Picture this. You are an Engineer commanding a goodly hourly rate and some serious respect in the industry. Your time is valuable. An Architect asks you to design the MEP systems on a large skyscraper. You sit down in front of your computer and you are inspired!

Then the following:

• The files you are handed are one, large Architectural Revit model and one, large Structural model. Not a train smash: your computer is on the edge, but you are confident that with judicious loading of work sets and switching off categories in views using View Templates can make a go of it. Still, you wonder, have the guys not heard of splitting models up?

• Your link in the Architectural model Origin to Origin and you acquire the coordinates. Unfortunately, the model is in Cape Town so the levels are still referenced to the project base point, and they are around 20 meters above sea level. So you open an elevation and you move all your levels up. Thank your lucky stars these guys did not design in Johannesburg, you think. Have they not heard of Project Relocation?

• Next, you link in the Structural model by shared coordinates and then you realize that they never did acquire the coordinates from the Architectural Model, nor did they use the same project base point! You move the Structural link in a plan view. Your computer is struggling and time is going a waste. Next, you do the same in elevation and you are once again waiting for better days. Did the guys not get the right training and do they not understand shared coordinates? Did they not get the BIM Execution Plan?

• Eventually, after about 45 minutes, you are ready to start. You decide to selectively import work sets from the models. Only, the elements are not placed on the required work sets. Now you are forced to override the categories through the view templates. More drudgery. More time going a waste. Why are the guys not using worksets?

• Suddenly you are not inspired any longer, and two hours after starting not a single bit of work has been done.

• You decide to politely chat to the other team leaders and mention to them, on the side, that Micrographics can help them save lots and lots of money – “… and by the way, here is my invoice…”