What is Stabicad and why would I use it?

November 6, 2024

We sat down with Richard Murray and Brad Freeman, business development managers at Trimble, as they answered the most commonly asked questions regarding Stabicad.

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1. What is Stabicad?

Stabicad is a Revit-integrated BIM solution for MEP engineers and contractors that simplifies, speeds up, and de-risks the design process for M&E design teams.

2. Who is it for?

Stabicad is made for mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as BIM coordinators and Revit technicians. Richard expands on this, “Revit was first introduced primarily as an architectural tool. Because of this, Revit families are not consistent with real world construction. There is a lack of detailed M&E information which leads to unnecessary extra work. The calculations are unreliable and are not localised to the UK or European standards which then leads to a duplication of work using two separate software tools.”

3. What does Stabicad do?

Put simply, Stabicad allows M&E engineers to work better natively in Revit with fully compliant IET Wiring Regulations and CIBSE’s SVA calculations, meaning they can produce accurate MEP designs directly in existing 3D models, avoiding errors and double work.

4. What are some of Stabicad’s top features?

Stabicad contains lots of useful features that help M&E engineers do their jobs more effectively without having to change the way they work. Some of the most popular features include:

Integrated CIBSE-verified calculations: accurately performs complex M&E calculations verified by CIBSE directly within your Revit model
Multiregional calculations: produces accurate calculations for multiple regulatory authorities
MEPcontent browser: provides instant access to more than 600,000 BIM articles, including UK-specific manufacturer data
Nodesolver tool: saves time on drawing and clash resolution
Autorouting: models mechanical and plumbing systems more efficiently and accurately
StabiBASE: allows users to create corporate master templates, manage drawing settings and project administration, and access the engineering database

5. Why use Stabicad?

“Stabicad helps M&E engineers by streamlining their workflows into a single source in Revit. Engineers can model, calculate, and generate reports all in one location,” says Richard, “Traditionally, the methods used are excel spreadsheets and standalone software tools, so using Stabicad helps save time and duplication of work.”

Brad adds, “By using Stabicad, users are able to speed up the design process through a host of design and productivity tools, MEP content, and integrated calculations. Based on customer feedback and case studies, we’ve seen customers being able to speed up their design process by 3 times!”

6. Are Stabicad’s calculations compliant with CIBSE?

Being compliant with CIBSE is the gold standard when it comes to M&E calculations. Unlike many other competitors, Stabicad’s calculations are approved by CIBSE.

“Trimble is very proud to have all of our calculations, both mechanically and electrically, approved through the CIBSE SVA program. We are the only company in the UK to have a full set of compliant CIBSE calculations.” Brad says before adding, “Electrically, Stabicad’s calculations also conform to the BS 7671 standards.”

7. Is Stabicad localised to the UK?

Unlike other MEP design software, Stabicad is localised for the UK market, from calculations to the content available in the library.

“Yes, all of Stabicad’s MEP content is localised to the UK” Brad begins, “You can go to MEPcontent.com and here you can find a list of all of our manufacturers. You can actually search and see what localised UK content is available. Also, when it comes to the calculations, both mechanically and electrically, they’re all in accordance with the UK standards.”

8. What types of content are available in Stabicad?

There is a vast library of content available within Stabicad, thanks to MEPcontent. The site offers .rfa, .dwg and .ifc files and can be used immediately within Revit once downloaded.

Brad expands on this, “Stabicad offers detailed generic and manufacturer-specific content. As you progress through the RIBA stages, you can convert to manufacturer-specific or vice versa. This can be done very easily through StabiBASE which is available in the Stabicad software.”

9. What is StabiBASE?

As a follow up question, we asked what StabiBASE was. Brad clarifies, “this is our back-end project management solution. Within here, you will receive a Revit template. It’s CIBSE [certified] out of the box, naming conventions, colours for service types, etc. You can set up your engineering sizing preferences such as minimum cable sizes, flow rights. You also use StabiBASE to set permissions for each of the users, which once this has been set, it’s then pushed out to ensure that everyone’s working in a consistent method.”

10. What's included in a Stabicad subscription?

In order to make sure that you’re using the solution that is made for you and your business, Trimble offers different packages to suit your needs.

Richard says, “Stabicad has 3 different solutions: a technical licence; an electrical licence; and a mechanical licence. The mechanical licence includes all of the mechanical calculations, modelling tools, and content. Similarly, the electrical licence contains electrical content, calculations and ProDesign. The technical licence is more defined for BIM coordinators and Revit technicians.”

11. Where can I go to find out more about Stabicad?

If you want to find out more about Stabicad, there are a couple of ways you can do it. Firstly, you can get in touch with our sales team, who can chat with you in more detail about functionality and your business’s suitability for Stabicad. Secondly, we have an overview webinar below that's available at a time that suits you.