CC Jul-Aug 2021

CASEstudy
Viewing and measuring an element in a Revit file
Autodesk Docs approval workflow
conform are parked in a separate holding
folder for renaming and assigning manually.
VIEW FORMATS
As you would expect from a company that
has been involved in the CAD industry for
some time, the list of viewable formats is
comprehensive and ranges from JPEGs,
TIFFs, PNGs and DWGs and IFCs. Any
information in any of these files can be
viewed in both 2D or 3D formats. RVT files,
for example, can be viewed in 2D plan
format or as a 3D model. IFCs and one or
two other files are only viewable in a single
native format. The CDE also includes
common video formats including MP4, and
standard Office 365 documents: Docs, XLS
and PDFs.
PROCESSES AND WORKFLOWS
Autodesk Docs gives all users the ability to
navigate and share all pages and views of
documents, markups and comparison
tools - providing they have been invited
onto the team as an individual, company or
role-based member via Folder Permissions.
It's a straightforward process which allows
architects and engineers, as Initiators, to
define who will have access to the various
documents they are about to upload so
that they can be reviewed and approved.
Reviews are conducted by Auditors who
check the documents and add comments
and markups. Annotated documents used
to be sent by email to team members who
needed to respond and take action on the
markups, but this is a disruptive process
that wastes time and is open to
misinterpretation. The first reviewer is
invited on board by email, but the review
process itself is contained with the
document, as Autodesk Docs displays a
list of team members alongside the
document and allows tasks to be
assigned to them, invites them to
comment, and directly associates them
with the document.
This provides a complete audit of all
actions and responses for each review, and
which is available to the Approver, who
checks everything and selects the
appropriate approval status. Approval
processes can be configured to suit the
complexity of a document, allowing reviews
to be conducted in just one step, or
ensuring that numerous reviewers have to
check a document before it is approved.
Once a review is completed it is attached to
the CDE as a PDF.
REVIEWING REVIT FILES
You can open Office 365 files directly within
Autodesk Docs, but you can also open up
Revit models including element properties.
Once opened you can inspect a Revit
model in detail, either by slicing it in any
direction, or by using the visibility settings to
hide elements such as ceilings to see
what's underneath. You can also apply
measurement tools to define the height or
width of an object.
You also have access to the 2D version of
the Revit model, and can switch between
the element you have isolated within the
model directly to the same point in the
floorplan, and vice versa. The process uses
a handy icon that allows you to navigate
around the floorplan, but also indicates
which direction you would like to be looking
in when you switch back to the 3D model.
Displaying both views side-by-side and
opening up a dialogue with review
members allows detailed examinations of
each issue to be made. For greater
elucidation other evidence, such as photos
and associated documents, can be added
to the review.
Updated and approved documents are
stored with the latest revision numbers.
Both the 3D Revit model and 2D floorplans
can be used to display what has been
changed between one revision level and
the next. This is accomplished quickly and
easily by Version Compare. After indicating
which file versions need to be checked, the
results are displayed and colour-coded in
the model itself or in the floorplans. Green,
for instance, indicates the changes to the
red original. Yellow coding in the model
shows which elements have been affected
by the changes, and each of these can be
clicked on to provide further information on
associated activity.
A SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH
Autodesk Docs eliminates duplication,
misinterpretation, errors, time-wasting and
breakdowns in communication. It allows
regulated workflows and processes to be
defined and ensures that project members
are provided with the documents and
information only they need, and only when
they need it.
It is also the single source of truth on a
project - the Common Data Environment
that keeps a complete record of
documents and information about the
project and a record of the activity of
project members with regard to that
information - available for inspection for any
subsequent purpose, from asset
management to litigation.
www.autodesk.com
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