Is 3D and BIM Right for Your Precast Business?

For many precast producers, especially those working in infrastructure or repeatable product lines, 2D AutoCAD remains sufficient. But for others—particularly those delivering custom components in tight project timelines—there’s a growing shift toward 3D modeling and BIM.

After surveying dozens of precast producers across North America, the team at EDGE Software uncovered key insights into what’s driving this transition—and what’s holding some producers back.

The Market Is Expanding—Fast

The precast construction market is projected to reach nearly $87 billion USD in 2024, with significant growth across Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Infrastructure sectors (source). Infrastructure projects remain largely driven by local and regional governments—city agencies, townships, and DOTs. Meanwhile, the commercial, residential, and industrial segments are dominated by private developers, where time, cost, and efficiency are critical decision drivers.

What’s Driving Investment in 3D and BIM?

Based on EDGE’s industry research, here’s what’s motivating precast producers to adopt 3D modeling software and BIM tools:

• Product uniqueness and complexity

• Need for faster project delivery

• Shop floor digitization and automation

• Ability to respond to late-stage project changes

• Collaboration with architects, engineers, and contractors

Let’s break these down.

1. Product Uniqueness: Every Piece Counts

To an outsider, a wall panel might look like any other. But for a precaster working on a large-scale commercial or mixed-use development, every unique void, embed, or finish impacts engineering, reinforcement design, and production planning. Changes like window openings, cargo bay cutouts, or custom architectural textures can lead to new piece marks—each requiring its own shop ticket. This increases labor costs and coordination demands.

That’s where tools like Autodesk Revit and EDGE^R come into play. By connecting a 3D model to 2D shop drawing templates and automating the piece marking process, producers can streamline engineering workflows, reduce manual errors, and lower per-piece production costs.

2. The Need for Speed: Design-Assist Done Right

Design-Assist is becoming a go-to delivery method, especially in commercial projects where time is money. By getting involved early in the design process, precasters can help lock in pricing and sequencing much sooner. Tools like Revit and EDGE allow producers to model quickly, generate accurate shop drawings on the fly, and support design iteration without starting from scratch. This saves time—and can improve both client satisfaction and profitability.

3. Digitization and Automation

There’s a big difference between digitization and automation:

• Digitization = Replacing manual or paper-based tasks with digital workflows

• Automation = Allowing systems to execute tasks with minimal human input

Leading precast plants are pursuing both—replacing printed tickets and manual scheduling with real-time data flows, and using that data to drive automation systems like:

• CNC insulation and form cutting

• Automated rebar bending

• Laser projection for placement accuracy

• Robotic concrete distribution

With a data-rich BIM model, it becomes possible to connect engineering with ERP, CAM, and CNC platforms to optimize every step from design to delivery.

4. Flexibility to Respond to Changes

Clients make changes—it’s a fact of life. A 2D workflow makes it time-consuming and error-prone to respond quickly. But with a connected 3D model, updates to dimensions, embeds, or openings cascade automatically into shop drawings and production plans. For example, if window openings change from 3'6" to 4', the model updates and shop tickets regenerate without hours of manual redlining.

5. Project Collaboration in the Cloud

Modern precast projects often involve multiple producers, especially on large jobs like data centers, EV battery plants, or distribution hubs.

Tools like Autodesk Construction Cloud allow teams to share large Revit models, coordinate logistics, and manage clash detection—all in real time.

A great example? The Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, where four precast producers had to collaborate using shared cloud models. With cloud-based BIM tools, this level of coordination is now not only possible, but expected.

When 2D Still Makes Sense

Of course, not every project demands 3D modeling or BIM. For producers specializing in infrastructure or underground work—with consistent, repeatable designs—AutoCAD templates and libraries may still get the job done. In these cases, where product variation is minimal and inventory is pre-built for rapid dispatch, the added investment in Revit or EDGE^R might be unnecessary.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re delivering high-volume infrastructure elements or custom architectural panels, the landscape is changing. The push for digitization, faster timelines, and better collaboration is only accelerating. For precast producers looking to stay competitive—and profitable—now may be the time to explore what 3D modeling and BIM can do for your plant.