CHALLENGES

When creating floor plans, TD previously utilized graphics symbols that came standard with the purchase of Tridium products. Use of these graphics worked well in its target market. The product’s functionality received passing grades from end users, but outdated aesthetics in regard to look and feel did not meet or exceed the expectations of TD and its customers.

Missing a more rich and dynamic feel for the renders of the building space, TD knew that the company needed something more engaging but lacked the in-house capabilities to make its desires a reality. Images often presented themselves as mediocre in quality and lacked the exact graphical representation TD desired to portray. Customer expectations were on the rise due to a rapidly growing market and demand for advanced 3D images was becoming front and center.

“Once we searched for 3D HVAC images and saw what QA Graphics had to offer, we knew our graphics were basic and becoming outdated,” said Mike Ohlenburger, building systems integration project manager, TDIndustries.

HOW QA GRAPHICS HELPED

TDIndustries utilized QA Graphics’ website to assess how QA Graphics expertise and product offerings could enhance their floor plan graphics. The company chose to work with QA Graphics in an effort to bring its HVAC and floor plan graphics up to speed while competing against the industry’s best.

Floor Plan
QA Graphics’ computer-aided design (CAD) drafters bring a building to life by creating professional, premium floor and site plan designs that meet a building specifications, budget, and timeline. Once project specs were set for TD’s vision, QA Graphics drafters went to work on creating detailed floor plans depicting the higher level of detail that TD wanted to portray with its graphics.

QA Graphics created several layers of floor plans to accommodate the varying needs of TD. Varying layers for HVAC, piping, lighting, elevator graphics, animation for security doors, and domestic and hydronic water systems were created. This gave TDIndustries the professional look and feel that it was missing before, allowing the team to easily view locations of the varying systems with ease.

TD provided QA Graphics with Revit files which allowed it to create dynamic renderings of the building’s interior by showcasing material textures and HVAC systems. This provided TD with a higher end photo realistic option to bring the project to the next level.

System Graphics
TD also worked with QA Graphics’ 3D designers and building automation system (BAS) specialists to update a majority of its symbol library and mechanical equipment graphics. QA Graphics’ symbol library offers static and animated graphics, including unit ventilators, underfloor units, tanks, rooftop units, and more.

QA Graphics’ specialists are experts in the BAS graphics industry and worked with TD to build robust system graphics. QA Graphics created a majority of the 3D graphics needed for the project. The floor plans now feature superior graphic representations of a user’s system, including dynamic graphics, moving fans, and pumping pumps.

Customer Experience
TD loved the ease of the process as QA Graphics worked through the layers and sent updates through its work place system. The company was able to see how the upgrade in graphics created a modern and updated design. QA Graphics’ designers created TDIndustries’ appealing floor plans and system graphics into a presentation piece that TD is proud to display.

When asked about the process and work of QA Graphics, Ohlenburger said, “I think that QA Graphics’ work space system, Mavenlink, is a great asset for keeping the client in the know of project status and questions that may arise. The customer service of the team was also friendly, easy to work with, and offered good value.”

POST PRODUCTION

TD’s new floor plan for the construction process features updated graphics that include mechanical component layers, colored units, piping, domestic/hydronic water systems, and more. The design process required very little work to be done on TD’s part, allowing its experts to focus on other parts of the building process and spend less time trying to make the graphics look presentable and professional.

TD’s new look for floor plans on this building project gave the company something to be proud of that it wants to display to its clients, featuring up-to-date, highly detailed, and accurate representations of the floor plan and HVAC systems. The graphics for the floor plans featured a variety of layers for various BAS systems onsite and background images that outlaid the locations for piping, lighting, security animations, and more. The updated floor plan graphics are better than what TDIndustries could have created without QA Graphics’ expertise, and the design process was more efficient than its current resources.

“Working with a company that produces a nice product at a professional grade in a timely manner was worth the cost of the project. They also had excellent customer support for whenever we had questions,” said Ohlenburger.

For more information, visit www.qagraphics.com.

Publication date: 1/9/2017

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