CC Sep-Oct 2022

Construction 

Computing 

WWW.CONSTRUCTION-COMPUTING.COM 

Keeping New Zealand on track 

Revizto delivers cross-discipline collaboration for KiwiRail 

AIMing off-centre 

The realities of creating a viable AIM solution 

A fluid situation 

Highlighting and mitigating water distribution risks 

with Bentley's OpenFlows WaterSight 

Tekla PowerFab 

Trimble explain how you can fabricate smarter 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 

VOL 18 NO 05 

@CCMagAndAwards

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CONTENTS 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 

CONTENTS 

KEEPING NEW ZEALAND ON TRACK 16 

How a visual cross-discipline collaboration 

solution from Revizto is enabling the efficient 

delivery of New Zealand's rail upgrade projects 

ARCHICAD 26 20 

Graphisoft's Archicad 26 focuses on giving 

architects and designers more freedom to 

create while avoiding tedious, unnecessary 

processes 

FABRICATE SMARTER 24 

Chris Gatehouse at Trimble UK explores the 

role a management information system (MIS) 

can play in the journey to net zero 

VECTORWORKS 2023 26 

The latest Vectorworks BIM and CAD product 

line focuses on process automation, giving 

architects and designers more time to 

concentrate on designing 

NEWS.................................................INDUSTRY NEWS.......................................................................................................6 

• GOING DIGITAL AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED • 4D CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS MANAGEMENT 

INDUSTRY FOCUS.............................A FLUID SITUATION............................................................................................10 

• HIGHLIGHTING AND MITIGATING WATER DISTRIBUTION RISKS WITH BENTLEY'S OPENFLOWS WATERSIGHT 

AWARDS.............................................IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!........................................................................12 

• NOW's THE TIME TO VOTE FOR YOUR WINNERS IN THE 2022 CONSTRUCTION COMPUTING AWARDS 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................THE CONFUSING WORLD OF INSURANCE......................................................14 

• BY MAY WINFIELD, GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIGITAL RISK, BURO HAPPOLD 

CASE STUDY......................................RETROFIT FOR PURPOSE?...............................................................................18 

• CAN THE ENERGY CRISIS BE MITIGATED WITH A NATIONAL RETROFIT PLAN? 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................AIMING OFF-CENTRE.......................................................................................22 

• DAVID CHADWICK UNDERLINES THE ISSUES THAT HAVE TO BE CONFRONTED TO CREATE A VIABLE AIM SOLUTION 

INDUSTRY COMMENT.......................IS BIM DELIVERING THE BENEFITS?................................................................28 

• EDOCUMENTS EXPLAIN WHY BIM IS MORE THAN JUST A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS 

HARDWARE FOCUS..........................ALL TERRAIN PLOTTERS............................................,.....................................29 

• HP REVOLUTIONISES THE CONSTRUCTION LAYOUT PROCESS WITH HP SITEPRINT 

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS......................NET ZERO TARGETS - HAVE WE BEEN SIDETRACKED?................................30 

• HOW CAN BUILDING COMPANIES SUPPORT NET ZERO TARGETS? 

TRAINING MAP..................................AUTODESK TRAINING........................................................................................32 

• YOUR GUIDE TO AUTODESK TRAINING 

SOFTWARE FOCUS...........................A WORLD OF VISUALISATIONS AWAITS..........................................................34 

• AMUTRI DELIVER A QUICK AND SIMPLE ROUTE INTO 3D VISUALISATION AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY 

September/October 2022 3

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Comment 

Water, water, everywhere.... 

by David Chadwick 

But not where you want it! It has been 

a year of extremes, not all of which 

can be attributed to the current 

situation in Ukraine, but certainly 

exacerbating the fallout from the region. 

As a harbinger of the future, the evolving 

catastrophic consequences of water 

mismanagement are beginning to be felt 

on a global basis, from massive droughts 

and water shortages in many countries, 

the depletion of water reserves in 

reservoirs, to unprecedented floods 

across the globe. 

In an attempt to fathom - no pun intended 

- the reasons why a world whose surface is 

71% water should start to present itself as 

a problem, we need to look at how it is 

distributed. Apparently 96.5% of that is salt 

water in the oceans, and only 3.5% is 

locked up in glaciers, ice caps (mostly at 

69%) and freshwater lakes. That's still a lot, 

as if you could flatten out the mountains 

and melt all the ice, sea levels would rise to 

an altitude of 2.7km! 

So why are we short of water and why, 

when it does rain, it absolutely pours? We 

saw the results of persistent drought in 

this country with the fields turning brown 

and crops withering. I particularly noticed 

the absence of cattle and sheep on the 

local fields and presumed they were 

eating the sileage from last year back on 

the farm and depleting their winter rations. 

The extremes in this country were mild, 

though, compared to the devastation 

occurring elsewhere. 

In the developed world, the drought and 

extreme heat is estimated to have cut 

production by around 20%, but due to the 

disparity between the extensive 

agricultural methods used in the 

developed world compared to third world 

countries, the impact is thought be less 

severe in the latter. It exacerbates, 

however, the decline in grain exports from 

the Ukrainian bread-basket. 

That is now. The future is less certain, but 

we do know that rising populations in the 

Third World and increasing urbanisation 

are going to make the current situation 

seem like a summer holiday compared to 

the climactic conditions we will face in the 

future. Water management is as significant 

a factor in managing the Earth's changing 

ecosystem as Net Zero Carbon and global 

warming, and current measures to 

improve its sourcing and control are 

merely the thin end of the wedge. 

One of the articles in this issue looks at 

the use of Bentley's OpenFlows 

WaterSight risk mitigation application to 

increase the efficiency of water distribution 

to households and businesses in given 

areas. It uses analytical tools to evaluate, 

simulate and control water networks 

based on digital twin-based data models. 

It could bring up to date the more 

traditional methods of management used 

by local water authorities in this country. 

The supply of water, though, is just one 

part of the equation. High temperatures 

that normally accompany droughts 

evaporate moisture from the soil and 

compact it so that subsequent storms 

merely run off violently flooding roads, 

towns and water courses and invariably 

wasted, instead of refreshing the soil and 

filling up depleted reservoirs. 

There has, naturally, been a great deal of 

comment on the drought, and the use of 

hosepipe and other bans on water usage 

to mitigate its effects. There has been 

precious little discussion, however, about 

the long-term possibilities of water 

shortage due to climate change and the 

steps needed to cope with them. Perhaps 

it's time for the water companies to stop 

counting their bonuses and step up their 

plans for real risk mitigation. I would be 

delighted to see Bentley's OpenFlows 

meet this challenge by extending its 

analytics to cover global events. 

4 September/October 2022

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INDUSTRY news 

THE XYZ'S OF CONSTRUCTION REWORK 

Construction technology 

specialist XYZ Reality has 

released a new white paper: 

'Rethinking Rework: Exploring 

the causes of and solutions to 

construction's most expensive 

problem.' With some studies 

suggesting that as much as 

30% of construction work is 

actually rework, the research 

takes a deep dive into the fundamental 

issues caused by 

rework in construction and how 

the industry can eliminate them. 

One of the document's most 

significant findings is the actual 

scarcity of coherent data to 

measure the full cost implications 

of rework on construction 

projects. Due to factors like a 

lack of processes and tools to 

effectively measure rework 

costs, the true scale of rework's 

deleterious effect likely exceeds 

existing, estimated values. The 

report found that poor 'planning', 

'management' and 'communication' 

failures to be the 

primary factors leading to errors 

and, in turn, costly rework. This 

was closely followed by 'poor 

design', 'low quality of work', 

'inadequate skills' and 'bad 

material specification'. 

However, the report reveals 

there are also reasons to be 

optimistic, with existing and 

emerging systems and 

processes reducing the margin 

for error during design and 

build. For example, the document 

highlighted current industry-wide 

investments in collaboration 

and training programs, 

proving themselves as effective 

prevention methods. In fact, the 

research shows that training 

programmes can reduce 

rework costs by 11-22%. 

www.xyzreality.com 

NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR ASITE AND SMARTVIZ 

Asite has announced a new 

partnership with SmartViz, 

an intuitive digital twin platform 

that boosts the performance 

of assets, which will 

expand operational capabilities 

available to asset owners. 

It will also enable outcomedriven 

digital twins through 

real-time data and occupancy 

analytics, simulations, and 

visualisations for asset performance 

optimisation. 

Nathan Doughty, Asite CEO 

said: "We are incredibly excited 

about this new partnership with 

SmartViz and the world of 

opportunity it opens for us and 

the built environment as a 

whole. Digital twins are transforming 

the AECO industry and 

the world as we know it, ushering 

in new and exciting digital 

era. We are proud to be at the 

forefront of this technological 

advancement and reinforce our 

reputation as one of the industry's 

most forward-thinking and 

innovative service providers." 

www.asite.com 

GLIDER AWARDED G-CLOUD 13 CONTRACT 

Asset lifecycle software specialist 

Glider has been 

awarded the G-Cloud 13 contract 

from the Crown Commercial 

Service, following their prior 

appointment as a supplier on 

the G-Cloud 12 framework. The 

Information Management specialist 

has been awarded the 

G-Cloud 13 (RM 1557.13) contract 

and follows Glider's prior 

appointment as a supplier on 

the G-Cloud 12 network, where 

it gained contracts with highstatus 

clients including the 

MOD and the NHS. 

Bentley Systems has 

announced the finalists in 

the 2022 Going Digital Award 

in Infrastructure. The annual 

awards program honours the 

extraordinary work of Bentley 

software users advancing 

infrastructure design, construction, 

and operations 

throughout the world. Eleven 

independent jury panels 

selected the 36 finalists from 

over 300 nominations submitted 

by more than 180 organizations 

from 47 countries 

encompassing 12 categories. 

The winners will be revealed 

on November 15 during the 

2022 Going Digital Awards in 

Infrastructure celebrations in 

London at the Intercontinental 

Park Lane, in front of invited 

press members and industry 

The Crown Commercial Service, 

as the Contracting Authority, 

is putting in place a framework 

agreement designed to 

enable public sector customers 

in the UK to find and buy cloud 

computing services. It is 

intended to build upon the 

benefits of the previous G- 

Cloud framework, to provide 

access to multiple suppliers 

and cloud services, a quick 

and easy route to market, and 

access to the latest cloud technology 

and innovation. 

https://glidertech.com 

GOING DIGITAL AWARDS FINALISTS ARE HERE! 

executives. 

Nicholas Cumins, Bentley's 

chief operating officer, said, 

"After two years of hosting the 

event virtually, we are excited to 

reunite in person with the Going 

Digital Awards' finalists to celebrate 

their accomplishments 

along with press members and 

industry analysts. Bentley executives 

will share insights about 

digital advancements in infrastructure 

along with updates on 

Bentley applications and technology 

innovations." 

You'll find full details of this 

year's finalists at the link 

below, and the finalists presentations 

will be available for 

viewing on the same site from 

November 7: 

https://www.bentley.com/event 

s/going-digital-awards/finalists 

6 

September/October 2022

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ConQuest Estimating can help you with: 

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customer support

INDUSTRY news 

4D CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS MANAGEMENT 

FARO has announced the 4D 

Construction Progress Management 

Solution, available on 

FARO's Sphere SaaS platform. 

Sphere provides a central location 

for users to capture, view, 

share and analyse reality capture 

data allowing construction 

and operation professionals to 

benefit from faster site updates, 

easier virtual collaboration and 

more reliable progress insights. 

The central component to the 

4D Construction Progress Management 

Solution is the Sphere 

Viewer, which leverages a combination 

of computer vision, 

photogrammetry and AI to create 

a comprehensive virtual jobsite. 

Developed by FARO's 360° 

reality capture and point cloud 

technology experts, the new 

viewer analyses point clouds 

and 360° photos in a unified 

environment, removing reality 

capture data silos and 

enabling faster analysis. 

The solution also includes 

VideoMode, which uses 360° 

videos to enable faster and 

easier site documentation, 

ProgressAI, which uses artificial 

intelligence to detect and 

report site progress, as well as 

a brand-new Robotics API. 

The new API allows robotic 

manufacturers to integrate and 

directly import reality captured 

data from robots straight into 

the virtual jobsite. 

The first robot to leverage the 

Robotics API will be Spot from 

Boston Dynamics. 

www.faro.com 

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP FOR BRICSYS 

Bricsys has partnered with 

web application platform 

Cooperlink CONNECT. Bricsys 

24/7 users will now be able to 

automatically upload, record 

and archive documents in realtime 

from Microsoft SharePoint 

to Bricsys 24/7, reducing the 

time spent manually saving 

files and re-encoding metadata. 

This collaborative two-way 

integration provides a 100% 

digitised and automated coordination 

of information: from 

the classification and exchange 

of documents to the validation 

of technical sheets. 

Ideal for users working on 

large construction projects from 

design to handover of the asbuilt 

files, the platform enables 

better collaboration among 

contractors, owners, architects, 

and engineering teams thanks 

to uniform data accessible in 

one central place, which helps 

eliminates the risk of project 

fragmentation, miscommunication 

and costly errors. 

www.bricsys.com 

EPIC COLLABORATION FOR AUTODESK 

Autodesk has entered a 

strategic collaboration with 

Epic Games to accelerate 

immersive real-time (RT) experiences 

across industries, with 

an initial focus on architecture, 

engineering and construction. 

This joint effort aims to make 

immersive RT environments 

easily accessible to designers, 

engineers, and construction 

professionals, so they can 

deliver more innovative projects 

in less time. 

The first integrated offering 

will be Epic Games' Twinmotion 

for Autodesk Revit, delivering 

real-time rendering and 

storytelling. As Revit is used to 

design, document, and deliver 

building and infrastructure 

projects, Twinmotion complements 

the process by creating 

Shipping in Q4, the new 

NVIDIA RTX 6000 workstation 

GPU, based on its 

NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, 

will offer 2-4x the performance 

of the previous-generation 

RTX A6000. Incorporating 

the latest generations of render, 

AI and shader technologies 

and 48GB of GPU memory, 

the RTX 6000 enables 

users to create incredibly 

detailed content, develop 

complex simulations and form 

the building blocks required to 

construct compelling and 

engaging virtual worlds. 

real-time visualisations for a 

fast, interactive design 

process. Autodesk intends to 

make Twinmotion for Revit 

available to all Revit customers 

as part of an upcoming 

release. 

"We know our customers are 

looking for more visualisation 

and collaboration experiences 

through extended reality," said 

Autodesk EVP of AEC Design, 

Amy Bunszel. "Together with 

Epic Games, we will expand 

on what’s possible. In immersive 

environments, designers 

can communicate to their project 

teams and clients with 

unparalleled realism how projects 

will look and feel upon 

completion for better decisionmaking 

and outcomes." 

www.autodesk.com 

NVIDIA'S NEW ADA LOVELACE RTX GPU ARRIVES 

"Neural graphics is driving 

the next wave of innovation in 

computer graphics and will 

change the way content is 

created and experienced," 

said Bob Pette, vice president 

of professional visualisation at 

NVIDIA. "The NVIDIA RTX 

6000 is ready to power this 

new era for engineers, 

designers and scientists to 

meet the need for demanding 

content-creation, rendering, 

AI and simulation workloads 

that are required to build 

worlds in the metaverse." 

www.nvidia.com 

8 


SOFTWAREfocus 

A fluid situation 

Highlighting and mitigating the risks in water distribution using digital twins is the focus of 

Bentley's OpenFlows WaterSight, writes David Chadwick 

There's nothing like a global calamity to 

focus one's mind on a situation. The 

problem is that nowadays, you can 

usually pick and choose which climatic 

disaster you are referring to. In this particular 

instance, it is the drought conditions that we 

have been experiencing throughout Europe, 

the United Kingdom, and which are 

especially hitting hard in the southwest 

region of the United States. 

The UK drought - the worst here since 

1976 - has led to calls for large-scale bans 

on water usage, but has also highlighted 

the performance of the country's utilities in 

dealing with the problem. For instance the 

fact that no new reservoirs have been built 

in the UK, or are even being contemplated, 

when we are predicting a greater 

frequency of such extreme weather events 

in the future. 

Like all major climatic eventualities, 

which are probably wired into the system 

for the foreseeable future, we are 

destined to be left tinkering on the edges 

and utilising the resources we do have in 

lessening their effect. And yet we have the 

technology to help. Bentley's OpenFlows 

WaterSight, for example, provides the 

means to dramatically improve the 

efficiency of the water supply from local 

water authorities to individual regions, 

reducing water loss and operating costs by 

up to 20% or more depending on the 

operational context, increasing network 

efficiency and reducing network 

interruptions by up to 25% or more (again 

this varies by context). 

SMART AND RESILIENT WATER 

SYSTEMS 

To effectively manage a safe and reliable 

water supply, utilities needs to control many 

parts; from pumps, tanks, system and 

boundary valves, coupled with pipe leaks 

and unpredictable main breaks and power 

outages. Failures can have cascading 

effects on the delivery of drinking water. 

As cities and populations grow and 

systems face aging infrastructure, climate 

change, and ever-shifting challenges, 

utilities are turning to data and digitally 

integrated systems to help them better 

design, operate and maintain these 

complex systems. This means measuring, 

capturing and storing more data than ever 

before. However, data gets locked into 

separate systems in separate departments, 

resulting in siloed data repositories that are 

vastly underutilised. 

The OpenFlows digital twin platform helps 

to solve this problem by combining asset 

data, GIS, historical data and performance 

results in a single view of the truth, 

facilitating enhanced analysis and 

improved decision making. It incorporates 

hydraulic structures, sensor data and IoT 

capabilities, numerical models, Power BI, 

alerts and work orders to calculate risks 

within a network, define its consequences, 

assess the performance and likely failure 

of individual elements, and compare risk 

with performance to produce effective 

action plans. 

DC Water, for example, distributes drinking 

water and collects and treats wastewater for 

more than 670,000 residents and 17.8 

million annual visitors in the District of 

Columbia. With an implemented digital twin, 

DC Water can more easily replicate the data 

from their enterprise systems in a managed 

cloud application, organise and scrub the 

data in near real-time and then configure 

operational applications to address key 

operational challenges. For example, they 

were able to understand pump and tank 

operational performance, automate nonrevenue 

water audits by month or by 

pressure zone, or analyse and mitigate 

operational events, such as pump 

shutdowns or pipe breaks, using a browserbased 

SCADA integrated hydraulic model. 

For many of Bentley's users, the 

foundation of the water distribution system 

digital twin is the hydraulic model, which 

allows for simulation and what-if scenarios. 

Using flexible and customisable rules, 

models can be applied within a single city 

authority, such as the Companhia Águas 

de Joinville in Brazil, with a total population 

of 600,000, according to Lucas Emanuel 

Martins, an engineer with the authority. 

The digital twin can help them prepare a 

contingency plan for seasonal droughts. 

The model can also be used by regional 

water authorities to compare data relating 

to water distribution across multiple 

datasets to simulate and optimise water 

flow and quality. Totally flexible in its datadriven 

approach, it can support the various 

stakeholders involved in a region's capital 

10 


SOFTWAREfocus 

planning efforts (such as engineering, 

operations and management, IT and GIS, 

finance, and executive management). The 

software can easily be used to calculate the 

likelihood and consequence of failures and 

assess them together by creating and 

comparing different risk scenarios, 

combining risk with asset performance to 

drive high-quality decisions. 

WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE UK 

I was initially concerned that the scenario 

presented by Lucas in a Bentley podcast 

was not directly scaleable for the UK, which 

is divided into a number of different water 

utilities, each of which covers much larger 

geographic areas with greater populations. 

Having spoken to Wayne Arscott, Head of 

Leakage at Wessex Water, however, the 

same issues are being handled here, as 

they have been working with Wessex Water 

for the past 25 years, albeit with a more 

traditional network of hydraulic features 

rather than the digital twin environment in 

Joinville, Brazil. 

Wessex Water operates between 3,500 to 

4,000 water meters in discrete meter areas - 

roughly covering 800 houses or the 

equivalent industrial units, each logging 

data on water flows, demand, and 

leakages. The meters send back readings 

every 30 minutes or so. Wayne explained 

that most of the UK operates in a similar 

fashion. Balance readings are taken when 

there is the least demand on their network - 

usually 2.00 to 3.00 AM - although that has 

changed a bit during the drought as people 

have run sprinklers and domestic 

equipment overnight according to their 

personal requirements. 

The data that they extract is compared with 

similar models created over the years and 

held in calibrated models to differentiate 

when climatic conditions and water 

resources differ from normal or expected 

weather, susceptible to being modified 

following the results of the current drought. 

The current strategy, which is largely 

manual, is aimed at highlighting areas 

where leakages and equipment failures 

appear to be happening and to assign work 

teams to attend to them. 

Risk Prioritisation OpenFlows, which can 

either be used as an analytical tool by itself 

or together with WaterSight's complete 

water management solution, looks at the 

factors involved in its distribution. Two 

prime issues in water supply management 

are the likelihood of failure (LOF) provided 

by data on the network's component 

materials, age and estimated break rate, 

and the types of seals in the network, and 

the consequences of failure (COF), which 

looks at who will be affected at any point or 

area in the network, or the proximity of a 

leak, say, adjacent to a highway. 

Both the LOF and the COF are then 

combined to create risk scenarios, which 

are then assessed alongside asset 

performance data - looking at historical, 

current and predicted performance levels, 

providing the authorities with the data they 

need to develop viable action plans. The 

scenarios can be presented as simulations 

to look at what-if situations, perhaps 

allowing operators to look at the effects of 

closing down a section of the network in the 

event of a major leakage. 

The information is presented in a common 

and customisable dashboard, so that 

managers, operators and engineers have 

real-time access to the information at any 

time in any location. They can view the 

performance of every embedded piece of 

equipment in the hydraulic model, endowed 

with dedicated boundary conditions and 

performance templates that enable them to 

simulate and record water flow data. 

Sensors attached to components within the 

network provide the digital twin aspect of 

the software, enhanced further by the 

integration of a 3D model for added context. 

OPERATIONAL RESPONSES 

There is no mystery about its operation, 

which I have found to be common in both 

Brazil and the UK. If you can simulate a pipe 

break, you can identify which valves and 

which customers will be affected rather 

more easily by utilising the GIS data and 

digital twin features in Brazil than the more 

vulnerable systems used in most of the UK 

authorities. If valves are set to inoperable or 

a pump station is shut down, you can 

identify further which areas will be affected, 

or how the storage system and water flow 

will be affected. 

Like the UK, however, pinpointing leakages 

depends on anomaly detection and the 

comparison of flow rates against expected 

minimal flow rates, supplemented by boots 

on the ground. Each zone, even in Brazil, is 

comprised of hundreds of dwellings and 

water customers. 

The data that would trigger a response is 

displayed in OpenFlows WaterSight in a 

subwindow under a number of categories: 

Meter Failure, Burst, Leak, Flow Increase, 

Work Order and Zone Charge. To continue 

monitoring the network, any recorded 

anomalies are automatically excluded from 

the network pattern calculations. 

The availability of data from any number of 

sources allows operators to attach a cost of 

subsequent remedial work. It also 

contributes to a water audit, which 

calculates and displays the percentage of 

authorised and billed consumption, 

unbilled consumption, and apparent or real 

water losses. 

IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES 

Evaluating technical data for each pump 

allows them to be compared against their 

expectations or whether they have 

degraded more rapidly than expected and 

subsequently replaced, enhancing the 

efficiency of each zone. All of the data is 

available, together with KPIs using 

dashboards powered by embedded Power 

BI. Users are not limited to what WaterSight 

can display and can create reports to suit 

their own needs. 

RISK ASSESSMENTS 

Bentley's OpenFlows WaterSight is used 

to make risk assessments and identify 

assets due for replacement, calculate the 

likelihood of failure, and ultimately make 

decisions based on the data and the 

costs of remediation. It is a cloud-based 

system, accessible from any location and 

on any device, and is guaranteed to 

improve the efficiency of hydraulic models 

of any size, supplemented by data from a 

multitude of sources. 

Its relevance to the abnormal droughts we 

are currently experiencing cannot be 

overestimated, either by factoring in the 

elements that enable more efficient water 

management, or by prompting further 

expansion and monitoring of original water 

supplies. A couple of extra water reservoirs 

wouldn't go amiss in the UK either! 

www.bentley.com 


AWARDS 

Sponsored by: 

Autumn is upon us once again, which 

means that now's the time to decide 

who you'll be voting for in the 2022 

Construction Computing Awards. 'The 

Hammer's are one of the highlights of the 

industry calendar and the trophies are 

coveted by the winners, who are 

determined by the online votes of our 

readers. Below you'll find a list of this year's 

finalists in the different categories that you 

can vote for on the awards webite. This is a 

great opportunity for you to support the 

software solutions and companies that you 

believe have made the most impact in the 

past year. 

Outstanding projects, new technologies 

and newcomers to the industry will once 

again be selected by our judging panel, 

and all will once again be revealed at the 

evening awards ceremony, which will be 

The Hammers 2022 - The finalists 

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR 2022 

Judged by Panel 

4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS On Site App - The 4PS On Site App - 

Bringing the construction site and the office together 

3D Repo/Mission Room/eviFile - AEC Control Rooms - AEC Control Rooms 

Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace - Giving Construction 

the Freedom to do More 

Buildots - The Buildots Platform 

Coltraco Limited - Portascanner AIRTIGHT 520 - The World's First Ultrasonic 

Quantifier of Air Leaks in Buildings 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - ShireSystem Permit to Work - ShireSystem Permit to Work 

Esri UK - Site Scan for ArcGIS - Esri UK's Site Scan drone software 

GigBridge - GigBridge Recruitment Platform - GigBridge - The recruitment 

platform for construction companies 

Glider - gliderbim® - Gliderbim® collaborating with DIO 

Open ECX - eHub - Next Generation EDI by Open ECX 

RIB Software - iTWO costX - iTWO costX Embodied Carbon Calculations 

Steelray Software - Steelray Delay Analyzer - Steelray Delay Analyzer 

Symetri - Naviate - Enhancing design workflows to create a better, more 

sustainable future 

Trimble - Tekla PowerFab - Trimble Tekla PowerFab 

Vectorworks Inc. - VECC - Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator 

XYZ Reality - The Atom - Engineering-Grade Augmented Reality 

ONE TO WATCH COMPANY OF 2022 


ALICE Technologies - AI-powered construction optioneering software 

Amutri - CAD to photo-realistic 3D in one click 

Coltraco Limited - Coltraco Limited 

DiRoots Limited - DiRoots Limited 

Oktra - Oktra digitalises design and build using Autodesk Construction Cloud 

Symetri - Symetri joins forces with Microdesk & Bimfire Tools. 

BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT 

2022 


McAvoy and Graphisoft - Archicad - Seismic 

Glider - gliderbim® - Ministry of Justice, HMP Five Wells 

Symetri, Stepnell & University of Worcester - Revit, Archibus, Oculo, Solibri, 

Navisworks - The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Building at Univ. of Worcester 

with Stepnell & Symetri 

Trimble - Spot @BAM Nuttall - Spot 

BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN AN INFRASTRUCTURE 

PROJECT 2022 


Aecom - Revizto - A38 Derby junction & M54 M6 Link 

held in on November 10th at The Leonardo 

City Hotel, 8-14 Coopers Row, London 

EC3N 2BQ. 

The awards night offers a perfect 

opportunity to celebrate the industry’s 

success stories and catch up with old 

friends and industry colleagues, and 

pehaps make some new ones too. We 

hope to see you there! 

www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk 

ALICE Technologies / Align JV - ALICE - Align and ALICE team up 

Asite - The Asite Platform - Transpennine Route Upgrade 

Fusion - Esri ArcGis - Connecting people in a large-scale multi-disciplinary 

project 

Trimble - Tekla Software - Stockingfield Footbridge 

BIM PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022 



Jonathan Reeves Architects - Vectorworks Architect & Twinmotion - Water 

Edge Eco Home 

Symetri, Autodesk & Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 

- Autodesk Construction Cloud - Harnessing data and technology to improve 

patient experience in Milton Keynes 

Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - Newhurst EfW facility 

COLLABORATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022 


ALICE Technologies / Align JV - ALICE - Align and ALICE partnership 

Digital Construction Works - The Digital Construction Works Integrations 

Platform - Nashville Geodis Park 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - IconSystem - IHG builds reputation from the first brick 

using IconSytem 

Fusion - Esri ArcGis - Connecting people in a large-scale multi-disciplinary 

project 


Multiplex - Revizto - 65 Davies Lane 

Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - Alexander Stadium redevelopment 

CLOUD TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR 2022 


4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct In the Cloud 

3D Repo with HOK - 3D Repo - Renovating Canada's Historic Parlimentary 

Complex 

Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace - Giving Construction 

the Freedom to do More 

Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform - The Asite Platform 


Platform - Nashville Geodis Park 

Glider - gliderbim® - Defence Infrastructure Organisation AIM CDE 

Open ECX - eHub - Next Generation EDI by Open ECX 

Payapps - Payapps - Collaborative Management of Supply Chain Valuations 

AR/VR PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022 


Amutri - Amutri - 3D Visualisation -Amutri Rapid 3D Visualisation 

Real-Time-Rendering - Twinmotion - Forest Rooms 

Trimble - Trimble XR10 - KOREC / Mercury Engineering 

12 


AWARDS 

XYZ Reality - The Atom - The Atom on mission critical projects 

Enscape / Keurk - Enscape VR - Biotope Project 

SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2022 


Paperless Construction - Paperless - Eurovia 

Studio Partington - Vectorworks Architect - Golden Lane Estate 

Trimble - Tekla and Trimble Connect - King's Cross R8 

TEAM OF THE YEAR 2022 


3D Repo/Mission Room/evifile - AEC Control Rooms - AEC Control Rooms 

Cadventure - Professional Services - Project Information Management 

Services 

KOREC - Geospatial and Construction products - KOREC 

Smith Brothers Stores Ltd - www.sbsonline.net - Smith Brothers Marketing 

Team - Outstanding Contribution 

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


4PS Construction Solutions - 4PS Construct - 4PS Construct - the integrated 

and all-in-one construction ERP 

Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform - The Asite Platform 

Buildots - The Buildots Platform 

Novade - Novade - Novade 

DIGITAL HEALTH & SAFETY SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


3D Repo with AstraZenica - 3D Repo - Astrazenica: Visualising Construction 

Safety Risks 

Paperless Construction - Paperless - Eurovia 

Novade - Novade - Novade 

EDITORS CHOICE OF 2022 


4PS 

Bentley Systems 

Buildots 

Glider 

NVIDIA 

Open ECX 

Revizto 

Solibri UK Ltd 

Trimble 

Esri UK 

XYZ Reality 

BIM SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 

3D Repo - 3D Repo 

Autodesk - AEC Collection 

Bentley Systems - OpenBuildings Designer 

Bricsys - BricsCAD V22 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject BIM 

Glider - gliderbim® 

Graphisoft - Archicad 26 

Rendra - StreamBIM 

Revizto - Revizto 

Solibri UK Ltd - Solibri Office 

Trimble - Trimble Connect 

Vectorworks Inc - Vectorworks Architect 

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 



Elecosoft UK Ltd - Framing 


SketchUp - SketchUp 

Vectorworks Inc - Vectorworks Architect 

COLLABORATION SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


Asite Solutions Ltd - The Asite Platform 

Autodesk Construction Cloud - Autodesk Build 


Platform 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject Vision 

Graphisoft - BIMcloud 

Newforma - Newforma Project Center 

RedSky - Project Connect 


Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint for Projects 

DOCUMENT AND CONTENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - IconSystem 


PlanRadar - PlanRadar 



ERP SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 

Access Construction - Access Construction ERP 

Eque2 Ltd - EVision ERP 

IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud 

RedSky - Summit ERP 

Xpedeon - Xpedeon 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


Bentley Systems - Synchro 4D 

Bluebeam - Bluebeam Revu 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - Powerproject 

PlanRadar - PlanRadar 

Safran Software Solutions AS - Safran Risk / Safran Project 


CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 

Access Construction - EasyBuild 

CLiP IT Solutions - Construction Industry Accounts 

Eque2 Ltd - Construct for Sage 

Integrity Software - Evolution Mx 

RedSky - Summit 

ESTIMATION & VALUATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 

Access Construction - Conquest Estimating 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - Bidcon 

Eque2 Ltd - EValuate Estimating 

Nomitech - CostOS 

RIB Software - iTWO costX 

Tekla - Tekla PowerFab 

CONSTRUCTION FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SUITE OF THE YEAR 2022 

Access Construction - EasyBuild ERP 

Eque2 Ltd - EVision ERP 


ASSET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 

Bentley Systems - AssetWise 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - ShireSystem 

IFS UK&I - IFS Cloud 

Trimble - AgileAssets Structures Analyst 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


Bentley Systems - STAAD.Pro 

SCIA - SCIA Engineer 

StruSoft - FEM Design 

Tekla - Tekla Structural Designer 2022 

GIS/MAPPING PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2022 

Bentley Systems - OpenCities Map 

Blue Sky - Aerial Photography and Topographic Mapping 

Esri UK - Esri ArcGIS 

Hexagon - GeoMedia 

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR 2022 

Asite Solutions Ltd - Adoddle Field for Site 

Elecosoft UK Ltd - Site Progress Mobile 

Graphisoft - BIMx 

Novade - Novade 

Trimble Viewpoint - Viewpoint Field View 

CHANNEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR 2022 

Cadventure 

Graitec 

Jonathan Reeves CAD 

Korec Group 

Symetri 

CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR 2022 


Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace 




Open ECX - eHub 

Payapps - Payapps 



RIB Software - iTWO costX 



PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2022 


Access Construction - Access Construction Workspace 


Autodesk Construction Cloud - Autodesk Build 

Bentley Systems - MicroStation 


Glider - gliderbim® 



Open ECX - eHub 


Revizto - Revizto+ 


Symetri - Naviate 


COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2022 

3D Repo 

Access Construction 

Asite Solutions Ltd 

Autodesk 

Bentley Systems 

Elecosoft UK Ltd 

Graphisoft 

Newforma 

Open ECX 

RedSky 

Revizto 

Solibri Uk Ltd 

Symetri 

Trimble 

Vectorworks Inc 


INDUSTRYcomment 

The confusing world of insurance 

By May Winfield, Global 

Director of Commercial, Legal 

and Digital Risks, Buro 

Happold 

We have, most likely, all seen 

insurance requirements 

inserted into our contracts, 

stipulating a party must hold certain 

levels of insurance limits for certain 

types of insurance policies. The 

question I will attempt to answer here is: 

Why does this matter? Perhaps a good 

place to start would be a baseline 

definition of Insurance. One of the 

leading professional texts in this area, 

Insurance Law for the Construction 

Industry (author: Hogarth, R) 

summarises as follows: 

One party (the 'Insurer') promises in 

return for a money consideration (the 

'premium') to pay either money or some 

corresponding benefit to, or for the 

benefit of, the other party (the 'Insured') 

upon the occurrence or one or more 

specified events. 

I spent more than a decade of my 

career acting for insurers, both in 

defending consultant and contractor 

insureds against claims, and 

investigating whether a claim/notified 

matter fell within cover of a policy 

(solicitors acting in this way are often 

referred to as 'coverage counsel'). The 

generally held (and somewhat 

pessimistic) belief that insurers are 

looking to reject as many notifications as 

possible to make money is simply not 

true. Insurance is an important safety net 

to protect us from the fact that none of us 

are perfect and, with the best will in the 

world, mistakes do happen. Its crucial 

role is to keep our industry turning 

without businesses folding, or becoming 

unviable due to incurring a liability that 

exceeds that business' assets. 

However, it should also not be seen as 

an open cheque book. Insurers 

undertake an, at times complex, 

balancing act between premiums 

charged and moneys spent on claims, 

14 



settlements and proceedings - it has 

been a tough few years for the 

insurance market leading to insurers 

being more wary about the risks posed 

by our industry. Some insurers have 

gone so far as to pull out or at least pull 

back from their offerings within our 

industry. This can be seen most 

prominently in the area of insurance 

cover for 'fire and façade'-related 

services. Following the Grenfell tragedy 

and ongoing investigations insurance in 

this area is limited, with some smaller 

organisations unable to get insurance 

for such services at all. 

As an added complexity, insurance 

cover for such fire and façade design 

services is currently only available in the 

UK insurance market on an "aggregate" 

basis (discussed below) and at lower 

insurance limits than other categories of 

services due to the inevitable higher 

risks of claims involved. I have heard 

this trend is spreading to other regions. 

Therefore in contract negotiations, 

Parties really need to make sure they 

agree a fair and proportional, riskmitigated 

position. There is no point in a 

high limit being required that doesn't 

match available cover, as insurance 

cover that is overstretched and overpromised 

will surely cause more 

problems than it solves. 

An aspect that often causes confusion 

but is vital to understand - not least 

because it is a frequent bone of 

contention between contracting parties - 

is whether one's insurance is on an 

"aggregate" or "each and every claim" 

basis. Why is it so contentious? It 

fundamentally impacts how much one is 

covered by insurance. At its core 

simplicity (though there are more 

subtleties that I will not bore you with), 

an aggregate policy has one bucket of 

money (e.g. £5m) for all claims 

occurring during the policy period 

(which is generally one year), and an 

each and every claim policy has a 

bucket of a specified sum (e.g. up to 

£5m) for each claim received during the 

policy period. 

It is self-evident that there is a big 

difference between the two, given that 

an organisation will be faced with 

meeting any shortfall in a claim (and 

legal costs) personally once their 

insurance limits run out. 

As a side but related issue, when 

looking at insurance cover issues on a 

wider basis there can be a temptation to 

choose the cheapest premium option in 

order to save money, confident in the 

belief that large claims or problems are 

unlikely to occur. However, this is often 

a false economy. 

Like clients who choose the lowest 

priced tender whilst ignoring quality - or 

indeed choosing a cheap home or travel 

insurance for your personal activities - 

you could be at risk of having a policy 

that is simply not fit for your purposes or 

needs. This only becomes apparent 

when insurers politely decline your 

notification, pointing out it does not fall 

within the ambit of your selected policy 

or is excluded because you failed to fully 

and honestly disclose all relevant facts 

during your policy. 

So, let us come to the negotiation table 

with an open, collaborative mindset, 

seeking to agree insurance 

requirements that are reasonable for the 

project, and realistically achievable for 

the parties concerned. Also in doing so, 

taking the time to discuss one's 

business requirements with one's 

insurance broker and professional 

advisors to make sure everything fits 

seamlessly to minimise unhappy 

surprises in this area. This requires 

thinking about not only what your 

organisation is doing and needs now, 

but how your business intends to grow 

and shape in the coming year. 

One's insurance broker, combined with 

relevant professional advisors and 

internal team, are best placed to work 

together to be your champions and 

experts in this area. Conversely, making 

inflexible demands will simply lead to 

deadlock and grievance - which is 

certainly against the intentions of 

insurance in the first place. 

This article is for information purposes 

only and should not be taken as legal 

advice. Specialist professional advice 

should be obtained on any insurance 

and legal matters. 


CASE study 

Keeping New Zealand on track 

How a visual cross-discipline collaboration solution is enabling the efficient delivery of New Zealand's 

rail upgrade projects 

New Zealand's rail transport system 

has connected people and goods 

around the country for more than 

150 years. KiwiRail is now in the midst of 

an exciting transformation on the back of 

Government investment of more than $4 

billion since 2017. This funding is enabling 

KiwiRail to deliver more than just physical 

assets, as the capital projects create an 

opportunity to also transform the way 

KiwiRail works. 

The New Zealand Government outlined 

its 10 year vision for rail through the NZ 

Rail Plan. This also represents a historic 

change in the way the rail network is 

planned and funded in New Zealand. In 

July 2021 the first Rail Network investment 

Programme (RNIP) came into effect, 

which sees Waka Kotahi NZ Transport 

Agency fund rail infrastructure from the 

National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), 

providing a long-term pipeline of 

infrastructure investment. 

KIWIRAIL LEVERAGES REVIZTO 

FOR ROI 

Running from 2020 to 2024, KiwiRail's Wiri 

to Quay Park (W2QP) project is one of a 

number of capital rail projects that is 

powered by Revizto. As KiwiRail revitalises 

the busy junctions of Westerfield and Wiri 

and builds a Third Main to separate slowmoving 

freight trains from faster commuter 

trains, Revizto acts as the key coordination 

tool that pulls the delivery team into a single 

source of truth collaborative environment. 

"Revizto is our golden thread on the 

project," according to Derek Jannings, 

KiwiRail's Digital Engineering Programme 

Manager. "It is used in both design and 

construction coordination meetings to 

resolve issues and provide visual context, 

driving conversations and enabling the 

W2QP team to solve complex issues prior 

to conducting work onsite." 

INCREASING BOTTOM LINE 

THROUGH EFFICIENCY 

As rail is a live environment, access to the 

network for complex infrastructure 

construction means that planned work 

needs to be completed within the agreed 

timeframes. KiwiRail has taken a bold 

approach to provide licensing for its supply 

chain who they are working with 

collaboratively to deliver projects. This 

means that everyone has access to 

Revizto on the project and 3D and 2D 

information is democratised. For KiwiRail, 

the cost of issues not being coordinated on 

site is significantly higher than providing 

licensing for Revizto. 

THE CHALLENGE AND THE 

SOLUTION 

Without a tool for collaboration, complex 

rail infrastructure projects can be 

challenging to deliver on time and on 

budget. There are a number of different 

stakeholders who support the delivery of 

KiwiRail projects, and this is often done 

using a range design authoring software 

for different disciplines. Before Revizto, 

KiwiRail listed the particular challenges 

they encountered from a technical 

perspective: 

Disjointed information located across 

multiple locations 

Designers or consultants using model 

authoring software specific to their 

discipline being unable to access 

other design models 

Multiple issue tracking registers 

(spreadsheets) on projects which had 

no connection to visual information 

Rich 3D information limited to 

specialised BIM practitioners 

16 


CASEstudy 

THE SOLUTION 

KiwiRail's Digital Engineering 

transformational programme changes the 

way projects are being delivered and looks 

to leave the business with both physical 

assets and rich digital assets at the end of 

this watershed period of investment. A 

consistent approach to scaled 

collaboration environments across their 

portfolio is a key element to the delivery of 

these assets. 

Designs are now connected and 

coordinated in a single place and 

democratised information and 3D 

models are available for all - not just BIM 

specialists. Stakeholders can be 

brought into the Revizto environment to 

provide meaningful input into the 

design, and teams are more aligned 

and on the same page. 

NEXT-LEVEL COORDINATION 

WITH REVIZTO 

The scale of the W2QP project means there 

are a number of different workstreams at 

different stages in the lifecycle of a project. 

Due to tight completion timeframes the 

project has construction and design work 

happening at the same time. KiwiRail 

receives monthly as-built models and 

imports these into Revizto to coordinate 

with the proposed design models. This 

enables a next level of coordination for the 

project, further reducing the likelihood of 

issues needing to be resolved on site. 

REMOVING INTEROPERABILITY 

BARRIERS 

For KiwiRail and the W2QP project Revizto 

is more than just a platform for design 

information. It also manages as-built drone 

surveys, as-built models, existing 

underground services and rail specific track 

gauge clearance models, and Revizto is 

also able to host 3D models developed in 

bespoke rail specific sofware, such as 

overhead line models. 

Being able to bring 3D track clearance 

models into the platform allows the W2QP 

project to coordinate tight tolerances for 

overhead line and signal design at Wiri and 

Westfield junctions. These are the busiest 

junctions in New Zealand's rail network and 

therefore require a high level of accuracy 

when coordinating new assets. 

POWERFUL REVIZTO FEATURES 

FOR KIWIRAIL 

Mutiple Search Sets - Search sets in 

Revizto allow KiwiRail to democratise the 

large number of models and seign 

disciplnes on their projects, then make it 

available to a wider audience in one 

platform. Project teams who are not familiar 

with object trees are able to easily filter 

models through object properties or 

predefined areas, empowering KiwiRail with 

actionable insights. 

Custom Properties - Cusom Properties in 

Revizto is paramount to KiwiRail's success 

on W2QP. With an industry specific railway 

expertise comes the need for KiwiRail to 

think outside of the box with the traditional 

authoring tools and bring the specialist 

inputs of project stakeholders together 

through custom parameters in rail 

clearance models. 

Multi-stamping & Issue Tracking - Before 

Revizto, KiwiRail dealt with spreadsheetbased 

issue registers with no visual 

representation, resulting in ambiguity with 

team collaboration workflows. Issue 

Tracking solves this communications 

problem between KiwiRail's design and 

construction teams with predefined 

metadata, markup reviews, fault detection 

& data visualisations in granular detail. 

Favourites & Tooltips with Object-based 

Navigation - Access to quick, real-time 

data is immensely critical for the timesensitive 

project delivery of W2QP. KiwiRail 

utilises these two Revizto features to bring 

location-based data and visuals closer 

together as it switches between parallel 

workstreams to remove bottlenecks and 

zero in on the high-priority items in a 

compressed project timeline. 

"Revizto enables us to prioritise issues 

that need to be solved before schedule 

physical construction works," concluded 

Derek Jennings. "The teams work 

collaboratively to resolve all the issues in 

the digital world before construction 

begins: we are under huge time pressure, 

and there is no room for errors." 

www.revizto.com 



Retrofit for purpose? 

Marek Suchocki, infrastructure engagement lead at Autodesk, suggests mitigating the energy crisis 

with a national retrofit plan 

Amidst recent figures warning 

that three quarters of 

households in the UK will face 

fuel poverty before January 2023, it 

is clear that urgent action is 

required to to be taken to 

combat the energy crisis. To 

this effect, the new Prime 

Minister, Liz Truss, has 

promised a freeze on energy 

bills in order to mitigate the 

skyrocketing cost of gas 

and electricity for the end 

user. Some, however, have 

labelled this as merely a 

sticking plaster for a longerterm 

housing issue. 

Many within the industry 

have lobbied the Prime 

Minister to put in place a 

nationwide strategy for 

retrofitting, with a view to making 

homes more energy efficient to 

help combat the ongoing crisis 

and contribute towards long-term 

sustainability goals. 

Much of the UK's existing 

housing stock consists of 

older, inefficient homes, 

built before energy 

efficiency was a 

consideration. 

These homes can 

be extremely 

costly for 

owners and 

residents. 

Retrofitting will 

provide more 

efficient 

buildings that 

also improve the quality of life for 

residents; with accommodation that's 

warmer, weatherproof and more 

affordable. 

Making existing homes more 

sustainable will be critical for 

governments - and housing industries - 

to meet their sustainability targets. In the 

UK, 85% of the homes that we'll live in by 

2050 have already been built. Therefore, 

meeting the UK's goal of becoming a net 

zero economy by 2050 would require 

retrofitting one million houses a year for 

the next three decades. 

In order to ramp up retrofitting in the 

UK, the process needs to be quicker, 

more cost-effective, and less disruptive 

to residents, while also maintaining an 

excellent level of quality. Integrating 

modern technology within construction 

will be an important foundation of this, 

and there are many ways this can be 

done in practice. 

Firstly, major efficiencies can be 

unlocked by integrating digital as-built 

models into the planning process. A lack 

of accurate information can seriously 

jeopardise a retrofitting project, 

especially where the building is older 

and plans are outdated, incomplete or 

lacking in detail. Requiring digital 

handover comprising BIM, verified asset 

data records and preparing an Asset 

Information Model (AIM), for example, 

can grant owners the insight to plan the 

retrofit more effectively and sustainably. 

In a broader sense, putting in place 

modern methods of construction can help 

to make the retrofitting process quicker, 

less disruptive, and more repeatable at 

scale. Currently, projects can be 

18 



piecemeal and short-term, with projects 

often awarded to the lowest bidder, 

inevitably resulting in low quality builds. 

With modern methods of construction, 

it doesn't have to be this way. In recent 

years, we've seen innovators like the 

Energiesprong Foundation taking a 

'whole-building' approach using 

prefabrication, constructing building 

façades in factories rather than tackling 

flaws one-by-one. 

Harnessing a data-driven approach will 

also help construction firms to make 

stronger business cases for major 

projects. Whether it's carbon emissions, 

air quality or impact on the local 

economy, measuring the full implications 

of retrofitting projects can be complex 

and imprecise. If this strategy is going to 

be rolled out at scale then collecting 

consistent, meaningful data must be the 

foundation. Making a data-driven 

approach the norm will help the 

government to formulate policy and 

allow owners to build a stronger 

business case for investment. 

Finally, ensuring a digital approach to 

construction will help to minimise errors 

and waste. Retrofit projects rely on 

accurate and up to date information, as 

errors can be both expensive to resolve 

and create an environmental impact. 

Implementing digital design and 

construction techniques will help teams 

get things right first time. Where records 

are poor or non-existent, new digital 

survey techniques including laser 

scanning and photogrammetry with 

drones rapidly create point cloud 

models of constructed assets. Scan-to- 

BIM techniques deliver an accurate 

model in a matter of hours to then 

leverage subsequent digital workflows. 

There will always be a balancing act to 

some extent when it comes to 

retrofitting, with any project having a 

whole host of benefits and costs to 

consider. If we continue to develop 

access to better data, modern methods 

of construction and a digital-first 

mindset, the UK has all the tools 

required to spark a retrofitting revolution 

that benefits everyone. The newly 

revised Construction Playbook from the 

UK Cabinet Office is further evidence 

that change in how the procure and 

supply side of industry operate is to be 

permanent, providing opportunities and 

improved expectations for all. 

www.autodesk.com 


SOFTWAREreview 

Archicad 26 

Graphisoft releases the latest version of its architectural design application, Archicad 26, which 

focuses on giving architects and designers more freedom to create while avoiding tedious, 

unnecessary processes 

Graphisoft recently announced the 

release of Archicad 26, which 

comes with updates to its 

BIMcloud, BIMx, and DDScad solutions 

as well (we reviewed DDScad in our last 

issue). The new release focuses on 

automating design and documentation 

processes and collaboration workflows. 

Enhanced visualisation solutions will also 

enable architects and engineers to spend 

more time creating instead of 

concentrating on workflows. 

WHAT'S NEW IN ARCHICAD 26? 

With projects now comprising substantial 

amounts of data and multiple 

stakeholders, architects and designers 

are in danger of becoming more involved 

in processes and workflows than 

focusing on their creativity. Archicad 26 

revitalises their energies and helps them 

increase productivity with smoother 

design, documentation, and 

collaboration workflows. 

According to Zsolt Kerecsen, VP of 

Software Success at Graphisoft, the new 

"Adaptive Hybrid Framework" approach 

to software design has helped the 

company develop the features that 

Archicad users most frequently suggest 

and bring the technology to market faster. 

One of the foremost enhancements has 

been the adoption of an improved 

structured folder hierarchy which provides 

a more intuitive method of organising and 

overviewing attributes. If you are looking 

for an item in any of your Project Map, 

View Map, Layout Book or Publisher Sets, 

the new navigation search tool helps you 

find it straight away. 

Designers can also create custom 

parametric object libraries without 

scripting. Smart objects, such as doors 

and windows can be assembled using 

the Library Part Maker tool without having 

to learn GDL scripting, with graphical 

editing tools assisting the process. This 

advanced feature is only available for 

Graphisoft Forward subscribers, however. 

Introduced in the last release, the 

detailed parametric Kitchen Cabinet 

Library has also been improved following 

feedback from users, and now provides 

them with increased customisation 

capabilities whilst increasing compliancy 

with local design standards. 

Openings are, surprisingly, a very 

common feature in every project. 

Archicad 26 has a surface override 

option that enables users to visualise 

openings in even the most complex 

situations. These used to be handled with 

tedious and unnecessary workarounds. 

20 


SOFTWAREreview 

The intuitive ability to apply radial 

stretches to curved elements like walls 

and beams with the "Copy" option, has 

now been extended to circles and ovals. 

FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE 

DOCUMENTATION 

Subscribing to the same ethos to reduce 

unnecessary processes, Archicad 26 has 

introduced substantial enhancements to 

the documentation workflow. One of the 

main improvements had been to facilitate 

access to PDF documents, the most 

frequently used file format in the 

construction industry. Now, selected 

pages can be imported from a multipage 

PDF using PDF Page Import with a 

single click. 

The Autotext feature in Master Layout is 

an intelligent tool that keeps document 

related data in title blocks automatically 

accurate and up to date. This applies to 

the Master Layout Name, Width, Height, 

Size, and Layout numbers for subsets. 

Users can also find and add multiple 

rules to combinations at once without 

unnecessary scrolling. 

Graphic Overrides is a versatile and 

interesting tool that allows users to 

display elements in any model view 

according to a customised graphical 

definition, to easily communicate designs 

to other team members. You can create 

thematic drawings using associative 

3D/BIM content in a semi-automatic way 

without resorting to supplementary 2D 

CAD work or "idle" presentation drawings. 

VISUALISATION ENHANCEMENTS 

Clients now expect high quality 

visualisations of proposed projects, and 

Archicad enables its users to meet the 

challenge. To this end the Additional 

Surfaces Catalogue has been completely 

renewed with fresh surface content for 

Archicad 26. This enables designs to be 

presented with a more realistic look with 

new textures, without having to import 

them from third party libraries - although 

the feature is only available to Graphisoft 

Forward subscribers. 

Publishing 3D models has become 

easier as well, with an improved workflow 

and easier control over textures, file size 

and export time. BIMx Web Viewer and 

BIMx Desktop viewer give users better 

access to enhanced renders with on-thefly 

rendering, reflecting project 

orientation and a Camera View Cone in 

the 3D model. 

Users also get a free 1-year 

subscription to Enscape (with a 2-year 

commitment), enabling them to combine 

real-time rendering with virtual reality. 

More details about the capabilities this 

brings to Archicad 26 are available at 

enscape.graphisoft.com. Again, this is 

only available for Graphisoft Forward 

subscribers. 

COLLABORATION ON 

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 

Integration is a key feature of the new 

release, exemplified by two important 

new features: improved structural 

analytical model workflows and out-ofthe-box 

energy and CO2 building 

material data aiming for Net Zero carbon 

emissions. 

In order to provide better collaboration 

between architects and structural 

engineers working on projects, Archicad 

26 enables multi-segmented analytical 

elements, such as beams and columns, 

to be more precisely represented in 

complex analytical models, facilitating 

the export of SAF (structural analysis 

format) files. Using it in conjunction with 

Automatic Line Load generation, 

structural engineers can access detailed 

and accurate information on the largest 

projects. Building life-cycle analysis can 

also be performed using CO2 building 

material data for sustainability reports. 

BIMCLOUD 

Throughout the pandemic Graphisoft has 

been proactive in supporting users who 

wanted to work remotely by allowing 

them to access their Archicad licence 

from home, improving access to 

Teamwork and by providing special 

BIMcloud SaaS usage rates - enabling 

remote access to the office infrastructure 

regardless of location - home, office or 

construction site - and software used. 

The solution has made practices think 

about the way they now work and 

Graphisoft has responded to the need 

for more flexible working. 

BIMcloud Software as a Service is now 

established as a fast, efficient, and 

affordable way of sharing projects with 

colleagues wherever they are. In fact, 

when you think about it, an architect 

working from a busy office probably 

collaborates more with globally based 

colleagues in multiple disciplines than 

they may do with the colleague sitting at 

the next desk who may be working on a 

different project. BIMcloud SaaS merely 

extends the diaspora. 

BIMCloud SaaS is also easy to use - 

and you pay for what you use, so the 

cost of using it can be proportionate to 

the project involved. Its storage 

capabilities have also been extended, 

with 100k+ file storage capacity. 

Improvements have also been made to 

project data security and the handling of 

document revisions. 

BIMX 

BIMx is Graphisoft's principal design 

collaboration and presentation tool and 

is available in formats to suit desktop, 

mobile devices and the Internet. Its 

simple and ubiquitous access facilities 

enable it to be widely used in design 

studios, client offices and construction 

sites, providing an immersive 3D 

experience on each of the platforms. 

The latest version provides an improved 

and more realistic look on mobile 

devices with support for cast shadows 

calculated on the fly in BIMx Mobile. 

Users can also benefit from some of the 

new customisation features using 

Archicad's texture export in BIMx 

Desktop Viewer. Accessing its potential is 

also made easier with a simpler 

Publisher workflow. 

The focus on design rather than 

process and the integration of 

disciplines, including DDScad for MEP 

solutions which we covered in our last 

issue, ensures that the release of 

Archicad 26 will be a significant one for 

both architects and engineers. 

Graphisoft can also be applauded for 

simplifying and streamlining some of the 

processes that can overwhelm 

applications even as they introduce new 

features and capabilities. 

www.graphisoft.co.uk 


TECHNOLOGY focus 

AIMing off-centre 

Following on from the AIM discussion with Mervyn Richards in our last issue, David Chadwick 

underlines the issues that have to be confronted to create a viable AIM solution 

The secret to installing an effective 

asset information model (AIM) or 

computer aided facilities 

management (CAFM) solution to handle 

the day-to-day running of your premises 

lies in the second acronym. Before the 

computer can do its job, however, Asset 

Managers have to roll their sleeves up and 

work out exactly what they want, and why, 

prior to looking at some of the ready-made 

solutions on the market. 

It's a complex business running a building 

which is going to be around for 

considerably longer than it took to design 

and construct it. That means identifying the 

processes and the equipment that need to 

be maintained, the employees needed to 

do the work (along with their skills and work 

rates), running costs, the need for external 

contractors and maintenance schedules, 

contractual and legislation compliance, and 

much more. Then you need to ascertain 

what information you need to manage that 

process, and whether some of the software 

that you may already be using - such as 

CMMS (computerised maintenance 

management systems) can be integrated 

into a new CAFM. 

As we discussed in our last issue, much 

of the information that you need is already 

available in the project information 

management database - the PIM. The 

computer is there to assist you, but you 

need to know what information you want 

before you can use the PIM to help you 

create your AIM - or to specify the custom 

job that a chosen CAFM provider needs 

before they can help you set up your 

system. They can set the list of 

requirements that they need to operate 

your facility, but they rely on you to request 

purely the information you need. 

PIM VERSUS AIM 

Seems straightforward enough. The 

problem is that there is a huge amount of 

information available, and not all of what we 

need for the construction phase can be 

used for facility management as that has 

different priorities. Most articles online are 

from CAFM solution providers who 

promote the benefits and the downsides of 

not using one. I have found none that clarify 

how you extract and transfer the data that 

you need across to an AIM solution. It's a 

complex process for a single component. 

To give you an example, to install a CH 

boiler in a building an MEP company would 

specify the capacity and thermal output of 

the boiler, lay out the fuel pipes to feed it 

and the pipework leading from it to the 

radiators, etc. The construction 3D model is 

used to route the network through the 

building, avoiding immovable objects and 

other components, using tools like clash 

detection to do so. The documentation 

accompanying the boiler deals with 

equipment sizes, fitting instructions and the 

bolts, flanges and other bits and pieces 

needed to install it. 

An Asset Manager is not interested in 

most of that, but rather in commissioning 

and maintaining the boiler at specified 

intervals. In order to do so they need user 

manuals and diagrams to guide the 

maintenance team. They might also be 

interested in its output, as the data could 

form part of the building performance 

analysis as an aid to optimising energy 

usage and carbon emissions. 

If the boiler doesn't perform to spec, or is 

not powerful enough for its role, and a 

replacement has to be commissioned, then 

the task falls back to the original supplier or 

their replacement to consult their, probably, 

archived PIM to update the building model, 

which is then used subsequently to update 

the AIM data. 

Transferring data from a PIM to an AIM for 

every component that is included in an 

AMs maintenance schedule - heating, 

lighting, plumbing and other equipment - is 

a huge task, and can only be 

accomplished using some form of filtering 

and mapping of data from one to the other, 

enabling the whole process to be 

automated - which is where the computer 

comes in. 

This needs to be done by data migration 

specialists, experienced in identifying what 

needs to be transferred and in handling 

problematic data , so that they can build a 

data migration strategy to profile, map, 

clean and, if necessary, transform the data 

to ensure that it reaches the AIM solution 

22 



both accurately and intact. 

The building of the AIM will also be further 

complicated if a number of sensors are 

being used - perhaps to provide the 

facilities for a digital twin of the project, for 

example - creating a super CAFM that 

constantly monitors the IoT and updates 

the AIM database. But this is a facility that is 

not yet available, as it would require the 

data to be provided in different standards 

by different members of the supply chain. 

Would the information actually be in the 

PIM or would it be compiled once the 

sensors and their software solutions are 

installed on the AIM solution? 

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURACY 

Having extracted what you need from the 

PIM, assembled it in a secure, single 

source cloud-based environment, instead 

of being stored in different locations, on 

separate document management systems, 

or even, indeed, on personal storage 

devices, it needs to be accessible in realtime 

to everyone in your team that needs to 

use that data, and not to treat cloud-based 

storage as just another storage device. 

Drawings, models, documents and 

schedules, etc. need to be quickly available 

and simple to find. 

Managing and updating the information 

held in the AIM is a priority for the Facilities 

Manager. Poor documentation practices 

will result in maintenance teams working on 

outdated and superseded information, 

impacting on the building's efficiency by 

extending downtime spent on repairs whilst 

maintenance engineers scramble to find up 

to date information. Much worse, it could 

create unnecessary compliance risks. 

Rules and procedures need to be put in 

place, and everyone must be made aware 

of the importance of updating documents, 

including small upgrades and whenever 

new equipment is introduced. The 

accuracy of the information is paramount. 

Originally it was intended that the 

information that was required for the AIM 

CAFM system was to be delivered using 

COBie. It was assumed that serial clients 

would already have a CAFM system in 

place and all they needed to do for their 

Asset information Requirement was to 

look at that CAFM system and extract a 

list of requirements. 

COBie is a major problem, however, 

because each client's Asset Manager, 

would have to compile their requirements 

and produce a project specific COBie 

template. A comment raised at a recent 

international group meeting suggested that 

you need to compile this very carefully so 

that you only buy the slice of pizza you 

need rather than buying the whole pizza. 

BUT WHO OWNS THE DATA? 

The Asset Manager might have control over 

the AIM and the information it contains, but 

the source of that data remains the 

intellectual property of the companies 

supplying it. It's not just a storage issue. 

The building model is the intellectual 

property of the originators of that 

information, which, because of its nature, is 

multidisciplined. If you want to add an 

extension to the building, it can't be done 

without reference to the original 3D models 

and whoever holds the data. The MEP 

system supplier, for instance, must ensure 

that the building and its contents comply 

with current building standards and 

regulations by informing the Asset Manager 

when new compliance requirements are 

put in place. 

The responsibility for handling information 

needs to be defined, and is everyone's 

responsibility, whether it concerns 

Government policies, methodologies, 

documentation standards, CAD 

applications and file formats templates, 

version control and, most importantly, 

checking and approval procedures for 

publishing up-to-date information. 

This may also require the renaming of the 

files to show ownership during the AIM 

period, with appropriate audit trails for new 

fire regulations, called the Golden Thread - 

as recommended by Hackitt's Building 

Safety Bill which introduces the concept as 

a tool to manage buildings as holistic 

systems. This allows people to use 

information to safely and effectively design, 

construct and operate their buildings 

across their lifecycle - even after ownership 

has changed hands. 

And we haven't even discussed 

standards, such as ISO 19650, BS EN ISO 

19650, BS EN ISO 19650, the National 

Annex or the BIM Framework, which 

suggests in the latest BIM 'mandate' that 

projects in the UK should be compliant with 

their guidance document. Or, indeed, 

whether they are even ISO compliant - or 

part of a global standard! 



Fabricate smarter with PowerFab 

When it comes to reducing the construction industry's environmental impact, a lot of attention rightfully 

falls on the initial design and engineering stages of a project. However, this isn't the only place where 

change is needed. Here, Chris Gatehouse at Trimble UK explores the role a management information 

system (MIS) can play in the journey to net zero 

It's a scary statistic that around 50% of a 

building's total embodied carbon is 

specified during Stage Two of the RIBA 

Plan of Works (PoW): Concept Design. 

While this is a significant amount, structural 

and civil engineers are already taking the 

steps needed to make a change at this 

construction phase; yet there still remains 

another 50% of embodied carbon to be 

considered. Every stage of the RIBA PoW 

generates carbon, making it everyone's 

responsibility to do their bit, make changes 

and work greener. 

Even at the Manufacturing and 

Construction stage (Stage 5 of the RIBA 

PoW), once the completed and approved 

3D model has been passed onto the 

fabricator, changing the way you work can 

still have an impact on lowering the 

structure's carbon emissions. Indeed, there 

is always more that can be done. 

One such way is to employ a 

management information system (MIS). 

While primarily developed to help improve 

efficiency and productivity levels, 

contributing to a more streamlined 

fabrication and manufacturing process, this 

tool can also lead to sustainability benefits. 

SMARTER FABRICATION = 

GREENER CONSTRUCTION 

Employed correctly, a digital MIS can be 

used throughout the entire fabrication 

workflow, right from the initial estimating and 

procurement stages through to the shop 

floor and beyond. Likewise, its capacity and 

potential for carbon savings can also be felt 

throughout the same workflow. 

Let us take the estimating and bidding 

stage, as an example. Here, the ability to 

make more informed and accurate 

estimates and bids not only helps to protect 

your all-important profit margin - critical 

during a time of material cost and 

availability volatility - but it can also 

contribute to an improved carbon footprint. 

A key part of this is being able to generate 

accurate material lists and quantities, 

ensuring that you are optimising your steel 

utilisation, reducing waste, and only 

ordering the steel you need and 

manufacturing the elements you need for 

the job in hand. 

By having a 3D model linked to your digital 

MIS, you can automatically generate 

quantity take-offs (QTOs) using the data 

contained within the completed model. As 

well as providing a more efficient process, 

this streamlined and integrated flow of data 

can offer the assurance that your QTO is 

optimised and accurate, reducing the 

likelihood of human error. 

The same benefits can also be felt at the 

procurement stage, ensuring effective stock 

control management. With everyone 

invested in and using the software, 

production managers can have an instant 

view of where every individual piece of steel 

currently is within the fabrication sequence. 

Not only this, but you can also instantly view 

the level of material stock you currently 

have, compared to what you need for 

upcoming jobs. 

With these enhanced levels of visibility and 

traceability, there is no need to manually 

walk around the factory or shop floor to 

check stock levels yourself - instead, all 

information is available digitally. As well as 

assisting from a monetary perspective, 

ensuring a smooth cash flow, you are also 

only ordering what you need. 

24 


TECHNOLOGYfocus 

NO EXCESS MATERIALS = NO 

EXCESS CARBON 

South Durham Structures, a structural steel 

fabricator in the North East of England, is a 

great example of this, as Operations 

Director, Keith Corner, explained: "Since 

introducing a digital MIS into our workflow, 

the estimation stage is now a far faster and 

more automated process. Once we receive 

the IFC file from the engineer at the initial 

tender stage, we're able to import this 

directly into the software. Thanks to its 

emphasis on data integration and 

automation, we're then able to generate 

estimates and quantity take-offs directly 

from the IFC file - overall, a far easier, 

efficient and more accurate way of working. 

"We can also track stock levels with the 

live inventory, which is a real game 

changer. Easy to use and offering 

enhanced levels of visibility, we no longer 

have to manually and physically check 

what stock we already have, compared to 

what stock we need to purchase on every 

job. Instead, it's all automated, giving us a 

far better and more informed way to 

handle stock. We just import files from the 

drawing office and the digital system will 

do the rest!" 

Of course, another way to reduce carbon 

and be 'greener' is to improve accuracy 

levels. Whether caused by errors at the 

detailing stage or the inefficient transfer of 

information to fabricators and contractors, 

material wastage can be a major potential 

problem on any construction project. This 

could take the form of structural 

components being fabricated and 

delivered to site, only for contractors to 

then discover that they cannot be used, 

due to clashing with other sections. 

As well as the obvious delays this can 

cause to the project's overall delivery 

schedule, these errors and the subsequent 

rework and refabrication required to rectify 

them can also result in excess carbon 

being generated - emissions that could so 

easily be avoided entirely. 

Here, again, a digital MIS continues to 

deliver. Such software is not just for 

managers, it is for everyone within a 

fabrication business, including those on the 

shop or factory floor. Everyone can benefit 

from coordinated and easily accessible 

project data, especially at a time where 

labour shortages are an issue so many 

manufacturers are facing. 

Using a digital MIS and other technology, 

fabricators, welders and machine 

operators can view the corresponding 3D 

model and 2D drawings on a tablet, taking 

the model from the drawing office to the 

shop floor. As well as helping to speedily 

resolve any queries, having everyone 

connected to the central BIM model and 

its high levels of information can 

contribute to a more efficient and more 

accurate way of working. 

FEWER MISTAKES = LESS REWORK, 

WASTE, AND CARBON 

In fact, with digitisation present throughout 

the construction sequence, it's possible to 

achieve an 80% reduction in rework, 

resulting in significant carbon savings. 

Trimble's Tekla PowerFab is developed 

specifically for steel fabricators, offering 

truly connected steel fabrication 

management. A comprehensive software 

suite, it provides a systematic and 

collaborative approach, delivering a 

smooth, continuous and real-time flow of 

information on projects from start to finish. 

Connected and sustainable construction 

needs integrated data across the project 

lifecycle, with high levels of accuracy and 

coordination - all of which a management 

information system can provide. If 

construction is to green up its image, then 

it's clear that change is needed. By moving 

away from the paper-based approach to 

digital technology, fabricators can make a 

difference to the environment while also 

working smarter. 

For more information, please visit: 

www.tekla.com/uk 


SOFTWARE focus 

Vectorworks 2023 

The latest Vectorworks BIM and CAD product line focuses on process automation, allowing architects 

and designers more time for designing 

It's not what you do, it's the way that you 

do it! This wasn’t the exact message that 

Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar was 

trying to convey when he said that the 

focus of Vectorworks 2023 was on 

"Improving our software so that designers 

don't feel bogged down by the technology 

but instead find efficiencies that let them 

focus on imaginative and creative 

designs," but it somewhat captures the 

spirit of the new release. 

The raft of new tools and features in the 

latest release are designed to eradicate 

tedious processes and allow architects 

and designers to concentrate on highquality 

design, not just in this release but in 

future versions currently in the pipeline. 

This applies not just to Vectorworks 

Architect, but also to Landmark, Spotlight 

and Fundamentals. 

As evidence of their intent, the first new 

feature that has been highlighted is 

Graphic Legends, the creation of tables 

giving instant access to the range of tools 

used in every design process. It's a 

tiresome task remembering what all of the 

symbols used in a diagram are actually for, 

out of the thousands available, and to 

assemble these within a chart so that they 

can be made visible for other users of your 

designs or models. The Legend chart 

gives each component a standardised 

symbol with a label that describes it. 

The smartly designed Graphic Legends 

tool takes the hard work out of the 

process, taking over the manual process 

of creating graphic legends and 

automatically coordinating the resources 

used in a design and providing an easy 

editing and customisation process. It also 

eliminates inaccuracies prevalent in the 

manual process and ensures the accuracy 

of legends and drawing keys for 

documentation. 

This is all part of the significant updates 

that Vectorworks has made to all BIM 

workflows in the latest release, with core 

architectural tools re-engineered and 

modernised to make them more intuitive 

and accessible for inclusion in day-to-day 


One such example is the ability to create 

door and window objects in a more 

simplified way by drawing a line on a wall in 

2D or a rectangle on the face of a wall in 3D, 

both of which can be edited and resized 

parametrically by dragging handles or 

reshape tools. Creating multi-fold doors and 

windows is a complex modelling task, and 

has now been automated in Vectorworks 

2023. It now enables designers to specify 

the number of separate components or 

folding sashes and the software does the 

rest, without the designer having to resort to 

personal modelling. 

A new Elevation Benchmark tool will also 

save time in managing BIM models. 

Elevation Benchmarks can be linked to the 

models' storeys and levels, and can be 

created automatically with a set of default 

benchmarks that read the modeled 

objects elevations like 'Top of Slab' or 'Floor 

Finish,' significantly improving the speed of 

documenting your projects. 

DESIGN TOOL ENHANCEMENTS 

It's not all about workflow enhancements 

though. Besides making better use of data 

and resources for more precise BIM 

models and documentation, there are a 

number of specific design tools in the new 

release that improve modelling processes 

and visualisations. A new Offset Edge tool, 

for instance, provides improved 3D 

modeling by letting you offset edges and 

push/pull faces from both planar and nonplanar 

surfaces, providing faster modeling 

26 


SOFTWAREfocus 

and aiding efficient design exploration. The 

Shaded Render Mode can now support an 

unlimited number of light sources, 

environmental lighting and object 

reflections to create a powerful and 

realistic rendering mode, which results in 

higher quality rendering and more realistic 

model representations. 

Explaining the importance of these two 

features, Dave Donley, Director of Product t 

Technology at Vectorworks said, "Working 

in 3D has never been better. Now you can 

see the model in high fidelity context with 

lighting and materials all in real-time. 

Changes to geometry, materials and 

lighting are instantaneous and the highquality 

rendering allows you to really 

understand what your design looks like. 

New Shaded Rendering is one of those 

features that once you try it, you will never 

want to go back." 

INTEROPERABILITY 

With collaboration on major projects 

almost obligatory, it is essential that the 

design tools of architects and engineers 

can talk to each other, and the obvious first 

point of call in this regard is Autodesk's 

Revit. Vectorworks is well up to the task, 

and the latest version includes new Revit 

file import options, giving users more 

flexibility when working with clients and 

consultants who use the software. 

The new tools support the translation of 

more Revit object types and provide better 

organisation of imported file data, making it 

easier to design a project within the context 

of existing information and to reference a 

Revit file directly for a more collaborative 

workflow. BIM collaboration is also 

enhanced with faster and more accurate 

access to BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) 

files. Incorporated as a separate web 

palette, the BCF Manager can be kept 

open to effortlessly manage model 

changes, including direct connections to 

cloud-based collaboration tools. 

BIM FOR LANDSCAPES 

The enhancements in Vectorworks 2023 

are not confined to Vectorworks Architect. 

Vectorworks Landmark 2023 adds 

capabilities that demonstrate the software's 

commitment to supporting BIM workflows, 

making it an essential component of total 

project development that you can achieve 

with Vectorworks. This includes major 

improvements to site grading with new site 

modifier modes that will handle more 

complex grading projects. The 

improvements also make it easier to 

design properly graded surfaces and 

provide better car and pedestrian 

accessibility, with easier control of contour 

drawing and editing. 

A significant part of Landmark comprises 

plant selection and layout. Partnered with 

Laubwerk, the latest release includes a 

new and extensive library of 3D plant 

geometry with a wide range of detail levels, 

seasonal changes and growth 

representations, complete with more 

accurate 3D plant representation and 


Of a more practical nature, though, you 

can't beat the ability to add hedges, fences 

and railing. Using selected paths, both 

examples can be run along marked 

lengths, and included in 3D visualisations. 

The Railing/Fences feature provides a 

variety of different types and enables 

landscape designers to create worksheets 

to record the types, sizes and quantities of 

fencing or railing being used, with full 

material reporting and quantity take-offs. 

Landscape design with full BIM 

capabilities and workflows is now an 

essential design feature for professional 

landscape architects and designers, and 

for architects wanting to incorporate 

multidisciplinary capabilities in their 

projects which involve building and site. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Vectorworks is a major design tool for the 

entertainment industry, and for those 

creating stage shows, gigs and other 

theatrical and lighting structures. 

Vectorworks 2023 comes with further 

improvements to the Vectorworks suite of 

entertainment products. 

Upgrades to the Spotlight Cable tools, for 

instance, will make cable configuration 

faster and more intuitive, and you can now 

define the entry and exit of cables in a 

cable run. The new Property View tab in the 

Power Planning palette will allow for easier 

selection and editing of objects in a model. 

Additionally, updates to the cable path will 

allow reporting of all associated cables to 

a Data Tag for easier documentation. 

Vectorworks 2023 also brings 

significant workflow improvements to 

ConnectCAD, including a faster and 

more accurate way to create cable riser 

diagrams and reports with an easy new 

command, intuitive file organisation with 

an updated class structure, and the 

ability to specify device locations for 

more automated equipment lists. 

"Delivering these frequently requested 

improvements to the existing functionality 

in our entertainment products is sure to 

make the upgrade process for 

Vectorworks Spotlight users smoother than 

ever before," said Darick DeHart, Chief 

Product Officer at Vectorworks. 

For more information on all of the new 

features and enhancements in Vectorworks 

2023, including Braceworks, ConnectCAD, 

Vision and the new Home Screen, visit the 

Vectorworks website below. 

www.vectorworks.net 



Is BIM delivering the benefits? 

BIM is more than a design and construction process, according to 

Edocuments, as its information handling capabilities can bring 

efficiencies to every aspect of a project 

Building Information Modelling, or 

BIM for short, is a process for 

creating and managing information 

on a construction project throughout its 

whole life cycle and it has been delivering 

cost and efficiency savings for many years, 

but is the industry really receiving all the 

benefits it deserves? 

BIM is not just a piece of software or 

simply something to do with 3D design. 3D 

models are often thought of as the heart of 

BIM, but it is more than that. It is a 

comprehensive process for creating, 

managing and using all of the data about a 

specific project. That process also includes 

all of the digital parameters. 

BIM has resulted in dramatic changes, 

according to Chelmsford based 

Edocuments, but there is still a huge gap in 

the way that Operation and Maintenance 

manuals (O&M) are created, with many 

construction companies and facilities 

managers still unaware that they could 

easily and economically integrate the 

delivery of this essential information within 

the BIM process itself. 

Without models and O&M information 

being delivered by a single process, the 

information user runs the risk of having 

unclear and incomprehensive information. 

Worse, the operation and running of the 

building could be at risk if the wrong set of 

data is used. 

In the most extreme example this could 

be dangerous, as critical data relating to 

safety of the building and its assets may be 

misleading. That said, many companies 

have identified the risk and to avoid costly 

errors are using a data driven platform for 

production of O&M manuals, health & 

safety files, building logbooks, 3D models 

and other essential handover information. 

According to Jamie Dupée, Chief 

Technical Officer for Edocuments, it is great 

news for organisations like theirs who have 

focused on this for the last 20 years and 

are market leaders in this key area. 

Their software platform has dramatically 

simplified the whole O&M process, but 

more importantly, it can be used effectively 

with other software platforms, using plugins 

with Autodesk tools such as BIM360 

and Revit together with a host of other 

applications such as CDEs and web 

portals, so that construction professionals 

can really benefit from the BIM process 

and these additional functions. 

There is no doubt that data is now more 

detailed and complicated and it has 

become increasingly clear that 

construction professionals, particularly 

those involved in the FM, Estates and BIM 

sectors, don't always have the skills or time 

to check information. 

Inputting and managing data should 

not be complex, and according to 

Edocuments we need to get to a point 

where information seamlessly flows from 

stage to stage across the industry. 

When this is achieved there will be huge 

time savings, data accuracy will 

increase and the industry will really reap 

the benefits of BIM. 

It is not going to happen overnight 

though. Construction professionals need 

easier processes and simpler tools to 

ensure that information management is as 

automated as possible, features which are 

provided by Edocuments. 

The benefits are there for all to see. 

Industry estimates suggest that BIM related 

projects deliver an 80% decrease in the 

time required to generate an expenditure 

quote; up to 40% reduction of unbudgeted 

project changes; potential savings 

amounting to up to 10% of the contract 

value and time savings of up to 7%. 

The BIM process is there to be exploited 

and used to meet the expectations of the 

modern construction industry. The benefits 

already exist and we are not taking full 

advantage of what is on offer - but 

hopefully we are getting closer. 

EDOCUMENTS 

Edocuments provides construction 

document management facilities to 

provide intelligent solutions to companies 

working in the built environment, and to 

assist them in managing data to ensure 

clients maximise the value of their 

information. Harnessing its BIM expertise, 

Edocuments delivers information using 

knowledge and technology to increase 

accuracy and maximise cost savings 

through process-driven data management. 

Edocuments' expertise also enables 

accurate and consistent handover 

information in every instance to meet or 

exceed requirements. 

www.edocuments.co.uk 

28 


HARDWAREfocus 

All Terrain Plotters 

HP revolutionises the construction layout process with 

SitePrint, providing ten times the productivity of manual 

layout techniques 

Looking at the images of HP's SitePrint, 

I am reminded of the autonomous 

lawnmowers that most households 

appear to have when I visit friends in 

Austria. An immaculately kept lawn is an 

essential feature of the imposing dwellings 

that remain in families for generations. 

The impetus behind Hewlett-Packard's 

launch of the robotic SitePrint, however, has 

more to do with the lack of technical 

expertise and manpower available to layout 

complex construction sites with pinpoint 

accuracy - and in a fraction of the time that 

it is currently taking. It's being rolled out 

initially in America right at this moment in 

HP's Early Access programme, but it will 

obviously end up here as well, as we 

attempt to scale-up our construction 

programme. 

It's well known that the industry faces 

challenges in productivity and human 

resourcing with McKinsey, the globally 

renowned research company, stating that 

the construction sector has only seen a 1 

percent increase in productivity over the last 

two decades, compared to all other sectors. 

Precision printing has long been a feature 

of HP's Large Format Printing technology, 

used widely in the construction industry, 

and it is perhaps appropriate that the 

division is behind the new device. 

"Technology adoption and increased 

digitisation can help construction firms 

realise productivity gains," said Daniel 

Martínez, VP and General Manager, HP 

Large Format Printing. "HP has played a 

key role in bridging digital and physical 

worlds with print solutions for architects and 

engineers over the last thirty years. With HP 

SitePrint, we're making it faster and easier 

than ever for construction professionals to 

bring an idea to life on site, while also 

providing layout accuracy and reducing 

costs derived from reworks." 

AN ACCURATE PLOT 

HP's SitePrint uses the latest technological 

tools to automate the site layout process. 

The main piece of equipment is a rugged 

and autonomous robotic device designed 

to operate in the conditions of the 

construction site. With a unique design, it is 

light and compact, very transportable, and 

encased in a hard carapace to weather a 

multitude of terrain and weather conditions. 

It uses Cloud tools to submit and prepare 

jobs to be printed, to manage the fleet - 

which suggests that the largest and most 

complex of sites might use more than one 

SitePrint to increase efficiency - and to 

track usage. The remote control devices 

are configfured and controlled by 

touchscreen tablets, and a portfolio of inks 

can be provided for different surfaces, 

environmental conditions, and durability 

requirements. 

Designed for autonomous operation, 

including obstacle avoidance, HP SitePrint 

can improve the productivity of the site 

layout process. It can print lines and 

complex objects with pinpoint accuracy 

and consistent repeatability. Marks can 

even be labelled using SitePrint's text 

printing capabilities which, while bringing 

additional digital data to the construction 

site, irrevocably identifies each mark, 

improving communication between 

construction professionals and the 

construction model. 

The device is already in use with early 

adopters. "The existing manual layout 

process can be slow and labor intensive. 

Despite being done by specialists, there is 

always the risk of human error, which can 

result in costly reworks," said Albert Zulps, 

Director of Emerging Technology at 

Skanska - a global construction and 

development company currently utilising 

HP SitePrint on two prominent US projects. 

"Layout experts are a scarce resource 

who add a lot of value in terms of 

planning and strategy, but often end up 

dedicating most of their time to manual 

execution. HP SitePrint lets us do more 

with less, helping reduce schedules 

thanks to a much faster layout process, 

and allowing senior operators to focus on 

other critical activities like quality control." 

A TEAM RESULT 

Traditional companies already involved in 

site positioning have assisted HP in 

developing the precise positioning and 

navigation capabilities of HP SitePrint on 

job sites, achieved by linking to a Robotic 

Total Station. HP and Leica Geosystems, 

part of Hexagon, have collaborated to 

integrate HP SitePrint with the Leica TS16 

and Leica iCON iCR80 Robotic Total 

Stations to provide high performance and 

a unique user experience. 

HP and Topcon are collaborating to 

integrate HP SitePrint with the Topcon 

Layout Navigator and GT Robotic Total 

Stations. As the technology evolves, HP 

will continue working to integrate HP 

SitePrint with other key solutions in the 

market. 

EARLY ACCESS PROGRAM 

Through over 80 pilot projects to date 

globally, HP SitePrint has been rigorously 

tested across multiple environments - 

including residential, parking, airport, and 

hospital projects. As part of the Early 

Access Program, HP SitePrint will be 

available to customers in North America 

starting in September 2022. The final 

product and wider commercial launch are 

planned for 2023. Visit the website below 

or the HP Construction Services LinkedIn 

page for more. 

www.hp.com/SitePrint 



Net zero targets - have we been sidetracked? 

How can building companies support net zero targets? Dan Allison, divisional director, Net Zero 

Buildings says that it time to act, and explains why it's so important for those who are building 

today to consider tomorrow to unlock sustainability challenges in the building sector 

With temperatures in the UK 

reaching an all-time high of 40.3°C 

in Lincolnshire on 18 July 2022, 

we're seeing the effects of the climate crisis 

first hand, which is highlighting the 

necessity to act - and act now. These 

increased temperatures can be seen as a 

direct impact of how much carbon is being 

released into the atmosphere as a result of 

our day-to-day lives. 

If nothing is to change then this won't be 

the last time we'll see weather this extreme, 

with experts predicting that heatwaves will 

soon become more frequent, intense and 

long-lasting. The unprecedented heatwave 

in the UK has unsurprisingly brought 

global warming to the front of our minds, 

as we've all started to consider - what can 

we do to help? 

THE UK'S SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS 

However, no one can say the UK has been 

ignoring the need for a sustainable future, 

with the government pledging net zero 

targets as a part of a 'Build Back Greener' 

campaign. The government's 

decarbonisation pathway includes various 

targets, most importantly the need to meet 

net zero by 2050. These targets include 

various aims specifically for the building 

sector, with an aim to reduce direct 

emissions from public sector buildings by 

75% by 2037 in order to make low carbon 

buildings affordable and achievable for all. 

Although the government has claimed 

they're supporting the UK to reach a net 

zero future, they were recently required 

by the High Court to outline exactly how 

these targets would be met - due to 

claims that the strategy lacked clarity and 

explanations. 

In addition, the government has stated 

that it will provide the industry with grants to 

support construction's shift to net zero. 

However, it's critical that change happens 

sooner rather than later to ensure that 

buildings installed today will be suitable for 

years to come. 

A BUILDING PROBLEM 

The UK Green Building Council has 

established that 40% of the UK's total 

carbon footprint comes from the built 

environment. Although we might expect 

the majority of this footprint to result from 

the building's running costs, half of the 

carbon footprint of a building currently 

comes from the construction process - 

rather than its functional operation. This 

demonstrates a need for the industry to 

adjust its practices and processes in 

order to support the move towards a net 

zero future. 

The manufacture of the materials that go 

into a new building creates embodied 

carbon, which is the carbon emissions 

that occur during the building's 

manufacture. Therefore, it's clear that it's 

not enough for buildings to be carbonneutral 

during their lifetime, and it's time 

for manufacturing processes to change in 

order to support the UK as they attempt to 

reach net zero targets. 

30 



OVERCOMING BARRIERS 

The construction industry has long 

been aware of the need to think 

sustainably, but we could lead the way 

in achieving net zero. These are the 

barriers to be overcome: 

1. Current processes 

Current manufacturing processes need 

to modernise and reduce their carbon 

footprints, faster. 

Everything - every product, every 

process in every part of the 

construction supply chain - needs to 

be carbon-rated. As the old saying 

goes, 'what gets measured, gets done'. 

A consistent rating system focuses 

minds, such as shown with the energy 

efficiency rating of electrical 

appliances. 

The government has committed to 

doing its bit to support this by 

supporting new methods to lower 

lifecycle emissions. However, this is an 

expensive process and suppliers need 

that government support. 

2. Delaying carbon efficiency 

Too often, when planning a building, 

some believe net zero targets aren't an 

issue, as the date to hit net zero 

targets feels too distant. Although 

targets may seem a long way away, we 

need to act now to ensure that our 

buildings - which we hope will last until 

well past 2050 - are able to meet the 

net zero targets. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

It's all about making a difference, and 

making that difference now - which is 

why it isn't enough to wait for the 

government to support the sector or to 

step back from our responsibility. It's 

about constantly challenging our carbon 

impact to ensure the spaces we're 

creating are as sustainable as possible. 

That's why we should be changing the 

way we design buildings and the 

processes that create them, to 

maximise their overall carbon 

efficiency. This could include low 

carbon design features, such as green 

roofs or walls, to sequester carbon 

dioxide as well as improving overall 

insulation and absorbing excess 

rainwater during the building's lifecycle. 

It's time for the industry to 

acknowledge that climate change is 

here and that it has to be addressed 

now. However, changing the lifecycle of 

a building isn't enough, if the 

processes that underpin its 

manufacture don't use sustainable 

methods to ensure that the building 

has minimal embodied carbon. 

LEAN AND GREEN PROCESSES 

With 400 million tonnes of materials 

being used by the UK construction 

industry every year, it's more important 

than ever to prioritise processes that 

minimise waste, within manufacturing 

systems that minimise energy and 

material waste. Lean manufacturing a 

building dramatically cuts the total 

waste generated in its construction 

(including its installation). 

Manufacturing a building offsite 

radically reduces its carbon footprint 

when compared with traditional bricks 

and mortar methods, and handily 

maximises the industry's productivity in 

the process. 

Lean manufacturing defines waste as 

anything that customers don't believe 

adds value and aren't willing to pay for. 

Lean is all about examining every 

process to improve your product 

quality and efficiency, whilst boosting 

sustainability. That means lean is your 

dream solution - a way for you to 

satisfy your customers and reduce 

costs as you support net zero targets. 

To support lean and green processes, 

offsite construction has been 

independently recognised by the UK 

Green Building Council as playing a 

key role in reducing the carbon 

footprint of the UK's development 

sector. Manufacturing buildings offsite 

is the way to bring about a step 

change in construction: not just 

sustainability but also reduced waste, 

easier maintenance, tighter 

programmes and quality control. 

With processes that are designed to 

be streamlined and efficient, the 

amount of waste that goes to landfill is 

massively reduced and energy use is 

much easier to control and reduce in 

the factory setting. Modular buildings 

are also designed to be reused and 

recycled rather than demolished, 

hugely reducing the amount of energy 

that's necessary to construct a new 

building in the future. 

NET ZERO BUILDINGS 

If you want to join our challenge to the 

construction industry to create 

sustainable spaces to support a better 

tomorrow for generations to come, 

today visit www.netzerobuildings.co.uk 

or get in touch on: 01638 596 155. 


YOUR GUIDE TO 

5 

7 

1 

2 

3 

21 

22 

23 

24 20 25 26 

27 

29 

SCOTLAND 

FIFE 1 

GlenCo Development 

Solutions 

Contact: Jack Meldrum 

Tel: 01592 223330 

Fax: 01592 223301 

jackm@glenco.org 

www.glenco.org 

ACMK 

ABERDEENSHIRE* 2 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 

info@symetri.co.uk 

www.symetri.co.uk 

ABCDEGHIJKLMNOPQSTX 

ABERDEEN 3 

30 28 

19 

15 11/16 

6 

13 

17 

9/10 

18 

12/14 

*Location guide 

not 100% accurate 

TMS CADcentre 

Contact: Craig Hamilton 

Tel: 01224 223321 

info@thom-micro.com 

www.tmscadcentre.com 

ACELHO 

IRELAND 

DUBLIN 5 

Paradigm Technology Ltd 

Contact: Des McGrane 

Tel: +353-1-2960155 

Fax: +353-1-2960080 

dmcgrane@paradigm.ie 

www.paradign.it 

ACMGKL 

SOUTHWEST 

NEWBURY 6 

RWTC Ltd 

Contact: Richard Willis 

Tel: 01488 689005 

Fax: 01635 32718 

richard@rwtc.co.uk 

www.rwtc.co.uk 

A M 

N.I 

BELFAST 7 

Pentagon Solutions Ltd 

Contact: Tony Dalton - Training 

Services Manager 

Tel: +44 (0) 2890 455 355 

Fax: +44 (0) 2890 456 355 

tony@pentagonsolutions.com 

www.pentagonsolutions.com 

ACDEGKL 

TRAINING COURSES OFFERED KEY: 

AUTOCAD AND LT: 

AUTOCAD P&ID TRAINING: 

AEC/BUILDING SOLUTIONS: 

3D MODELLING $ ANIMATION 

AUTOCAD ARCHITECTURE: 

FM DESKTOP: 

GIS/MAPPING: 

REVIT: 

VAULT FUNDAMENTALS 

AUTODESK VAULT FOR INVENTOR USERS 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

VISUALISATION: 

AUTIDESK CIVIL: 

INVENTOR SERIES/MECHANICAL: 

NAVISWORKS TRAINING: 

PRODUCT UPDATE COURSES: 

INVENTOR PUBLISHER: 

GOOGLE SKETCHUP: 

CHARACTER ANIMATION: 

AUTODESK SIMULATION: 

FACTORY DESIGN SUITE: 

AUTOCAD ELECTRICAL: 

K 

L 

M 

N 

O 

P 

Q 

R 

S 

T 

X 

For further information about authorised CAD training or to advertise on these pages please contact: 

Josh Boulton on 01689 616 000 or email: josh.boulton@btc.co.uk

SOUTH/EAST 

HERTFORDSHIRE 9 

Computer Aided 

Business Systems Ltd 

Contact: Gillian Haynes 

Tel: 01707 258 338 

Fax: 01707 258 339 

training@cabs-cad.com 

A C D E K H 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 10 

Causeway 

Technologies Ltd 

Contact: Sue Farnfield 

Tel: +44 (0)1628 552134 

Sue.Farnfield@causeway.com 

www.causeway.com 

A C D E K 

BERKSHIRE 11 

Cadpoint 

Contact: Clare Keston 

Tel: 01344 751300 

Fax: 01344 779700 

sales@cadpoint.co.uk 

www.cadpoint.co.uk 

A C D E K 

ENFIELD* 12 

TRAINING 

BERKSHIRE 16 

Mass Systems Ltd 

Contact: Luke Bolt 

Tel: 01344 304 000 

Fax: 01344 304 010 

info@mass-plc.com 

www.mass-plc.com 

A E F 

HAMPSHIRE 17 

Universal CAD Ltd 

Contact: Nick Lambden 

Tel: [44] 01256 352700 

Fax: [44] 01256 352927 

sales@universalcad.co.uk 

www.universalcad.co.uk 

A C M E K H 

MILTON KEYNES 18 

Graitec - Milton Keynes 

Contact: David Huke 

Tel: 01908 410026 

david.huke@graitec.co.uk 

www.graitec.co.uk 


CAMBRIDGE 19 

THE NORTH 

MANCHESTER* 20 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




NEWCASTLE* 21 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




YORKSHIRE 22 

Graitec Bradford 

Contact: Isobel Gillon 

Tel: 01274 532919 

training@graitec.co.uk 



NORTH EAST 23 

Graitec - Durham 


Tel: 0191 374 2020 




LANCASHIRE 24 

QUADRA SOLUTIONS 

Contact: Simon Dobson 

Tel: 01254 301 888 

Fax: 01254 301 323 

training@quadrasol.co.uk 

www.quadrasol.co.uk 

A C M K 

YORKSHIRE* 25 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




SOUTH YORKSHIRE 26 

THE JUICE GROUP LTD 

Contact: Sarah Thorpe 

Tel: 0800 018 1501 

Fax: 0114 275 5888 

training@thejuice.co.uk 

www.thejuicetraining.com 

A C D E K R 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




SOUTHHAMPTON 13 

Riverside House, Brunel Road 

Southampton, Hants. SO40 3WX 


Tel: 02380 868 947 




CONTRAL LONDON* 14 

Symetri Ltd. 

Tel: 0345 370 1500 




OXFORDSHIRE 15 

MIDLANDS 

NOTTINGHAM 27 

MicroCAD - Nottingham 


Tel: 0115 969 1114 




NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 28 

AIT Spatial Ltd 

Contact: Philip Madeley 

Tel: 01933 303034 

Fax: 01933 303001 

training@aitspatial.co.uk 

www.aitspatial.co.uk 

A C D E F G K L 

BIRMINGHAM 29 

CHESHIRE 30 

Excelat CAD Ltd 

Contact: Vaughn Markey 

Tel: 0161 926 3609 

Fax: 0870 051 1537 

Vaughn.markey@ExcelatCAD.com 

www.ExcelatCAD.com 

B N 

Man and Machine 

Contact: Robert Kenny 

Tel: 01844 263700 

Fax: 01844 216761 

training@manandmachine.co.uk 

www.manandmachine.co.uk 

A D I J M N O P Q X 

Armada Autodesk 

Training Centre 

Contact: Steven Smith 

Tel: 01527 834783 

Fax: 01527 834785 

training@armadaonline.co.uk 

www.armadaonline.co.uk 

A D E M K H

SOFTWAREfocus 

A world of visualisations awaits 

Amutri deliver a quick and simple route into 3D visualisation and 

immersive technology for architects and interior designers 

The rapid creation of 3D 

visualisations using real-time 

rendering, which enable architects 

and their clients to run fly-throughs and 

otherwise interact with the model, has 

for some time been made possible by 

the introduction of Epic Games' Unreal 

Engine. Until now, however, the ability to 

take advantage of advanced processes 

and the latest rendering methods has 

relied on architects and engineers 

developing the techniques and 

particular rendering skills to utilise it, or 

outsourcing to a third-party. 

Amutri aim to knock that idea on its 

head. The company has introduced an 

intuitive application of the same name 

that gives designers a simple path to 3D 

visualisation. This allows them to 

present their designs to clients, who can 

then suggest changes, or to test the 

veracity of the model and then switch to 

the 3D model and make the changes, 

and immediately update the 3D 

visualisation to include any 

modifications. Real-time iterations also 

allow designers to experiment with 

model styles, materials, surface textures 

and colours. 

Amutri can be used with architectural 

design software and supports a number 

of common file formats - IFC, DWG, FBX 

and OBJ - utilising their BIM features to 

provide accurate representations of 

components, assigned materials, 

textures and other attributes. It has been 

designed to be as simple as possible to 

use, to encourage architects who have 

not previously used visualisation 

software to produce professional quality 

rendered 3D models. 

The application is still in its 

development phase, although the early 

access version has been trialled in 

several practices and the design 

department of a well-known contractor. 

Amutri's CEO, Michael Calver, explained 

that they are looking for feedback that 

could direct further development. Any 

company or architectural practice 

interested in developing their skills in the 

technology, or in encouraging Amutri to 

look at specific features they would like 

to see is encouraged to contact them. 

With a CAD and BIM background, the 

potential for further development is 

infinite, but much is already included. 

3D Visualisations can be created directly 

from either 2D elevations or the architect 

or designer's 3D model and work 

interactively. Selecting an object within 

the rendered image allows architects 

and interior designers to locate that 

component within the 3D model, make 

amendments, and then instantly 

visualise the results in the refreshed 

visualisation. Similarly updated 2D 

elevation drawings will update both the 

3D model (a standard BIM function) and 

the 3D visualisation. 

The 3D Visualisations can also be 

populated with BIM components such 

as furniture, lighting, windows and other 

interior design features, using standard 

object BIM libraries. To add to the 

realism of the rendered scene, you will 

soon be able to populate visualisations 

with other objects from additional 

industry resources, such as people, 

plants, landscaping and street furniture. 

This feature is one that has been widely 

requested by early users of Amutri and 

is scheduled for release later this year. 

Another feature requested by early 

users of Amutri and one that is on the 

2022 roadmap is the ability to use 

Unreal Engine to drive freeform 

walkthroughs, allowing users to set 

personal viewing heights even when 

climbing stairs, and to move through 

doorways and haptically avoid objects 

like tables and chairs. This feature will 

be particularly useful for visualising 

access problems for wheelchair users. 

For added realism the ability to 

geolocate models to provide accurate 

weather simulations, such as clouds, 

sun location, shadows and night-time 

effects, is also on the Amutri roadmap. 

Looking further ahead, and thanks to 

its BIM capabilities, Amutri will be able 

to provide some of the advanced 

visualisation features more commonly 

available in expensive and complex 

visualisation solutions, such as linking 

the 3D model to timelines to provide 4D 

construction simulations - depending on 

user feedback, of course. 

The aim of Amutri is to give architects 

and designers the means of showing 

clients exactly what their projects will 

look like. It is already proving popular 

with two of its clients who use the 

software, suitably populated with objects 

used within their specialist fields, for 

interior décor and airport seating. 

The choice of name, Amutri, is derived 

from the Sanskrit word Amutra, which 

means 'in the next world'. Amutri aims to 

encourage architects and interior 

designers to embrace the Metaverse. 

Whether you agree with Meta's aims or 

not, 3D visualisations and the digital 

simulation of reality is rapidly becoming 

a major requirement for designers. 

If you're interested in trying Amutri for 

yourself then you can sign up to the 

early access trial at the website below. 

https://www.amutri.com 

34 


VOTE NOW AT: 

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Voting Closes 1st November 

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The Construction Computing Awards or "The Hammers" as they are 

affectionately known are back for 2022 and, as ever, we are looking to 

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