3 dplus2d rev2

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Digital Platform Based Shop Drawing Management

2D 3D+ = 5Dx(much more)

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INTRODUCTION:

While BIM is all about the ‘I’ of the Information, BIM or no BIM, when it comes to Construction Information Management, one issue keeps failing to get enough attention: The workflow of producing and managing shop-drawings by numerous construction participants based on design documentation is STILL done in a pretty archaic way.

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Unresolved Issues bypass the Shop-Drawing process

Regardless of the skills and qualifications of the assessors, or even time spent on these exercises, experience shows, that there is an unfortunately large number of issues buried within these shop drawings, that do not get unearthed in the assessment process and end up going to the construction to be resolved on site.

The shop-drawings, that end up used for building off are still, 2D based drawings (regardless of their origin) and get assessed and approved (or rejected, corrected and then approved) by client-appointed parties, in a tedious, long-winded way before they are let to proceed to construction.

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A Possible SOLUTION:

While a truly functional BIM would probably fix these problems, the strategy described here is by no means a ‘pure BIM approach’ but rather a ‘hybrid’ one.

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An Example:

For the example to explain the methodology on, a set of buildings is used, part of a development completed a couple of years ago, where the number of shop-drawings created went into thousands. (in fact close to or OVER 20 thousand! Or was it 35.000+?)

If all the shop-drawings were piled up the paper tower would be this high!

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The Approach:

DIGITAL 2D + 3D PLATFORM

The assessment team (appointed by the client) is expanded from the usual cocktail of specialist-engineers with a new position, that of the Virtual Assessment Model Manager.This person will work closely with all the individual discipline engineers, but also manage the Platform, the center feature of the Digital Project Environment.

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The Approach:

DIGITAL 2D + 3D PLATFORM

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2D + 3D (ghost framework)

At the outset of the project, the Manager sets up the ‘ghost structure’ within the platform. This structure has the digital equivalents of the key spatial drivers of the ‘real’ project, grids, stories and the positions of section and elevation lines matching the ones on the drawings.The main elements of the ghost framework are grids, sub-grids, section-elevation lines and stories. These combined define the 3 dimensional skeleton of the project. It is important to understand that these elements are intelligent objects, not just lines, circles and text.It is the digital skeleton of the building and it is critical for it to be as accurate as it is possible.

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NOT just anywhere!

The next step is to feed onto this Digital Platform the shop-drawings as they become available. There is no hard rule on the order of imports, but it is logical to follow that of the construction’s needs, so starting with foundation drawings makes sense. As the shop drawings arrive, the Model Manager places the sheets within the ‘correct place’ of the Virtual Environment on the Digital Platform. Plans over the appropriate grids, elevations, sections in the right planes, specific details in their original positions.

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While not all drawings can be placed in a specific spatial position (i.e. typical, generic details, schedules etc) there is always area within the Digital Environment for these to be stored and referenced from.

The Model Manager, given the correct software has numerous tools to assist the work with large number of drawings, going into hundred and even thousand, including filters, layers, views and work spaces.

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Coordination:

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The Model and the Digital Platform are continuously available to all assessors, so they can review these drawings almost as soon as they have been placed within the Platform.

Drawings from one discipline can be referenced to each other or against other discipline straight from the beginning of the populating of the Digital Environment.

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Problems Get Resolved within the DE

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Unresolved Design:

! Coloured if fully defined! Red if subject to any question

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Detailing:

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Design Changes Tracked

+ 38m solid walls + double the no of fittings

+ 44m2 extra flooring and ceiling

+ 7 (9) extra doors

(light partitioningRemoved)

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BOQ Related Issues Identified

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2D + 3D

Parallel with the placement of received shop-drawings, the Model Manager creates the virtual model of the building(s) itself on the Platform, constructing it up in a similar sequence to that of the real construction. This developing model is another feedback to the accuracy and completeness of the shop-drawings and provides up-to date information to the assessors to act on in a timely manner.

The beauty of the Platform is that one can have numerous buildings in one file or closely referenced to each other as well as it all been centrally located and updated.

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2D + 3D

Should there be contractor supplied 3D (shop-drawing) models available as parts of submittals, the Model Manager has the ability to import them as well and assesses their integrity against the live model and all the other shop-drawings.

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CONCLUSION:

RISK!

SOLUTION!