Energi Informatik

It is about one and a half year ago since I first got introduced to M-SIX’s VEO^TM_©. At that point it was quite a mysterious piece of software, that based on the first glimpse, could seem to revolutionize the AEC (Architectural, Engineering and Construction) industry on the same level as Graphisoft did with their BIM-platform ArchiCAD_© and Autodesk with Revit_©. It would be truly awesome if I could deny or confirm this in my review, but the demo that I could get my hands on, together with the written material, is not enough to justify that statement seeing that it would require continuous work with the program.

So, in the following I’ll explain to you what kind of program VEO^TM_© is, what core features it has and what potential great use I see.

The intention

M-SIX’s VEO^TM_© is a cross-collaborative BIM-platform designed for the AEC industry. By cross-collaborative is meant, that the programs’ purpose is to join or link together the different disciplines and their very different focus areas on a project during the design and construction phases. Furthermore, this program takes into account that we, at some point, have to hand over the physical building and the virtual building model (if desired) to the owner for him to facilitate. This is also thought into the processes of working with this program.

Interoperability

VEO^TM_© is created to be used together with Revit and M-SIX has developed an API to be installed so that you can export directly from Revit_© to VEO^TM_©, which means: no use of IFC or other open formats. That eliminates possible risk of lost data during export/import via these formats. During the export you will have the opportunity to setup the VEO^TM_© project such as the Model Stream Structure. It is possible to export both single- and linked Revit_© files all at once, or separate divided up in Model Streams.

API’s for other BIM-platforms such as ArchiCAD_© and Vectorworks_© will also be available in the near future.

VEO^TM_© uses tags to organize many of the parameters to corresponding values in VEO^TM_©. These Tags gets organized according to the Revit_© files Family Category’s and Type names, Material parameters, Level parameters and Object Categories. This require that you, as a Revit_© user, know how to structure and organize your parameters, which again is needed to succeed in controlling a decent sized BIM-project.

Of course you also have the possibility to share your VEO^TM_© project just like Revit’s_© central file-system, so you can work together across disciplines. Issues regarding scalability are unfortunately unknown to me.

The Use

VEO^TM_© deals with four core aspects of the AEC industry on a cross-collaborative level: Visualization, Time Scheduling, Quality Control and Data Gathering plus Documentation.

Visualization – VEO^TM_© LUX:

Video – The program’s rendering machine. Here you have the possibility to create real-world renderings in real-time. This means that you can set the render settings for a preview in the active BIM-model, and then render it. But the rendered view of the model remains active so you can press and interact with the model components like in the live views. This technology is called Intellipixel_© and seems very useful to me during design work.

Materials that get imported from your Revit_© BIM-model is in VEO^TM_© called Styles that can be organized and gathered in Style Sets.

The quality of the renderings is in the demo very grainy, but it has nice illumination settings and seems to have the potential to create good renderings. Though the time consuming and technical parts cannot be tested in the demo due to its restrictions, so how much time it takes to make a smooth and real-life looking rendering, is unknown.

Time Scheduling – VEO^TM_© Time:

Video – This holds a Visual Sequence feature that gives you the possibility to create sequenced model displays, showing how the building and it’s constructions are put together. Sequencing can be used actively in the cross-collaborative workflow during the whole project duration. Either in teams, including different disciplines such as Architects and Engineers, or as separate units creating their own sequences and link the results together in the end to evaluate issues such as constructability.

Creating sequences involves associating object in the VEO^TM_© BIM-model with a desired time based sequence placed in the preferred order. In relation to this VEO^TM_© also have bi-directional links to MS Project_© and Oracle Primavera P6_© which are well known time scheduling programs.

Another cool little feature is the Slab Slicer which at the moment is a work in progress. Basically what it does, is allowing you to “slice” bigger objects into smaller and more real-life sized objects. Image having a roof or floor construction drawn up in Revit_©, but you want to sequence individual parts of these objects such as roofing and flooring. Then this little feature can do that for you, and you as a designer, then have the opportunity to use bigger and more overall-descriptive objects during your Revit_© designs without losing the possibility to overcome issues with constructability and such. All this is done without destroying the original objects.

Quality Control – VEO^TM_© Logic:

Video – This feature is very much like Solibri Model Checker_©. It has the ability to coordinate clashes between objects, both in relation to geometry and proximity. The clash detection is formed around Rules organized in Rule Sets. It is very simple to setup different rules, you simply just describe the rule and then apply the Tags of the different objects you want clash detected. It is as simple as that, the only barrier is your own organization and structuring of the Revit_© parameters and VEO^TM_© Tags.

When the clash detection has been run, it is vital that the discovered information is passed on to the respective disciplines for correction. This is done by grouping the results and then assigning each of the detected issues to the respective group.

Data Gathering plus Documentation – VEO^TM_© Archive:

Video – This is where the program gets really interesting, because this is one of the features, I think, we lack in the AEC industry at the moment. Also because it’s a feature that is not well documented and developed enough in other BIM-platforms.

The Archives feature is basically a relational database integrated into the program. This database contains all documents such as PDF, Excel and alike, relevant to the project. These documents can then be linked to different objects in the project such as doors, windows, technical installations for Operation and Maintenance purposes. You also have the possibility to associate one specific document to a specific Tag in the project. Remember that VEO^TM_© categorizes your objects in Tags. This means that: if you associate one document to a Tag, all doors with that specific tag become associated with the Operation and Maintenance document.

The reason why I find this specific feature very interesting is because: during the construction phases of a project, we have to gather, categorize and store tons of information from the contractors and their suppliers. This process, in relation to the modern BIM-oriented workflows, has been raising a lot of new problems and actual barriers for a successful cross-collaborative implementation of BIM in the AEC industry, in my opinion. We can always go into a more technical and cultural discussion about this, but that’s for another blog post.

What VEO^TM_© contributes with, in this relation, is that it gives the project managers an opportunity to categorize and store the Operation and Maintenance information directly in the model, associated with the object that it relates to. This is insanely smart when we think about the handover process and the upcoming BIM-oriented Facility Management period, which usually have a span of 100 years. Because, if the Facility Manager decides to use programs like ArchiFM or ArchiBUS, they would want to link the Operation and Maintenance information to the respective objects in the Facility Management program, so why not do this during the construction period so it’s ready for handover?

Potential and personal opinion

I have covered some of this in the above text, but I want to add that my personal opinion on this program is overall positive. It is, if not the program, then at least a step on the way to what the AEC industry needs in relation to the modern cross-collaborative BIM-workflow. There is especially a great potential in the Archives feature, which I think a lot of project managers and contractors could have a great use of in terms of control, data gathering, quality assurance and optimization.

One thing that I don’t quite like about this new program is the user controls: why not keep the same control settings as used in ex. Revit_©, seeing that the users of VEO^TM_© would be mainly Revit_© users, until other API’s gets developed. I got frustrated when trying to navigate in the program.

So what you’re getting, if you buy it, is basically a cross-collaborative BIM-platform that includes the capabilities of a viewer, a model checker, a scheduling program and an Operation and Maintenance database. If it is as good as the other stand-alone solution cannot be determined here, only user experience and time can tell.

Usefull links

M-SIX – LinkedIn can be found here!
M-SIX – Introduction and demo page can be found here! 

Written by: Nis Boile Christensen

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This post will be the first of three posts regarding what actions to take prior to implementing BIM and how to subsequently manage these new implemented work processes.

What actions prior to implementing BIM in a firm, is important to achieve success. That was the question answered by Abelardo M. Tolentino from the architectural firm Aidea on the Philippines, when he held his presentation this Monday the 22^nd of October 2012 at the conferences “World’s Best BIM Practice” at the school of engineering in Aarhus.

As Abelardo described the way to a successful and total implementation of BIM, is achieved through two main focus areas:

(1)    The preparations prior to implementing.
(2)    A set of strategies for the actual implementation process.

(1) The preparations prior to implementing

1.1   Mindset changes and organizational restructuring:
Everyone within the company has to be willing to give a little extra in the terms of working hours regarding the initial and main phases of the implementation. However this is not the only change that the company workers and directors board have to overcome. It is also required that we change the way we design and build, together with the understanding of how important further training and knowledge sharing is to our benefit of a BIM implementation and the actual BIM workflow.

1.2   Immediate transition into relevant use of software:
It is vital to the future BIM processes and workflow, that the company immediately dispose of all non-relevant software. This is important to secure a consistent work- and dataflow in the virtual building models and design process. As an example; do not let your company architects do the initial sketching in Google SketchUp, when they with no problem can do the same sketching in a BIM-platform like ArchiCAD, MagiCAD or Autodesk Revit. By doing this we do not create a need for reconstruction of data and models, which results in an inefficient and costly process. In other words do not give your CO-workers a reason to go back to using old software, just because it may seem faster in the given situation. It is all about training, work transition and knowledge sharing.

1.3   Knowledge based sharing:
As the organizations CO-workers develop their software- and BIM skills, it is very important that the specific experiences are gathered and becomes available to the rest of the CO-workers for further knowledge and skill development. By doing this, it is not required for each individual CO-worker to single handed develop their skillset and BIM competencies.

So, which strategies can be used to implement these changes into the organization? There are some overall areas that have to be brought into place to control a BIM work flow. These can be categorized as “the general office setup” and as mentioned before “the mindset of the direction board and CO-workers”.

(2) Strategies for the implementation process

2.1   The general office setup:
Company organization complexity and size have a huge impact on the way your office is setup. If your company is employing many workers working on many different projects of different sizes, there would be a need for additional BIM managers within the organization to manage the different discipline models and organize the work in the different work teams. On the other hand, if your company organization is fairly small and less complex, it could be sufficient with just one BIM manager.

What is the main focus area of a BIM manager in a work team? It is to monitor compliance of BIM processes and secure that the BIM processes are done and followed correctly. It is important to note that this job position most like is not a full time job and that the BIM manager easily can be assigned to specific project work meanwhile attending his work as a BIM manager. So basically, the BIM manager is a designer with the additional competencies to handle the organizations BIM processes on work team level.

2.2   BIM manual:
This is the backbone of every company organizations BIM processes and work flow. The manual sets to describe principles and guidelines, file management, BIM standards, maintenance, classification and many other things. For a BIM manual to be usefull, it has to be easy to overcome and read, only contain the absolute relevant information regarding each specification and task. A BIM manual that is disorganized, hard to read and overwhelmingly large, is never a good tool for any CO-worker.

2.3   Monitoring:
It is important, in any organization, to monitor each individual CO-workers skills and development in regard to the specific persons BIM capabilities and compentencies. This is important to evaluate if additional training is needed to efficiently fulfill his or hers work duties. By that is meant, asses proficiency and skill gabs on an individual level as well as team level. This gives the possibility for the human resource staff to plan courses to train the individual CO-workers to bring their skillset up to the desired standard/level. Monitoring can also be used to determine which of the CO-workers has the capabilities and the required skillset to become a BIM manager for his or her work team.

2.4   BIM audit:
BIM auditing can be defined as an evaluation of a specific project before a handover process to the next design phase, with the intent to verify if it is compliant with the BIM criteria’s and standards set by the company organization. It is recommended that the organization conducts BIM audits at the end of every phase of a project. This can be done both electronically and manually. It is advised that you perform this in both ways.

A big “thank you” goes out to BIMequity for organizing this seminar aswell as the involved companies; Aidea – StruSoft and FEM-design – Exigo Consult – Graphisoft – Solibri.

We have now adressed what actions to take, prior to implementing BIM and we will in the upcomming post adresse what tools we have available through eg. buildingSMART, to manage these new work processe.

Written by: Nis Boile Christensen

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