GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

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ContentsContentsIntroduction ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 9InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOffice_____________________________________________________________ 10CollaborationRequirementsofArchitecturalFirms ............................................................ 10SmallMediumFirms.........................................................................................12

DynamicWorkflow .......................................................................................12LargeFirms ................................................................................................13

ControlledWorkflow .....................................................................................13SoloArchitects..............................................................................................14

RemoteWorkflow........................................................................................14CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCAD _______________________________________________________________________ 15TheTeamworkConcept ................................................................................... 15EvaluationoftheTeamworkTechnology.........................................................................18

Benefits ................................................................................................18Limitations ..............................................................................................19SuggestedUsage .........................................................................................19

WorkingonaSharedModel ............................................................................... 20ElementReservation .........................................................................................22

ReservationbySelection ...................................................................................22ReserveElementsbyCriteria ...............................................................................23ReservingOtherProjectData ...............................................................................24

ReleasingElementsandProjectData ...........................................................................24RequestingElementsandProjectData ..........................................................................25AssigningElements ..........................................................................................26FeedbackonElementOwnership ..............................................................................27GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 3

ContentsTaskOrientedInstantTeamCommunication.....................................................................29SimpleTextMessages ....................................................................................29ElementBasedMessages .................................................................................30TaskMessages..........................................................................................31

CustomizingtheTeamworkEnvironment.....................................................................32RemoteandCentralManagementofServerContent .............................................................32GRAPHISOFTBIMcloud/BIMServer ............................................................................33Projects ...................................................................................................33Users .....................................................................................................34Roles..................................................................................................... 37TeamworkLibrarySolutions..................................................................................39

EmbeddedObjects .......................................................................................40BIMcloud/BIMServerLibraries .............................................................................40

TeamworkDataSafety ....................................................................................42ScheduleProjectBackups ....................................................................................42Rollback ..................................................................................................43ProjectActivities ...........................................................................................43TheHotlinkedFileConcept ................................................................................44HotlinkedModules .........................................................................................44EvaluationoftheHotlinkedFileMethod ........................................................................ 47

Benefits ................................................................................................ 47Limitations .............................................................................................48SuggestedUsage ........................................................................................48

Xref......................................................................................................49Advantages.............................................................................................50Limitations ............................................................................................. 51SuggestedUsage ........................................................................................ 51

MixedConceptTeamworkandHotlinkFilesCombined ........................................................514 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

ContentsExample1 .................................................................................................51Example2 .................................................................................................53SummaryoftheTeamworkandtheHotlinkFileConcept ....................................................... 54DocumentationConcepts________________________________________________________________________________ 55SingleFileConcept ....................................................................................... 56DocumentationSeparatedfromtheModelFile ............................................................... 58MasterFileMethod .........................................................................................58UseofPMKDrawings ........................................................................................59ComplexFileStructure .......................................................................................61Mergevs.Linkvs.Open ......................................................................................63TeamandProjectSetup _________________________________________________________________________________ 64TeamOrganization ....................................................................................... 64SettingupaTeamProject.....................................................................................64

StructureoftheTeams ....................................................................................65TypicalStructureofaMidSizeOffice ........................................................................66TypicalStructureofaLargePractice .........................................................................67

ProjectSetup ........................................................................................... 70ProjectStructure(Navigator) ..................................................................................71Libraries...................................................................................................73

StandardArchiCADLibrary .................................................................................73OfficeStandardLibrary ....................................................................................74ProjectLibrary ...........................................................................................74

Interoperability________________________________________________________________________________________ 75BIMasaPlatformforCommunication ....................................................................... 75FileFormats ............................................................................................ 77SharingtheBIMModel:IFC ................................................................................ 78

AdvantagesofUsingIFC ...................................................................................80GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 5

ContentsIFCTranslators..........................................................................................81IFCTranslationSetup.....................................................................................81SharingDocuments:PDF ..................................................................................82SharingDrawings:DWGDXF ...............................................................................84

DXFDWGTranslatorSetup ................................................................................84UsingDWGDXFFilesinArchiCAD ..........................................................................85

ReviewingandRedlining:DWF.............................................................................89CoordinationwithEngineers _____________________________________________________________________________ 91PreparationofDataforExport .............................................................................91Classification .............................................................................................. 92

IFCElementType ........................................................................................ 92StructuralFunction ...................................................................................... 92Position ................................................................................................93

LayerSystem ..............................................................................................94StandardProfiles...........................................................................................95FilteringbyElementRepresentation.........................................................................95PartialStructureDisplay .....................................................................................95Visualization ...............................................................................................96

LayerDisplayModes .....................................................................................96Trace&Reference ....................................................................................... 97

StructuralDesign,AnalysisandProduction ...................................................................98StructuralApplications ......................................................................................99StructuralDesignWorkflows ................................................................................100

StructuralRelatedArchiCADFeatures......................................................................104ManagingChanges.........................................................................................105

Compare3DModels(ModelBasedExchange)...............................................................105DisplayingChangesin2DWindows(ModelorDrawingBasedExchange) ........................................1066 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

ContentsEnergyAnalysis......................................................................................... 107IntegratedEnergyEvaluation .................................................................................108DataExchangewithExternalEnergyAnalysisApplications.........................................................110MEPDesign ............................................................................................ 111GRAPHISOFTMEPModeler ..................................................................................112DataExchangewithExternalMEPApplications ..................................................................113CollisionDetection .........................................................................................114GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 7

Contents8 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

IntroductionIntroductionDesigning,buildingandmanagingabuildingisahighlycomplexprocessthatrequiressmoothcommunicationandcollaborationamongallmembersoftheprojectteam.Oneofthekeyfactorsofsuccessfulcollaborationistheefficientsharingofprojectdataamongteammembersandexternalconsultants.Effectivecollaborationtechniquesareabletoadapttotheprojectteamsizeandtheofficeorganization.ArchiCADsindustryleadingteamworktechnologiesofferintegrateddatacommunicationanddatasharingsolutionsforallprojectstakeholders.TheaimofthisbookistoprovideadetailedoverviewofthevariouscollaborationtechniquesinArchiCADandtheirstrategicuseinthearchitecturaloffice.ThefunctionaldescriptionoftheArchiCADfeaturesandcommandsareoutofthescopeofthisdocument;thosecanbefoundintheArchiCADHelpfile.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 9

InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeInternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeWellestablishedcommunicationprotocolsintheofficearecriticaltominimizetheriskofprojectcoordinationerrors.Moreover,complexorlargebuildingsrequirethattheBIMmodelbesharedamongprojectteammembers.ArchiCADoffersanumberofsolutions,whichcanbeusedaloneorincombination.ThischapterreviewsthenewTeamworktechnologyandthefilehotlinkingsolutionsofArchiCAD,aswellastheirsuggestedusageinthearchitecturalfirm.

CollaborationRequirementsofArchitecturalFirmsBeforeBuildingInformationModeling(BIM),theonlyavailableworkflowinvolved2DCAD,inwhichallprojectdocumentswerestoredinstandalonefiles.Themainadvantageofthissolutionwasitsflexibility:eachmemberoftheteamcouldworkcontinuouslyandsimultaneouslyonseparatefiles.Ontheotherhand,coordinationwasverylimitedessentiallyreducedtovisualcomparisonofthedrawingsbyoverlayingthemasexternalreferencefiles(Xrefs).BIMapplicationsarebasedonacompletelydifferentconcept,accordingtowhichdrawingsarederivedfromthemodel,andcoordinationofthedifferentdrawingsiscarriedoutbythesoftwareitself.Thisworkflowresultsinfewererrorsinthedocumentationphase,providedthattheBIMmodelismaintainedduringtheentirelifecycleoftheproject,anddrawingsarenotdetachedfromthe3Dmodel.AlthoughallBIMapplicationssharethesamethecoreconcept,theirinternalcollaborationsolutionscanbequitedifferent.MostcurrentBIMsolutionsarebasedonthefileservertechnology,accordingtowhichacentralprojectfileisstoredonaservermachineandtheusersworkonlocalcopiesofthecentralfileusingtheirlocalBIMapplication.Toavoidconflictswithotherteammembers,allusersmustreservecertainpartsoftheprojectsbeforetheystartworking.Whenevertheywanttocheckthecurrentstatusoftheproject,theymustsendandreceivechangesbetweentheirlocalfileandthecentralfileontheserver.Duringtheseoperations,theentireprojectfileissentoverthelocalnetwork,whichcanresultinlongwaitingtimesiftheprojectislarge.10 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeTheFileServerConceptThisconceptwasbasedonthetraditionalpaperbasedworkflow,inwhichlargepartsofthebuildings(e.g.entirefloors)areassignedtoindividualteammembers.DatacommunicationwasbasedontheLocalAreaNetwork(LAN),sincehighbandwidthInternetconnectionsweregenerallyunavailable.Today,collaborationrequirementsarelargelydeterminedbythesizeandthestructureoftheoffice.However,forallofficesregardlessofsizeFlexibility,SpeedandEaseofusehavebecomekeyfactors.BeforewegointodetailabouttheradicallynewcollaborationsolutionsinArchiCAD,letsexaminethespecificneedsofarchitecturalfirmsofdifferentsizes.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 11

InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeSmallMediumFirmsDynamicWorkflow Workspacereservationshouldbeveryflexible;accesstoprojectelementsmustbeavailableonthefly,in

accordancewiththefirmsdynamicworkflow. Sincetheteamissmallandeffective,anydowntimeduetocollaborationlimitationsofthesoftwareis

unacceptable.Teammemberswanttoworkcontinuouslyontheprojectevenwhenotherteammembersarechangingattributes,viewsorlayouts.

SuchfirmsusuallydonthavededicatedCADmanagersintheoffice,sotheywishtostartandsharenewprojectsveryquicklywithoutanyspecialpreparations.

Ashortlearningcurveisamust:nospecialtrainingshouldbenecessaryforcollaborationusingArchiCAD.

WorkflowoftheSmallMediumFirms12 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeLargeFirmsControlledWorkflow Teammemberswantthesameworkflowflexibilityasthesmallmediumfirms,butalsorequirethestrictcontrol

exertedbytheprojectteamleaders. Advancedusermanagement:allusersneedtoknowtheirrolesandrightsonallmanagementlevels. Multiplelocationsupport:allusersneedeffectivemodelbasedcommunicationeveniftheyarenotlocatedinthe

sameoffice.Theycanbeworkingonthesameprojectfromdifferentofficesorevendifferentcountries.

WorkflowoftheLargeFirmsGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 13

InternalCollaborationintheArchitecturalOfficeSoloArchitectsRemoteWorkflow Independentarchitectsusuallyjoinforceswithotherstemporarilyforalargeprojectorcompetition.Theyalso

workforlargerfirmsonacontractualbasisfromhome. Foreffectiveremotework,soloarchitectsneedthesecapabilities:

WorkviaInternetWorkwithoutneedingextratrainingWorkaseasilyasinasoloproject,whilereceivingallnecessaryinformationfromotherteammembersFeelfullyconnectedtotheproject,evenwhileworkingfromoutoftheoffice

WorkflowoftheSoloArchitects

ArchiCADisthefirstBIMapplicationthatoffersaflexible,fastandeasytolearncollaborationsolutionforarchitecturalofficesofanysize.14 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADCollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADArchiCADprovidestwobasicmethodsforsharingtheBIMprojectamongtheteamofarchitects: theTeamworkapproach, theuseofHotlinkedfiles.Thesesolutionscanbeusedeffectivelyaloneorincombination,inbothsmallandlargefirms.Inthischapteryoullfindacomparisonofthetwoconceptsandtheirrecommendedusageindifferentprojectscenarios.

TheTeamworkConceptSince1997,theTeamworkconcepthasbeenGRAPHISOFTsprimarysolutionforsharingBIMdataamongteammembers.Overtime,collaborationrequirementsforarchitecturalpracticeshavechangedsignificantly,duetoincreasedfilesize,increasedcomplexityofprojects,andtheextensiveuseofInternetbasedcommunication.Today,ArchiCADsnewTeamworkrepresentsabreakthroughincollaborativeprojectwork,specificallydesignedtomeetthedemandsofamodern,internationalteameffort.Thistechnologyisbasedonclientserverarchitectureandisdesignedtoensuremaximumflexibility,speedanddatasafetytoenableteamseventhosespreadoutaroundtheworldtocollaborateonlargeprojects.DetailsoftheTeamworkapproachareexplainedontheaccompanyingfigure.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 15

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTheArchiCADTeamworkConcept16 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCAD Thekeystoneofthisconceptistheclientservertechnology.InArchiCAD,thisconsistsoftheGRAPHISOFTBIMcloud/BIMServerandArchiCADasaclient.TheintelligentserverapplicationmaintainsthecompleteanduptodateBIMmodelofaproject.TeammembersworkonlocalcomputersandregularlysendandreceiveprojectchangesbetweentheserverandtheirlocalArchiCAD.Duringsendandreceive,onlymodifiedelementsoftheprojectaresentoverthenetwork,ratherthanthefullmodeldata:thisresultsinmuchfasterdatacommunicationsandenablestheentireteamtokeepworkinginparallel.

Anotherkeyelementofthisconceptistheflexiblereservationsystem.Individualmodelelementsandotherprojectrelateddata,likeprojectattributesorviews,canbereservedandreleasedonthefly,allowingforaverydynamicandflexibleworkflow.Thereisnoneedtoreservelargeareasintheprojectpriortostartingwork.Theuserreservesonlytheelementshe/shecurrentlyneeds;elementscanbeeasilyreleasedaftertheworkisdone.

Teamcommunicationissupportedbyabuiltin,elementandtaskbasedmessagingsystem. TheBIMcloud/BIMServerManagertoolrunninginastandardwebbrowserallowsCADmanagerstoremotely

manageprojects,servers,users,rolesandresponsibilitiesacrosstheentirefirm.TheServerActivitiespageofServerManagerprovidesdetailedfeedbackaboutthecurrentstatusoftheserver,helpingtheCADmanagertoidentifyriskfactorsthatmayaffecttheserversperformance.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 17

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADEvaluationoftheTeamworkTechnologyBenefits Effective:Userscanworkonthesameprojectsimultaneously,andifthemodelsizeismanageable,thereisno

needtodivideitintomultiplesoloprojectsorhotlinks. Organized:Nooverlappingworkspaces;onlyoneusercanworkonagivenprojectelementatonetime.Team

membershavededicatedrolesandrights. Transparent:Teammemberscancheckthecurrentstatusoftheprojectatanytime. Easy:Collaborationtechniquesareveryeasytolearn.Thereisnoneedforextensivetraining. Fast:DuetotherevolutionaryDELTAserverTMtechnology,onlythechangedelementsareexchangedbetweenthe

clientandtheserver.Averagedatapackagesizeshrinksbyanorderofmagnitude,frommegabytestokilobytes.Becausetheamountoftransferreddataisrelativelysmall,datatransferdoesnotdependonthefilesize:youcanworkthroughanykindofnetworkandeventheinternet.

Flexible:Duetotheondemandelementreservationsystemandfastdataexchange,teammemberscanaccessanyelement,atanytime,regardlessthesizeofthefirmorthecomplexityoftheproject.

DataSafety:Theserverbecomesadynamiccomponentintheprocess.Theintelligentserverapplicationdoesntallowcorrupteddatatobemerged.Iftheclientsdatabecomesdamagedonthenetwork,theserverwillfilteritout,andwillnotmergethedamageddatatotheserverdatabase.

OfflineWork:UserscancreatenewelementsormodifythosebelongingtotheirworkspaceevenifthereisnoonlineconnectionbetweentheBIMcloud/BIMServerandtheirlocalArchiCAD.Oncetheonlineconnectionisestablished,theycansendandreceivechangesagain.18 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADLimitations SomefunctionsofthenewTeamworkareonlyavailabletotheuserwhenhe/sheisonline. Teamworktechnologyinitselfcannotdividelargeprojectsintoeasytohandlesmallerparts.Forthis,youhaveto

combineTeamworkwithhotlinkedmodules.SuggestedUsageTeamworkshouldbeyourprimarymethodforsharingthecontentoftheVirtualBuilding,asithasmanybenefitscomparedtootherfilesharingsolutions.Foraverylargeorcomplexproject,youmighthavetoconsiderdividingtheprojectintosmallerpartstoavoidanyperformancedrawbackscausedbythelargefilesize.BigbuildingscanbesplitintoseveralsmallerTeamworkfiles,usingthehotlinkedfilemethods.Thisway,youcansignificantlyreducetheregenerationtimeofthe3Dmodelandoftheprojectdocumentation.LetstakeacloserlookatthemajorcharacteristicsofthenewTeamworktechnology.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 19

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADWorkingonaSharedModelGRAPHISOFTsTeamworktechnologyallowstheteamofarchitectstoworksimultaneouslyonVirtualBuildingmodelswithoutconflictsorlimitations.

TheTeamworkPalette20 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTheprinciplesofreservationaresimple: Anyusercancreatenewelementsordata;noreservationisneededtocreatesomethingnew.Newelements

createdbyyouwillbereservedbyyouautomatically. Tomodifyordeleteanelement,attribute,orotherdatatypefromthesharedproject,youmustfirstreservethat

element/datatype. Typically,youwillreservetheelementsasyouneedthem,andthenreleasethemwhenyouaredoneworkingon

them.Thus,elementsthatarenotcurrentlybeingworkedonwillbealwaysavailabletootherusersforreservation.

Feedbackonthereservationstatusofanyitemintheprojectisalwaysuptodate,aslongasyouareonline. Incaseyouneedanelementreservedbysomebodyelse,youcanaskforitwiththerequestcommand.The

elementsownerwillautomaticallyreceiveamessagewithyourrequest. YoucanassignyourcurrentlyownedelementstootheruserswiththeAssigncommand.

QuickWorkspaceReservationfromtheTeamworkPaletteInTeamwork,bothmodelelementsandotherprojectdata(suchasattributesorprojectviews)canbereservedusinganidenticallogicanduserinterface.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 21

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADElementReservationProjectelementscanbereservedeitherbysimpleselection,orbycriteria.ReservationbySelectionThisisthemoststraightforwardwaytoreserveelementsthatarevisibleandeasilyselectableinthecurrentprojectview.AllselectionmethodsofArchiCADcanbeused.

CurrentReservationscanbeeasilyHighlightedReservationbyselectionisavailableinall3Dand2Dprojectviews,includingfloorplans,sections,elevations,detailsandotherprojectmapitems.22 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADReserveElementsbyCriteriaToreservealogicalgroupofelementsthatcannotbeselectedeasilywithmanualselection,youcanusetheReserveelementsdialog.Thisallowsyoutoselectmultipleelementsindifferentviewsbasedonpredefinedorcustomselectioncriteria.Thismethodisveryusefulinthefollowingcases: Elementsarelocatedindifferentprojectviews(e.g.columnsplacedondifferentstories) Elementsareallofthesametype(e.g.2Delementsinsections) Elementssharethesameattributes(e.g.wallsplacedonaparticularlayer) Elementssharethesamenonvisualinformation(e.g.doorshavingthesameID)

CriteriaBasedElementReservationGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 23

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADReservationcriteriasetscanbestoredandsharedamongprojectusers,allowingforasmoothsharingworkfloweveninlargeandcomplexprojects.ReservingOtherProjectDataNonelementmodeldata,suchasattributes,viewsorlayouts,canalsobereservedveryflexibly.Thereisnoneedforexclusivesigninorotherextraefforttomodifythem,souserscanreserveandreleasethemonthefly.TheTeamworkstatusoftheprojectdataelementsaredisplayedbycontrollights(red,greenandblue)atthebottomofthecorrespondingsettingsdialogs.

TeamworkStatusofProjectData

ReleasingElementsandProjectDataElementsthatyoucurrentlyowncanbereleasedwithjustoneclickusingtheReleasecommandfromtheTeamworkmenuorintheTeamworkPalette.Ifyouwish,youcanreleaseonlytheselectedelements,or,ifnothingisselected,thenallyourreservationswillbereleasedwiththeReleaseAllcommand.Itishighlyrecommendedthatyoureleasethoseelementsanddatathatyouarenotusing,sothattheotherteammemberscaneasilyaccessthem.24 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADRequestingElementsandProjectDataUseRequestiftheelementordatatypeyouwishtoreserveiscurrentlyownedbyanotheruser.Requestingisbackedupwithanintelligentmessagethatisautomaticallysenttotheelementsowner.Youdontevenhavetocheckwhotheowneris;themessagewillalwaysbesenttotherightperson.TherequestmessagecontainsabuiltinGrantbuttonwithwhichtheelementcanbegrantedtotherequester.Themessagewillstayonthecurrentownerstasklistuntiltheelementisgrantedordeniedtotherequester.

RequestingElementsGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 25

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADAssigningElementsYoucanassignanyofyourownelementstoanotheruser,evenifthatuserhasnotrequestedthem.Todothis,selecttheelement(s),thentheAssignElement(s)commandfromthecontextmenuortheTeamworkmenu.Thisfunctionallowstheprojectleaders(e.g.theLeadArchitect)toorganizetheworkoftheteameveniftheyarelocatedindifferentoffices.26 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADFeedbackonElementOwnershipForbettercontroloveruserworkspaces,itisveryimportanttobeabletoinstantlycheckthecurrentelementassignmentsoftheusers.Teamworkoffersseveralsolutionsforthis: TheColoredWorkspacesfunction,intheTeamworkPalette,providesvisualfeedbackonthestatusofthemodel

elements.Thisfunctionworksinthe3Dand2Dwindowsalike.WithColoredWorkspaces,teammemberscanvisuallyidentifytheircurrentlyownedelementsandthecurrentworkspacesoftheirteammates.

ColorCodedWorkspacesGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 27

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCAD TheInfotagalsodisplaysthenameoftheselectedelementscurrentowner.

ReservationInformationintheInfoTag Fornonelementprojectdata,suchasattributesorviews,theownersnameisdisplayedunderTeamworkStatus,

atthebottomoftheirsettingsdialogboxortheNavigator.Reservedelementsaremarkedwitharedlamp;yourownelementsareindicatedbyagreenlamp.Abluelampmeansthattheelementisfreeforreservation.28 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTaskOrientedInstantTeamCommunicationInanyarchitecturaldesignworkflow,effectivecommunicationincreasesproductivityandreducestheriskofdesignproblems.ArchiCADsnewTeamworkintroducesanefficientandeasywayforuserstoinstantlycommunicateandtomanageworkspaces.TeamworkMessagingisintegratedwiththeArchiCADproject:itsfunctionsaretiedtoelementsandactionswithintheproject,sothatmanymessagingfunctionsareautomated,reducingtheamountofuserinitiatedcommunicationsneeded.Furthermore,youcancommunicatewithuserswhoarenotonlineatthemoment:theywillreceivetheirmessagesthenexttimetheyareonline.AllmessagingfunctionscanbemanagedfromtheMessagingpaneloftheTeamworkPalette.ThereareseveraltypesofmessagesavailableinTeamwork.Thesecanbeusedindifferentcommunicationscenarios,describedhere:SimpleTextMessagesStandardtextmessagescanbesenttoindividualusersortotheentireteamwithinArchiCAD.Themessageswillautomaticallypopupontherecipientsscreen.

TeamworkMessageGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 29

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADElementBasedMessagesAkeyfeatureofthismessagingsystemisthattextmessagescanbeattachedtomodelelements.ElementbasedmessagesaresentwitheveryRequestandAssignoperation.Themainadvantageisthattherecipientcaneasilyfindthecorrespondingmodelelements,justbyclickingtheShowElementbuttoninsidethemessage.Thiscanbeextremelyusefulifyouareworkingonaprojectviewwherethetransferredorrequestedelementsarenotvisible.

ElementBasedMessaging30 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTaskMessagesTheorganizedworkflowoflargeofficesrequiresasolutionforassigningtaskstoteammembers.Teamworkmessagescanintegratethefollowingtasks: SendChanges ReceiveChanges ReleaseAll LeaveProject ReviewSelectedElementsThemessageincludesacommandbuttonthatimplementstherequestedoperation.Forexample,ifyoureceiveamessageinstructingyoutoSendChanges,theSendChangescommandbuttonisincludedinthemessage;clickthebuttontoSendinallyourchangestotheBIMServer.MessagesremainonyourToDolistuntilyourespondtothem.CompletedmessagesdisappearfromtheToDolistandareautomaticallymovedtotheCompletedlist.Requestswhichyousenttootherusers,andwhicharewaitingforaresponse,arelistedinthePendingRequeststaboftheMessagingpanel.

TeamworkMessagingInterfaceGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 31

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADCustomizingtheTeamworkEnvironmentRemoteandCentralManagementofServerContentThehierarchicalworkflowoflargefirmsrequirestheCADmanagertobeincontinuouscontroloftheprojectservers,files,libraries,usersandtheirrolesandrights.ArchiCADsTeamworkoffersabrowserbasedmanagementinterfaceforBIMcloud/BIMServer,whichcanmanageaBIMcloud/BIMServerlocallyorremotely.Thisenablesmultiofficefirmstoimplementcompanystandardsacrosstheentirecompany.32 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADGRAPHISOFTBIMcloud/BIMServerTheGRAPHISOFTBIMcloud/BIMServerisanintelligentapplication,whichhandlesTeamworkprojects,users,rolesandrightsandmanagesthedatacommunicationbetweentheArchiCADclientsandtheBIMcloud/BIMServer.OneBIMcloud/BIMServercansupportseveralsimultaneousprojectsandusers;however,youmaywanttosetupseveralBIMserversorasingleBIMcloudwithinoneofficetoincreasetheperformanceofdatacommunication.BIMcloud/BIMServercanbemanagedremotely,sotheCADmanagerhascentralcontroloverallBIMcloud/BIMServerswithinthefirm.

ProjectsUsetheBIMcloud/BIMServerManagertomanageallTeamworkprojects.Existingprojectscanbedeletedorusedasatemplateforcreatingnewprojects.ProjectscanbemovedbetweendifferentserverswiththeExportbutton.Multiofficefirmscanstorethestandardtemplatefilesononecentralserveranddistributethemamongthedifferentoffices.TheProjectSettingsdialogallowstheadministratortoadduserstotheprojectortochangetheirroles.TheGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 33

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADProjectactivity,whichlistsprojecteventssuchasloginorsend/receiveactions,isalsoaccessiblefromtheProjectSettingspage.

UsersTheAccesspanelofProjectpage(intheBIMcloud/BIMServerManager)listsusersauthorizedtoaccessthevariousprojects,togetherwiththeirroles.Bydefault,Everyonecanaccesstheproject:EveryoneisaspecialGroupuserwhichincludeseveryuserdefinedontheserver.EvenifyoukeepEveryoneasuser,theindividuallyaddedusernamescanbegivendifferentrolesonthisproject.34 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 35

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADThisflexiblesetupallowsthesmallfirmstostartnewprojectswithjustoneclickwithouthavingtodefineusersrolesandrights,andforlargefirmstomaintainstrictcontroloveruserrights.

TeamworkUserSettings36 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADRolesThemajorrolesintheprojectteamcanbedefinedontheRolespageoftheBIMcloud/BIMServermanager.ThedefaultRolesincludeViewer,DraftsmanandLeadArchitect,butyoucandefinenewonestobestmatchyourteamsetup.Foreachrole,youcancustomizetherightsassignedtoit.Forinstance,thedraftsmencancreateandmodifyallconstructionelements,buttheyarenotallowedtomodifytheattributesoftheproject.ThisverydetaileddefinitiontableintheRolespageenablesadministratorsatlargefirmstopreciselydescribeandregulatetherolesofeveryteamuser.

TeamworkRoleSettingsGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 37

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADAccesstoArchiCADFunctionsareControlledbytheUserRoleSettings38 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTeamworkLibrarySolutionsPropermanagementoflibrariesisextremelyimportantwhenworkinginteams.ToavoidmissingoroutdatedlibrarypartsintheTeamworkproject,youshouldunderstandthemajorlibraryhandlingstrategiesinArchiCAD.Toenableremoteaccesstolibraryparts,withouthavingtoarchivefilesandextractlibraryparts,ArchiCADsLibraryManager(asofArchiCAD13)usesthefollowinglogic:

ArchiCADLibraryManagerGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 39

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADEmbeddedObjectsSpecializeduserconfiguredlibrarypartsincludingbutnotlimitedtoStair,Truss,Patch,imagefills,textures,customcomponentswillnowbeautomaticallyembeddedintotheproject.EmbeddedobjectswillalsobepartofTeamworkprojects;theycanbereservedindividuallyfromtheLibraryManager,modified,andsenttotheserverlikeotherelementsinTeamwork.Embeddedobjectscreatedandaccessedbyyou(suchaswhencreatingoreditingaStairwithStairmaker)willautomaticallybelongtoyou.Becausetheseobjectsareembeddedinthesharedproject,allusersregardlessoflocationcanseeandaccessthesespecializedlibrarypartswithoutrunningintodifficulties.TheLibraryManagerlistsalltheprojectsembeddedobjects.Userscanselectandreservetheseobjectsonebyone.BIMcloud/BIMServerLibrariesSharedlibrariesarehostedonaBIMcloud/BIMServer.Eachuserautomaticallyobtainsacachedcopyoftheselibraries,andanyupdatestothemarereceivedbyallusers.Anyuserhavingtheproperaccessrightscanaddanewlibrarytothesharedproject;thislibrarywillhenceforthalsobelocatedontheBIMcloud/BIMServer.(Inmostcases,theprojectmanagerwillrestrictthisrighttocertainkeyusersontheteam.)AlsofromtheLibraryManager(whenaddingaBIMcloud/BIMServerLibrary),youcanaccesstheManageBIMcloud/BIMServerLibrariesfunction.40 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADThisfunctionalsoavailablefromtheFile>LibrariesandObjectsmenuenablesProjectorServerAdministratorstoremotelyupdateandmaintainthelibrariesontheserver,thusgreatlyreducingthepossibilityofusingoutdatedlibraries.

ManageBIMcloud/BIMServerLibrariesGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 41

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADNote:Separateorlocallibrarieswereusedfrequentlyinthepast;theyarenotusedanylongerduetothegreatincreasesinLANspeedandnetworkstability.Theuseofseparatelibrariesalsorequiredextensivemanagementeffortstomakesurethatallteammateswereusingthelatestlibrarycontent.

TeamworkDataSafetyScheduleProjectBackupsTheBackupspanelofProjectSettingsallowsyoutodisplayandmanagethebackupsoftheproject.Automaticandmanualbackupsarealsoavailabletoensuremaximumdatasafetythesebackupscanalsobeusedtostoredifferentvariationsoftheproject.

ProjectBackupDialog42 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADRollbackTheRollbackbuttoninProjectSettingscanbeusedtoreplacethecurrentprojectwithanyselectedbackupcopy,ortocreateanewProjectoutofthebackup.

ProjectActivitiesTheActivitiespanelstoresthemajorTeamworkeventsinthehistoryoftheprojects: Share Send(includinganyComments) ReleaseofProjectData(includinganyComments) Backups(bothmanualandautomatic) Join/LeaveactionsofanyuserTheActivitiespanelisusefulforprovidingasnapshotofprojectprogresswithinagiventimeframe:forexample,tocheckwhetherallusersreallydidsendintheirchangeslastnight.

TeamworkActivitiesGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 43

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADTheHotlinkedFileConceptThepreviouschapterintroducedTeamwork,theprimarycollaborationmethodinArchiCAD.Nowletsevaluatetheotherbasicprojectsharingsolution/internalcollaborationmethod:theconceptofhotlinkedfiles.Thisapproach,typicalforalmostallCADapplications,allowsyoutodevelopandstorepartsofthemainprojectfilealsocalledthehostinaseparateexternalfilealsocalledthesourceormodulefile.Theprojectfile(host)includesonlyareference(hotlink)tothecontentofthesourceormodulefile.Modificationsthathavebeenmadetothesourcefilewillberepresentedinthehostfileautomatically.Theprojectfilecancontainseveralinstancesofthesamehotlinkedmodule,makingthismethodidealformanagingrepetitiveelementsinaproject.Accordingtothetypeofthehotlinkedfile,wecandistinguishtwosolutionsinArchiCAD:

HotlinkmodulesforArchiCADprojects Xrefsfor2DdrawingssavedinDWGandDXFformat

HotlinkedModulesWithHotlinkedModules,externalArchiCADfilessuchasmodules,planfilesandTeamworkprojectscanbeinsertedintothecurrentlyopenproject(host).Hotlinkedelementsinsertedintothehostreflectallmodificationsmadetothesourcefiles(assoonasyouupdatethehotlinks).TheelementsofhotlinkedmodulesareincludedintheProject,whichmeansthatevenifthehotlinkedsourcefileisnotcurrentlyavailable,theModulesarestillpresentandvisible,althoughtheycannotbeupdatedaslongasthereferredsourcefileisabsent.ArchiCADalsosupportsthehotlinkingofamoduleintoothermodules.Thesearecallednestedmodules.44 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADArchiCADsHotlinkManagerdialogprovidesanoverviewofthehierarchyofevenverycomplexhotlinkfilestructures,plusfeedbackonthestatusoftheindividualmodules(updated,outdated,broken).Updatingtheentirehotlinkmodulestructure,orjustindividualhotlinks,requiresjustamouseclick.

HotlinkManagerGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 45

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADForexample,HotlinkedModulescanbeusedtomanagetherepetitivestructuresofbuildings,suchashotelsoroffices,whichhavealargenumberofidenticalrooms:youcanmodifyallinstancesinasinglestep.Moreover,thesamestructurescanbeusedinmultipleprojects.Thisisalsoagoodwaytosubdividelargeprojectsintoeasiertohandlesmallerfilesandtoreducethefilesizeofthehostproject.Ifabuildingcontainsseveralidenticalstories,youcanhotlinkthetypicalstoryofthehostfileintotheotherstories.Inthisspecialscenario,thehotlinkedmodulesourceiscontainedwithinthehostfile.

TheHotlinkedModuleConcept46 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADEvaluationoftheHotlinkedFileMethodThehotlinksolutionhasadvantagesanddisadvantagescomparedtotheTeamworkmethod.Theconceptitselfiseasytounderstandandcanbeusedwithanykindofproject.Itcanbeveryeffectivewhenmultipleinstancesofthesameelementsareusedinaproject(e.g.theroomsinahotel).However,theHotlinkedfilemethodcannotsolvetheprojectcoordinationproblemsofanarchitecturalfirm,sincetheprojectownerdoesntgetanyfeedbackaboutthekindsofchangesmadeinthemodulefiles.Thelocationandnameofthesourcefilesarecriticaltoprojectconsistency,sothismethodrequiresactivefilemanagementfromtheprojectteamleader.Furthermore,iftheprojectiscomplex,changingthehotlinkfilestructurecanbeverydifficultatalaterstageofthedesign.Benefits Modulefilescanbeupdatedautomaticallyormanually. Updatingamoduleisfastandeasy. Thehostprojectfilesizecanbegreatlyreducedbyplacingrepetitiveelementsasmodules. Hotlinkedmodulesenablelargermodelstobedividedintosmaller,easiertohandlelogicalparts. Teamworkfilescanalsobehotlinkedtoeachother.Thisway,thesizeoftheTeamworkprojectfilesandthe

regenerationtimeofthe3Dmodelsandthedocumentationcanbereducedsignificantly. ComprehensiveuserinterfaceprovidesaclearoverviewofModuleinstancesandhierarchy.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 47

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADLimitations Ownerofthehostfiledoesnthaveautomaticcontroloverthecontentofthehotlinkedsourcefiles. Changestothehotlinkedsourcefilecancauseconflictsinthehostproject. Movingordeletingthehotlinkedsourcefilewillbreakthehotlinktothehostfile. AccesstothecontentofthemodulescannotbecontrolledfromArchiCAD. Adetailedmoduleorganizationcharthastobecreatedbytheprojectcoordinatorbeforetheprojectisstarted.

Changingthehotlinkstructurecanbedifficultinlaterstagesoftheproject. Matchingofattributesneededbetweenthehostfileandthemodules. Thestoryheightofthemasterprojectandofthehotlinkedmodulesshouldbethesame.

Tip:Thecreationofmodulefilesshouldbedonewithinthehostproject:thisway,themodulefilesinherittheattributesetofthehostproject,andyouavoidcreatingunnecessaryandunwantedlayers,pens,linetypes,fills,etc.(alsoknownasattributepollution).

SuggestedUsageAlthoughhotlinkmodulescanbeusedasanalternativetotheTeamworktechnology(e.g.differentfloorsofamultistorybuildingcanbedrawninseparatehotlinkedmodules),theycantprovidethesameflexibilityandsecurityasTeamwork.Themainpurposeofusinghotlinkedmodulesshouldtomanagerepetitiveelementsandtodivideverylargeprojectsintoeasytohandlesmallerparts.48 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADXrefExternalReferences(Xrefs)arealsobasedonthefilehotlinkconcept.However,theycanonlybeusedtoreference2Ddrawings.XrefsprovideaneasywaytomanageandmergetheconsultantsDWG/DXFdrawingsintotheArchiCADproject.ExternalDWG/DXFdrawingswillbeupdatedintheArchiCADprojectiftheyarereferencedasanXref.

TheXrefConceptGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 49

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADXrefsareListedintheXrefManagerDialogAdvantages DWGandDXFdrawingsfromconsultantscanbeeasilyintegratedintotheVirtualBuildingasXrefs. RepetitiveDWG/DXFfiles(suchasdetaildrawings)canbecontrolledandmodifiedeasily. ModificationsmadebyconsultantsareautomaticallyupdatedintheArchiCADproject.Collisionsanddesign

conflictscanbeeasilylocatedbyusingtheVirtualTracefeature. ThecontentoftheXrefdrawingissavedwiththeArchiCADproject.IfthehotlinktotheDWG/DXFfileisbroken,

thedrawingcontentisstillvisible.50 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADLimitations Xrefscannotbeusedtohotlink3DdataintotheArchiCADproject. DWGTranslatorSettingsmustbesetmanuallypriortoattachingtheDWG/DXFfiles. ThelocationandthenameoftheXrefsshouldntbechanged;otherwisethelinkwillbebroken. Matchingofattributesneededbetweenthehostfileandthelinkedfile.SuggestedUsageXrefsshouldbeusedalmostexclusivelyformergingconsultantsdrawings,legacyAutoCADprojectsorstandardmanufacturerdetailsintotheArchiCADproject.WerecommendplacingtheXrefsontoindependentArchiCADworksheets,ratherthanontothefloorplan,tokeeptheBIMmodelintact.

Tip:UnusedXrefsshouldalwaysbeUnloadedinordertoremoveallXrefrelatedlayersandotherattributesfromthemasterproject.

MixedConceptTeamworkandHotlinkFilesCombinedThepreviouslydescribedprojectsharingmethodscanbecombinedtoprovidethebestpossiblecollaborationsolutionforverylargeandcomplexprojects.LetsillustratethecomplexprojectsharingcapabilitiesofArchiCADwithtwoexamples.

Example1Thefirstprojectisahospitalbuildingthatiscomposedoffourwellseparatedunits.Sinceeachunitisdifferentinsize,shapeandfunction,thelogicalsetupistodividetheBIMmodelintofourparts.EachunitissavedasastandaloneTeamworkfile,sofourindependentprojectteamscanworkinparallelwithoutdisturbingeachotherswork.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 51

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADInadditiontothehospitalunitmodules,afifthTeamworkfileiscreatedtoaccommodatethesiteplanmodel.Thefivefilesarehotlinkedintothemainprojectmodelfilewhichstorestheentirebuildingmodel,andwhichisalsoaTeamworkfile.Furthermore,theindividualunitscanbetemporarilyhotlinkedtoeachothertoensurethecorrectconnectionbetweenthem.ThemainprojectmodelismanagedbytheprojectarchitectandtheBIMmodelmanager.Sincetheprojecthasaveryextensivedocumentationsetthatwouldsignificantlyincreasethesizeofthemodelfile,theLayoutbookisstoredinaseparateTeamworkFile.Thissolutionalsoallowsthedocumentationteamtoworkindependentlyfromthemodelingteam.ThedrawingsarepublishedasindividualPMKfilesintotheLayoutBookfileandupdatedonlywhennecessary:thisreducesthetimeneededtoupdatetheentiredocumentation.

ProjectSharingExample152 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADExample2Oursecondprojectisahighriseofficebuildingconsistingoftwotowers.Thefloorplansofmostofthestoriesarecompletelyidentical;moreover,typicalofficeunitsareplannedthroughoutthewholebuilding.AswithExample1above(thehospitalproject),thisofficeprojectinvolvesindividualTeamworkfilesusedtohostthesiteplan,themainprojectmodelandtheLayoutBook.However,inthisproject,thetypicalstoriesarecontainedinamodulefilethatishotlinkedtothemainmodelfile.Furthermore,thetypicalofficeunitsarealsosavedasmodulesandhotlinkedtothetypicalfloormodule,resultinginamultiplelevelhotlinkhierarchy.Finally,theexternalshellandthecoreofthebuildingconstituteanotherstandaloneTeamworkfile,sothatthemodelingandvisualizationteamcanworkonasignificantlysmaller3Dmodel.

ProjectSharingExample2GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 53

CollaborationSolutionsinArchiCADSummaryoftheTeamworkandtheHotlinkFileConceptThefollowingtablegivesyouaquickcomparisonoftheTeamworkandtheHotlinkfileconceptsinArchiCAD.

Teamwork Hotlink

StartWork Justsharethefileandletusersjoin. Filestructuremustbecreatedandhotlinkedmanually.

Changeworkspace ReleaseandReservenecessaryelementsasneeded.

Filestructuremustbereorganized.

Workoffline Necessaryelementsmustbereservedinadvancetoworkwiththeminofflinemode.

Ifinternetconnectionisrestoredallchangescanbesenttotheserver.

Hotlinkedfilesarenotupdatedinthehostfileifthenetworkconnectionislostorifthefilelocationhaschanged.Youcanupdateorrelinkhotlinksmanually.

Messaging BuiltinelementbasedmessaginginArchiCAD.

Onlyexternalmessagingsystemscanbeused.

Sendandreceivechanges

Userscansendandreceivechangestotheserveratanytime.

Whenthehotlinkedsourcefileissaved,thehostwillupdatethehotlinkfileinstancesautomatically.

Sentdata Onlythechangedelementswillbesenttotheserver.

Theentirehotlinkedfiledatamustbesentoverthenetwork.

Projectfilesize Teamworkdoesntreducetheprojectfilesize.

Hotlinkedmodulescanreduceprojectfilesize.54 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

DocumentationConceptsDocumentationConceptsThecoreconceptofBIMisthatasinglemodelfilecanstoretheentireprojectdocumentation,sincethedrawingsareautomaticallygeneratedfromthe3Dvirtualbuildingmodel.InArchiCAD,thesinglefileconceptisnotrestrictedtothesoloArchiCADfiles(PLN);itisalsoapplicabletoTeamworkprojects.Thesinglefileconceptiswellproveninsmallfirmswithsmalltomediumsizedprojects.Naturally,largerfirmswithlargerprojectshavetodivideprojectsintoseveralfilesformanypracticalreasons.Thosereasonsincludeperformancelimitationsresultingfromthesinglefilemethod,andworkflowbottlenecksresultingfrommultipleusersworkingononefile.ArchiCADsupportsavarietyofdifferentlyscaledprojects,providingatransparentmethodforhandlingmultiplesessionsandmultipleviewswithinacompletecollectionoffiles.BasicallytherearethreetypicalworkflowsinArchiCAD,whichcanbecombineddependingontheprojectathand:GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 55

DocumentationConceptsSingleFileConceptThisisthesuggestedArchiCADworkflowforsmalltomediumsizedprojects.Thecomplete3Dmodel(virtualbuildingdata)withitsrepresentations(floorplans,sections,3Dviews,schedules,etc.)andthefinaldrawingsheets(layouts)areallincludedinoneArchiCADfile.

TheArchiCADVirtualBuildingConcept56 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

DocumentationConceptsThismethodcanfullyexploittheadvantagesoftheVirtualBuildingconcept,suchaseasyfilemanagement,automaticdrawingupdatesandlists.However,aboveacertainprojectsizeandcomplexity,theArchiCADplanfilemustbedividedintosmallerpartstoavoidperformanceandprojectmanagementproblems.

TheArchiCADSingleFileConceptGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 57

DocumentationConceptsDocumentationSeparatedfromtheModelFileThedocumentationandthedesignteamscanworksimultaneouslyontheprojectifthedocumentationfileisseparatedfromthemodelfile.Thesizeofthemasterfilecanalsobereducedifyouadoptthismethod.ArchiCADfullysupportsthisworkflowsinceyoucancontrolcomplexfilehierarchiesintheNavigatorpalette.Therearetwostrategicwaysofseparatingthedocumentationfromthemodel.

MasterFileMethodInthisscenario,thereisamasterArchiCADfilethatcontainsthecompleteArchiCADmodel,togetherwithitssavedviews.Theseparatedocumentationfilecontainsthelayoutsanddrawings(viewsplacedfromthemodelfile)andautomaticallyupdatesthedrawingsifthemodelfileischanged.Thismethodisapplicabletomediumandlargeprojects.

Ifyourprojectcontainsasignificantnumberoflayouts,youareadvisedtoconsiderthismethod.

SeparateModelandDocumentationFiles58 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

DocumentationConceptsUseofPMKDrawingsDuetosizeandspeedissues,verycomplexorlargeprojectsusuallydonothaveamasterfilethatcontainsallthedrawings.Consequentlythebuildingmodelisstoredinmultipleprojectfiles(someofthemcanbeTeamworkfiles;otherscanbesimpleArchiCADprojectfilesthatrefertohotlinkedmodules).Therearetwowaystoimportthedrawingsintothedocumentationfile.1) DrawingsaresavedindividuallyasPMKfilesandlinkedtotheArchiCADdocumentationprojectfile.Inthiscase

thereisnodirectlinkbetweenthemodelfileandthedocumentfile,sothedrawingsonthelayoutdonotautomaticallyreflectthechangesinthemodelfile.ThismethodisonlyrecommendedifthePMKfilesarerarelyupdated,oriftheautomaticdrawingupdatefromthemodelfileistooslow.Thismightbethebestsolutionforverylargeprojectswithextensivedocumentationsets.Ifthismethodisused,theBIMManagerorDocumentationManagermustcontrolthesavingandlinking/updatingofthesePMKfiles.

ManuallySavedPMKDrawingsLinkedtotheDocumentFileGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 59

DocumentationConcepts2) DrawingsareimportedintotheLayoutBookdirectlyfromoneormorebuildingmodelfilesandotherexternalfilesources(DWG,DXF,PDFs,imagefiles,PMKs,etc.).Foraverycomplexbuilding,thedocumentationfilecanalsobesubdividedintotwoormorepartsforeasierdrawingmanagement.

PMKDrawingscanbeSavedAutomaticallyfromthePublisher60 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

DocumentationConceptsThisisacomplexsystembutverypowerful,andinsomecasesmaybetheonlywaytohandlelargeprojects.Wherecomplexdocumentationstructuresareusedintheoffice,itiscrucialthattheBIMManager/projectleaderdeveloptheproposedfilehierarchyanddistributethistotheprojectteammemberspriortostartingthedocumentation.

ComplexFileStructureComplexorlargeprojectsrequirespecialcollaborationsolutions.Thesuccessfulcollaborationapproachshouldbetailoredtotheofficeorganizationandthetypeofproject.Asarule,largeprojectsshouldbedividedintosmaller,logicalpartsusingacombinationofTeamworkandhotlinksolutions.Forexample:Amultistoryofficebuildingisintheconstructiondesignphase.ThebuildingconsistsoftwowingsthatarestoredintwoindependentTeamworkfiles.Fromtheveryearlystagea3Dmodelofthewholebuildingwasbuilt,containingonlythoseelementsessentialforvisualizationandconceptualdesign.Basedonthismodel,twoTeamworkfileswerecreated(oneforeachtower)thatservedasthebasisoftheconstructiondocumentation.TheTeamworkfilesrefertoexternalhotlinkedmodulesandXrefssuchascolumngrids,landsurveysandotherconsultantdrawings.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 61

DocumentationConceptsThedocumentationisstoredintwoLayoutBookfilestoreducethesizeoftheTeamworkprojectsandtoallowtheprojectdocumentationteamtoworkinparallelwiththedesigners/architects.

ComplexProjectFileHierarchy62 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

DocumentationConceptsMergevs.Linkvs.OpenThepossiblewaysofusingthemodeldata,CADdrawingsandreportsreceivedfromanotherapplicationinArchiCADarethefollowing:MergeUseMergetoaddthemodelordrawingcontent(orpartofit)tothecurrentlyrunningArchiCADproject.MergedmodeldataareconvertedintonativeArchiCADelements,whichcanthenbeusedasaprotectedoreditablereference.Theimportedcontent,usedasareference,isseparatedfromthehostprojectelements,andcanbedisplayedtogetherorindependentlyfromtheoriginalprojectdatabychoosingavisualizationtechnique.LinkAsanotherreferencepossibility,youmayopenareceived3DmodelasanewArchiCADprojectfirste.g.tovisuallyfilteroutthepartsyouwillneedthenlinktheproject,orapartofit,toyourcurrentprojectasaHotlinkedModule,whichwillserveas(noneditable)content.DependingonthefileformatsyoucanalsouseXREFand/orDrawingconnectiontolinkexternaldrawingsintoArchiCADprojects.OpenTheOpencommandlaunchesamodelorCADdrawingasaseparateArchiCADfile,independentofanyotherprojectcurrentlyopeninArchiCAD.ThisimportedfilecanbeaddedlaterasareferencetotheappropriatepartofanotherArchiCADprojectasmentionedbefore.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 63

TeamandProjectSetupTeamandProjectSetupThesize,complexityandtypeoftheprojectaswellasthesizeoftheprojectteamallhavetobeconsideredtofindthemosteffectiveprojectsharingstrategy.ItisrecommendedthattheprojectleaderortheBIMmanagerdefinetheprojectsharingstrategypriortostartinganewproject.Theprojectsharingdocumentshoulddescribethehierarchy,name,location,ownershipandthecontentofthevariousprojectfiles.SinceArchiCADsupportsdifferentteamworkingmethods,theprojectsharingconceptcanbeflexiblychangedtobestmatchtheproject.

TeamOrganizationThesizeandtheorganizationoftheofficedeterminethecollaborationproblems.Atypicalprobleminsmallarchitecturaloffices(510architects)isthelackofdedicatedCADmanagerswhocansetupandmaintainCADandITstandards.Sharingtheworkinthesmalloffices,however,isnotascriticalasinlargefirms,sincetheprojectsaretypicallynotverybigandtheprojectteamisrelativelysmall.Ontheotherhand,thesharingoflargeprojectsiscriticalforlargeoffices,whichfacethisproblemeveryday,soitishighlyrecommendedthattheyimplementstrictsharingmethods.

SettingupaTeamProjectAlthoughitispossibletostartaTeamworkProjectfromscratchandusethedefaultsettingsprovidedbyArchiCAD,itisrecommendedtodefineanumberofbasiccriteriabeforesharingtheProject,sincechangingthemwhentherearealreadyseveralarchitectsordraftsmenworkingonitismoredifficult.Thesebasicsettingsaffectcertainelementsoftheprojectfile,suchasattributes(layers,pensmaterialsetc.),navigatorstructure(views,layouts,publishersets),favoritesandlibraries.ThesedefaultprojectsettingsarebestdefinedbythepersonwhoisgoingtoactasTeamLeader,whowillaccessandmodifythemduringthelifeoftheTeamProject.64 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

TeamandProjectSetupStructureoftheTeamsArchitecturalpracticesemploydifferentapproachesforthesetupoftheirteamstructure;eachsetuphasadvantagesanddisadvantages:ArchitecturalStudiosoperateasindividualorganizationswithinthecompany.Asingleteammanagestheprojectthroughouttheentirecycle.SpecializedTeamsaremostcommoninlargerarchitecturalpractices.Inthesesetups,theprojectisstartedbyteamA,andatagivenpoint,usuallywhentheconceptualdesignisfinished,istransferredtoteamBfordetaileddocumentation.

DynamicTeamsareflexiblegroupsthatadjusttotheprojectphasesandrequirements.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 65

TeamandProjectSetupTypicalStructureofaMidSizeOfficeThefollowingchartshowstheorganizationalhierarchyofatypicalmidsizearchitecturaloffice.Inthisexample,therearetwoindependentprojectteamswithonearchitectandtwodraftsmenworkingoneach.TheprojectarchitectofthefirstteamalsoservesasaparttimeBIMManagerintheoffice.Duetotherelativelysmallfirmsizeandthegenerallylimitedsizeprojects,informalcommunicationissufficienttohandleprojectcoordinationissuesinmostcases.

OrganizationalChartofaMidSizeOfficeThetypicalproblemforofficesofthissizeisthattheycantaffordafulltimeCADandITManager,sosomebodyintheofficehastotakeontheresponsibilitiesonaparttimebasis,whichnaturallydecreasestheirproductivity.66 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

TeamandProjectSetupTypicalStructureofaLargePracticeThelargearchitecturalofficeworkflowsshowninthenextfigurespresentatypicalworkflowusingthe2DCADworkflowandtheBIMworkflow.Themaindifferencesbetweenthetwoworkflowsare: IntheBIMworkflow,thereisnoneedforaDocumentationTeam,sincemostoftheconstruction

documentationinformationisderiveddirectlyfromthecentraldesignmodel.Theprojectteamsmighthavededicatedpersonsfocusingonfinetuningthedocumentation.

TheBIMmanagermustmanageallphasesoftheprojectdesign,decideaboutthenumberandqualificationofpersonnel(HRrole),andmanagecollaborationrelatedtaskswiththeextendeddesignteam.

BIMworkflowdoesnotincludeastandalonevisualizationteam;thepersonnelresponsibleforthistaskarepartofthedesignteam.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 67

TeamandProjectSetup ThelargeofficestructureusingtheBIMworkflowissubdividedinto3teams.Thefirsttwoareworkingonalargeproject,andtheirtasksarecoordinatedbyaprojectdirector.TheprojectdirectorandtheleadersoftheothertwoprojectteamsreporttotheDesignDirector.InthisexampleafulltimeITandBIMManagerassisttheprojectteams.

OrganizationalChartofaLargeOfficeUsingTraditional2DWorkflow68 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

TeamandProjectSetupOrganizationalChartofaLargeOfficeUsingtheBIMWorkflowGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 69

TeamandProjectSetupProjectSetupIdeally,intheprojectsetupphase,youdefine: Theskeletonofyourproject,includingitsstorystructureandthemainNavigatorviewsetsyouwillworkwith. Themaininherentlogicofyourproject,includinglayers,layercombinationsandthewaytheprojectisshared. Themaincommunicationprotocolsyouwillusetocommunicatewiththeinternalandexternalmembersofthe

projectteamandtheclient. Thebasicbuildingblocksyouwillworkwith,includingfavoritesforthebuildingelementsandintelligent

parametricobjectstobeusedintheproject. Themainstructureofyourdocumentation,includingyourLayoutBookandyourpublishingsets.Beforeyoustarttheactualprojectsetupinthesoftwareapplication,youshouldhaveananswertothefollowingquestions:

Whatarethedeliverablesoftheproject? Whattypesofprojectmaterialsanddocumentationareavailabletostarttheprojectwith? Whatarethedrawingstandardstobeused? Whatarethemaindesignprinciplesoftheproject? Whatbuildingmaterialsandstructureswillbeused? AtwhichprojectstagewilltheBIMimplementationstart? Whatarethecommunicationprotocolswiththeconsultants?TheprojectsharingandcollaborationprotocolsinArchiCADshouldbedefinedupontheanswerstothesequestions.70 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

TeamandProjectSetupProjectStructure(Navigator)OneofthemostpowerfulcapabilitiesofArchiCADistheNavigatorPalette,whichprovidesoverviewandcontroloverevenverycomplexprojectstructuresandextensivedocumentationsets.Moreover,thecombineduseofNavigator,HotlinkManager,XrefManagerandDrawingManagerallowtheprojectarchitecttocontinuouslymonitorthestatusofnotonlythemainprojectfilebutalsotheexternalfileslinkedintoit.TheNavigatorservesseveralbasicfunctionsintheprojectworkflow: TheProjectMapallowsnavigationintheBIMmodel. TheViewMapstoresdifferentviewsofthemodelorganizedbyvariouscategories. TheLayoutBookprovidesaccesstotheentireprojectdocumentation. ThePublisheristheprimarytoolforcommunicatingtheBIMprojectdatainprintedandelectronicformat,

includingDXFDWGandPDF.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 71

TeamandProjectSetupModesofArchiCADsProjectNavigator72 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

TeamandProjectSetupLibrariesLibrariesareacrucialpartofArchiCADprojects.ArchiCADisshippedwithanextensivedefaultlibrary,butyoucancreateadditionallibraryobjectstoserveanyimaginableneedofyourproject.Inatypicalarchitecturalfirm,threetypesoflibrariesareused: StandardArchiCADLibraryisthemostcurrentversionoftheArchiCADobjectlibraryorinsomecasesjusta

subsetofit.ThesubsetlibrarycontainsonlythoseelementsofthestandardArchiCADlibrarythatareregularlyusedinthefirm.

OfficeStandardLibraryisacollectionofthoseobjectsthathavebeendevelopedtomeettheofficerequirements.Thislibrarytypicallyincludesannotationelements(e.g.markers,labels,drawingframesetc.)and3Dobjects(e.g.doors,windows,curtainwallsetc.).

ProjectSpecificLibrariesconsistofcustomelementsdevelopedspecificallyforthisproject.Mostoftheseobjectsarecreatedbytheprojectteammembers.

Theabovelibrariescanresideonthecompanyfileserver,BIMServer,orontheteammemberscomputer.Forthebestperformancewesuggestthefollowingstrategyforlibrarystorage: ArchiCADLibraryandOfficeStandardLibrariesareinstalledonthecompanyfileserverorforTeamworkprojects

ontheBIMServer.Librariesarestoredincontainerfileformat(LCF)orasBIMServerLibrariesandusersarenotallowedtomodifythem.OnlyServerAdministratorshavetherighttoupdatethem.

ProjectSpecificLibrariesaretypicallystoredintheprojectfileasembeddedobjects.TeammembershavingtherequiredTeamworkrolesettingscanfreelyedittheseobjects.

StandardArchiCADLibraryTheStandardArchiCADLibraryshouldalwaysbeloadedbydefaultwiththefirmstemplatefile(s)andwitheachproject,asitcontainsalloftherequiredmacrosandnecessarycomponentstomakeallobjectsfunctionproperly.TheArchiCADLibraryshouldbeupdatedcentrallybytheITorBIMmanager,thuswerecommendtostoreitontheBIMserver,asaBIMServerLibrary.ThecentralizedupdateofArchiCADlibrarieswillpreventusersfromloadingoutdatedlibraryversions.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 73

TeamandProjectSetupOfficeStandardLibraryTheOfficeStandardLibraryisdefinedasthelibrarythat,inadditiontotheArchiCADLibrary,willbeloadedwitheachandeveryprojectwithinanoffice.TheOfficeStandardLibrarywillcontainalloftheobjectscreated,editedoradaptedbythefirmasastandardtosuitspecificneeds.LiketheArchiCADLibrary,itisbestiftheOfficeStandardLibraryisaccessedasacontainerfile(LCF)orasaBIMServerLibraryinsteadofinextractedform(GSMobjects);thisdecreasesloadingtime,andmaintainsthelibrarysintegrity.TheBIMManagershoulddetermineaworkableOfficeStandardLibrarybaseduponstaffskills,projecttypesandfirmprovidedservices,andberesponsibleforitsmaintenance.ContentoftheOfficeStandardLibrary: Standardannotations Details TypicalstructuralelementsandfurnitureProjectLibraryTheprojectlibrarycontainsprojectspecificelementsonly.Thesecanbe: Customstairs Customdoorwindowpanels Backgroundimages Textureimages CustommodelelementsusedonlyintheprojectTheProjectSpecificLibraryisdefinedastheindividuallibraryfolderthatiscreatedspecificallyforeachprojectwithinanoffice.Itisincludedwithineveryprojectsdirectory/folderatthetimeitiscreatedandismaintainedasanEmbeddedLibrarytoallowtheeasymodificationoftheobjects.TheProjectSpecificLibraryisthestorehouseforallcustompartscreatedfortheparticularproject,includingtextures,stairs,etc.TheProjectSpecificLibraryiseffectiveinanofficebecauseitgivestheusertheflexibilityofcustomization,whilemaintainingtheintegrityandofficestandardizationcontainedwithintheOfficeStandardLibrary.Oncecreated,custompartscanbeevaluatedastotheirrelevanceforinclusionintotheOfficeStandardLibraryatanytime.74 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityInteroperabilityArchitectsmustcontinuouslysharetheirdesignwithmanyprojectstakeholdersduringthewholeprojectlifecycle.Todaytheyspendmoretimeoncommunicatingtheirdesignintentwithotherprojectparticipantsthanontheiractualdesignwork.Tofurthercomplicatematters,thetypeandthecontentoftherequireddataoftendiffersgreatlydependingonwhowantstouseit.TheBIMmodelprovidestheidealplatformforsharingthebuildingdatainsideandoutsideoftheoffice.IFCandotherfileprotocolsallowtheBIMprogramtocommunicatewithdiverseapplications,suchasstructural,energyanalysisandcollisiondetectionprograms.ThischapterdescribeshowArchiCADsupportsdifferentmeansofcommunicationoutsidethearchitectsoffice.

BIMasaPlatformforCommunicationDesigning,constructingandmaintainingabuildingisusuallyaverycomplexprocessthatrequirestheclosecooperationofseveralpeopleworkingindifferentfields.Thefigurebelowshowsthemanypossibleparticipantsofabuildingproject,includingthebuildingowners,developers,contractors,engineers,facilitymanagersandofcoursethearchitect.Thearchitecthasaveryimportantroleinthishierarchy,sincehe/sheistheonlyonewhocontinuouslyhastoprovidedataaboutthecurrentstatusofthedesignforalltheotherprojectstakeholders.Ifanarchitecturalfirmdoesnotadapttothiscommunicationcentricandcollaborativeworld,itwillslowlybecutoutfrombigprojects.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 75

InteroperabilityTheBIMModelasPlatformforProjectCommunicationTheBIMmethodoffersaveryefficientandautomatedcommunicationplatformforthebuildingindustry.ByusingtheBIMmodelinpractice,thearchitectwillnotbetheonlybeneficiaryofthevirtualproject.Theownerandallthemembersoftheprojectteamalsobenefit.Thekeyisthatthearchitectisthefocusoftheentireprocessandaddssignificantvalueandgetspaidhigherfees!Thisisthenotionofmovingfromafilebasedenvironmenttowardsadatabasedenvironment:whatwecallaBIMproject.76 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityTheBIMmodel,whenimportedintoexternalanalysisprograms,allowsawiderangeofanalyticalactivitiesincludingstructuralanalysis,energyefficiencyanalysisandcodechecking(collisiondetection).Thesetoolshelpminimizetheriskofconstructionanddesignerrors.

FileFormatsOneofthekeyproblemsofbuildinglifecyclemanagementisthatdifferentprojectparticipantsrequiredifferenttypesofinformationfromthearchitect.Datathattheconstructioncompanyneedsarequitedifferentfromthoserequiredtooperateacompletedbuilding.ArchiCADisabletocommunicatewithotherprogramsviaseveralfileformats,suchasIFC,DXFDWGandPDF.

ArchiCADsupportsmanyFileFormatsGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 77

InteroperabilitySharingtheBIMModel:IFCIFCIndustryFoundationClassesisaneutralfileformatthatmakesitpossibletoexchangeinformationbetweendifferentCADsystemsandothersystemsinthebuildingandfacilitymanagementsectors.TheIFClanguageinterpretsthedescriptionsof3Dbuildingmodelelements(suchasslabs,walls,columns,beamsetc.)betweenvarioussoftwareapplicationsduringthedesignprocess.IncomparisontoDXF,whichismerelyagraphicelementformat,IFCfilesalsodefinethefullpropertiesofarchitecturalobjects,suchastheir3Dgeometricalcharacteristics,materialsandtheirrelationshiptootherobjects.TheIFCformatisISOcertifiedandcanbeintegratedintoanyexistingqualityassurancepolicesyourofficemayhave.IFCisdevelopedinpartbytheIAItheInternationalAllianceforInteroperability.

SharingtheBIMModelviaIFC78 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityBuidingSMARTisanallianceoforganizationsdedicatedtobringaboutacoordinatedchangefortheimprovementofproductivityandefficiencyintheconstructionandfacilitiesmanagementindustry.BuildingSMARTpromoteseffectiveinformationexchangeamongallsoftwareplatformsandapplicationsservingtheAEC+FMcommunitybyadoptingBIM.MajorapplicationvendorsinthefieldsofBuildingInformationModeling,Structuralengineering,HVACdesign,thermalanalysis,codechecking,quantitytakeoffandcostestimationhaveallincorporatedIFCcompatibilityintotheirproducts.GRAPHISOFThasplayedanactiverolewithintheBuildingSMARTorganizationsince1996andsupportstheIFCstandard,whichenablesArchiCADtocommunicatewithotherdisciplineswithinthecontextofthebuildingmodel,andtocoordinateabuildingprojectentirelyin3D.ThebuildingmodelcanalsobeexportedbacktoliterallyhundredsofothersystemsthatsupportIFC.IFCbaseddataexchangecanbeenhancedbyusingthesocalledBIMCollaborationFormat(BCF)basedcommunication.BCF,anopenstandardformatofficiallyendorsedbybuildingSMART,isusedbymanystructural,MEPandmodelcheckerprogramstoaddcomments,screenshots,camerapositionand3DcuttingplanestoIFCmodels.Inthisworkflow,youcanassigncommenttopicstoIFCmodelelements.Basedonthese,theotherusercaneasilylocatethereferencedelementsintheIFCmodel.BCFbaseddataexchangeisparticularlysuitedforidentifyingoverlaps(e.g.collisions)whenseveralmodelsfromdifferentapplicationsarecombinedinoneprogram(e.g.ArchiCADoramodelchecker).

Formoreinformation,see:http://www.buildingsmart.com/.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 79

InteroperabilityAdvantagesofUsingIFCThemajoradvantageofusingIFCinsteadofotherfileformatsisthattheBIMinformationispreservedduringthedatatransfer.Forexample,wallswillremainwalls,preservingallthepreviouslyset2Dand3DinformationaftertheIFCfileisopenedinanotherapplication.NotonlydoestheIFCprotocolpreservethefullgeometricdescriptionin3D,butitalsoknowsobjectlocationandrelationships,aswellasalltheproperties(orparameters)ofeachobject.TheIFCbasedcollaborationworkflowfulfillsalltherequirementsofthereferencemodelconceptsusedduring3Dmodelsharingamongdifferentdesigndisciplines,andoffersseveraladvantagesforthearchitecturaldesignfirm: AccessobjectdataforimproveddesignandcoordinationinArchiCADforexample,youcanimportabuilding

serviceengineersHVACductworkorwaterpipinglayoutas3Dobjects. Exportyourdesignforanalysisbyanotherspecialistsuchasathermalanalysisenablingbetterunderstandingof

yourbuildingperformance,oradvancedvisualization. Exportamodelforcosting,estimationbiddingorprocurementtheintegratednatureoftheIFCinformation

makesyourdatabasemorevaluablebecauseyourinformationiseasytoaccessandanalyzebysuchpackagesascostingapplications.80 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityIFCTranslatorsImportingandexportingmodeldatausingIFCtakesplaceaccordingtothesettingsoftheIFCtranslatoryouareusing.ArchiCADprovidespredefined,factorydefaulttranslators,butyoucandefineyourowncustomonesaswell.Predefined(butcustomizable)TranslatorshelpyouapplyIFCmodelexchangesettingsassimplyaspossible,providingoneclickexport/importsolutions.

IFCTranslationSetupGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 81

InteroperabilitySharingDocuments:PDFPDFisaproprietaryfileformatdevelopedbyAdobeSystemsforrepresentingtwodimensionaldocumentsinadeviceindependentandresolutionindependentformat.PDFiscurrentlythemostcommonfileformatforsharingdocumentsontheInternet,sinceitstores2Ddatainacompressedformat.ArchiCADsinternalPDFenginesupportsboththeexportandimportofPDFdocuments,aswellassavingtothePDF/Aarchiveformat.PDFisidealfordesignersandarchitects.ProductdetailsfrommostbuildingelementmanufacturersarenowavailableinPDFformatontheInternet.Thesereadymadedrawingscanbeinserteddirectlyintotheconstructiondocumentationwithasinglemouseclick.ThefollowingfigureshowsthepossibleuseofPDFwithArchiCADprojects:

PDFDocumentInputandOutput82 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityTheEntireDocumentationSetcanbeExportedinPDFFormatfromthePublisherGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 83

InteroperabilitySharingDrawings:DWGDXFDespitetheirincreasedrelianceonmodelbaseddataexchange,architectsandengineersstillrelyoneachothersCADdrawingstouseasareferenceintheirrespectivemodels.DXFandDWGarestillthemostcommon2Ddrawingexchangeformatbetweenarchitectsandconsultants.Exchangingdatabetweendifferentapplicationsisnevereasyandthereisalwaysachancefortranslationerrorsduetotheconceptualdifferencesbetweentheprograms.SinceDWGfilesharingisanecessity,ArchiCADmakesitpossibletocreateconfigurationfiles,whichfilterattributesoffiledataduringconversion.TheseDWGtranslatorscanbeassociatedwithPublisheritemsintheNavigator.ArchiCADsDXF/DWGtranslatorsupportsformatsuptoAutoCAD2010andaccuratelymapslayers,pencolors,fontsandblocks.ArchiCADcanwriteoutDXF/DWGdatathatcontainsbothPaperSpaceandModelSpaceinformationinthesamefile.DXFDWGTranslatorSetupTheDXFDWGtranslatorwilleasethecommunicationbetweenthearchitectandtheotherpartiesduringtheentiredesignprocess.DefininganddevelopingDXFDWGtranslatorfilesrequiresextensiveknowledgeofArchiCADandAutoCADandthecarefulconsiderationofmanycircumstances: ExistingDXFDWGstandardsintheoffice(layers,pens,fills,namingetc.) Requirementsofthepartners(structuraldesigners,engineers,facilitymanagers,buildersetc.) ConceptualdifferencesbetweenArchiCADandAutoCAD GoalsofthetranslationMostofthetime,asingletemplatefilecantfulfillalltheseneeds.WerecommendtheuseoffullycustomizedDWGtranslatorsetsfordifferentpurposes.ToavoidincorrectDWGoutput,thetranslatorshavetobecarefullynamedanddocumentedinthecompanyBIMguidelines,andtherighttranslatorshavetobeassignedtotheDWGpublisheritemsinthestandardtemplatefiles.84 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityUsingDWGDXFFilesinArchiCADTherearethreewaystoincorporateDWG/DXFfilesintoArchiCADProjects.ThefirstistoMergetheDWG/DXFfile.

ArchiCADsSmartMergeFunctionAllowsIntelligentImportofDWGDrawingsThesecondistoAttachtheDWG/DXFfileasanXreffile.ThethirdoneistoplacetheDWG/DXFfileasanExternalDrawing.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 85

InteroperabilityThefollowingtableshowsthedifferencesinthethreemethods:

Merge Xref PlaceasDrawingAttributesCreated?(e.g.Layers,Linetypes,Filltypes)

Yes,createdduringMerge. Yes,createdduringAttachment(Xreflayersareseparatedinthelayerlist).

Noattributescreated.

CreatedAttributesDeleted? Mustbedeletedindividually. WhenDetaching,allattributescanbedeletedinonestep.

Noattributes,nosuchproblem.

IndividuallayersofDWG/DXFfileturnedon/off?

Yes Yes No

CanfilebeplacedinModelViews?

Yes Yes Yes

CanfilebeplacedonLayouts?

Yes No Yes

CanfilehaveitsownPenSet?

No No Yes

Canitselementsbesnappedto?

Yes Yes Yes

Canitsdrawingcontentberesized?

Yes Yes Yes

Contentsincorporatedintoandsavedwiththeproject?

Yes,immediatelybecomespartoftheproject.

Yes,useBindcommandinXrefManagementDialogBox.

Yes,useExplodecommand.86 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityBasedontheabovetable,thesolutionsforthemostcommonscenarios/requirementsare:1) Cleannessofattributes.WhenaDWG/DXFfilesismergedorattached,dozensofattributesmaybecreated.Ifyou

wishtoavoidthat(e.g.longlistofLayersintheLayerSettingsDialog),usethePlaceExternalDrawingmethodinstead.

2) Cleaningupcreatedattributes.TheXrefmethodispreferabletotheMergemethod,becausewhenyouDetachanXreffilefromtheProject,ArchiCADofferstodeleteallattributescomingfromtheXreffileinonestep.

XRefLayersareSeparatedintheArchiCADLayerListGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 87

Interoperability3) AbilitytoturnLayersON/OFFindividually.WhenusingtheMergeorXrefmethods,youcanturntheLayersoftheimportedfilesonandoffindividually.WhenusingthePlaceExternalDrawingmethod,allDWG/DXFdataarehandledasasingleunitandareplacedonasinglelayer.Thedrawingssourcelayersarenotmergedintoyourproject,butyoucanuseDrawingSettingstosetthevisibility(show/hide)oftheDWGssourcelayers.

4) PlacementonLayouts.XreffilescannotbedirectlyplacedontoLayouts,soifyouneedtoplaceDWG/DXFfilesontoLayouts,youshoulduseeithertheMergeorthePlaceExternalDrawingmethod.(YoucanplaceDWG/DXFfilesinModelViewsusinganyofthethreemethods.)

5) UsePenSetfromDWG/DXFfile.IfyouwishtomakethePenSetoftheDWG/DXFfilepartoftheProject,usethePlaceExternalDrawingmethod.ThenyoucansavethePenSetoftheDrawinggeneratedfromtheDWG/DXFfile.

6) MakingDWG/DXFdatapermanentlypartoftheProjectFile.TheMergemethodistheonewhichimmediatelyresultsinDWG/DXFdatabecomingpartoftheProject.AnExternalDrawingmustbeexploded.AsforXreffiles,theBindcommandisrequiredtoachievethesameresult.

SincetherearesomefundamentaldifferencesbetweenthehandlingofattributesinArchiCADandAutoCAD,youhavetopayspecialattentiontotheirtranslation.BeforeimplementingthecompanystandardTranslators,werecommendthatyoutestthemonasamplefilethatincludesallthecompanystandardlayers,fills,linetypesandpentypes.AddingashortdescriptiontoyourTranslatorsisagoodideaiftherearemanyoftheminthecompanytemplatefile.

TranslatorDescription88 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

InteroperabilityReviewingandRedlining:DWFDWF(DesignWebFormat)isanopensecurefileformatfromAutodesk.DWFallowsCADuserstocommunicatedesigninformationanddesignintenttoanyoneneedingtoview,review,orprintdesigninformation.

DWFFileBasedRevisionWorkflowinArchiCADThereareseveralfreeDWFviewersdownloadablefromtheInternetthatcanopenthedocumentssavedinthisformat.ArchiCADcansaveorPublishDWFdocumentsdirectlyfromthePublisher.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 89

InteroperabilityProjectPublishedwithArchiCADReviewer90 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersCoordinationwithEngineersCoordinationofprojecttradesintheBIMofficerequiresintelligentfilteringoftheBIMmodeldataandfindinginconsistenciesandcollisionsintheconsultantswork.ArchiCADofferseffectivesolutionsforbothproblems.TheBIMmodelexchangeviaIFCallowsthearchitecttofindanycollisionsinthe3Dmodelwiththehelpof3rdpartymodelcheckerapplications.ModelcheckersaremostlyusedtofindcollisionsbetweenthestructuralelementsandtheMEPsystems,especiallyinlargeandcomplexbuildingswithextensiveductworkandpipinglayouts.

PreparationofDataforExportPartnerofficesusuallydonotrequirethefullydetailedarchitecturalmodel;asimplifiedmodelissufficient.Forexample,structuralmodelsaresimplifiedversionsofarchitecturalmodels,whichcontainonlytheloadbearingbuildingelementssuchascolumns,beams,slabs,walls,roofs,andtheloadbearing(core)partsofcompositestructures.AnyBuildingMaterialusedasanairgapincomposite/complexelementscanbedefinedaccordingtowhetheritshouldparticipateinCollisionDetection:thisway,onlyelementpartshavingrealgeometrywillparticipateinCollisionDetectioninIFCmodelcheckersandinArchiCAD'sMEPModeler.Ifanarchitectplanstoexchangemodelswithastructuralengineer,he/sheshouldkeeptheserequirementsinmindwhencarryingouttheirdesignwork,tomaketheeventualmodelexchangeeasier.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 91

CoordinationwithEngineersClassificationInArchiCAD,youcanoptionallyassigncertainclassificationstoanystructuralelement.Suchaclassificationassignsspecialparametersandfunctionstotheseelementsforusebyotherapplications:tointerpretdata,tomakemodelstransparent,tolocateelements,forlistingpurposes,etc.Foreachconstructionelement,youmaysetthefollowingthreeClassificationcontrolsintheListingandLabelingpanelofitsSettingsdialogbox:IFCElementTypeFormoreaccuratemodelmapping,youcanclassifyArchiCADelementsbytheirIFCentitytype.WhileeachArchiCADElementTypehasadefaultcounterpartinIFC(whichisusedifyouusetheArchiCADTypeoptionhere),youcanassignanyotherIFCtypetoaparticularelementforexample,ifthereisnospecificArchiCADtoolcorrespondingtotheIFCelementtypeyouwanttomapitto;orifyouhaveusedcertaintoolstomodelelementsofadifferenttype,suchasusingtheSlabtooltomodelaceiling,orusingtheWalltooltomodelacurvedbeam.YoucanalsosearchforelementsbytheirIFCelementtypeclassification,usingthecriteriaoftheFind&Selectdialogbox:forexample,searchforjusttheslabsusedtorepresentceilings.Also,InteractiveElementSchedule(IES)canlistpropertiesandparametersbytheElementClassification.StructuralFunctionStructuralElementorNonStructuralElementIncollaboratingwithpartnerswhoareusingstructuralprograms,youcanexportyourArchiCADmodeltoIFCformat:theStructuralFunctionclassification(assignedinArchiCAD)automaticallyaddstheloadbearingpropertytostructuralelementsintheexportfile.92 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersStructuralFunctionletsyoulimittheexportedIFCmodeltostructuralelementsonly,therebystreamliningthecollaborationprocess.Thisclassificationisusefulforlistingpurposesforexample,youcancalculatethematerialsneededforallstructuralwallsorcolumns,separatelyfrommaterialsofnonstructuralelements.IfyouhaveclassifiedmodelelementsasLoadBearingElement,thenyoucanusethePartialStructureDisplayCoreofLoadBearingElementsOnlyoptiontodisplaythoseelementsonly.

ElementClassificationPositionInteriororExteriorThisclassificationisusefulifyouplantosendanIFCfiletopartners(e.g.energyanalyzers)whoareabletodifferentiateelementsbytheirlocationinthebuilding.WhenyouexporttheArchiCADmodeltoIFCformat,yourmodelelementsthatareclassifiedasInteriororExteriorwillcarrythisinformationtothepartnersapplicationviaIFC.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 93

CoordinationwithEngineersLayerSystemArchiCADslayersystem(LayersandLayerCombinations)canhelpinnarrowingdownthepartsofthemodeltobeexported.Uselayerstogroupelementsconceptually(e.g.structuralelements)andtoseparatethemfromelementsnotneededintheexportedmodel(e.g.furniture).Forexample,youcanchoosefiltersthatwillexportonlyelementslocatedonlayerssettovisible,whileyouhidethelayersoftheelementsyoudonotneedtoexport.

IntelligentLayerCombinationsHelptheDataExchangebetweenProjectTrades94 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersStandardProfilesIfyouexchangedatawithstructuralapplications,usingtheIFCstandard,itcanbehelpfultousestandardelementsasyoursteelprofiledColumnsorBeams.Duringthedataexchangeprocess,numerousstructuralengineeringprogramsareabletorecognizeandidentifysuchstandardelementsaccuratelyandcompletely.

FilteringbyElementRepresentationSincetheexportconsidersthedisplaysettingsofthecurrentexportedview,youcanfurtherfilterthemodelaccordingtotheelementsdisplaystatus:

PartialStructureDisplayArchiCADsPartialStructureDisplayfunctionallowsyoutodisplayorhidethemodelscomplexorcompositecomponents,dependingontheirtypeorclassification.Forexample,whencollaboratingwithotherdesignersorengineers,youmayprefertoignorenonstructuralwalls,andtodisplay/outputonlythestructuralcomponentsofcomplexelements.ThefirstthreeoptionsinthePartialStructureDisplaydialogbox(Documentmenu)displayorhidethecomponentsofcompositeorcomplexelements,dependinguponhowyouhavedefinedthosecomponents.Forexample: ChoosingCoreOnlydisplaysonlytheloadbearingskinofthecomplexorcompositestructures.Thepreferences

ofPartialStructureDisplaycanbesavedseparatelyforeachview. CoreofLoadBearingElementsOnlyconsidersallconstructionelements(notjustcomposite/complex),and

enablesyoutohideanyelementsyouhaveclassifiedasNonLoadBearingElement.(SeeStructuralFunctiononpage92.)ThissettingwilldisplayallelementsclassifiedasLoadBearingorUndefined,andthecompositeandcomplexoneswiththeirCoreonly.GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 95

CoordinationwithEngineers TheVeneerpartofColumnscanbedisplayedorhiddenbyPartialStructureDisplayaccordingtoitstype:Core,FinishorOther.

PartialStructureDisplay

VisualizationArchiCADoffersanumberofvisualizationtoolsthatmakeiteasytofindandviewtheimportedcontentwithinArchiCAD,and,ifneeded,todifferentiateitfromthearchitecturalmodel.LayerDisplayModesTodifferentiateelementsfromtheoriginalArchiCADelements,placethemontoaseparatelayer.(YoucansetArchiCADtodothisautomaticallyaspartofthemergeprocess,usingtheappropriatecontrolofIFCTranslationSetup.In3DViews,youcanuselayersettingstodisplayimportedstructuralandmechanicalelementsdifferentlyfromarchitecturalelements.Forexample,setthe3DViewDisplaymodeofarchitecturallayerstoWireframe,whileapplyingShadingmodeforallimportedelementlayers.96 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersTrace&ReferenceArchiCADsbuiltinTraceReferencefeaturehelpstheuserstovisuallyidentifyanydifferencesbetweentwoviewsorlayouts.Thistoolcanbeusedeffectivelytocomparethearchitecturaldocumentationwiththeconsultantsdrawings.Forexample,createsomeviewsshowingarchitecturalelements,andotherviewsthatshowthestructural/mechanicalelementsonly.Ifyouactivateanarchitecturalview,youcanthenusetheTracefeaturetoviewastructural/mechanicalviewatthesametimedifferentiatedbyhighlightingorcolors,orsplittingtheviewsapartonscreen.

ComparingStructuralandArchitecturalFloorPlanswiththeTraceReferenceGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 97

CoordinationwithEngineersStructuralDesign,AnalysisandProductionAbuildingsarchitecturaldesignanditsphysicalstructurearecloselyinterrelated:ononehand,thearchitecturaldesignofthebuildingdefinesthestructure;ontheotherhand,thestructuraldesignofabuildingreflectstheoverallarchitecturaldesign.Asstructurehasbecomeavisualandaestheticpartofthedesigninmodernarchitecture,structuresmustbeaslightaspossiblewhilemaintainingcompleteintegrity.Also,thestructuremustbeoptimizedforperformanceandprice.ArchiCADprovidessophisticateddesigninformationalongwiththenecessarylevelofmodeldetail.ThisinformationcanbedirectlyimportedthroughIndustryFoundationClasses(IFC)orotherspecialconnectionformatsintospecializedsoftwaretorunstructuralanalysisanddesign.

StructuralAnalysiswithBiDirectionalIFCConnectionIFCallowstheArchiCADmodeltobesharedwithmajorandlocalstructuralsolutionssuchasTeklaStructures,AutodeskRevit,SAP2000,Etabs,SciaEngineer,Dlubal,Graitec,Tricalc,Cype,AxisVM,FEMDesignetc.ForthecompletedescriptionofArchiCADsstructuralsolutionpleaseread:http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/interoperability/structural/.98 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersStructuralApplicationsStructuralapplicationscanbedividedintothefollowingmaincategories: Analysisanddesign(steel,reinforcedconcrete,timberetc.)applicationsTheseapplicationscarryoutanddocumentstaticcalculationsbasedonvarioustechniques(e.g.finiteelementmethod).

StructuralPreparation/ManagementThesecarryoutpreparatorytasksandensuretheconnectionbetweentheanalysisapplicationandthearchitecturalprofession.

Detailers(steel,reinforcedconcrete,precast,etc.)Thesecreatedetailedconstructiondocumentationofthestructureandcommunicatewiththemanufacturers.Someapplicationscoverseveralofthesefunctions.ThisdiagramdescribesthegeneralworkflowfordataexchangebetweenArchiCADandastructuralapplication:

TypesofStructuralApplicationsGRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 99

CoordinationwithEngineersStructuralDesignWorkflowsThemostcompletelevelofinteroperabilityisachievedusinganintelligent3Dmodelconnectionasopposedtoadrawingrepresentationinwhichthebuildingmodelbeingexchangedrepresents3Dstructuralobjects(slabs,walls,columns,beams,windows,roofsetc.),eachwithspecific,definedattributesandproperties.Modelbasedexchangebetweenthearchitectandthestructuralengineercanfollowoneoftwoconcepts: managingareferencemodel;or convertingthemodeltonativeformats.Thereferencemodelconceptensuresthesecurityofthearchitecturalmodelandthestructuralmodelfiles,sinceeachofficeremainsresponsibleforhis/herownmodel.Thus,thestructuralengineerreceivesafilefromthearchitect,butdoesnotmodifyit;he/sheusesthearchitecturalinformationasabasisforbuildinguphisownstructuralmodel.Thisoccursmanually,usingthetoolsofhisownsoftware,butautomaticelementconversionutilitiesalsoexisttospeeduptheprocess.Similarly,thearchitectleavesintactthefilereceivedfromthestructuralengineer,whiletakingintoaccountitssuggestionsformodelingloadbearingelements.Thisway,eachdisciplinesownfileisindependentoftheonereceivedasareference.100 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersArchiCADStructuralWorkflowTheotherapproachtomodelbasedexchangeistoconverttheotherpartysmodelelementsintothenativeformatofonesownapplication.Theconvertedmodelistransformedaccordingtothespecificationsoftherecipient,sotheoriginalversionofthemodelisnotpreserved.Thisapproachismosttypicalofdataexchangebetweenarchitecturalandanalysisprograms.ArchiCADcancombinetheadvantagesofbothapproaches.The3DmodelobtainedfromthestructuralengineerregardlessofthemethodusedtoimportitisalwaystransformedintonativeArchiCADelements.Atthesametime,GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide 101

CoordinationwithEngineersitispossibletousetheimportedelementsasareference,sincetheycanbeautomaticallyplacedontotheirown,protectedlayers(whicharelockedtopreventediting).ThisreferencemodelapproachisalsosupportedbytheMergeandLinkworkflows.Sincetheincomingelementsormodificationsareconvertedintonativeformat,theybecomeanactivepartofthearchitecturalmodel,whileretainingtheirproperties(e.g.material,profile)assignedinthestructuralmodel.

The3Dmodelsexchangedbetweenthearchitecturalandstructuraldisciplinescanbeconsideredinthreecategories: Architecturalmodel Structuralmodel Analysismodel

ModelTypes102 GRAPHISOFTCollaborationGuide

CoordinationwithEngineersThearchitectworksonthearchitecturalmodel,basedonherowndesignandontheclientsrequirements.Alreadyduringthedesignphase,thearchitectshouldkeepinmindthatthemodelwilllaterbeexchangedwithastructuralengineer.Forexample,shecandefinethebuildingelementsstructuralfunction;defineinitialmaterialstobeused;choosecolumnsandbeamswithstandardprofiles;definetheloadbearingcoreofcompositeelements.Inadditiontothispreparatorywork,shecanfilterthemodelsoastonarrowdownthedatatobeexchanged:thisway,onlythestructuralmodel,containingjuststructuralelements,willbeexported.Naturally,thearchitectcanexporttheentirearchitecturalmodel,ifthestructuralengineersprogramiscapableoffilteringandcollectingthemodeldatathathe/sheneedstoworkwith.ExportingastructuralmodelfromArchiCADissufficientfordataexchangewithmoststructuralapplications(themanagementanddetailertypes).However,analysisanddesignsoftwaresrequirethesocalledAnalysismodelinordertoruntheircalculations.TheseapplicationscanoftenconvertthestructuralmodeltoAnalysismodelthemselves,ortheycanusetheAnalysismodelconvertedbyamanagement/deta