SE Solutions, LLC
Helping Engineers Achieve their Goals
CIS/2
Background
CIS/2 stands for CIMSteel Integration Standards and it represents the AISC adopted standard neutral file format for exchanging data typically into and out of steel detailing software, such as SDS/2.
The following articles show how this technology has been used successfully on a variety of projects to date...
Articles
"Consider Constructability" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, April 2006, click here.
"Interoperability for the Steel Industry" - Structure Magazine, February 2006, click here.
"Building Better" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, June 2003, click here.
"3 Schools + 2 Years = 1 Team" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, October 2003, click here.
"Dream Team" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, October 2003, click here.
"Dynamic Exchange" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, January 2003, click here.
AISC Website on Interoperability & eCommerce, click here.
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) has a FREE CIS/2 to VRML translator and viewer available and also a FREE CIS/2 to IFC translator. (so, for example, you could take a RAM Structural System model and export a CIS/2 file, and then translate it to IFC to get it into a program like ArchiCAD). For more information on the these translators, click here.
Liability
There has been a lot of discussion among structural engineers about the effects of transferring data from engineering software to steel detailing programs. The AISC Code of Standard Practice does address this issue. Also, CASE (Council of American Structural Engineers) has a Sample contract for such transfers of data. It is called... "CASE #11 - An Agreement Between Structural Engineer of Record (SER) and Contractor for Transfer of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) files on Electronic Media" and has been used by some for sending CIS/2 files. For more information on this document, click here.
Brian Quinn of SE Solutions was heavily involved in working with fabricators and engineers while at RAM International on these issues. For more information, feel free to e-mail him at Brian.Quinn@FindYourEngineer.com or call him at 616.836.1702.
CIS/2 stands for CIMSteel Integration Standards and it represents the AISC adopted standard neutral file format for exchanging data typically into and out of steel detailing software, such as SDS/2.
The following articles show how this technology has been used successfully on a variety of projects to date...
Articles
"Consider Constructability" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, April 2006, click here.
"Interoperability for the Steel Industry" - Structure Magazine, February 2006, click here.
"Building Better" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, June 2003, click here.
"3 Schools + 2 Years = 1 Team" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, October 2003, click here.
"Dream Team" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, October 2003, click here.
"Dynamic Exchange" - Modern Steel Construction Magazine, January 2003, click here.
AISC Website on Interoperability & eCommerce, click here.
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) has a FREE CIS/2 to VRML translator and viewer available and also a FREE CIS/2 to IFC translator. (so, for example, you could take a RAM Structural System model and export a CIS/2 file, and then translate it to IFC to get it into a program like ArchiCAD). For more information on the these translators, click here.
Liability
There has been a lot of discussion among structural engineers about the effects of transferring data from engineering software to steel detailing programs. The AISC Code of Standard Practice does address this issue. Also, CASE (Council of American Structural Engineers) has a Sample contract for such transfers of data. It is called... "CASE #11 - An Agreement Between Structural Engineer of Record (SER) and Contractor for Transfer of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) files on Electronic Media" and has been used by some for sending CIS/2 files. For more information on this document, click here.
Brian Quinn of SE Solutions was heavily involved in working with fabricators and engineers while at RAM International on these issues. For more information, feel free to e-mail him at Brian.Quinn@FindYourEngineer.com or call him at 616.836.1702.