Each month RECORD reviews building product related web sites and blogs that might be of interest to our readership. We visit each site, kick the tires a bit, and share what it is about and how it functions. Please let us know if there is a site you've found particularly useful, well-designed, or easy to navigate. — Rita Catinella Orrell
 

www.ludowici.com
Ludowici Roof Tiles has a new Web site aimed to educate customers and improve customer service for professionals. Highlights include a high-resolution photo gallery and a filtering system that allows visitors to narrow their search according to tile and hue; along with a Factory of Ideas, where users can work one-on-one with design experts at no cost to build project mock-ups from the entire range of products.
 

www.metalera.com
A leading commercial roof-edge and roof-ventilation manufacturer, Metal-Era has revised its Web site with a new streamlined look and more efficient navigation and filtering systems. The site also offers a submittal builder for users to collect various downloads at once, a Ventilated Roof System Calculator to determine the ideal airspace for a project’s specific needs, and a Net Free Area Calculator to find necessary vent widths.
 

www.sherwin-williams.com
Sherwin Williams has relaunched and upgraded its online Color Visualizer, a tool with which professionals can explore and experiment with color before it’s applied. The site allows users to download 1,500 Sherwin-Williams colors into AutoCAD and Photoshop programs. It also offers more downloadable palettes, larger-format interior and exterior images, and an improved navigational system.
     

www.architectsdesign studio.com/gp
Georgia Pacific Design Studio is an online resource for architects to choose wall, floor, and ceiling assemblies from the company’s catalog. Using artificial intelligence, the site helps find products to specification by filtering for compatibility. It also features automatic BIM analysis, error checking, takeoffs and estimates, energy and structural analyses, and 2D elevations and details.