• SolidCAD expands partnership with Chaos, now offering Enscape – a leading visualization tool for design firms worldwide.

    Posted on by Daniella Delgado

    TORONTO, ON – June 27, 2023 – SolidCAD, a prominent Autodesk Platinum partner and professional services firm based in Canada, is delighted to announce its expansion of the Chaos product line with Enscape, which provides industry-leading real-time visualization workflows for architects. In 2022, Enscape merged with Chaos, forming a powerhouse in 3D visualization and design workflow technology. Together, the combined entity focuses on developing cutting-edge 3D visualization solutions for clients in diverse industries such as architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and media and entertainment.

    By joining forces, Chaos and Enscape are committed to bolstering their product lineup, aiming to offer customers a comprehensive end-to-end visualization solution worldwide. SolidCAD is thrilled to incorporate another visualization tool into their offerings, alongside Chaos’ existing portfolio of V-Ray products and Corona. This expansion will greatly benefit SolidCAD’s customers in North America, empowering them to elevate and reimagine the way they bring their designs to life, from concept to construction.

    “SolidCAD has always put the goals and needs of our customers first,” Marcus Tateishi, President at SolidCAD states. “We want to help our clients overcome visualization challenges and deliver exceptional outcomes. By adding Enscape to our portfolio, we can help our clients translate their design concepts into captivating visualizations, and drive success in the AECO space. We are particularly excited to announce that we will be able to support customers across North America, in primarily Canada and the U.S. This will be an advantage to firms with offices in both countries, enabling quality professional services and customer success experiences.”

    “SolidCAD has been an exceptional Chaos partner for over a decade, helping us bring the best 3D visualization software to North America” Kalin Vasilev, Channel Manager for Chaos states. “With the merger of Enscape and Chaos, we are excited to collaborate with SolidCAD on this new chapter of our partnership. Together, we are committed to offering the most comprehensive end-to-end 3D visualization ecosystem to design professionals in Canada and the United States.”

    Join SolidCAD for an overview webinar on July 25 at 10:30 am PT/1:30 pm ET to learn more about the capabilities of Enscape. Register here.

    About Enscape

    Enscape is a high-quality real-time rendering, visualization, and virtual reality software that integrates design and visualization workflows into one. Enscape gives designers the power to create realistic renderings based on their existing planning data and easily produce videos, panoramic images, and VR simulations. Enscape software is compatible with Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad, and Vectorworks and is used by renowned architecture firms in over 150 countries.

    www.enscape3d.com

    About Chaos

    In 2022 Enscape merged with Chaos to create a global leader in 3D visualization and design workflow technology.

    The newly-combined company, which retains the name Chaos, develops 3D visualization technology for architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and media and entertainment. Creating intuitive and powerful workflows for participants across the entire design spectrum, Chaos aims to develop and strengthen its product portfolio to create a comprehensive end-to-end visualization ecosystem designed to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

    The company’s product portfolio includes V-Ray, a physically based renderer honored with an Academy Award and an Engineering Emmy; Enscape, a high-quality real-time rendering, and virtual reality plugin; Corona, a high-performance photorealistic rendering engine; and Cylindo, a 3D furniture product visualization platform for commerce.

    Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, Chaos is the largest global 3D visualization company with more than 700 employees and offices worldwide.

    www.chaos.com

    Doing more with Location Codes and the Location View in AutoCAD Electrical

    Posted on by admin

    A feature that is sometimes overlooked when working with AutoCAD Electrical, is the “Location Code”. This field shown on Figure 1, and can be found inside the edit component window inside the schematic or panel footprints.

    The Location Code can be used to help us better organize our drawings, specially when we are working with large projects that can contain dozens of drawings and hundreds of components.

    Figure 1

    By making sure that we use the location code in all our components, it helps us create more precise “Reports”, like a Bill of Material for a specific location, and it gives us more control on how we manage and explore our drawings by using the “Location View”.

    When we are creating any kind of report, we have the option to select specific “Location Codes to Extract” as seen in Figure 2. This will help us narrow down the report to only the components that have been to be used in that specific location, helping us create a more precise report that focuses in only the components that we need to see instead of all the components of a specific drawing or project.

    Figure 2
    Figure 3

    Another useful tool that is rarely used with AutoCAD Electrical, is the “Location View” that becomes useful only when you start using location codes as part of your components.

    The Location View can be found inside the Project Manager and its grouped as follows: project name > installation code > names of the locations.

    In Figure 3 we can see an example of a project called “Module 04”, no installation code (depicted as questions marks), then all the available location codes used in that project. From here we see that above the “CABINET” location we have a location named (??), which indicates that there are schematic components that do not have been assigned a location code.

    From this Location View we can also expand any of the existing locations so we can see all the components that have been assigned to that specific location. We also have the ability to “Surf” and navigate to that specific component directly from this tab making it easier to search and find any specific components directly from this view. The surf command is also available for all the components labeled as (??) so we can navigate to where they are located inside our drawings and proceed to assign a specific location, until all the components have a location code.

    For more information on AutoCAD Electrical, contact us today!

    Flow and Pressure Drop Calculations Available in MEP Fabrication Elements

    Posted on by admin

    Have you noticed in Revit you have to choose between ducting and piping that supports flow propagation OR ductwork that is modelled for the intent of fabrication?

    In the 2024 release of Revit, Autodesk has made great improvements related to the fluid flow within fabrication elements, getting us one step closer to the single tool for both design and construction.

    Using Ductwork as an example I will show you the new functionality and point to some of the benefits of each approach to modeling in Revit MEP.

    Figure 1. Design and Fabrication Ductwork Interchanging

    Figure 1. Design and Fabrication Ductwork Interchanging

    One of the limitations of Fabrication Ductwork since its introduction to Revit in version 2016 has been that, once placed or converted from Design to Fabrication, you lose the design data within the model. No Flow values passed from the Air Terminals, Plumbing Fixtures, Equipment etc into the Fabrication elements. This meant that when the model was passed from the design consultant to the contractor – and they made the change to fabrication parts to enable them to export data out to a cutting table or spooler – they would have to manually calculate future changes in flow values to make sure the ducts were ideally sized.

    This differs to the design elements, where the flow, duct size, fluid velocity would all be visible within the design elements, making a change to the ducts dimensions immediately shows up with changes to the velocity, as would a change to the flow value of a downstream connected element.

    In Revit 2024, Fabrication MEP elements now show all of the same information as the design elements:

    For some reason they have neglected to include the simple Duct/Pipe Sizing tool for MEP Fabrication Ductwork, but you can get around this with a ductulator, or some simple Dynamo:

    Just kidding (on the simple bit), let me know if you want the Dynamo File, Its by no means complete, but it does some basic sizing of Rectangular MEP Fabrication Ductwork based on velocity, flow and cross sectional area.

    Another limitation is that the System Color Schemes do not show up for Fabrication elements, when you place a System Color Scheme into a view to show the Duct Velocity for example, you will see something similar to the below with Design Duct:

    But it has no effect on MEP Fabrication Ducts in the view… So while Design Duct has some knowledge of which systems are passing through it, MEP Fabrication Ductwork would seem to not have been made privy to this information.

    So how do we get MEP Fabrication Ductwork showing the flow value from connected Air Terminals in Revit MEP? Follow these steps in Revit 2024:

    1. Open Revit 2024.

    2. Start a new project based on the new Metric Multi-discipline template.

    3. On the Systems Ribbon Tab, Fabrication Panel, click the Fabrication Part tool.

    4. Click Settings in the lower right corner of the MEP Fabrication Parts palette.

    5. Select the ‘Fabrication Metric 8.0’ Fabrication configuration.

    6. Scroll down the unloaded services until you see the ‘HVAC: General Supply’ service, select it and click the Add button to move it to the Loaded Services column.

    7. Click OK to exit the Fabrication Settings dialog.

    8. On the Systems Ribbon Tab, HVAC Panel, click the Air Terminal tool.

    9. Open the L1 – Mechanical view.

    10. Select the ‘M_Supply Diffuser : 600 x 600 Face 300 x 300 Connection’ Family Type in the Type Selector and place it at an elevation of 2400 from L1.

    11. On the MEP Fabrication Parts palette, select the ‘Multi-Point Routing’ tool.

    12. Click on the top center of the placed Air Terminal.

    13. Set the Middle elevation in the properties to 3200.

    14. Continue to place more MEP Fabrication Ductwork, or finish the command.

    15. Select the Air Terminal and note the Flow value on the Options Bar.

    16. Select a piece of the connected MEP Fabrication Ductwork and note in the Mechanical – Flow properties there is a Flow value that matches the flow from the connected elements.

    To learn more about Revit, feel free to contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    The Benefits of Accruent Meridian

    Posted on by admin

    How the SolidCAD Meridian Team Can Help You!

    What is Accruent Meridian?

    Accruent Meridian is a software solution that helps organizations manage their document (Agreements, Compliance, Contracts, Drawings, Financial, Insurance, Plans) needs throughout their entire lifecycle. It is designed to streamline document management, ensure safety and compliance, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset (equipment) information.

    But is it the right software for your needs?

    In this blog post, we will explore some of the benefits and how the SolidCAD Meridian Team can help you implement, configure, manage, and troubleshoot Accruent Meridian software for its best uses.

    Benefits of Accruent Meridian

    Purpose-built for engineering document management: Unlike generic document management systems, Accruent Meridian software is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of engineering document management. It creates a single source of truth for all engineering documents and drawings with audit and version control functionality. It supports parallel changes, concurrent engineering, release management, handover management to internal and external stakeholders, and more. It provides regulatory compliance and reduced risks and costs associated incomplete or outdated data. It also integrates with popular CAD applications and other enterprise systems1.

    Cloud-based or on-premises deployment options: Accruent Meridian software offers flexible deployment options to suit different preferences and requirements. You can choose to host the software on your own servers or use the cloud-based version that is fully managed by Accruent.  The cloud-based version lowers infrastructure costs, reduces IT burden, and provides world-class security2.

    Built-in asset management: Accruent Meridian software not only manages documents, but also links them to physical assets. This enables you to access relevant documents from any asset location, view asset history and status, and perform asset maintenance and inspections. You can also leverage IoT remote monitoring to track asset performance and optimize operations1.

     

    Scalable and configurable: Accruent Meridian software can handle large volumes of documents and users without compromising performance or usability. It integrates with most major EAM systems and allows maintenance teams to access accurate documentation at click of a button. It can also be configured to meet your specific business processes, workflows, and standards. You can customize metadata properties, document types, user roles, permissions, notifications, reports, and more3.

     

    How the SolidCAD Meridian Team can Help You

    Learning curve: Accruent Meridian software is a powerful and complex solution that may require training and guidance to use effectively.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    Migration challenges: If you are switching from another document management system to Accruent Meridian software, you may face some challenges in migrating your existing data and documents. You will need to ensure that your data is compatible, consistent, and complete before importing it into the new system. You will also need to map your old metadata properties and document types to the new ones.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    • Create a data migration strategy and plan to define the scope, objectives, risks, and timeline of the project.
    • Audit and cleanse the source data to ensure its quality, accuracy, and completeness.
    • Map document type and metadata fields between source and Meridian and resolve conflicts and inconsistencies.
    • Design and implement the data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process using specific tools and techniques.
    • Test and validate the migrated data to ensure integrity, functionality, and performance.
    • Monitor and troubleshoot any errors or issues throughout and after the data migration.
    • Document and report the data migration results and outcomes.

    Cost: Accruent Meridian software is not a cheap solution. It is an enterprise-grade software that comes with a price tag that reflects its value and capabilities. The cost of the software depends on various factors such as the number of users, licenses, modules, features, deployment options, support levels, etc.

    How can the SolidCAD Meridian Team Help You:

    • Scope of Work: Assist in streamlining the size and complexity of your Meridian implementation:
      • Features
      • Integrations
      • Number of Users
      • Deployment Model (Cloud or on-premise)
    • Infrastructure Model: Cost effective and efficient way to host, store and manage Meridian.
      • Dedicated Servers
      • Cloud Services
      • Hybrid Solutions
    • Professional Management: The Meridian implementation and management is not a one-time event. Meridian will need regular updates and maintenance, let the SolidCAD team lower the:
      • Management Costs
      • Headaches
      • Testing
      • Security
      • Future Updates and Maintenance
      • Changing Needs
      • Advancements 

    Industries using Accruent Meridian:

    • Manufacturing
    • Oil & Gas
    • Chemical
    • Pharmaceutical
    • Utilities
    • Infrastructure
    • Government
    • Engineering

    Conclusion:

    Accruent Meridian software is a comprehensive solution for document management that can help you streamline your processes, ensure compliance and safety, maximize collaboration, and achieve a single source of asset information.

     

    To learn more about Accruent Meridian and how it can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian team.

    Civil 3D: Property Set List Bug

    Posted on by admin

    There exists a defect in Civil 3D where a property set list cannot be added to a label style. Read on to find out how to overcome this bug in 3 easy steps.

    Property sets can be defined to add metadata to any Civil 3D object. In this example, structures can be assigned a class selected from a list.

    Normally, these property set data can be easily added to labels. Property set lists, however, are problematic. Note that only the Temp property can be inserted into the label style.

    Here is what can be done to fix this.

    1) There needs to be a non-list property that can be assigned first. In this case, the Temp Add it to the label style.

    2) Copy the “code” from the editor and past it into a Notepad document and change the name of the property to the name given to the List property. In this case Class.

    3) Copy this edited Notepad text and paste it into the label style editor.

    Complete.

    To learn more about Civil 3D, feel free to contact us.

    Streamlining File Sharing in Autodesk Construction Cloud: Exploring Three Effective Methods

    Posted on by admin

    Efficient file sharing is crucial for seamless collaboration in construction projects. In the realm of Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), users have access to powerful tools and features that facilitate the sharing of files among team members and stakeholders. In this blog post, we will delve into three effective methods for sharing files within ACC, namely the Design Collaboration approach, utilizing Transmittals, and leveraging the Sharing feature in Docs. By understanding these methods, construction professionals can optimize their file sharing workflows and enhance project collaboration.

    There are three primary methods available within Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) for sharing files effectively. Let’s explore each method and understand how they can be utilized to streamline collaboration and ensure smooth information exchange in construction projects.

    The first of the three Design Collaboration methods in ACC offers a structured approach to sharing files, allowing for comprehensive review and coordination among consultants before files are consumed. This method minimizes risks and ensures all parties involved have the opportunity to review and confirm the files before proceeding.

    To create a new package in Design Collaboration, navigate to the top center tab and expand the timelines. Clicking on the “+” symbol at the end of your company’s timeline will initiate the creation of a new package. Within the package, you can rename the package and add and review sets which contains 2D and 3D views, as well as any models and relevant project documentation such as PDFs, Excel, and Word files.

    By clicking “Share” in the top right corner, the new package appears as a circle on the timeline, indicating its availability. Other consultants can access the package, review the files, and click “Consume” to gain access to them. This method ensures that files are securely copied from the package to the shared folder, ready to be reviewed by those consultants.

    Once the reviewed, consultants can click “Consume” at the top right of the screen. The act of consuming the package also fills in the circle on the timeline, providing a visual indication that they now have access to those files. As files are consumed, they are securely copied from the shared folder to your team’s consumed folder and are ready to be linked into your project.

    Method 2 adds a bit of risk compared to the first method as we are removing the step where the consultant reviews the documents and consumes the package. With this method, a package is created, and the files are copied to the Shared folder in the background. Instead of consuming the package, users are granted permission to view the Shared folder directly, allowing them to link files from this location rather than from the consumed folder. While this method offers more direct access to the files, it may pose challenges in terms of document control and coordination, as there is no opportunity to review documents involved.

    Method 3 removes all safeguards and provides immediate access to live work-in-progress models and their updates. This method requires us to grant users permission to view other team folders, enabling real-time access to evolving models. However, it is important to note that this method is not recommended as it lacks the ability to review changes before files are linked into another team’s model. It may lead to potential rework or working in response to changes that are about to be altered, impacting project efficiency.

     

    ACC‘s Transmittals feature provides a formal way to share files with other team members, enabling efficient tracking of sent and received files. By utilizing transmittals, project members can maintain better control over file exchanges and communication.

    To work with transmittals, we will navigate to transmittals on the left side of the screen under Docs. From there, select “Create Transmittal” to initiate the process. Choose the files you wish to include and customize the transmittal by adding a title, specifying recipients, and including a custom message. Additionally, you have the option to adjust view permissions, allowing transparency regarding the transmittal recipients. Additional files can be added at anytime prior to sending the transmittal.

    Every transmittal is assigned a unique ID and keeps track of the sender, recipient, and time of transmission. Furthermore, each transmittal includes the ability to download the files and generates a report containing vital information about the transmittal.

    And lastly, within the ACC Docs feature, there are additional methods for sharing files with team members and stakeholders. These options provide flexibility and convenience in distributing project-related documents efficiently.

     

    Sharing with Project Members allows you to share files with other project members who already have at least view-only permissions for the file. Simply navigate to the Files section in Docs, select the desired files, and click on the three dots at the top. Choose “Share” to access the sharing options. From there, you can send files to project members via email directly from ACC or generate a shareable link for alternative sharing methods. Additionally, you have the option to include a custom note in the email. You can specify whether the version of the file should reflect the latest update at the time the email or link is sent, or whether it should be the latest version when the recipient opens the email or link. This flexibility ensures that recipients have access to the most relevant file version for their reference or collaboration needs.

    Sharing with Anyone expands the sharing scope to anyone, regardless of their ACC access. To utilize this option, project administrators must activate the “share publicly” feature within the project settings. Once enabled, you can share files with external stakeholders or non-ACC users. Similar to the previous method, you can choose to send an email with the files directly from ACC or generate a shareable link. Again, you can include a custom note, and you have control over the file version that recipients will access. It’s important to note that shared links expire after a specified period, typically between 30 to 365 days, ensuring that access is limited to the designated timeframe for added security.

     

    Sharing with Another Project via Bridge offers seamless integration between projects through the Bridge feature. With this option, you can share files directly from one ACC project to another without the need for downloading and re-uploading. This not only saves time but also ensures that files remain consistent across projects. Moreover, you can specify a specific folder in your project that will automatically sync with the corresponding folder in the target project. As updates and changes are made, they will be automatically transmitted to the connected project. This feature simplifies file sharing and synchronization between related projects, enhancing collaboration and information exchange.

    In the fast-paced world of construction, effective file sharing is a cornerstone of successful project collaboration. Autodesk Construction Cloud offers a range of robust features to streamline this crucial aspect of teamwork. By leveraging the Design Collaboration methods, Transmittals, and Sharing in Docs, construction professionals can ensure seamless communication, improved document control, and enhanced productivity throughout their projects. Embrace the power of ACC’s file sharing capabilities and elevate your construction collaboration to new heights.

    To learn more about the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), feel free to contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    Autodesk Desktop Connector

    Posted on by admin

    An update to the ADC app is now available and you can read about it and download it from here.

    As usual, there have been several defect fixes and a few notable new features.

    • If you plan to use  AutoCAD 2024 products, you MUST install ADC 16.0 or above. (this new release is version 16.2)
    • The Change Workspace option is back. See this document for details.
    • Improved messaging regarding Long Paths.

     

    To learn more about Autodesk applications, feel free to contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    The City of Barrie

    Posted on by Daniella Delgado
    Success Stories

    The City of Barrie

    The City of Barrie (“the City”) is a municipality located in Central Ontario, just over 100 kilometres north of Toronto. Barrie is in Simcoe County, on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, which is the western arm of Lake Simcoe. In 2020, Barrie was home to 151,000 residents, a population that has more than doubled in the past 35 years and is projected to grow to 298,000 people by 2051. As the largest urban center in Simcoe County, Barrie is the economic and employment hub of Central Ontario. As a single-tier municipality, the City is exclusively responsible for providing critical infrastructure and hundreds of services to its residents including roads, water, wastewater, parks, recreation, culture, and many more.

    The City of Barrie’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) branch, within the Information Technology department, is responsible for the management of digital spatial and attribute data, GIS/CAD applications, and useful tools for the City.  GIS provides the corporation, and the public, with an efficient way to access, maintain, analyze, map, and develop the City’s spatial and related data through interactive maps, mobile applications, dashboards and more.

    Within the IT Department, there is also a Project Planning and Delivery team that manages the City’s technology-based projects and is responsible for bringing all teams together during a project’s lifecycle. They are specifically in control of helping manage and improve the current workflow and evaluate the organization’s digital transformation.

    Improving Efficiencies by updating Digital Information on CAD Standards & Templates

    Current Workflow

    The City of Barrie has been a long-time user of Autodesk products and has worked with SolidCAD over the years as their software solutions provider. As the City continues to grow, they are looking to further improve the process of digital information submissions and more specifically their CAD Standards & Templates. Each infrastructure or development project undergoes a design process before construction. When a new project is submitted, the Infrastructure team, or external design consultant, designs within a CAD template and uploads the digital drawing to a repository. The GIS department is then responsible for taking those designs, importing them into a GIS format, and updating a centralized enterprise database. This data is then disseminated to a variety of corporate applications for the City to access, visualize, and then use to make informed decisions.

    The Challenge

    The current CAD template was not being leveraged by external consultants and information was not easily extracted into the City’s GIS database, causing delays and inconsistencies on many projects.  The City realized that these delays were often due to the drawings being created without the use of a proper set of templates. Due to a lack of use of the template standards, incompliant drawings required much clarification by the GIS team, causing re-work and re-submissions until standards were finally achieved. This back and forth proved inefficient.

    After fully understanding how this challenge impacted their business and the speed at which data was accessible by end users, the City identified that they needed to revisit the current digital information standard. Through an RFP process, SolidCAD won the bid for the project and would further assist the City in understanding their current workflow and solving these challenges quickly.

    The Solution

    Through various interviews and discoveries, SolidCAD’s technical team reviewed the City’s current Digital Information Standards (DIS) and completed a detailed review of the existing CAD templates they had in place. After this deep analysis, SolidCAD divided the solution into three phases:

    • Create and update the DIS document with associated CAD templates, and more specifically, the addition of Object Data Tables to that template to ensure all design files would be standardized to the requirements of other departments and consultants.
    • Develop a technology recommendation that would automate their submission process and validate their designs to adhere to the template standards and provide a recommendation report to correct the design before being submitted to other departments.
    • And lastly, produce a high-level roadmap that defined the strategies and steps required to ensure a successful implementation of an end-to-end digital drawings’ submission process, which included onboarding and training on best practices for AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and the CAD template.

    After presenting the strategy to the City of Barrie, SolidCAD got to work quickly and implemented the first phase of the project by their deadline of February 2023, after receiving the project in September 2022.

    The Results

    After the launch of phase one, the City of Barrie saw three immediate improvements to their current workflow:

    1. Widely accepted across the organization: SolidCAD’s discoveries were extremely impactful, where each impacted department had the opportunity to meet with SolidCAD’s technical team, highlight what was important to them, how they use the current template in their processes and how specific change to the CAD template would affect their workflow. This type of information helped all impacted departments understand the new template since they played an integral part in its development.
    2. Improved communication and speed of projects: The implementation of the new Civil 3D template and internal workflows will streamline the processes of importing and validating digital data from infrastructure projects to the GIS department. Specifically, the GIS Team will spend less time working back and forth with engineers, overall improving communication, and being able to import these design files quicker due to the Object Data Fields that now provide information that can be easily disseminated to the rest of the organization.
    3. Reduced rework through implementation and training: SolidCAD provided training to City of Barrie staff upon the implementation of the new CAD Standards & Templates and provided users with the knowledge and best practices on how to use the template within Civil 3D. This will help improve the project workflows, ultimately reducing the amount of rework that often occurred during the design and as-constructed phases of projects.

    As phase one has been completed, the recommendations in the Road Map report have been approved, and SolidCAD will be leading the development and implementation of the next phase to further automate and validate digital submissions received by the City in the upcoming year.

    Testimonial

    The City required a consultant with the ability to understand our corporate requirements, bridge the CAD and GIS worlds together,

    and create a solution that met a variety of stakeholders needs, all while meeting our stringent timelines. We are very pleased with the guidance, experience, and expertise SolidCAD delivered on all aspects of the project within our timeline.

    – Brent Harlow, Manager of Data, Analytics & GIS at the City of Barrie

    Products & Services Used

    • AutoCAD Civil 3D
    • AutoCAD MAP 3D
    • FME Server from Safe Software
    • ArcGIS Pro – tool on the GIS
    • Python Scripting and Custom ArcPy Toolboxes
    • SolidCAD services to update the City of Barrie Civil 3D template and training of Infrastructure and GIS staff with a local pilot project to confirm that all functional requirements for this Phase have been achieved.
    • Automation Services

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    Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)

    Posted on by admin
    Success Stories

    Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)

    View of city landscape shot
    STM

    Summary

    Public transportation – buses, trains, subways, and more – have a wide range of complex assets that are both mobile and stationary. Upgrades, expansions, and new assets become intricate engineering projects involving a broad array of information and documents.

    Hardcopy and manual methods for managing this information and changes are ad hoc and unreliable – causing engineers to use outdated information. This spawns rework, cost increases, schedule delays, and conditions out of specification. This chaos is brought under control with Accruent Meridian’s software for managing engineering information. As a result, projects are more likely to meet the leading KPIs for on-time, in-budget, and within spec.

    Engineering information management reduces rework and helps assures completion of projects on-time, in-budget, and on-schedule.

    Société de Transport de Montréal uses Accruent Meridian in its engineering teams for information management and business process automation replacing unreliable ad hoc manual methods.

    Société de Transport Montréal (STM)

    Public transportation has existed in Montréal for over 150 years, starting with horse-drawn tramways in 1861. Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) became a public corporation in 1951 with the mission to provide Montrealers with fast, reliable, economical transit service. The company now has over 11,000 employees.

    Large Infrastructure with Complex Assets

    From its beginnings in 1861, STM has grown to include four subway lines with 68 stations and over 1,000 cars. The bus system includes 186 bus routes and over 2,000 vehicles. Its paratransit service has 80 mini-buses and other taxi services for people with mobility issues. The infrastructure is widely distributed throughout the city, including rail lines, switchgear, signaling, rail yards, bridges, ticketing stations, bus stops, depots, garages, offices, and more. STM has a wide variety of complex assets.

    The consultation

    First used in Paris, France in 1951 and then Montreal, Canada in 1966, the passenger trains use wheels containing both rubber tires for improved traction and traditional railway steel wheels for guidance through conventional switches. Montreal has steep hills with inclines beyond the capability of steel wheels alone. Engineering projects and maintenance occur throughout the bus and rail infrastructure. The maintenance shop performs upgrades and repairs for the trains.

    Substantial Investment Plan

    STM’s “Organizational Strategic Plan 2025” provides a 10-year strategy, including many bus and metro projects. The C$8 billion investment plan for 2015 to 2025 focuses on improving customer transit experience. The plan initiates a shift that aims to both qualitatively and quantitatively improve the customer experience. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives like converting to electric buses are also included.

    Project Execution Barriers

    The strategic plan involves many projects to engineer the design, procure materials, construct upgrades and obtain new assets. Fundamental to the success of the plan requires an examination of STM’s engineering software tools.

    Engineering Project Execution

    The execution of the plan involves a complex set of timed engineering projects with performance penalties if behind schedule. A study by McKinsey has shown that 98 percent of projects are completed behind schedule and over budget. Obviously, this poor performance would have a serious negative impact on STM’s strategic plan.

    Large Ecosystem for Engineering Projects

    STM engages with multiple contractors across various projects involving trains, buses, stations, and related infrastructure. This ecosystem includes about 20 major contractors, hundreds of smaller contractors, and their subcontractors. Individual engineers and contractors phase in and out of a project over its lifespan of 5 to 8 years.

    STM manufacturing

    Evils of Balkanized Engineering Data

    Storing and managing engineering information using hardcopy documents in file cabinets is problematic. Engineers typically spend 30 percent of their time searching for information, which negatively impacts productivity. Too often, they also end up with older versions. Perhaps a holdover from hardcopy prints in file cabinets, each siloed engineering department stores its copy of drawings with its markups. Unfortunately, older versions of the documents are retained, and the markups are not shared.

    When an engineering department edits a document or makes a change that affects another department’s records, the change stays local and is not known by others. Hardcopy documents and Adobe files in a server do not accommodate automated business processes for synchronization across silos. Manual processes – like remembering to send an email – often fail. This issue gets magnified with the ecosystem of contractors and subcontractors involved in a project. Balkanized engineering data leads to using outdated information, rework, schedule delays, and cost overruns.

    Weak Information Management Compromises Project KPIs

    The key cause of poor project performance involves the use of outdated engineering information and documents. This cascades into many problems, including ordering of wrong materials, fabricating components out of specifications, construction errors, and a variety of other issues. Recovery requires rework that adds costs and creates schedule delays. Sometimes the rework cannot fully bring the work back within specifications causing design compromises. The project KPIs – on-time, in-budget, and within specifications – are compromised.

    Modernization Enabler

    Fundamental to the execution of a project within the common leading KPIs – on-time, inbudget, and within specs – is getting all participants “on the same page” and using current information. This includes the extended enterprise comprising STM’s engineers, suppliers, and subcontractors.

    Common Engineering Information

    Asset information changes many times during an asset’s lifecycle, from asset creation through operations and maintenance and to end-of-life. Data about the asset are handed over numerous times from engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms; supply chain partners; owner-operators; and internally within each of these organizations. Valuable data can be lost, misinterpreted, or keyed in incorrectly. Tag and equipment data are difficult to manage because they are often in differing formats, exist in various applications and systems, and transmitted by different means. Naming conventions and asset hierarchy provide additional avenues for divergence.

    Managing asset information is difficult among balkanized organizations with independent workflows and KPIs. Balkanized data is often found in mutually distrusting and sometimes hostile groups or functions within an organization. This dysfunction commonly involves the design/build process for assets among the engineering, procurement, and construction functions. It also occurs during the operate and maintain phase of an asset’s lifecycle for reliability engineering, maintenance, control engineering, and others. A common repository for asset information breaks through these barriers by connecting silos to provide access to data and information. This enables an integrated view of the asset’s information, documentation, and data throughout its lifecycle across the traditionally siloed functional perspectives.

    Fit Types of Users

    STM organized access to the engineering data via mobility devices along three types of users:

    • Engineering software application user
    • Technician executing a work order
    • Casual user including subcontractors and management

    Each type of user has specific permissions that fit their roles. This includes organization, locations within that organization, physical location, and permission levels. Permissions has two choices i.e., read/write access, or read only which does not permit editing.

    Business Process Automation

    Business process execution involves cross-functional activities. For example, a change in the maintenance strategy for an asset by the reliability team evolves into changes needed in other areas like maintenance or inspections. Manual approaches, such as email, phone calls, or paperwork orders, are unreliable, often leading to lost alerts and continuing with the old way of doing things. Business process automation ensures that the alerts go to the correct people and the needed action can be confirmed. In addition, a dashboard provides visibility to open alerts.

    Meridian Implementation

    SolidCAD has been partnering with STM for the last 20+ years to implement, support and train resources with Meridian.

    Being the largest Autodesk partner and the only Accruent Meridian partner in Canada brought extensive value to STM, as SolidCAD has been able to deliver tailor made configurations to different engineering departments within STM. Software such as AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Inventor or even Revit are heavily used and generated file formats are handled in Meridian.

    When an engineer opens a document in any of these CAD platforms, the file comes from the Meridian server for the engineering information. Saved changes also go into Meridian.

    Conclusion

    STM has been using Accruent Meridian since 2001. With each new project, its use expanded and now encompasses 12 different engineering departments for a wide variety of assets – buses, trains, lines, and infrastructure. It has proven to substantially reduce the use of the wrong document version and the associated rework. This also improved engineering productivity by nearly eliminating searching for information. The reduced rework and improved engineering productivity enables delivery of projects on time, within budget, and within specifications.

    For further information or to provide feedback on this article, please contact your account manager or the author at rrio@arcweb.com. ARC Views are published and copyrighted by ARC Advisory Group. The information is proprietary to ARC and no part of it may be reproduced without prior permission from ARC.

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    Land Development Quantities in Bluebeam

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by TROY DEGROOT on the Bluebeam Blog.

    By now you’ve read several of my articles showcasing various disciplines within the design and construction industry and how I’ve helped them implement Bluebeam within their workflows. Like all the others you can learn more about the technical tools in my parallel blog post, “Land Development Bluebeam Tools of the Trade.” This one has a little different backstory, but it speaks to my approach to every Bluebeam implementation.

    Early last year someone reached out to me following up on a referral. He asked if Bluebeam could do estimating for erosion control work. I quickly showed him on the fly how the basic tools could easily measure what he was looking for and explained how custom tools could take things to the next level. It’s always my goal to make the workflow as easy as possible. I tell my customers I want the intern next summer to get the same results as a senior estimator. Well-thought-out, standardized tools and workflows are key to success. It turns out he wasn’t looking for tools or workflow suggestions; he was looking for an estimating service.

    My kryptonite in business is wanting to help everyone—to the point where I become part of their team. That weakness, however, is also my superpower! In this process, I truly gain an understanding of the diverse struggles, goals, processes, and challenges every company deals with every day.

    Long story short, I somehow became an erosion control estimator. I built a handful of custom markup tools and delivered a material takeoff that was more accurate than the tabulation that was prepared using their existing workflows. I guess you could say I played the role of an intern and proved my point. I still get calls from time to time to do estimates for them and enjoy the change of pace. I’ve always embraced these engagements because what I learn each time sets me apart as a trainer. I’ve been told I explain things differently than other trainers and have a deeper knowledge of what Bluebeam can do. I made a habit of always answering “Yes and” when people ask if Bluebeam can do this or that. I never allow Bluebeam to be kept in a box.

    So I guess in this case, I’m sharing how I built an estimating department that over delivered to a repeat customer. Here is how I implemented my tools of choice.