Product updates - 6 min read
Get ready for the latest advancements in estimating. In Cubit 10 we’ve introduced the ability to work with revised BIM models and manage change in your BIM-based jobs.
Working with BIM can offer massive benefits when estimating large commercial projects, so it’s easy to see why many of Australia’s construction companies and Quantity Surveying firms are either already working with, or planning for BIM in their operations.
One of the big benefits of BIM is change management, and working with the industry we identified this was an important area for us to work on, presenting a great opportunity for us to help our customers.
Like any project, when it comes to managing changes and revisions there are many challenges to anticipating and formulating the accurate cost of a build. However when managing changes on BIM-based jobs, you face a unique set of challenges that require a specialised approach and particular attention.
We understand that you have an inherent need to work with them in a managed, controlled and effective way. So building upon our successful BIM Takeoff Module, which offers the industry a reliable way to extract quantities from your BIM model, we’ve taken our new Job Revisions workflow further to ensure that the process of change management is easy, effective, and dependable when working with a BIM-based job.
When you start your revision workflow you can add a revised IFC formatted BIM file, which presents an updated model of your building, with a graphically engineered new colour scheme to clearly show you the changes in the new model.
On your model, the colour scheme is
Taking change management to the next level, Cubit will automatically update existing items in your estimate that have been impacted in the new model, applying the change and highlighting the item with a coloured indicator in the Estimate Sheet , Calculation Sheet, and Shapes Pane.
In your estimate, the coloured indicators are
Colour scheme:
Image: A revised BIM model showing the new coloured indicators for Pending and
Confirmed changes within the Estimate Sheet and Calculation Sheet.
Any elements that have been added to the model that did not previously exist are automatically added to the Shapes Pane, which you can then use to add items to your estimate sheet, cross-check, and easily map them from your model.
This new level of control and oversight makes it easier than ever to see the changes that are needed throughout your job, presenting them in an auditable way that makes your review process a breeze and gives you the confidence of knowing you have everything you need to create an accurate estimate.
We’ve also introduced a set of BIM inspection tools, to give you the ability to quickly and flexibly navigate to revised elements in the Estimate Sheet, Calculation Sheet, or Shapes Pane. Using the filters you can choose the elements of the model you want to inspect, as well as their status. You can then use the next or previous button to work through the items that need inspection.
When looking through your changes, you can make use of the coloured indicators to mark specific changes as confirmed. This option tool offers you the flexibility to have an additional level of control so you can keep track of your changes in a way that suits your processes.
After all of your reviews are performed, you can then continue through the revision workflow and choose to either finalise the revision to update and continue working on the estimate, or revert back to the original state of the job before you started the revision process.
To introduce these advancements to working with BIM, we knew we needed to enhance the performance of IFC files within Cubit. So working to maximise the benefits of working with BIM-based jobs, we’ve improved the way Cubit interacts with IFC files, so that large jobs open and run faster. We’ve also enhanced accessible layers within the model, so you can now see any Revit material layers within the model. This means you can extract even more information from your file, and create a truly accurate estimate.
To support Cubit’s new BIM Change Management features, we’ve introduced the Revision Comparison Report.
While working with a job that is under revision, you can run the Revision Comparison Report to show all the differences between the revision and original job; including what’s changed, what’s been added, and what’s been removed.
An example of the new Revision Comparison Report in Cubit 10.
Having all of the differences recorded in one place makes it easy to keep track of the revision, see what the impact of change will be, and makes the review process as easy as possible.
We’ve been able to develop these innovative solutions through our partnership with our customers, and the feedback we’ve received from the industry. We’re committed to the continual enhancement of our software to better meet your needs, offering you a reliable solution that is flexible, and also offers a logical workflow to guide you through the challenges you face.
Cubit 10 has a lot more to offer. You can learn more about what's coming in Cubit 10 at our Cubit 10 blog.
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