BIM360 Docs to A360 Viewer

[Anonymous]

How do I share a BIM360 Design model for someone to view on an A360 Viewer (app or web)?

Background: I'm trying to see how the migration from C4R/360 Team to BIM360 Design/Docs will change our workflow. We are a small design firm that uses C4R every day for traveling Revit users, and we currently don't collaborate with other firms that use Revit. We do use periodically publish to 360 Team at milestones and send share links to clients, so they can view the model on their iPad or iPhone using the A360 Viewer. Clients appreciated the password protected links as well.

So now we are being forced to migrate to BIM360 Docs starting Revit 2019, fine. The C4R function seems about the same, fine. The collaborate shared models with other teams seems nice, but we won't use that feature. However, I can't seem to find a way to go from BIM360 Docs to A360 viewer. It was so easy in 360 Team, now I have no idea how to share with clients using a basic non-industry viewer. We rely on that feature. Help!

[Anonymous]

Okay, I think I have it. Can someone please confirm: So I can upload my Revit models to A360/BIM360 Team using the web browser still. The share feature works the same for that. So now I need to manually upload my models to there and share with clients rather than a simple publish from within Revit?

Seems like there is no combining platforms as advertised. The C4R component now just is easier to work with BIM360 Docs for industry coordination, and more manual for outside coordination. Whereas before it was easier to distribute to outside parties, and more manual for industry coordination. While I concede more people may use the industry coordination feature, it's more from changing the focus from one to the other, rather than a consolidation of features like Autodesk touts. Is my understanding correct?

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'm confused again. BIM 360 Team (formerly A360 Team) is being discontinued?!?! I get that I apparently will have legacy usage for as long as we renew, but that is not comforting. How will we share with non-industry people, like clients? What will happen to the A360 Viewer?

Specifically, I want to share with clients so they can view and zoom around our Revit model without them needing a BIM360 account. 

[Anonymous]

The website for BIM360 says "One app. Period." 

I looked on the Apple App Store, there is a BIM360 app, BIM360 Docs app, BIM360 Team app, and BIM360 Field, Ops and Fusion apps. That's in addition to the previous A360 Viewer app. 

BIM360 and BIM360 Docs seem like they have the same files with a different UI. BIM360 Team and the old A360 access the same files. 

[AdamPeter]

Hi @Anonymous  Within BIM 360 Docs (after you've published) you can share your file similar to what you did in BIM 360 Team.  The Caveat here is that in BIM 360 Team I don't believe the people you shared the link with needed to be part of the project in order to see just the one file you shared, where in BIM 360 Docs I believe they need to be invited into the project.  You can chose to give them View-Only Access however so that they don't have the ability to open the model and modify it. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@AdamPeter 

Thank you for the suggestion. It has prompted me to report on my findings after posting this thread, hopefully to help others in my situation. Be warned, this is a long post.

First, I’ll commend Autodesk support for their follow up. They did reach out to me privately a couple weeks ago to try to resolve the question I posted. However, like your suggestion, they gave solutions that did not completely address my question. The question was workflow from BIM360 Docs to A360 Viewer, not how to use the features of BIM360.

I believe their answers seemed like a “run-around” because the short answer is that my way of using the software is no longer supported. There is a new platform that does different things in different ways. I don’t know if Autodesk is hesitant to admit this due to marketing, or simply because that answer is not helpful; suggestions for an alternate, somewhat similar workflow is more positive and constructive. What is frustrating is that this approach feels like it neglects to acknowledge the drawbacks of the new method.

Second, I do not begrudge a software company for evolving their products. There will always be grumbles regarding change, and I don’t want to be the dinosaur that resists progress. My major frustration is with how this suite of applications is being rolled out. It is confusing, and there is very little documentation or online support that clearly tells us users what is going on. Therefore, I’m going to explain my understanding of the situation below, in a way that I can make sense of it. Much of it could be wrong, but I guess that’s the point.

My understanding:

• There are now 2 Autodesk online collaboration platforms: BIM360 Team (old and previously called A360) and BIM360 Docs (new).
• The two platforms are separate and cannot access each other.
• The Revit component for BIM360 Team was called Collaboration for Revit (C4R).
  • A C4R subscription included BIM360 Team.
  • With C4R, Revit can directly link to BIM360 Team through Revit 2018.
  • You can no longer link to BIM360 Team starting with Revit 2019.
• The Revit component form BIM360 Docs is part of the BIM360 Design subscription package.
  • A BIM360 Design subscription includes BIM360 Docs.
  • With BIM360 Design, Revit can directly link to BIM360 Docs starting with Revit 2018.3.
  • You can only link to BIM360 Docs starting with Revit 2019.

 Sharing on BIM360 Team (old platform) was simple, free, and had limited capability. Autodesk said lots of users gave input that the platform’s limitations were enough to change the entire platform. I maintain that those simple features are ideal to share models with non-construction industry collaborators, especially Owners, municipalities, HOA’s, and landscape designers.

• The BIM360 Team workflow to share: Revit (w/ C4R subscription) Publish > Share from BIM360 Team
• Features of sharing from BIM360 Team:
  • Shared via web link
  • Viewable on any internet browser or A360 app
  • Do not need any Autodesk subscription to view
  • Web link to view can be password protected
  • Limited control of graphics
  • Limited mark-up capability

Sharing on BIM360 Docs (new platform) is much more complicated involved, but that makes it more robust. The main item that Autodesk seems proud to have addressed is allowing various levels of access. With BIM360 Team (old platform), there was only one option to publish for users not using C4R, and everyone had access to the same published model. It was all or nothing. With BIM360 Docs (new platform), team members with correct permissions can access either the “live” model that is being worked on, or a “published” model updated periodically. Viewers of the model can also decide whether to view the newest “published” model or not, depending on where they are in the process. Basically, BIM360 Docs allows collaborators on both ends to decide how static they want the collaboration, because instant updates can be either helpful, or difficult to work with ever changing conditions.

• BIM360 Design workflow to share: Revit (w/ BIM360 Design subscription) Publish > Share from BIM360 Docs
• Features of share from BIM360 Docs
  • Shared via access to BIM360 portal
  • Viewable online through BIM360 portal or BIM360 app
  • Requires BIM360 subscription, plus assigned access in BIM 360 Docs to view
  • Permission levels to control access
  • Robust mark-up capability

In conclusion, starting in Revit 2019, I will need to manually upload the Revit model to BIM360 Team in order to view it on the A360 Viewer. This is the actual answer to my original question.

However, if there is no direct link to BIM360 Team in Revit 2019, and Autodesk is no longer selling new BIM360 Team subscriptions, what will happen to the old platform in the future? Autodesk tries to assure us that we can keep using BIM360 Team if we already have it and keep paying our subscription. But clearly the platform is being phased out, so it behooves those who use it to rely on it to find a different way of working, one that isn’t reliant on software that is no longer supported.

Ultimately, I would like to see some of the simple features from BIM360 Team incorporated into the new BIM360 platform. Autodesk’s actual solution for sharing with clients appears to be leaning into Revit Live. While Revit Live has a lot to offer, it is also more complicated, adds extra steps for the architect, the “shareable” takes more memory, is greater in size and requires the installation of the Revit Live program, meaning it is less “shareable.” (I have yet to successfully create a stand-alone .exe from Revit Live, although that is supposed to help with the last complaint).

Lastly, I do want to gripe about the naming and grouping of the BIM360 products and apps. It is flat out confusing. Most of the time, it is hard to have a conversation about what is going on just because people end up calling something the wrong thing. Take, for example, this post from the BIM360 forum:

It is clear to me that there are distinctions in what Kyle is describing, he gets it, but I’m like, okay … wait, what? I believe you, but I still don’t fully get it.

Also, let me address the app thing. Below is a screenshot from the 'BIM360 Design' page, saying we only need one app, period. It describes it as the 'BIM360 app', but has an icon of a 'BIM360 Docs' app.

This might not be a problem if there was actually only one app … but look at the BIM360 apps that I downloaded and tell me seriously that it’s clear what their saying.

[markus_briglmeir · Accepted solution]

Hi Austin,

I understand your confusion you expressed in your posts regarding the changes that are happening, and especially the name changes of course didn’t make it easy to follow.

Definitely, and as you laid out correctly, BIM 360 Docs is the future, common document management base for an entire project lifecycle. Various modules for Design Collaboration, Model Coordination or Quality management will sit on this one common base, and allow a seamless workflow through project phases, without the down- and uploads you describe.

For sure there are differences to other solutions, like A360 viewer as you mentioned, and we hope to do the right investments to address the most important open requirements first.

So please keep on posting your feedback here, and ideas on idea station. The Product Team is always open for them and striving to improve our solutions.

Best regards,

Markus

[rdonaireDUJ68]

Hi all, 

I have a question. It is possible to share a bim360 model with an external partner who does not have an autodesk 360 account, it would be shared only for visualization and design opinion. Share with him directly from Bim360 , becasuse there is an option downloading the bim model and the uploading in to autodesk viewer sending to him the link, but this option waste a lot of time..

Thanks

[Adrian_Possamai]

Hello, today we have the same problem! But that actually isn't a problem because the BIM Collaborate platform (as it is now called) is made to collaborate only with licensed people or with trial versions. I believe it is Autodesk's commercial strategy. As you yourself commented, to send preview-only links (without being able to download the model) is via Autodesk Viewer or through Autodesk Forge!

If you have an active license of BIM Collaborate (BIM Docs) you are entitled to use the Forge tool without additional Subscription costs (credit costs only).
today we are starting app to automate this sharing but it is still in early stage of development.

Hope this helps.