Navisworks, Revit, QTO, Max

BIM for Construction

Scott D Davis
S6-2

Course Summary:
In this class, we will first take a look at existing industry challenges and trends in the construction
industry. Then the discussion will focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and what it means for
contractors and general contractors. Next, we will discuss the value of BIM for construction and why it's
important to your business. After covering some customer success stories and hearing how contractors are
accomplishing more with BIM, we will conclude with how to get started in BIM for Construction, and
demonstrate the Autodesk software solutions for you.

Instructor:
Scott D. Davis is an AEC Technical Specialist with Autodesk, Inc., and specializes in Revit Architecture and
building information modeling (BIM). Since joining Autodesk in March 2007, he has been active in promoting
BIM around the country at events including the AIA Convention and Green Build International Conference and
Expo. He has taught classes on BIM and Autodesk Revit at Autodesk University and at AUGI CAD Camps,
and was the founder of the Revit Users Group Inland Empire. Prior to joining Autodesk, Scott was a Project
Manager and the Technology Coordinator at WLC Architects, Inc, in Rancho Cucamonga, California. At WLC,
Scott was responsible for bringing BIM to the firm, first discovering Revit in April of 2000. He was responsible
for the firm-wide implementation of Revit for over 100 users across 3 offices. Scott’s BIM portfolio includes the
Child Development Center at Long Beach City College and the Silverado Ninth Grade Campus for Victor
Valley Union High School District.

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AUTODESK®
REVIT® ARCHITECTURE

AUTODESK®
REVIT® MEP
AUTODESK®
REVIT® STRUCTURE

AUTOCAD®
CIVIL 3D®

AUTODESK®
QUANTITY TAKEOFF

AUTODESK®
3DS MAX® DESIGN

AUTODESK®
NAVISWORKS® MANAGE

The Autodesk portfolio offers a comprehensive set of tools to

address the challenges faced by today’s Construction industry.

Reap the rewards of more accurate estimations created in less

time and comprehensive construction analysis that lead to better Leverage the Building
coordinated, and smoother running construction projects. Information Modeling
process to accurately
• Use Revit MEP and/or Revit Architecture and/or Revit estimate, spatially
Structure to develop detailed models for accurate coordinate, and simulate
estimation and in depth construction analysis. construction projects, to
differentiate your business
• Use Quantity Takeoff for early bid quantification of 2D from the competition and
designs, and full model takeoff as a result of the Building ensure you win new
Information Modeling process. business.

• Use Navisworks software products to analyze and

simulate the construction model while the project
remains digital.
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LEVERAGING THE POWER OF BIM

These are challenging times for the construction industry. With fewer construction starts due to
projects being cancelled or put on hold, the playing field is a lot more competitive. Construction firms
are a looking for ways to differentiate themselves and to do more with less – fewer resources, lower
fees, and smaller budgets.

New business can be won by demonstrating competence and inspiring confidence through
conceptual modeling, visualization, and thorough initial estimating, while assuring yourself that you
can build the project at the bid submitted.

Autodesk tools can be used to create the conceptual building information model (BIM) and
communicate the design intent, while inherently providing the data for early estimating.

INITIAL 2D TAKEOFF

Although a number of architects are starting to provide building information models, cost estimators
are often required to perform takeoffs based on 2D design data, or high quality digital images from
the design. For this reason, Autodesk Quantity Takeoff has a full set of intuitive manual takeoff tools,
enabling you to perform on screen takeoff of design data such as walls, doors and windows.

Even when there is no intelligence behind the files being used - that is, 2D files and images
containing lines and arcs with no concept of scale or the objects they represent – with Autodesk
Quantity Takeoff (QTO) you can manually measure an object of known dimensions and use this to
set the scale of the project files. All linear and area takeoffs are then automatically calculated and
recorded in the correct scale.

So let’s focus on some of the manual takeoff tools available to you. When quantifying the number of
doors on a project for example, you need a means of marking each door as you count them – if you
had all of your sheets printed out, then you’d likely be using different colored pens and symbols to
classify each door type and keep track of the count as you work through the sheets. QTO offers this
same takeoff method in a digital format, allowing you to quickly count and track items within the sheet.
Again colors and symbols can be chosen for each object type, and these are automatically tracked,
so each count on the sheet directly corresponds to an item in the Takeoff palette. These can easily be
grouped and organized exactly how you want them, and any mistakes can be quickly rectified by
dragging and dropping an item from one group into another, with QTO re-assigning the relevant
Takeoff symbol.

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When quantifying walls for example, tools are available for you to perform linear takeoffs with a single
click – although these 2D sheets have no object intelligence, QTO can recognize individual lines, and
as we setup the scale earlier merely clicking on a line representing a wall provides you with an
accurate length. The takeoff group can be renamed to identify the object type and if required,
additional properties can be assigned, including details of the objects construction. For example, you
may wish to calculate the number of studs and gypsum boards required for each section of wall, and
the total number for the project – all of which can be easily calculated from the takeoff.

When taking off areas such as flooring, QTO provides tools to quickly mark out and calculate the area.
This is particularly efficient when quantifying the area of non-uniform spaces, such as open plan office
areas and corridors. Again, colors can be used to identify different areas, along with standard hatch
patterns.

While carrying out the quantification, the Workbook is also being built out, providing another view of
the building components. The workbook allows you to add initial cost information against each takeoff
group, including material and labor costs, or flat fee subcontractor costs as and when they’re
available. Reports can be generated directly from QTO, and quantities can be exported to Microsoft
Excel.

CREATING A DESIGN INTENT MODEL

While there are several ways to leverage 2D designs to inform the construction process, trends
indicate that more and more designers are creating 3D models… and with good reason.

3D Models:

Dramatically speed up the quantification process that informs estimating.

Enable better coordination when aggregating designs across several disciplines for the purpose of
clash detection

Improve communication of design intent through visualization tools

Creating a 3D model isn’t that difficult, especially when you have existing DWG data.

We’ll start by importing a number 2D DWGs into the model that was created using AutoCAD. We’ll
focus on defining the floors of the building for the next couple of minutes. In this case, the DWG base
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plans provide a vital input to the Building Information Modeling process. Revit understands the DWG
line work and allows the architect to snap intelligent real world building components directly to the line
work. This makes modeling a snap!

At this point during the modeling process, we’re working towards a lightweight model. As such, we
will only focus on the major design components, such as exterior walls, openings, windows, doors,
floors, and roofs. The goal is to describe the key components. As we go through multiple iterations
of this model for the course of this demonstration, we’ll continue to make updates - based on findings
through quantification, material assignment, clash detection, and phasing. Ultimate, this process will
allow us to transition from this design intent model to a model that will ultimately inform every aspect
of the construction process.

MODEL QUANTIFICATION AND ESTIMATION

With the availability of a Building Information Model, Autodesk Quantity Takeoff (QTO) enables you to
spend even less time counting and measuring, and more time focusing on creating your estimate.

In this example we’ll start by using a UniFormat catalog to organize the takeoff. We’ll also use a DWF
file exported directly from the Design Intent model. A DWF file exported from Revit can not only
contain the 3D model, but also the associated 2D sheets.

Due to the intelligence inherent in the model through BIM, QTO can automatically search through this
information and takeoff the entire model at the click of a button. Furthermore, as the 2D sheets are
associated with the model, QTO cross-references these for all taken off items. The power of this is
seen when reviewing the Takeoff palette, as each item may be presented in a number of views, that
is, the model view and each 2D sheet that contains the selected item.

An incredibly easy to use, drag and drop interface enables you to move the takeoff items into the
catalog structure you’re using. And all the while, the Workbook continues to build up with information.
For example, looking at these 4 7/8” Partition Walls, while the model takeoff identified and recorded
each instance of this wall type, QTO is also accumulating and presenting you with the total footage,
something that would traditionally have taken hours or days to calculate, along with removing the risk
of human error.

All of this is possible due to modeling building components that know what they are – not simply a
solid object that represents a wall, for example, but an element that knows it’s a wall, knows it’s

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dimensions, and how it’s constructed, and so on. This is the power of BIM, and how it takes QTO to
the next level.

But it doesn’t end there. Autodesk have partnered with a number of estimating solutions such as
Sage Estimating, MC2, and RIB whose integration with QTO enable you to export your takeoff into
those estimating packages. Let’s take a closer look at the QTO to Sage Estimating workflow, as an
example:

When integrating with Sage Estimating, QTO enables you to import a catalog of items and
assemblies from Estimating. You can then associate elements from the model with the items and
assemblies in Estimating. Once the associations are made, it’s a matter of one click to export the
quantities and dimensions from QTO and create a new estimate in Estimating.

So let’s start with the same TRAPELO_DESIGN_INTENT.dwf file, though rather than using the
UniFormat catalog, we’ll import a catalog from Sage Estimating. The integration plug-in provides
access to an existing estimate file (*.pee) if you use template estimate files for example, or the entire
database (PEI.dat) from anywhere on the machine or network.

Having made your selection, you have the ability to filter your selection of assemblies and items. So
when importing a database as in this example, you have control over which items and assemblies
you wish to include. QTO remembers your selection and applies the same level of filtering the next
time you open this database, saving you from repeating this operation each time.

As with UniFormat, the catalog is available from within the Takeoff palette, and the model structure is
seen in the Model palette. You can select a group of elements in the model and hide everything else
to make it easier to see what you’re taking off.

Using the Takeoff to Item option, you can map the element type directly to a specific item or assembly
within the catalog. QTO then takes that item off and assigns all 278 instances of the wall, in this
example, directly to the corresponding catalog item. This provides a more methodical workflow as
opposed to the one-click model takeoff and subsequent drag-and-drop catalog restructuring.

Having assigned the wall type to an assembly, you can then define how QTO should quantify that
item, whether it should be a count, or quantified by volume, area, or in this case, linear. You’re also
presented with additional Catalog Parameters – values that are required to create an accurate
estimate. These default variables and units auto-populate, based upon the selected assembly, and
you need to map these variables to the quantities or attributes from the wall object type (in this
example). A Formula Editor is available to either select the relevant attribute/property, such as Length
or Height. Alternatively, if an attribute doesn’t exist the Formula Editor allows you to calculate a value
from other known attributes.
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Now that these variables are mapped to the relevant model attributes, when you look at the
properties for each wall you can see the quantities associated with each dimension, for example the
linked Length and Height. When this wall is generated in the estimate, these are the values that will
be quantified in the assembly.

These quantities can be exported to Estimating. This is not an export / import integration – when you
export from QTO it actually performs the takeoff and creates an estimate which can be opened and
reviewed within Estimating.

The best way to review the estimate created by QTO is to use the Review Assemblies mode within
Estimating. You can see how each wall within the model has created a pass in the assembly takeoff,
and further the specific quantities that populated the variable entries.

As you click through the different passes, you can see the Length and Height of each wall are
populated with the specific quantities from the model.

Therefore, by using Autodesk’s Revit platform for BIM, object quantities (doors, windows, walls, etc.)
and dimensions are stored within the model, which can be extracted using QTO for use within
Estimating. Simply drag and drop the model elements to the estimating database for a simple one-
time integration setup. Once this mapping is completed, it’s stored within QTO for use on subsequent
projects. Exporting this data to Estimating provides a fast, accurate and automated process for
creating cost estimates.

THE BIDDING PROCESS

At the bidding stage, BIM can be used to set a baseline for the estimations, verifying the quantities for
initial estimates and validating the bid data received from subcontractors.

Autodesk tools - such as the Revit family of products and Civil 3D - can be used to develop the
conceptual model of design intent, into a construction model. This stage of the modeling process
adds the level of detail necessary to analyze the constructability of the project, including splitting
columns into levels, and floor slabs into individual pours, for example.

Sharing the BIM with bidding subcontractors, in a CAD-neutral format (NWD or DWF for viewing in
Navisworks Freedom or Design Review), provides them with greater project understanding and better
insight into the building design, which fosters collaboration and more accurate bid submittal.

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Autodesk Quantity Takeoff can further be used to take measurements, areas and quantities from the
construction model, allowing exact square footage of certain materials for example, to be sent out to
subcontractors to obtain accurate cost validation. This allows for continuous cost control to help stay
within the budget.

BIM MODEL AGGREGATION

Large construction projects can involve any number of stakeholders, from the owner, to the design
team, to the general contractor and specialist subcontractors. The design software being used can be
similarly diverse. Sharing models between stakeholders can therefore be of limited value without a
seat of the authoring software, therefore often relying on 2D drawings as a common means for
communicating intent.

Navisworks replaces this outdated means of communication by allowing models from various design
applications to be integrated within the same scene. This intuitive environment allows all involved to
share a common project vision, making it easier to see how their part of the project fits within the
overall design. This aids understanding and fosters a better collaborative relationship between
stakeholders.

The project seen here has been modeled in AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit Architecture, Revit Structure
and Revit MEP. As the project progresses and specialist trades develop their own construction
documentation - using whichever design application is appropriate to their industry and workflow -
Navisworks allows those designs to be combined with the overall project model. The complex models
created through the Building Information Modeling process can result in large file sizes. However,
Navisworks’ innovative technology compresses these files for interactive visualization and smooth
real-time walk-through, so you can navigate, explore, and review large, complex 3D models on
standard PC’s. Furthermore, you can realize the value of BIM projects without requiring seats of the
authoring design applications and the necessary skills to use such software. The integrated project
can be distributed in the highly compressed and secure Navisworks NWD format, providing access to
the model and associated building information using the free viewer, Navisworks Freedom.

COORDINATION AND SCHEDULING

In construction, coordination and scheduling is the combination of logistical planning and continued
development of the constructability model, all focused on understanding the relationship to the build
schedule.

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With multiple disciplines and subcontractors working on a project, it’s important to coordinate these
during the pre-construction phase, to minimize the risk caused by RFI’s and change orders that occur
on-site. Identifying issues and making changes to the designs is quicker, easier and more cost
effective when compared to on-site changes. And when using Autodesk tools such as Revit, any
changes to address coordination issues are automatically propagated throughout the model and
associated views, maintaining an accurate representation of the project. Changes in the design files
are similarly reflected automatically in the Navisworks project file (*.NWF). Greater confidence in the
coordination of disciplines additionally allows for more off-site fabrication, which lead to further cost
savings and an increase in quality.

Construction planners can leverage the BIM to simulate the project schedule. Autodesk tools such as
Navisworks can integrate with complementary scheduling software, including Primavera, ASTA and
Microsoft Project. This allows planners to continue using the scheduling software they’re familiar with
and then tie that schedule information to the data rich model. The result is a 4D sequence of the
schedule which allows you to visualize the construction process, providing the opportunity to play out
‘what if?’ scenarios; present alternative construction methods; plan and visualize lay-down areas,
material drops, and other logistics for the entire site; perform safety and risk reviews virtually before
the build begins; and influence public outreach.

SPATIAL COORDINATION AND CLASH DETECTION

Building Information Modeling presents the opportunity to spatially coordinate all of the different
project disciplines. And although there may be additional overheads in creating these models, the
benefits of fully coordinated designs includes confidence that everything will fit together, allowing for
more off-site fabrication and on-site installation; fewer on-site RFI’s and resultant change orders,
which leads to fewer project delays; and ultimately reduced risk. The Navisworks Clash Detective
feature realizes this potential and demonstrates one of the real powers of BIM in construction.

Clash Detective works by looking for issues between specific groups of model objects, or disciplines.
The idea being that you define a test looking for issues where you might expect to find them, based
on past experiences for example, and Navisworks will do the hard work of searching through the
complete project model, identifying any issues. This is quicker and more accurate than the traditional
manual method of looking over plotted drawings on light boxes.

As the model is rich with building information (created in the authoring design application), you can
use this data to define search sets, which identify groups of like construction components, such as all
of the structural components on the first floor, for example. Basing clash tests on these sets means

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that you do not need to track model changes and modifications, as the test will always be performed
on the most up-to-date version of the model files.

All navigation tools and various display options are available to allow you to better understand the
clash, and clearly see the issue within the context of its surroundings. This makes it easier to review
and decide on the best course of action required to resolve the issue, while clash status levels help to
manage the results list.

Communicating the necessary changes can either be done through a published version of the
Navisworks model, or through a report such as HTML. The report contains details of the performed
test as well as each result. This includes details of the clashing items, the source file name, any
associated comments that have been added, and also a screenshot of the issue. This allows the
responsible design team to locate the item in the original design application, understand what the
issue is, and make the necessary changes.

Once the design file is replaced with the modified version, opening the Navisworks file will load in the
latest version and the clash test can be updated. Navisworks re-runs the test against the up-to-date
project model, and will automatically update the result statuses if the changes have resolved the
issues. It’s also worth noting that Navisworks will also identify any new clashes that result from the
design modifications.

Navisworks can also be used to find duplicate geometry or test for clearances. Duplicate geometry
may result from modeling errors, and are important to find when taking quantities and calculating
estimates from the dataset. Clearance tests differ from Hard clash tests in that rather than looking for
physical intersections between objects you looking for instances where an object comes within a
specific distance of another object. An example of this would be checking for adequate clearance
around a piping system in order to insulate it.

Sectioning tools can be used to help see issues more clearly. Occasionally you will be able to see
that an object in the model is involved in multiple clashes. Rather than treating these as separate
clashes, you can automatically group them together in order to treat them as a single issue, which
aids clash management and saves time, while maintaining an audit of all clashes found.

Measurement tools are available to understand the distances between objects, including a feature
which calculates the closest position of two selected objects. This may be useful when objects run in
different planes, for example, where a clearance issue may only be at a specific point where the
objects cross, and may therefore be discounted.

I mentioned earlier that by defining clash tests using search sets keeps the tests up-to-date. There’s
an additional benefit to this too – as the tests are based on property information, then they are not
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tied to any particular model. Navisworks allows you to export the clash tests so that they can be
imported into other projects that may not take the same architectural form, but follow a similar
construction ‘recipe’ – that’s to say they contain similar construction components.

PROJECT SCHEDULING AND 4D SEQUENCING

The traditional visualization of a construction schedule is the Gantt chart, however when you’re
dealing with thousands of construction tasks it’s difficult to see how they all impact each other.
Especially if you wish to see what effect a delay in task X has on tasks Y and Z, and the subsequent
knock-on effects.

Construction planners are currently using applications such as Primavera Project Management,
ASTA Powerproject, or Microsoft Project to create their schedules, and functionality exists within
those applications to carry out ‘What If?’ scenarios. Through BIM you can now take this further,
bringing the project schedule into a digital reality. Utilizing the 3D models created as part of the BIM
process and the existing construction schedule, the two can be united in Navisworks to create a 4D
sequence (where 4D = 3D + Time).

The models created through BIM are incredibly detailed, and the rich property information they inherit
make it easier to group objects that are to be constructed together, for example all of the first floor
columns, or structural framing. And by creating a construction model, you can model building
components in the way that they’ll be built. Take floor slabs for example. Traditionally a floor slab
would be modeled as a single object, though in reality it will be constructed from several sections, or
pours. When creating a construction model from a conceptual model, floor slabs are one example
where objects can be split up to reflect a greater level of reality. These objects and groups in the
construction model can then be assigned to the corresponding task in the schedule. When the
sequence is played back you see a simulation of the building’s construction. This allows you to
visualize the construction process, identify areas of conflict between disciplines, or areas of
congestion on the project site, and provides the opportunity to adjust and fine-tune the schedule.

The 4D sequence can also include staging of materials, positioning and movement of cranes, vehicle
access, and so on, allowing you to experience the entire construction process.

Once the schedule has been linked with the model, you can quickly and easily synchronize with
modifications in the schedule, and simulate various ‘What If?’ scenarios. This provides construction
planners with more time to optimize the schedule, giving confidence that the building can be built to
this schedule, and helping you to manage risk and avoid costly on-site delays.

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The Navisworks simulation can be played, paused, and reviewed at various stages throughout the
project, and viewed from multiple vantage points. Simulations can also be exported as rendered
movies which can be used for client presentations, or in helping raise public awareness and
acceptance.

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE

The life of models created through the BIM process does not necessarily end once the build is
complete. As these models accurately represent the as-built project, owner operators have the
opportunity to repurpose this data during the build, and throughout the life of the building. For
example, if the project is residential apartments, then the BIM could be used for marketing
visualizations, or to allow potential clients to experience their apartment before it’s built. During the
operation of a building, the BIM could be used for facilities management or asset management, by
integrating the model to specific database-driven systems. From a maintenance perspective,
inspection reports and digital images for example, could be linked to the relevant assets within the
model.

EXTERNAL DATA LINKING FOR OWNER OPERATORS

Through the adoption of this BIM for construction process, you have an additional opportunity to set
yourself apart from the competition. When the finished building is handed over, you’re also handing
over a consistent, coordinated set of construction documentation, and a data-rich 3D Navisworks
model that faithfully represents the as-built building. Owner operators can extend the use of this
model into their operations and maintenance, asset management or facilities management processes.

Every object in the model has a unique identifier, which allows for it to be tracked within an external
data source. This could be as simple as tying desks in the model to an employee database, or tying
equipment to an asset management system.

The Navisworks interface is intuitive and easy to use, and requires no CAD skills, so is ideal for this
purpose. The visual nature of the building also makes it familiar and understandable to non-technical
users, making it suitable for facilities management.

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From a maintenance perspective, an issue with a boiler for example, could be tagged within the
Navisworks model, storing a viewpoint of the particular boiler and comments regarding the issue. You
could even take a digital picture of the issue and keep a record of it by linking it to the object in the
model. This can then be tracked regularly to see if the issue worsens, until remedial action is required.

These are just a few examples of the way that the model can continue to be used long after
construction has finished. And through the API (Application Programming Interface), Navisworks can
be further customized to fit into more complex O&M processes, with the digital model at its center.

CONCLUSION

While architects and architectural engineering firms are adopting Autodesk BIM solutions for design,
the power of BIM can be truly leveraged in construction. Autodesk Revit products can be used to
efficiently create accurate, data-rich models from 2D designs. These facilitate Estimators to use
Autodesk Quantity Takeoff, and spend less time counting, and more time estimating; Construction
Managers can better manage risk by using Autodesk Navisworks Manage to digitally coordinate
disparate project disciplines before work begins on-site; Construction Planners can use Autodesk
Navisworks Simulate for 4D sequencing in order to visualize the construction site and optimize the
construction schedule; and finally Owner Operators can use Autodesk Navisworks Review to link the
model to their operations and maintenance systems.

These Autodesk BIM solutions can not only help you to manage the entire construction process, they
also allow you to set your business apart from the competition – demonstrating your competence,
providing confidence in your estimation, and ultimately helping you to win new, and repeat business.

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