Design work is no longer being done in silos. When Revit introduced “Worksharing” many years ago, it afforded users the ability to edit different elements and worksets within the same model. Being able to work this way was and still is a widely popular way to collaborate in a Local Area Network (LAN), as design teams work in local files and then synchronize with the central model to make their changes permanent.
But what of external collaborators outside your LAN? Many team members work remotely or across companies and locations. Additionally stakeholders like structural engineers, mechanical engineers, or architects need to make sure they are referencing the most up-to-date version of a model. Enter BIM 360 Design (formerly known as Collaboration for Revit).
An intuitive way to co-author with designers, whether inside and outside your firewall, cloud worksharing with BIM 360 Design enables you to coauthor, view, and review cloud-shared Revit models with your extended, multidisciplinary team.
If you are new to worksharing, check out this article to understand this popular BIM collaboration method and the terminology and workflows associated with it.
Let’s get right down to it.
Worksharing tips when co-authoring a model
When co-authoring a model, it is inevitable that more than one user is working on a design workset or element in the central model. Without a smart notification system to alert users, that same element in the RVT file may be modified more than once, causing confusion and loss of valuable time and edits.
Worksharing with BIM 360 Design (formerly known as Collaboration for Revit) happens across locations and companies, so if one user has selected an element/workset and is working in it, another stakeholder in another location attempting to make changes to that same element/workset will need to ask for permission to edit at the same time. Only when the previous user (who has permission of the element/workset) relinquishes control can any other user’s edits be saved.
The true benefit here is that of worksharing together whether in the same office, working remotely in a coffee shop or across the globe!
See pending requests from others who may want to edit your element/workset, taking over from you.
Cloud Worksharing in Revit by version
Revit Cloud Worksharing is now available with the next generation BIM 360 platform as a part of BIM 360 Design. Current C4R subscribers can access this new functionality and use the new Design Collaboration module, included in a subscription to BIM 360 Design, on new projects. Here’s a quick breakdown of how you can use cloud worksharing on Revit versions:
- In Revit versions 2018.2 and earlier, you can continue to use cloud worksharing with BIM 360 Team (as you have historically been doing in Collaboration for Revit, now rebranded to BIM 360 Design) as long as you stay on subscription. This also includes the availability of Communicator, with its Chat and Screen Capture functionality. You cannot use the next generation BIM 360 platform for cloud worksharing with these versions.
- In Revit version 2018.3, you can use cloud worksharing with BIM 360 Team as you have been doing in Collaboration for Revit as well as next generation BIM 360.
- Please note: Communicator is not supported when using Revit Cloud Worksharing on the next generation BIM 360 platform. We are working on replacing essential functionality in future Revit releases.
- In Revit 2019 and later versions, cloud worksharing will only be available on the next generation BIM 360 platform.
Leave screenshots with your notes, requests, and changes to provide clarity and context to others in your cloud-shared Revit model.
With the Communicator’s Chat feature, you can interact with team members before making changes to see if others are already editing those elements or worksets. By messaging in real time, you can save time and the frustration of attempting to make changes to an element that is being edited by another user.
When changes are made to elements, it’s good practice to follow up with a screenshot of the changes made so other designers can see how it affects their work and related or nearby elements.
To capture your design change, select the “Capture the Screen” icon. Draw a window area that covers the area of the change you made–then select the “Capture” button. When you are ready to share this with others in the chat, add a comment that clarifies the change you made for your collaborators. Everyone in the project should be able to see your remarks.
Don’t forget to Sync with Central—that way, you can ensure everyone is working in the latest and greatest model.
Illustration of how BIM 360 Design and BIM 360 Docs is used together on a building project
Stakeholders who need to access project models without installing Revit software or going through the tedious task of exporting to PDF can view, markup, and comment on design changes in models in a browser or through Desktop Connector.
To start using BIM 360 Design, head to the Kickstart Guide.
Looking for the latest trends in cloud-based BIM collaboration that can help reduce data friction and project errors? Find out more.
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