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🔧 MEP Design, Analysis & Fabrication
MEP software covers the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems of a building: ducts, pipes, cables, equipment and the calculations that size them. In a BIM workflow these tools either run inside a host platform such as Revit or AutoCAD, or provide their own CAD core, and they add engineering content, code-based calculations and fabrication-level detail to the coordinated model. The category spans design and analysis (loads, energy, hydraulics, electrical), detailing to LOD 400, and the fabrication and field tools that turn a model into spools, cut lists and installation packages.
Is Revit MEP still a separate product?
No. Revit MEP was merged into the single Autodesk Revit application years ago. The MEP disciplines (HVAC, piping, plumbing and electrical) are now tabs and tools inside Revit, and the same licence covers architecture and structure. When people say Revit MEP today they mean the MEP discipline of Revit, currently Revit 2027.
About Autodesk Revit (MEP) · Certification
What are fabrication parts in Revit and when should I use them instead of standard duct and pipe?
Fabrication parts are LOD 400 content taken from the Autodesk Fabrication ITM database (the same content used by CADmep and CAMduct). Standard Revit duct and pipe families are generic design elements sized by system rules; fabrication parts carry real manufacturer geometry, connectors, seams and hangers that a shop can cut and build. Use standard families for design and coordination, and convert to fabrication parts when a contractor takes over detailing for prefabrication. Revit 2027 improved editing of seams, airturns, stiffeners and segmented elbows on fabrication parts.
About Autodesk Revit (MEP) · Certification
How do I control which parameters end up in IFC property sets when exporting an MEP model from Revit 2027?
Revit 2027 added IFC parameter mapping directly in the export workflow. In the IFC export dialog you can create and manage default or custom mappings between Revit parameters and IFC property sets, so an MEP model can deliver Pset_DuctSegmentTypeCommon or client-specific property sets without a separate mapping text file. Save the mapping with the export setup so every discipline exports consistently. Check the result in a viewer such as Solibri or BIMcollab Zoom before issuing.
About Autodesk Revit (MEP) · Certification
What options exist for automating repetitive MEP tasks in Revit?
Three main routes. Dynamo for Revit provides visual scripting for tasks like batch tagging, placing hangers or renaming systems. pyRevit adds Python scripting and a toolbar framework. The Revit API (.NET, C# or VB) is the full route used by commercial add-ins such as MagiCAD, Stabicad, SysQue and EVOLVE. Fabrication parts also expose their own API namespace. For firm-wide automation, package scripts as add-ins and deploy them with the same standards as content libraries.
About Autodesk Revit (MEP) · Certification
What changed with HVAC zones in Revit 2027?
HVAC zones were upgraded to System-Zones, which link zoning, heating and cooling loads and equipment sizing more tightly. The loads analysis interface was reorganised, and the 2027.1 and 2027.2 updates added an MEP Sizing Calculator for duct and pipe that produces a table of sizes meeting velocity, friction and capacity criteria. Existing projects opened in 2027 have their zones converted, so review zone assignments after upgrading.
About Autodesk Revit (MEP) · Certification
What is MagiCAD and who owns it?
MagiCAD is a suite of MEP design and calculation modules that run on top of Revit, AutoCAD or BricsCAD. It is developed by MagiCAD Group, a Finnish company owned by the Chinese listed software company Glodon. The current release is MagiCAD 2027. It is known for its integrated calculations and for MagiCAD Cloud, a free library of manufacturer-verified BIM objects.
About MagiCAD · Certification
Is MagiCAD certified by buildingSMART for IFC?
Yes. MagiCAD for Revit received IFC4 MEP Reference Exchange export certification on 15 September 2021, starting with MagiCAD 2022.1, and was the first MEP design software with an IFC4 certificate. MagiCAD for AutoCAD was among the first five products globally with IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0 export certification for all MEP disciplines in 2016. MagiCAD 2027 adds an IFC export API so companies can automate delivery exports.
About MagiCAD · Certification
How is MagiCAD licensed and is any part of it free?
MagiCAD is sold per platform and per discipline module on a quotation basis. Both perpetual licences (stand-alone or network) and fixed-term subscriptions from 3 to 36 months are offered. MagiCAD Cloud, the online BIM object library, is free to use. You still need a licence for the host platform (Revit, AutoCAD or BricsCAD).
About MagiCAD · Certification
What is Stabicad and which platforms does it run on?
Stabicad is Trimble's MEP design and engineering software, originally developed by the Dutch company Stabiplan, which Trimble acquired in 2018. It runs as Stabicad for Revit (Mechanical and Electrical), Stabicad for AutoCAD Mechanical and Stabicad for IntelliCAD Mechanical, with the StabiBASE project database behind all of them. Every subscription includes the MEPcontent library and Trimble Connect.
About Trimble Stabicad · Certification
Which electrical standards can Stabicad calculate against?
Trimble lists multiregional calculations for IEC 60364, BS 7671 (the UK IET Wiring Regulations), NEN 1010 (Netherlands), VDE 0100 (Germany) and the Gulf utility rules of ADDC and DEWA. The UK edition is also localised for CIBSE guidance on the mechanical side. Choose the regional profile when setting up the project in StabiBASE so the calculations use the right rules.
About Trimble Stabicad · Certification
Stabicad background processes stayed open after closing Revit. Is this a known issue?
Yes, and it was addressed in the 2026 updates. Trimble consolidated the separate background data-management processes into a single unified cache shared by StabiBASE, Revit, AutoCAD and IntelliCAD, which removed the 'ghost' processes that previously had to be killed in Task Manager. The same update prepared Stabicad for .NET 10, which Revit and AutoCAD 2027 require. If you still see the problem, update to the latest build through the Trimble MEP downloads portal.
About Trimble Stabicad · Certification
What is Trimble Nova and does it need Revit or AutoCAD?
Trimble Nova, formerly Plancal nova, is an all-in-one CAD and calculation package for building services engineers. It has its own CAD core, so you do not need a Revit or AutoCAD licence. It covers heating, ventilation, air conditioning, sanitary and electrical planning with integrated calculations, and exchanges models via IFC, DWG and DXF. It is sold mainly in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Which calculations are built into Trimble Nova?
Heating load and U-value calculation, ventilation air volumes with heating and cooling loads, drinking-water and wastewater pipe network sizing and electrical distribution planning. Lighting is handled through links to RELUX and DIALux. Because the calculations use the same model as the drawings, changing a duct or pipe route updates the sizing without re-entering data.
How do I coordinate a Trimble Nova model with an architect working in Archicad or Revit?
Use IFC. Import the architect's IFC as a reference model in Nova, model the services against it, then export your MEP model as IFC for the coordinator. Trimble Connect can host the federated models and issues, and a checker such as Solibri or Navisworks runs clash detection on the combined IFC set. Agree the IFC version, coordinate origin and naming conventions in the BIM execution plan before the first exchange.
What is the relationship between DDS-CAD, DDScad and Graphisoft?
DDS-CAD was developed by the Norwegian company Data Design System, a brand of the Nemetschek Group. In 2021 Nemetschek folded the product into Graphisoft, the maker of Archicad, and it is now marketed as Graphisoft DDScad. The current version is DDScad 21. It remains a stand-alone openBIM MEP application rather than a Revit add-in.
What is new in DDScad 21?
DDScad 21 introduces an AI assistant (beta) that answers questions about features and workflows, cable and conductor weight calculations to IEC 61537, automatic smoke-detector placement to VdS 2095, security-camera coverage visualisation, cross-discipline symbol libraries, better 3D representation of switches and sockets, dynamic snapping aids and change tracking when an IFC reference model is updated. Graphisoft plans a coordinated product update in October 2026.
How does DDScad handle a changed architectural model during design?
DDScad works on IFC reference models. When the architect issues a new IFC, you reload the reference model and DDScad highlights what changed, so you can check whether ducts, cable trays or pipes are affected. This IFC-based approach is the standard openBIM workflow used with Archicad and BIMcloud, and coordination issues are typically exchanged as BCF with a checker such as Solibri.
What is the difference between CADmep, ESTmep and CAMduct?
They are the three Autodesk Fabrication products for mechanical contractors. ESTmep is for estimating and takeoff, CADmep is for detailing duct and pipe inside AutoCAD, and CAMduct drives sheet-metal nesting and CNC cutting. All three share the same ITM item database and job data, and the same content appears in Revit as fabrication parts. The current release is the 2027 version.
About Autodesk Fabrication (CADmep, ESTmep, CAMduct) · Certification
Which file types will I meet in an Autodesk Fabrication workflow?
.itm files are individual items (fittings, duct, pipe) in the Fabrication database. CADmep models are saved as .dwg because CADmep runs inside AutoCAD. CAMduct jobs use .maj and ESTmep jobs use .esj. To view a CADmep model in plain AutoCAD or Navisworks you install the Fabrication object enabler for that release; a 2027 object enabler exists for AutoCAD and Navisworks 2027.
About Autodesk Fabrication (CADmep, ESTmep, CAMduct) · Certification
Why is the Fabrication database considered the hardest part of deploying CADmep and CAMduct?
Because the database defines everything: item content, services, specifications, materials, connectors, seams, gauges, labour rates and machine post-processors. It must be shared across estimating, detailing and the shop, versioned carefully and matched to the Revit fabrication configuration if designers use fabrication parts. A poorly configured database produces wrong cut lists and estimates, so most contractors assign a dedicated database administrator and standard operating procedures for changes.
About Autodesk Fabrication (CADmep, ESTmep, CAMduct) · Certification
What does Trimble SysQue add to Revit?
SysQue is a Revit add-in for MEP detailing. It swaps generic Revit content for a database of more than eight million real manufacturer parts so the model becomes constructible at LOD 400. From that model you can create spool sheets, submittal PDFs and CAM exports for the shop, and share the model through Trimble Connect. It is used mostly by mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors in North America.
About Trimble SysQue · Certification
Which other Trimble tools does SysQue connect to?
Trimble lists Trimble Connect for cloud collaboration, Trimble FabShop for fabrication shop management, Connect2Fab to bridge design and fabrication, Estimation MEP for estimating and FieldLink for layout with robotic total stations. This means a SysQue model can drive shop production and field layout points without leaving the Trimble ecosystem.
About Trimble SysQue · Certification
Should a contractor detail in Revit with SysQue or move the model to Autodesk Fabrication CADmep?
Staying in Revit with SysQue keeps one model shared with the design team and avoids a DWG translation, which suits projects where designers and contractors are all on Revit. CADmep suits shops whose estimating (ESTmep) and CNC (CAMduct) already run on the Autodesk Fabrication database and who want the deepest sheet-metal manufacturing output. Many firms mix them: Revit fabrication parts for coordination and CAMduct for cutting. Decide based on where the shop's content and machines are configured.
About Trimble SysQue · Certification
What is the difference between CYPECAD MEP and CYPE's Open BIM programs?
CYPECAD MEP models the building and its installations in one file and checks them against regulations in an integrated way. The Open BIM programs (CYPEPLUMBING, CYPEHVAC, CYPELEC, CYPEFIRE, CYPETHERM and others) each cover one discipline and need an architectural model, usually shared as IFC through the free BIMserver.center platform. Licences are largely shared, so you can use whichever approach suits the project.
About CYPECAD MEP and CYPE Open BIM MEP tools · Certification
Can I try CYPE software before buying?
Yes. Every CYPE program can be installed as a Professional version, an Evaluation version, a Campus version for students and teachers, or with a Temporary licence. Since version 2024.d the mode is chosen during installation regardless of where you downloaded from. The BIMserver.center collaboration platform itself is free.
About CYPECAD MEP and CYPE Open BIM MEP tools · Certification
How do CYPE's MEP tools work with a Revit project?
CYPE provides the Open BIM – Revit plugin and the MedBIM – Revit plugin, both compatible with Revit 2027 from CYPE 2027.a. The plugin exports the Revit model to BIMserver.center as IFC so the CYPE discipline apps can design and calculate on it, and 2027.a can generate native Revit elements from the CYPE IFC results for HVAC systems and luminaires. Keep the shared coordinate origin identical in Revit and the CYPE project.
About CYPECAD MEP and CYPE Open BIM MEP tools · Certification
What is LINEAR and is it part of a larger group?
LINEAR GmbH is an independent software company founded in 1989 in Aachen, Germany. It sells LINEAR Solutions for Autodesk Revit and for AutoCAD, covering heating, cooling, ventilation, potable water, waste water and gas design with integrated calculations. It is an Autodesk technology partner and a buildingSMART member, and the current release is LINEAR Solutions V26 from November 2025.
About LINEAR Solutions · Certification
How can I license LINEAR Solutions, and is there a trial?
LINEAR offers its Revit and AutoCAD solutions for purchase or rental, sold as discipline packages such as Heating, Cooling, Heating and Cooling, Water and Ventilation. A free trial version can be requested on the LINEAR website, and student and school licences are available. Prices are not published in the online store.
About LINEAR Solutions · Certification
What does the LINEAR Void Manager do?
It manages builder's work openings (voids) where ducts, pipes and cable trays pass through walls and slabs. The MEP engineer generates opening requests from the LINEAR model in Revit, the structural or architectural team reviews and approves them, and the openings are tracked as the design changes. This replaces manual marking of penetrations and is a common source of coordination clashes if not managed.
About LINEAR Solutions · Certification
Is Hevacomp still supported?
No. Bentley Systems formally ended all support, updates and patches for Hevacomp on 1 January 2026. Installed copies keep running, but without updates the Part L compliance outputs will not remain valid as regulations change. Bentley points users to its OpenBuildings products; other vendors market cloud calculation tools as replacements.
About Bentley Hevacomp · Certification
What was Hevacomp used for?
Hevacomp was a UK building-services design suite used by mechanical and electrical engineers to lay out systems and get automated results such as flow rates, pipe and duct sizes, velocities and pressures, plus UK Part L compliance assessments. It was calculation-focused rather than a 3D BIM authoring tool.
About Bentley Hevacomp · Certification
We have legacy Hevacomp projects. How should we plan the migration?
Keep a working Hevacomp installation for archived projects, export or print the calculation reports so they are readable without the software, and choose a successor before any regulatory update makes new compliance runs necessary. Options are Bentley OpenBuildings Designer, Revit-based add-ins such as Stabicad or MagiCAD, or web-based calculators. Re-run a completed project in the new tool and compare results to build confidence before switching live work.
About Bentley Hevacomp · Certification
What is Carrier HAP?
The Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) is Carrier's HVAC design software. It calculates design heating and cooling loads with the ASHRAE Heat Balance method and simulates energy use hour by hour for all 8,760 hours of the year. The current version is HAP v6.4, released in April 2026, running on Windows 11 64-bit.
How much does HAP cost and does an update need a new licence?
Carrier lists HAP at USD 1,995 in the US and CAD 2,445 in Canada, with updates and technical support included. HAP v6.4 uses the same licence key as v6.3, so existing v6.3 users can install v6.4 without re-entering a key. v6.4 installs alongside v6.3 rather than replacing it, and v6.3 projects are converted on opening.
Which ASHRAE standards does HAP v6.4 support?
v6.4 adds data and calculation procedures for ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022 (ventilation) and 90.1-2022 (energy). HAP's energy modelling meets the minimum requirements of the Energy Cost Budget compliance path in 90.1 and the program has been tested according to ASHRAE Standard 140. Weather files can be EnergyPlus EPW, NOAA TMY3 or ASHRAE IWEC2.
What is TRACE 3D Plus and how is it related to TRACE 700?
TRACE 3D Plus is Trane's building load, energy and economic analysis program. Announced in 2017, it re-architected TRACE 700's load calculation and equipment sizing on top of the US Department of Energy's EnergyPlus engine, in a new 3D interface. The current release is Version 7.
About Trane TRACE 3D Plus · Certification
Can I bring a Revit model into TRACE 3D Plus?
Yes, through gbXML. Export the Revit energy analytical model as gbXML and import it into TRACE 3D Plus, which also accepts 3D CAD models and floor-plan images for tracing. Check that Revit rooms or spaces are bounded correctly before export, because unbounded spaces produce gaps in the gbXML geometry. IFC is not an import format.
About Trane TRACE 3D Plus · Certification
Is TRACE 3D Plus accepted for US tax-deduction energy calculations?
The US Department of Energy lists TRACE 3D Plus version 6.2 as qualified software for calculating commercial building tax deductions (Section 179D). Because it uses the EnergyPlus engine, it can also support ASHRAE 90.1 performance-path submissions, but confirm the exact version accepted by the authority having jurisdiction before starting a compliance model.
About Trane TRACE 3D Plus · Certification
What is EVOLVE MEP?
EVOLVE MEP makes Revit extensions for trade contractors. EVOLVE Electrical and EVOLVE Mechanical automate repetitive modelling such as hangers, sleeves and conduit, create spools and publish them as work orders to EVOLVE Shop, a web application for prefabrication shops. Supporting products include 360 Sync, EVOLVE Content and EVOLVE Fabrication. The current desktop versions are 10.2.1.
About EVOLVE MEP (EVOLVE Electrical / EVOLVE Mechanical) · Certification
Which Revit versions does EVOLVE support?
The EVOLVE Electrical and Mechanical help sites list Revit 2024, 2025 and 2026 for version 10.2.1. The public eVolve MEP Revit Extensions repository states that version 10.0 is compatible with Revit 2024 through 2027, so check the release notes for the build that matches your Revit 2027 deployment before rolling out.
About EVOLVE MEP (EVOLVE Electrical / EVOLVE Mechanical) · Certification
Can I extend EVOLVE with my own code?
Yes. EVOLVE exposes a Revit Integration Platform API and publishes sample extensions on GitHub under the BSD-3-Clause licence. The samples cover CSV import and export and data-table tools for element parameters and are built with Visual Studio. A valid EVOLVE Electrical or Mechanical licence is required to use the API at runtime.
About EVOLVE MEP (EVOLVE Electrical / EVOLVE Mechanical) · Certification
What is Stratus and who makes it?
Stratus is a cloud-based platform that manages MEP fabrication from the BIM model to the shop and the field. It was the flagship product of GTP Services, a Colorado company founded in 2015, and the company has since rebranded as Stratus. Plug-ins pull data from Revit, AutoCAD and Autodesk Fabrication CADmep, ESTmep and CAMduct.
About Stratus (GTP Software) · Certification
How does Stratus track a spool through fabrication and installation?
Each work package or spool gets a unique number and a QR code on its drawing or label. As the piece moves through cutting, assembly, shipping and installation, workers scan the code to update its status, which appears in real time on the Stratus dashboards. The Stratus Workstation app sends cut data to cutting stations, and the status history feeds productivity analytics.
About Stratus (GTP Software) · Certification
Does Stratus replace Autodesk Fabrication or SysQue?
No. Stratus is not a modelling tool; it sits downstream of the authoring and detailing tools. Contractors detail in Revit (with SysQue, EVOLVE or Victaulic tools) or in CADmep, then use Stratus to package, spool, drive the shop and track status. Its competitors are shop-management and spooling platforms such as EVOLVE Shop or Trimble FabShop, not the detailing tools themselves.
About Stratus (GTP Software) · Certification
What does Victaulic Tools for Revit do?
It is a Revit add-in from the pipe-coupling manufacturer Victaulic that speeds up pipe routing and fabrication. It splits pipe automatically into minimum and maximum lengths and inserts the specified couplings, creates spools and assemblies, generates bills of material and manages connectors and parameters. The 2026 version supports Revit 2026 including fabrication parts, and a 30-day free trial is available.
How is Victaulic Tools for Revit priced?
The Tools for Revit 2026 store page lists USD 200 per licence with volume discounts down to USD 120 for 21 or more licences. The listing does not state whether this is perpetual or annual, and each Revit release has its own version, so budget per Revit year. Contact [email protected] for company-wide terms.
How do I create a fabrication assembly of a pump room with Victaulic Tools?
Select the piping run, then use Create Assembly. The tool builds a Revit assembly with all nested families included so loose parts are not omitted, produces the assembly sheet, and the Procurement tool generates the bill of material for the spool. Use the Sequence Manager to attach milestone dates, and check that pipe lengths respect the shipping and handling limits set in the Pipe Splitting settings.
Which MEP design software should I learn first?
For most markets, Revit's MEP disciplines, because nearly every add-in and contractor tool runs inside it. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Trimble Nova, LINEAR or DDScad are common; in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, CYPE is widespread; in the Nordics and Benelux, MagiCAD and Stabicad on top of Revit. Learn HVAC and electrical fundamentals first: the software only automates what you already understand.
What is the difference between MEP design software and MEP fabrication software?
Design tools (Revit MEP, MagiCAD, Stabicad, LINEAR, DDScad, CYPE, Nova) size systems with calculations and produce coordinated design models at roughly LOD 300. Fabrication tools (Autodesk Fabrication, SysQue, EVOLVE, Victaulic Tools) add real manufacturer parts, seams, hangers and spools at LOD 400 so pieces can be cut and prefabricated. Shop platforms such as Stratus then manage packages and status. Load and energy programs (Carrier HAP, TRACE 3D Plus) sit before design, sizing equipment.
What skills define an MEP BIM coordinator today?
Discipline knowledge of HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems; fluent Revit MEP modelling plus at least one calculation add-in used in the region; federated-model coordination in Navisworks, Solibri or Trimble Connect with BCF issue tracking; IFC and ISO 19650 information management, including MEP property sets and classification; and enough automation (Dynamo, Python, Revit API basics) to enforce standards. Contractor-side coordinators add fabrication workflows: fabrication parts, spooling and shop hand-off.
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About this database
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Facts are verified against vendor documentation and dated sources; pricing is described by model only. Spotted an error or a missing tool? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it. Database updated: 2026-09-15.