeling (BIM).
The ability to create and manage a digital model of a building and all its elements, from large complex HVAC systems to the direction a door swings is not only fascinating, but BIM has also transformed the building design and construction industries. We love being a part of that transformation.
Benefits of BIM
BIM is a process that supports the creation and management of information across the lifecycle of a building or structure.
When people think of BIM, they often think of the design and preconstruction phases, but BIM is beneficial at every stage of a building’s life. At Ideate Software, we talk about providing leading Revit BIM tools to the architecture, engineering, construction and building-owner (AECO) community, because like those involved in the early stage of a building’s lifecycle, building owners and managers with digital models reap significant benefits.
Some of the benefits achieved by AECO companies that leverage BIM are:
- Better collaboration.
People in disciplines that once mainly worked independently now collaborate regularly, providing insights based on their experiences, sharing model updates, coordinating activities, verifying accuracy, and more. With everyone working together toward the same goal, many problems are avoided, and projects run more smoothly.
- Improved win rates. By providing an impressive visual experience during the proposal stage, companies demonstrate their understanding of the project, how they plan to help the prospective client achieve their goals, and their ability to accurately estimate timing and costs.
- Enhanced client relations. Using BIM throughout the building process keeps clients informed of how the building will look, how it fits into the existing environment, and how employees and visitors will interact with it. Design changes can be implemented quickly and communicated efficiently to all involved, reducing the chance of miscommunications and errors.
- Reduced on-site changes. By verifying design efficacy in the model and performing clash detections, fewer changes are needed at the construction site. This brings projects to a close faster and for less cost. Also, BIM can greatly reduce the chance of rework caused by teams working with different versions of the plans, ordering the wrong material, or incorrectly scheduling deliveries or work crews.
- Efficient building maintenance and updates. An accurate model of a building streamlines the process of handling emergencies, such as clogged drains or stalled elevators, or long-term projects such as reorganizing workstations, conference rooms and touchdown sites to accommodate more or fewer employees.
- Better choices, not guesses. An accurate digital model allows the designer to test different layouts for optimum energy consumption, review code compliance, and explore multiple design schemes or scenarios, and be able to know the building design is the best solution for the specified input criteria. It’s no longer a guess at which design is the best for the thousands of input specifications. Instead, designers can say with confidence that the building meets the design criteria and choices were made based on empirical data.
What are BIM tools?
Several BIM tools have been built to help companies capitalize on the advantages of BIM through design, simulation, visualization and collaboration.
Autodesk is a leading developer of BIM tools, including:
- Revit – One of the most popular BIM authoring tools in the industry. It is used by architects, designers, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) specialists, contractors and more.
- Navisworks – The main difference between the Navisworks BIM tool and Revit is that Navisworks is more of a project review solution for AEC professionals rather than an authoring tool such as the Revit BIM tool. It also works with other Autodesk 3D solutions to open, combine, review and navigate through models.
- BIM 360/Autodesk Construction Cloud – This cloud-based software unifies different processes of design, project and construction into one single process, avoiding delays by providing disparate teams access to relevant data.
- Civil 3D – Focused on developing civil engineering more accurately, this software also offers some BIM-related features and workflows.
Ideate Software’s BIM Tools for Revit
While Autodesk Revit software is a powerful tool, some of its workflows are a bit unrefined, time consuming, or maybe even non-existent. Ideate Software was founded to address these workflow gaps and increase Revit productivity. Our experienced software engineers develop BIM tools for Revit workflows for companies in building design, engineering, construction and facilities management industries. By automating workflows that they perform over and over again as well as creating tools that fill gaps in Revit software workflows, our Revit BIM tools help users at large and small companies around the world get the most out of the software.
Why do we develop Revit BIM Tools?
We love BIM, we love Revit and we love making them better!
How do we do it?
Businesses and industries are constantly changing. To ensure we develop BIM tools that Revit users from across the AECO spectrum will find valuable, we stay connected to the Revit community throughout the world. We attend conferences, lead breakout sessions, serve as keynote speakers, survey users, track support requests, monitor Revit discussion boards, and talk with users in groups and individually.
Another critical way we stay connected to the Revit community is through our beta testing program. By asking people who use Revit and our Revit BIM tools for feature requests, running our early ideas by them, and involving them in rigorous testing, we ensure our solutions, whether new or enhancements, are wanted and work as expected.
Ideate Software’s BIM Tools for Revit Users
In 2008, we launched our first BIM tool for Revit, Ideate Explorer. Since that time, we have made significant enhancements to Ideate Explorer and launched/improved four more tools that solve persistent problems in Revit workflows. Here’s a quick overview of each of our five tools:
- Ideate BIMLink – Verifying or updating massive amounts of data in Revit is tedious, time consuming and frustrating. Every time you think you’re done, you realize that you missed something! Ideate BIMLink eliminates this problem by enabling you to move data from Revit into Excel, where you can use its powerful functions to quickly check, correct or change data. When you move the data back to Revit, your model automatically updates and everything is correct. Tasks that used to take hours now take just minutes.
- Ideate Explorer – We developed Ideate Explorer to improve the browser within Revit, which is simply a project browser. Ideate Explorer is a model browser, which means you can easily search for and find hidden problem items including DWG imports or links, navigate through view-based elements within Revit, search on parameters such as elements assigned a certain size, and even review and manage Revit warnings.
- Ideate Sticky – How can you elegantly share non-BIM data associated with Revit projects with the entire team? Use Ideate Sticky! Use it to link data from Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word and PDF documents into your Revit projects, ensuring everyone has the correct information at their fingertips at all times.
- Ideate StyleManager – Copying/pasting data is a fast way to reuse information, but the process comes with challenges. Style information associated with the data often tags along, creating a mess that can cause publishing errors and end-user confusion. With Ideate StyleManager, this is never a problem, because it’s easy to analyze, delete or merge non-standard styles.
- IdeateApps – This collection of nine tools streamlines tasks identified by Revit users as tedious, time consuming and error prone. By automating these common tasks, IdeateApps improves the quality of Revit models and frees the users’ time to do more interesting and valuable activities.
Visit our website to learn more about our Revit BIM Tools. When you’re ready to take the next step, contact us, get 30-day trial versions, or choose the subscription option that best meets your needs.
What is a Named User license?
A Named User license is assigned to one specific person rather than shared across a network. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see the Graitec Licensing Help Center - Named User.
Are Ideate Suites replacing Ideate Software Bundles?
Yes. Going forward, Ideate Suites replace Ideate Software Bundles.
What's the difference between the Ideate Software Bundle and the Ideate Suite?
Both include the same five tools: IdeateApps, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky and Ideate StyleManager.
- Bundle: Each tool is licensed separately, so different people can work in different tools at once. For example, with one Bundle, five people could each use a different tool at the same time.
- Suite: One license covers all five tools for one person at a time. That person can move freely between every tool. While they're using the Suite, it isn't available to anyone else on that license until they finish.
A Named User Suite is assigned to one specific person. A single Network Cloud Floating Suite can be shared across your team, one person at a time.
Will my team need more licenses?
If several people on your team use different Ideate tools at the same time, you may need more than one Suite license. Contact us and we'll review your team's usage and help you choose the right setup.
Can I still buy an Ideate Software Bundle?
No. Bundles are no longer available for purchase. New purchases are offered as follows:
- Ideate Suite: Named User or Network Cloud Floating
- Enterprise Suite: Network Cloud Floating
- Active Host: Network Cloud Floating
- Automation: Network Cloud Floating
- Individual products: Named User or Network Cloud Floating (IdeateApps, Ideate BIMLink, Ideate Explorer, Ideate Sticky, and Ideate StyleManager)
Can I still buy IdeateApps, BIMLink, Explorer, Sticky, or StyleManager individually?
Yes. Individual products are available as Named User or Cloud Floating licenses until the new product lineup launches with the next major release, expected mid-2027.
Will floating (network) licenses still be available?
Yes. FlexLM remains available for organizations with security requirements, such as environments without internet access. FlexLM is not available through the online store, so please contact your account manager to purchase.
My organization has strict security requirements or no internet access. Can I still get a FlexLM license?
Yes. FlexLM remains available for organizations with security requirements, such as environments without internet access. FlexLM is not available through the online store, so please contact your account manager to purchase.
I'm an existing customer. What happens to my current license/s?
Your existing Ideate Software subscription is moving to our new licensing system at no cost. Your license quantities and expiration dates stay the same.
- Standalone licenses become Named User licenses. Set up your Named Users in the Graitec Advantage Portal.
- Cloud Floating (network) licenses become Network Cloud Floating Suite licenses. Deploy the latest release as you have in the past, using the new license code in your migration email.
- Each Ideate Software Bundle becomes an Ideate Suite.
To keep using Ideate, update to the latest release and activate your new license by March 31, 2027. Older Ideate licenses will stop working in Q2 2027.
Using Ideate with Revit 2022 or earlier? Contact ideatesupport@graitec.com to review your options. For account questions, contact sales@ideatesoftware.com.
I have a Bundle today. What will I receive when I move to the new licensing?
Conversions are one for one. Each Ideate Software Bundle becomes one Ideate Suite, and each network Bundle becomes one Network Cloud Floating Suite. Your license quantities and expiration dates stay the same.
Where do I manage my licenses?
In the Graitec Advantage Portal. Based on customer requests, starting with the latest Ideate release, license management and license usage information are handled in Graitec Advantage, outside of Revit. We recommend bookmarking the portal.
- Named User licenses: Assign licenses to people on your team in Graitec Advantage.
- Cloud Floating Suite licenses: Deploy the latest release with your new license code as you have in the past, then manage licenses in Graitec Advantage.
Watch the Graitec Advantage walkthrough
Can I transfer a Named User license to another person?
Yes. There's no limit on the total number of transfers, but each license can be transferred up to two times within a 30-day period.
How are licenses issued?
Each product on your order is issued as its own license once your order is processed. To try a product before buying, contact us to request an evaluation license.
I want to try the Graitec AI Assistant now, but I don’t have my new license code yet. What should I do?
Existing customers: We’re delivering new license codes to existing subscribers on a rolling basis over the next few weeks. If you need access sooner, contact your Graitec sales representative.
New customers: The Graitec AI Assistant isn’t available in the Ideate trial. Contact your Graitec sales representative to request an evaluation license or purchase a 6-month subscription.
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