Vico Office is a different way of working with BIM models.  Used for much more than visualization, Vico Office extends the basic 3D model with constructability analysis and coordination, 4D scheduling and production control with flowline principles, and 5D estimating.

 

We've assembled several FAQ pages to help you learn more about our products and determine whether or not they are a fit for your BIM initiatives.  BIM is so much more than software in a box - it requires process change and executive leadership.  So please be thorough and exhaustive in your investigation and know that we are here to help in any way we can.

 

Please navigate across the product line:

Vico Office Client FAQs

Vico Office Takeoff Manager FAQs

Vico Office Constructability Manager FAQs

Vico Office Cost Planner FAQs

Vico Office Cost Explorer FAQs

Vico Control FAQs

Vico Doc Set Manager FAQs 

 

Q: In what format can you extract detailed cost estimate reports? 

 

A: You can extract cost reports in Excel spreadsheets that you can easily import into any other estimating software. But you can also generate your own custom reports from Vico Office directly in a PDF document or HTML format.

 

Vico Office also allows estimators to "connect" their existing Timberline, MC2, or RIB estimating database to the 3D model using a feature called Excel Import.  This way you can take advantage of the construction-caliber quantity takeoff with Takeoff Manager, but not rip out the existing investiment in a paper-based estimating system. 

 

Q: What is an estimated cost for a 5D services engagement on a typical one hundred million dollar hospital project?

 

A: Depending on the type of building...seeing this one is a hospital... It typically runs from one tenth of one percent to two tenths of one percent. So I guess a good estimate for this would be between $125,000 - $150,000 for a complete 5D model. That would include constructability reports where all the RFI's are reported, documented, and prioritized. It would include a quantity takeoff, a full 3D model of all systems (architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) and finally would have both a 4D schedule simulation as well as a Control flowline schedule to show the best way to flow the crews through the building. 

 

Q: At the Control chart phase, how is input from the field provided? Does an on site person enter it into the Vico software? 

 

A: Yes, typically you use the Control chart and a Project Engineer can click on any of the cells like in Excel. When you click on a cell a dialogue box prompts you about the start and finish date of that activity in that location. And you just enter the dates and check completed and the cell immediately turns green. You do not have to manipulate tasks and activities or a complicated web of different views. You can just click on the chart and you immediately see the result. 

 

Q: Where can we do market research on actual projects and their ROI's? 

 

A: A recent newsletter certainly contains the data on the ROI of BIM and it recommends many of our webinars for additional proof points. These webinars feature our customers who received tremendous ROI on their BIM projects. But, of course, we would also recommend going straight to the source... The McGraw Hill BIM SmartMarket Report.  We have both the 2009 Report and 2010 Report available as archived webinars: 2009 - Year of the Contractor and 2010 - Getting BIM to the Bottom Line. 

 

Q: What advantages does Vico have versus Navisworks? And what are the main differences between the software? 

 

A: They are very different systems. Navisworks, as part of the Autodesk family, is a partner of ours. The key for Navisworks is the coordination software and it really has a great ability to automatically detect collisions between different models as you put them together.

 

Vico Software is really focused on managing construction... Not only documenting where there are coordination issues but then being able to takeoff quantities for the estimate and being able to schedule the project.  So they are really for different uses. 

 

Q: Where do you establish points from the Total Station to maintain vision to all points? For example the embeds at a metal deck for exterior skin. 

 

A: You place a point marker in the model itself and you can set a reference point in the model for northing, easting and the zenith. And as you place the points, the BIM model will automatically report those coordinates. When you export a CSV file for each point you can then identify those points in the field controller using an ID number. So an ID number will reference to every single point that you placed. Then you can stake out your reference points on the field and then start using the laser guided controller to guide you to the next location... to the locations that you select on the field controller palm viewer... It guides you through the process... When you're over a point it beeps and you place the point with a bolt and go to the next one.

 

If you would like more information you can view the Fridays with Vico Trimble and Vico webinar. That goes through a live demonstration. 

 

Q: We have made some models in Revit for architectural and structural but our MEP engineers are using Vico Constructor... What do we do next? 

 

A: You can publish all those models to Vico Office for viewing, coordination, quantity takeoff, scheduling, estimating, and reporting. 

 

Q: Is this a Microsoft Windows only software? 

 

A: Yes, it is. 

 

Q: Do you typically recommend multiple BIM models by the architect, GC, etc. as opposed one central model shared by all?

 

A: I think we would all like to see a central model shared and one way to understand how that can happen would be to read the AGC's BIM addendum. It is a document that has a good description of different roles for a model - how it can be used and how to share it without extending liability and risk from the design team to others downstream... That would be the preferred way. You can also have separate models, I don't think there's anything wrong with that but you need to have a good plan that you lay out in advance about how you'll coordinate these to make sure you're not doing re-work.

 

For further discussion on one model versus many, please read through Mark Sawyer's blog post on the subject.  Don Henirch also chimes in after reading that one GSA project will have over 200 models. 

 

Q: For college students do you offer examples of 3D, 4D and 5D models? Do you have examples of simple structures that could be used in a computer lab environment?

 

A: We would recommend you to our network of professors across the world who are teaching Vico in the classroom. They certainly have plenty of models available as well as models that are used in competition such as the Reno BIM Competition.

 

Q: I recently requested an architect for their BIM model. They refused but gave all of their DWG files for the project. How would I work around this barrier?

 

A: You can bring in the DWG drawings as a background and using a BIM-authoring tool like ArchiCAD trace over them like you would trace over drawings with an on-screen takeoff application. So instead of creating 2D information you would be creating 3D information yourself which you could use for construction quantities, calculating construction quantities and create your own construction model at that point. If they will give you their drawings as vector-based PDFs you can use those as effectively as DWGs.

 

Q: Have you used Vico Control in any types of civil works (roads, bridges etc.) or is this strictly for commercial buildings?

 

A: It's primarily focused on buildings. There is the option to use it for horizontal construction but it is really set up to work most effectively on buildings.

 

Q: Does this process start with the architect in preconstruction or is it typically converted later? Does the architect have to have Vico Office to start his design with it or to have it for conversion later?

 

A: It depends on the project type and delivery method the architect has with the owner as well as the skill set of the team.  So if everyone is well-versed in using 5D BIM and the owner has an integrated or design build contract then it starts with the architect using their BIM software (it doesn't have to be Vico they can also use Tekla, ArchiCAD, Revit, etc.)  They can generate their design and then define how those models get used by the general contractor and subcontractor later. 

 

But if the team is not very experienced in BIM and you do not have an IPD contract... You only have a preconstruction relationship with the owner and the owner has a separate relationship with the architect then conversion is probably a better way to go. Because you as a GC don't have that much control over how the model gets created and you might need to add detail to that model later.  So again it depends on these factors: skill set of the team, type of contract, and the tools that everyone uses.

 

Q: What sort of modeling time is typically incurred by adding the intelligence to support all of the Vico projects?  Can we use the hospital example if everything was provided in 2D AutoCAD format... just lines no intelligence.

 

A: In our experience with GCs building a model is comparable to the amount of time you spend working with the drawing set. So if you're not going to use a BIM model and have a doc set from a design team, you can typically spend many hours with your team going through the drawings, looking for changes, trying to understand how the steel comes together, and comparing systems and looking for problems. That time is really what you would put in to modeling because to model you need to create that same level of understanding. All you're doing is instead of looking at it with your eyes and deciding that the drawings are ok, you're actually documenting your thought process in a 3D model.  So the time is very comparable to the preconstruction time that is spent pouring over drawings. As a matter of fact that's what most of our clients tell us. 

 

Q: I work for an A&E firm that designs mostly hospitals. What would be a good way to get Vico implemented at my office? 

 

A: It depends on what our A&E firm you're trying to do. There are two things that you can get in to a discussion with others at your firm that would be helpful to them. One is to begin to understand how to model early on to help the GC have information come out for estimating and scheduling more easily. To do that you really need to have a model progression specification to document what level of detail the model should be at for each phase of design.

 

The other thing is if you're using it to perhaps take off quantities to help with your cost consultants then that would probably be getting in touch with us directly and we would help you understand how to take off quantities from your existing models. So you could give those quantities to your quantity surveyor or cost consultant.

 

Q: You mentioned that you didn't see architects charging more for BIM at present. BIM for most architects seems to be limited to using a BIM program to generate 2D drawings. What services do you see architects providing at the same cost?

 

A: I would agree that generally they are not charging more... they're using BIM to create a design model and the design model helps automate the creation of the document set which is plans, sections, and details of the BIM model. It also does provide a beginning for the coordination so if that model is made available others can use it for coordination purposes. And the A&E firm themselves can use it to bring in other 3D information and make sure the design is well coordinated.

 

Q: We are building ArchiCAD models for our projects. How do they flow into your process? How is the construction detail typically added? Is there extensive reworking to the initial model?

 

A: If you have an ArchiCAD model and a Tekla model and you wish to start to work on them for preconstruction purposes then Vico Office is perfect for you. There is little to no reworking of the model needed... You simply publish the model and bring it into Vico Office for coordination and constructability analyses, quantity takeoff, model-based scheduling, model-based estimating, and production control.

 

Q: Does each user within a company have to have the software to do the modeling estimating and schedule?

 

A: Vico has floating licenses so if you would like to purchase lets say three licenses for a base of eight users and you figure that each user would use the license 1/3 of their workday that's perfectly fine and we can go through that if you want to get in touch with us.

 

It is important to note, however, that each use will need one copy of Vico Office Client.  This is the mandatory license for publishing, viewing, workflow, and reporting.

 

Q: Does Vico offer actual classroom training for individuals?

A: Yes, we offer both classroom training and on site training on demand.

 

Q: How long has Vico software been on the market and how widely used at this point?

 

A: We've been doing this for about 5 years. So the customers that started with us back then have been using this software for that whole period. I would say we probably have over 200 clients globally... More than 100 GC's in the U.S.  There are more than 1000 trained users in the U.S.  In addition, our Vico Construction Services Team have guided over 350 BIM projects around the world.

 

Q: Can all of the additional modeling occur in the Vico product.

 

A: No, any changes to the models need to be done in their original program.  Then, you simply republish the latest version of the model to Vico Office.  The Model Management feature in Vico Office ensures that all project stakeholders are working with the correct version of the various models.

 

Q: Is Vico used for 3D modeling of the building like Revit and ArchiCAD or is it for 4D scheduling and 5D estimating only.

 

A: Vico Office is perfect for combining models from various sources (architects, enginners, GCs, subs) and in various formats (IFC, Tekla, ArchiCAD, Revit, CAD-Duct, etc.).  Once inside Vico Office, you can perform clash detection and constructability analyses on the models, perform a quantity takeoff and then use the quantities to drive the schedule and estimate.  You don't do any 3D modeling in Vico Office - that occurs in the BIM-authoring system.  But we do have a tremendously skilled 3D BIM Modeling Team who can help you product architectural, structural, and MEPF models in any system that you prefer.

 

Q: What trades would typically utilize the Total Station and what are the main advantages? Would you only export the modeling information for that specific trade?

 

A: It would be typically used by concrete, steel, and drywall. Typically it is broken up by trade so you would have embeds for concrete, the steel erection points, and drywall layout points all separated out. So all these trades can be identified with different ID numbers and exported into the field controller to be used for layout purposes.

 

Q: How does Vico Office compare to Digital Project?

 

A: I would say the major difference would be the ability to be independent in terms of where the data comes from. Vico Office allows you to use any authoring environment and bring those models together in Vico Office where Digital Project is more focused on data created in Catia.

 

Q: As issues arise are you actually modifying the working documents or only conveying the need for modification back to the respective parties?

 

A: Typically you would convey the need for modification back to the respective parties so you would have every single project stakeholder modify their own models. That way you can insure that there is no information lost, but what is important is that you have to check the resolution at the end so that's why it is important to track these issues in a document such as a spreadsheet and make sure that you get the resolution back from every single stakeholder.

 

Q: Does Vico employ trainers or tech support reps that can travel to different GC offices for on site support?

 

A: works with the GC on site when you engage with us in a project or implementation process. We have a traveling construction team called on-site constructions managers. They have construction background and they work with the GC to make sure that they can utilize the information created by Vico.

 

Q: What are the most common coordination problems that contractors are experiencing in regards to adopting the 4D and 5D workflow?

 

A: We have an archived webinar, The Path to 5D BIM, which documents the typical route our customers take from paper-based construction to model-based construction.

 

Q: How are sales efforts handled with GCs and end users? Are these done door to door at the end user offices or in the form of a presentation?

 

A: Typically we do one presentation and demonstration over the web and another session to answer questions from a larger team. 

 

In addition to our Vico Office software, we also have a Professional Services team who have completed over 350 BIM projects around the world.  These BIM Consultants use our Vico Office software and provide your team with peer review services.Adapting to 4D and 5D takes some time and takes some help and it's a process so you need to work through it. Typically you can jump in and bite off coordination, takeoff, modeling and things like generating lift drawings from the BIM model. And then the next project you dive a little deeper and get more comfortable with using quantities for schedules and building sequences. A then on a third project you're all in. It all depends on the company and the help they get but it is a process.

 

Yes, we can deliver trainings on site with our Professional Services Team.

 

Q: I’ve been bidding projects that require Bently Microstation. The Corps of Engineers seems to have a non-flexible requirement for this. What’s the difference? Is it just a different branding?

 

A: Bentley Microstation is one of the major BIM systems and is the modeling engine that the Corps of Engineers is requiring. Vico Office does not have a direct publisher for Bentley at this time. However, we do have an IFC Importer which will work quite well with Bentley. The IFC Importer will allow you to use Bentley models either from the design teams or on your own and do the rest of the work (coordination and constructability analysis, quantity takeoff, scheduling and production control with flowline, and estimating) inside Vico Office.

 

Q: In a company of 100 to 200 people, how many would be needed to use the Vico product approximately?

 

A: That would depend on a couple of items. One in particular would depend on the type of company so I’ll assume this is a GC.  In that case you would look at equipping your preconstruction team close to one to one with software. Then your operations and project management team in a similar fashion so I would say it is something like ¾ of the population of a GC would benefit from either scheduling modules or constructability modules as well as Vico Office cost planning, etc. But it does depend on the company (the way they’re organized, how they manage their projects). If you would like to contact us separately we’d be happy to learn a little more about your company and give you better answers.

 

Q: What’s the minimum project size you handle?

 

A: I can tell you that the smallest project we’ve done was $4M and the largest project to date has been $1.2B. Typically the average project size is $70,000,000 – $100,000,000 and those owners in particular are very interested in using BIM. When it’s a smaller project a lot of our clients prefer us to train them and we do it in house. We don’t necessarily have a size limit but sometimes the costing structure makes smaller projects not as easily outsourced than done internally.

 

Q: Are there steps an architect can incorporate in their design intent models in preparation for their models to also be used in conjunction with construction intent models?

 

A: Absolutely, and that’s the goal of the model progression specification. It’s important because even though you may have a preconstruction relationship on a project it’s not unusual for the Owner to already have been working with the architect. So it’s important for you to educate the clients that you work with to say “Hey, get the model progression spec in place early, even if it’s just you and the architect because that’s exactly right… you can establish some milestones, some specs, and protocols.”  It’s not difficult for the architect to take advantage of and not a stress on their fee structure so that you have a better model to use and progress as a construction-intent model.

 

Q: What is the value of using BIM on horizontal construction such as site work and utility infrastructure?

 

A: We have some pretty good war stories about steam lines that were incorrectly laid out in site utility plans etc.  I think the same value that applies to the structure itself as you begin to go up…understanding excavation and excavation plans.  You can even quantify the amount of excavation that you need to pull out utilizing the model. But I think the most important thing is that the underground utilities get vetted out and validated properly in the 3D model because coming out of the ground is one of the most important times on a project. It can really trip you. To us, where we’ve had good experiences is where we’ve found problems and fixed them in modeling underground utilities in the site.

 

For more information on site work please refer to the Swinerton – Valley View Casino project webinar.

 

Q: If we build our own model, how do we manage the ongoing changes to the architect’s model?  I thought the use of a shared model was supposed to make this problem go away.

 

A: I think the model progression specification is the best way to make sure that the shared model is handed off correctly, but I don’t think that your going to be able to prevail upon a design firm to generate a construction-intent model in the time frame that you need to build your estimates to the level of detail that you need to build them to.

 

We most often use what we call a parallel modeling methodology where we actually build a parallel model to the design model. There are points that you can early on (conceptual stage in particular) use that shared model because the gross square footage geometry that your going to take out of it is good enough.

 

But as you begin to get in to more and higher levels of detail it is important that the construction manager take over that aspect of the model. The way that you do that and the way that you know how to do that is the model progression specification. So that the architect or design side knows exactly what they’re going to hand off and when they’re going to hand it off and you know exactly what you’re going to get and what you’re going to have to do with it when you get it.

 

Often times, particularly now (and it’s still a little early in the game) even when a design firm is modeling, at some point in time they will stop working in 3D and shift back to 2D to generate construction documentation.  And at that point in time it becomes incumbent upon the CM firm to update the model based on the changes to the drawings. This is why Vico created Doc Set Manager which is an automated software that takes two sets of drawings and automatically determines exactly what has changed from one rev to the next; identifies it so that you can see exactly what you need to change and update in your model.

 

So that’s one way model progression specification can help in how the model is going to be progressed, who’s responsible and exactly what you have to do. So at some point in time there can be and often is a shift over to 2D documentation at which point the CM will typically pick that up into the Doc Set Manager system to see exactly what has changed in the 2D drawings.

 

Q: Does Vico support the Lean Construction process where things are things are scheduled for just in time delivery and installation?

 

A: In fact, the scheduling methodology that Vico supports is very tailored to Lean Construction principals. Again, lean construction principals are dependant upon workflow and effective and efficient workflow. You are able to not only visually see, but you are able to manipulate flowline schedules to take advantage of efficiencies from either space allocation, delivery time, etc., so it is the most Lean-friendly scheduling system out there today.

 

Q: What’s the most cost effective way for the sub community to access the BIM model in concert with 2D documents so as to provide a price proposal or budget information to the GC’s?

 

A: If the architect or design team or GC is issuing a model from which they would like the subs to bid, all the Subs need are the Vico Office Client and Takeoff Manager. This way they can interrogate, filter and read those models and be able to extract quantities from them and that’s what they typically use to price their projects. Of course, we would like Subs to also create cost plans and schedules from those models for their bids, and they can do that with Cost Planner and Vico Control.