Prefab & timber frame

View your timber frame element in 3D, from production table to erection on site.

Your model does not just sit in Vertex BD, it is also on the screen at every element that comes off the line. The operator and site foreman see the correct cutting list and the correct dimensions for each panel, without anyone first having to look up a drawing.

The Field-Viewer screen in split view. On the left the 3D model of prefab element W-14 from the De Smet house: a timber frame wall of 4 200 by 2 700 millimetres with a window opening, insulation between the studs and OSB sheathing behind it, with the dimension 4 200 above it. A finger taps one stud, which lights up. On the right the cutting list of that same element, with the columns part, size and quantity: rail 45 by 140 of 4 200 twice, the highlighted row stud 45 by 140 of 2 610 eight times, lintel 45 by 200 of 1 290 twice, sill 45 by 140 of 1 200 once, OSB 15 in sheets of 1 250 by 2 700 four times, and insulation 140 for 7.9 square metres. At the top the version chip V7, at the bottom the buttons select, layers and checked.DE SMET HOUSE · ELEMENT W-14V73D MODELCUTTING LIST4 200PARTSIZEQTYRAIL 45×1404 2002STUD 45×1402 6108LINTEL 45×2001 2902SILL 45×1401 2001OSB 151 250×2 7004INSULATION1407.9 m²SELECTLAYERSCHECKED

Element by element, with the model at the line

A timber frame house is not built in one piece, but element by element: a wall panel here, a floor element there, a roof element that goes on top later. Field-Viewer follows that logic. At each workstation you do not open the full project, but the element that is currently being worked on.

Switch on the screen at the saw station, and you see the profiles of that one panel. Stand at the assembly table, and you see how those same profiles form a wall together, including insulation and sleeves. The same source, a different layer visible each time, matching exactly the production step you are at.

Cutting list and dimensions, per element

Each element gets its own cutting list: which profiles, which boards, which lengths. That list sits alongside the model, not in a separate file you still have to look up.

Wall elements

Framing, insulation and the connection dimensions of each stud are shown with the panel you are working on, including the position of sleeves for pipes or cables.

Floor elements

Span, joist layer and the bearing on the structure below are shown right away, so you already know before installation whether a joist needs to be shortened.

Roof elements

Rafters, purlins and the connection to the roof edge are shown in the same view as the wall and floor elements, so the whole production line works from the same model.

Published from Vertex BD, straight onto the floor

The drawing office publishes the project the way it already does. Field-Viewer picks up that publication and puts the new version on every screen in the hall, from saw station to assembly table.

If something changes on an element while it is already in production, you see that difference yourself, instead of continuing to work from a drawing that has since become outdated.

The Field-Viewer screen with the 3D model of prefab element W-14: a timber frame wall of 3 000 by 2 700 millimetres with a door opening of 1 260. Beside it the version history: V6 as the previous version dimmed, and below it V7 as the new version, with the source Vertex BD revision 4. The lintel above the opening lights up, with a leader line to the line lintel 1 350, was 1 290.DE SMET HOUSE · ELEMENT W-14V73D MODELSOURCE · VERTEX BD · REV. 4V6 · PRIORV7 · NEWCHANGED IN V7LINTEL 1 350 · WAS 1 290SELECTMEASUREVERSION

Erection sequence towards the site

A wall panel that leaves the hall does not just end up anywhere on site. The order in which the elements are erected determines whether the rest still fits. Click an element in the model, and you see straight away where it belongs in the assembly, with the sleeves and connections that go with it.

If something is still adjusted during erection, the floor follows along. It works the other way round too: a change in production is immediately visible to the crew who will install the element later.

Frequently asked questions about prefab & timber frame

Does Field-Viewer work with our own Vertex BD library?

Yes. Field-Viewer shows the model exactly as it comes out of your own Vertex BD project, including your own profiles, names and cutting lists. No separate library or extra setting is needed for it.

What if something still changes on an element during production?

Publish the amended version the way you are used to. The screens in the hall show that version automatically, even if a panel is already half sawn. No one keeps working from a drawing that has since become outdated.

Can the crew on site already see the model before delivery?

Yes, if you want. Open up the relevant layers for the erection team, and they see the same elements and connections on site as in the hall, before the lorry has even been unloaded.

See it on your own project

Request a demo with your own project, no obligation. We will look together at whether Field-Viewer suits your team in Flanders, in your workshop or on your site.

Not ready for a demo yet? Leave your email address and you will hear from us when there is news about Field-Viewer. Not a newsletter, a few emails a year at most.