Explore 98 professional resources for drawing, BIM, simulation, materials and spatial analysis.
External professional resources complement GAD’s three calculators. The uses below are supported by publisher documentation, rather than GAD product tests. Access conditions, prices and suitability should be checked with each provider.
98 records · Page 2 / 5
DepthmapX
Spatial analysis
Analyze spatial configurations through a space-syntax-oriented workflow. The resource helps investigate connections and movement-related questions. Record how rooms, paths or visibility have been represented, since the graph definition shapes the analysis and should not be confused with measured behavior of actual users.
Where it fits
Compare the network structure of alternative circulation layouts.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Develop building-energy and environmental studies from a defined model. The resource supports option comparison when geometry, systems and operation are consistently specified. Inspect the analytical representation and input assumptions before using predicted performance to favor one architectural scheme over another.
Where it fits
Compare two options using one checked analytical baseline.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Plan and calculate lighting within a dedicated design environment. Begin with the room use and the lighting question, then inspect fixture and surface inputs. A calculated result supports comparison, while final suitability still depends on the real product, installation and applicable project requirements.
Where it fits
Compare lighting arrangements for a defined room use.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Investigate daylight and energy questions linked to Rhino geometry. A useful study separates the design variable from simulation settings and records both. Check current support and compatibility at the official source before adopting the resource in a project workflow or repeating an older tutorial.
Where it fits
Compare a controlled set of envelope or daylight options.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Organize building information at district scale for environmental and energy investigation. It supports questions that sit between individual-building detail and urban context. Clarify represented buildings and model resolution before interpreting the result, keeping district estimates separate from measured performance in each property.
Where it fits
Prepare a district-level energy comparison with consistent scope.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Organize design operations through a visual-programming workflow. A useful graph begins with a repeated task whose inputs and expected outputs are understood. Save a small verification sample and inspect changes before running the graph broadly, particularly when it edits project information rather than only drawing geometry.
Where it fits
Automate one repeatable model-information task.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Review an architectural model through real-time visualization. It supports communication of space and material choices, but visual realism is separate from measured performance. Compare the displayed scene with the design model and identify any presentation changes before an image becomes part of a client decision.
Where it fits
Review a spatial or material change in a model-based scene.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Study the interaction between urban form and local outdoor climate. This is a microclimate simulation resource for a defined site model; building geometry, surface assumptions and weather inputs should be documented before comparing design alternatives.
Where it fits
Compare a baseline street or courtyard with a revised shading strategy.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Model the hydraulic and water-quality behavior of distribution piping through EPA's resource. It is relevant to infrastructure questions supporting a building or development. Define the network and operating assumptions with engineering input, and distinguish simulation results from verified conditions in the installed water system.
Where it fits
Review a defined water-distribution scenario.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Use a building-oriented structural analysis and design environment. It can support questions about an architectural scheme's structural organization when inputs are clearly defined. A meaningful comparison should document the model and engineering assumptions rather than relying on a displayed deformation or one headline output.
Where it fits
Review the structural organization of a building scheme.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Translate a specified physical problem into a finite-element computation through an open research platform. It is a technical framework rather than a ready-made building model. Architectural applications require a clearly formulated engineering question and review of equations, boundary assumptions and the interpretation of numerical results.
Where it fits
Investigate an explicitly formulated engineering problem.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Use a dedicated resource for three-dimensional frame analysis. It suits explicit models with inspectable geometry, supports and loading. Architectural comparisons should be coordinated with engineering judgment, especially when a small analytical study is being used to guide a larger building or an unfamiliar structural system.
Where it fits
Compare structural response in a defined frame model.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Use an open parametric CAD environment to construct and revise geometry. For architectural work, start with a limited component or modelling question and inspect how later changes affect the result. Exchange-file fidelity should be checked in the receiving workflow rather than assumed.
Where it fits
Model a repeatable component and test one parameter change.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Explore evolutionary optimization within a Grasshopper workflow. Its value depends on the objective chosen and the variables exposed to the solver. Keep hard requirements and rejected alternatives visible, since improving a numerical objective does not automatically improve an architectural scheme's overall quality.
Where it fits
Optimize one explicit criterion in a controlled parametric model.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Understand a building-information exchange format used in analysis workflows. It is useful for planning how geometry reaches a performance model. Inspect room boundaries, surfaces and included information after export, since a supported format alone does not guarantee that two applications interpret the same building consistently.
Where it fits
Test a geometry handoff into a building-analysis workflow.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Translate and process raster and vector geospatial information with a documented library and command-line utilities. It is useful when preparing site-context inputs across formats. Check coordinate references, metadata and resolution before and after conversion so an accessible file does not conceal a geographic mismatch.
Where it fits
Prepare a verified geographic-format conversion.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Generate finite-element meshes through a geometry, meshing and processing environment. It can support a defined engineering analysis connected to architectural geometry. Inspect mesh boundaries and refinement choices before solving, since a visually dense mesh is not evidence that the selected physical problem has been represented correctly.
Where it fits
Prepare and inspect a mesh for a specific analysis.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Investigate geospatial and terrain questions through a dedicated analytical environment. Architectural use may begin with a landscape or site constraint rather than a visualization. Inspect data resolution and processing assumptions, and retain intermediate results so another team member can reproduce the geographic analysis.
Where it fits
Prepare a reproducible terrain-processing study.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Connect architectural geometry with energy and daylight simulation workflows. A meaningful comparison begins with a checked analytical model and explicit room and material assumptions. Verify the receiving simulation setup rather than assuming that a visually correct design model contains all information required by the analysis.
Where it fits
Build a controlled analysis handoff from design geometry.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Investigate sound propagation in complex three-dimensional domains, including room-acoustics studies. The resource suits specialist analysis and learning. Architectural teams should define the relevant source, geometry and receiving positions with acoustic expertise, then distinguish simulated outcomes from measurements in the finished room.
Where it fits
Explore a defined room-acoustics question.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Explore urban-forest ecosystem services through a tree-focused assessment resource. It can inform landscape discussions when species, size and site information are available. Keep modeled benefits distinct from observed local outcomes and include maintenance and survival assumptions when relating the study to a design proposal.
Where it fits
Prepare a tree-benefit study for a landscape option.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Explore embodied-carbon and energy concepts through the ICE educational database. Its provider restricts that dataset to educational use and directs professional applications to IC+. Read factor definitions and lifecycle scope without assuming that a public download permits commercial project calculations.
Where it fits
Study material-factor definitions and dataset-use boundaries.
The provider restricts ICE Educational to educational use and directs professional/commercial use to IC+. No factors are reproduced here.
Study building energy and indoor climate in a simulation environment. Begin with the design decision and the conditions that should remain comparable. Record room, system and operating assumptions, then distinguish simulated outcomes from measurements or verified results in a completed building.
Where it fits
Compare energy and comfort consequences of a design option.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
Explore integrated building-performance modelling in a structured software environment. The useful scope may include connected environmental questions rather than one isolated number. Establish a shared baseline, inspect inputs and preserve unresolved assumptions when comparing outputs from different analyses or design alternatives.
Where it fits
Investigate a design option across a defined performance scope.
External official resource. GAD has checked the cited description, not tested the software or verified project outcomes. Review current version, access, licensing and applicability at the source.
