Combined view of 3D models in BIM 360 Docs

[Anonymous]

Hey Autodesk.

I have a hard time understanding why it is not possible to get a combined view of my 3D models in the docs section? 

When i have a project team on the site, it is not very helpfull to just be able to see one 3D model on its own. they need to be able to see HVAC combined with ARCH and ING models as an example, when they are on the browser/ipad, just like it is possible in any other platform/viewer that you can get from your competitors on this part. 

At the moment this can and will be a game changer of choosing the platform to continue with on large projects. 

When can i expect this to be possible, or should i go with another software?  

[bogdan_ciobanu]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thank you for participating in our community. My name is Bogdan and I am with Autodesk Technical Support. 

To answer your question, I would tend to say that it is, in a way, out of the product's scope at the moment. BIM 360 Docs (Document Mangement) is meant do manage documents, not models (3D models, clashes and everything that comes with that).

Plus, we already have BIM 360 Glue (classic), Model Coordination (Next Gen Glue, if you want) and Design Collaboration for cloud work shared models, that have this functionality. 

If you would like, you could send an improvement request to our Product Management team on the BIM 360 Ideas website. 

I hope this was helpful. If my post answered your question, thank you for accepting it as a solution so that other users can see it and benefit from it. 

Best regards,

Bogdan

[anil_mistry]

Hi @Anonymous,

I'm just checking in to see if you need more help with this. Did the suggestion that @bogdan_ciobanu provided work for you?

If so, please click Accept as Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.

Thank you and have a great day!

[Anonymous]

Dear @bogdan_ciobanu

It seems very weird for me that a "document management system" in a next generation platform, that have 3D view funktionality, comments, markups etc. dont have the possibility or feature to view the projects 3D models together in a view. It has nothing to do with the clash control or design collaberation, only a question about being able to see a project for all stakeholders. At the moment everyone would need a Glue license to have this funktionality, and that is not an option. 

In my opinion this should be standard in the 360 Docs. All your competitors on this front can deliver this type of feature. 

It can and in alot of cases will be a game changer for the project to use 360 or not. 

[Anonymous]

Dear @anil_mistry

No it didnt help anything, only made my concerns worse about using BIM 360 docs as the central platform for my future projects. 

If this issue is not solved in the near future, i will be forced to use a different provider that enables this funktionality. 

[bogdan_ciobanu]

Hi @Anonymous

We will make sure to pass your concerns to our product management team and I really hope we will not have to see you leave. 

At the same time, you could also reach out to our team by uploading an idea on the BIM 360 Ideas dashboard. You should know that the site is constantly monitored by our product managers and lots of ideas get implemented. 

Thank you!

Best regards,

Bogdan

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous 

Try uploading a linked model. Here is a link to a quick video. Let me know if this is what you are were looking for. 

[Anonymous]

If i need to upload a linked model, i need to download all 40 IFC files, to connect them in Navisworks, and then upload again. the IFC often seems to look different and with flaws, that dosent make it work proberly. And i didnt want an extra workflow just for people to be able to see the project as a whole. This should be standard in a BIM world. Not impressed so far that this is not working. should be 1st prio on a BIM platform. 

[jrfrost]

Has this progressed at all? I am trying to accomplish the same thing. I want to see all of the other linked Revit files within one model in BIM360.

[Chad-Smith]

We are in the same situation. As a builder, we need combined/federated models on iPads out on site. And doing so without using Navisworks, or downloading and uploading as a Linked Upload. e.g. We need real time mobile device federation.

There's a few points to make here:

• I object to hearing that Docs is not for models. As far as Docs is concerned, a model is a document.
• Compounding the issue is that ACC/B360 is a fragmented platform. The moment you say that you have to put documents in here, which are shared over there, and then you must federate it in a third location, you've now broken any semblance of cohesiveness in workflows.
• Made worse, only Docs is accessible on the mobile app. Not Model Coordination or Design Collaboration. So what's the intended scope of the modules, now or in the future? Should Docs as a mobile-enabled module receive the functionality to federate models, or should Model Coordination receive mobile-enabled functionality?

What's the actual workflow behind the marketed narrative?

[kevinthickett]

In Project Files

We make a federated model that has all the other models linked into it and use the "upload with links" function.
In the publish set we include an overall federated view, plus various saved views by discipline etc as needed. It's working quite well except for the load speed (our building is 1.5km long so there's quite a lot of model).
In Plans
Pretty much the same thing - include the views you want in the publish set along with the sheets & use upload with links.
Note
Nested links are not a thing in BIM360, everything needs to be direct linked into the host model. 

[mmclean4U7JV]

@kevinthickett This is what I am doing,

1) Federated Model, (blank revit model)

2) link in all model disciplines,

3) setup the 3d views by discipline as needed, then "publish with links".

BUT there's a caveat to this solution. The Issues Addin doesn't work in Revit as it is a separate model and coordination space to the standalone models. It doesn't speak to each other.. Very annoying!

Item #2 Also to add, sending out  clash issues to the assigned person is another problem. If a consultant clicks on the issue, it only opens 1 Model because it loads towards the viewer in "Document Management" and not "Model Coordination", what's the go with that?????!!!

Item #3 There's Coordination Issues and Clash Issues, these are located in document management, put these into the "Model Coordination" module with 2 new tabs titled "Clash Issues" and "Design Issues" or something alike. This means it can easily seen in the same module.

Having to explain to people who are not BIM 360 literate, go to this module for part a, and go to this module for part B is tiring!

It's like what @Chad-Smith said, this is so fragmented...

[Chad-Smith]

I think it's worth updating this topic that the 'Save to Docs' feature was released in ACC towards the end of last year.

This is not available to BIM 360.

COORD Help | Save Views to Autodesk Docs | Autodesk

When used in conjunction with the Model Browser Filtering, you can at least start creating some custom federated models, without leaving the platform, and which is available on mobile.

A shame it's not on BIM 360, but it is a step forward.