The FRAMECAD system and the BIM environment
Why this is a question at all
Section titled “Why this is a question at all”An LGS frame is a very detailed model: it does not contain walls but several thousand individually cut sections. If that level of detail cannot enter coordination, two bad things happen. Either nobody sees what is inside the wall — and the services are routed where the bracing is — or it slows the shared model down so much that the other disciplines take it out.
What the manufacturer documents
Section titled “What the manufacturer documents”Steelwise supports two-way exchange with Revit, as well as with Strucsoft and SolidWorks, and prices this as a separately paid add-on. The model can also be exported in IFC, which is a licence-independent route to any BIM tool.
Previously the same role towards Revit was played by the manufacturer’s separate link tool (RevLink) for the Structure software; its manual is still available, but the direction clearly points to Steelwise.
How to use it well
Section titled “How to use it well”Two levels of detail
Section titled “Two levels of detail”In practice two models live side by side: the coordination model, in which a wall is a wall with its build-up, and the manufacturing model, in which every section is a separate element. Coordination runs on the first, production on the second. If the manufacturing model is forced on everyone, coordination stops.
Clash detection
Section titled “Clash detection”The real benefit is where the frame meets the services: penetrations, waste stacks, ventilation ducts, cantilevered loads. These points are visible in the model in good time, whereas on site they can only be fixed expensively.
When to hand it over
Section titled “When to hand it over”The LGS frame is fixed once the openings, the service routes and the build-up have been decided. So show the frame model to the other disciplines during detailed design, not at the very end — while a change does not yet mean re-manufacturing.
The point
Section titled “The point”The BIM link is not there for the visuals. With an LGS frame, information about the inside of the wall is more valuable than with any other structure — because afterwards this is the structure where “we will just chase it in later” works least of all.
Sources
Section titled “Sources”FRAMECAD Steelwise product page and Software and Tools section (Knowledge Hub), retrieved in September 2026.