Construction Collaboration in context: BIM 360 Docs release delivers

Construction Collaboration in Context 

The latest release of BIM 360 Docs is out, and is packed with a huge set of powerful capabilities -- including delivery of two of our most requested features.  This release is centered around putting construction project information in context -- the right information, at the right time, with the right details. We call this construction collaboration in context.

• Publish in context with sub-folder creation in the Plans & Shop Drawings folders, expanding sheet extraction and title block OCR capabilities for both current set and work in progress designs.

• Review and coordinate in context with 2D Document Compare of two different sheets in relation to one another -- floor-to-floor, discipline-to-discipline or version-to-version.

• Comment in context with the ability to add photos to Issues and create markups from an iPhone or iPad, while online or offline.

• Audit in context, during work or after completion, with Issue logs that capture all comments, activities, assignments and decisions associated with that issue workflow.

On top of these features, this release also improves the speed, accuracy and quality of the Title Block OCR process for vector PDFs. With nearly 90% of 2D plans being vector PDF formats, this will have immediate impact to the workflow.  As one customer noted after testing:

"I just uploaded 3 sets (total of 65 pages) into Docs and I am very impressed with the updates!"

Here's a little more context around some of these new features.

You spoke, we listened.  Subfolders are here for Plans/Shop Drawings

One of our most requested feature updates, you can now add subfolders to the Plans & Shop Drawings area to organize sets.

One of the most requested features from our customers has been to add subfolders to the Plans and Shop Drawings folders.  This is a really powerful capability for project teams who want to collaborate on designs using markups and issues.  

Adding subfolders to these "special purpose folders" also lets users leverage the sheet extraction and title block OCR capabilities for any model or multi-page PDF -- whether is it the published current set, or work in progress.  For paid subscribers, using sub-folder level permissions lets project or folder admins selectively release sheets and models for review, while maintaining tight version control and access.

Review 2D documents in relation to each other

Gone are the days where you wonder how your trade drawings will line up in a reflective ceiling plan.  Now, our 2D Compare feature can compare two different documents -- such as floor 1 and floor 2, or architectural and mechanical -- side by side, or overlaid on top of each other.  This can dramatically simplify coordination of 2D plans. 

Video: 2D Document Compare (~2min)

Collaborative design reviews in context, and on the go

Add photos to issues -- online or offline -- to help put work in context.

We've strengthened our issue management capabilities with photos, audit logs, and sorting/filtering.  Attaching photos to issues adds a lot of context to the workflow and helps identify areas that need to be addressed. Users can now add photos from their iPhone or iPad, and view issues with photos on the Web.

We've also added issue audit logs, tracking all comments, activity and decisions made on issues throughout their workflow. This add context, and makes it very easy to locate a record of how issues were handled -- at any point in the project lifecycle. From a risk management perspective, this gives construction project teams peace of mind that they will be able to defend the work they did, and why.

Collaborative review processes are only as good as where the work can be done.  Now, BIM 360 Docs users can create and share markups from their iPhone and iPad.

Markup designs from their iPhone or iPad, using shapes, text and arrows to make comments during reviews.

Stronger security and control for the enterprise

For enterprise customers, security and control over information is critical.  We've added two powerful features to support these needs: enterprise login support and Mobile Device Management (MDM) integration.

Enterprise login support delivers a tie-in to Autodesk's User Management service, providing a link between a user's Active Directory and Autodesk's user management services to let users login to BIM 360 Docs using their corporate credentials. This makes logging in easier, but more importantly allows enterprise users to control adds, changes and deletions of users to bolster security.

MDM integration will help administrators use MDM solutions to protect against mobile data getting into the wrong hands, and controlling mobile device usage.

This latest release is indeed powerful, but we are already hard at work on delivering even more value to our users in just a couple of weeks.  Subscribe to the blog to stay up to date, and if you haven't already, start using BIM 360 Docs for free!

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Questions or comments about this latest release?

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