Interest in AceCad products in the region is greater than ever before, says the leading supplier of software solutions to the international structural steel industry, which in 2005 established its regional office – AceCad Software Middle East – to meet the growing demands of the regional market.

“We are growing our activities in Saudi Arabia and have a number of marketing and business-generation plans for the region. With many activities completed across Saudi Arabia including exhibitions and seminars, more and more steelwork contractors are discovering the benefits of Fabrication Information Modelling and using both StruCad and StruMIS.NET,” says Cameron Haywood, marketing manager of AceCad Software, which is the sole owner and developer of the StruCad detailing system and the StruMIS fabrication management system.
“We see a very promising future in view of our experiences over the past year and can predict rapid construction growth in the region over the next few years to come,” he adds.
With a growing number of clients in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries, AceCad’s software is used in a variety of projects ranging from industrial and process plant, to warehousing and commercial, through to sports stadiums and landmark municipal or private structures.
Last year, AceCad Software released number of new software products that have dramatically benefited thousands of organisations within the structural steel industry, Haywood says. These recent developments included significant additions to its world-leading detailing software with the release of StruCad V12 early last year.
“This key new version combines industry-leading functionality with superior innovative features, providing unique competitive advantages to users through increased modelling speed and accurate automatic output. As a direct result of our commitment to the structural steel sector and in response to competitive pressures demanding even greater productivity improvements within the industry, we also released StruMIS.NET V7 last year. The product of more than 15 years of best-practice research and dedicated learning, this completely rewritten definitive production and management information system for steelwork fabricators facilitates complete process control and delivers efficiencies that are truly ground-breaking. Either standalone, or with additional benefits of visual production tracking via 3D model when integrated with StruCad, StruMIS.NET will both significantly increase your profitability and change the way you view your business,” Haywood explains.
He continues: “StruConnect is the latest addition to the StruCad detailing system, being an integrated connection design tool, enabling users to design and modify connections as required. This superb addition allows bi-directional transfer between the design program and the StruCad joints and forms part of the new content of StruCad V13, launched at the end of 2007.
“StruCad V13 includes a new macro connection wizard that is set to rapidly increase modelling speed. This exciting new feature automatically applies appropriate connections to an existing set of members, thus dramatically reducing detailing time. Additional new tools incorporated that similarly increase detailing efficiency include several CAD macros that graphically create shapes and increase detailing flexibility, including enabling graphical editing of base drawing files. With improved shaping tools for cutting and editing members, this latest version of StruCad delivers both enhanced interactive modelling facilities and increased manipulation. StruCad has always delivered accurate automatic output, considered by the industry to be class leading.
“This latest version of StruCad builds on this deserved reputation with improved graphical representation in drawings and increased output range. For example, General Arrangement drawings now include improved connection detail and automatic labelling. Additional system support is provided through the inclusion of import/export/xref/batch conversion for the latest DWG/DWF files with the added benefit of drawing conversion to PDF. New output features include incorporation of the latest DSTV standards for maximum CAM/CNC compatibility.”
AceCad Software claims to be is the only software vendor that provides a complete integrated software package for both the major structural steelwork contractor and the individual subcontractors involved in a typical structural steelwork project team – from design through to erection. “With industry-leading third-party integration as standard and unrestricted freeware collaboration, AceCad provides the best-of-breed tools required for advanced building and Fabrication Information Modelling – ready for immediate adoption! This combined with exciting future releases ensures maximum competitive advantages for our valued clients,” he adds.
An interesting project in Dubai which recently won AceCad’s International StruCad Drawing Competition is the Al Kazim Towers, a landmark project, which recently celebrated its ‘top out’ level at week 52. The tower features three basement levels, a ground floor and an eight storey podium plus two 52-storey towers rising 44 floors above the podium to a height of 203 m. Rising above the towers are two aesthetically-designed roofs ‘topped out’ at 265 m.
Turning to the Saudi market, he says: “The construction sector in Saudi Arabia has been rapidly growing over the past year and is expected to continue over the next few years. This growth will be supported by AceCad’s continued and further commitment to the region. With our valued clients and partners, we look forward to establishing further our brand, products and Fabrication Information Modelling solution to satisfy the growing construction industry both in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East region,” concludes Haywood.
Established in 1986, AceCad is a leading supplier of software solutions to the international structural steel industry, with a range of detailing, analysis and fabrication management products that create significant benefits to the users who rely on superior productivity to remain competitive.
AceCad has operations in Europe, Asia, Australia and America that support a global network of agents and representatives. The company is staffed with over 100 employees that include developers and engineers as well as a technical support and sales team. AceCad Software Middle East has offices in Dubai in the UAE that support and serves clients across the Middle East and throughout Saudi Arabia along with a number of authorised distributors in the Middle East.