PRODUCT FOCUS
Navisworks Manage 2014
Figure 2: One of the three sectioned-down levels.
created the construction documents. This allowed our construction coordination to begin, having first signed a release form, with the 3D design models.
site, so as to be available to the entire coordination team. With these model preparations complete, the construction coordination process was able to begin.
Before coordination began, the models from the design team were sectioned down into three levels using Autodesk Revit: Underground, Level 1, and Level 2, so that coordination for each level could be performed in an organized and methodical fashion.
BIM coordination formally began with an on-site kick-off meeting. In attendance were Driver’s project team and all participating subcontractors with their respective foremen and BIM detailers or BIM consultants, as was the case for two of the subcontractors on this job. The purpose of this meeting was to assure that all personnel relevant to the coordination process were on the same page regarding established modeling expectations, scheduling, naming conventions, meeting times, deadlines, model coordinates, lines of communication, file transfer methods, and so on. This meeting also provided an opportunity for the team to meet face to face and bring up any concerns or apprehensions they had regarding the coordination of the project.
In addition to sectioning down the design team’s models, C.W. Driver’s BIM managers also created 3D project grids, acoustical ceiling grids, and footing zones of influence to further enhance the models and to aid in the accuracy of the upcoming coordination process.
Coordination
Figure 3: Structural footing zones of influence.
Once these changes and additions had been made, the models were saved out in two formats: 3D dwg—as a reference for Driver’s subcontractors; and nwc—for internal use in Navisworks. These files were then posted to Driver’s cloud-based file exchange 22
www.augi.com
After kick-off, the subcontractors had two weeks to create their models and populate them with all the system elements in their respective scopes of work in preparation for the first coordination meeting. Coordination meetings were held remotely on a weekly basis using an online virtual meeting service. A day before each meeting, the subs would update their models on the cloud site. Driver’s BIM manager would then pull down the posted models, bring them into Navisworks Manage, and run a clash detection to identify any clashes that represented legitimate constructability issues that needed to be worked out. A report was then generated in xml using Navisworks’ Report function. The BIM manager used this xml file to create a spreadsheet that detailed the issues found in the clash detection process. Among other things, this report showed the name of each individual issue identified by the BIM manager along with its location and an image.
December 2013