The software company Newforma announced their eighth edition of Newforma Project Center software, a project information management (PIM) offering that serves the needs of AEC firms. The product addresses the “I” in information technology, with specific functionality to address the BIM workflow.

According to the press release, Newforma Project Center Eighth Edition incorporates “significant additional capabilities and customer-requested enhancements for managing key project information and further streamlining project delivery, including:

·         Document control – A new Document Control activity center enables AEC project teams to standardize revision management of record documents issued for review, permitting and construction without disruption to existing document filing protocols. Document control can be used to manage sheet sets from Autodesk Revit as well as related project processes such as action items, markup, RFIs and change orders.

·         Actionable meeting minutes – A new Meeting Minutes activity center simplifies the management of agendas, minutes and follow-on commitments associated with project meetings in order to keep project teams focused and accountable for project priorities. The Meeting Minutes activity center links meetings scheduled in Microsoft Outlook with related action items and supporting documents, and tracks action items, RFIs and other open project items across a series of meetings until they are resolved.

·         Project images – A new Project Images activity center enables firms to take control of the ever-expanding volume of digital site photos and project images. Photos and images can be located with ease regardless of their location in project folders, and may be filtered, sorted, searched and grouped by any image file property, including EXIF properties such as camera model, date taken, tags and subject. Additionally, images can be tagged with project keywords for search and filter-based discovery and retrieval.

·         Shared files and coordinated folders – Newforma Info Exchange, the file transfer communication server deployed in conjunction with Newforma Project Center, has also been enhanced in Eighth Edition. In addition to the existing capabilities to easily and securely transfer large project files with automatic logging and tracking of who downloaded what and when, project folders on the network can now be linked and automatically synchronized with folders on the Info Exchange server. Internal users simply copy files into synchronized folders to share them with remote external or internal team members. External team members and remote internal users can now upload files via Info Exchange using a new drag-and-drop capability. Download access and upload permissions for external team members, as well as sending email notifications and reminders, can all be managed by internal users with no need for IT support.

·         Remote access to project information – Newforma Info Exchange now delivers role-based remote access capabilities for internal and external team members from any internet-connected browser, even via an Apple iPad digital device. Live access to project information from the field including record document revisions, meeting minutes, full log views of RFIs, submittals, change orders, action items and more helps project teams avoid delays in making decisions. Smartphone access is also available using the Newforma® Mobile option. 

·         Microsoft® Office Excel reporting – Easily modified Excel-based templates can now be used to customize the formatting of reports throughout Newforma Project Center. 

·         Building Information Management and Spatial Index activity centers – New Building Information Management and Spatial Index activity centers provide project teams with a spreadsheet interface for editing sheets, spaces and properties from a Revit building information model. Bi-directional synchronization is provided through the optional Newforma^® Add-in for Autodesk® Revit®.”

Look for a more in-depth report on the eighth edition of Project Center in AECWeekly in the coming weeks.