Niknaz Aftahi, founder and CEO of AEC+Tech, discusses how the time-saving technology in ARES Commander can change BIM–CAD workflows for the better.
The Role of ARES Commander 2025 in AEC BIM-CAD Workflows
ARES Commander 2025 is a full-featured CAD software application that offers unique benefits for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals. Thanks to BIM drawings automation, a technology developed by Graebert, ARES Commander can generate smart DWG drawings from Revit or IFC BIM projects automatically. This transforms a time-consuming manual task into a one-click process.
Niknaz Aftahi: How Gräbert’s CAD Product Solves BIM-CAD Challenges
Niknaz Aftahi, the CEO and founder of AEC+Tech, delivered a keynote presentation about the transformative impact of BIM drawings automation during the Graebert neXt online conference, held in April..
“Gräbert has built a CAD product that does more than just make drawings — it solves some very crucial pain points in BIM–CAD interaction,” said Aftahi
When it was first introduced, some people thought that building information modeling (BIM) would mean the end of AEC professionals using CAD. It was compared to the end of the dinosaur era, making way for new methods.
Today, the AEC world has embraced BIM, but there are still many more AEC professionals using CAD than BIM. That’s because BIM is great for showing projects in 3D, but it’s not as good at making the 2D drawings needed for the construction phase — and CAD is the top choice for creating those drawings.
The best outcomes for AEC projects come from combining the benefits of BIM and CAD, rather than using just one. However, in many firms, BIM and CAD operate separately and inefficiently, instead of working together in a coordinated way. Because of this coordination failure, CAD users often have to waste time on redundant work, recreating shapes that already exist in the BIM file to make their DWG drawings. They also have to update these drawings manually whenever the BIM model changes, which wastes more time and can lead to more errors.
This way of working requires too much effort, and it doesn’t flow smoothly. Thankfully, ARES Commander’s BIM drawings automation makes it a problem of the past.
“ARES Commander’s BIM features are revolutionizing the CAD user experience by introducing them to the wealth of information available in the world of BIM. ARES Commander is also enhancing BIM users’ workflow as they continue to work with CAD collaborators. ARES Commander seamlessly integrates BIM and CAD, allowing efficient creation of 2D/3D CAD documents in DWG format using BIM data,” shared Aftahi.
Import Revit and IFC Files: ARES Commander Automates 2D DWG Creation
During her keynote, Aftahi highlighted the latest features and updates in ARES Commander, explaining their benefits for users in the AEC industry. ARES Commander 2025 makes it even easier for AEC professionals to create 2D CAD documents in DWG format using BIM data.
“You don’t have to worry anymore about creating detailed drawings, because the ARES users will do it themselves! You can focus on your 3D BIM model, and then share only your Revit or IFC files with others, including your consultants or the contractor and subcontractors,” Niknaz advised her fellow architects and other BIM users.
ARES Commander can import Revit (RVT) or IFC files to automate the creation of 2D DWG floor plans, sections, and elevations from BIM projects. It uses BIM data to create smart DWG drawings and streamline the design process. Importantly, the DWG drawings stay linked to the BIM geometry, making it easy to update them to match changes in the BIM model.
During the keynote, Aftahi discussed a practical example: a hotel project designed in Snaptrude and exported in the Revit file format (see the images below). Snaptrude, a cloud-based BIM modeling solution, facilitates online building design and collaboration.
The project, exported from Snaptrude to RVT format, was seamlessly imported into ARES Commander, enabling users to visualize the BIM model and access all BIM object properties. This demonstrates how CAD users, including subcontractors, can open a RVT or IFC project and isolate specific BIM objects relevant to their work.
“With ARES Commander, you can also import multiple Revit or IFC files, and combine them all. After importing your BIM model to ARES commander, you can visualize it and read all the properties of BIM objects,” explained Aftahi.
ARES Commander’s automation features simplify creation of floorplans, sections, and elevations, along with dimensions, labels, and sheets. The software ensures that DWG drawings remain connected to the BIM model they were created from, allowing for automatic updates whenever the BIM model is modified. And new this year, ARES Commander 2025 offers improved BIM labels and dimensions, configurable dimension chains, and the ability to assign 2D symbols to represent BIM objects in 2D drawings.
In addition, “ARES Commander offers cloud collaboration for feedback and validation, and leverages AI for real-time assistance and guidance, enhancing user productivity,” concluded Niknaz.
Start Your Free 30-Day Trial: Experience BIM Drawings Automation with ARES Commander
With ARES Commander you can import and view Revit and IFC files, but most interestingly you can extract 2D drawings from them, extract the BIM information into tables and draw additional CAD details on top of the geometry acquired from the BIM project. To explore and start benefiting from the BIM drawings automation features of ARES Commander, download a free 30-day trial of the ARES Trinity of CAD today!