Trimble Connect Announces New Integration for Microsoft 365 and BIMcollab

Ray Bagley, business area director for Trimble Connect, spoke with AECCafe Voice regarding their latest announcement of new integrations for Microsoft 365 and BIMcollab with Trimble Connect cloud based collaboration platform. Users of both platforms will enjoy a common data environment for connecting project stakeholders with data necessary to inform decisions and improve team efficiency.

What is the new integration with Microsoft 365 and BIMcollab replacing in terms of process?

Data is often shared using multiple file sharing solutions, ranging from simple email attachments to sharing platforms (Box, Dropbox) to Electronic Document Management systems. Question always is: what folder, what version and where in the file?

Add this challenge to the fact that construction is characterized by disconnected processes and you end up with suboptimal information sharing. This, in turn, leads to high risk of errors in an environment where margins are already slim to begin with.

We noticed that users of the solutions within these domains wanted to use the output from one application as input in the next downstream process. This was and is still often done through spreadsheets and thumb drives: producing a spreadsheet output from one tool, then importing that into another tool, very often transferred from one machine to the next with a thumb drive or email.

Very manual, very laborious, and potentially error prone.

“Coordination” is an example of a process that is typically performed in a separate application, but outputs need to be brought back into the overall management process. BIMcollab is a tool that is used by many project teams to keep track of found constructability issues and make sure they are being addressed. “The Trimble Connect – BIMcollab integration provides a cloud-based, single source of truth solution for models, project documents and issues. It simplifies collaboration and coordination across each phase of the project lifecycle. From the office to the field, Trimble Connect’s powerful combination of client applications and workflow extensions allows quick, convenient access to the information you need, when you need it.”

Documents, spreadsheets and presentations are created and shared for many different purposes throughout the course of projects (from design to execution). Viewing or editing this content can be a challenge though. It requires: downloading the file, opening it on a user’s machine, making changes and re-uploading. These steps have now been removed with the Microsoft Office 365 integration. This eliminates the possibility that you are working on the wrong version of  content while giving you access to the document’s version history with the click of a button.

Trimble Connect is streamlining data sharing, storing and collaborating with our Common Data Environment.

What time savings do you expect users to enjoy?

“The Microsoft 365 integration is a welcome addition to Trimble Connect,” said Jeremy Sibert, technology director at general contractor Hensel Phelps. “The ability to create, edit and distribute documents directly from Trimble Connect will not only save us a lot of time, but it will also allow us to track updates, monitor version control and manage document security much more efficiently using tools our users are already familiar with and use heavily.”

The BIMcollab integration will rapidly enable and empower users with an easy to use and simple solution for tracking issues and managing changes with the peace of mind that they are working off the latest file and model versions, without requiring them to have access to or knowledge of complex 3D authoring tools and software

Ray Bagley, Business Area Director – Trimble Connect: “We are excited to be able to provide Connect’s Common Data Environment and BIM Viewer capabilities to BIMcollab users. BIMcollab and Trimble Connect share a common goal: to offer an open and performant environment for project collaboration with data made available in the context of the 3D design.”

What does BIMcollab bring to the table?

BIMCollab: “BIMcollab users, including those who do not have access to BIM modeling tools, will be able to view, edit and comment on issues in the context of the 3D models in the cloud. All of this can be done using the familiar Trimble Connect webviewer, making it easy to use with practically no learning curve. And finally, since the integration makes use of models stored online in Trimble Connect, there is no extra file management needed and users can be certain to use the latest model-versions.”

Will Trimble Connect be able to integrate with more diverse types of tools and software?

Trimble Connect is continuously looking for new ways and opportunities to connect, integrate and collaborate with other applications to open the door for more integrated workflows to serve our customers. Much of this we learn from our customers, who use Trimble Connect’s full-function API to build connected workflows bridging Trimble Connect with other applications they use, like ERP or document management systems.

“Because no one vendor can be expected to have all the right point tools, an open and agnostic space for sharing models and construction data is imperative for project efficiency, profitability and timeliness,” said Ray Bagley, Business Area Director – Trimble Connect. “Integrations with Trimble Connect and other industry solutions are critical as we continue to drive construction’s digital transformation by enabling project stakeholders to unlock the real value of data throughout the construction lifecycle.”

What does integration with Microsoft 365 look like that may be different from what is commonly used?

The integration with Microsoft 365 streamlines user workflows by allowing users to edit their Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) directly from Trimble Connect, without needing to download the files to make changes and then re-upload those documents. Changes made to the file content are saved directly to Connect and result in a new version of the file, accessible through the file details in the right-side panel in Data Explorer.

This also facilitates collaboration with other project members through the use of Microsoft’s coauthoring or real-time collaboration features, which allows multiple users to work inside the same document at the same time. This removes the pain and frustration of overriding someone else’s changes to a document because you were unaware that they were editing it at the same time you were.

The integration with Microsoft 365 removes the need to store documents and data in multiple platforms and file sharing solutions.

How do you see Trimble Connect ultimately impacting the construction industry?

Trimble Connect Transforms Decision Making.

The first step is that we make it easy to share data through one single environment. In this environment, not only BIM models, but also drawings, documents, photos and even point cloud scans can be viewed and shared anywhere—on your desktop, laptop, smartphone, Hololens or VR set. By keeping the data in the design context, Connect enables and facilitates better decision making and reduces the amount of time it takes to get the data you need when you need it. Trimble’s connected ecosystem of software and hardware, with Trimble Connect at the hub, enables connected workflows throughout the construction lifecycle to increase productivity and reduce risk for stakeholders across the industry.

“Because no one vendor can be expected to have all the right point tools, an open and agnostic space for sharing models and construction data is imperative for project efficiency, profitability and timeliness,” said Marcel Broekmaat, product director for Trimble Connect. “Integrations with Trimble Connect and other industry solutions are critical as we continue to drive construction’s digital transformation by enabling project stakeholders to unlock the real value of data throughout the construction lifecycle.”

Tags: AEC, architects, architecture, BIM, building, building design, CAD, collaboration, construction, design, engineering, engineers, infrastructure, mobile, Trimble, visualization

Categories: 2D, 3D, AEC, AECCafe, architecture, BIM, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, construction project management, consumerization, engineering, field, field solutions, file sharing, holograms, IES, IFC, infrastructure, integrated project delivery, project management, subscription programs, sustainable design, Trimble, visualization

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