Well, 64 bit computers and 64 bit BIM programs are here and they are faster, can access more memory, and build even bigger BIMs.

So why am I miserable?  Well, because I am the one who owns the IT budget and the planning task of buying all these new and very expensive 64 bit computers!  Do I have to? Possibly not. In talking this over with our IT expert he listened to my problem and while his work is more in corporate IT than BIM and engineering software, he did some investigation and came up with the following recommendations which you may want to consider.

1. Do not replace good, relatively new 32 bit laptops.

2. For 64 bit tasks install a desktop machine in each office that can handle these tasks.

3. Build the machine, you can save a lot of money and the assembly is not complex (your IT team should easily be able to do it). We built several killer 64 bit machine with fast quad-core processors, an excellent graphics card with extra memory, and a several terabytes of disk including a SSD drive for the C: drive to provide fast booting and opening of really large files for about $1,800.

4. Use a viewing product to give you remote access to this machine when you are with a client or traveling. One product we are using and considering standardization on is Team Viewer, a product from a German software company.

5. Look more at your network than at the individual machines for speed. A fast network is probably more important since data and projects are likely kept on servers.

Caption: Vico Office can be installed as either a 32-bit or 64-bit application.

We have already done some of this at Vico and are very happy with the results (I don’t have the BLUES). If you have a question or you’d like to talk to our IT consultant just drop me a line.

What are the top 10 mistakes that minimize the benefits of 5D BIM or VDC into your company?

#10 - Assume it is as simple as purchasing one copy of the different software
         packages / modules and asking a young computer savvy project engineer
         to “try it.”

#9   - Hire a good modeling person who has not had experience with the 3 key
         construction skills: constructability and coordination, quantity take-off and
         estimating, and schedule planning and schedule production control.

#8   - Assume that your project teams will embrace new things without adequate
         corporate planning and support.

#7   - Push as much of the BIM contract requirements down to the subcontractors as
         possible so that your company is not controlling the quality of the effort.

#6   - Don’t treat 5D BIM as a Strategic Opportunity to differentiate your company from
         others, it is just a tool for clash detection.

#5   - Don’t invest any time with the Senior Executive team, explaining how the
         systems work and how they could (if you choose) become integrated part of
         your processes.

#4   - Assume that your company currently has an Estimating Database that contains
         all the information that your Estimators use to prepare an accurate proposal for
         a project, or the detailed cost breakdown later.

#3   - Mandate that in order to use 5D BIM, it must do everything that you do today the
         same way. In other words you are not willing to change processes to become
         more effective.

#2   - Don’t have a written plan covering at least 12 months of your BIM initiative.

#1   - Assume that using BIM for clash detection and coordination makes your
         company an expert in BIM, you’ll find there are others who are much, much more
         skilled.
 
In my next blog, I’ll address a strategic plan to avoid all these pitfalls.  But in the meantime, here are the Top 10 Reasons To Do 5D BIM.

Vico Services has worked on hundreds of BIM projects since the California Academy of Science in 2004.  We have seen great projects built and many, many changes in the typical processes used to manage a construction project.  One of the innovations that many projects utilize is clash detection software to automate and visually aide the coordination process.  Use of this software has helped reduce the number of RFI's and Change Orders that were typical just a few years ago. 

One thing that we noticed at Vico is that the coordination process still takes too long, even with these advanced tools.  That set us to thinking, what is the problem with coordination?  It turns out that one of the big problems is that if each team member moves their own objects every time there is a clash then they often create a secondary clash where they now have fixed their problem but created a problem for someone else.  Also, frequently these coordination meetings focus on using the fabrication level models that the subs create which of course have the best level of detail (LOD).

Vico has found a way to cut the coordination time by 40% using a 2D-3D-4D clash detection approach.  I'd like to say 50% since that is such a nice number, but so far the data is showing a decrease of 40% in the number of weeks or months that the coordination had been scheduled to take.  Now what would you do with 4 extra months of time?  Hmm, how about increasing the number of components that are prefabricated?  How about creating a plan to assist your subs with the placement of the objects as well as a follow up verification that the object is in the correct space. 

How can this be done?  Well, it requires:

• - A CM/GC who is willing to QC the design model or build their own from the drawing set
• - A CM/GC who brings all their subs to the meeting table and explains that there will be a new process here which will result in 75% + of the detailed coordination to be completed during the design stage
• - A Vico Onsite Project Manager (OPM) to be involved and to lead the discussion / process change and negotiation with the construction team
• - A specially trained Vico modeler equipped with a System Priority Structure and Rules of Change document that the OPM has created and everyone on the team has agreed to

It's that easy!  If you are interested in Vico Coordination Resolution just give me a call, and by the way, once this has been done on a project with Vico consulting the BIM expert from the GC can do it on the ensuing projects as long as he or she has participated in all the setup, definitions, process descriptions, and meetings.

Ask your Precon VP if s/he'd like to decrease the coordination schedule of every project by 40%. My guess is they will be pretty interested (and so will the Owners that they talk to every day)!

The world economy seems to be slowly mending and so those companies with adequate projects and finances will be able to continue working and paying their employees.  That is little comfort to a CEO who has watched their company's annual revenue drop anywhere from 20 to 50% over the last 18 months, especially when all new projects now have 20 to 30 companies competing for the work!  So, the question is how do you differentiate your company from others?  What are Owners looking for?  What has worked in the past that could provide a competitive advantage to your company as you compete for projects?

I am working directly with very large owners in the health care industry who have always had the most difficult projects with the highest risks and I can share some things that are common requests:

• 1. They want companies that will work with them, partners who will do a good job with the conventional requirements of the project, but they also want partners who will work with them on project and process improvements.
• 2. They want BIM to be used on their projects and definitely not just on the design. They want their teams to use 3D models on design, and unless the project is IPD or the design team will share that model they want the Contractor to build a 3D model as well.
• 3. They want a schedule that they can understand and they want to see it monitored and updated every few weeks during the project.
• 4. They want to decrease the amount of time it takes to coordinate projects. They are happy with the reduction in problems from 3D coordination but have seen either no decrease in coordination time requirements or often an increase in the amount of time it takes to coordinate using 3D.
• 5. They want great visual aids that can be shown to them, their customers, and others involved with the project.

What if there was a process, called Coordination Resolution, that leveraged a BIM model and actually significantly reduced the coordination time requirements while simultaneously improving the ability of the subs to create their shop models and drawings?  Well, that could be something that would help a Construction CEO sleep better at night.  Join our webinar on this topic on Friday, August 6th, at 12 Noon Eastern >> https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/693311521.

What would help you feel more secure during your next project?

Finland has some of the most advanced users of Virtual Construction in the world and Flowline Scheduling is taught to all construction personnel when they start out whether it is in a university or on a jobsite.  So, I've been here working with some of the largest construction companies in Finland to get them up to speed on Vico Office.  Of course, you may guess that I am now stuck here due to the ash cloud covering Europe.  It sounds like a Monty Python skit, doesn't it?

Well I have been keeping my rather large family back in the USA informed about my saga using email, twitter and skype and here is what my sister Susan emailed me back to help me occupy my weekend.

Susan, "So..lets make a top ten list. Ten things you can do in Finland for the weekend....

10.Take a bottle of Nyquil and pray to wake up on Monday or Tuesday....

9. Learn how to make reindeer fondue!!!!!!!!!

8. Calculate how far Russia is from here you are? 

7. Call your scholarly Mother in NY who specializes in world history and learn the history of Finland...going back 200 or 300 years.....snore

6. Watch the Red Sox lose this weekend over the internet with a Finnish broadcaster..Yeah!

5. Organize your contact list in your blackberry for the 70th time.....

4. Watch the Yankee games over the internet with a Finnish broadcaster......Yeah!

3. Learn how to dogsled to see if you can escape across the tundra.

2. Learn all the words to the all of the ABBA songs in Finnish.

1. Learn how to pronounce the name of the Icelandic volcano that is causing all this chaos.  (And no, it is not pronounced "eefffing.")

Hope this cheered you up, sister Sue."

Give me your suggestions for what I should do to occupy my last days in Finland.  Or if you're stuck in Europe, too, give me a ring and we can discuss the train schedule!

Many people continually ask me to compare and contrast our products with Autodesk's, particularly Revit. 

This always draws a smile from me as I slowly repeat, "Vico does not make a modeling system, therefore we partner with firms that do...such as Autodesk."  (We have an actual scenario about a contractor asking us whether or not Vico competes with Revit.)

Our goal when we formed Vico in 2007 was to get Building Information Models (BIM) into the hands of all the companies that plan, manage, construct, and commission the building.  Architects had already begun to use BIM in 2004 when we began creating our Virtual Construction Suite.  The usage rate of 3D back then was low but has steadily climbed to larger numbers and will likely continue to grow until it is just the way you design buildings.  (The latest numbers from the McGraw-Hill SmartMarket Report indicate that 49% of GC's have tried BIM.)

Since Vico Office began shipping in 2009 for Archicad, Tekla, and Revit we have continued to expand the modeling systems we support with the introduction of CAD-Duct by TSI and more are planned for this year and next.  We have also created an IFC import function that should open the door to bringing in other systems such as Google SketchUp, Bentley Triforma, and many other popular BIM systems.

Please come learn more about how Vico has opened the door to redefining the way that companies manage construction through Vico Office, the worlds first complete virtual construction suite for 3D, 4D, 5D.  We have archived Fridays with Vico episodes which you can view 24/7:

>> Vico Office Unplugged

>> Vico Office for Preconstruction and Estimating Teams

And if you have any questions about our competitors, please give me a call!

Last year was a really difficult time for our customers.  I’d like to note that during this difficult economic time for all of us, “Vico did the right thing.”  We upgraded anyone who had invested in our solutions to our next generation platform, Vico Office, for no charge!

What? A software company that did not charge anything for a significant upgrade and enhancement to their solution?  Wow!  Take a bow Vico R&D!
 
The purpose of this memo is to clarify the evolution from Constructor/Constructor Pro licenses into Vico Office Licenses; furthermore, to clarify the option of moving from Single User Licenses (SUL) to floating licenses.
 
Background
We originally distributed our software in two primary packages:
 1. Constructor Package included:
     a. Constructor modeling program;
     b. Estimator;
     c. 5D Presenter
 2. Constructor Pro Package included:
     a. Constructor modeling program;
     b. Estimator;
     c. 5D Presenter;
     d. Control scheduling program;
     e. Change Manager  (Doc Set Manager)
In addition we offered Vico Control  and Vico Change Manager as standalone products.
 
Vico Office Strategy
About five years ago, we began to develop a BIM-neutral platform that would enable our users to generate 3D – 4D – 5D output from numerous modeling platforms. A significant aspect of the plan was to:
 1. Provide our customers more flexibility by integrating with multiple modeling platforms,
     as well as the current estimating and scheduling technologies they have in place;
 2. Break up the multiple capabilities that had been wrapped into Constructor and
     Constructor Pro into a modular system so that our customers could customize Vico software
     to fit their needs;
 3. Increase the ease-of-use of our products by providing a user-friendly interface and clearly
     outlining a step-by-step model-based workflow in the solution.
 
The Upgrade to Vico Office
As the Vico Office platform began to take shape, we decided to offer the Vico Office solution to our existing customers at no additional cost.
 
How Did It Work?
Any customer that was up-to date on their annual maintenance would automatically receive the appropriate single-user licenses of Vico Office as a free upgrade.
 
With that said, Vico Office will have significantly more functionality than provided in the 2008 Vico Constructor Suite.  In addition, Constructor, Constructor Pro, Control, and Doc Set Manager were only available in SUL format, and our customer base was demanding Floating License capabilities which we introduced in Vico Office.
 
Converting Licenses
The schematic below depicts the conversion of Constructor and Constructor Pro licenses into their equivalent Vico Office modules:

Converting SUL to Floating
All 2008 Vico products were only offered as a single-user license structure. Vico Office provides our customers the opportunity to support multiple users with a floating license structure. Moving from a single-user set-up to a network (floating) set-up requires  a upgrade/conversion fee.

Establishing the right mix of Floating Licenses is directly dependent upon the number of users expected at any given time. We recommend starting with a conservative amount and then adding Floating Licenses as they become needed.
 
Accessing the Vico Office Modules on the Network
The Vico Office Floating system relies upon the client piece of software, called Vico Office Client.  The Vico Office Client is a desktop piece of software. Each user who would like to access the other Vico Office Modules on the network will need to have the Vico Office Client installed locally on their machine.  As the user accesses specific modules, the Client “checks out the licenses” for those modules. When all Floating licenses for any given module(s) have been “checked out” the user receives a message from the system indicating a license is not available.
 
Wow, free!

It is a known fact that Virtual Construction, also known as 5D BIM, will help you win work.  It is well-documented and can be read about in this year's "Getting BIM to the Bottom Line."  This report, produced by McGraw-Hill Construction, has two salient points that we at Vico have been telling our customers for years: 

First, when marketing your firm's capabilities to an Owner or a selection committee, "98% of BIM users say that having BIM capability is having an impact on their companies winning new work." (page 18, BIM SmartMarket Report: The Business Value of BIM) 

Interesting enough on the same page it says, "Only 31% of your competitors are marketing themselves as having significant BIM capability.  At Vico we have a new expression, "Do you walk-the-walk, or do you just talk-the-talk?" 

With the availabilty of free modeling systems such as Google's SketchUp allowing anyone to build some nice visual models of a project you have to ask the question: "What constitutes significant BIM capabilities?" 

In a recent decision by an owner to build a new hospital his selection committee said that significant BIM capabilities included:

• - A systematic method to make conceptual pricing and schedule assumptions and evolve them (manage them) as the design progressed. Using Vico Office Cost Planner and Cost Explorer the GC said, "I can do that," and he showed them how!
• - Is there a way you can de-risk the 12 month schedule so that we are highly likely to complete this project on time? Again, using Vico Control the GC was able to pinpoint 2 critical risks to the proposed 12 month construction schedule. Control's optimization capability allowed the GC to lower the risk of a delay from those 2 items from 90% probability to below 10% probability.
• - Finally, the Owner was shown a better way to have the project team collaborate on cost and design together as the Vico Cost Plan can quickly "compare and show" the cost impact of a new piece to the design.

Finally, another quote from page 48 of the BIM SmartMarket Report, "BIM users would rather work with strangers who know BIM than with friends that don't."  This is significant in an industry where repeat business is based upon good working relationships with the many partners in your area. 

To learn more about the latest BIM SmartMarket Report and how you can inspire your firm to "walk the walk," join us on Friday, January 29th at 12 Noon Eastern for Getting BIM to the Bottom Line, a special Fridays with Vico webinar featuring Steve Jones from McGraw-Hill Construction.

In another blog we'll explore the Vico Model Progression Specification which is a another key capability to get your firm setup with significant BIM capabilities.

During our recent trip to visit customers in the Nordic countries, we produced a Fridays with Vico episode on how many of our customers are rolling out BIM across the enterprise.  This video clip is excerpted from that webinar.

I'd like to steal from David Letterman and give you the top ten reasons to use 5D BIM.

Number Ten:  Certainly your competitors are saying that they are using it.

(Page 33 of McGraw-Hill's BIM SmartMarket Report cites that the most important benefit for Contractors is to market BIM capabilities to win new clients.)

Number Nine:  Certainly the owners are asking for it.

(Page 34 of the same report states that "Owners who use BIM see a very high rate of ROI."  If you'd like to hear Steve Jones talk about this study, please tune in on Friday, January 29th at 12 Noon Eastern: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/295608280 )

Number Eight:  I know that many of the young smart personnel that run your projects want to use it because we talk to them frequently.

(Vico Software is a proud supporter of the Associated Schools of Construction Management's Reno BIM Competition.  Last year, the first- and third- place teams used Vico Software to prepare their projects.)

Number Seven:  The subs want to use it; they want a better and more organized piece of the pie.

(Research shows that optimizing your schedule with Vico Control decreases schedule duration by 10% without exposing the project to any additional risk.)

Number Six:  The CEO of your company wants you to use it. 

(Your CEO wants to win more business. Period. With most GCs putting together a model for the bid, your firm can stand out from the pack when you explain to the owner that your model is not just for marketing - it will drive the schedule and keep the project on budget.)

Number Five: It would be really great to know if the subs' quantities are actually correct.

(Vico Office Takeoff Manager extracts the construction-caliber quantities from the model geometry from which the schedule and estimate are derived.  When a sub-contractor submits a bid, you can check their quantities against yours.  This then ensures the labor assumptions and productivity rates are correct.)

Number Four: You could actually use unit prices from your subs that are loaded and you could fill in the quantities if you had a great and very exact model and quantity takeoff from it.

(See above!)

Number Three: You may want a Trimble Total Station and the partner software that Vico has to layout your MEP, as well as your concrete, formwork, and anything else using the robotic Total Station and LM80.

(Seismic bracings and hanger placement can be modeled, transfered to the LM80, and shot on-site with the Trimble Total Station.  For more information, check out the Trimble eipsode of Fridays with Vico.)

Number Two: you may want a flowline schedule to help you finish early. We've been talking this week in Helsinki to very large companies like NCC, Skanska, and Hartela. These are all very large construction firms that are all completely standardized on Vico Control. So flowline schedules really do run the projects over here where scheduling is so important because of the long and deeply cold winter.

(Mark Sawyer answered his own blog post, "Who Is the International Leader in Virtual Construction?," at the BIM for the Enterprise webinar.)

And Number One: The number one reason to really understand this stuff is you've got to win the project. There are many companies bidding for every single project and it's very clear that companies that deeply understand this and can explain to the owner how they can remove risk from the project, how they will better manage the project, will win. And while I can't mention names right now we have a few projects that are north of $100,000,000 that have been won recently because of this very reason. We have talked with the selection committees and they have said that the difference between the winner and the loser was not all the other items they considered, but it was their ability to use and to bring to bear this 5D methodology to de-risk the project.

What is your reason for using BIM?  Or perhaps a better, more pointed question: why aren't you using BIM?

Yesterday I had the good fortune to meet with a Vico customer in Finland who is working with us to deploy Vico Office as a key "system" to run their company.  We were talking about how to help his company change their estimating system and what a challenge that would be. 

It is amazing how big a challenge change can be if you try to do it yourself.  For example, the other day I was playing Wii with my son and for about 5 minutes I was holding the remote control in my left hand and the nunchuk in my right hand.  It was the first time I had used both controls and I was learning to play a Star Wars game where you have light saber battles while trying to navigate an obstacle course.  After the first five minutes I noticed my son (who is right-handed also) was using the controls in the opposite hands so I switched....  

Well, you would be surprised after only five minutes of learning how my mind and fingers resisted this change!  I was unable to be effective because I had become used to doing it one way and now I was trying to change.

My point about change is that it is not easy and it is a process.  There is a great proverb: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -by Confucius.  What this means in regard to improving your ability to utilize Virtual Construction is that it will not be easy and there will be doubters but the benefits you can achieve are huge and valuable.  Perhaps it would be good to examine or study how to accomplish change before you begin using Virtual Construction technology, there is a lot of great material out there to assist you.  But remember, if you and your team are properly motivated, that is to say you are doing it to improve your business, then you can and will succeed.

Good luck, and "may the force be with you."