Design Master
Design Master provides specialized electrical and HVAC engineering software that automates complex calculations and drafting tasks directly within AutoCAD and Revit to streamline your entire building design process.
FLOW-3D
FLOW-3D is a specialized computational fluid dynamics software providing highly accurate simulations of free-surface flows to help engineers solve complex hydraulic, casting, and additive manufacturing challenges effectively.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Design Master | FLOW-3D |
|---|---|---|
| Website | designmaster.biz | flow3d.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Custom |
| Starting Price | $90/month | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2001 | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, USA | Santa Fe, USA |
Overview
Design Master
Design Master offers a suite of engineering tools specifically created for electrical and HVAC professionals who work in AutoCAD and Revit. Instead of jumping between separate spreadsheets and drafting programs, you can perform complex calculations like load analysis, short circuit studies, and duct sizing directly within your design environment. This integration ensures your schedules and drawings stay synchronized automatically as you make changes.
You can choose between specialized modules for electrical, HVAC, or plumbing needs depending on your project requirements. The software is designed for MEP engineering firms and individual consultants who need to increase accuracy while reducing the time spent on repetitive drafting tasks. By automating the technical math, you can focus more on high-level design and less on manual data entry.
FLOW-3D
FLOW-3D gives you a powerful toolset for modeling complex fluid motion with a specific focus on free-surface flows. You can simulate how liquids interact with solid structures, track bubbles or droplets, and analyze thermal effects in high-precision engineering environments. It uses a unique grid-based approach that simplifies your meshing process while maintaining extreme accuracy for moving boundaries and intricate geometries.
You can apply this technology across diverse fields including civil hydraulics, metal casting, and microfluidics. Whether you are designing a dam spillway or optimizing a laser powder bed fusion process, the software provides the physical insights needed to reduce physical prototyping costs. It is designed for professional engineers and researchers who require high-fidelity results for transient, three-dimensional fluid dynamics problems.
Overview
Design Master Features
- Integrated Electrical Calculations Perform short circuit, voltage drop, and arc flash calculations instantly as you place components in your drawings.
- Automated Panel Schedules Generate and update panel schedules automatically, ensuring your documentation always matches the latest version of your design.
- One-Line Diagram Tools Create dynamic one-line diagrams that stay linked to your floor plans to eliminate coordination errors between views.
- HVAC Load Calculations Calculate heating and cooling loads directly from your building geometry to size equipment accurately without external tools.
- Duct and Pipe Sizing Size your ductwork and piping systems based on flow requirements and pressure drop limits with built-in automation.
- Revit Integration Enhance your BIM workflow with specialized tools that add advanced engineering data and calculations to standard Revit elements.
FLOW-3D Features
- TruVOF Tracking. Track the interface between liquids and gases with industry-leading precision to see exactly how your fluid behaves.
- FAVOR™ Meshing. Define complex geometric shapes within a simple rectangular grid to save hours of manual meshing time while maintaining accuracy.
- Multi-Physics Suite. Combine fluid flow with heat transfer, phase change, and surface tension to simulate realistic environmental and industrial conditions.
- Sediment Transport. Predict how sand and silt will erode or deposit in hydraulic structures to ensure long-term infrastructure stability.
- Fluid-Structure Interaction. Model how your solid parts deform or move in response to fluid pressure to prevent structural failures.
- High-Performance Computing. Run massive simulations across multiple processors to get your results faster and meet tight project deadlines.
Pricing Comparison
Design Master Pricing
- Short circuit calculations
- Voltage drop analysis
- Automated panel schedules
- One-line diagram generation
- Photometric lighting levels
- Equipment and wire sizing
- Everything in AutoCAD tier, plus:
- Native Revit parameter syncing
- Advanced arc flash analysis
- Feeder and branch circuit sizing
- Customizable shared parameters
- Enhanced Revit schedule control
FLOW-3D Pricing
Pros & Cons
Design Master
Pros
- Significant reduction in manual calculation errors
- Excellent technical support from knowledgeable engineers
- Seamless integration with existing AutoCAD workflows
- Automatic updates to schedules save hours
- Highly specialized for NEC compliance standards
Cons
- Initial setup requires significant time investment
- Interface feels dated compared to modern apps
- Learning curve for customizing specific block libraries
FLOW-3D
Pros
- Unmatched accuracy for free-surface and splashing liquid simulations
- Faster setup times due to the rectangular meshing approach
- Excellent technical support from highly specialized fluid dynamics experts
- Robust physics models for specialized metal casting processes
Cons
- Significant hardware requirements for high-resolution 3D simulations
- Steep learning curve for users new to CFD
- High entry cost compared to general-purpose simulation tools