MIAMI — McGraw-Hill Construction and Autodesk have announced a new, simplified way for manufacturers to create and publish information-rich, Building Information Modeling (BIM)-ready models of their building products in both McGraw-Hill Construction Sweets and Autodesk Seek.

The construction industry is becoming more efficient through BIM, and this new collaboration between McGraw-Hill Construction and Autodesk is the latest way to streamline processes using BIM, officials said.

BIM is spreading quickly throughout the construction industry with more than half now using BIM or BIM related-tools — 75 percent more than in 2007, according to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2009 Business Value of BIM Report. In order for building product manufacturers (BPMs) to be competitive in this environment and reach the increasing pool of designers and architects using BIM, BIM should be part of their product marketing programs. McGraw-Hill Construction and Autodesk are working together to help manufacturers successfully enter, participate, and compete with BIM.

“The powerful combination of connected capabilities between McGraw-Hill Construction Sweets and Autodesk Seek deliver a unique opportunity for BPMs to participate in BIM and develop unparalleled, competitive marketing programs for their products,” said Per Lofving, senior director, McGraw-Hill Construction. “Over one thousand manufacturers rely on McGraw-Hill Construction for complete coverage of the architectural market, content management for all their product assets in Sweets, and lead generation with visibility into projects and key contacts through the McGraw-Hill Construction Network Dodge project database. We appreciate being able to offer them this service, which will connect BPMs to architects in a new way.”

McGraw-Hill Construction and Autodesk are helping BPMs create branded Revit product models that are complete, consistent, and developed to standard BIM conventions. These high-quality models are then accessible through Sweets, Seek and within the Revit design application. Whether designers go to Sweets, Seek or both, manufacturers who create BIM models will increase their likelihood for product selection and specification during the design stage and their probability for procurement and installation at the construction-start stage. This program offers the greatest reach in the marketplace and a significant competitive advantage for manufacturers to increase product sales.

“In the past six months, traffic on Autodesk Seek has doubled, in large part due to the increase of high-quality BIM models available via the service,” said Jeff Wright, senior director, Autodesk Content Network. “The combined offering of Autodesk Seek and McGraw-Hill Construction Sweets will ease and expedite the creation and distribution of high-quality BIM models for the widest universe of BPMs. As the industry leaders, we are best positioned to help manufacturers connect with architects and designers.”

Autodesk Seek is a free web service that enables architects and design professionals to quickly discover, preview and download branded and generic BIM models, drawings and specifications. Users can access Autodesk Seek directly from AutoCAD and Revit-based software applications.

To learn more about the BIM program, please visit http://www.SweetsBIMforManufacturers.com.