If there is a single technology that hasdominated this year, not just in theconstruction industry, but entertainment,

manufacturing and even the design of thelatest flatscreen displays, it’s 3D. I don'tmean the use of 3D models in design andconstruction - that's pretty old hat, now -but the use of 3D as a visual medium. No, it's not the same thing! 3D modelling

is a handy way of creating building modelsbecause they are essentially composed ofsolid objects, and can be manipulated assuch. Its rather more effective thandesigning plans and elevations in 2D andthen trying to visualise the building in 3dimensions! But 3D is now grabbing headlines in other

ways. We want to get inside our creations,because we feel that we can understandthem better that way, that they becomemore alive to us. And now, with theblockbusting “Avatar” as a catalyst, it allseems to be coming together.To be fair, we have been able to wander

at will through 3D structures for someyears - but now we can do it in real time!There's nothing really fancy about it. If youmarry up a construction schedule, linkingeach building activity and its 3Dcomponents with a timeline, you end upwith 4D capabilities. You can call it buildingsimulation, if you like, but in essence itmeans that the progression of the buildingproject highlighted by your Gantt Chart isreplicated by 3D views on the samescreen! Take a peek out of the Portakabinwindow, and if what you see on thebuilding site doesn't match the 3D modelon your screen then you are behindschedule!

PROJECT MMANAGEMENT PPLUSSynchro provides all of the task orientedfeatures that you would expect to find in astandard project management application- status control, sequencing options,progress tracking, reschedulingcapabilities and critical path analysis - and,

of course, resource management. It allowsproject managers to create a number ofbaselines for different activities, which theycan use to compare actual performanceagainst planned. As a project management tool it includes

some useful features, such as the creationof risk buffers for activity chains to protectoarts of the critical path and avoidunnecessary rescheduling, and the abilityto assign fixed or variable to costs to tasksfor Earned Value Analyses, etc. What weare mainly interested in here, though, isresource management, which nowincludes the 3D representation of material,equipment, human and space resources,which can be synchronised with theproject's 3D CAD data. Working on the premise that 80% of all we

perceive is visual, Synchro enhances theGantt Chart's task sequences by providingtime-based 3D views of the model. ProjectManagers are provided with better meansof understanding site conditions, and theimplications of logistical plans. The 3DCAD data can also be used to evaluatealternative construction sequences andavoid conflicts in work locations.

DATA SSOURCESSynchro is designed to work with leadingstrategic planning systems, such as Astaor Primavera, providing full bi-directionalimport/export capabilities. Whichever isused, it is recommended that they becomethe master system, where developmentand modifications are carried out. 3D CAD Data could come from any of the

major CAD software suppliers, and is bestsupplied in just one file - grouping similarobjects (excavations, piles, slabs,columns, walls etc.) in either a hierarchicalstructure or layer - so that they can beidentified when listed. A useful tip to savefile sizes is to use just top level model data- the minimum required to show thebuilding process - and only use detailedmodels when needed. Even with modified

Enter the Fourth Dimension

SOFTWARE review

July 201030 CAD User Free copies at www.caduser.com/register

4D BBuilding SSimulation iis aavery uuseful ttool ffor pproducing

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files, you can still synchronise the data withthe parent 3D model. Also, whereas Revitautomatically generates hierarchicalgeometry structures, general modellers likeAutoCAD will require some manualintervention - like naming layers, and so on.If you want the best 'visual experience' as

well, you should only use shaded 3Dmodels for 4D simulation; text, hatchingsand lines are not nearly so compelling. Italso helps to name groups of 3Dgeometry objects, so that they can beidentified when listed, although it is notessential, as Synchro also allows users toidentify and assign resource objects totasks through the 3D View.

SYNCHRONISING DDATATo be able to work in conjunction with theGantt Chart, the 3D Data has to beassigned as New Resources. If you arelucky and have well structured data thenthis can mostly be a an automaticprocess. The likelihood, though, is that the3D geometry will have to be importedusing 'No Assignment', and a structure ofresources created manually. There is aResource Wizard to guide you in thishowever, and will help select 3D objectsand assign them using 'Assign to existingResources'. Managing the links between 3D data and

Resources is critical, as they areindependent of each other. This meansthat new 3D data may not be assigned toits Resources - but Resources will beattached to Tasks, and when Focus Timeis run the 3D model will not update. Youwill have to manually reassign the data.Quite logical, really, when you thinkcarefully about what it needs to work!

You also have to be careful when 3Dgeometry originates from more than oneCAD system. You can 'modify' the data inSynchro, but it is far better to ensure that acommon scale, units and origin is agreedbetween all CAD systems supplying datafor the Synchro model.

WBS VVERSUS AACTIVITY CCODE VVIEWSo now we have the 3D CAD Dataassigned to Resources, which are going tobe activated by Tasks, but we're not quitethere yet. A Task on a Gantt Chart is notquite equivalent to the constructionrequirements that you would need todisplay within the 3D model. A single Taskmight take two or more steps toaccomplish, and therefore has to bebroken down further. Originally, Synchroused a strictly hierarchical and fixed modelknown as WBS (Work BreakdownStructure), which allowed sub-tasks to becreated, enabling a task to show moredetail. Some planning systems, though,use more powerful and flexible taskrepresentation, so Synchro enabled usersto list tasks using Activity Code Values,which creates a number of coded sub-tasks within the first, and assigns the sameActivity Code Values.Either system can be employed, but

because of their structures, they will reactdifferently when used to establish risk andcosts in a process.

THE SSYNCHRO IINTERFACEWhilst I set out to play around with thesoftware and give my impressions of howthe user interface worked, I became muchmore fascinated by the implications oflinking 3D CAD models to Project Planning

systems, and how Synchro has been ableto keep the model in Synch with theplanning process. The software comeswith a very useful User Guide, that quicklyhelps you set up a typical Project Planningapplication, except that on the screen withthe Gantt Chart, the Navigation panel andthe Task properties, you have the 3Dwindow which will display the progress inconstruction at any point in time. To complete the picture, there are just a

couple of further points that have to bemade. The first is how the buildingelements are displayed at different pointsin the construction cycle. Synchro colourcodes these, allowing it to display anobject in the process of installation, in situ,placed as a temporary item, or beingremoved, either before, during or after thetask that it is related to. A combination thatshould cover any eventuality! The second aim is to be able to keep the

4D schedule in sync with the model, yetstill be able to manage design revisions,retaining the assigned links. It can do thisif the new model has the same objectsand name as the original model. If thereare new objects then, as we have seenabove, they will need to be assignedmanually (no more of a problem, really,than having to modify the task or activitydetails in a typical project planningapplication). An added bonus is that clash detection

comes into its own! Not only does it pointout where construction objects overlap,but applying a timeline ensures that thecrane, shown as a temporary item, can beseen to be removed before the cement ispoured where it stood!www.synchro.com

SOFTWARE review

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