Architects and builders in North Carolina’s Research Triangle region have long preferred masonry for its durability, thermal performance, fire protection, and aesthetics. Yet modeling masonry in BIM software has historically been a tedious manual process. The Triangle Aquatic Center renovation in Cary, North Carolina, demonstrates how the Masonry Fireplace Systems Building Beautiful Stone Fireplaces Without traditional modeling approaches gave way to a smarter workflow using the Masonry iQ Revit plugin. This cloud-based tool automated what had been dozens of hours of hand-drafting and Photoshop work, delivering photo-realistic renderings and accurate material takeoffs straight from the model.
The renovation was a multi-phase project spanning a 60,000 sq. ft. facility that added nearly 13,000 sq. ft. of new space, 500 parking spaces, a fitness center, a multi-purpose room, and a 50-meter outdoor pool. The existing facade featured a complex masonry blend with three colors, two textures, and two block sizes. During Phase I, architect Michael Sutton of Integrated Design in Raleigh modeled the masonry manually using Revit combined with Photoshop. For Phase II, Sutton adopted Masonry iQ, a plugin developed by 3DiQ Inc. that fundamentally changed how masonry is modeled in Revit.
The Challenge of Modeling Masonry in BIM Software
Masonry presents unique challenges for BIM platforms originally designed for steel and monolithic concrete structures. A single project can contain thousands of individual units with distinct size, color, and texture properties. The Triangle Aquatic Center alone used over 7,100 units of Split Face and Smooth Face block in three colors and two textures. Standard BIM workflows cannot efficiently manage this volume of discrete elements.
Why Traditional Modeling Falls Short
When architects model masonry in conventional BIM software, they face several limitations:
- Pattern creation requires manual placement of each unit or 2D hatches that do not represent real block geometry
- Color and texture variations must be applied outside the model using photo-editing software
- Movement joints, rebar placement, corners, and field cuts must be drawn and tracked by hand
- Material quantities come from area-based estimates rather than actual unit counts
- Design changes ripple through every elevation drawing, requiring hours of manual updates
These limitations force architects to invest significant time in construction documents and renders. Inaccuracies introduced during manual workflows often surface only during construction, leading to change orders, budget overruns, and delays.
The Cost of Manual Masonry Detailing
The Masonry Design and Formwork Engineering Reinforced Masonry Walls process traditionally demands dozens of hours of hand drafting to get from concept to spec-ready details. Tom Cuneio, founder and president of 3DiQ Inc., explained that masonry has been difficult to model because of the sheer number of units. “Often for masonry, the user has to do a lot of hand drawing to get to spec-ready details,” Cuneio said. This translates to added costs and inaccuracies that often go unnoticed until construction, resulting in change orders and costly delays.
How Masonry iQ Changes the Design Workflow
Masonry iQ is a cloud-based Revit plugin that automates the most time-consuming elements of masonry modeling. Rather than treating masonry as a monolithic surface or applying 2D hatches, the plugin works with actual unit geometry. It maintains all the Revit workflows designers already know while adding capabilities that were previously unavailable.
The designer creates walls in the normal Revit workflow and replaces standard masonry materials with intelligent Masonry iQ materials. A single click on the Analyze Bond function produces an accurate render in minutes. The plugin handles movement joints, rebar placement, corner conditions, and field cuts, allowing adjustments on the fly.
Cloud-Based Processing Prevents Model Bloat
Masonry iQ performs its complex analyses in the cloud rather than on the local workstation. This prevents the Revit model from becoming bogged down with the data required for thousands of individual masonry units. Designers can work with fully detailed models without sacrificing performance or waiting for lengthy processing times.
Photo-Realistic Rendering from the Model
Because Echelon Masonry had uploaded their material specifications to the Masonry iQ database, Sutton could select actual product colors and textures directly from Revit. The contrast with Phase I was stark. “When we specified Oldcastle APG’s Echelon Masonry products for the first phase, we did it the long way by Photoshopping block images onto a 2D drawing,” he said. “In the Revit modeling, we had to hand-draw the different block sizes because of the shape differences.” The one-hour training session was all Sutton needed to get up and running.
Real-World Results from the Triangle Aquatic Center
The renovation required matching an 11-year-old existing masonry facade while adding two new building sections with different wall configurations. The budget was extremely tight due to increased parking requirements and complex geometry. Contractor Jim Baker of Choate Interior Construction noted the original design was over budget from the start.
Color Matching Across an 11-Year Gap
The new facade used Echelon block in three colors and stripes, including a burgundy stripe that left no room for nuance. After the Choate team power-washed 11 years of grime from the existing structure, the match proved exact. “It really had to be an exact match, and they nailed it,” Baker said. The accuracy of the Masonry iQ renderings gave the team confidence that what Sutton saw on screen was exactly what would be built in the field.
Catching a Decade-Old Error in the Original Plans
Perhaps the most telling demonstration of the plugin’s accuracy came when it flagged a discrepancy. Sutton had selected a pinkish block color based on the existing building, but the submittal rendering showed a brown block. Investigation revealed that the original construction documents had called for brown block, but a change during original construction had substituted the pinkish block without updating the plans. “Masonry iQ was able to call out that the wrong block was in the existing building plan,” Sutton noted.
Time and Cost Savings
Sutton reported dozens of hours saved compared to Phase I. The ability to extract unit shapes, materials, and quantities directly from the design model provided Baker’s team with accurate takeoffs earlier in the process.
| Workflow Element | Phase I (Manual Process) | Phase II (Masonry iQ) |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation rendering | Photoshop compositing from 2D CAD | Auto-generated from Revit model |
| Color and texture selection | Manual research and visual matching | Built-in product database |
| Pattern layout | Hand-drawn unit by unit | Single-click Analyze Bond |
| Movement joints and cuts | Manual tracking and updating | Automated with on-the-fly adjustments |
| Quantity takeoffs | Area-based estimates | Unit-level extraction from model |
| Design changes | Hours of manual redrafting | Minutes with cloud reanalysis |
Baker explained that Sutton used the plugin to produce more accurate estimates early in the process. “All without having to go back to the drawing board multiple times,” Baker added. The ability to rationalize masonry at the unit level early in design goes beyond traditional area estimates, providing production-order-level material cost data.
Lessons for the Industry: BIM and Masonry Moving Forward
The Triangle Aquatic Center renovation demonstrates that the gap between BIM capabilities and masonry design is not an inherent limitation of the material but a software workflow problem that can be solved with the right tools.
Masonry iQ Bridges the BIM Gap
The Polished Concrete Project Delivery Lessons From the Moscone Center renovation showed how specialized tools can transform material-specific workflows. Similarly, Masonry iQ bridges the gap between masonry design and BIM by focusing on getting designs construction-ready earlier. When architects can produce spec-ready details, accurate renders, and reliable quantity data from a single model, the entire project delivery chain improves. The renovation serves 450,000 annual users. Baker, a former competitive swimmer and volunteer starter for swim meets, took personal pride: “I personally wanted this project to work out well as a former competitive swimmer and now a volunteer starter for swim meets.”
Steps for Adopting Masonry iQ on Your Next Project
Firms looking to adopt similar workflows should consider the following approach:
- Assess current masonry modeling workflows and identify high-effort manual tasks such as elevation drafting and quantity estimation
- Verify that the masonry manufacturer has uploaded their material specifications to the Masonry iQ database
- Incorporate the one-hour training session into the project kickoff timeline
- Use cloud-based analysis during early design to explore multiple pattern and color options
- Leverage unit-level quantity extraction for accurate early-stage budgeting
- Integrate rendered elevations and material data into submittal packages to streamline approvals
These steps mirror the approach the Lincoln Center Concert Hall Renovation How David Geffen Hall team used to transform a complex renovation through innovative tools and planning.
The Future of Masonry in BIM
As Cuneio explained, tools like Masonry iQ represent a shift in how the industry approaches masonry design. “Helping Michael improve his ability to play with pattern and shape by delegating the heavy lifting to Masonry iQ is a textbook example of how this tool can transform the world of architectural masonry.”
The partnership between Echelon Masonry and 3DiQ Inc., which provided Sutton with a sponsored license for Masonry iQ, shows how material manufacturers can support BIM workflows by making product data available directly within design tools. As more manufacturers follow this model, the barriers to accurate masonry BIM will continue to fall, benefiting the entire construction industry.