At this week’s Autodesk University in London, NBS – Newcastle, UK-based developer of the free BIM digital Toolkit (post) – has launched the public Beta version of the NBS Online Viewer (powered by Autodesk Forge, a WebGL-based viewer). According to BIMplus, the NBS Online Viewer makes it quick and easy for everyone working on a project to view a 3D model and associated specification through a web browser without the need for additional software (so long as you have a WebGL canvas-compatible web browser and a free NBS ID).
NBS chief executive Richard Waterhouse said:
“As part of our existing suite of integrated solutions, the NBS Online Viewer provides huge efficiency gains for designers, manufacturers, contractors and building owners/operators alike, by allowing everyone to be informed on a project regardless of technology barriers. By integrating the model and specification in the cloud, we will be providing a solution which provides and maintains critical data within the construction workflow and allows our customers to provide more value to their clients.”
NBS has been developed plug-ins for BIM design software for some years, allowing its customers to better coordinate their models and specifications. NBS director of research and innovation Stephen Hamil, said:
“Being able to view and interrogate this information from the context of a 3D model will allow for better, earlier informed decision making on projects, whilst providing the right content and information to the right people at the right time. We encourage all those working on BIM projects to test drive the NBS Online Viewer. The public beta phase will be open for the next few months and from there we will determine how best to build the first release to market with the help of our customers.”
The tool works by combining an Autodesk Revit or IFC model and NBS Create specification in the cloud without the need for the user to licence or install any software. To access and give feedback on the viewer visit www.theNBS.com/viewer