Help Me, Help You
"Customization…? Really…? I just want to use this product out-of-the-box the way Autodesk sold it to me." Let’s face it, if you’re getting into Autodesk® Revit® Structure, you are customizing it one way or another. You’re in the trenches, putting out fires, helping with overall team collaboration, and meeting deadlines by doing things you never knew you could. You don’t mess around!
Figure 1
If you’ve been aboard this “Revit Train” you know how it has changed since it first got on the tracks around 10 years ago. Aside from the technical improvements to the software and its compatibility with other virtual building tools, the true changes are how it forced people to interact with these tools and how they collaborate with each other. Chances are that you will either fall in the boat of a “designer” (Adam) or a “general contractor” (Kaushal). Since no design or general contractor firm operates the same way as their competition, the importance of collaboration and the process of sharing technical information drives us to customize our interactive needs. We will be sharing a few thoughts on customization and what we feel are some of the most important driving forces behind our current virtual building passion as a designer and builder. Allow us to provide a glimpse of what this designer and contractor interaction looks like (or should look like).
Importance of Pre-Planning
(Kaushal’s email to Adam)
“Hi Adam, I just found out that we will be working together on the local higher education project. As you know, we were recently selected by the owner as the preferred builder and realize that significant production on the 3D model has already commenced. With our role as the general contractor, I would really like to capture all the current BIM progress and understand where we are in design so we can implement the BIM Execution Plan that I have been working on. Please let me know your thoughts and let’s get on the same page with utilizing BIM on this project.”
(Adam, thinking)
Great! We just hired this construction company and they already want to start directing us how they want us to model things. I wonder how many things I will have to redo for this diva?
(Adam responding to Kaushal’s email)
“Hi Kaushal, thank you for reaching out to me. Yes we do have a 3D Revit Structural model already started with significant progress. What were your thoughts on aligning our expectations for the BIM Execution Plan?”
We’re all guilty of it and you know that! Although it may seem innocent in the initial email exchange above (and aside from just pure exchange of contact information), there are hidden reasons behind why this interaction takes place. Builders almost always have this impression that the 3D model they will get from the designer won’t be useful and that rework will be involved. Designers, on the other hand, will almost always have the impression that they will be forced to increase the level of development (LOD)* in the model so that they are not showing too much detail when it comes time to print the sheets for formal agency review.
Break it Down
Now we’ve just talked about a whole bunch of very important things here. Not sure if you realized, but we’ve just touched on constructability, level of development, rework (which may possibly result in fee erosion), and opportunities for prefabrication.
Figure 2: Sequencing, Means & Methods, and Shop Drawings with Revit Structure. Could we embed more into our concrete families?
One of the primary responsibilities for a designer is to ensure they are able to produce an aesthetically appealing design that meets the client’s spatial and program requirements while also meeting code compliance. Within that responsibility, the hesitation to increase LOD on modeled objects usually comes from the responsibility to meet formal agency approval requirements. Which means that when a job captain hits “print,” the 2D drawings will look appropriate and have a better chance for approval. (It has to look a certain way so the outcome of the formal agency review has minimal chance of receiving the dreaded stamp “Revise and Resubmit.” Dumbing down an intelligent 3D design to a unintelligent/flat 2D design just doesn’t make sense to me. But yeah, we can easily go on that tangent for hours. Unfortunately not today, though J).
The other main concern for a designer is that before the contractor was brought on board, they had a negotiated fee for the services they were going to provide to the client. When being asked by the contractor to deviate from that initial plan (on which the initial fee was based) this rework will result in fee erosion that the designer may not be able to recover. (Fee erosion in the sense that you can’t bill for added rework so now the balance comes out of your fee.)
Switching to the Builder Side Now
When a builder begins the new job (depending on at what stage of design they are brought in), their interest in the 3D model relies truly on its reusability for the primary purpose of construction. A few things that go through a builder’s mind are systems coordination, constructability, quantity analysis, and the possibility for prefabrication to name a few.
The main concern here is that prior to the procurement of a steel trade partner, builders want to know that if they pull a quantity schedule out of Revit Structure that the tonnage of steel is reflected appropriately. In other words, did the designer model this properly and utilize the correct steel families? When a quantity schedule is created, are the quantities correct and accurately reflected in the construction cost estimate to the owner?
3D models these days can be used for a wide variety of things and be customized for industry standards, preconstruction and constructability coordination, customized families for modeling efficiency or specialty equipment, and facility management on the building operations side. For example, utilizing the simple function of “visibility graphics” settings in Revit Structure may alleviate initial fears of designers and contractors when it comes to managing what actually gets printed for formal agency review. Settings can be customized to only show what is required for agency review and hide the non-essential (contractor specific) information. As a suggestion, utilizing a LOD matrix to define 3D model development during the various stages and utilizing a BIM Execution Plan to align expectations between all parties is a best practice to ensure everyone is on the same page and able to meet each other’s individual needs.
So what have we learned, boys and girls? Let’s pre-plan this puppy so that the sooner we have these conversations, the sooner we can address each of our needs and concerns.
Figure 3: So you’re telling me my local SIPS representative has Revit Structure Families available? Yah they do! Go check out Autodesk Seek and download some Revit Structure Families! http://seek.autodesk.com/manufacturer/Insulfoam
Data Management
But I thought that only managers customize Revit Structure. So if we're all customizing Revit Structure together, shouldn’t we all help each other in managing it? Jay Zallan shares some good points on BIM Process Management in his July 2014 AUGIWORLD article, “BIM Management Preamble.” As he explains, it's important that all team members know and keep the end goals in mind. Jay also stresses the importance of the BIM Kickoff meetings in which the team goes over the project’s BIM requirements. Usually by this time it may be too late for your input, but look into these supporting documents for your company. Begin to understand and maybe assist with its development. As your team gains experience and learns more about the various BIM services (documenting the knowledge and sharing with the organization) your virtual building requirements checklist can be customized to include additional services. This document ensures that design and contractor teams contribute to an LOD (at an agreed upon time/date/phase so as not to impact the construction schedule. Hence, the importance of BIM Execution Plans).
It is important to note that with any data (not just BIM data), the best practice in data management is proper stewardship and quality of the data; more important than just the raw data quantity. I am not sure who said this, but think of the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If you don’t manage how you are customizing your Revit Structure data and how it’s bringing value by affecting the “big picture” of construction, you are setting yourself up for rework, then lost time, then fee erosion, blah, blah, blah… You get the picture.
The quick lesson here is that we need to manage the quality of our data and our stewardship. I’ll let Jay’s July 2014 article do all the talking on this one.
“Hold up! Wait for me, guys! I don’t really have the time to ‘customize.’ I mean, with my day job of getting $%# done, I now have to think about how this affects the contractor?”
Let Me Say This… Why Reinvent the Wheel?
Have you asked any of your project team members for help? If you are on some non-negotiated/hard-bid job where everyone is out for themselves, chances are that you may not get the help. But on the flip side, there is also a good chance that you are on a project that is very collaborative (design-build or integrated project delivery) where you have the chance to share ideas and customized techniques to truly invent something really cool and unique. Sometimes proprietary information on projects with strict non-disclosure agreements keeps us from sharing information. But most of the time, this is not the case and just raising your hand and asking specific questions will lead to the right dialog to break down collaboration-resistant silos.
Some of the things that can help with managing your capacity may be as simple as adopting a standard that fits your needs or creating standards within your own organization and customizing your workflows. A great article in AUGIWORLD October 2011 by Ibrahim Hakki titled "Codeless Revit Customization" explains “you don't need to be a programmer to customize Revit Structure.” The author provides a great overview of “out-of-the-box” items that can be customized for any team (view templates, pre-created schedules, and so on.). It may be difficult to proactively prepare for every design scenario and customize Revit Structure for it. On the other hand, you can’t give up and not pre-plan altogether either.
Figure 4: One thing we can look into is the benefit of driving our BIM with "Shared Parameters," which utilize Excel. Look into these supporting documents for your company. And because you can have more than one shared parameter text file in a project, brainstorm possible design guidelines (and maybe start your own)
Aside from your standard AIA or Associate General Contractors of America (AGC) standards, you will realize from working on similar projects that utilizing similar materials (wood, concrete, steel, and masonry) typical details will start to emerge. Think of ways to capture those “typical” scenarios and also realize how those details sit with your local agency approvers. Meaning, if you know for sure that a certain detail works and is buildable, and also that it usually receives little to no redline comments from your local approving authority, that detail is a good candidate for your organization’s library. Architects, engineers, subcontractors, and manufacturers all have preferences on how things should be done and understanding how it comes together on a specific project will help reduce the capacity issue of producing something new each and every time.
Another big sore spot on this topic is software compatibility. Why can’t everyone just use Revit (Architecture, Structure, MEP)? Why can’t the mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection (MEPF) guys just use Revit MEP and make this whole thing simple? Everyone has their own software in a project because they have a specific need downstream. Take the mechanical guys, for example. The primary reason they design/model in AutoCAD is because their fabrication system relies on it. Try to truly understand when exactly they need to be in CAD or Revit MEP and how you can help them with their requirement of tying back into their fabrication system. Because at the end of the day, they will be prefabricating from whatever 3D models they produce. Lastly, to help with your capacity challenge if you are able to figure out this workflow and see how you can “live link” others models versus “incrementally updating” them, you will be able to better communicate with each other. In other words, use Revit “links” to add to our model and not “import” geometry. (No more sending emails and waiting two days for a response.) Revit Structure 2015 now allows you to link in IFC files. (This could help with generating those concrete shop drawings with up-to-date last minute changes from the steel subcontractor that could possibly affect your work.)
Figure 5: The new IFC Link tool to link an IFC file directly to Revit Structure
Also realize that your 3D model’s life will not stop when the design is complete. Just because you hit 100 percent construction documents and hit “print” doesn’t mean that you are done and that the 3D model is useless from that point on.
Your 3D Model Will be Reviewed by Everyone!
OSHPD (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, a safety review department for healthcare construction in California (http://www.oshpd.ca.gov), has been requesting an engineer’s structural analysis model for years and reviewing the design decisions. Retailers such as Target are realizing the benefits of utilizing Revit Structure and virtual building as a whole in inventive ways to help with all sorts of creative data analysis. 3D models combined with embedded formulas and shared parameters help with pushing those limits.
Once again, boys and girls, what did we learn here? Your capacity challenge may not be as bad if you just ask the right questions. Adapting to standards or figuring out similarities in your day-to-day workflows will help reduce starting from scratch every time you start a new job.
Pay It Forward
Pay it forward when it comes to virtual building and knowledge. Often lessons learned on past projects are not shared or easily available such that in a knowledge-sharing scenario, folks with the most passion have no time to collaborate effectively, or are confined to a cubicle. Get outside the walls of your office or cubicle and go to more job walks, and talk to the trade partners who do this day in and day out. You may have the creative design, but those are guys who put it into place. And if your typical details constantly get changed because it can’t be built, guess what. It’s time to change it and the trade partners can help with that.
So help me, help you. What does that really mean? Seriously? Are you really asking that question after all that we covered here? (Just kidding! J)
What it really means is that we need to help each other and open the doors of collaboration between the design and construction teams. Using customized means and methods, if someone is taking care of this for you, then thank them! Keeping in-house family libraries up-to-date with the latest and greatest out-of-the-box families can be a chore depending on the size and complexity of customization (and probably many other factors that I do not wish upon anyone). This will absorb someone’s time for sure. But after realizing the efficiencies and similarities in these processes you can start to automate and streamline daily workflows.
* The Level of Development (LOD) matrix (as developed by AIA or the Associated General Contractors BIMForum) is typically used to monitor model progression throughout the project design lifecycle. It’s not uncommon on projects to be asked by a contractor, “What LOD do you want my model?” or “Do we have a BIM Execution Plan?” These are all very important and necessary things on complex construction projects.
