As we draw ever closer to 2016, SaaS construction collaboration application vendors are becoming increasingly focused on compliance with ‘BIM Level 2’, the UK government’s target for delivery of all centrally procured public projects (and also a target for some private sector clients). Last week, I noted Conject talking about how it was helping its customers on their Level 2 journey,* and today Viewpoint has announced (see news release) its latest 4Projects release “providing critical features to meet BIM Level 2 compliance”:
4Projects includes document control, project communications, BIM viewing and management, and mobile capabilities to help ensure the right information reaches the right people at the right time.
4Projects BIM Information Planner brings the management of the model information into a truly collaborative environment. It allows project managers to assign roles as well as establish and track which deliverables are required at different stages of the project and to what level of detail.
According to Rob Humphreys, Viewpoint’s VP of global product management:
“We realize that all levels in the construction supply chain will need to demonstrate BIM Level 2 compliance in the next year and we are focused on helping contractors on government projects, as well as private sector contractors, meet these requirement. By allowing entire project teams to walk through models and quickly coordinate and update information, identify risks, and quickly assign, track, and manage tasks to resolution, we help customers meet this compliance. The 4Projects BIM solution also helps project managers save time by identifying and validating whether the information they are receiving is what was requested, avoiding errors and interruptions later on. …”
Additional BIM viewing and management updates in 4Projects include:
- Model Differencing – helps users quickly identify changes between 3D model revisions with colour-coded tracking.
- Model Measurement Tool – team members can easily gather dimensions when in the field, taking point-to-point measurements from models using snap points.
- File Name Checking Tool – administrators can set file name requirements to help guarantee all models in the BIM container follow naming conventions, and help users easily find files they need.
* Update (8 July 2015) – Asite is another SaaS vendor talking up its Level 2 BIM credentials.
Field View at Costain
In another recent (18 June) 4Projects-related development, UK contractor Costain has announced that it is adopting the 4Projects Field View application (formerly Priority1) and starting to roll out the technology across at least 10 projects from July 2016.