Posted by Holly Allison on Thu, May 09, 2013 @ 04:33 PM
Construction estimating is filled with pressure and dread: Did I include every inch of scope in the estimate? Was our bid the lowest because I missed something? How am I ever going to get this finished by the deadline AND be accurate?
WinEst is a perfect solution for 2D construction estimating because it is comprehensive yet easy to use; it has the full power of a database, but it looks and feels like a spreadsheet and any Windows program; users can create estimates from scratch or use company-approved templates and costing worksheets.
If your firm is looking for a comprehensive solution with the ability to:
- do manual and/or virtual quantity takeoff - just snap to and trace drawings
- examine work at any point in time
- create what-if scenarios
- summarize costs per category (including mark-ups and indirect costs)
- add default labor rates and equipment costs
- create project-type estimate templates to help standardize your departmental processes
- create filters for Masterformat, Uniformat, labor, and materials
- show an audit trail history, and
- organize estimate revisions
...then we have a rock-solid solution to show you.
Please join us Friday at 12 Noon Eastern/9am Pacific for a detailed demonstration of WinEst, along with plenty of time for questions and answers.
Register for webinar with this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/345888065
Even if you can't make the webinar on Friday (we know last-minute fire-drills always happen on Fridays), take five minutes to register now and you'll automatically receive a link to the recorded session on Monday. You can watch the recorded webinar at your convenience and share it with your colleagues.
Caption: Take a look at this quick overview of WinEst and see if it's something your Estimating team could sink their teeth into. If you like what you see, register for the webinar where we will go into greater detail.
If your firm is facing more and more bids (which is a very good thing!) and need the assurance of a robust 2D estimating solution, consider WinEst from Trimble!
Posted by Holly Allison on Thu, May 09, 2013 @ 09:54 AM
Trimble Buildings includes estimating solutions for today’s construction firms who might do 100% of their estimates based on 2D drawings – or 100% of their estimates based on 3D models – or any combination in between.
Why? The reason is simple: we want to provide the best possible estimating environment for today, tomorrow, and ten years down the road. That’s why we offer solutions from WinEst and Vico Office to general contractors and CM firms. WinEst is an estimating solution that combines the power of a customer-specific knowledge base with the flexibility of a highly-customizable spreadsheet. Vico Office Cost Planner is a model-based cost planning and budgeting solution, specifically for companies deploying BIM on their projects. And Modelogix from WinEst works with any estimating system to quickly create new estimates based on similar past projects. No matter where our customers are, we can solve the needs of the entire estimating department today and support their mix of business as it grows.
Trimble’s estimating and cost planning solutions help customers accurately quote, budget, estimate -- and win -- work at the right price, while making profitability more predictable.
Using WinEst and Vico Office together, the capabilities include:
• 2D and model-based takeoff
• 2D and model-based estimating
• Schematic/Conceptual Design Phase Estimating
• Cost Modeling
• Data Mining and Analysis
WinEst is a database-driven estimating solution that uses a highly-customizable spreadsheet for estimate presentation and review. Project specific items and takeoff quantities are derived by responding to specification and dimensional variables that are presented in an “interview like” format. The power of the database and flexibility of a spreadsheet allows customers to accommodate the constant pipeline of estimates they maintain. And 2D takeoff functionality makes the solution well-suited for presenting the combined outputs of traditional construction documents and specifications.
Vico Office Cost Planner is best for contractors who integrate the downstream impact of design and schedule into their estimates with BIM models. The BIM-based takeoff is highly-visual and can automate quantities by location, allowing for the implementation of detailed location-based management principals. Perhaps the greatest advantage is visualization of the budget alongside multiple design options enabling target cost driven design. Past project data can be brought into the estimate, too - so that even an early massing or conceptual model can have an advanced level of estimate detail which can also provide early and accurate scheduling.
Video: BIM-Based Estimating for Dummies
Webinar: 5D Estimating with Vico
Video Training Series: Cost Planner
Modelogix is a data mining solution which works with any estimating solution (Winest, Vico, Timberline, MC2, even MS Excel) to speed the development of preliminary estimates, as well as benchmark new estimates against similar past projects, and sanity-check new bids. Construction estimators use Modelogix to quickly compare similar construction projects in terms of quantities, labor, materials, and cost and generate reports for Owners with this data to highlight project expertise.
Webinar: Use Modelogix to Harness Your Estimating Data
Video: Capture the IP Trapped in Your Old Estimates
FAQs: Frequently-Asked Questions about Modelogix
Estimating tools have changed a lot since slide rules and digitizers, but the Estimator’s role takes on new importance to win projects and guide them to profitability. Trimble offers solutions that meet you where you are and will grow with you.
Posted by Holly Allison on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 @ 02:49 PM
We have all flown into or out of LAX at some point. For many, it's the last leg on an international flight to/from Japan or South Korea...or maybe to/from Australia.
The Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX has been undergoing modernization and expansion to meet the needs of more and more passengers - all total, the expansion is more than one million square feet - a $1.5 billion project. We all love project stats, so here they are:
- the terminal is a composite structural concrete and structural steel design
- new 7-story building with a baggage level
- 90-foot architectural concrete towers
- 14 new gates to accommodate the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
On this week's Fridays with Trimble webinar, we'll go through a case study with Klorman Construction, the prime structural concrete contractor on the job and one of the project BIM leaders. Specifically, we'll see how his team took advantage of Trimble construction solutions to bid, build, and deliver the project.
Caption: Cross-functional teams review the drawings and the BIM to iron out issues.
Many people might recognize Trimble for the bright yellow layout equipment on the jobsite. But, as we'll see in the webinar, Trimble construction solutions also include Tekla Structures and Tekla BIMsight (for structural steel and concrete modeling and coordination), Prolog (for mobile collaboration with construction project management), Trimble Robotic Total Stations (for layout), Trimble 3D laser scanning (for as-built conditions), and Vico Office (for BIM-based estimating and scheduling). Yes, these are all Trimble companies!
Together we’ll learn how Klorman standardized on these Trimble solutions and what it means in terms of data flow, decision making, efficiency, and productivity. Plus, you will have the opportunity to ask questions of the Klorman team: are project more predictable? Has risk been elevated or removed? Do you need a special workforce? How do you balance IT with the science and art of building?
So please join us on Friday, May 3, at 12 Noon Eastern/9am Pacific for this case study webinar. You can register with this link. Even if you can't make the day/time, register now and you'll automatically receive a link to the recorded webinar on Monday.
Caption: The Klorman team reviewing models in the trailer.
See for yourself how Klorman utilized Tekla, Prolog, Vico, and Trimble on the LAX expansion project and what it meant in terms of productivity and ROI for the team.
Posted by Holly Allison on Tue, Apr 02, 2013 @ 03:22 PM
We all remember the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones swashbuckles his way through obstacles, mazes, and a pit full of snakes to find the Ark of the Covenant. We also remember the very disappointing ending with the crate disappearing into oblivion in a warehouse.
Caption: Do you think all these artifacts are catalogued and indexed? If this warehouse looks like your filing cabinets for past bids and projects, we can help. Modelogix can turn all your past project data into answers for your estimating team today.
But isn’t that the same thing that happens after every bid? The Estimating Team bunkers down in the war room, pulling together reams of data from subs, past jobs, costing info from every source imaginable and all under incredibly tight deadlines and pressure. And then, whether you win or lose the job, the estimate gets filed away never to be seen or heard from again.
What kind of effort went into that bid? About $10,000 worth of human capital? If you spent $10,000 on a new piece of capital equipment, wouldn’t you expect a certain gain, a certain yield? So what can you garner from a project estimate?
Watch the archived Modelogix webinar and find out!
During Friday’s webinar, we took a close look at Modelogix – a new estimating tool from the Trimble Buildings group. With this tool, you can pull together past estimates, grouped by project type, filtered by location, adjusted for inflation. With this tool, you can benchmark the completeness of your current estimate based upon your project history. With this tool, you can produce conceptual estimates in a snap, hone in on budgets as you learn more design details, and sanity check the estimate for scope.
Intellectual property isn’t just for inventors and pharmaceutical companies. Intellectual property is in your firm’s filing cabinets. It’s all the pricing data for labor, materials, installation, everything that goes into your projects. Harness it to make estimating more science than art.
Who: The Team from Trimble
What: Adding Modelogix to Your Estimating Arsenal
When: Archived for our convenience
Where: Download the recorded movie directly to your desktop
Why: See how quickly you can populate new bids with past project data to never miss scope again
Everyone on your estimating team will want to see this webinar, especially if you want to:
- Bid on more projects and do it faster;
- Harness the immense power of the data currently trapped in your past projects;
- See what went wrong with past suppliers or crews to compensate in the new bid;
- Create multiple cost models for multiple scenarios (owners love this!);
- Create accurate cost range and variance data reports for bid day;
- Slice-and-dice the data any way you want it, with costs broken down by CSI code within each Uniformat type -- coming right up!
If you want to catch a sneak peek of what we showcased in the webinar, check out our movie trailer below…sorry, no John Williams score…
Learn from your peers, with your peers, on Fridays with Trimble!
(No archaeological experience needed…and no snakes!)
Here are more resources to get you started with Modelogix:
Webinar: Adding Modelogix to Your Firm's Estimating Arsenal
Product: Modelogix to Leverage Project Cost History
FAQs: Read through Frequently-Asked Questions about Modelogix
Posted by Holly Allison on Wed, Feb 20, 2013 @ 09:40 AM
Have you had the chance to upgrade to Vico Office Release 4? If you haven’t yet, please be sure to check with your System Administrator to review the upgrade steps.
We believe Release 4 is another watershed release, designed to get even more construction professionals involved with BIM. We also solved practical issues like better quantity takeoffs from the models you build and receive and improved the performance speed based on real-world projects. Here are our four favorite features from the new release. And if the quotes from our customers are any indication, they will be yours, too!
1.) It’s wicked fast. We’re not in kindergarten playing with blocks – our customers are working in production on some of the most complex structures we’ve ever seen. To that end, we knew we had jack up the horsepower in the Vico Office engine. During the beta testing phase, our customers reported back the following transaction times:
Dashboard Performance improvements:
i. 50% faster in a 20-project work environment
ii. 50% faster in a 500-project work environment
Publishing a standard XYZ-element model:
i. 73% faster
Cost Planner tasks with 50,000 line items:
i. Open cost plan view – 90% faster
3D View loading:
i. 80% faster
According to one of our UK customers, “The speed is breath-taking!”
2.) Work with the pieces you need. There are two new features in Release 4 that help you streamline your work: Activation Options and Publish Filtered Models. New activation options such as Assembly Code, Keynote, Material, Class, and Size means greater precision defining the Takeoff Items…and less painting with the quantities after activation. Publish Filtered Models means just that – use the incredibly powerful filtering tool inside Revit to break the model down into manageable pieces and publish only that content to Vico Office. This gives users more control to QA the models and remove unnecessary elements to focus on what is truly important.
According to Austin Baker at Hathaway Dinwiddie in Los Angeles, “As the critical link between geometry and our budget, enhanced Model Activation options provide us greater control over our workflow and its output. Thanks Vico!”
Amy Oreto, an Estimating Systems Administrator with Suffolk Construction in Boston added, "The filtered view is AWESOME!! Total life saver! Now I don't have to save nine different models. Please tell the programmers 'THANK YOU!!!!!' What a HUGE time saver for me."
3.) Modeling that makes a difference. Imagine you’re the team who needs to do all the sleeve inserts prior to a concrete pour. What in the world does BIM have to do with you? Or imagine that you’re the sub who wants to prefab some pipe runs, but can’t really trust the drawing tolerances? What does BIM have to do with you? Enter Vico Layout Manager – a new module in Release 4 that streamlines the field placement of MEPF right from Vico Office and your Trimble gear. Talk about a point and shoot solution: just combine your relevant models in Vico Office, apply your Location Breakdown Structure, and map out your layout points. Now the team can shoot these points on-site…and guess what? Now you don’t have to guess about the sleeve inserts; now you don’t have to guess about prefab decisions. BIM just got a lot smarter.
According to Bill Klorman at Klorman Construction, “Vico’s Layout Manager has really filled in a big gap for our project teams. Until now, we needed someone from our VDC Department that had BIM expertise to create layout files that could work with our Robotic Total Stations. Now team members that don’t use BIM authoring tools can easily create critical layout points to ensure accurate layout whether for the superstructure, substructure or MEPs.”
4.) Open the door to Civil and Infrastructure projects. We always knew that BIM was applicable across all types of construction, not just vertical. But we wanted some time in the Vico Labs and out on the jobsite to prove it. The verdict in is: bring it on. With our new Publishers for AutoCAD Architecture 2013 and AutoCAD MEP 2013, we got to work on new projects ranging from airport runways, to culverts, to nuclear reactors. We have a whole new crop of best practices to share – so if your firm specializes in civil and infrastructure projects, we’ve got a top-notch solution for you, too.
According to Brian Melton, BIM Director, Black & Veatch Water Division, “We were able to leverage the products that Vico already had in place along with these new publishers to support our water/wastewater treatment plant projects. We plan to use Vico Office for many of our complex infrastructure projects moving forward.”
As we head into spring, look for Fridays with Vico webinars which address this new functionality. You’ll get to see the workflows and unique functionality for each new solution up close and personal. But don’t forget that your team can still get started with our Structured Evaluation Program and learn how 3D coordination, 4D scheduling, and 5D estimating slide together in Vico Office. After all, if you’re not leveraging BIM into your critical departments, it’s time to get started. Then, just as you’re wrapping up the basics, you’ll be ready for all that is new in Release 4.
Posted by Holly Allison on Wed, Feb 20, 2013 @ 08:34 AM
Did you know that Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) has been slowly but surely putting together a robust collection of construction software solutions to work alongside its existing field solutions for laser scanning and layout? As a matter of fact, just over the past three years you’ve seen the acquisition of Tekla, SketchUp, WinEst, and most recently, Vico Software. Put that together with other companies already in the Trimble family like Meridian Systems, Plancal, Accubid, and QuickPen, and you have a powerful lineup for the AEC/O industry. Now imagine these components working together in an integrated construction management environment from the bid to the field. You just said, “Now I get it!” – didn’t you?
The end-game is pretty apparent: Trimble is dedicated to making the construction industry significantly more productive. This starts in the office, heads out to the trailer, continues on the jobsite, all the way down to the equipment and tools executing the work.
But what does this mean to the Vico community?
1.) Vico is a part of the GC/CM Division in the Trimble Buildings Group. Other award-winning solutions to highlight are Prolog from Meridian Systems, Tekla, SketchUp, and WinEst. There are other divisions dedicated to Owners, MEP Subcontractors, Structural Engineers, and Architects, and we all work together with you to orchestrate a solution that makes business sense for your firm. Our strategy is broader than connecting your internal workflow together. We are committed to working with our peers focused on other roles in the industry where we can streamline processes across the project stakeholders.
2.) Absolutely nothing changes for Vico Customers. Whether you are a software customer or employ our Virtual Construction Services Team, everything remains the same. You’ll still interact with the same Vico teammates – from licensing, to training, to technical support, to billing – the regular names and faces will not change. You will continue to work with your existing Vico team and be serviced by the same individuals going forward. You will also get to know some of our new teammates from Prolog, Tekla, Trimble, and WinEst. After all, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s this value that we bring to our relationship with you.
3.) You’ve already started to see some of the integration work in Vico Office R4. Vico Layout Manager is a perfect example of marrying Vico’s 5D workflow with Trimble’s rich expertise in layout. Layout Manager solves two major problems for construction teams: quickly and accurately identifying layout points AND validating building elements have been installed in the correct location. Project Engineers can plot out the critical points for the project in any of the activated models in Vico Office and transfer that data out to the Trimble gear onsite. That’s right: BIM to the Field for more precise measurements and better quality control. Whether GCs self-perform the layout task or have a special Sub do the work, you know the set up and speed of the process. And after the work has been completed, the GC or Sub can capture the actuals from the site and compare these points to the originals to check discrepancies.
4.) Look to our Virtual Construction Services Team to develop even more offerings and best practices for your firm. We already have an amazing way to build out schedules and estimates from SketchUp models using quantity ratios; if you want to split your estimating teams to cover traditional cost planning and model-based work, we can provide guidance and best practices; if you want to receive a third-party report card on the BIM models you have received or have built, we offer our BIM Quality Assurance service. Look for new advances with laser scanning, RFI workflows, and other cool topics.
There will be little things that change – like the formatting of this newsletter. But the most important change is the exponential value our team can bring to your organization. You’ll see this new value as we start introducing you to Prolog project portfolio management, Tekla’s steel and concrete modeling expertise, WinEst’s virtual takeoff and Modelogix cost histories, SketchUp’s new solutions for models and construction drawings, and new applications for the Trimble layout gear you already know and love.
We hope you feel the enthusiasm we have with our new family. As part of the Trimble team, we can move faster to meet your firm’s needs, and smarter to reshape the industry’s productivity. So please add your insights and suggestions to the Comments section.
Posted by Holly Allison on Thu, Feb 14, 2013 @ 04:39 AM
No Hollywood BIM Allowed
Movie stars, fast cars, and cocktails by the pool. That’s what people imagine when you say the word Hollywood. When you say Hollywood to a General Contractor or Architect, the first thing that pops to mind is Hollywood BIM and the firms who try to woo Owners with spinning models and slick salesmanship.
In contrast, progressive Architects and GCs share one common goal: they want to win projects by exceeding Owner expectations again and again.
Graphisoft and Trimble Vico cordially invite you to an afternoon BIM seminar – but no poolside cocktails, no movie stars, and definitely no Hollywood BIM. From scratch, we’ll show basic 3D modeling and how those models can be exploited for construction-caliber quantities, 4D schedules, and 5D estimates by savvy GCs.
The result is two-fold: new partnerships between Architects and GCs; and new and integrated 3D-4D-5D BIM deliverables that win new business, deliver it profitably, and knock the socks off Owners.
Come see for yourself:
Who: Graphisoft and Trimble (the cool layout and laser scanning people who acquired Vico)
What: No Hollywood BIM Allowed Seminar
When: Wednesday, February 27th – 5:30 PM
Where: Four Points Sheraton LAX - 9750 Airport Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90045
How: Register today!
What you’ll see:
• New modeling techniques that let Architects’ vision and attention-to-detail shine through
• New approaches to curtain walls, organic surfaces, and other cool tools
• How to dig deep into the model geometry for construction-caliber quantities
• How to use those quantities to power schedules and estimates
• Visually-dynamic reporting capabilities to wow Owners
What you’ll get:
• A chance to meet colleagues and peers who are already providing this level of service to Owners
• The opportunity to network and meet people who know clash detection is for beginners
• The chance to ask questions of Graphisoft and Trimble Vico – the folks who invented Virtual Construction
When Architects and Contractors get together early on a project, we see a reduction in change orders, tighter schedules, early and more frequent design-cost feedback and enhanced project controls. When Architects and Contractors get together early on a project with Graphisoft and Trimble Vico, we see a big win. No Hollywood BIM allowed.
Posted by Holly Allison on Thu, Dec 13, 2012 @ 07:57 AM
Are you or a colleague attending the Construction CPM Conference in New Orleans in January?
You will definitely want to add the two workshops Vico is presenting to your show calendar:
Monday, January 28
2:00pm – 3:15pm
Schedule Planning and Production Control
This session is designed for planning teams who want to learn more about Location-Based Scheduling and how it is used in complex, commercial construction projects.
Participants in this session will enjoy a deep dive into:
- Location Breakdown Structure: Intrinsic to model-based scheduling is the planner’s ability to define multiple location structures for trade-specific work sequences. These locations are then used to perform location-based quantity takeoff which is the input for location-based cost and schedule planning.
- Schedule Planning: In model-based scheduling, the planning process is a scientific derivation of the BIM model geometry for quantities, combined with locations and crew productivity rates.
- Flowline Theory: This scheduling approach asserts that subcontractors can work at optimum productivity rates with optimum safety and craftsmanship if their location is free of unnecessary materials and other crews.
- Scheduling Simulation: Your Owner deliverables should be more than a simple schedule movie – it needs to be a powerful playback of the scientifically-derived Flowline schedule based on quantities by location and crew productivity rates. Use it to illustrate the schedule to the Owner, supplemented by the cost- and resource-loaded schedule.
- On-Site Monitoring: Using a simple Control Chart, team members update the Task per Location status on a daily or weekly basis and project stakeholders can easily identify schedule problems.
- Look-Ahead Forecasts: Forecasting tools enable planners to easily analyze project schedules based on actual progress.
- What-If Scenarios: Run what-if scenarios to determine outcomes should work continue as-is.
- Collaborative Planning: Design solutions to alleviate the problem (more manpower, different locations, commitments from other Subs)
- Communication: Design 4D simulations specifically for each trade to better communicate what needs to be achieved on-site.
BIM doesn’t stop at Preconstruction – it moves out with Operations to the field. Learn what it takes to offer the Owner a completely different experience with cost-and resource-loaded schedules that are updated during the construction phase of a project. Cost-loaded schedules allow project teams to determine planned cost at a point in time and compare that to the actual cost from reported completion. Creating and maintaining these deliverables, as well as creating the progress reports, is only possible with a solution tightly integrated around the 3D model, the 4D schedule, and the 5D estimate.
Location-based scheduling introduces a host of new skills and deliverables for the planning team. Learn what it takes to use BIM models to power your scheduling workflow.
Monday, January 28
3:35pm – 4:50pm
Implementing Location-Based Scheduling: Four Hospital Case Studies
If this is your third year attending the conference, you may have seen previous tracts about Location-Based Management System and preliminary data from the field. Now with many projects underway and several nearing completion, we can report on definitive results from this new method of construction scheduling and production control.
Hospital construction in California is very competitive and rigorous. So delivering the project on-time and on-budget is the imperative for GCs around the state. One approach to these high stakes is to deploy Location-Based Scheduling and Production Control to the project. This means that durations are calculated based on quantities per location and the rate at which crews can complete each location. However, creating an optimal schedule is only half the challenge – the other half lies in managing to the schedule on-site.
Implementing a new approach to scheduling and production work on high-pressure projects can be daunting. But many firms are rising to the challenge and succeeding. This session explores four new hospital campuses from California. We examine the challenges they faced, how they overcame them, and the project results.
Participants in this session will:
- Learn how to introduce new scheduling practices without threatening workers;
- Learn the importance of having scheduling experts on-site to help smooth the day-to-day hiccups;
- Learn best practices for data collection and entry for forecasting;
- Learn how to spot potential schedule disruptions from the forecast and apply optimization techniques to mitigate them;
- Learn how to communicate better with subcontractors and coach them on pace improvements rather than harping about start dates;
- Learn which reports and deliverables Owners appreciate most from this process (hint: it’s not a 600-page schedule summary).
Lessons learned from these complex hospital projects are useful on all types of construction projects around the globe. But the key is having management champions who believe there is a better way to build and deliver these projects, even if it involves introducing a disruptive technology on these high-value/high-visibility hospitals.
We hope you’ll be able to join us at the conference. But if your travel schedules don’t allow it, please be sure to take advantage of these resources on the subject:
Video: 4D BIM Scheduling for Dummies
Webinar: Introduction to LBMS and LPS
Webinar: How Scheduling Fits into the 5D Workflow
Webinar: LBS Manager for Quantities by Location
Webinar: Planning AND Controlling the Construction Schedule
Webinar: Detailed Schedules from Concept-Stage SketchUp Models
Webinar: CPM Match
Posted by Holly Allison on Thu, Nov 08, 2012 @ 02:59 PM
We had an IT Manager call the other day. He had scheduled his firm’s first meeting to start talking about BIM and he wanted to know which resources would be best for that first meeting.
We recommended watching the BIM for Dummies video series so that everyone in the meeting could see what’s possible with the technology today. Then we recommended The BIM Checklist to see how different departments share information back and forth in the 5D workflow. Then as a follow-up to the meeting, we recommended the BIM Reading List which is organized by role – a list of articles specifically for the BIM Task Force, for Estimators, for Schedulers, and for Executives.
But we suggested that what might help, too, was a simple glossary of common BIM terms. This way, the group could effectively speak about BIM with a “cheat sheet” to help keep all the acronyms straight.
2D BIM: Vico Office contains a powerful change detection tool for spotting differences between 2D drawing sets (and even 3D models!). This version review step is critical for design coordination from the start of the project. Additionally, the Coordination Resolution service yields both composite drawings and 2D installation drawings. These are great deliverables for field use because the last thing you want are subs going up and down ladders or coming back to the trailer to get a question answered.
3D BIM: Vico Office is a powerful solution for both clash detection and coordination integrated within the complete BIM workflow. It is one thing to identify clashes between models and quite another to resolve the problems in preconstruction, thus shortening the schedule and saving the budget from costly re-work. Streamlining the RFI process is also integral to any project. In Vico it starts by clouding changes in the 2D drawings and clashes in the 3D models and then managing the communication flow about these issues, identifying their impact on schedule and budget, and resolving them.
4D BIM: Scheduling is comprised of four components in Vico Office: quantities by location, flowline theory, on-site production control, and 4D movie simulations. Our scheduling solutions are powered by location-based management system which relies on the progress of work crews as they migrate (or flow) through a building. The goal is to preserve the work crew's productivity rate as they move from location to location and minimize the number of starts and stops.
5D BIM: The 5D BIM estimating applications in Vico Office are a powerful use of construction-caliber quantities, iterative cost planning, budget tracking, and target cost comparisons for design changes. Vico’s construction estimating software bridges the gap between 2D drawings and 5D BIM models by recognizing model-based and non-model-based elements in the estimate and visually linking the cost items to the model elements.
6D BIM: 6D BIM models are another natural deliverable from Vico’s Lean Coordination service. This model contains the room elements, such as room name, number, and space type connected with asset information such as manufacturer, model numbers, serial numbers, and any operations and maintenance requirements. So instead of the encyclopedia set of three-ring binders at the end of the project, GCs can give the Owner a 6D BIM model complete with all the information their facilities' team needs.
BIM Report Card: Can you re-use a design model for construction coordination, scheduling, and estimating? The Vico BIM Quality Assessment and Refinement Service will give you a definitive answer. Our comprehensive evaluation grades the model across eight disciplines. We deliver an independent third party report indicating where improvements need to be made so your project team can make an informed decision.
BIM Score: Calculate your GC firm's BIM Score based on clash detection, scheduling, and estimating capabilities, best practices, and enterprise integration. Learn what distinguishes one GC from another by taking the same test for your competition.
CPM Alignment: We all learned to schedule using critical path management. But how would that CPM schedule look as a Flowline Schedule in Vico? Many Owners and GCs like to compare their CPM schedule to a location-based schedule to see where there might be areas for improvement, risk mitigation, resource balancing, etc. The Vico CPM Alignment Service does just that. In two to four weeks, we translate your activity-based CPM schedule into a Location-Based schedule, complete with Flowline view for successfully orchestrating trades. We also provide a fully-optimized schedule alternative so you can compare and contrast the two approaches.
CSP = Customer Success Plan
The Vico Customer Success Plan is a structured regimen designed to accelerate your firm's success with 5D BIM. Your company agrees to proper training and support, unique executive workshops, specialized consulting, mentoring, and peer review. Vico agrees to keep your momentum rolling throughout the year, building upon installation, implementation, training, and project success. Together, this commitment results in your 5D BIM success.
Flowline Schedule: Flowline theory is an integral part of Vico scheduling solutions. Flowline theory asserts that subcontractors can work at optimum productivity rates with optimum safety and craftsmanship if their location is free of unnecessary materials and other crews. By graphing the crews according to their productivity rate and location, we can quickly recognize issues with the schedule and address it with optimization techniques.
LBMS = Location-Based Management System
One of the key differentiators of Vico's construction software is location-based management. Because we know the quantities by location from the model geometry and crew productivity rates from pull scheduling sessions and past projects, we can focus on optimizing crew flow and improving project durations by targeting production rates.
LPS = Last Planner System
This system was developed at the Lean Construction Institute and is designed to improve the reliability of the commitments of the team members (the PMs, the Last Planners, and the Subs). With this system, planning is a collaborative effort and the participants work together to identify which work can be completed and when.
LBS = Location Breakdown Structure
Location Breakdown Structure is a logical subdivision of the project using horizontal and vertical splits that define the scheduling and cost planning units of a project.
Lean Coordination/Coordination Resolution: The Vico Coordination Resolution process is a Lean Construction approach to clash and includes five phases: modeling; resolving clashes with our System Priority Structure; working with the design team and engineers on key issues; working with the subs to increase the level of detail; and finally a 6D model which includes submittals and materials preferences. Two other benefits from this process include the 2D installation drawings and composite drawings.
MPS = Model Progression Specification
The MPS is a language that owners, designers, and builders can use to define every element and task in the building construction process. It serves as a coordination point for information about the building, what is being modeled, and to what level of detail it is being modeled, estimated, and scheduled. It provides the efficient framework for the project stakeholders – a written checklist that matures from a very schematic level of detail to a high level of detail in terms of 3D geometry, cost, and time.
Structured Evaluation Program: Vico offers a 4-week Structured Evaluation Program for GCs, CMs, and Subs who are interested in learning about the enterprise-capabilities of Vico Office. The Program gives construction professionals the chance to learn Vico Office and test its functionality in 30-days with training, support, videos, and other resources.
Don’t drown in the alphabet soup of BIM. Trust Vico to provide clear answers and resources for your team.
Posted by Holly Allison on Sun, Oct 14, 2012 @ 07:06 AM
We received an email over the weekend from a recent CM graduate who was going to be interviewing at a GC firm for the role of BIM Coordinator. The GC firm was looking specifically for Vico Office experience, and perhaps more importantly, a Vico mindset. The young man asked for pointers on how he could quickly learn the software and exactly what constituted a “Vico mindset.” Here is what we recommended…
Vico runs with the big dogs. No matter if your team uses Trimble SketchUp for concept stage designs or Tekla for the most intricate steel and concrete structures, or receives design models in Autodesk’s Revit or MEP models in CAD-Duct, or perhaps models from Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD – all these platforms work together in Vico Office. The same holds true when we’re talking about extending BIM to other parts of your enterprise – whether your firm uses Newforma for routing RFIs; Trimble Meridian’s Prolog for construction ERP, or even SAP for business financials, Vico Office initiates all these transactions. Key takeaway: it’s not an either/or decision to use Vico Office for Virtual Construction. The question is when and how soon?
Vico plays to win. There are probably several firms in your area that play a good game of Hollywood BIM. They show the Owner a 3D model, take a couple quotes from a textbook, and then pray the Owner conveniently forgets the BIM requirement. Not the case with Vico. Take one look at our Customer Success Plan to know that we are partnering with you to make you #1. It’s our job to help you incorporate Virtual Construction best practices in Lean Coordination, location-based scheduling and production control, and the entire estimating lifecycle. Key takeaway: it’s not a box of software, Vico Office will help you change the DNA of your firm.
Just like you, Vico concentrates on quality, cost, and schedule. It all boils down to no second-guessing the design, exact quantification by location, and no missed scope in the estimate. That is everything your firm strives for – and every workflow in our software. Only Vico offers the ability to compare the details in the 2D drawing with the 3D model. Only Vico offers construction-caliber quantities, not geometric quantities, to power more detailed estimates and schedules. Only Vico offers Location-Based Management to organize the project into quantities by location, costs per location, crews per location, etc. Key takeaway: you can trust a company whose software has been used on thousands of successful Virtual Construction projects around the world.
Vico is that unique technology which bridges legacy systems to the future of construction. In other industries, new technologies insist that you rip and replace your old software investments. Not so with Vico. We’ve developed construction-specific best practices for migrating past software investments (and let’s be honest – intellectual property investments) in estimating systems like Timberline and MC2. We can show your team how to apply your existing cost estimating database to BIM-based projects and start producing BIM deliverables for the Owner. What you’ll find is that if you have invested heavily in a sophisticated database, you’ll be astounded at what you can achieve in with BIM projects. Key takeaway: we start the journey where you are, understanding and appreciating the economic knothole we’ve all just come through.
The Vico team is made up of estimators, schedulers, and MEP specialists, just like yours. You can’t make award-winning construction management software if you don’t know how to swing a hammer. Conversely, you can’t learn how to execute BIM projects with a software user guide (although ours is very excellent). That’s why our Virtual Construction Services Team is ready to help your team with mentoring, coaching, workshops, and peer review. Over the past six months, we’ve rolled out six new best practices we’ve developed in conjunction with our field experience and customer engagements. You don’t get this team with any other software vendor. Key takeaway: choosing the right partners is essential in the race for BIM capabilities. Trust that Vico puts as much effort into Virtual Construction knowledge transfer as software code.
We like to end our internal meetings with the statement, “It’s good to be Vico.” And it’s true – we are constantly striving to raise the bar on construction management software and Virtual Construction best practices. Our customers get to build the most amazing structures in the world and we get to help by teaching cutting-edge technology and applying it on the spot. We’ve earned the right to share our opinions on the market, but always let our customers be our strongest advocates. And best yet, we learn more from our customers that gets incorporated right back into our solutions. It’s good to be Vico – that’s the Vico mindset.
Here are some more resources if you’re ready to learn more…
Blog: 5 Pieces of Advice for GCs Considering Doing BIM
Demo: watch Vico’s BIM for Dummies video series – three videos to help your team discover what’s possible with Virtual Construction
Checklist: download the BIM Checklist to start a discussion with your team over which BIM capabilities you want to offer Owners
Structured Evaluation: gather your A-Team for a four-week intensive evaluation of Vico Office, including training, hands-on exercises, and in-depth discussions
