5 Things You Can Do Better Using Dynamo

As a visual programming application, Dynamo is an extremely powerful tool that enables computational design processes in the building and manufacturing industries. Dynamo can connect to almost any application or database, but it is specially built to operate within a collection of Autodesk products, including two of the flagships: Revit and Civil 3D.

Dynamo gives us the ability to transform workflows. It accomplishes this by enabling designers to automate significant portions of their tasks, make better informed design decisions, and generate better design outcomes.

Here are five examples of things Dynamo lets us do better:

1. Task Automation

Dynamo’s bread and butter is automating repetitive tasks. The programmatic nature of the application allows users to easily develop custom automation solutions. The complexity and scope of task automation is also extremely flexible and dependent on the needs of the user.

Dynamo has been used to automate simpler tasks, like auto-tagging elements, and more sophisticated operations, like automating project setup inside Revit, as described in this case study. The power of task automation with Dynamo is that it is easily set up and can quickly reap time savings through the automation of repetitious tasks.

2. Interoperability and Data Integration

Dynamo is also an excellent data connection tool. Due to its open-source nature, it supports a large ecosystem of connectors to other applications. Whether that is to structural analysis software like RAM, standard database applications like Excel or SQL Server, or even connecting project to project in Revit, Dynamo transacts in data and does so extremely easily. Dynamo can serve as the relay between two separate applications that are otherwise unable to share data between themselves. As long as there is an API to connect to, Dynamo has a reasonable chance of being able to interface with an application, no matter what it is.

3. Model Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC)

As BIM workflows continue to progress towards increasingly collaborative design efforts, it is becoming increasingly important to manage the QAQC process to ensure all stakeholders are able to use the BIM files as needed. One prominent example today references the trend of fabricators migrating to Revit; it is crucial that these fabricators have models that are ready for fabrication design. Dynamo offers extremely powerful methods for auditing and editing Revit models so they are compliant with the outputs that fabrication designers need.

4. Generative Design

Dynamo is a bridge to the future and presents powerful opportunities for reconstructing the design process in our digital workflows. In the last few years, generative design has made waves as a potential disruptor in the design process.

The basic premise of generative design is that through an algorithmic iterative design process, designers can produce a range of potential design solutions, unlocking potential outcomes that were previously impossible.

Dynamo serves as the engine to the Generative Design Tool inside Revit. It is used to author ‘studies’, which are essentially the programmatic instructions for Revit to run specific generative design analysis.

5. Generate Reports

As a tool that facilitates data integration and can easily access project information, Dynamo also supports powerful data reporting workflows. It is possible to extract granular data from multiple applications and compile them into a single data repository using Dynamo. This can then be connected to dashboarding tools like Power BI to provide intuitive and accessible insights into projects.

As a computational tool, Dynamo is incredibly versatile and powerful. It is also rapidly evolving and growing ever more powerful. To stay competitive in the AEC space, firms need to consider computational design tools like Dynamo and understand how they can impact their workflows.

If you’re interested in learning more about Dynamo, contact Applied Software today. Industry-trained Dynamo experts will help you learn more about how it can help you do things better.