CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
14 April 2011
Product News
Newforma Add-In for Autodesk Revit Unleashes True Value of Information Locked in Building Information Models
Newforma® announced that new product acceptance testing by leading AEC firms is proving the ability of the Newforma® Add-in for Autodesk® Revit® to unlock the value of project information buried within building information models created by Revit Architecture, Revit MEP and Revit Structure BIM software. The Newforma Add-in links Revit building information to Newforma's PIM solution so that the broader project team can manage non-graphical information in the model without the expense of a Revit license and the learning required to operate a BIM application.
RDG Planning and Design is a 160-person firm of architects, landscape architects, engineers, artists and planners based in Des Moines, Iowa. RDG Partner Ron Heims said, "In our initial testing, the Newforma Add-in for Revit has connected our BIM models to important PIM processes such as document control and room data management. This integration should streamline project execution and improve the quality of our design deliverables.
"In addition," Heims said, "our project managers are not trained on Revit, so they really like the fact that Newforma enables them to edit room, equipment, fixture, and title block information in a spreadsheet. I like the idea that this bi-directional exchange of data between our BIM and PIM systems allows separate work processes to remain coordinated as they move forward in parallel.
"Implementing our PIM strategy based on Newforma has become as important in our firm as our decision to adopt BIM and standardize on using Revit for all new projects," Heims said.
Link action items to elements and locations in the model
Affiliated Engineering Incorporated is a 600-person multi-disciplinary engineering firm headquartered in Madison, Wis. AEI Technology Engineer Matt Tosto was excited about the ability of the Newforma Add-in for Autodesk Revit to integrate action items, RFIs, punch lists and other design and construction coordination processes with Revit, allowing architects, engineers and contractors to get more value from their combined investment in BIM and PIM.
"Right out of the gate, the Newforma Add-in for Revit's integration with Newforma Action Items has allowed us to more quickly identify, communicate and track interdisciplinary coordination issues within our shared models," Tosto said. "I really like its ability to link an action item directly to a specific building element or location in a model. Not only does this focus the broader project team in the resolution of critical design and construction coordination issues, but it also leaves behind a clear audit trail that ties the important BIM-related decisions with any supporting documents or email in the project record."
Manage the "I" in BIM
Newforma Chief Product Officer Allen Preger said the new product arose as AEC firms need to manage the quality of the non-graphical information in their models. "Many firms are having great success with building information modeling as BIM-based design produces coordinated sets of drawings from a central model much more efficiently than CAD's sheet-based approach," Preger said. "But even the most sophisticated firms will admit that building information management has been a significant challenge, especially as the exchange of intelligent BIM models between team members becomes more mainstream. Our new product, the Newforma Add-in for Autodesk Revit, not only manages the 'I' in BIM, but it connects BIM to many of the PIM processes and deliverables that are critical to project execution."
In final product acceptance testing, the software is proving its ability to streamline the following processes by connecting information in the building model with project information created and managed in Newforma Project Center:
Document control and revision management: The Newforma Add-in for Revit connects sheet information in Autodesk Revit to the Document Control activity center in Newforma Project Center which manages the revision and distribution of record documents derived from the model.
Room and spatial data management: Newforma's new product bi-directionally synchronizes room, area and space information in Revit with the Newforma Spatial Index activity center in Newforma Project Center, where room parameters can be passed to Microsoft Excel for bulk editing.
Punch list integration: The add-in connects space and system elements in the model with the Spatial Index activity center in Newforma Project Center to provide a consistent, unambiguous framework for the location of punch list items throughout the facility.
Building element information management: Newforma's new product connects building elements such as doors, curtain walls, equipment, HVAC or structural components across multiple Revit models with the Building Information Management activity center in Newforma Project Center, where element parameters can be added, edited and linked to related PIM processes, and synchronized back to their respective models.
Design and construction coordination: The add-in creates and links action items and markups managed in Newforma Project Center to building elements in Revit to track and more efficiently resolve design and construction challenges with other stakeholders.
Discoverable project audit trail: A by-product of a Newforma-enabled BIM process is a discoverable project audit trail that links building elements in Revit to a decision trail of information, emails and documents to document important design and construction coordination decisions.
Newforma Add-in for Autodesk Revit will be commercially available in the second quarter of 2011 upon completion of product acceptance testing by industry-leading AEC firms participating in the Newforma Limited Customer Release program.
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