BIM 360, or the new Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), connects our teams and data in real time, empowering project members to anticipate, optimize, and manage all aspects of project performance in a cloud-based platform. In order to provide even more flexibility and capabilities, it is built on top of Forge, which can assist anyone with customizing or automating certain tasks that are not built into the platform by default. This article showcases various tools and workflows that can be used to automate some of the most tedious and repetitive tasks that are often completed manually.
Related: BIM 360 Design Collaboration: Everything You Need to Know with Vincent Naviello
Task Automation and Tool Integration
As current BIM 360 (or Autodesk Construction Cloud) users, we know and have experienced the benefits of implementing a cloud document management platform to ensure better collaboration and communication between all the stakeholders involved in any project, during design and/or construction.
In order to achieve a task automation or an integration with other tools, we have the choice of either using internal APIs and programing tools or searching for other software developers who have already invested their time and efforts in creating something similar to our objectives. Here is a list of the different options we are currently using or that are available:
- Connect for Autodesk BIM 360 (Workato)
- Cloudsfer
- 360 Admin Tools
- Transfer App
- 360Sync
- IMAGINiT Clarity Cloud
- BIMrx Cloud Manager
- Autodesk Forge
Please note that not all options available are listed, but only those we have used or tested and can recommend. It is always important, with any implementation, that you analyze your company goals and objectives, and then you select accordingly to suit your needs. For more specifics about each of these, watch the class.
Automate Tedious Tasks and Save Time
Next, I will define a list of some tasks that we are currently automating, saving an average time per project of 25% compared with completing the tasks manually.
Exporting PDFs with Markups
After creating PDF markups, if we would like to export the document including them, we need to select them individually and then select the export option. This quickly becomes a tedious manual task.
Using ACC Connect, we can create an approach that searches for all the documents in a specific folder that contains the markups, and then automatically export it, download it, and upload it to another folder that we select. Doing this manually takes an average of 45 seconds per file. Doing this with ACC takes an average of 20 seconds per file, but being automatic without any attention required. KEO International Consultants developed this solution in 2020 and the team has saved 20 work hours in 2020 and 25 work hours to date in 2021.
Upload Documents to Customer Hub (Live Sync)
Currently, it is common to see asset owners, developers, and/or clients select BIM 360 as their Common Data Environment. Therefore, its supply chain must upload the shared or published information to their hub, while their WIP information remains in BIM 360 within their company.
In order to avoid the manual download and upload of the information from any supply chain’s company hub to the client’s hub, we have the three options listed below to automatically sync a specific folder and subfolders, when a new document is being uploaded.
- ACC Connect
- 360 Sync
- BIMrx Cloud Manager
Please note that all the above tools need to be added in the BIM 360 account admin of the client’s hub as well. KEO developed this solution in 2020 using ACC Connect.
Upload Documents to Customer Hub (One-Time Sync)
In order to avoid the manual download and upload of the information from any supply chain’s company hub to the client’s hub, we have the six options listed below to sync a specific folder and subfolders or files, when all documents are ready to be transferred.
- ACC Connect
- 360 Sync
- BIMrx Cloud Manager
- Transfer App
- 360 Admin Tools
- Cloudsfer
Please note that all the above tools need to be added in the BIM 360 account admin of the client’s hub as well. KEO’s team has saved 240 work hours since 2019 using Cloudsfer and ACC Connect.
BIM 360 Revit Models (Daily Publish)
Using IMAGINiT Clarity Cloud, we can automate multiple tasks using a setup as displayed below. Currently, we can automatically publish Revit models in BIM 360 Design Collaboration by each team defined, but with the limitation of this being completed on a weekly basis.
With IMAGINiT Clarity Cloud, we can now schedule to publish the selected models during the desired days of the week as needed. KEO’s team has used this solution since mid-2021 and has saved 12 work hours to date.
BIM 360 Revit or AutoCAD eTransmit
Using IMAGINiT Clarity Cloud, we can automate multiple tasks with the setup displayed below. Currently, if we would like to eTransmit a Revit model, the process is to sync the model in the Autodesk Desktop Connector (which could take some time depending on the Internet connection) and then open the eTransmit from Revit and select the models individually. With AutoCAD the process is similar, with the difference that we can select more than one file simultaneously, but all references should be synced locally as well. KEO’s team has used this solution since mid-2021 and has saved 16 work hours since then.
BIM 360 Print and/or Export from Revit and/or AutoCAD
Using IMAGINiT Clarity Cloud, we can automate multiple tasks by using a setup as displayed below. Exporting to different formats for sharing with other teams or submitting to a client is a very frequent task, which requires an unattended meaningless effort from the users. Using Clarity Cloud, we can export:
- AutoCAD to PDF
- Revit to DGN/DWF/DWG/FBX/GBXML/IFC/PDF (PDF only in 2022 version)
- Revit schedule(s)
KEO’s team has used this solution since mid-2021 and has saved 24 work hours.
BIM 360 Users Management and Bulk Add
When creating new projects or when a new person is joining, we need to consider adding multiple users to the project or adding one user to several projects. Currently, that has to be done manually and becomes a time-consuming task. By using 360 Admin Tools (the free version) or BIMrx Cloud Manager, we can do both tasks easily and quickly by bulk adding users to one or more projects. KEO’s team has used 360 Admin Tools since 2020 and has saved 18 work hours since.
Want more? Download the full class handout to read on.
Juan Tena is a senior digital design manager with more than 16 years of professional experience including more than seven years in the Middle East, with extensive experience in BIM implementation, strategic planning, standardization of processes in line with ISO 19650 standards and parametric-digital design delivery, Revit, Dynamo, Navisworks, Rhino, and 3ds Max. He is always up to date and researching about other digital design technologies like VR, AR, MR, AI, ML, 3D printing, drones, point cloud, generative design, automation, digital twins, and more.