This week, the MagiCloud team caught up with one of our frequent users, Anita Du Plooy, a senior draftsperson at the engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV. She shares her secrets about using Europe’s largest BIM library of MEP products, MagiCloud, to make the design process easier.
MagiCloud: What do you do?
Anita: “Royal HaskoningDHV is a large, Dutch-owned company with many offices around the world. Our office is located in Bloemfontein, South Africa. I am responsible for compiling all the electrical drawings in our office, and since 2014, I also became involved with mechanical drawings as well. The latter is still very new to me and it is because I had less experience with mechanical equipment that I stumbled across MagiCloud. It made me feel so much better about my “inexperience,” and helped me to to properly finish my mechanical drawings.
In 2014 I was thrown into the deep end and started working on Revit. That was another big challenge and a very stiff learning curve. I find it difficult to visualise things in 3D, but I have learned fast, and I must confess that today I cannot imagine working with any other design programme. It is very powerful programme and with the help of MagiCloud it makes it so much easier to keep a high standard of quality in our work. It also reduces the risk of errors during construction.”
What kind of builds are you designing?
Anita: “I am mainly involved in electrical and mechanical drawings. I have designed hospitals, schools, laboratories, lecture rooms, large halls, kitchen layouts for military institutions and lifts.”
How does the MagiCloud help you in your job?
Anita: “MagiCloud is certainly a big,… no, it is a huge help for me. I work mainly in the Revit and AutoCad environments, and if I can find a model on MagiCloud, I don’t have to “re-invent the wheel” again. When I started with Revit the whole drawing scene changed drastically. It is a stiff learning curve, and the models in MagiCloud made the learning process so much easier. Sometimes I need models that are not available, and I can send a request for those models. Some models are very detailed, which I like a lot. It also helps to eliminate any obscurities in drawings and helps contractors to “get the bigger picture,” so to speak.”
Does MagiCloud help you save time? Do you think that translates to cost savings?
Anita: “Oh YES – it definitely saves a lot of time! It means that I don’t have to spend time drawing the model myself. In the case that I need to draw a 3D model, I have to use pictures that I can find in a catalogue or on the internet. It also impresses the client (and the boss) when we can finish our drawings ahead of time. Why would I try and re-draw something when I can find something that was already done? Sometimes it does take time to search for a model because of language barriers. Not all manufacturers use English names for their products. But so far, I can usually find what I’m looking for.”
Which aspects of the MagiCloud library are most useful to you?
Anita: “The wide variety of 3D models that are available. Also, the fact that it’s linked with Revit makes it easier to download and insert models in my drawing. It is crucial to know your designs are done with the correct equipment and they fit in the designated spaces.”
Thank you very much, Anita, for your honest responses about using MagiCloud on the job.