Take a Closer Look at ALLPLAN’s Cloud Collaboration Technologies

Cloud collaboration has become more than just a ‘nice to have’ feature – these days, it is a necessity. The pandemic has undoubtedly been instrumental in driving forward the transition to the cloud for many companies. However, the fragmented nature of project teams in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry means that collaboration is significantly easier with cloud-based tools. Having foreseen, and recognized, all the benefits that the cloud can provide for construction projects, ALLPLAN has incorporated cloud-based collaboration technologies into ALLPLAN to help AEC companies deliver their projects more successfully – here's how.

ALLPLAN Share is designed to make remote working easy for ALLPLAN users. It enables users to work concurrently on one model, over the cloud, ensuring a synchronized project team irrespective of where the team members are based. By providing a controlled environment, ALLPLAN users can easily collaborate with the rest of their team whether they are based in the office, at home, or on site. Multiple users can simultaneously access a project in ALLPLAN, even from different networks, with clearly regulated roles and access rights.

The big advantage of ALLPLAN Share is that it enables project data to be instantly accessible so team members can create their deliverables concurrently and make informed design decisions at earlier stages. A range of tools – such as the Model Viewer, Issue Manager, and Audit Control, among others – supports optimal teamwork. Issues and tasks can be assigned, tracked, and managed transparently and centrally, so everyone knows what the current status is of every activity. Thanks to the continuous sharing of project data, time delays are reduced and errors between disciplines are avoided. A further benefit is that a local server is no longer required, saving money.

ALLPLAN Bimplus is ALLPLAN’s, cloud based, Open BIM collaboration platform. With Bimplus, BIM model data, information, documents, and tasks are centrally managed, supporting efficient collaboration even with external partners. Bimplus allows ALLPLAN and non-ALLPLAN users to access models and information, such as assigning tasks in the Issue Manager, and simultaneous, location-independent project access. Models can be easily combined into a federated model and interrogated, whether to measure a dimension, check for collisions, or check specification information, for example.

Bimplus removes the need to constantly create and email PDF files to various project partners or stakeholders. Instead, the model and all project documents can be accessed via Bimplus in real time, as can the current project status. Design intent can be more clearly explained, the construction process can be better managed while on site, and more can be achieved with the project data that is created. For example, other tools can also be connected to Bimplus, such as the AX3000 Virtual Reality app or Microsoft Excel. The latter allows further editing and analysis of model or project information using familiar Excel commands, which can be updated in the model from Excel. Meanwhile, the former provides a range of visualization opportunities, such as visualizing the building in different environments or lighting conditions.

Rather than importing and exporting BCF files, the connection of Bimplus with the Solibri BCF Live Connector now enables the direct transfer of issues identified during consolidated model checking in Solibri to the issue workflow in the Bimplus platform. Here, these issues can then be assessed and assigned for processing. This is particularly effective for ALLPLAN users as the Bimplus Issue Manager is also used within ALLPLAN and therefore enables direct processing and correction of these defects immediately within the ALLPLAN BIM authoring solution.

SCIA Autoconverter is another time-saving tool in Bimplus that quickly and accurately converts any structural CAD model into an analysis model. Rather than modeling the same building again from scratch in a structural analysis program, SCIA Autoconverter does this automatically, reducing errors, effort, and costs. Thanks to an open BIM approach and Structural Analysis Format (SAF) format this structural analysis model can then be transferred to a large number of structural analysis software solutions. And changes made can then be managed and tracked in the cloud based Bimplus for a complete solution.

Cloud technology enables better data-driven working. Whether it is multi-user working on the same project in real-time, collaborating with models from different software solutions, superior issue management or structural design workflows, the ability to add and leverage different data layers has multiple benefits for construction projects. With the cloud-based solutions provided by ALLPLAN, everyone within the project team – whether client, architect, engineer, or contractor – can collaborate, work, and share information faster and easier than ever before.