New to BonsaiBIM!

Hi Folks!
Greetings from Bardstown, KY USA!
My name is Steve Mercer
CEO
PrestonGREEN LLC
Louisville, KY
I am a Design/Build Off-Site ICF Builder of Residential (single family & multi-family) Commercial, Industrial , Agricultural, and Aviation buildings.

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  • I am a Design/Build Off-Site ICF Builder of Residential (single family & multi-family) Commercial, Industrial , Agricultural, and Aviation buildings. I am starting the long journey of learning OpenBIM, Blender and BonsaiBIM I am a big proponent of Open Source Software and use a cloud based , open source, ERP,MRP and Warehouse Distribution software program called Open Pro ERP (www.openpro.com) Open Pro is adding Claude.ai to Openpro in first quarter 2026. We have already added Claude.ai to Blender along with BlenderMCP we are designing a Configutor that has three portals, a back end web portal for brands and manufacturers, a Client Facing Web Portal and a configutor interface in Blender. We are Building a workflow where A design is created in BonsaiBIM and when a client logs in to the client portal a 3D viewer views the BIM file of the client's design. All objects in the design that requires the client to make a product selection are marked red when the client clicks on the object the configutor window opens up and knows to show products that meet the BIM class of the object. All the data about the product including pricing , styles, colors, options etc are included in each product in the configutor populated from Open Pro's eCommerce Module including high resolution photorealistic 3D product models or photos depending on the type product viewed. Once the selection is made the item selected is added to the object in the design with all the necessary BIM data to display a high resolution rendering in Blender once all the products are selected. As products are selected the color of the object being viewed in the web 3D model viewer changes the object to blue to signify the product has been selected. Once all products have been selected a photo realistic rendering is created in Blender that the client can view as a walkthrough using the VR apple web interface. We convert the design into a pre-panelized drawing based on panel size defaults and converts the bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and mechanical rooms. into full modular drop ins. The BIM file then sends a cost estimation through REST (using IFCpipeline to openpro's CRM's quotation system where the salesperson prepares a cost estimation. At the in person meeting with the client the cost estimate and VR walk through presented. The sales person and the client will go back and forth revisiting the configutor to pick different products until the cost estimate is in line. the client and do a Virtual VR walkthrough as many times as necessary until they are ready to proceed. at the next phase once approval is granted we convert the BIM file a second time this time into shop drawings and a bill of materials is generated and sent via REST to Open Pro's CRM's quotation system to for the salesperson to generate a Quote. A meeting is scheduled with the client and they can continue to change items in the configutor and view in a VR walkthrough , and the quote is discussed with the client until the client is ready to move forward to closing. We do a combined Closing ( construction loan and mortgage) in one closing. We receive 50% of the construction load at closing. The next business day the job no and all the job tasks required to build the building off site and erect the building on site is pasted via REST to openpro's Job Costing system. the Bill of materials is then pasted via REST to open pro's MRP system. Any items in the bill of the materials that is in available inventory in Openpro is reserved for the project. Any items in the bill of materials not in stock is added to purchase orders with job no.s and job tasks attached to each item. and the Purchasing agent places the order. The salesperson Converts the client from a lead in CRM to a Customer and then places a order in Sales Order. MRP knows expected arrival dates of products on order and sets the manufacturing date. We initiate Claude to generate the CNC code to run the automation equipment on the factory floor. we are using a paperless workflow on the factory floor and on the build site. Employees clock in on the job and the job task they are working on through Openpro's Timekeeping software. We are building a photogrammetry / Photo Studio to populate our configutor we are also using the studio to create configutors for Brands and manufactures under contract and we are creating a rep group and staging company to market the Brand or Manufacturers products. We plan on having a syndicated home show and will be on radio and in print and on social media. We are not just representing manufactures of building materials but also furniture, lighting , appliances wall papers, murals, anything that belongs in or out of the home. That is why they need a back in portal to the configutor. For clients that are building new we have the 3D model Design to power the configutor. For as built customers we use the LIDAR from a Apple iPhone Pro or iPad Pro to capture room measurements in the customer's space. the App we use saves the data as a .ifc file that we can then bring into BonsaiBIM to power the configutor. It is and ambitious workflow. Once we close for residential customers our goal is to obtain a occupancy permit in 16 to 20 days weather permitting. we use precast concrete footers and pre cast concrete floor planks for basement and slab on grade floors. We set the footers and the floors in the morning and set walls on them in the afternoon. Exterior walls are all pre-panelized ICF, they have basalt rebar ,window and door cutouts are pre cut, all wiring is pre wired, pre plumbed, we use 1/2 inch Magnesium Oxide Drywall/Backer board and a waterproof drywall mud all pre installed. We use light gauge galvanized cold rolled steel framing for interior walls , floor and roof trusses, use drop in's for bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and mechanical rooms, we build floors and roofs in cassettes and use 3/4 inch Magnesium Oxide sub floor sheeting and pre wire and pre plumb the floor and roof cassettes install HVAC ductwork in walls and cassettes use a non toxic epoxy insulating spray foam on the underside of the roof sheathing. We install a spider tie flat or multi hip roof system ( ) we have 4 layers of water proofing on these cellular concrete roofs. Once the building is completed it looks like any other home in the neighborhood. However, these houses will withstand Category 5 hurricanes, EF5 Tornados, Derechos, and Bomb cyclones. all the building framing materials are class A fire rated the ICF forms are class A fire rated and are rated at R-37.5 (exterior walls) and R-70 for the roof. the buildings are so tight the house can lose power in the middle of the winter when it is -10 degrees f outside and the indoor temperature won't change a degree for 14 days. the steel and ICF framing won't Rot, it will not burn, even drywall gets wet mold will not grow on the drywall, sub flooring or framing materials, termites have nothing to eat. Thanks to some research at MIT we have designed a giant solid state super capacitor that uses the concrete core of the ICF walls to store DC electricity from solar panel roof cladding. We can store enough electricity in the concrete to run the building 24/7 and recharge 2 EV's at night and disconnect from the grid permanently. The capacitors have enough cycle time to last 500 years. This changes the dynamics of how buildings are built. And substantially increases the resiliency of the building and makes the building even greener. We are working on becoming a manufacturer of ICF forms.
    We are evaluating a new non toxic epoxy foam than uses no petroleum products to make the foam. It will be stronger that current ICF forms, and have a higher R value, be class A fire rated and waterproof. We have developed a new Geo Polymer Ultra High Performance Cellular Concrete. The concrete is carbon negative, uses no mineral aggregates, is 50% lighter weight than a 4,000 lbs. ICF ready mixes. The admix uses no Portland cement ( it uses some CAC cement for high early strength and adds heat and fire resistance to the concrete.) the admix is a Self Consolidating (no concrete vibration required) the admix is also self leveling, 100% waterproof, and any crack that forms in the concrete over the life of the concrete is self healing up to 4mm. The admix reaches 3,500 psi compressive strength in the the first hour, 4,800 psi in 2 hrs, 6,800 psi in 24 hours, 10,500 psi in 28 days and 14,500 psi in 90 days. With the ICF forms we use and this light weight high performance cellular concrete we have developed we will be able pour multiple 32 ft lifts per day. The dry ingredients of the admix are pre blended off site and delivered to the build site via a volumetric truck mounted concrete mixer. The mixer is resupplied via a dry powder, pneumatic transfer semi trailer on the build site reducing mobilization and embodied energy costs. The admix is much higher quality because it is always freshly mixed and this takes all the guess work out of working with concrete. The Basalt rebar we use is a volcanic rock it has three times the fire and heat resistance of steel, 2 times higher tensile strength than steel and we add basalt twisted fibers to the concrete admix substantially reducing cracking. We are a technology company that happens to rapidly build buildings highly energy efficient and super resilient green buildings.

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