If Vico Supports Revit and Tekla, does it also support Bentley?

We are looking into creating a publisher for Bentley right now.  We are working on some other publishers and connections with each release, so stay tuned for news about CAD-Duct, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, and IFCs.

 

Which Publishers did you use in the Fridays with Vico presentation?

Vico Constructor 2008, ArchiCAD 12, and Revit 2009.

 

Does Vico Office have a database import system for our current estimating databases, something that includes production rates and costs?

If you have organized a database in Vico Constructor, you can import the Constructor based estimating info into Vico Office. There is also a connection using MS Excel in the works and there are more planned.

 

How do you establish a one to one correlation between model elements and cost items?

Part of that is organizing your data, but with the flexibility of Vico Office you don't have to have a one to one correlation between model and cost elements. But if you want to use a wall for both finishes and say the amount of concrete you can do that. As you saw during the demo we coded the elements in such a way that they were generating takeoff items that were easy to recognize and have the same kind of coding structure as the coding for items in your cost plan. So that is a way to quickly set up that connection.

 

What operations are available for creating formulas and how complex can those formulas be?

For the formulas we have, of course, the basic operations: adding, subtracting, dividing, etc.  But we also have average and logical functions such as if/then/else (if the height of a wall is larger then apply this formula). So you can make it as complex as you need.

 

If you delete something from Cost Planner how do you undo it?

We are working on implementing a full undo system so stay tuned for that; it's in the works.

 

Does the estimating program refer back to the models finished schedule to identify interior finish out per designated area?

The finished schedule in the model is generated based on rooms (Revit) or zones (ArchiCAD and Vico Constructor)  And those design elements have the properties to define that finished schedule. What Vico Office does when it publishes the information out is it uses those properties to create unique takeoff items. So that way you can build your cost items based on what your finish is per designated area. And you can make that as gradual as you want.

 

Can Vico Office be integrated with Timberline estimating?

Connecting to Timeberline is something we are very interested in and today the bridge is through MS Excel.  But we also have a plan to look at a direct connection, so please stay tuned for more info on that.

 

All the cost planning examples have been based on uniformat, can this be modified to the CSI code or custom view?

Yes, all the codes were just examples. You can use CSI Standards and then regroup it when you're ready and if you'd like to create the divisions view it that way.

 

How effective is the estimating program on bid day for real time or instant updates?

This is a great question and goes back to the prior answer about a wonderful blend of MS Excel-like functionality, a database of coded info available, as well as the ability to get updates from models.

 

Often on bid day, people are quickly making changes to formulas or quantities, typically manually. And there are a few concerns there. One is "if I changed the quantity did I count it correctly"?  Obviously, a model is the best place to go on bid day.  Even if it's a simple model that allows you to quickly see that you do have all your scope covered and to check your scope numbers.  If you need to increase the slab size by some number, you can go into the Excel-like part of the system and type in the value to overweigh all the prior quantities that you have been calculating.  And you'll know that everything's right and will be added up.  So I think you have the best model for bid day that is available.

 

Is there an ITG available for the Vico Office modules?

Because Vico Office modules have a great graphical user interface and logical workflow per user, the Interactive Training Guides of the past are overkill.  We do have, however, an Online Training Program for Vico Office which offers one-hour courses for each of the modules for $75 per class.  There's even an examination for each module.

 

Is there a free viewer that an Owner can use to view the Cost Explorer estimates or do they need to own the software?

We designed the Vico Office Client as something owners could use. There is a price tag: it is less than $500. You can also have a few spare licenses of your own that you can assign to an Owner that you wish to bring in to a project. We've tested Vico Office Client with some Owners and their in-house CM's and we've found that they love being able to cut sections and really look at models. It also allows them to do some reporting that you can set up and they can run any time they want. So it is going over real well with Owners.

 

If you're estimating off of a Revit model, do you need a Revit license in addition to a Vico license.

No, you need to publish the Revit file from a system with Revit to Vico Office. Once you're working in Vico Office you do not need any licenses other than the appropriate Vico Office modules you wish to use.  It's a completely separate environment.

 

What about connecting to MC2?

That falls into the same category of Timberline.  We are interested in integrating with other software applications and will keep you up-to-date, so please stay tuned.

 

When you publish a model with room tags they come over into Vico as solid cubes. Can these be modified or filtered out of the model?

As you saw in the demo we cannot modify a model in Vico Office - it's not a BIM-authoring environment. But you can easily filter them out of the model using the filtering panel so they don't black any parts of the model you want to see.

 

The numbers seemed to have been all inclusive. Can you separate general conditions, bonds, OCHMP, etc.

Today we covered only one part of the functionality of Cost Planner. The part that we did not talk about is you can define and add line items. So, on top of the cost calculated with direct cost line items, you can define the line items you mentioned. 

 

Wow, that's a lot great information about Vico Office for Preconstruction and Estimating Teams.  If you're interested in setting up a demonstration for your team, please contact our Business Development Team.

 

If you're still researching, please be sure to view the archived Firdays with Vico webinar for Preconstruction and Estimating Teams.  For further research into the theory behind Takeoff Manager, Cost Planner, and Cost Explorer, please also watch BIM 501, Connecting the Conceptual Estimate to the MPS, and Vico Office Unplugged.