3D Repo Adds Clash Detection to 3D Diff

3D Repo, digital construction technology provider, has announced Clash Detection functionality has been added to their 3D Diff, software that identifies clashes in construction plans by analyzing 3D models that have been submitted by project partners and contractors.

The addition of Clash Detection functionality to 3D Repo’s 3D Diff solution fits with its overall mission as a web based, real-time change detection software for 3D construction models used in Building Information Modelling (BIM).

The enhanced 3D Diff solution with Clash Detection automatically identifies and highlights intersections, and therefore potential conflicts, between different types of models. Because there are so many stakeholders and teams involved in the construction process, from the original conceptual plans through to structural, environmental, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, etc. there is the potential for many individual models converging  that can contain many 3D files with underlying metadata. It’s easy to see how clashes can occur before the design review process in such an environment.

According to company materials, cloud-based 3D Clash Detection is a fast and reliable way to compare and contrast 3D models, from different disciplines, regardless of the file format or the software used to create them. A patent pending industry first, the 3D Diff with Clash Detection operates on models of any type, in real time via an encrypted web browser. The 3D Repo solution also allows users to share visualizations, highlighting clashes, with project partners and stakeholders irrespective of location or time-zone. These can then be exported as BCF (Building Collaboration Format) files that can be shared with authoring tools. Unlike existing solutions in the marketplace that highlight whole objects that clash, the 3D Repo solution detects and visualizes exact intersection points wherever they appear.

You can use 3D Diff for free here

Andrew Norrie, 3D Repo’s Commercial director, spoke with AECCafe Voice about some of the most important features of 3D Diff and how it can identify and eliminate some potential problems in the construction process.

Prior to this announcement, what were the features of 3D Diff?

3D Diff allows users to compare revisions of the same model to see what has changed over time. 3D Diff will visually highlight areas that have been deleted (red) and areas which have been added (green). This technology runs completely in the web browsers and is independent of any file types and so allows for cross format comparison.

How does the addition of clash detection expand 3D Diff?

The Clash feature now allows users to compare models from different disciplines to highlight where they collide and could cause a potential construction problem on site and lead to costly re-work.

Since the product appears in a web browser, how are the clashes then shown or corrected in the original model, once identified?

Once clashes are identified they can be saved as issues which are assigned to the relevant parties. These issues can then be saved out as BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) which can be then imported into native authoring tools such as ARCHICAD and Revit in order to make the changes.

What is the Building Collaboration Format?

BIM Collaboration Format is an open source standard for exchanging contextual mark up data.

The BIM Collaboration Format is intended to simplify collaboration between different parties working on a model by allowing them to raise issues, provide answers and make comments within an open file format that does not itself contain model elements. That is, it provides a communication capability that is separated from the model itself.

Can you be viewing clashes or change detection in several different models at one time?

Yes, both 3D Diff and Clash support working at a federation level where multiple models from different disciplines have been combined.

At the point at which you find a clash, what is the next procedure for dealing with the clash? 

Once clashes are identified they can be saved as issues which are assigned to the relevant parties. These issues can then be saved out as BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) which can be then imported into native authoring tools such as ARCHICAD and Revit in order to make the changes. The updated model is then re-uploaded and the 3D Diff technology is used to compare it with the original version and check the required tasks have been completed and the clashes resolved.

Since BIM and GIS data are very different, are there clashes found at the intersection of the two types of data?

This would be possible only if the user were to import 3D GIS information.

Who is authorized to view the clash data and who makes the ultimate decision as to what to do about it?

Clash data can be viewed bu anyone who it is assigned to as long as they have the correct permissions.

Who has the ultimate decision is not always clear and clash resolution should always be a collaborative process, hence we feel this should take place in the cloud where everyone can collaborate on the same model in real time to give a fully transparent collaboration.

Tags: 3D, AEC, architects, BIM, building, building design, building information modeling, CAD, clash detection, collaboration, construction, design, engineering, engineers, infrastructure, laser scanning, point clouds, reality capture, visualization

Categories: 2D, 3D, AEC, architecture, BIM, building information modeling, civil information modeling, Cloud, collaboration, construction, construction project management, engineering, field solutions, file sharing, infrastructure, integrated project delivery, lidar, mobile, point clouds, project management, reality capture, site planning, visualization

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 at 6:16 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.