Symetri and Applied Software announce partnership to enable BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud users to easily synchronise data & documents with other solutions using 360 Sync

Working together to help users of BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud increase efficiencies with document & data management workflows

Symetri, Europe’s leading provider of software and services for design and engineering activities, recently announced an exclusive partnership with Applied Software, provider of products, workflows and customisations for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Mechanical, Engineering and Plumbing (MEP) and Manufacturing software.

 

The partnership with Applied Software brings 360 Sync into the Symetri portfolio. 360 Sync is a migration and synchronisation tool designed by and for the AEC industry, to automatically sync and organise project files to and from your Common Data Environment (CDE), your server, and every other platform you use. These include Autodesk Construction Cloud, Autodesk Vault, BIM 360, Bluebeam, PlanGrid and Panzura to name a few.

 

This means that users of BIM 360 and Autodesk Construction Cloud can share project data between multiple data management platforms, port projects from existing BIM 360 hubs to new BIM 360 hubs as the requirement or project ownership changes, move projects from BIM 360 to Autodesk Construction Cloud or any other CDE of their choice, and more.

Richard Brayshaw, Business Area Director for the UK Construction team at Symetri states “‘Our customers are constantly faced with data management challenges. Whether it’s simply gaining access to data or getting it into the right format and platform, we have partnered with Applied Software to provide their 360 Sync solution to help our customers overcome some of these challenges. By moving valuable project data into accessible platforms that are best suited for each user to do their job, we allow them to be more effective and their organisation to be more efficient.”

Richard Burroughs IV, Vice President of Customer Engagement at Applied Software says, “We recognised Europe’s need for better data & document management solutions and Symetri’s world-class ability to improve the day to day operations of AEC firms through consultative engagements and practical software solutions. We are excited to partner with Symetri to bring better data & document management workflows to Europe with 360 Sync."

Related Links:

Product Page: https://www.symetri.co.uk/products/360-sync

 

Top 10 New Features in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC)

 A round up of the latest advancements to the Autodesk Construction Cloud unified platform.

1. Desktop Connector

Additional functionality has been added to the desktop connector for Autodesk Construction Cloud which allows you to view files online. All you need to do is right click on a document and press "View Online." 

2. Auto-tagging photos in Autodesk Build

Currently in beta, this new feature allows you to upload a photograph to Autodesk Build and the system will automatically add tags which identify the contents of the photos. 

3. Reverse referencing photos in Autodesk Build

Previously you had to add a photograph to items such as assets, forms, sheets or submittals in Autodesk Build. However with this new feature, you no longer need to create these documents first.

 4. Issue Interactions in Autodesk Build

There have also been some changes to the way that you can interact with issues in Autodesk Build. There is now functionality which allows you to bulk edit & bulk delete issues meaning you can make adjustments to a whole raft if issues in one go eg reassigning them to a different subcontractor etc.

5. Forms in Autodesk Build

Within the forms section of Autodesk Build, you can now easily import existing forms from PlanGrid.

6. Watchlists in Design collaboration  

The new "Watchlist" feature within Design Collaboration gives you the ability to monitor models. For instance as an MEP designer, you may be interested in the architectural model and specific items within it eg internal walls, ceilings, doors etc.

7. Project Templates in Autodesk Docs

There have also been some updates at the account level to project templates. The range of things that can be set at template level is now broader. 

8. Templates & RFIs in Autodesk Build

Within Autodesk Build, you can now create and organise form folders and configure form templates. You can also now set up RFI roles & permissions, set the RFI workflows, add customised fields, and set whether closed RFIs can be opened, or once closed, make them available for everyone to view.

9. Submittals & Assets in Autodesk Build

Users of Autodesk Build now have the ability to configure role based permissions, custom responses and edit submittal types. Within assets we can now configure categories, custom fields & status sets and map them to correct categories.

 

10. Creating templates in Autodesk Takeoff

Lastly, we now have the ability to create project templates within Autodesk Takeoff. This new feature allows you to configure project settings for packages, including measurement systems, classifications and definitions per takeoff types.

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Watch this video from our Construction Consultant Rob Torres to find out more about the latest releases to Autodesk Construction Cloud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXEjWpc4Ho

 For further information, please visit our webpage or get in touch with us.  

Autodesk Docs now available as a standalone product

Earlier this month, Autodesk announced that Autodesk Docs, part of the Autodesk Construction Cloud, can now be purchased as a standalone product. Subscriptions include access to both BIM 360 Docs and Autodesk Docs.

Previously, Autodesk Docs was only included with Autodesk Construction Cloud subscriptions and AEC Collection subscriptions and the price was included in the price of these products. Now, users will have the choice of subscribing to Autodesk Docs as a standalone product through the AEC Collection, or along with Autodesk Construction Cloud products.

Current BIM 360 Docs customers will be transitioned automatically to an Autodesk Docs subscription. They will receive Autodesk Docs licences in addition to their existing BIM 360 Docs licences, with no pricing change, and no deprovisioning of existing subscriptions.

If you already have projects in BIM 360, it is recommended that you continue to use the BIM 360 platform to manage these projects to completion. When starting a new project however, you can choose whether to do so in BIM 360 Docs or Autodesk Docs.

We advise that you speak to your Symetri account manager or technical support before transitioning, as there are functional differences between the solutions that should be considered. Symetri can help you with the transition process and ensure Autodesk Docs meets all your needs.

Why is this happening?

Over the last year, we've seen cloud collaboration shift from a nice-to-have to a must-have. For that reason, Autodesk decided to make their flagship common data environment (CDE) offering even better, by adding access to the new Autodesk Construction Cloud unified platform which includes a new set of modules to better connect your data across all project phases.  

Find out more

To find out more about this change, join Symetri Construction's #WorkSmarterWednesdays webinar on 28th July where we will be looking at the new platform in detail, and explaining the different scenarios around which platform you should use 

https://www.symetri.co.uk/campaigns/worksmarterwednesdays

6 ways to improve quantity takeoffs

The problem with quantity takeoffs today

Traditional 2D takeoff continues to be a leading method for estimating quantities on projects, but it can be very time-consuming with scale rules, highlighter pens and spreadsheets. Paired with the rise of projects needing to be completed using Building Information Modelling (BIM), estimators and quantity surveyors end up using a number of different software solutions. As a result, the disconnected nature of 2D & 3D takeoffs can become a challenge.

Autodesk recently released its Construction Outlook report which highlights that schedules on bidding in particular, are getting tighter & tighter as we look at the data coming in from the field. In addition to this challenge, competition continues to increase in this space as more and more people are bidding on the same projects.

The covid-19 pandemic has also highlighted the challenge that individuals face when they are not working in the same location. People need to collaborate with different people in different disciplines of an organisation, which is not always as straight forward as we’d like it to be.

How can quantity takeoffs be improved?

So how do we get around these challenges? Let’s look at some of the elements you can gradually start to implement on a project-by-project basis…

Increased collaboration – ability to increase collaboration with other estimators and team members.

Single source of truth - Rework caused by poor project data costs the industry approximately 280 billion dollars annually. By working off one single source of truth, teams can reduce errors by not working off correct, updated information.

Connected 2D & 3D - 2D drawings are derived from 3D models with connected data, allowing estimators and quantity surveyors to better understand how components are installed and identify potential clashes before problems arise out on-site.

Improved data accuracy – teams can better plan & forecast their projects

Standardisation – by standardising on one platform, teams are able to function more efficiently. There’s no learning curves between projects and company standards are always met. BIM is becoming more frequent in estimation workflows and the ability to connect 2D & 3D quantifications together in a single platform helps with this.

Digitisation – there are still a lot of workflows which occur at pen & paper level in the construction industry today, so the more we can bring that information into the digital age, and have it available for collaboration, the better you can perform on your projects.

How do you achieve this?

Introducing Autodesk Takeoff

Autodesk Takeoff, part of the Autodesk Construction Cloud unified platform, allows estimators to produce & perform more accurate 2D takeoffs and generate automated quantities from 3d models within a single takeoff solution.

Autodesk Takeoff sits nicely between Autodesk BIM Collaborate & Autodesk Build in the pre-construction space covering 2D & 3D takeoff and scope analysis. 

Explore the full range of products available in the Autodesk Construction Cloud unified platform here.

See Autodesk Takeoff in action

In this short video, our Construction Application Specialist Callum Rudge introduces the Autodesk Takeoff interface and walks through how to make a package.

https://youtu.be/EjG5KWbNyBw

For more information on Autodesk Takeoff and to see a full product demo, watch our on-demand webinar recording.

VIEW FULL DEMO

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To keep up to date with the latest advancements to the Autodesk Construction Cloud or the Construction industry, please get in touch with us. Alternatively, join our bi-weekly webinar sessions #WorkSmarterWednesdays.

 

Autodesk Revit 2022 – New Structural Features

The structural tools continue to build on the core functionality of reinforced concrete modelling and steel fabrication modelling in the Autodesk Revit 2022 release. In this article let us start by looking at five of the key features and tools relating to steel modelling.

Ranges of applicability

When modelling steel connections, there is a desire to try and standardise as much as possible to reduce the complexity and cost of steel detailing and manufacture. The simple way to achieve this is to use the connections outlined in the SCI Green Book. You can now create standard libraries of each connection type and then set ranges of applicability. For example, you may have a partial depth end plate connection with 6 bolts and a shear resistance of 600kN. This connection could be used with several different section types and sizes and placed automatically with the use of Dynamo player.

3D Grids

This is a much-appreciated feature that has been requested for several years and although strictly regarded as a platform tool, you can now display and edit grids within the 3D view. The 3D grids have very similar functionality to the 3D levels that were incorporated into Autodesk Revit a few years ago and is particularly useful when you wish to change the vertical extents of curved and skewed grids.

Move Rebar in a Set

When adding reinforcement bar to elements, it is a very common process to utilise rebar sets to create ranges of rebar. However, sometimes the rebar sets can clash with other bars or perhaps obscure a structural opening. With Autodesk Revit 2022, we can now remove unwanted bars from the rebar set, move or rotate bars to create clash free, detailed 3D models. This functionality supports the use of 3D views to convey complex reinforcement arrangements and the exact placement of bars.

Two-Point Rebar Placement

The default behaviour when modelling links or adding shapes to concrete elements is that the bar will expand and snap to the cover. This is normally very useful and what we would expect. However, there are situations where you want to control the extent of the rebar which can now be done using the new two-point placement method. This is very useful for placing multiple links in wide beams and very handy for U-Bars. In the example shown below, I am placing a U-Bar into the model using the new two-point method.

Real Rebar Diameters

When modelling rebars, the default method is to use the nominal rebar diameters which are smaller that the actual diameters. For example, a H16 bar has a nominal diameter of 16mm but a real diameter of 19mm. Whilst a few millimetres probably wont matter too much, when working with larger diameter bars with multiple layers and large amounts of steel this could cause coordination issues.

Summary

Whilst I have only had the chance to showcase a few of the structural features in this blog, the overall functionality of Autodesk Revit 2022 is very impressive. The platform tools are very strong this year and solve many onerous workarounds that have inevitably evolved over the years. Some of my notable favourites are phasing, revisions, 3D grids and PDF Exports.

We have created a video review that looks at the new Autodesk Revit 2022 features in more details and can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mUSw9QAFts&feature=youtu.be

If you would like to learn more about Autodesk Revit, please visit our webpage: https://www.symetri.co.uk/products/revit or contact us at info@symetri.co.uk.sk

Displaying terminal information in AutoCAD Electrical

In this blog article, we are going to take a look at how to show terminal information within an electrical design in AutoCAD Electrical and how to extract this information for device termination, display cable/wire information and to help later processes such as procurement.  

You can display Terminal information within a schematic layout.  From the icon menu select the terminal symbol and assign the relevant information to that terminal such as installation/location code, tag strip identification, terminal information and catalogue information.

The information can then be extracted into a graphical or table layout on a terminal drawing within the electrical project. This layout is used to show cable/wire information, device information, internal jumper layouts and catalogue information. Additional terminal accessories can be added by assigning the catalogue information. Accessories can include including terminal holders, spacers and covers.

 

Note: To ensure the component is displayed in a graphical layout all catalogue information will need an associated block defined in the footprint database. 

If you are wanting to use a specific component that does not exist within AutoCAD Electrical you can create your own symbols and footprints. Select the symbol builder feature and choose the specific type of component you require such as parent component, terminal or panel terminal.

For further information on the benefits of using AutoCAD Electrical for your electrical design, contact Symetri to arrange a consultation with one of our electrical specialists. We also offer scheduled AutoCAD Electrical essentials training, as well as bespoke training tailored to your requirements .

 

 

Combined Surface for Multiple Pipe Trenches in Naviate for Civil 3D

When you have multiple pipe networks that all have their own shelf in the section, it is usually more work than it is worth to create a corridor for the whole section. The best way is to create individual corridors and then combine the solids or the surfaces later. This blog article will describe how to combine the surfaces to get a combined trench surface by showing two methods of how to do this. The first method requires the corridor and the second method only uses the surfaces.

Starting Point:

So, what is the starting point for both methods? This is the multiple corridor surfaces, which I strongly recommend that the corridor has been fixed with Import corridor Settings to make sure that there are no bowties that would mess up the surfaces.

For both these methods, we will use the Naviate command Max/Min for Surfaces as the main function. That command creates a new surface from the triangles with minimum elevation of two other surfaces. If you would like to find out more about the command you can read more about it on the Symetri e-learning here: [NVMaxMinforSurface].

Method 1: Corridor

The benefit of this method is that it works the same no matter how many corridors you have.

Max/Min for Surfaces creates a combined surface where two other surfaces overlap, therefore the first step is to make the surfaces overlap. When we have a corridor, one way to do this is to extract the Edge-featurelines from the corridors and add those to the trench surfaces.

Extract a single featureline by selecting the corridor, click featurelines from Corridor on the Ribbon and select the featureline to extract. You want to extract the right-most featureline from the right-most corridor and the left-most featureline from the left-most corridor as is shown in magenta below.

We also need to take into consideration that if we add the featurelines to the corridor surfaces, the surfaces expand, as Civil-Surface do. In order to solve this, we use the Naviate for Civil 3D command, Merge featurelines and merge the two extracted featurelines to a single closed featureline. This merged featureline is then added as both a breakline and a boundary to all the trench corridors. When we are done, the section should look like the below image where all the magenta trench surfaces extend to the same edge point.

After that we use Max/Min for Surfaces to first create a Minimum surface for the two right surfaces, then we do a Max/Min for Surface from the first combined surface and the next surface. Keep doing this until you have added all the corridor surfaces. Name the last corridor as Combined Trench since that will contain all the added surfaces. The resulting surface can be seen in cyan in the image below.

Method 2: Surfaces

If you only have two surfaces, then you can use this simpler method to achieve the same result.

Start by using Max/Min for surface of your two surfaces. This creates a surface only where the surfaces overlap.

Then create a new surface and on this surface paste first the two individual surfaces, and then the Max/Min-surface. The important part here is to paste the Max/Min-surface last, you can change the order in Surface Properties if needed.

Want to know more?

For more information about the individual commands and to see the feature-videos for the commands, have a look at Symetri e-learning.

If you would like to know more about Naviate for Civil 3D, have a look at our upcoming webinar series, Naviate Infrastructure for Civil 3D here or get in touch by calling 0345 370 1500 or emailling info@symetri.co.uk

Explore how CAD training can help you use your CAD software more effectively

 Could you be using your CAD software more effectively?

Since Autodesk are now releasing the new version of their software, I thought it would be a good time to talk about software training. Do you learn how to use the latest release or are you just going to carry on using it the same way you always have?

Over the last few years the way we consume and purchase software has changed. Previously we would buy the Autodesk 1998 version keep it for a couple of years then buy the 2000 version. Now with Autodesk subscription and maintenance models and software being hosted in the cloud, you can automatically get an update once a year, or if you look at Autodesk Fusion 360 every 6 weeks. 

Do we use all of this new additional technology that the software companies develop for us? Realistically the answer is probably not very often. When you receive the latest version of your software most people take a quick look at the "What's new" help file presentation and think "that new feature is just what I have been waiting for". You promise yourself that you will use it tomorrow – that never happens, a project lands on your desk and your never have the time to go back and look at the new features, before you know it a new version of your software appears on your desktop!!

I’ve been at Symetri for over 20 years now, providing CAD training to a multitude of people. I love what I do especially when I can see the reaction from trainees when they realise that a particular feature or tool will save them time when working on their designs. Twenty years ago, I taught two courses, AutoCAD Essentials, and AutoCAD Updates. I still teach the essentials today, but very occasionally do I teach an update course for any software, be it AutoCAD, Inventor or Vault.

One of the more recent times I did teach the AutoCAD update course was to some of the most knowledgeable people I have ever had in my classroom, but they were surprised as to how much content they weren’t aware of in both the current release they were being trained on but also in the previous release. Thankfully, this company understood the value of CAD training and embarked on a training programme to update all of their users. This company unfortunately is in the minority. I have asked many people who attend our training courses and those we help on the support desk about their software usage and I would say that around 75% of people still use the software in the same way they always using the same workflows they were originally trained on.

Is this you - I don't mean just the CAD software that you are using, but probably Word, Excel etc. How many of you are still putting a sketch down to create a hole in Autodesk Inventor? If so, you could be a lot more productive, there are new tools and workflows in all of the latest Autodesk releases.  Let us teach you them. Now we all have to look at working smarter and do more with less time, let your software help you do this, unleash its potential and your own.

What is your call to action from this blog? Book an update course, look at the what's new help files, read the blogs, speak to your support team and see if there is a quicker way to do what you are doing. Remember you don’t know what you don’t know - let someone teach you. We may even get the Update Course off the endangered lists.

Explore our range of CAD training courses here: https://www.symetri.co.uk/training/autocad-training-courses

Sharing Inventor 2021 data to earlier versions of Revit rfa

For manufacturers working with customers in construction it’s often a requirement to provide product models in a BIM compatible format, usually a Revit format. With Autodesk Inventor 2021 we have the capability to work with Revit data and to share this data directly from the Inventor BIM Content Environment

When exporting we can save out to the rfa format, but there is no option to select which Revit version we are saving from.

This can cause problems if your client is using an earlier Autodesk Revit version to you.

However there is a method you can follow to setup your system to be able to export out up to three version earlier than your current version.

In this blog article we will provide you the required setup steps and an iLogic rule that will allow you to access this undocumented feature. 

Installation Requirements

1. Install the matching Inventor legacy version. This can be up to three versions behind latest release so currently 2018.
2. Install the latest Inventor version, currently 2021.
3. Obtain the latest version of Navisworks media. Copy RFATranslator.Translate.RevitServerLegacy.exe from Navisworks install files to legacy Inventor version Revit interoperability folder.

e.g. copy from Autodesk_Navisworks_Manage_2021_Multilingual_Win_64bit_dlm\x64\NAVMAN\Autodesk\Ldr\IVS\Bin

to 

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Revit Interoperability for Inventor 2018\Rx\

4. You can Install the Revit legacy version to check your exported models and also to gain access to the Revit templates. If you don’t have a Revit license you can run it in view only mode. If you need to make any post export modifications you will require a Revit license to make any changes to the exported file in Revit.

 

iLogic Rule

You will require an iLogic rule to access the custom export functionality.

Create the following as an external rule.

 

Dim oBIMComp As BIMComponent

Dim selectedTemplate As String

Dim targetFile As String

 

oBIMComp = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.ComponentDefinition.BIMComponent

 

Dim templateFileDlg As Inventor.FileDialog = Nothing

InventorVb.Application.CreateFileDialog(tFileDlg)

templateFileDlg.DialogTitle() = "Select Template for Export"

templateFileDlg.Filter = "Revit Family Template (*.rft)|*.rft"

templateFileDlg.InitialDirectory = "C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 2018\Family Templates\English"

templateFileDlg.CancelError = True

On Error Resume Next

templateFileDlg.ShowOpen()

If Err.Number <> 0 Then

        Return

        ElseIf templateFileDlg.FileName <> "" Then

        selectedTemplate = templateFileDlg.FileName

End If 

Dim oNameValueMap As NameValueMap

oNameValueMap = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap

oNameValueMap.Add("CustomRevitFamilyTemplate", selectedTemplate)

oNameValueMap.Add("RevitFileVersion", "Legacy")

 

Dim oFileDlg As Inventor.FileDialog = Nothing

InventorVb.Application.CreateFileDialog(oFileDlg)

oFileDlg.Filter = "Revit Family Files (*.rfa)|*.rfa"

oFileDlg.InitialDirectory = ThisDoc.Path

oFileDlg.CancelError = True

'On Error Resume Next

oFileDlg.ShowSave()

If Err.Number <> 0 Then

        Return

        ElseIf oFileDlg.FileName <> "" Then

        targetFile = oFileDlg.FileName

End If

oBIMComp.ExportBuildingComponentWithOptions(targetFile, oNameValueMap)

MessageBox.Show("Export to " & targetFile & " finished.", "RFA Export Rule Complete")

There is more to BIM though than just the model itself. If you need to know more about BIM as a manufacturer and what’s required, please contact us by emailing info@symetri.co.uk.  We also have on-demand webinars focused around illogic, along with training courses and services to enable you to boost your productivity.