- Client
- Extralum
- Sector
- Industry
- Year
- 2023
- Software used
- Autodesk Revit
- Services
- Custom development ERP integration
The challenge
Extralum manufactures aluminium and glass systems. Its technical office modelled the façades in Revit, but to move into production it had to type every pane, profile and anchor into the ERP again and draw the cutting drawings separately. Every change to the project had to be repeated by hand in the model, the drawings and the quote.
The solution
We developed a Revit add-in (C# on the Revit API) with its own “Extralum” tab on the ribbon. Its job is simple to state: make the BIM model the single source of data for manufacturing.
- Automatic curtain wall modulation: it creates the grid lines and mullions at the spacing you set, and one wall’s modulation can be cloned onto others or copied to other floors.
- Anchors placed automatically: it detects where each mullion crosses a floor slab and places the matching fixing bracket there. It also works out fire-stops, telescopic joints and other accessories from the floors each wall spans.
- Glass ready for production: it assigns each panel its processes (tempered, laminated, double glazing, edge work, sandblasting), numbers the panes and checks thicknesses and maximum sizes against the factory’s constraints. Panels that fail are highlighted in red in the view.
- Shared parameters and selection filters: the add-in creates its own shared parameters and only lets users select Extralum families, so the model data always stays consistent.
- Connection to the ERP and the route sheet: it links the Revit project to the quote, assigns each element to its line and, on export, validates the model and writes the hierarchical bill of materials and the quote straight into the ERP (Microsoft Dynamics AX). It also generates a DXF cutting file for each distinct pane.
Outcome
The technician models, clicks “Export to ERP” and the order is in the ERP: nothing is typed twice, quantities come from the model and manufacturing errors are caught before they reach the workshop. We have maintained the add-in since 2023 and adapted it to each Revit release. In 2025 it was extended with the curtain wall module.