This post was originally published on the Ideate Solutions Blog.

This post was originally published on the Ideate Solutions Blog.

Felipe Contier, Principal, Architect, Contier Arquitetura, Sao Paulo, Brazil explains some of a recent project's size and complexity issues. The main or master file had to be divided into different sub-files, such as "Tower," "Underground," and "Ground Level." A change to the values of any parameters in one might or might not affect one or both of the others. Before the deployment of Ideate BIMLink, the team had to copy exactly the same text in every file.

The firm needed a reliable, practical, easy and stable way to change values of parameters and copy to Families. They also needed to organize their schedules, verify values and changed descriptions.

With Ideate BIMLink, the team is able to standardize sizes, naming conventions and parameter values. Once data is standardized in Excel, the team can quickly push processed data back into the Revit model using Ideate BIMLink. This capability has eliminated confusion and errors based on different people having assigned different names for Rooms and other elements. It has also increased accuracy, since values are processed via the automated capabilities of Excel. One Ideate BIMLink use case that Contier Arquitetura provides relates to managing wall families. The wall instance and type data would need to be synchronized across at least two of the three aforementioned files - the Tower and the Ground Level.

Contier Arquitetura project using Ideate BIMLink to manage various wall families in Revit.

Felipe Contier describes the dilemma by saying, "If in the course of the project we change the description of the wall, even if the change is very minor such as adding a comma, we had to make the same change in all files without fail. If the wall description in one file included the comma, and in the other omitted the comma, the quantity take off file would appear blank with no value at all for that description."

What Contier needed was a way to link all sub-files to each other and to a master file. With Ideate BIMLink, the Contier team can explore and edit the schedules for each file.

"Ideate BIMLink is saving us time. For example," Felipe Contier adds, "We have 68 kinds of electrical fixtures. For each one of them we have a parameter in the form of a description. We have the quantity, the energy consumption, and other data. To change each parameter in one single sub-file, even if I had the text, it would take probably a half-day. When the data is in three different files, it would take much more time, something like four or five times this, so about two days."

"With Ideate BIMLink, we can change the parameters in less time, say about one hour. But that is not the most important thing to us. What is more important to us than the time savings is the guarantee that the data is correct. That is the most valuable advantage."

For the whole story on how Contier Arquitetura utilizes Ideate BIMLink in their Revit data editing, look here: Accuracy Transcends Speed for Contier Arquitetura

SAN FRANCISCO, California - 11/19/2013 - Ideate, Inc., a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer and Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry with a special focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM), today announced the publication of its first Ideate Explorer for Revit-focused Study in Success, "One Secret Ingredient in Lionakis' Quality Control--Ideate Explorer for Revit."

California-based Lionakis has played a significant role in shaping the built environment throughout the State of California for more than a century. The multi-disciplined privately held firm specializes in architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, sustainability and graphics, and ranks in the top 25 of California's leading architectural firms.

The firm's Quality Control (QC) process provides a system for verifying and maintaining a desired level of quality in its BIM files by planning, continued inspection, and corrective action as required. Lionakis' approach to its BIM projects includes firm-wide standards and a Revit-strong design staff. It also includes an in-house Design Technology (DT) team of Revit experts who create and maintain the Lionakis Revit master template and help the entire staff keep their Revit projects standardized and clean.

In the same way that the DT team peers deeply into Lionakis' Revit files, the Study in Success peers deeply into Lionakis' QC processes, with special attention to the ways Lionakis ensures confidence and trust in ever more complex and potentially error-prone BIM models. AEC firms of all sizes and members of related industries will have special interest in the Study in Success.

Kirk Cox, Design Technology Application Manager, Design Technology Studio, Lionakis, explains the vital nature of QC by saying, "It is always best to get the project back on the right path so the team can be as productive as possible. Having an effective QA/QC process translates to dollars and cents at the end of the day."

Bob Palioca, President, Ideate Inc., says, "While we have published many articles about Ideate BIMLink, this is our first Ideate Explorer for Revit-focused Study in Success. We are gratified that our solution is helping to ensure project accuracy, reduce errors and save time, and we are pleased that Ideate Explorer for Revit has become indispensable for Lionakis' staff training. We are overwhelmingly delighted with our customer's success, and we are honored to share Lionakis' valuable QC insights with the AEC community."

Ideate has published "One Secret Ingredient in Lionakis' Quality Control--Ideate Explorer for Revit" online. View the success story.

Ideate Software will be at Autodesk University, December 3-5, 2013, Booth 1913, The Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.

About Ideate, Inc.

Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years' experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and is an Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in the northwestern U.S., Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk's highest levels of authorization.

Ideate BIMLink lets users pull data from an Autodesk Revit file into user-friendly Microsoft Excel and push Excel data into Revit with equal ease. 

Ideate Explorer for Revit is a simple, powerful Autodesk Revit add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 100,000+ building elements in a Revit model. 

Autodesk, ATC, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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This post was originally published on the Ideate Solutions Blog 11.19.2013

SAN FRANCISCO, California - 8/22/2013 - Ideate, Inc., a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer and Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry with a special focus on Building Information Management (BIM), today announced the publication of its most recent Study in Success, "Aurecon Streamlines Seismic Mitigation Work with Ideate BIMLink."

Ideate BIMLink customer Aurecon provides engineering, management and specialist technical services for public and private sector clients globally. In the wake of the especially devastating and costly earthquake of 2011, buildings throughout New Zealand are being upgraded and strengthened. The Study in Success explores ways Aurecon is using Ideate BIMLink as the firm designs buildings that employ the most effective known seismic mitigation technologies.  These technologies cushion seismic vibrations and allow a building to move during a seismic event with a minimum amount of damage to the building's structural and architectural elements.

As the volume and complexity of data for such projects increase, the firm has needed a way to transfer data from an engineering spreadsheet into the Autodesk Revit model without having to transfer it over manually.

According to Clinton Maulder, Associate - Buildings, Aurecon, Wellington, New Zealand, "With manual entry, the engineer has to check against all the original source data. If there was a mistake and it wasn't picked up in a manual check, there could be costly delays to remedy on site, or the structure might not perform as well as expected. If we eliminate as many opportunities for manual error as we possibly can, we minimize these risks."

By using Ideate BIMLink, the firm has been able to calculate volumes of data and standardize parameter values in Microsoft Excel. Then, the verified data is pushed back into the Revit file. As Clinton Maulder explains, "Being able to effectively deal with source data and eliminate 'double handling' saved time and reduced the chance of errors."

Bob Palioca, President, Ideate Inc., says, "We are pleased that Ideate BIMLink has helped Aurecon enhance workflows in its vital seismic mitigation projects. Our software solutions stem directly from our customers' need to overcome stumbling blocks. When we help customers manage data on a vast scale more easily, and when we facilitate the flow of information and collaboration between project stakeholders, our customers can then leverage BIM to its fullest advantage. We delight in their success."

Ideate has published "Aurecon Streamlines Seismic Mitigation Work with Ideate BIMLink" online. Read the story here. 

About Ideate, Inc.

Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years' experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and is an Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in the northwestern U.S., Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk's highest levels of authorization.

Ideate BIMLink lets users pull data from an Autodesk Revit file into user-friendly Microsoft Excel and push Excel data into Revit with equal ease.  

Ideate Explorer for Revit is a simple, powerful Autodesk Revit add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 100,000+ building elements in a Revit model.

Autodesk, ATC, and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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