In industrial and infrastructure projects, where dozens of subsystems are concentrated — ventilation, electricity, pipes, cable trays, automation, fire-fighting solutions — it all comes down to one thing: control and predictability. But where Revit and Navisworks work in the design and coordination phase, Autodesk Tandem takes on the role of a "live" digital twin — especially when it comes to tracing complex systems.
What do we have in practice?
At a typical facility — say, a cement plant or a logistics hub — we have tens of thousands of elements. Some of them — pipes, air ducts, trays — are laid in confined spaces, pass through technical rooms, safety zones, and often change heights and directions. The model in Revit may look perfect, but in reality, the key question is: how exactly does the system work? And is it possible to track it from start to finish?
Tandem is a new level of tracing
Autodesk Tandem allows you not only to view the model, but also to interactively work with the logic of systems: from node to node, by objects that are logically related to each other, and not just geometrically. An engineer does not need to manually track the pipe route in Revit or view dozens of sheets — Tandem allows you to build chains, from source to consumer.
How does it work?
Import from ACC: The model comes from the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) environment.
Data Mapping: elements receive attributes — for example, system, diameter, material, service areas.
Digital logic: Based on attributes, you can build logical connections — for example, "this air duct is connected to ventilation unit X and supplies air to room Y."
Trace: Tandem visualizes the route of the system, allows you to highlight it in the context of the model, filter it by parameters, and — importantly — document changes.
Why is it really?
Technical audit: when commissioning a facility or when accepting a construction queue, tracing in Tandem allows you to quickly check the actual connections.
Integration with Operation Systems: Data from Tandem can be integrated with facility management systems.
Preparation for renovation or renovation: knowing where each system takes place, without having to "open the walls".
Real cases
We use Tandem for complex areas with a high density of engineering — in particular, where there are many intersections and level changes. For example, the section between the heating station and the distribution unit with 7 parallel engineering systems. Tandem allows you to quickly and accurately verify the route, compare it with drawings, and most importantly, fix it as it is.
Conclusion
Tandem is not another model viewer. This is the digital context for the engineer, operator and technical audit specialist. When the complexity of systems increases, you need not just a visualization tool, but a smart tracing tool, and Tandem is right here.
Note: This article is written and published in Ukrainian and is a translated version of the original published here.
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