From CAD to iAD - a Web-based Steel Consulting of Steel Construction in Architecture

Information technology has become so powerful that what is conventionally called CAD might evolve to iAD (Internet Aided Design) (Zhou 2000). For Internet applications in the AEC industry, most of the efforts and success have been concentrated on project management and collaboration, while in the design and engineering consulting area, limited progress has been made. At the same time, contemporary development has not changed the nature of the fragmentation of the AEC industry. Based on previous research of surveys of development of Internet applications in the AEC industry (Zhou 2001), and the proposal of conceptual model of Internet-based engineering consulting in architecture (Zhou2002), we try to apply these theories and concepts into a specified area, steel construction consulting for architects. In previous research, first of all, we defined the contents and scope of steel construction consulting and their potential application. Second, we proposed a solid working model covering structure organization, audience, services provided and technology. In this research, a web-based application will be out by prototyped by conducting a conceptual design consulting in steel structure in order to show the whole process of how this Internet-based consulting model works