March-April 2017

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In This Newsletter


DHI ConNextions coming to Phoenix in May

AVAware Developers Focusing on “The Bigger Picture” in 2017

Much-Anticipated “de La Fontaine” Hollow Metal Catalog is Now in General Release

SQL Server “Connector” Enables Server-based Deployment

“Unique Architectural Products” Catalog Now Available in Both French and English Versions

Feature Focus: Hardware Groups & Multi-Door Openings

“Vision Hollow Metal Limited” Now Offered as a Manufacturer-Supported catalog

AVAware Article Featured in May 2017 DHI Magazine




Catalog Updates


 U.S. Price Books:

  • ABH
  • Adams Rite
  • Air Louvers
  • ASI
  • Best
  • Ceco
  • Curries
  • de La Fontaine
  • Design Hardware
  • Detex
  • Dorma D.C.
  • Dorma E.D.
  • Dorma Glass
  • Dorma L.K.
  • Dynalock
  • Emtek
  • Falcon
  • Folger Adam
  • Glynn-Johnson
  • HES
  • Ives
  • LCN
  • Marks
  • McKinney
  • National Guard
  • Norton
  • PBB
  • Pioneer
  • Reese
  • Rockwood
  • Rutherford
  • Sargent
  • Schlage
  • Schlage E.S.
  • Schlage Residential
  • Securitron
  • Stanley
  • Stanley Commerical
  • Stanley D.C.
  • Stanley Precision E.D.
  • Steelcraft
  • Timely
  • Trimco
  • Von Duprin
  • Yale
  • Zero



 Canadian Price Books:

  • Baron
  • Best
  • Bradley
  • Falcon
  • Fleming
  • Glynn-Johnson
  • Ives
  • LCN
  • McKinney
  • Rutherford
  • Schlage
  • Schlage E.S.
  • Unique Architectural
  • Von Duprin
  • Zero



DHI ConNextions coming to Phoenix in May


The countdown is on! The architectural openings industry’s preeminent annual event - DHI’s ConNextions is coming to Phoenix, Arizona on May 10-12, 2017.

As the time draws nearer, industry “insiders” eagerly anticipate the architectural openings industry’s preeminent event - The Door and Hardware Institute (DHI) hosted annual, ConNextions.

Once – and only once, each year, everyone who is anyone in architecture converge in a single U.S. city for this all-important gathering. For most, it represents the sole opportunity to meet with colleagues and experience many of the industry’s newest product offerings first hand.

This year the event will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona from May 10 through 12. As always, the show features a number of seminars, education sessions and a show floor consisting of industry vendors and service providers.


Once again, AVAware is proud to be participating in the trade show and will have a booth on the show floor. For AVAware, ConNextions is the one event that affords us the opportunity to meet many of our valued clients in person, and we always look forward to it. Those attending this exciting event are invited to visit us as booth number 436.

For more information about ‘DHI ConNextions’, visit the website at: http://www.dhiconnextions.org, or to learn more about the DHI, visit them at: http://dhi.org

AVAware Developers Focusing on "The Bigger Picture"  in 2017


As with each new year, AVAware’s development team has set out a number of software objectives for the coming year. For 2017, the underlying theme has been designated as "The Bigger Picture".

Users of AVAproject and AVAproject Fusion were treated to the largest product updates ever in 2016. The lengthy list of new features and enhancements seen in the ‘Release Notes’ extends throughout many aspect of the platform. New capabilities and enhancement to existing ones were a central focus throughout 2016.

For the upcoming years, the development team is taking an innovative approach. Internally named "The Bigger Picture", development effort in the coming year will be focused on the AVAware “ecosystem” in its entirely, with a specific emphasis on web-based and network-enabled functionality. Perhaps more importantly, AVAware will expand efforts to provide integration capabilities with other popular software solutions and platforms. Specifically, development initiatives will be organized into several key categories.

 

 

Working the Web.

 

AVAproject and AVAproject Fusion already make extensive use of web-based technologies to provide users and system administrators with features that are normally reserved for network-based implementations. Used effectively, the internet can provide all the connectivity features found in a traditional “network-based” solution, without requiring users to be constantly tethered to VPN-type connections.

A great deal of emphasis has been placed in AVAware User Accounts in recent years. User accounts are maintained by system administrators on AVAware’s web platform, using a robust set of web tools accessible through the AVAware website. Administrators maintain lists of users, with “types” assigned to each that clearly define access capabilities and “permissions” with respect to web resources and usage of the software itself.

» Click here to read full article...


Much-Anticipated “de La Fontaine” Hollow Metal Catalog is Now in General Release


AVAware is pleased to announce that the much-anticipated release of Canadian manufacturer de La Fontaine Industries is now available to all AVAproject users.


Though officially released on January 9, 2017 at the request of de La Fontaine, users will notice it carries a “2016” revision date. This is because the catalog was initially created earlier last year and made available in select markets on a limited release basis. This was largely due to the fact that this most recent revision was completely redesigned by de La Fontaine, to be more concise than its predecessors and reflective of all their current product offerings.

Originally known as “G & R de La Fontaine” (named for its founders), they are a family run business in the truest sense of the term. Several generations of the de La Fontaine family have lead the successful hollow metal manufacturer from their headquarters in Sherbrooke, Quebec. AVAware has had the pleasure of working with the last two generations, since the release of our first AVAproject-compatible de La Fontaine catalog in 1997.

The latest release of the de La Fontaine catalog is made even more special by the active role taken by de La Fontaine in its creation. Being AVAproject users themselves, individuals at de La Fontaine were able to review each and every aspect of the new catalog, ensuring it met their high standards. Working with them, AVAware developers created an exceptional version of their catalog - fully automating each and every pricing nuance it contains.


AVAproject users interested in adding the de La Fontaine catalog to their subscription package may do so by contacting AVAware Support.

For additional information on de La Fontaine Industries, please visit their website at: http://www.delafontaine.com/


SQL Server “Connector” Enables Server-based Deployment


Support for Microsoft SQL Server now extends from AVAproject to AVAproject Fusion, enabling server-based implementations.

From the very beginning, AVAware designed AVAproject and AVAcad to use discrete files as opposed to making them reliant on a central server. Modelling their data storage models after popular applications such as Microsoft Excel and Word, the file-based architecture provided several powerful advantages over the server-based alternative. Individual files can be organized and managed at the convenience of the users, using any storage or organization system they prefer. Files can be storage on local drives, network servers, cloud storage or any other compatible storage device. Most importantly, they free remote users from having to constantly maintain network (VPN) connections with “home base” to utilize the software. Users can make use of the software wherever they may find themselves, and share their files with others at their convenience. It absolutely offers the best of all possible solutions.


SQL Server Management Studio showing the AVAproject Openings Schedules table as it exists within the SQL data.


Many organizations, however, still find it necessary to maintain central data repositories containing active project data. For most, Microsoft SQL Server is the data management platform of choice. For that reason, AVAware created an optional “connector” module that allows AVAproject users to replicate their project data in a SQL Server database in a single step. The export module is entirely self-configuring, automatically creating and maintaining the necessary data tables in the SQL database to hold the project data.

» Click here to read full article...


“Unique Architectural Products” Catalog Now Available in Both French and English Versions


The release of then Unique Architectural Products catalog marks the addition of a popular Canadian architectural product manufacturer to AVAware’s growing catalog library – as well as our first bilingual offering.


Unique Architectural Products was originally released in May of 2015, but only in its French version as Produits Architecturaux Unique. AVAware is pleased to announce that they have chosen to release the most recent edition of their catalog in both English and French versions. Popular demand from AVAproject users in English-speaking parts of the country was ultimately the reason for the dual release, making this the first time AVAware has been able to offer a manufacturer catalog in two interchangeable language versions.

For many years, AVAware has provided the ability for AVAproject users to easily switch text within the application to languages other than English. Through the use of optional language modules (currently offered in Canadian French and Spanish) the AVAproject user interface can switch between languages as easily as it can between Imperial and Metric measurement systems.



The release of Unique Architectural Products / Produits Architecturaux Unique dual language versions make AVAproject a truly bilingual experience. Both catalogs are now available to AVAproject users subscribing to AVAware’s ‘D8 Architectural Hardware’ package.

Unique Architectural Products has manufactured high quality, architectural hardware products in their Quebec, Canada facility for over 40 years. They proudly source all the aluminum used to create those products locally.

For additional information on Unique, please visit their website at: http://www.uniqueproduitarchitectural.com/


 

Feature Focus: Hardware Groups & Multi-Door Openings


AVAproject ‘Hardware Groups’ are an innovation variation on Hardware Schedule headings introduced by AVAware many years ago. By allowing users to use single Hardware Groups to create multiple headings, the time spent completing hardware specifications and assigning hardware to individual openings can be dramatically reduced.

The key to this feature lies in the fact that dissimilar opening types, even those with different sizes and door quantities, can share the same Hardware Group. When AVAproject generated the project’s Hardware Schedule, headings are automatically separated and arranged based on industry standard rules and user preferences. Put differently, a single Hardware Group can results in the automatic creation of a virtually unlimited number of Hardware Schedule headings.


Hardware items within the group are assigned to doors within a given opening based in the role of each leaf. Quantity columns are used to define if and how many of each item are to be used on the active and inactive doors. In addition, hardware items (i.e.: power supplies) can be placed “off door” to indicate they are used by an opening, but are not positioned on any specific leaf.

 

 

Multiple Active Doors

 


On rare occasions, openings may be designated as “double active” – having two active leafs. The most common example of this are ‘double egress’ openings.

In the event one needs to specify different hardware on each of the two active leafs, they simply need to use a notation showing in the adjacent image. Multiple ‘active’ (or ‘inactive’) doors can be individually specified by using multiple quantities separated by commas.

In the example shown, the hardware item on the first line of the group (“L1”) is assigned to the first active leaf, while the hardware on the second line (“L2”) goes to the other.

 

 

Multi-Door Openings

 

Another application that often requires hardware to be specifically assigned to an individual door leaf is in the case of multi-opening openings. This refers to “openings” that contain a series of openings (singles or pairs) with it.

Typically these are drawn using AVAcad, and an example of such an opening is depicted to the right. It contains a pair of doors with a single surrounding it on either side. (3 sub-openings in total)

The “sub-openings” as they’re referred to in AVAproject, are numbered from “1” to “3” beginning from the left. Hardware can be specifically assigned to any or all of them by using the “Sub-Opening Number(s)” column in the Hardware Group (depicted below).




The first hardware item, with no sub-opening numbers given will be placed on all openings. Each leaf (‘active’ and ‘inactive’) will receive 3 of them. The second hardware item, however, will only be assigned to sub-openings “1” and “3” (i.e.: the two outside singles). While the third will only appear on sub-opening “2” (i.e.: the ‘active’ leaf of the pair).

NOTE: these features can also be combined for an additional level of specificity. For example, one can specify one of two ‘active’ doors on a specific sub-opening.

The power and flexibility of the AVAproject Hardware Groups extends to even the most unusual of openings.


“Vision Hollow Metal Limited” Now Offered as a Manufacturer-Supported catalog


AVAware is pleased to welcome Canadian manufacturer Vision Hollow Metal to our growing collection of manufacturer-supported catalogs.


Having been founded in 2008, and operating from their facility in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada (near Toronto), Vision Hollow Metal offers multiple lines of fire rated and non-fire rated steel doors and frames for commercial, industrial, and institutional applications. Their current catalog also includes both custom and standard products, accommodating both new and retrofit construction.

With the valuable assistance of personnel from Vision, AVAware has been able create a brand new AVAproject-compatible version of their catalog. All the products found in its printed counterpart can be fully priced and prepped, with each and every price “add” applied automatically as required.

AVAproject users interested in adding the Vision Hollow Metal catalog to their subscription package may do so by contacting AVAware Support.

For additional information on Vision Hollow Metal, please visit their website at: http://www.visionhollowmetal.com/


 


Be sure not to miss the May 2017 edition of DHI’s Doors & Hardware Magazine!

AVAware’s President, Paul Kirsch has contributed an article entitled:

“An Insider’s Guide to Selecting Business Software”

As the name suggests, the article identifies a number of important considerations that should be kept in mind when evaluating a business software package.

View the issue online, on the DHI’s website at: https://www.dhi.org/Forms/Doors-Hardware-Archives/2017/Complete-Issues/May2017-Issue.pdf


We welcome any questions, comments or suggestions about any topic mentioned in this edition of AVAwire. Please visit our website for more information, or contact us directly at (416) 239-9099.