The questions we are considering here is whether Autodesk Docs can facilitate BIM Level 2 Compliancy and to what extent Autodesk Collaborate is superior to Docs in this respect. Here follows a short summary of the answers and then a longer discussion.
Question 1: Can Autodesk Docs facilitate BIM Level 2 Compliancy?
Answer 1: In short, yes. I have seen and helped conduct projects, at least in the design phase, safely and securely on Docs.
Question 2: To what extent is Autodesk Collaborate superior to Autodesk Docs with respect to BIM Level 2 Compliancy?
Answer 2: Autodesk Collaborate / Pro has been designed around facilitating BIM Level 2 Compliancy and is much more efficient than Docs at sharing design information.
Building information modelling is a new science for many within the building industry in South Africa. That is not the case overseas and especially in the UK. I’ve taken the liberty of borrowing an image from a Revit protocol that was developed in Britain in 2011, and which is still as relevant today as it was then. I would like to focus on these two images from the perspective of which Autodesk Construction Cloud subscription might be most relevant to share data in a secure manner. Specifically, the BIM Level 2 Compliance will be considered.
The following picture is taken from AEC (UK) BIM Standard for Autodesk Revit (Version 1.0, April 2010, First Issue) – A workable implementation of the AEC (UK) BIM Standard for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction industry in the UK.
The preferred process we follow is given in the first picture. Each team works in a silo while they are authoring their design. Only once the design is ready to be shared (at agreed intervals) does an approved copy get placed in the shared area for other team managers to inspect and to copy into their silos. The file that is shared is known as the single version of truth. It is protected by access permission in the sense that it is view and copy only, and it is versioned so that they’re complete archive exists should any disputes arise as to what was shared and when. The copy of the single version of truth that resides within the team’s folders within the control of the team that copied it.
The second picture on the right depicts a situation where, instead of working in a silo and sharing into their shared folder, the other teams reference the silo models directly. While this allows for concurrent and immediate contextual modeling, it is not guaranteed to be dependable information. Much time and effort could be spent during the design of systems based on this information, and a lot of confusion could therefore ensue. It is quite possible this will increase the cost of the project and would give credence to the saying: “More haste less speed.”
If you’re operating under BIM protocol, then order these talks allows you to copy your files into a shared folder and copy other people’s shared files from their shared. Some of this might be automated to some extent by using reviews to copy files as well as transmittals to alert others to the sharing of information. Alternatively, one could also choose to subscribe to certain folders and be alerted to anything that happens within them. There is unfortunately no way to create a Federated cloud model, but you can always use Navisworks as in the past.
BIM Collaborate and BIM Collaborate Pro are much more powerful than Docs (which they include).
They allow for the operation of teams within a framework of a time-liner and a notification system for the sharing of packages of information which are automatically copied into a shared folder. The consumption of a package then creates an automatic copy from the shared folder back into the consumers siloed folder. This is completed visually by team managers who can inspect packages before they are consumed.
BIM Collaborate allows for the federation of models in the cloud without the use of Navisworks and this can be used to view the model during constructability meetings with clients and other stakeholders.
Furthermore, the clash detection module included in these subscriptions can create views that are saved to Docs, and they can be shared with others with Docs licenses to view the Federated model as if it was Federated in the general sense within Collaborate Pro.
In addition to the clash detection module allowance for an easy designation of clash detection issues to the relevant parties without having to set up clash detection reports in Navisworks. There are some limitations including time-based clash detection which might be important on large sites where cranes need to be repositioned.
Another big advantage of the Collaborate and Collaborate Pro licenses is that one can track communications via e-mail. The project has an e-mail address and if this is copied into any communication it will be recorded in the project.
Of course, one of the biggest advantages of running Collaborate Pro is that one can run cloud work shared models, and multiple people can work on one model at the same time even though they might be anywhere on the planet provided they have a decent Internet connection. Other co-authoring opportunities exist using civil 3D data shortcuts as well as common libraries for plant 3D. And of course, Infraworks can also be run on the cloud.
At micrographics we understand the nuances of running projects in the cloud and you’re most welcome to contact us at any time for advice prior to running your project on the cloud. It is best to have a heads-up as to what you can expect from the oldest cloud instead of discovering that you may have chosen an incorrect setup at the beginning. Send us an email and we will set up a meeting to discuss with you.
If you need help adopting the AEC Collection or the Autodesk Construction Cloud in your practice or if you are looking to invest in hardware, please contact Micrographics so that we may be of assistance.
If you need help adopting the AEC Collection or the Autodesk Construction Cloud in your practice or if you are looking to invest in hardware, please contact Micrographics so that we may be of assistance.
