Nov 12 2012

Adobe Acrobat XI – from a construction collaboration viewpoint

I have had a love-hate relationship with the portable document format (PDF) over the years. For a long time, while appreciating its growing ubiquity for many office-based purposes, I still found it less then perfect when we were talking about sharing and, more importantly, collaborating upon documents in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector. In the early 2000s, Adobe’s PDF was a less than perfect format for sharing construction drawings compared to the web-formats (typically, DWF) that were commonly supported by many browser-based plug-ins (Active-X controls) used by SaaS construction collaboration technology platforms. These allowed project team members to access and view drawings, to make detailed mark-ups and add comments, and then share these with project team colleagues.

PDF then, by comparison, was clunky and proprietary. For example, it wasn’t until 2003 that the format first supported common AEC drawing conventions such as layering; PDF production often required the Adobe Acrobat authoring application or a CAD-to-PDF conversion programme; and creation was often slow – converting an Autodesk DWG to DWF was 20 times faster than creating a PDF of the same drawing, for example. Exchanging information using PDF was therefore often inefficient compared to other file formats, so, unsurprisingly, it was some years before SaaS vendors felt comfortable in offering detailed workflow support via PDF to their end users….

An open standard

Roll forward to 2012, and PDF is much more collaborative. It helps, of course, that since July 2008 PDF has been an open standard, which has helped encourage an explosion in its use (up some 350% in the past two years, I was told). And over the years, it has also become increasingly powerful as a 3D platform allowing users to extract the details of individual components. This functionality was launched, I think, with Adobe Acrobat 9 (2008) which also saw the addition of support for the industry foundation classes, IFC, file format, supporting building information modelling (BIM) workflows and enabling both visualisation and access to associated object property data. As BIM has grown in importance in the UK (and other markets), more data suppliers are offering 3D PDF as an option – for example, NBS’s National BIM Library offers object models in this format as well as IFC and various BIM formats – and Adobe Acrobat allows users to zoom into the detail and do comment and mark-up activities on these files.

Adobe Acrobat XI

With Adobe Acrobat XI, you can edit text and images in PDFs (it’s not as swift as editing in the native file format, but for modest changes it’s fine); MS Office and SharePoint users now have improved integration with PowerPoint (useful as I often see PowerPoint used within AEC project teams); electronic signature capability has been improved by the addition of Adobe EchoSign; and you can also create forms, elicit responses and collate and analyse data from users via Adobe FormsCentral. These areas potentially present new opportunities for construction collaboration vendors who may want to offer secure contract signature or related options in relation to contract change management workflows.

I have been test-driving Acrobat XI over the past month and have been surprised at some of the functionality compared to the older version I was using. Particularly welcome are the abilities to create single PDFs from multiple MS Office documents (or parts of documents), to combine multiple PDFs into a single PDF, or to reuse either parts or entire PDFs and save them as MS Office files or web pages without reformatting or retyping.

The new product is also accompanied by a new touch-friendly Adobe Reader for tablets and smartphones which makes it easy to open, view, annotate and add comments to files, and to complete, sign and save forms (always welcome in a mobile and heavily process-oriented industry like construction).

Acrobat.com cloud storage

I also got a demonstration of the toolset and related services (on a wet Friday afternoon in a central London Starbucks). Working off wifi or a dongle, I saw how Adobe could be used to invite people to view a PDF via a cloud-based workspace at Acrobat.com – a PowerPoint slide was edited, then uploaded and an email notification sent for my attention. When I clicked the link, I could open the slide and see the edits, and, if necessary, add any comments of my own. Simultaneously, the sender is notified if and when a recipient downloads the file, and can view its latest status on any device.

From a construction collaboration viewpoint, this is perhaps the most significant development from Adobe: the launch of its Acrobat.com cloud-based storage (offered with 2GB space for the free version, and more if users upgrade). In a world in which we are increasingly likely to want to access, view, edit and – importantly – to synchronise files across several different devices (laptop, tablet, smartphone) and/or share these capabilities with fellow team members, this potentially puts Adobe in competition with some of the SaaS vendors in this  sector – just as HP’s launch of its own increasingly mobile-friendly ePrint&Share service did two years ago (post).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/11/adobe-acrobat-xi-from-a-construction-collaboration-viewpoint/

Nov 09 2012

Trimble Buildings pushes SaaS, BIM and whole lifecycle approach

In late 2006, Trimble acquired Meridian Systems, a US-based provider of project management and document collaboration solutions (post), as part of a strategy of connecting construction sites through tighter integration of construction process information. For Trimble, that deal meant its growing portfolio of construction solutions had been expanded to include Meridian’s infrastructure lifecycle management platform Proliance, the Prolog construction project management solution and the Prolog-powered on-demand online version, ProjectTalk. These products were popular in the US AEC market and in markets (eg: the Middle East) where US contractors were active, but were less well-known in other markets such as Europe or Australasia.

SaaS and DBO

At the time, I said Trimble – hitherto best known for its GPS and mobile IT systems – might use the Meridian platforms to provide a business platform allows its mobile tools to interconnect and share data between users in real-time. Since then, Trimble has continued its expansion strategy, building a stronger design-build-operate proposition and incorporating design solutions into its portfolio – notably with the acquisition earlier this year of Sketchup from Google (April 2012 post).

Last year, Meridian announced Prolog Sky, a new cloud-based service allowing access to Prolog’s robust construction project management software in a hosted environment. Similar to McLaren Software’s recently launched Enterprise OnAir solution (post), the Sky service lets customers deploy Prolog in a proven software hosting environment, building on the company’s expertise in Software-as-a-Service provision.

This expansion of SaaS expertise and of a more rounded design-build-operate offering entered a new phase this month with the announcement last week that Trimble had acquired BIM software developer Vico, and this week’s news of the establishment of Trimble Buildings:

“The new group will leverage the Trimble Design-Build-Operate (DBO) platform of organic and acquired technologies to develop and bring to market a new portfolio of synergistic technologies for capital construction owners and Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) service providers. Trimble Buildings will provide the organizational infrastructure to fuel innovation and allow current and future customers to take advantage of the rapidly evolving technology landscape to maximize overall business value.”

The group combines technologies from Trimble’s former Building Construction Division with Accubid, Meridian Systems, Plancal, QuickPen, SketchUp, Tekla, Vico and WinEst.

Open BIM

I talked about these developments earlier this week with Jon Fingland (business unit director – contractor segment) and Geene Alhady (general manager) of Meridian Systems, and they were adamant about the convergence of mobile and previously office-based applications, saying Meridian, as part of the total offering, will help project teams to share rich documentation via field devices and to manage processes from requests for information (RFIs) to materials tracking while out on site.

As former contractors, they both recalled the frustrations of not having quick access to key information, and were keen to stress Trimble’s unique “openness”. In a market where the major design software applications still tend to be proprietary, “we feel we’re different,” Geene said. He also emphasised that “Vico helps us up our game, internationalising our offering compared to Autodesk, Bentley and others.”

Trimble backs the OpenBIM initiative launched in March 2012 (post) and – as I wrote last month – it seems it could become a powerful driver for greater interoperability between different vendors’ solutions. Some other bloggers such as BIMopedia’s Ben Malone also appear optimistic about Trimble’s ambitions to create an all-round OpenBIM solution (read his Trimble en route to global domination post):

“Trimble will come into this field with the knowledge that a truly open platform is needed – and fast. With all the tools that they have acquired, you can almost see the coming together and integration of these into an all round ‘suite package’ which could not only compete with the current major players… but also create a totally new solution, including tools which are not currently native in our ‘BIM authoring software’.”

Open BIM UK

By coincidence, while writing parts of this blog post, I attended Constructing Excellence‘s latest members’ forum on BIM and sustainability in Manchester. David Jellings, coordinator of the Open BIM Network, was one of the speakers and we had a brief chat about interoperability (David is a former shareholder in Vico; Trimble subsidiary Tekla were also represented at the conference). David said the UK movement was growing (I understand collaboration vendor 4Projects will join rival Conject as another vendor member in the New Year), buoyed by the recent UK government moves regarding open standards (see Computer Weekly) which may eventually support the use of the open industry foundation class (IFC) format for COBie data.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/11/trimble-buildings-pushes-saas-bim-and-whole-lifecycle-approach/

Nov 05 2012

Another Aconex appointment

Is Melbourne, Australia-based SaaS construction collaboration technology vendor Aconex gearing up for an initial public offering (IPO)? Well, judging from the calibre of the executives it is recruiting, it is certainly making sure that it has some heavy hitters with relevant domain experience. The latest appointment (announced today) sees Patricia Cuthbert join as vice president of finance, reporting to Steve Recht, appointed six months ago as Aconex’s CFO.

Cuthbert has more than 30 years’ corporate finance experience at public companies in multiple industry segments, including internet search and advertising (Yahoo!), mobile devices (Palm), networking (3Com), and computer manufacturing. Recht says:

“Patricia Cuthbert’s skills and experience cover the full range of corporate finance operations required to support high growth and scalability. She is thoroughly versed in U.S. GAAP accounting, financial reporting, tax, treasury, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, internal controls, systems design and implementation, and change management. Patricia will be a valuable asset to Aconex as the business continues to mature and diversify around our core collaboration platform.”

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/11/another-aconex-appointment/

Oct 31 2012

Vondle becomes Chapoo

Bricsys, the Brussels, Belgium-based CAD software vendor that also provides a Software-as-a-Service project collaboration platform called Vondle (April 2007 post) is renaming the latter Chapoo, and incorporating some social sharing features. I heard about the name change last week during a telephone conversation with one of its executives, and the news was also broken by upFront.Ezine CAD writer Ralph Grabowski who attended Bricsys’s recent annual developer conference.

From the look of the new website, Chapoo’s launch is imminent (“Coming soon”), with the platform offering pretty much the same Vondle functionality albeit under a new branding, aiming to offer simple collaboration – file upload, sharing (notably via Facebook and Twitter social platforms), viewing and annotation – and all free (reminiscent of UK vendor Woobius‘s aims some three years ago – post).

(Update – 2 November 2012) – Guy Vancollie, chief marketing officer at Vondle/Chapoo (and my afore-mentioned executive contact at the company), has been in touch to say:

Vondle is indeed being re-branded into Chapoo. It will become the premium service of Chapoo. In addition, Chapoo will also have a free service with more limited functionality. In a nutshell:

  • the Chapoo free service will provide for ‘simple document sharing’
  • the premium service will be for ‘complete project information management and collaboration’.

Free Service

The free service provides for simple document sharing. It allows people to upload files and share them with friends and colleagues. Documents, including most text, image and office formats, but also CAD drawings, can be viewed and annotated without the requirement to download them and without the need for the authoring software itself.

Premium Service

The Chapoo premium service is a complete project information management and collaboration platform and provides project teams, whether employees, contractors, suppliers or clients, with a single view on all project documents, including full version control for a strong audit trail, and on the most recent project data. Through better project communication and process management, including workflow, forms, query and reporting functionality, projects teams can reduce errors, manage costs, eliminate waste and improve performance.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/vondle-becomes-chapoo/

Oct 31 2012

McLaren Software opens new Australian office

Over the past year, I have been monitoring McLaren Software‘s gradual expansion of its AEC interests following its November 2011 acquisition and subsequent merger of SaaS collaboration specialist CTSpace with its engineering document management business, plus a more recent acquisition of a UK-based FM software business (post). The latest phase of its international strategy sees the opening of a new office in Perth, Western Australia, and the appointment of a new director to head up that unit.

Richard Beck, formerly head of information management at WorleyParsons and, before that, Vice-President of AVEVA’s VNET Business Unit, has 12 years mining and a further 12 years EPC industry experience – a background that will help him in the fast growing energy and natural resources sector in Australia, which is also being targeted by both indigenous suppliers and new entrants (post).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/mclaren-software-opens-new-australian-office/

Oct 31 2012

Barbour ABI hypes Conject

After 25 years in UK construction public relations, I sometimes wince when I see news announcements packed with marketing hype rather than neutral and ideally verifiable journalistic descriptions. So, which company…

  • is “Globally renowned”
  • “has managed to excel in the AEC market on a global scale”, and
  • “are masters at their own craft”?

According to a news item from construction project lead supplier, Barbour ABI, it’s construction collaboration technology vendor Conject. While the descriptions will probably jar with some of Conject’s fellow vendors, the purple prose is clearly Barbour’s house style, as other news releases carry similar hyperbole.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/barbour-abi-hypes-conject/

Oct 19 2012

McLaren builds CAFM proposition following £5.6m FMx acquisition

CAFM Explorer logoMcLaren Software is growing its facilities management capabilities following the acquisition (announced today), by parent company Idox Group, of FMx Ltd, developer of the computer-aided facilities management application CAFM Explorer.

McLaren has been busy expanding beyond its engineering document control roots over the past year. It acquired the SaaS-based construction collaboration business, CTSpace, in November 2011 and has been extending this SaaS experience across its portfolio, launching a “private cloud” option for its enterprise solution earlier this month (post). This latest acquisition means the business will be able to offer a post-construction capability, potentially enabling information from design and construction to be imported into the systems used for occupation, operation and maintenance.

£5.6m acquisition

Idox has bought 24-strong, Crawley, Surrey, UK-based FMx “for a cash consideration of £5.6m”. CAFM Explorer is provided to corporate, public and commercial real estate customers in over 30 countries, helping them with building management, maintenance, asset tracking and cost control via desktop, web and mobile access. FMx reported revenues of £2.7m and underlying operating profit of £0.9m in the year ended 31 March 2012.

The business will be merged and operate under the McLaren Software brand and management. As well as extending the reach of the project collaboration solution to encompass the lifecycle of a building, campus or facility, McLaren can now provide a more comprehensive solution for the estates departments of its existing asset-intensive customers in the oil and gas, energy, utilities and process manufacturing sectors, and to Idox’s information and estate solutions across its local government customers.

Richard Kellett-Clarke, the CEO of Idox Group, said:

“FMx Ltd, as one of the earliest pioneers of CAFM (computer aided facilities management), has an excellent reputation in the market place for delivering a flexible and functionally rich solution. The acquisition and merger with McLaren Software is an important step in our strategy to extend our solutions across the full operational lifecycle of public sector, commercial real estate and operational assets.”

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/mclaren-builds-cafm-proposition-following-5-6m-fmx-acquisition/

Oct 16 2012

Aconex appoints new US general manager

Melbourne, Australia-based SaaS collaboration vendor Aconex has announced the appointment of Frank Kopas as general manager of its North American operations, which have been expanding in recent years.

Kopas is described as: “a veteran of the enterprise software and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry segments, [who] brings more than 20 years of strategic and operational sales experience to Aconex.” He will direct a sales organisation across 10 locations throughout the US and Canada.

The appointment comes almost exactly 12 months after Aconex appointed what turned out to be a short-lived VP of sales and marketing for the region (post).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/aconex-appoints-new-us-general-manager/

Oct 16 2012

BuildQatarLive, OpenBIM and interoperability

Having run three previous editions of Build London Live (in 2008, 2009 and 2012), organisers Asite, AEC3 and buildingSMART are now planning another two-day virtual design competition, this time in Qatar, running from Tuesday 27 November 27th 2012 to finish at noon on Thursday 29 November. Once again, building information modelling practitioners from around the world are invited to demonstrate their BIM expertise and collaborate in OpenBIM in the design and engineering of a project.

Build Qatar LiveWith the World Cup scheduled for Qatar in 2022, interest in BIM deployment is growing says Asite COO Nathan Doughty, so the BuildQatarLive event could be a catalyst for BIM adoption in the region.

Incidentally, OpenBIM appears to be something of a unifying force among the UK construction collaboration vendors. Asite have long been supporters of the BuildingSMART-backed initiative; 4Projects is also talking about its OpenBIM credentials, issuing a news release last week about COBie support for BIM; and I see a conject logo is on the back of October 2012 Open BIM Focus newsletter (issue 4, focused on COBie) from the OpenBIM Network.

The interoperability opportunity

Clearly, as I wrote in June 2011, BIM has become the new interoperability opportunity for many technology providers, and with industry take-up of BIM growing, is more likely to succeed than previous, often silo-based, efforts to agree common data exchange standards.

I learned recently, for instance, that Constructing Excellence hosted a meeting not long ago to officially terminate the Network for Construction Collaboration Technology Providers (NCCTP), which was originally established to help develop data export and import capabilities between the various AEC SaaS vendors’ platforms (to be fair, it had been largely moribund since July 2009, after key members left the group the previous year, effectively ending the exchange standard project; post).

BIM interest extends across a much wider range of technology vendors – from the design software vendors such as Autodesk, Bentley and Graphisoft, through the SaaS project collaboration vendors, and across the various developers of asset management platforms, mobile tools, and, ultimately, just about every other software tool used in construction. As a result, there is greater collective will to move the industry forward and tackle the interoperability and associated ‘big data’ management issues, with – in the UK – the looming 2016 deadline for Level 2 BIM implementation concentrating the technologists’ minds wonderfully, just as it should also be concentrating the minds of other industry professionals who will need to tackle the parallel people and process issues (procurement, contracts, IP, insurance, training, etc) that BIM adoption is also fostering.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/buildqatarlive-openbim-and-interoperability/

Oct 15 2012

neXadyne offers document control training as an RTO

According to a news release from neXadyne, the Training Accreditation Council in Western Australia has granted approval for neXadyne Pty Ltd to operate as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This follows the launch of the company’s document control courses in February 2012 (post) – an area where SaaS document collaboration vendor Aconex is also active (May 2012 post). neXadyne’s Deborah Wilson says:

“This is a landmark development for our organisation, for industry, and for our students. Our RTO status enables us to issue nationally recognised qualifications to students who complete any of our suite of document control courses.”

The qualifications will provide a formal method of gauging the relative experience of personnel engaged in document control duties at various levels. Existing controllers can also quantify their skill levels and associated pay-rates, while new entrants now have a route to start their careers in the discipline.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2012/10/nexadyne-offers-document-control-training-as-an-rto/

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