BIM 360 Build – QA and Compliance Blog

The Autodesk BIM 360 suite of cloud-based products has been around for a while now and as the next generation of applications take hold they bring some increasingly sophisticated workflows which can be leveraged at site level to perform some previously unimaginable tasks.

Comparing new versions of models to old, digitally tracking and closing out snagging and defects, even just having the 3D model available for all to use is a leap forward for many.

There is a feature of BIM 360 Build, albeit not as “whizzy” as some, that has some serious game changing potential and is probably currently not turning heads as much as it should. 

Checklists are not a new concept in the various digital site management software packages available today.  Indeed, the very first iterations of what is now known as “Classic BIM 360 Field” had them.

In essence, checklists are predefined, routine workflows like quality inspections, plant inspections or Health & Safety inspections.  They are the sort of standard checking and inspecting that form the basis of a company’s quality management system. 

Whilst digitalising these workflows brings some obvious benefits like reporting against conformance or managing the issues raised during inspections centrally, there is still one problem that is just as significant in the digital world as it was when paper based.  Control.

Quality systems are, by their ever changing nature, difficult to control and enforce.  Whether your processes are paper based forms, or created and stored digitally, how do you ensure that your engineers and construction manager out on site are actually using the latest versions of your forms?  What’s stopping them from picking up an outdated form or modifying the one they have as they believe it doesn’t quite suit their needs?

As companies grow this can become a serious problem.  Dedicated staff can spend significant amounts of time and money ensuring compliance and adherence to their systems.  Additionally, there is then the need to meet external compliance audits to ensure ongoing accreditations remain intact.  In short a potentially costly side of the construction business. 

So, this is where the account level checklists within BIM 360 Build come into their own and present a genuinely powerful proposition in QA management.

You have the potential to create a centrally controlled library of checklists, available for deployment on any project you set up.  They can’t be changed by users, but there is still the flexibility to create project level checklists should there be some site specific needs to meet.

But most importantly of all, as you update your library of checklist templates you now have the ability to push the changes to any of your projects that are currently using a previous version.  One click and every site has access to the updated version, is compliant with your quality management system and now unable to use an outdated form even if they wanted to.

Gone are the worries of people printing a form and then just producing copies of the printout for years to come.  Audits should no longer involve hours of trawling through file after file of paper-based records.

Instead, with some effort invested to move to a digital system, one click will give QA staff the surety that all their projects are in good shape and that changes to internal procedures have been adopted across the board.  

A powerful feature which can save both time and money allowing staff to concentrate on improving quality and compliance rather than simply passing audits.

You can find more information on BIM 360 Build here: https://www.excitech.co.uk/BIM-360-Build

Creating A Custom Linetype Within AutoCAD

In this blog, with the assistance of the Express Tools, I am going to take you through how to make two different types of Custom Linetype, sometimes referred to as Complex Linetypes, within AutoCAD. The first will contain text and the second will contain a shape.

COMPLEX LINETYPE WITH TEXT

The first Linetype containing text will be called POWER and will look like the image shown below:

To begin, within an AutoCAD drawing, set the current layer to 0.

Load the Single Line Text command and set Justification to MC (Middle Centre), Height to 1 and Rotation to 0. Type, POWER.

Now draw a Line from the Insertion Point of the text as shown below. This is to ensure it is drawn central, vertically:

Using the Lengthen command, set the Total Length to 1. Move the line, if required, closer or further from the text then mirror it so it appears as below: 

From the Express Tools Tab on the ribbon expand the Tools Panel and select Make Linetype:

In a location of your choice create a file called My Linetypes. For Linetype name, type POWER and 

for Linetype description, type: The word POWER within a line.

When asked to specify starting point for line definition, pick point A and for ending point pick B as shown below:

At the Select Objects prompt select both lines and text.

After pressing Enter / Return, the command line should say the following: 

Linetype "POWER" created and loaded.

To demonstrate this has worked, create a new layer and assign the POWER Linetype. , then draw a Line. If all has gone to plan you should see something like this.

Note: When AutoCAD is installed, it should load the Express Tools by default. If for any reason these are not visible within the rRibbon, type EXPRESS TOOLS, and they should appear.

COMPLEX LINETYPE WITH SHAPE

The second Linetype containing a shape is a little more involved and has an essential step at the end. It will be called, HEXAGON and will look like this:

To begin, within an AutoCAD drawing, set the current layer to 0. Using the Polygon command draw the following shape. 6 sSides iInscribed and a Radius .5.

Draw lines on either side, 1 long.

From the Express Tools Tab on the ribbon expand the Tools Panel and select Make Shape.

In a location of your choice create a file called HEXAGON. For Shape name, type HEX, accept default resolution. When asked to Specify insertion base point pick at point A as shown:

At the Select Objects prompt select all objects.

After pressing Enter / Return the following message appears on the command line:

Shape "HEX" created.

Use the SHAPE command to place shapes in your drawing.

Type Shape and press Enter / Return. Enter the name of the shape which is HEX. Place the `Insertion point’ in the same location as the Insertion Base Point (A) you previously specified, so the shape overlays the original drawn objects. Specify a height of 1 and a rotation angle of 0.

The reason for overlaying in this way is because when we make the Linetype we need to object snap to the ends of both horizontal lines. We cannot object Snap to a Shape other than its insertion point.

Within the Express Tools Tab on the Ribbon expand the Tools Panel and select Make Linetype.

From the same location you created the `My Linetypes.lin’ file select this file and choose Save. Say Yes to replace it. For Linetype name, type HEXAGON. For Linetype description, type Hexagon shape within a line.

Note: The procedure above doesn’t actually replace the `My Linetypes.lin’ file at all. It simply combines the Linetypes, POWER and HEXAGON into the same file. This you will discover later.

 When asked to Specify starting point for line definition pick at point A and for ending point pick B as shown below:

At the Select objects prompt, select the Shape only. (NOT THE LINES UNDERNEATH)

After pressing Enter / Return, the command line should say the following:

Linetype "HEXAGON" created and loaded. To demonstrate this has worked, create a new layer and assign the HEXAGON Linetype. Draw a Line. If all has gone to plan you should see something like the image shown on the right.

LOADING A COMPLEX LINETYPE WITH SHAPE WITHIN A DRAWING FOR THE FIRST TIME

This procedure would typically be carried out within a Template File to remove the need to do this in every new drawing.

Type COMPILE and within dialog Box select the name of the Shape (.SHP) file. HEXAGON.SHP

After, select Open, the following similar message should appear within the command line:

Compiling shape/font description file

Compilation successful.  Output file C:\Users\TerryD\Desktop\HEXAGON.shx contains 115 bytes.

As you will see it has created, HEXAGON.SHX file.

Type LOAD and within the Dialog Box select HEXAGON.SHX file from the location referred to in the previous message.

Now type SHAPE. At Enter Shape name, type HEX then pick somewhere in the drawing to place it, and specify height = 1 and rotation angle = 0. You can delete this after insertion.

To demonstrate this has worked, create a new layer and load the HEXAGON Linetype from the file called, My Linetypes, we created earlier, and then assign to the layer HEXAGON. 

Draw a Line. If all has gone to plan, you should see something like this.

Hope you’re successful in carrying out the steps above, on creating  Complex Linetypes, within AutoCAD and it has proved useful.

If you would like more information on the AutoCAD software, feel free to get in touch by emailing marketing@excitech.co.uk.