Great news for those of you using or interested in Autodesk® BIM 360 Field™ for Field Management at the point of construction; Autodesk® Navisworks® 2014 models are now supported for use in the Field BIM module of BIM 360 Field! This means that the same great tools for adding and synchronizing BIM data and objects to your equipment database for use in the QA/QC, Safety, and Commissioning and Handover programs is now available with the latest version of our favorite "do-everything" construction management tool; Navisworks! For those that haven't seen this capability yet, you are missing out on a huge benefit of leveraging your BIM in the field via the equipment database (more on that in a moment) and of course, mobile viewing of models with the iPad model viewing functionality. It goes way beyond just viewing though, so let's take a look.
Mobile Model Viewing:
Ok, first the really cool stuff; here is a Navisworks 2014 model loaded on the iPad in BIM 360 Field. If it looks familiar, it should, as it uses the same viewing technology that BIM 360 Glue has for the iPad. So we have a great suite of measurement tools that work in 3 dimensions, allowing us to pull or verify field measurements with intuitive gesture based commands. Also note all the "I" from the BIM is there for us to consume; all the object properties that make Information Models so valuable. We can do other cools things while we are here; need to quickly see a piece of equipment in context say that third pump that's a bit hidden from the current view by a column. No problem, just select it and choose the isolate object shortcut:
Easy to orbit around and see that pump in context without all the other models getting in the way. Ok, so what is that Pushpin there, in 3D!? That's just what you Field guru's might think, its an issue that has been tracked for that piece of equipment. Just like the spatial issue tracking tools in Field for adding pushpin locations to a 2D plan, we can add them in 3D to the model! Now you may ask yourself, if I have them in 2D, why do I need them here in a model? Well to answer that, let's explore some of the equipment tracking tools that leverage a model.
Model elements in the Equipment Database:
The Autodesk BIM 360 Field BIM Plug-in can be installed to both Autodesk Navisworks Simulate and Manage, and enables a synchronization workflow where we can connect our information-rich and well-coordinated BIM to field activities, such as commissioning equipment. Let's keep following our friendly little pump here.
Here we have the Field equipment DB. Note all the tabs across the top, as well as the data fields down the left hand side. Here we have information in the form of a description, name and Asset ID coming from the model, with additional fields of data that can be filled in by an inspector, foreman or sub-contractor that is responsible for tracking the install of this pump, like a Barcode, Serial Number, Status etc.. We have all the information we need to install and commission this pump right here at our fingertips on the iPad; checklists for installation and testing of the pump according to our company standard; Attachments that include specifications, local codes and regulations, as well as operation and management documents; issues (there is that 3D pushpin we saw above) to track any problems we encounter along the way, and of course a signature history for passed inspectors to use, and an activity log to see all of the "conversations" that have taken place around this pump and its install.
All super cool stuff right!? Ahh, but what if I told you that all this information could be made available to you back in the model on the desktop? Would you want to see more? Of course you do, why should I bother to ask?
Synching Field data to the BIM:
Here we can see the plug-in inside of Navisworks Manage 2014, and note the ability to refresh the model with Field data; that's where all the magic happens. Once I do that synch, now I have the latest and greatest field information right here in my model management environment where I can not only see the data:
But I can also use that data to visualize the field information and report out on what's going on in the field in near-real time. Here we can use Appearance profiler to change the colors of the pumps according to their status.
And the last thing I'd like to mention is the fact that the attachments we saw above when working with the equipment database in the field are also all here for us to consume on the desktop side!
Pretty cool, right? I hope you agree! Leave us some comments; I'd really like to see if you'd find this capability and workflow useful in your tracking and commissioning tasks.
Ciao! Anthony
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