CU1811

CAD User 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 

VOL 31 NO 06 

Back on track 

EasyBuild helps SPL Powerlines 

take control of a Carillion project 

iModel.js 

Why Bentley's iModelHub is the 

backbone of the 'digital twin' 

WWW.CADUSER.COM 

A Landmark in design 

Vectorworks 2019 enhances productivity 

for landscape designers 

The Hammers on 

winning form 

The Winners and runners-up at the 

2018 Construction Computing Awards 

INDUSTRY NEWS • CASE STUDIES • HARDWARE & SOFTWARE FOCUS • PRODUCT REVIEWS • FEATURES

CONTENTS 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 

CONTENTS 

A LANDMARK IN DESIGN 10 

Vectorworks 2019 enhances productivity using 

BIM processes within its Landmark module for 

professional landscape designers 

AN ECOSYSTEM OF INNOVATION 14 

JavaScript's flexible and simple web-enabling 

application gives Bentley's iModel the muscle it 

needs to create its industry leading 'digital twin' 

environments 

THE HAMMERS ON WINNING FORM 16 

David Chadwick introduces our round-up of the 

winners and runners-up at the 2018 

Construction Computing Awards, held in 

London in November 

BACK ON TRACK 22 

EasyBuild helps SPL Powerlines UK transition 

from its ill-fated joint venture with Carillion into an 

independent contractor looking at a brighter 

future, with complete control over its own finances 

I NEWS................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS..................................................................................................6 

• CONSTRUCTIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR EXCITECH 

• 3D REPO FOCUSES ON HEALTH AND SAFETY 

CASE STUDY.................................... SPREADSHEETS IN CONSTRUCTION: FRIEND OR FOE?................................20 

• BARRY CHAPMAN EXPLAINS WHY SPREADSHEETS CAN LEAVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OPEN TO RISK 

CASE STUDY.................................... THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION...............................................................................24 

• STREAMBIM ENABLES HELSE BERGEN HEALTH AUTHORITY TO MANAGE AN ALL-INCLUSIVE CONSTRUCTION 

HARDWARE FOCUS......................... THE EPSON T-SERIES.......................................................................................26 

• THE QUICK AND EASY PRODUCTION OF 2D DRAWINGS IS STILL THE BEDROCK OF THE BUILDING SITE 

SOFTWARE REVIEW......................... ALLPLAN ENGINEERING 2019..........................................................................28 

• ALLPLAN 2019 IMPROVES WORKING PROCESSES FOR ALL SECTORS OF THE ENGINEERING DESIGN COMMUNITY 

CASE STUDY.................................... PROJECTWISE INSIGHTS..................................................................................30 

• AECOM's DIGITAL PROJECT DELIVERY TEAM HELP PROJECTWISE USERS GET THE MOST FROM THEIR SOFTWARE 

TRAINING MAP................................. AUTODESK TRAINING......................................................................................32 

• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING 

4 November/December 2018

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Comment 

A catalyst for the future 

by David Chadwick 

Ihave always been fascinated by the 

semantics of change, a striking 

example of which has been our 

preoccupation with BIM over the last 

dozen years or so. Don't get me wrong, I 

think it has utterly transformed the 

construction industry, and those 

companies who have adopted the 

process have benefited from increased 

efficiency, more control over their projects 

and a decidedly better focus on 

collaboration, data sharing and the like. 

That simple acronym has been the driver 

though, with companies having to decide 

whether they are 'in' Building Information 

Modelling or 'agin' it. Those who haven't 

adopted it are either too small for it to 

make much of a difference or 'isolationist 

dinosaurs', as some would claim. 

What would have happened though if the 

term, or a similarly catchy one, had not 

been invented? The developments over the 

last so many years are as much a product 

of the general advancement in all areas of 

technology, as much as they are the 

children of BIM. Which begs the question, 

would we have reached the same levels of 

attainment, fostered the same culture of 

collaboration, made efforts to improve 

project delivery and developed ways of 

sharing data more effectively, if we hadn't 

had the impetus and the driving force of 

BIM and its promoters? 

I don't think we would, and the evidence 

is compelling throughout IT and 

associated industries. The history of 

computing is populated with many 

instances of technological achievement, 

advanced thinking and wayward geniuses 

whose products have failed to make any 

impact on the market due to equally 

brilliant competition, lack of development 

resources, blind alleys and technology 

cul-de-sacs. 

It is only when such technologies are 

directed by a code of standards, a 

common format for data exchange, and a 

logical structure for their development that 

they begin to take shape and, as we have 

seen with BIM, dominate the market. 

Technology brilliance is great - but without 

a backbone of support it will flare and die. 

So now that BIM has reached a level of 

maturity, what next? What is the next 

rallying point for technologies that will 

drive the future of the industry? 

Bentley is rightly excited by the impact 

that 'digital twins' will have on the market. 

Keith Bentley regards it as ''the most 

open, productive, intuitive, and powerful 

development environment for capital 

projects and infrastructure assets, ever,'' 

and I agree. I would go further though and 

state that 'digital twinning' will become an 

integral part of more than just the 

Infrastructure' Industry. The ability to 

represent any complex organism, from 

buildings, smart cities and transport 

structures, to human beings, as digital 

entities with the development of common 

data formats, will become a driving force 

for the advanced analysis and 

management tools that they require. The 

term 'digital twin' is as good as any to 

push it forward. 

I'll go back to the human element, if I 

may, as it represents a good analogy for 

the processes used in Bentley's iModel 

services. Medical records combine a 

mass of current and historical data from 

scans, biopsies, past conditions and visits 

to the doctor. The overwhelming mass of 

data, held in hard copy format, prevents 

adequate analysis during a 10 minute 

surgery visit, or analysis of multiple 

contributory conditions. 

The use of a digital twin would facilitate 

diagnoses based on the most important 

medical information and real-time 

significant 'changes' to a patients 

condition, with the bulk of the superceded 

information held being discarded. Not too 

far removed from the handling of 

Infrastructure projects. 

6 November/December 2018

INDUSTRY news 

3D REPO FOCUSES ON HEALTH AND SAFETY 

3D Repo has released the latest 

version of its cloud 

based digital construction platform 

complete with an online 

platform for the tracking of 

health and safety issues, 

SafetiBase, and support for 

Bentley CAD files. The free version 

of 3D Repo now also offers 

users the ability to add additional 

users to a TeamSpace free of 

charge. User storage has also 

been boosted within the basic 

package allowing entry level 

users to experience the true 

power of 3D Repo. 

"This release is all about 

improving collaboration, co-ordination 

and communication with 

a focus on health and safety. 

We are also keen to prove the 

power of 3D Repo for new 

users," commented Jozef 

Dobos, CEO and founder of 3D 

Repo. "SafetiBase is a great initiative 

that has the potential to 

really impact the way the industry 

works. Having the backing of 

IFS APPOINTS ALAN LAING AS MD 

IFS has hired Alan Laing as 

the MD of UK and Ireland. 

Alan will be responsible for driving 

significant growth across 

the business for all of IFS's 

products, services and channels. 

Alan brings a track record 

of business growth, having 

held executive roles at several 

organisations including Avaya, 

Oracle and most recently as 

some of the biggest players 

means we can really set the 

standard for how health and 

safety data is shared in a BIM 

environment." 

SafetiBase delivers a collaborative 

way to share and use 

Health and Safety information 

and project risks, associating 

them directly to the model. 

Using existing best of breed 

solutions, including 3D Repo's 

BIM platform, SafetiBase conforms 

to the newly published 

specification for 'collaborative 

sharing and use of structured 

health and safety information 

using BIM' (Publicly Available 

Specification PAS 1192-6). 

3D Repo users can now also 

upload 3D .dgn files, the CAD 

format files used by Bentley 

Systems, MicroStation and Intergraph, 

to 3D Repo, where they 

can be managed in the online 

database and used in federations 

for design coordination. 

http://3drepo.org 

Executive VP and MD of Sage's 

Northern European businesses. 

Alan said "I am joining IFS at 

an exciting time and am looking 

forward to driving further 

growth in the UK and Ireland. 

IFS's rich heritage, strong customer 

base, engaged partners 

and employees give us all the 

ingredients for success." 

www.ifsworld.com 

CONSTRUCTIVE APPOINTMENTS FOR EXCITECH 

Excitech has expanded its 

construction capability with 

the appointment of two industry 

experts. Rob Torres and Nick 

Simpson, both formerly of Skanska, 

join the company's Professional 

Services team as Consultants. 

Rob is a mechanical engineer 

and BIM specialist who 

brings over 17 years' experience 

within M&E contracting having 

started with Skanska in 2000. 

Most recently he has been 

involved in the development, set 

up, training and ongoing support 

of products like BIM 360 

Field and Glue. 

Nick brings over 42 years' technical 

and managerial experience 

FIRST HYBRID AIRBORNE SENSOR TAKES OFF 

Bluesky International Ltd has 

used the Leica CityMapper, 

the world's first hybrid airborne 

sensor combining vertical and 

oblique imagery together with 

3D laser scanning, to capture 

major cities throughout the UK. 

Using the CityMapper, 

Bluesky was able to capture 

parts of London, Manchester 

and Birmingham as well as 

Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, 

Norwich, Nottingham and 

Oxford. Bluesky intends to 

increase its coverage by capturing 

additional towns and 

cities across the UK and Ireland 

in 2019. It is the first time 

this technology has been used 

commercially in the UK to this 

level. The captured city data is 

gained working for Skanska, 

Lorne Stewart and DSSR. His 

background is centred around 

MEP design, detailing, design 

management, on-site construction 

management and O&M 

handover. In recent years, Nick 

has led the introduction of new 

technology, improved processes 

and collaborative behaviour 

inside Skanska. "We're delighted 

to have Rob and Nick join the 

Excitech team" said Excitech 

MD, David Hughes. "They both 

bring a wealth of industry experience, 

and a deep involvement in 

the digital transformation of the 

construction sector." 

www.excitech.co.uk 

currently available from 

Bluesky and Leica Geosystems, 

part of Hexagon, in its 

constituent components of vertical 

orthorectified aerial 

imagery, oblique photographs 

and LiDAR point cloud data. 

Plans are in place to also 

include the imagery in the 

HxGN Content Program in the 

near future. 

"The combination of multiple 

survey grade cameras and 

LiDAR enables, for the first 

time, the simultaneous capture 

of data for the automatic creation 

of highly accurate and 

detailed citywide 3D models, 

with one sensor," said Bluesky 

MD Rachel Tidmarsh. 

www.bluesky-world.com 

8 

November/December 2018

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TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

SOFTWARE review 

A Landmark in design 

Vectorworks 2019 enhances productivity using BIM processes within its Landmark module for 

professional landscape designers 

One of the main reasons for the 

popularity of Vectorworks as an 

architectural tool is its 

comprehensive array of design features, 

which can be used to develop a building 

concept from the ground up to its finished, 

polished presentation, supported 

throughout by BIM workflows that link the 

3D models with drawings, details and 

schedules. Not so well known however is its 

widespread use by other design 

professionals, with Vectorworks Landmark 

providing a complete toolbox for landscape 

designers, and Spotlight having almost 

complete ubiquity in the design of theatre 

sets, gigs and the rest of the massive effect 

and light-driven productions that define 

today's public performances. 

Vectorworks Landmark brings together 

software tools specifically created for 

landscape professionals and core 

Vectorworks modelling, documentation and 

presentation - and, of course, its BIM 

workflows. 

Vectorworks 2019 provides more 

streamlined site modelling using 3D 

sculpting to model terrain, a number of 

improvements to hardscape components, 

tools to transform irrigation layouts, 

simplified plant settings and access to more 

plant data sources. It's a veritable treasure 

trove of features, where even individual 

plants can become BIM objects to be 

gathered in planting schedules, displayed in 

stunning visualisations or shared in client's 

video presentations. 

Landscape professionals are artists before 

they are anything else, so let's get the 

prosaic out of the way. BIM is now firmly 

embedded within the construction industry 

to drive more efficient workflows by the 

sharing of information between processes 

and collaborators. Landscape designers 

can take similar advantage of BIM 

workflows to optimise designs and to 

generate planting schedules and reports, 

analyse terrain information for cut/fill and 

sloping tasks, lay out drainage and evaluate 

water budgets, and calculate construction 

costs and quantities of materials for 

hardscape components or the optimum 

parking layouts for adjacent car parks. It's 

also an essential ingredient if you have set 

sustainability targets or are aiming for 

LEEDS or SITES certification. 

BIM provides landscape professionals with 

the power to make and optimise 

professional designs and enhance 

workflows. Changes made to designs are 

reflected throughout, and files can be 

shared with anyone, or with other 

applications through OpenBIM and IFC. 

This means you can link designs to projects 

using AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, 

Photoshop, Lumion and Cinema4D using 

project sharing tools that enable entire 

teams to work on projects concurrently. 

STARTING WITH MAPS 

Landscape design works in the real world. 

The basis of a project is an accurate terrain 

model, which can be created using 

imported survey data from Ordnance 

Survey and other GIS data files, 

georeferenced aerial and satellite images, 

and data-rich models from architects or 

engineers. Property boundaries, utility 

resources, shapefiles and existing 

structures can be added, arranged into 

maps, coloured, notated and slated for 

inclusion in the BIM process. 

Using Vectorworks 2019, you can modify 

terrain using the software's direct modelling 

tools - such as reshape, push/pull - to 

sculpt the site while maintaining the 

intelligence of the model, enabling it to be 

used to run site analyses or calculate the 

effect of the changes within Vectorworks 

without having to use external resources. 

One of those changes could affect vehicle 

access to the site, or the positioning of car 

parks. In the past, calculating turning paths 

for cars in drawings was a particularly 

onerous task. Vectorworks 2019 introduces 

its partnership with Transoft Solutions, 

whose Auto-TURN online browser makes 

short work of the task - upload a design, 

pick a vehicle, perform a simulation and 

export the results back into your project! 

And talking about car parking, you can use 

the basic Parking Spaces tool or the more 

intuitive Parking Area and Parking Along 

Path tools to plan parking for just about any 

parking layout. these include islands, 

accessible spaces, head-in (angled) 

parking, parallel parking and access lanes, 

and use the parking schedule to count the 

number of parking spaces provided. 

10 


THE ULTIMATE 

SOFTWARE FROM 

SKETCH TO BIM 

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SOFTWAREreview 

Vectorworks 2019 - Hardscape planning 

Vectorworks 2019 - the Plant Object 

WORKING ON MULTIPLE PALETTES 

As an artist, you can imagine working on 

separate palettes simultaneously. The 

Enable Multiple Views command allows 

designers see a number of views of a 

project simultaneously. Start in one view 

pane and finish in another, switching 

between viewports, views, and visibility 

settings to Instantly gauge the impact of a 

design change across your 3D, plan, 

section, and elevation views. You can even 

start a rendering in one view while you work 

in another. You can go much further though 

by using Marionette, the first and only crossplatform 

algorithmic modelling tool for AEC, 

entertainment, and landscape design, built 

in to Vectorworks. 

Marionette allows users to create visual 

scripts to take designs to new levels or to 

build unique, organic shapes that are 

scalable and constructible. It can also factor 

in environmental conditions or weather 

patterns that will affect planting schedules. 

Anything is possible if you can code it! 

If you don't want to dive into Marionette 

(which is easier and more logical to use 

than you might think) you can use 

Vectorwork's other modelling tools to design 

building envelopes, curtain wall façades, 

truss-type structures, and other hardscape 

features. This is achieved using tools like 

SmartCursor, which helps by showing hints 

as you draw, Vectorworks X-ray Select 

mode, which lets you see through models 

to select and modify hidden objects without 

changing viewports, and an enhanced suite 

of solids and NURBS surface and 

subdivision modelling tools. 

And then there's Surface Array for 

exploring complex, repeated elements in 

the design of curtain wall façades etc. 

PLANT DATA RESOURCES 

A principal feature of landscape design is 

the creation of planting plans, and the 

selection of plants to fill them. Vectorworks 

2019 provides a number of improvements 

in the user interface and the plant 

preference dialogue boxes that improve the 

planting workflow. This makes it easier for 

new landscape designers to learn without 

sacrificing its advanced functionality. 

The Choose Plant Data Source command 

opens the entire plant database or specific 

plant catalogues from online resources. 

Now you can specify your preferred plant 

catalogue instead of ploughing through 

the entire plant database. Search facilities 

are another enhancement for Vectorworks 

2019, eradicating searching through long 

lists to find the layer and class you're 

looking for. Now they can be found 

instantly using keyword searches or filters 

to display classes and layers based upon 

specific properties. 

IRRIGATION 

Water is an increasingly sparse commodity, 

and it will become more costly as demand 

increases - hence the importance of 

developing an efficient and cost-effective 

irrigation scheme for landscaping projects. 

Vectorworks Landmark gives designers 

the ability to assess and calculate a site's 

requirements and resource availability. This 

can then be used to place irrigation outlets 

using the software’s hydrozone tool to 

group plants with similar water needs. You 

can use manufacturers or custom 

parameters to select and place rotors, spray 

outlets, and other emitters (for example drip 

nozzles which slowly leak water into the soil 

from perforated pipes). Designers can 

position main line, lateral line and drip 

tubing irrigation pipes on the drawing, the 

irrigation pipes based on standard pipe 

materials and diameter values from 

manufacturers catalogues. 

All pretty standard stuff, but once spray 

and arc patterns have been established and 

outlets, pipes and valves have been placed 

on a drawing, they can be used to balance 

the water requirements of the site and 

whether it can be met by the water pressure 

and flow available from the main Point of 

Connection (POC) water source. 

But, more importantly, users can use the 

software to calculate the true efficiency 

levels of their irrigation schemes. 

SEE THE RESULTS 

Professional image editing is available with 

Vectorworks, meaning that Model views 

don't need to be exported to Photoshop or 

Illustrator. This enables users to prepare 

presentations in the same software used to 

create the designs. 2D Drawings, however, 

are still the preferred output for landscape 

designers - they’re easier to use on site - 

and the Vectorworks Graphics Module 

provides an exceptional screen-drawing 

technology for fast, reliable generations of 

drawing and model views. 

With Vectorworks 2019 a project's sheet 

layers now benefit from optimised, multithreaded 

technology for use with advanced 

GPUs, making panning and zooming in 

sheet layers as quick as design layers. And 

in ther latest version, Vectorworks 2019, you 

can manage title blocks across multiple 

documents from a single file, regardless of 

how many Vectorworks files are 

incorporated in a project. 

www.vectorworks.co.uk 

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SOFTWARE review 

An ecosystem of innovation 

JavaScript's flexible and simple web-enabling application gives Bentley's iModel the muscle it needs 

to create its industry leading 'digital twin' environments 

It's funny how phrases catch on and 

become part of the general idiom. 

Prior to the term 'digital twins' being 

used by Bentley in a press release 

earlier this year, which introduced the 

concept in its partnership with 

Siemens, and which we wrote about in 

general terms in the last issue, we have 

seen the concept being used in a 

financial ad on TV and referenced on 

numerous other occasions elsewhere. I 

even hijacked the term for a blog on an 

entirely different subject - the creation 

of 'digital twins' for patients that could 

supercede the horrendous 

accumulation of paper records in the 

care industry. 

Digital twins entails the creation of 

digital models that that can be used to 

simulate the real world, providing an 

immersive experience connected to a 

digital environment that allows users to 

create and analyse scenarios, develop 

applications, and model processes 

before implementation within a project. 

To enable it, Bentley Systems has 

developed extensions to its iModel data 

sharing format, and facilitated its use 

within immersive applications using 

JavaScript. The Open Source format 

iModel is already the de facto means of 

sharing data between Bentley System 

models and other applications. At the 

Year in Infrastructure conference in 

London this year, the company released 

the first part of its iModel.js.library, 

which improves the way in which 

developers and IT professionals can 

create applications that connect their 

infrastructure digital twins with other 

parts of the digital world. 

A totally Connected Data Environment 

can now be created using the iModel.js 

library as part of Bentley's also newly 

announced iTwin Services, combining 

iModelHub, reality modelling and other 

web-enabling technologies. iModelHub 

manages the iModel as a distributed 

database forming the backbone of an 

infrastructure digital twin, which 

records model changes and other 

revisions, to provide a totally aligned, 

accessible and accountable source of 

information for infrastructure 

engineering. This can include analytics, 

artificial intelligence (AI), and machine 

learning (ML) and other information 

used in simulations and for decision 

support throughout design, 

construction and operations. 

Infrastructure projects typically involve 

many collaborating disciplines with 

distributed teams making thousands of 

asynchronous decisions and changes. 

Digital twins using iModelHub provide 

the first practical solution for aligning 

disparate data and synchronising all of 

the changes to reflect conditions in the 

real world. 

The ProjectWise Common Data 

Environment records changes to digital 

engineering models using iModel 

Bridge Services within the iModelHub, 

maintaining a timeline of what changes 

were made to engineering data, when 

they was made, and by whom. 

Engineers and other project 

members, through their applications, 

can obtain a copy of the iModel from 

iModelHub with notifications of 

changes added to the iModel's 

timeline, which they can accept and 

apply to their copy of the iModel, 

thereby synchronising it. Any version of 

the iModel can be accessed, and 

significant versions can be named. 

There's a whole family of 'twinning' 

building up here, but a fundamental 

first principle of iTwin Services is 

allowing the disciplines in a project to 

continue to use their existing 

applications and not require them to 

change the way they work. Project 

participants manage their work in 

ProjectWise, as they have always done. 

They contribute the digital engineering 

models as hundreds of individual files 

from a variety of authoring applications 

in their native source formats. 

ProjectWise uses the iModel Bridge 

Service to aggregate those file-based 

models into an aligned form - the 

iModel within the iModelHub - then 

semantically structures engineering 

data in a consistent manner that iTwin 

Services can understand. iModels 

contain knowledge of how physical 

elements and functional requirements 

relate to one another. They include the 

relationships between physical and 

analytical models, and capture 

discipline-specific concepts to enable 

appropriate logic to be applied. 

THE IMODEL.JS LIBRARY 

The widely used and flexible JavaScript 

is a dynamic computer programming 

language (not to be confused with 

Java, itself an entirely separate 

programming language used to create 

virtual machines) and is most 

commonly used to facilitate the 

dynamic exchange of data between the 

14 



iModel 2.0 PLatform Architecture - the basis of iModelHub 

iModel navigation using Visual Studio Code 

client and the user on web-pages. It is 

an interpreted programming language 

with object-oriented capabilities. 

Drawing on its flexibility and ease of 

use, the iModel.js library is a 

comprehensive collection of JavaScript 

packages that use the common, open 

and popular standards for modern 

cloud and web development. It is 

written in TypeScript, and leverages a 

range of technologies including SQLite, 

Node.js, NPM, WebGL, Electron, 

Docker, Kubernetes, and of course 

HTML5 and CSS. The same codebase 

is equally adept at producing cloud 

services, web, mobile, and desktop 

applications. The source code is 

hosted on GitHub and is distributed 

under the MIT license. 

That pretty much enables it to cover 

all elements of any form of augmented, 

virtual or digital reality you care to 

mention. Using iModel.js you can 

create web-based experiences with the 

whole gamut of 'nD' views - 2D, 3D, 4D 

- assembling them from BIM files and 

other engineering models and 

synchronising them with additional 

information, created directly with 

iModel.js - digital reality data, sensor 

data and information from any other 

type of information source or analytics. 

The information is always kept up to 

date using the most recent updates 

from project members, synchronised 

by iModelHub. This includes model 

changes and revisions, allowing 

authorised iModelHub users to 

visualise and analyse model changes 

between points in time, or between 

versions. 

It's here that the value of the 'digital 

twin' is exemplified. Not only does 

iModel.js provide an accessible digital 

model of a complex project, which can 

be used to further design and analyse 

structures, evaluate model changes 

and plan further infrastructure 

development, but it allows it to be 

achieved in a flexible and 

comprehensive information-rich 

environment. When combined with 

another of Bentley's announcements - 

the Siemens, Bentley and Microsoft 

Partnership alluded to above - it 

provides access to Siemens' data 

acquisition capabilities and Microsoft's 

Office 365 document management and 

financial solutions. In this way Project 

Management solutions can be 

envisaged. 

The value of being able to integrate 

project information in such an 

accessible way was explained by 

Johan Palm, the program manager for 

Digital Project Delivery at Hatch, who 

said, "iModel.js gives Hatch the ability 

to implement a stakeholder 

engagement technology that extends 

the iModelHub visionary technology. 

We can expose complex project 

information to a level that is accessible, 

consumable, and extendable via the 

cloud and in context to the 3D model. 

Most importantly we can do so in a 

manner that embraces change as the 

project progresses." 

Emphasising the importance of the 

technology within Hatch's visions for 

the future, he added "iModel.js aligns 

with Hatch's internal development 

strategies as it is built on modern, 

highly portable web technology. Bentley 

is a key software technology partner on 

Hatch projects globally where our main 

objective is to provide a positive impact 

to our client's assets and operations." 

Keith Bentley, Bentley Systems' 

founder and CTO, spoke about the 

importance of the digital twin 

development and iModel 

enhancements at the Year in 

Infrastructure Conference, saying "We 

firmly believe that iModel.js, and of 

course the foundation upon which it is 

built, is the most open, productive, 

intuitive, and powerful development 

environment for capital projects and 

infrastructure assets, ever. We're 

excited to work with user organisations, 

strategic partners, and third-party 

developers to build an open ecosystem 

around iModels to tap the vast potential 

of infrastructure digital twins. 

"With iModel.js, the well-refined 

techniques of mainstream cloud and 

web development can leverage the 

physical and virtual reality in digital 

twins with near-zero impedance. By 

open-sourcing the libraries we use to 

create our iTwin cloud services, we 

expect to foster a substantial and 

vibrant ecosystem of innovation." 

www.bentley.com 

November/December 2018 15

2018 awards 

Sponsored by: 

@CCMagAndAwards 

Champagne Reception Sponsors: 

The Hammers on winning form! 

November’s Construction Computing Awards, 'The 

Hammers' 2018, at the Portman Hotel in London was a 

lively, bubbling and enjoyable evening - not least because I 

(just about) managed to fit into my dinner jacket again. The 

evening kicked off with a champagne reception sponsored by 

Asite, followed by a couple of thought-provoking talks. The first was 

given by Christine Gausden RD FCIOB, a trustee of the CIOB and 

chair of the UK BIMAlliance BIM4FM Hub, who spoke to us about 

the importance of education, skills and the legacy we leave the 

next generation. 

Christine was followed by Bill Hill from the Lighthouse Club, our 

chosen charity for the evening, who updated us on how the money 

raised last year was spent and the work they are doing to assist 

construction workers and their families affected by mental health. 

Many thanks to everyone who contributed this year for raising 

£1,252.06 on the night for such a worthy cause. 

The Hammers Awards are decided by readership input on 

software products and companies that they feel have made the 

most impact on the market over the last year, alongside current 

projects which, because they are submitted by the companies 

involved, have to be judged by our panel of experts. These were of 

the usual highest standard and demonstrated the health of the 

construction industry in the most trying of times. Of interest, I might 

add, was the fact that a good proportion of them involved the 

education sector of the Industry, reflecting Christine Gausden's 

emphasis on its importance to the industry. 

And, of course, I had the pleasure of announcing the Editor's 

Choice winner, which I awarded this year to Allplan, in large part for 

opening my eyes to the complexity and advanced tools needed to 

address what I had always assumed was a rather mundane and 

basic sector of construction engineering. 

www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk 

16 


2018awards 

Innovation of the Year 

WINNER: Chalkstring Ltd for Chalkstring 

RUNNER-UP: Rendra AS for StreamBIM 

One to Watch Company: 

WINNER: Vectorworks 

RUNNER-UP: Abvent 

Best Use of IT in a Construction Project in 2018 

WINNER: Excitech with BIM 360 for Balfour Beatty for the Manchester Engineering 

Campus Development Project 

RUNNER-UP: Sypro Management Ltd with Contract Manager for Wilmott Dixon and 

the Dept of Education at the Old Admiralty Building 

Best Use of IT in an Infrastructure Project in 2018 

WINNER: Glider Technology Ltd with GliderBIM for the A14 Upgrade 

RUNNER-UP: EasyBuild (Construction Software) Ltd with SPL Powerlines UK for 

Midland Mainline 

BIM Project of 2018 

WINNER: Revizto for UWE Bristol: Welcome to the Digital Age! 

RUNNER-UP: Viewpoint with Viewpoint for Projects for McAvoy Group 

Collaboration Project of 2018 

WINNER: Asite with Adoddle for Cambridge University CDE 

RUNNER-UP: Viewpoint with Viewpoint for Projects for Bowmer & Kirkland Urban 

Sciences Building, Newcastle 

Team of 2018 

WINNER: EasyBuild (Construction Software) Ltd with SPL Powerlines UK for The 

Midland Mainline Delivery Team 

RUNNER-UP: Sypro Management Ltd - Sypro Development Team 

Health and Safety Software of 2018 

WINNER: I3P Consortium with 3D Repo for SafetiBase 

RUNNER-UP: Human Recognition Systems for MSite 

Training Software / Provider of the Year 

WINNER: Viewpoint Professional Services Team 

RUNNER-UP: Jonathan Reeves for Vectorworks Training 

Cloud Technology of 2018 

WINNER: 3D Repo for 3drepo.io Digital Cloud Platform 

RUNNER-UP: Bentley Systems for Structural Cloud Services 


2018 awards 

BIM Product of 2018 

WINNER: Graphisoft for ARCHICAD 22 

RUNNER-UP: Solibri UK Ltd for Solibri Model Checker 

Architectural Design Software of 2018 

WINNER: Autodesk for AEC Collection 

RUNNER-UP: Vectorworks for Vectorworks Architect 

Structural Design Product of 2018 

WINNER: Trimble Solutions (UK) Ltd for Tekla Structural Designer 

RUNNER-UP: Autodesk for Revit 

Collaboration Product of 2018 

WINNER: Viewpoint for Viewpoint for Projects 

RUNNER-UP: Bentley Systems for ProjectWise CONNECT Edition 

Document and Content Management Product of 2018 

WINNER: Newforma for Project Center 

RUNNER-UP: Asite for Adoddle CDE Platform 

Enterprise Resource Planning Software of 2018 

WINNER: EasyBuild (Construction Software) Ltd for EasyBuild 

RUNNER-UP: RedSky IT for Summit ERP 

Estimation and Valuation Software of 2018 

WINNER: CCS for Candy 

RUNNER-UP: Exactal for CostX 

Construction Accounting Product of 2018 

WINNER: Integrity Software for Evolution M 

RUNNER-UP: Eque2 for EVision 

Construction Financials Suite of 2018 

WINNER: RedSky IT for Summit 

RUNNER-UP: Integrity Software for Evolution M 

Project Lifecycle Management Software of 2018 

WINNER: IFS for Applications 9 

RUNNER-UP: Glider Technologies for GliderBIM 

18 


2018 awards 

Project Management/Planning Product of 2018 

WINNER: Elecosoft for Powerproject 

RUNNER-UP: Synchro Software/Bentley for Synchro PRO 

Mobile / Field Technology App of 2018 

WINNER: Graphisoft for BIMx 

RUNNER-UP: Viewpoint for Field View 

Hardware Product of the Year 

WINNER: HP for Z series Workstation 

RUNNER-UP: Microsoft - Surface Book 2 

Channel Partner of 2018 

WINNER: Excitech 

RUNNER-UP: Cadventure Ltd 

Editor's Choice of 2018 

WINNER: ALLPLAN 

Product of the Year 2018 

WINNER: Bentley Systems for ProjectWise CONNECT Edition 

RUNNER-UP: Autodesk for AEC Collection 

Company of the Year 2018 

WINNER: Solibri UK Ltd 

RUNNER-UP: Viewpoint 

Follow us on twitter @CCMagandAwards for more photos, 

reaction and comments on a great night for the IT 

Construction industry, and for updates on our 2019 events. 

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: 

The Hammers 2019 

Date: 14th November 

Nominations will open early July 

To be involved or for sponsorship enquiries for this 

leading industry event please contact: 

josh.boulton@btc.co.uk 

www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk 


INDUSTRY comment 

Spreadsheets in construction: Friend or foe? 

Barry Chapman, Managing Director at Chalkstring, explains why spreadsheets can leave 

construction projects open to risk - and contracting businesses out of pocket 

The construction industry is second 

to last when it comes to 

technology adoption, according to 

the 2016 KMPG Construction 

Technology Report. Ahead of only 

agriculture, we trail behind all other 

industries. It's therefore not surprising 

that 69% of construction businesses 

admit they are either following the 

industry or are behind the curve when it 

comes to technology adoption. 

From experience in providing project 

cost control software to construction 

contractors at Chalkstring, it seems that 

many businesses have made the move 

towards digitisation by replacing 

historically manual cost management 

processes with electronic versions of the 

same process. Despite there being a 

wealth of construction software available, 

contracting has generally seen a migration 

from paper to spreadsheets, with the more 

progressive companies using several 

software packages to deliver projects. 

What's clear though is that very few 

contracting businesses are truly 

harnessing technology to deliver projects 

in a fully integrated and efficient way. 

It begs the question, in this digital world 

where integrated construction software 

exists, why is there an inherent 

dependency on spreadsheets to deliver 

multimillion- and even billion-pound 

projects? And more importantly, what is 

the impact of over-reliance on these 

spreadsheets for project delivery? 

SPREADSHEETS - THE DEFAULT 

CONSTRUCTION TOOL 

Spreadsheets are ever-present in 

construction, with project teams relying 

on numerous worksheets to manage 

critical business and project information. 

From estimating departments creating 

tenders, through to Quantity Surveyors 

(QS) managing onsite costs, variations 

and progress, and even Business 

Owners determining project profit levels, 

spreadsheets are often the 'go to' option. 

Versatile and able to deal with large 

volumes of data, spreadsheets are 

without doubt powerful. However, 

construction projects are often complex, 

and therefore the spreadsheets used to 

deliver those projects must mirror this 

complexity. The fact that the majority of 

spreadsheets are uncontrolled and not 

audited only amplifies the risk. 

Although many businesses seek 

standardised templates, the inner 

workings of spreadsheets are often 

known only to the author, with complex 

formulae, pivot tables and macros used 

to manipulate and connect large 

volumes of data. 

Although spreadsheets may link to 

each other there is little integration with 

other software packages, and 

maintaining real-time data across an 

entire project is nigh on impossible. 

At a practical level, vital information sits 

in silos, on servers and local hard drives, 

making version control difficult - thus 

increasing the risk of the project team 

using outdated information. And 

because spreadsheets are often 

bespoke, sharing data across a project 

team can be difficult often resulting in rekeyed 

data and loss of productivity. 

LIKELY TO CONTAIN ERRORS 

Considering the sheer volume of 

disconnected spreadsheets used across 

a typical project, a certain level of human 

error is inevitable. Indeed, a Forbes 

study found that 88% of all spreadsheets 

contain significant errors, demonstrating 

how vulnerable and exposed to risk the 

industry is with its overdependency on 

spreadsheets. 

By way of example - a Chalkstring 

subcontractor client recently shared a 

real story whereby their project showed 

an unexpected £35k loss. The 

discrepancy was flagged because the 

figures produced by Chalkstring for an 

application for payment did not match 

those of the main contractor. After 

comparing Chalkstring's data against the 

main contractor's spreadsheet, it was 

found that the spreadsheet template 

contained an error, shaving £35k off the 

subcontractor's bottom line. It later 

became apparent that the main 

contractor had been using the same 

template across multiple projects, hence 

other subcontractors were potentially left 

thousands of pounds out of pocket. 

RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB? 

It's not just the risk of errors we should 

be concerned about. Should we be 

relying on such a generic tool to manage 

specific construction workflows and 

processes? Using the analogy of a Swiss 

army knife, Excel is a versatile utility tool, 

but if you needed to cut a log in two, 

you'd probably use a proper saw rather 

than the one of the many tools on the 

penknife. If you were serious, you'd use 

the purpose-built, right tool for the job. 

It's the same with the construction 

industry - why are we determined to use 

software that hasn't been designed 

specifically for construction purposes? 

And what is the impact of this? 

According to the 2016 Construction 

Technology Report, 67% of the industry 

is monitoring live project performance 

using spreadsheets or other manual 

methods. This means that critical 

business information that drives cash 

flow and other financial decisions, is 

being collated using numerous 

unconnected worksheets, rather than 

optimised, real-time software. 

Most contractors use spreadsheets to 

painstakingly create Cost Value 

20 


INDUSTRYcomment 

Reconciliations (CVR) to determine the 

financial status of project progress 

against budget. A customer recently 

described how, before they used 

Chalkstring, their QSs spent at least two 

days every month finding, managing 

and manipulating data from various 

spreadsheets to create monthly CVRs. 

Not only was this highly inefficient but 

information was out of date the next day 

- all it took was for someone to order 

more materials or maybe update site 

progress, and there was no way of 

knowing the health of the project until 

the next CVR had been compiled the 

following month. In this day and age 

don't you expect more control and 

visibility than that? 

THE IMPACT OF SPREADSHEETS 

ON PROJECTS 

Current methods of working - whether 

using only spreadsheets or a hybrid of 

software and spreadsheets combinedcan 

have massive detrimental impacts 

on project delivery resulting in: 

Inefficiency - unnecessary time spent 

creating, collating, re-keying and 

transferring information. 

Lack of control - without real-time 

information having true control of a 

project is difficult, even more so when 

spreadsheets are not audited. 

Complexity - hard to understand, 

personalised spreadsheets make it 

difficult to check and share data in a 

meaningful way. 

Risk - human mistakes arise when rekeying 

data and the potential to 

duplicate errors expose projects to 

further risk. 

Compromised decision making - a 

lack of real-time visibility of project 

performance reduces capacity to make 

informed decisions when needed. 

INTRODUCING THE INTEGRATED 

SOLUTION 

However, there is a solution to the 

spreadsheet conundrum - and it's 

integrated project cost control software 

like Chalkstring. 

Developed specifically for specialist 

contractors, Chalkstring offers a single 

platform through which the whole 

project team can manage the entire 

project, from tender enquiry through to 

final account. It streamlines activities 

that have typically been spreadsheet 

based, like estimating, supplier 

management, value engineering and 

variation orders, and it automates 

manual processes, such as 

procurement, progress and valuations, 

applications for payment and 

subcontract labour payments. 

Chalkstring's integrated approach 

eliminates the need for multiple 

complex spreadsheets, with all project 

data available from within a single 

cloud-based system. This unique 

approach has been proven to increase 

margins, reduce waste and improve 

visibility of project performance. 

Integrated software can provides the 

project team with everything they need 

to run the project efficiently, and 

management with the real-time insight 

into key financial metrics, at any stage 

of construction. 

GET AHEAD OF YOUR 

COMPETITION 

Potentially containing costly errors, 

inefficient at best and effectively 

creating isolated silos of project data, 

many construction contractors have 

now started to question whether 

spreadsheets are really the right tool. In 

terms of technology adoption, we are 

now into the 'early majority' phase of 

adoption where integrated cost control 

solutions are no longer new and have 

been tried and tested by many 

businesses before you. That said, given 

that 69% of construction business are 

behind the curve, those who harness 

technology now will get ahead of their 

competition, giving themselves a true 

competitive advantage. Isn't that worth 

taking a look at? 

www.chalkstring.com 


CASE study 

Back on track 

Installation on Shotts Line 

EasyBuild helps SPL Powerlines UK transition from its ill-fated joint venture with Carillion into an 

independent contractor looking at a brighter future, with complete control over its own finances 

You may remember a company 

called Carillion. Its recent collapse 

caused mayhem throughout the 

construction industry, with projects 

halfway through completion, suppliers 

and contractors not being paid, and 

contracts not likely to be honoured - to 

say the least. It caused a huge scramble 

as companies rushed about trying to 

replace the elements that Carillion 

provided and that were no longer 

available, and to find means of 

transferring all the processes and data 

onto a new regime. 

Not the sort of problem you want to 

face when you are engaged in your own 

battles against budgets, schedules, 

suppliers and resources. When you are 

in that situation you want to find a 

company that can step in and pick up 

seamlessly where Carillion left off, one 

that doesn't force you through the 

hoops of a new learning curve to run 

their software. 

That was the problem that faced SPL 

Powerlines UK, who had formed a Joint 

Venture with Carillion to work on 

electrification contracts for Network Rail - 

the Midland Mainline section of track. 

The sudden collapse of Carillion caused 

more than a few problems for SPL, the 

most significant of which revolved 

around the fact that the financial and 

management systems were all in 

Carillion's name. The company handled 

all of the project management, financial 

control and administration solutions that 

were in use, based around Causeway 

Technologies' application CPA, 

SharePoint and various third party 

accounting and other systems - not, as 

you might have expected, a completely 

integrated solution. The simplest and 

quickest solution for SPL if they wanted 

to continue with the Network Rail 

contracts independently would have cost 

a lot of money for the purchase of new 

licences throughout to replace all of the 

Joint Venture contracts. 

The electrification contracts 

themselves, which were worth more than 

£250m over several years for the UK 

branch of the Austrian based company, 

had to be renegotiated with Network 

Rail, with SPL Powerlines UK acting as 

the new single supplier. Network Rail, via 

their accountants Price Waterhouse 

Cooper, asked SPL to prove that the 

smaller company was indeed capable of 

maintaining the level of achievement that 

they expected from the original Joint 

Venture, retaining the original 

specifications and schedules - a major 

commitment for the UK branch. 

Like all other messy stop-gaps that 

distinguish company failures, SPL 

Powerlines also had to deal with the 

redeployment of Carillion staff who had 

been working on the project - 300 of 

them who had been temporarily retained 

to maintain progress on the project - and 

who they didn't want to lose. 

And, with all software in Carillion's 

name, every software license had to be 

renegotiated with the original supplier, 

even down to individual mobile phone 

contracts. There was a deadline to be 

met as well. From the very first meeting 

between Network Rail and SPL in 

March, the company had a mere four 

months till July to have a new system 

up and running. 

The Managing Director of SPL, Martin 

Hawley, saw the problem as an 

opportunity however, and a chance to 

build for the future, and encouraged by 

Carol Massay of EasyBuild, decided to 

install a totally integrated ERP solution. 

Carol was already familiar with both 

Carillion and SPL and with her years of 

22 


CASEstudy 

Midland Mainline - L2C 

Installation on Midland Mainline night shift 

experience of the sector, and business 

systems knowledge was trusted in her 

recommended approach to tackle this 

time critical situation. 

RADICAL CHANGES REQUIRED 

It wasn't all plane sailing though. It might 

have taken just three weeks from the 

original meeting in March to agree and 

sign EasyBuild's ERP proposals - in 

complete contrast to the protracted 

negotiations that usually accompany 

such endeavours as all eventualities, 

processes and liabilities have to be 

interminably discussed - but the contract 

from Network Rail stipulated increased 

levels of detail from the proposed ERP 

solution that involved some radical 

changes to the software. 

To give a single example, a key feature 

of the proposed solution was 'project 

cost capture', where activity costing had 

to be broken down to individual packets 

of work in specific locations. This was 

sub-activity costing that would signal 

where and when a particular engineer 

was working, the time spent on the job 

and the associated costs and resources 

used, i.e. what was the spend at the 

lowest levels of work? 

Fortunately, EasyBuild's ERP solution is 

based on the latest Oracle technology 

which allowed new code, or changes to 

coding to be carried out at all levels with 

some ease. EasyBuild was able, 

therefore, to work with SPL to establish 

what was required, and to make the 

necessary changes without holding up 

any part of the transition from the original 

system to EasyBuild's Cloud based ERP 

system, provided by Aspire Technology. 

The other benefit of EasyBuild was its 

total integration, with no requirement to 

create links between applications from 

different developers. Besides simplifying 

the sharing of management data and the 

production of consolidated management 

reports, transcription and data sharing 

errors were totally eliminated. 

THE HUMAN IMPACT 

The fallout from Carillion's collapse also 

had a significant human cost. Jobs were 

lost, engineers and subcontractors 

moved from one company to another, 

and confidence at all levels was shaken. 

In SPL there were those who had moved, 

or who were in the process of moving 

from Carillion, and who were 

accustomed to working within the 

security of a much larger company and 

unsure, therefore, of their status and role 

within a smaller organisation. This could 

only be addressed by ensuring their full 

engagement in a forward looking 

development process and by positive 

management attitudes. Guenter 

Kielmayer, CFO of SPL saw this as a 

great opportunity for the business a "no 

brainer," but it came with risk. 

That it succeeded was demonstrated 

by the success of the transition, which 

was accomplished a month earlier than 

planned, in June, providing the 

obligatory months contingency period 

when systems could be tried, tested and 

bedded down. The first application was 

up and running by July, and with most 

elements now integrated according to 

EasyBuild and SPL's rollout schedule 

time spent by EasyBuild and SPL 

powerlines is devoted to further 

refinement of the solution. 

Time lost during the transition period, 

when systems were not available to 

cope with the detailed reports coming 

from the construction sites, amounted to 

no more than the equivalent of one shift 

of work - eight hours! A remarkable 

result when you consider the scale of the 

task involved. 

Yet to be included are HR, stock 

management and the payroll, but of 

course the opportunities the experience 

earned through the close cooperation 

between EasyBuild and SPL can now be 

utilised within SPL's other UK industries, 

including the introduction on-site of 

EasyBuild Mobile for time capture, site 

reporting and other remote key 

business activities. 

And, quite naturally, EasyBuild want to 

build on the remarkable success of their 

first project for Network Rail. 

www.easybuilduk.com 


CASE study 

The right prescription 

StreamBIM enables Helse Bergen Health Authority in Norway to manage an all-inclusive 

construction project 

In the last issue we looked at 

StreamBIM, one of the latest 

technologies attempting to widen 

access to the information in 3D BIMs, 

making it available across all mobile 

platforms as well as laptops and 

workstations. The ultimate benefits were 

the widening of the communication 

channels across building sites, the 

availability of up-to-date information 

sooner, and the ability to make critical, 

on-the-spot decisions to facilitate more 

efficient construction processes. 

StreamBIM is now being used in the 

development of a hospital in Bergen, 

Norway, the home of the software 

application's developers. The health trust 

in question, Helse Bergen, believes that 

the future of hospital construction 

requires digital interaction, such as 

LEAN/VDC, and 4D, regarding them as 

important tools in the construction 

industry, and foresees that adoption by 

some of the biggest main contractors will 

provide much impetus to the 

development of the technology. 

As one of the health trusts in the 

Western Norway Regional Health 

Authority, Helse Bergen has changed 

legal commitments in the contracts, 

enforcing the use of BIM software, 

documentation and processes for all 

companies awarded contracts within the 

health trust. Sykehusbygg, the stateowned 

hospital builder in Norway, has 

reinforced that decision, and is also 

implementing a new national strategy: 

open BIM for all future public-owned 

hospitals, both of them choosing 

StreamBIM as their partnering software. 

"When we started planning the new 

hospital in 2006, we started by using 

paper drawings. Since then, both the 

team's knowledge and BIM software 

technology itself has improved, and we 

have reached a maturity level now where 

we can digitise the entire project," says 

project manager Kristian Brandseth, 

who has worked with the BUS project 

since 2007. 

OPEN BIM REDUCES COSTS 

The idea of a paperless construction site 

is not new, and is the aspiration of many 

companies within the industry. It was 

discussed as a possibility right at the 

start of the BUS project. It found 

particular resonance here, however, 

because similar large projects had a 

history of document related problems 

and an enormous amount of money was 

wasted on the production of paper 

drawings. "Paper drawings need to be 

reprinted each time there's an update 

and distributed from the printing office to 

the on-site office. We needed to update 

these drawings frequently during the 

week and then cater for the fact that 

users on-site didn't have access to the 

latest updates. We did not want a project 

like that," says Brandseth. 

"I would not be surprised if we spent 

more than NOK 10 million for just printing 

and distributing paper drawings. We have 

approximately 200 drawings, which are 

updated every second week. We are 

talking about 25,000 drawings over a fiveyear 

period." 

OPEN BIM COST SAVINGS 

Kristian believes that one of the biggest 

benefits of using open 3D BIM software 

in a fully digitalised construction process 

is to aid every team member in doing 

their work, because everyone has access 

to the same revisions of the 3D model 

and drawings. Time is money, and 

because StreamBIM is able to process 

the models in real-time using streaming 

technology, everyone in the project can 

access the same information as soon as 

it's published. Project users don't need to 

sync models, or to prepare them for use - 

they just have to log in on their device to 

access the federated 3D BIM model and 

the digital drawings. "Just think of the 

24 


CASEstudy 

amount of time that saves!", he remarked. 

He also explained that a lot of time was 

saved on picking up and recording 

defects and building errors. Now, people 

working on-site can easily report 

building errors on the go, take a picture 

and add a comment and share them 

with the team, prompting speedier 

remediation. There was no further need 

to return to the office, log onto your 

workstation and fill in paperwork away 

from the site. That entails the possibility 

of transcription errors, leading to timeconsuming 

and expensive construction 

problems and the possibility of even 

more expensive litigation if the problem 

ends up in a courtroom. 

PLANNING MAINTENANCE DURING 

CONSTRUCTION 

StreamBIM has been designed to be 

accessible to all project members, 

irrespective of their different levels and 

areas of expertise or involvement. As 

Kristian explained, "An open BIM makes it 

easy to involve people with different 

knowledge and responsibilities. By using 

StreamBIM in the planning phase as well 

as throughout the production, we can 

create a digital twin documenting all the 

work which has been carried out, 

allowing traceability on all building 

components. This is amazing compared 

to the previous way we completed a 

handover. In the past we received thick 

paper document folders from the main 

contractors, which we never used 

because the information we needed was 

so difficult to find." StreamBIM provides 

highly visual 3D models of a building 

which can be navigated in real-time, 

whether you are using a laptop or 

smartphone. Clicking on components 

enables you to access all relevant 

information regarding that component - 

from technical support for maintenance 

to replacement acquisition and financials. 

INVOLVING END USERS 

"For large public hospitals, it is vital that 

we involve the end user in the planning 

phase. As end users in a highly 

complex environment, they understand 

much better than the engineers the 

idiosyncrasies and practical usage of 

the building. They can give feedback 

allowing us to avoid any costly 

corrections we would have to make 

after they have moved into the building. 

"We estimate we will save millions of 

Norwegian kroner by involving up to 170 

nurses, cleaning personnel, office 

managers, and even patient groups, in 

the planning of the hospital by giving 

them access to this user-friendly 3D 

BIM model. 

"By accessing this user-friendly 3D BIM 

model available on their smartphones 

and tablets, streamed from the single 

model on the central cloud server, they 

can browse the model when they have 

time to study the new building, and make 

comments on areas that cause them 

concern, or where they think 

improvements or changes need to made. 

"Overall, it has been a smooth and 

productive process. If a user needed to 

report an idea, she or he could just tag 

the room and propose the change. We 

could not have done this with 200 paper 

drawings." 

"Above all," Kristian concluded, "we 

focus on building without errors the first 

time, so before we began construction, 

we had a digital tour of BUS 2 with our VR 

glasses supported by StreamBIM on the 

tablets, so that everyone involved in the 

project could visualise every aspect of 

the building and what the end product 

was going to look like. You can't put a 

value on being able to see what you are 

working towards, and to accomplish that 

using such user-friendly software. I only 

know for sure that no one wants to go 

back to the way we did this before." 

www.streambim.com 


HARDWARE review 

Epson ' T ' Series 

The quick and easy production of 2D drawings is still the bedrock of the building site, writes 

David Chadwick 

Amidst the drive towards the 

digitisation of building models and 

the ability to access detailed 3D 

models of a project on site using laptops, 

notepads and even smartphones, we tend 

to forget that the bulk of building 

information is handed out as 2D drawings 

produced by wide format digital printers. 

Although criticised now as being out of 

date as soon as they are printed when 

compared with the always connected and 

immediately updated 3D model, 2D 

drawings can now be produced on the 

building site and handed out to the 

workforce on a daily basis. And let's face it, 

not everyone on the building site is going 

to be carrying the latest technological 

wizardry. 

It's all a question of working practices and, 

possibly, ingrained tradition, but many 

workers still have utmost confidence in the 

printed document and will find it easier to 

share that information with work colleagues 

than having them cluster around the 

ephemeral images on a mobile phone. 

The demand, therefore, is for high-speed, 

easy to use printers, capable of producing 

full-colour drawings and prints in any size 

up to A1, and small and affordable enough 

to place in the confined spaces of the site 

office. Epson, well established in the quality 

colour printing market, has responded to 

the need by releasing new printers, namely 

the 24-inch SC (SureColor) T3100 and the 

36-inch SC-T5100 which can be installed 

either as desktop of floor-standing printers. 

In fact Epson calls them plotters, not 

printers. Having previously been involved in 

the wide format colour printing market 

since its early days, I hesitate to call them 

plotters - the terminology used on the 

press release - as it brings to mind the 

original pen plotters, which had a movable 

arm that grabbed successive pens from 

the side bar and actually 'drew' the 2D 

building plans. No need to describe digital 

printing with which we are all, now, very 

familiar. 

The ' T ' designation, though, relates to the 

technical uses of the printers, as opposed 

to most of Epson's range which is directed 

at the Graphics market. This means that 

they come with 4 colours instead of 8 - 

perfectly adequate, though, for providing 

realistic and high quality graphics images 

when used for printing rendered images of 

building models besides high resolution 2D 

elevation drawings and plans. 

The T-Series expands Epson's product 

range into the low- to mid-range CAD 

printer market, featuring a clean and 

compact design coupled with Epson's 

reliable printing technology. They are aimed 

at anyone who wants to produce blueprints 

and (another anachronistic name from the 

past) line drawings, signage or posters -- 

architects, engineers, CAD and GIS users - 

as well as being ideal for corporate offices 

and even home and small office users. 

WIFI CONNECTIVITY 

The T-Series offers integrated wireless and 

WiFi connectivity to print directly from 

tablets or smart phones, and can also be 

operated using the 4.3-inch colour LCD 

touchscreen, which provides simple and 

intuitive menu control of the printer. 

The SureColor printers utilise Epson's 

PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead 

technology, which uses Precision Droplet 

Control and Nozzle Verification technology 

to automatically detect and adjust nozzle 

conditions to provide optimum printing 

performance, together with next-generation 

high-capacity UltraChrome XD2 pigment 

inks to deliver durable archival prints with 

brilliant colour and crisp lines on virtually 

any paper type. 

To reduce the frequency of replacing print 

cartridges in a busy office, the printers 

come with high-capacity cartridges, up to 

50ml colour and 80ml black. The printers 

pigmented ink technology provide fade 

free prints in vivid colours and crisp lines. 

As for speed, the new printers can 

produce accurate A1/E-size prints in 31 

26 


HARDWAREreview 

seconds, with high levels of detail - up to 

2,400dpi - and commercial-grade reliability. 

Paper handling is just as impressive. The 

unique auto-switching functionality enables 

the printers to swap between large format 

roll paper - either 24 or 36-inch widths, and 

up to 50 sheets of A4/A3 size paper without 

users having to touch the printer, using the 

autoswitch. This is ideal for small 

companies that have multi-purpose print 

requirements in a limited workspace. 

The printers accommodate rolls up to 24- 

and 36-inches and up to 50 sheets of A4 

and A3 paper through the auto Sheet 

Feeder with autoswitch, as well as cutsheet 

papers up to A1 (24") or A0 (36"). 

"The SureColor T3100 and T5100 are 

designed specifically for innovators - 

engineers, designers and architects - 

looking for a compact plotter that fits neatly 

in their workspace," says Phil McMullin, 

sales manager, Professional Graphics, 

Epson UK. "Building on Epson's latest 

technology to deliver class-leading print 

performance, the new printers will allow 

users to wirelessly produce accurate and 

vibrant prints from tablets and 

smartphones virtually anywhere." 

The SureColor T3100 and T5100 will be 

available from September, with the SC- 

T3100 retailing at £875 and the SC-T5100 

at £1,295. 

EPSON'S PAPER MILL 

You may have missed a remarkable 

development from Epson which was 

introduced a couple of years ago - a 

completely automatic paper mill which can 

turn shredded paper waste into single 

sheets of recycled paper. The PaperLab 

office papermaking system, which made its 

debut in Japan two years ago and which 

was shown in Europe last year produces 

new paper in various sizes, thicknesses 

and types from securely shredded waste 

paper without the use of water. 

The compact unit, which is about the size 

of three or four cabinets, was first shown 

on the Epson exhibition stand at Ecoproducts 

2015. It's taken a couple of years 

to get here and, like me, you may not have 

heard of it before. I felt it was fitting, 

therefore, to include it in this piece. 

Recent research suggests that the 

production of 2D drawings is still of 

importance to construction workers, with 

77% of employees across Europe stating 

that they were vital to making their work 

more effective, and 49% saying that not 

having printing capabilities would 

significantly impact their productivity. The 

general feeling that the medium was 'easy 

to read', 'easy to digest' and 'easy to 

remember'. In fact 61% of respondents 

also said that there was more chance of 

making errors when editing an electronic 

device than editing a printout. 

When asked about the volume of printing 

they achieved, 88% said they print about 

21 items on average a day, equating to 

about 83 pages. So, it is not at all illogical 

for Epson to develop technology to bring 

the paper production cycle into the modern 

age, and infinitely better than the derelict 5 

acre site in Watchet, where I live. and which 

was involved in the waste paper recycling 

industry no more than 5 or 6 years ago. 

The legacy of the plant is toxic, making 

the site unsuitable for housing without 

considerable and extremely expensive 

remediation, and the town has endured the 

'eyesore' for more than one hundred years. 

Hence my delight at witnessing the digital 

revolution of the paper recycling process. 

The Epson PaperLab securely breaks 

your confidential papers down into fibre - 

goodbye paper shredder - and produces a 

new sheet of paper in about three minutes. 

It can produce 14 A4 sheets a minute in 

varying thicknesses, from business cards 

to scented paper and up to A3 in size. 

The PaperLab'a paperless performance is 

a bonus. Epson felt that even a cup of 

water per A4 sheet was excessive in 

today's world of water shortages, and 

developed a completely dry process: Dry 

Fiber Technology (fiberising, Binding and 

Forming) to make the paper. Fiberising 

transforms the fibre into long, thin, cottonlike 

fibres, and binders are added to 

increase the binding strength, add colours 

or scents, etc. Finally, forming controls the 

density, thickness and size of the paper. 

It is a fascinating insight into developing 

technology outside the usual 3D, BIM 

related, mobile technology developments 

that currently dominate the industry, and a 

demonstration that there are other 

considerations that need to be made to 

satisfy our increasing resource demands. 

We'll give you an update when we have 

one of these devices installed in our office! 

www.epson.com 



Allplan Engineering 2019 

The latest version of Allplan for architects and engineers provides improved working processes for all 

sectors of the engineering design community 

Level and Plain Management, Lukáš Šomodi, Arena Infinity 

Attribute Management for Neutral models 

Whenever the latest version of any 

software application is 

announced, the aim of the 

reviewer is to encapsulate the launch as a 

logical development of the software. This 

laudable aim quickly falls to pieces when 

faced with multifaceted design software 

like Allplan 2019, an open solution for 

both architects and engineers in building 

and infrastructure. 

Rather than developing a specific theme 

in the review, such as the enhancement of 

its BIM credentials, you tend to find yourself 

selecting the most juicy morsels from the 

menu of inclusions, enhancements and 

innovations that each new version brings. 

That means jumping about from one 

element to another, subject to the 

preferences of the reviewer, and then 

having to find space at the end to cram in 

all those other new features that really 

shouldn't be left out either. I really can't 

ignore BIM fully here though as, in the 

words of ALLPLAN MD Richard Brotherton, 

"Allplan 2019 provides architects and 

engineers with a BIM tool with which they 

can work together at any stage of the BIM 

process." 

In recognition of the range of roles 

enjoyed by Allplan users, the company has 

enhanced the Actionbar in Allplan 2019, 

which provides access to role-specific 

functions for architecture, civil engineering, 

terrain, construction and bridges. In the 

new version, standard settings can be 

individually adjusted and functions can be 

added, deleted or restructured. This makes 

the configuration much more flexible. 

COMPLEX STAIR DESIGN 

My attention was drawn immediately to two 

separate enhancements, both in areas that 

fascinate me - complex stair design and 

bridge design. The former because it 

appears to figure in every release with new 

functions to simplify the process, and the 

latter because of singular problems that 

require unique solutions. 

In Allplan Architecture 2019, stairs can be 

modelled quickly and precisely and 

staircase elements such as steps, 

substructure or stringers can be defined 

with the aid of a separate pallete, together 

with their properties. The geometry of the 

stairs, the Axis or rotation, sections, number 

of steps and distances can all be easily 

modified using handles. 

It gets much more interesting than that 

though, as ALLPLAN has enhanced the 

use of the Allplan Python interface, which 

allows users to configure the BIM elements 

of the process to suit their own working 

requirements. Recurring work steps can 

now be automated using the interface to 

script your own PythonParts with additional 

handles or to conform to local safety, step 

length and comfort standards for 

thresholds, etc. And as stair design is 

apparently a significant and work intensive 

feature of building design, scripted 

PythonParts can be saved in a library or 

provided as a service for third parties. 

BRIDGE TENDON DESIGN 

Concrete bridge decks are composed of 

concrete and steel tendons for 

reinforcement, using pre-tensioned 

concrete, rather than pre-stressed concrete 

where the tendons are tensioned prior to 

the concrete being cast. The concrete 

bonds to the tendons as it cures, following 

which the end-anchoring of the tendons is 

released, and the tendon tension forces are 

transferred to the concrete as compression 

by static friction. Allplan 2019 provides the 

tendons with a parametric capability, 

automatically recalculating their properties 

when the bridge deck length is altered. 

INTUITIVE LEVELS AND PLANES 

An important feature of Allplan Engineering 

2019 is the development of level and plane 

management, which includes the 

introduction of a new Layer Manager 

Palette, which simplifies the creation and 

modification of floors and levels. Floors can 

be selected and names, elevations and 

heights easily adjusted, aided by a preview 

function which allows direct feedback on 

the planned changes. 

Another new palette, the property palette, 

allows users to optimise the range of 

28 



PythonParts allows the automation of element design 

The enhanced Stair Modeller 

properties and objects, with settings for 

format, visualisation and attributes for 

components such as walls, ceilings, 

foundations, roofs and rooms. 

The Object palette allows users to sort 

objects by their properties. In addition, 

objects for which properties are missing, 

outdated or incorrectly assigned are easier 

to identify and correct, which contributes to 

the increased quality of the building model. 

It's also now possible to move objects via 

Drag & Drop, e.g. from one floor to another. 

Building components such as walls, slabs 

or columns can now be linked to any 

polygonised or freeform surface. Extensive 

direct object modification capabilities 

ensure efficient workflows under real-world 

conditions. To further reduce your workload, 

changes to levels can be automatically 

reflected in the project structure. 

NEW GRIDS 

A new grid with additional functionality is 

introduced with Allplan Engineering 2019. 

The user interface is based on palettes so 

that all properties can be defined and 

adjusted intuitively. Changes become 

immediately visible in the model. The 'Axis 

Grid' tool now provides a completely new 

way of creating axis grids, which can be 

used in both 2D and in 3D, and you can 

define the layer of the axis grid, angles for 

the axes, a rotation angle for the axis grid 

and planes in the Z-direction. All of which 

can be further modified using the palette 

and point handles. 

STRUCTURAL DESIGN 

In Allplan Engineering 2019, users can 

access the internationally valid Nemetschek 

catalogs for steel profiles via Allplan 

Bimplus with just a few clicks to simplify 

workflows when handling steel elements. 

The steel profiles, including geometry and 

attributes, are available within Allplan 

libraries, but as these catalogs are also 

used in other Nemetschek software 

solutions such as Frilo Statik or Scia 

Engineer, a smooth data transfer between 

these products is possible. 

ALLPLAN TEAMWORK 

Allplan's reinforcement detailing was the 

winner of the Editor's Choice award at the 

2018 Construction Computing Awards in 

November. Allplan 2019 takes the level of 

complexity of the software further still, 

with new views and sections for 

reinforcement detailing. 

Additionally, enhanced accessibility 

means that write-access to the building 

model is no longer required when detailing 

reinforcement, with role-based access 

rights allowing better collaboration between 

architects and engineers on the same 

project - detailers can crack on with the job 

without having to take control of the 

building model. 

To be more precise however architects 

have write access for all components, 

engineers have write access for the 

reinforcement elements but only read 

access for the components. This makes it 

possible to work on a common building 

model on an interdisciplinary basis. 

Staying on reinforcement, Allplan 2019 

users have a large selection of 

reinforcement sleeves, but in order to 

ensure precise dimensions in 

reinforcement planning, manufacturerspecific 

special features must be taken into 

account for reinforcement joints. Fortec 

sockets and HALFEN HBS-05 screw 

connections were therefore added in 

Allplan Engineering 2019. In the event that 

the joint system to be used has not yet 

been defined, manufacturer-neutral joints 

have also been integrated. 

NEW FEATURES OF IFC4 

The IFC capabilities of Allplan have also 

been updated to improve the export of basic 

geometry information (BaseQuantities) in 

BIM projects. In addition, the user interface 

has been simplified and new options 

integrated, including the ability to split multilayered 

walls and roofs into individual 

elements. Enhanced IFC4 import now 

supports both IFC4 and IFC 2x3 formats, 

with most IFC objects imported as 

corresponding Allplan elements; all the other 

elements will be imported as user-defined 

architectural elements. Data can also be 

imported to an existing or empty building 

structure, and you can assign IFC attributes 

to Allplan attributes. Until now, such 

mapping has only been possible for export. 

In addition, the import log provides more 

information and non-transferred elements 

are sorted by IFC object type and listed with 

IFC ID. Using the new interface, you can 

import IFC data created with almost any 

system, including reinforcing bars and 

meshes, which will be imported as genuine 

Allplan reinforcement with placements. 

Using IFC4 export you can export 

BaseQuantities, reinforcement will be 

exported in a manner consistent with IFC, 

and you can choose to split multilayer 

components for export. In addition, you can 

exclude specific components from being 

split. Other enhancements include the 

handling of visibility settings of layers and 

smart symbol foils, and the inclusion of 

Section name attributes in the exported files. 

Axis grids and polar axis grids can also be 

be exported. 

Allplan 2019 delivers a comprehensive 

range of enhancements and new features 

that will further the technical capabilities and 

usability of Allplan's comprehensive 

engineering design suite. 

www.allplan.co.uk 


CASEstudy 

ProjectWise Insights 

AECOM's Digital Project 

Delivery Team are specialist 

Industry Advisors, helping 

ProjectWise users to get the 

best value from the software 

Ispoke to Mike Clarke and Gareth 

McClimmonds of AECOM at Bentley's 

Year in Infrastructure conference in 

London this November, for which AECOM 

had submitted the winning project in the 

Project Delivery category. The scope of 

their project, ProjectWise Insights, is 

aimed at developing solutions to 

maximise the benefits of ProjectWise and 

its impact on the successful completion of 

projects within the construction industry. 

Going digital is undoubtedly delivering 

massive benefits to the construction 

industry. However, it is also obvious that 

the industry is going to more than match 

its forecast expansion by the amount of 

information that will be flying around in 

data-rich project environments. The key 

concerns then will be how to visualise that 

data and to use it more effectively. 

The emphasis in construction is 

changing as well. With building 

technology now at an advanced stage, 

we are becoming more concerned with 

automating processes, building 

performance, carbon reduction and green 

technology, and of course costs and 

lifecycle maintenance. We need therefore 

to find new ways of using that data and to 

bring new insights to develop new 

processes and efficiencies. 

Accordingly, Bentley Systems set up a 

ProjectWise Insights Development team 

to leverage ProjectWise information, and 

to take advantage of new perspectives on 

project performance. 

The team worked with AECOM, a major 

client of Bentley Systems, who already 

had a mature information management 

system with intelligent workflows and a 

ProjectWise Connected Data 

Environment. AECOM project teams were 

already able to 'leverage' ProjectWise 

templates using their award-winning 

ProjectHub system. Their use of 

templates provide a repeatable, 

consistent and process driven approach 

that can be configured to meet the needs 

of its clients. By using the ProjectWise 

CDE all project stakeholders can 

manage infrastructure projects of all 

shapes and sizes. 

PROJECTWISE INSIGHTS 

Until quite recently, Project Managers 

tracked digital performance for tens of 

thousands of components by developing 

visualisations of project data, which had 

to be manually contrived each week. A 

laborious task that, at the end of it, was 

only able to produce a coarse snapshot 

of a project at a given time - providing no 

more than an overview of a project's 

status and certainly not capable of 

providing any insight into its progress. 

Patently unsuitable, a better solution was 

required, and one that was capable of 

unleashing the data-rich information in 

Bentley's ProjectWise Connected Data 

Environment - hence the introduction of 

Microsoft's Power BI analysis and 

visualisation engine. 

With this in place, AECOMs Digital 

Project Delivery Team and Bentley 

Systems ProjectWise Insight Development 

team began working together in autumn 

2017 to deliver a new way of imagining 

and delivering construction information. To 

provide a more usable user interface, 

AECOM worked with the Bentley team to 

create a graphical dashboard, bringing 

together all of the metadata available in a 

typical ProjectWise project. As Specialist 

Industry Advisors they used their technical 

30 


CASEstudy 

expertise to propose and develop ideas 

on how project performance could be 

visualised within a Microsoft Power Bi 

environment, with the Bentley team taking 

the vision further by connecting the 'datarich' 

ProjectWise world to the Microsoft 

power BI interface and developing it as a 

new CONNECT Cloud Service. 

According to Mike Clarke, AECOM's 

Technical Director within the Digital Project 

Delivery team, the process is set to be a 

game changer that will transform the 

performance of some of the largest 

infrastructure projects in the world - 10 of 

which are already immersed in the 

technology, with ProjectWise Insights 

delivering an enhanced immediacy to the 

analysis of project performance. It 

provides live information trends directly 

from the ProjectWise CDE, providing new 

analysis and insights, facilitating wider 

stakeholder engagement and thinking, 

and encouraging leaner digital behaviour. 

Mike Clarke and Gareth McClimonds 

presented AECOM's development of 

ProjectWise Insights at the recent Bentley 

Systems Year in Infrastructure conference 

in London as one of the finalists - their 

expertise confirmed subsequently at the 

awards dinner as winners of the Project 

Delivery category. 

Project Managers are now able to 

conduct more informed discussions with 

delivery teams and take quicker action to 

reduce risks and improve collaboration. 

AECOM'S PROJECTHUB 

At the core of AECOMs industry leading 

approach is its ProjectHub, which 

automates the creation of new projects 

within ProjectWise in no more than 15 

minutes. It uses ProjectWise templates set 

up with metadata environments to meet a 

range of client's requirements that conform 

to industry standards. Every document is 

recorded with a unique document identifier 

consisting of metadata fields and an 

intelligent approvals workflow that 

automatically assigns approver initials, 

manages version control and sets 

appropriate document metadata. 

Automating the process helps to ensure 

that consistent design processes are 

adhered to, collaboration enhanced and 

compliant delivery of projects assured. 

As Mike Clarke explained, ProjectWise is 

integrated within the core of the company's 

delivery of infrastructure projects, and 

some of these projects are created and 

managed within ProjectWise, using 

associated technologies MicroStation, 

AECOsim Building Designer, OpenRail, 

OpenRoads, Civil 3D and Revit - and, of 

course, non-graphical applications like 

Microsoft Office and Excel. 

The entire project is held within a 

connected data environment that facilitates 

a compliant, process-driven approach to 

project delivery, enabling it to handle the 

vast amount of document metadata 

generated. This means it can be used 

within Microsoft's Power Bi visualisations 

and the new and exciting ways of handling 

data that it provides. 

IMAGINE IT, DELIVERED 

Not only does ProjectWise Insights provide 

instant access to project information, 

meaning that you no longer have to wait for 

Excel spreadsheets and other forms to be 

manually assembled, but it also allows 

users to spot trends and risks much 

quicker. In addition, the speed and ease 

with which the templates can be set up 

enables users to explore alternative options 

much more readily and to evaluate 

comparable possibilities. The result is that 

new thoughts around efficiencies can be 

tested and new, leaner, methods of 

construction established, individual and 

team performances evaluated, and a more 

transparent and open approach to the 

management of a project developed. 

But, explained Mike Clarke, although 

ProjectWise demonstrates the combined 

collaborative efforts of two teams striving to 

improve the way we design, build, operate 

and finance the world's infrastructure, this is 

merely the start of an innovative process of 

viewing and analysing construction, and 

can only get better. As a consequence, his 

team are leading the way further, 

encouraging wider industry engagement 

and an enhanced future for all involved in 

improving the world's infrastructure. 

www.aecom.com 


YOUR GUIDE TO 

4 

5 

6/10 

9 

7 

8 

1 

2 

12 

14 

15 

17 11/13 

35 

41 

40 

16 

18 

20 

33 

32 

29 

23/42 

21 

25 26 

24/27 

19/30 

22 28 

3 

31 

42 

*location guide 

not 100% accurate 

SCOTLAND 

GLASGOW 6 

CADASSIST 

Contact: 

Gordon McGlathery 

Tel: 0141 354 8993 

Fax: 0141 353 9315 

training@cadassist.co.uk 

www.cadassist.co.uk 

ACDEGHIJKLMNOPQTX 

FIFE 7 

GlenCo Development 

Solutions 

Contact: Jack Meldrum 

Tel: 01592 223300 

Fax: 01592 223301 

jackm@glenco.org 

www.glenco.org 

A C M K 

ABERDEENSHIRE 8 

Symetri 

Contact: Craig Snell 

Tel: 01467 629900 

training@symetri.co.uk 

www.symetri.co.uk 

A B D H I J K M N O P S X 

ABERDEEN 1 

TMS CADcentre 

Contact: Craig Hamilton 

Tel: 01224 224421 

info@thom-micro.com 

www.tmscadcentre.com 

A C E L H O 

LARBERT 9 

TMS CADcentre 

Contact: Craig Hamilton 

Tel: 01324-550760 

info@thom-micro.com 

www.tmscadcentre.com 

A C E L H O 

GLASGOW 10 

Excitech Ltd 

Contact: Alan Skipp 

Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 

info@excitech.co.uk 

www.excitech.co.uk/cut2015 

A B C D E H K L M N Q S X 

IRELAND 

DUBLIN 4 

Paradigm Technology Ltd 

Contact: Des McGrane 

Tel: +353-1-2960155 

Fax: +353-1-2960080 

dmcgrane@paradigm.ie 

www.paradigm.ie 

A C M G K L 

SOUTHWEST 

BRISTOL 2 

Excitech Ltd 


Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 




NEWBURY 3 

RWTC Ltd 

Contact: Richard Willis 

Tel: 01488 689005 

Fax: 01635 32718 

richard@rwtc.co.uk 

www.rwtc.co.uk 

A M 

Bristol 12 

Micro Concepts Ltd 

Contact: Peter Hurst 

Tel: +44 (0) 8432 898162 

training@microconcepts.co.uk 

www.microconcepts.co.uk 

A B D I J K M N O P S T X 

N.I 

BELFAST 5 

Pentagon Solutions Ltd 

Contact: Tony Dalton – Training 

Services Manager 

Tel: +44 (0) 2890 455 355 

Fax: +44 (0) 2890 456 355 

tony@pentagonsolutions.com 

www.pentagonsolutions.com 

A C D E G K L 

TRAINING COURSES OFFERED KEY: 

AUTOCAD AND LT : 

AUTOCAD P&ID TRAINING: 

AEC/BUILDING SOLUTIONS : 

3D MODELLING & ANIMATION: 

AUTOCAD ARCHITECTURE: 

FM DESKTOP: 

GIS/MAPPING : 

REVIT: 

VAULT FUNDAMENTALS 

AUTODESK VAULT FOR INVENTOR USERS 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

VISUALISATION : 

AUTODESK CIVIL : 

INVENTOR SERIES/MECHANICAL : 

NAVISWORKS TRAINING : 

PRODUCT UPDATE COURSES 

INVENTOR PUBLISHER : 

GOOGLE SKETCHUP 

CHARACTER ANIMATION : 

AUTODESK SIMULATION : 

FACTORY DESIGN SUITE : 

AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL : 

K 

L 

M 

N 

O 

P 

Q 

R 

S 

T 

X 

For further information about authorised CAD training or to advertise on these pages please contact: 

Josh Boulton on 01689 616 000 or email: josh.boulton@btc.co.uk

SOUTH/EAST 

GUILDFORD 22 

Blue Graphics Ltd 

Contact: Matt Allen 

Tel: 01483 467 200 

Fax: 01483 467 201 

matta@bluegfx.com 

www.bluegfx.com 

A D R K 

HERTFORDSHIRE 23 

Computer Aided 

Business Systems Ltd 

Contact: Gillian Haynes 

Tel: 01707 258 338 

Fax: 01707 258 339 

training@cabs-cad.com 

A C D E K H 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 42 

Causeway 

Technologies Ltd 

Contact: Sue Farnfield 

Tel: +44 (0)1628 552134 

Sue.Farnfield 

@causeway.com 

www.causeway.com 

A C D E K 

LONDON 24 

CADASSIST 

Contact: 


Tel: +44 (0)208 622 3027 

Fax: +44 (0)208 622 3200 




BERKSHIRE 26 

Cadpoint 

Contact: Clare Keston 

Tel: 01344 751300 

Fax: 01344 779700 

sales@cadpoint.co.uk 

www.cadpoint.co.uk 

A C D E K 

CENTRAL LONDON 27 

Excitech Ltd 


Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 




SOUTHHAMPTON 42 

TRAINING 

NORTH LONDON 28 

Excitech Ltd 


Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 




OXFORDSHIRE 25 

Man and Machine 

Contact: Robert Kenny 

Tel: 01844 263700 

Fax: 01844 216761 

training@manandmachine.co.uk 

www.manandmachine.co.uk 

A D I J M N O P Q X 

BERKSHIRE 30 

Mass Systems Ltd 

Contact: Luke Bolt 

Tel: 01344 304 000 

Fax: 01344 304 010 

info@mass-plc.com 

www.mass-plc.com 

A E F 

HAMPSHIRE 31 

Universal CAD Ltd 

Contact: Nick Lambden 

Tel: [44] 01256 352700 

Fax: [44] 01256 352927 

sales@universalcad.co.uk 

www.universalcad.co.uk 

A C M E K H 

MILTON KEYNES 21 

Graitec - Milton Keynes 

Contact: David Huke 

Tel: 01908 410026 

david.huke@graitec.co.uk 

www.graitec.co.uk 

A B C D E G H I J K L M N O P Q S T X 

High Wycombe 19 


Contact: Kerrie Braybrook 

Tel: +44 (0) 8432 898162 




Cambridge 29 

THE NORTH 

MIDLANDS 

MANCHESTER 11 

CADASSIST 

Contact: 


Tel: 0161 440 8122 

Fax: 0161 439 9635 




MANCHESTER 13 

Excitech Ltd 


Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 




NORTH EAST 14 

Symetri 


Tel: 0191 213 5555 




YORKSHIRE 15 

Graitec - Bradford 

Contact: Isobel Gillon 

Tel: 01274 532919 

training@graitec.co.uk 



NOTTINGHAM 33 

MicroCAD - Nottingham 


Tel: 0115 969 1114 




NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 32 

AIT Spatial Ltd 

Contact: Philip Madeley 

Tel: 01933 303034 

Fax: 01933 303001 

training@aitspatial.co.uk 

www.aitspatial.co.uk 

A C D E F G K L 

BIRMINGHAM 35 

NORTH EAST 16 

Graitec - Durham 


Tel: 0191 374 2020 




LANCASHIRE 17 

QUADRA SOLUTIONS 

Contact: Simon Dobson 

Tel: 01254 301 888 

Fax: 01254 301 323 

training@quadrasol.co.uk 

www.quadrasol.co.uk 

A C M K 

YORKSHIRE 18 

Symetri 


Tel: 01924 266262 




SOUTH YORKSHIRE 20 

THE JUICE GROUP LTD 

Contact: Sarah Thorpe 

Tel: 0800 018 1501 

Fax: 0114 275 5888 

training@thejuice.co.uk 

www.thejuicetraining.com 

A C D E K R 

CHESHIRE 41 

Excelat CAD Ltd 

Contact: Vaughn Markey 

Tel: 0161 926 3609 

Fax: 0870 051 1537 

Vaughn.markey@ExcelatCAD.com 

www.ExcelatCAD.com 

B N 

Excitech Ltd 


Tel: 01992 807500 

Fax: 01992 807574 




Riverside House, Brunel Road 

Southampton, Hants. SO40 3WX 


Tel: 02380 868 947 





Contact: Emily Howe 

Tel: +44 (0) 1223 716200 




Armada Autodesk 

Training Centre 

Contact: Steven Smith 

Tel: 01527 834783 

Fax: 01527 834785 

training@armadaonline.co.uk 

www.armadaonline.co.uk 

A D E M K H

The future of 

the built 

environment 

Introducing 

Futurebuild 2019 

Futurebuild is the evolution of ecobuild 

and fulfilment of the bold vision for the 

future that we first announced following 

the acquisition of the event at the end of 

2016. 

Futurebuild 2019 brings together opinionshapers, 

decision-makers and product 

innovators under a common purpose 

to explore the latest technologies and 

approaches, and debate the biggest 

issues facing the built environment – now 

and in the future – both in the UK and 

overseas. 

Whether you’re an architect, designer, 

consultant, housebuilder, energy or 

sustainable manager, Futurebuild 2019 

will provide you with insight, innovation 

and inspiration in a packed three day 

programme including an exhibition of 

future-focused brands, a conference, 

seminars, workshops, showcases and 

much more! 

Register for 

free today 

www.futurebuild.co.uk/register 

@FuturebuildNow 

/FuturebuildNow 



FuturebuildNow 

Strategic Partners

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BIM Product of the Year 

ARCHICAD 22 delivers design tool 

improvements and also introduces 

enhanced design workflow processes. 

These represent significant performance 

improvements as well as productivity 

enhancements to its core design processes 

as well as to multidisciplinary collaborative 

workflows. 

For further information on ARCHICAD 22 

contact GRAPHISOFT at graphisoft.com or call 

01895 527590. 

University Library Freiburg, Germany, DEGELO ARCHITEKTEN, www.degelo.net, Photo © Barbara Bühler

CU1811

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