The project included older BIM360 models and more than 15 linked files. With multiple partners working on the project concurrently throughout Europe along with strict regulatory requirements, regular exports were essential for successful communications. BIM Management and Strategy leader Ryan Hanlen explained the firm’s initial challenges, “The file was over a gigabit in size, and the linked files frequently caused data failures and lockouts during the publishing process. We needed a more efficient workflow. By implementing Ideate Automation, we started with model health checks and successfully streamlined model exports without the linked files.”
The results were both immediate and impactful. Within the following year, pbr leveraged Ideate Automation to save nearly 400 person-hours in the publication cycle alone, savings that they passed onto their client. Internally, team members were able to repurpose those hours into higher-value tasks.
Impressed by the remarkable efficiency of Ideate Automation, pbr began using it to more frequently to export multiple PDF sets from projects that used Revit 2022 and newer.
While Ideate Automation users can tailor its functionality using custom scripts, pbr has met its needs using the standard scripts that shipped with the plugin. By specifying files, export frequencies, and incorporating link definitions created in Ideate BIMLink, they streamlined the export process to run seamlessly in the background—saving up to 200 hours per project annually.
Leveling Up Collaboration with Ideate Explorer and Ideate BIMLink
pbr complements its use of
Ideate Automation with
IdeateApp’s
XRay and
SmartDelete tools to ensure for model health and efficiently manage styles on a larger scale.
Ideate BIMLink has also proven itself as a valuable tool for collaborating with partners who work outside the CAD environment.
“We have schedules that need to be shared,” explained Hanlen. “Other consultants rely heavily on Excel, so we set up a template and use BIMLink to push and pull project data. Project leaders who are not CAD-savvy can contribute when we use an Excel connector. It enables seamless collaboration on critical tasks, such as costing workflows, compliance dashboards with specific macros, and door schedules that include the name in addition to the element for enhanced clarity and precision.
We’ve also used Ideate BIMLink to import room specifications and quickly pre-generate standard shapes for drawing. Through this process, we can start doing space analysis much more rapidly than creating the room shapes manually.”
By adopting Ideate BIMLink and other Ideate Software tools, companies can streamline communications across all project partners, effectively reducing errors and expediting project timelines.
Setting the Stage for Enterprise-Wide Use
As they look to the future, Ryan Hanlen and his team will continue to push the capabilities of Ideate Software to streamline collaboration and workflows. The firm is currently implementing a dedicated Ideate Software workstation. By offloading Ideate Automation to a separate server, they not only eliminate slowdowns on individual computers but also enable seamless, company-wide adoption, paving the way for even greater efficiency and returns.
About Planungsbüro Rohling AG
pbr is a multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, technical building services, and structural engineering firm employing over 500 architects and engineers. They have a 60-year reputation for forward-looking design and engineering that enriches their users and the environment in every way.
Get Started with Ideate Software
Learn how you can use Ideate Software to transform your company’s workflows with efficiency-building, error-reducing tools like
Ideate Automation and
Ideate BIMLink. Visit our
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