Quantification is for so many more than just the estimators

Quantification in Navisworks has now been available for around 18 months and during that time I've shown it to many customers, whilst there are obvious benefits for the estimators and quantity surveyors, the people who seem most excited about the possibilities are not in those teams, why?

A typical Bill of Quantities can take weeks to build, verify and validate, this can be dead time for planners, site managers and buyers who need to make rough estimates in the meantime of quantities needed for purchases, transportation needed for planning and many more tasks on any construction project. Whilst not dismissing the BoQ, as it's an essential document for contractual reasons and verified accurate quantities, Quantification from models can free up essential resources at a key period and empowers many more in the supply chain to make better informed decisions when it is relevant to them. It allows for the extraction of key information from the model and project, a key principle of BIM, which allows you to utilise the model for many purposes.

As with many other parts of the Autodesk portfolio, working with a single tool can solve a business need, working with multiple tools together can solve multiple needs to people who have never seen the need for BIM in their workflows before. These videos demonstrate the first in a series of potential powerful workflows that can help site managers, planners, buyers and more utilising Quantification and various other tools in the Autodesk Construction portfolio.

Remember you can quantify from Revit files, DWFx, DWF and IFC out of the box, a PDF reader is available through the App Exchange, and you can easily map more quantities by using Takeoff Mapping on the Item Catalog Toolbar.

A quick video demonstrating how you can use your construction simulation to look at the Quantities associated with task start dates from Timeliner by using drag and drop

A video allowing you to check the quantities of undelivered items which may allow you to check for appropriate storage, or just verify what is missing.

Navisworks Quantification using 2D sheets and 3D models, also loading PDFs

Navisworks Quantification based on an existing catalogue

Let us know what you think, and if there's other workflows you think it could be used for or would like to see.

Comments

[Adam]

I think that the accuracy of anything from a 3D model is something that should always be of the highest priority in BIM. Whether it's materials, dimensions, site location, asset management, visualization, etc. if the model is not accurate then the value of the model starts to depreciate. Once that occurs, there's not much worth in investing the time to convince people that this is the direction to go when the source material is at fault.

There are so many different software that I have looked at to get quantification. They are all able to provide amazing information! They really are amazing products, but in the end I am always cleaning up a Revit model in order to get some decent information to our estimators.

I've worked on both sides of the fence with Architecture and now Construction. The information that Architects and Engineers are striving for in their Revit model are not entirely the same things that Contractors strive for. We use the same software, but for different reasons.

There are a million and one reasons why a Revit model is not 100% finished, but I think it mostly comes down to time, schedules, changes, and money.

Long story short, the more collaboration between all parties will allow for a more accurate model. When all team members strive for the same goal and are truly a team, then I think the model will ultimately reveal the fruits of that labor.

It may be wishful thinking, but it's something to strive for...