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    Success Stories

    D-Wave

    D-Wave Article

    © Copyright D-wave

    D-Wave Quantum Inc. (D-Wave) is the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. It is the only quantum computing company building both annealing and gate model quantum computers and offers quantum systems, cloud services, application development tools, and professional services to support the end-to-end quantum journey. From its inception, D-Wave has focused on delivering products and services that provide the fastest path to practical, real-world quantum and quantum-hybrid applications with customer value. Its solutions are used to tackle optimization problems spanning a multitude of industries, including manufacturing and logistics, financial services, life sciences, retail and many more. Its broad portfolio of enterprise customers—such as Mastercard, Volkswagen, Pattison Food Group, DENSO, Toyota, BBVA, NEC, Deloitte, and Lockheed Martin—have built hundreds of early quantum applications in diverse areas such as resource scheduling, mobility, logistics, drug discovery, portfolio optimization, manufacturing processes, among others.

    Improving Bill Of Materials Management And ERP Integration With PLM

    The Challenge

    As a leader in the development of quantum computing systems, D-Wave prioritizes building high-quality systems, software, and services for its customers. With growing needs for increased cross-enterprise collaboration and heightened demand from customers, D-Wave recognized that it needed to improve its current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). It was particularly looking for a solution that would increase the efficiency of its processes. D-Wave required to solve the following challenges in order to meet its business goals:

    • Bill of Materials (BOM) management and collaboration.
    • Manual BOM and data input into ERP.
    • Lack of integration, automation, and API capabilities of the system in place.
    • Manual change control and change management.
    The Solution

    SolidCAD and D-Wave teams worked closely to create the best strategy that would meet D-Wave’s business requirements. The solution was to:

    • Implement Autodesk’s PLM solution, Fusion 360 Manage platform.
    • Create a bi-directional integration between Fusion 360 Manage and NetSuite ERP.
    The Results

    Today, D-Wave uses PLM to manage Supply Chain, BOMs and Changes. The live and bi-directional integration between PLM and NetSuite ERP allows D-Wave to gain efficiency and ensure consistent knowledge-sharing by using PLM as the single source of data. The result of SolidCAD and D-Wave’s collaboration was a solution that allowed D-Wave to:

    • Replace its existing systems with Autodesk Fusion 360 Manage PLM, one modern centralized platform.
    • Manage BOMs and supply chain needs.
    • Streamline the management of: Vendors, Vendor Part Numbers, Manufactures and Manufacturers Part Numbers.
    • Centralize Change Management processes. PLM has empowered D-Wave to proactively keep track of changes.
    • Make more informed decisions by having access to all the necessary data in one location. The integration between NetSuite ERP and PLM has enabled the engineering and purchasing teams to increase their work efficiency

    Testimonial

    The main increase in functionality we have seen is the synchronization of the Fusion 360 Manage PLM database with our ERP database.

    The ability to add custom filtering to searches is much superior to our old system. For example, I can look for parts I created in the last 43 days that have the word “Nut” in the description and are not released to production.

    As it comes to time savings, we were able to:
    • Configure the part numbering system to match our existing method, saving thousands of hours of engineering work.
    • Remove around 8 manual processes/workarounds with Excel to move data around and supply data to our engineers.
    • Configure the Item Master sheet to be able to see all the fields that our engineers care about on one screen. No more flipping back and forth between tabs or scrolling up and down.
    As it comes to ERP integration, automation with scripts were able to help us with:
    • On-Creation of a new part; automatically pushes the data to our ERP system.
    • On-Save of a pre-release part; automatically pushes the data to our ERP system every time we edit a part.
    • On-Transaction-in-ERP: pulls data on quantity, on-order, price, and stock location from our ERP back to Fusion. No need for a second license to get the information from the ERP system.
    • Third party middleware: link the two databases bi-directionally. No waiting until midnight for them to sync up.
    • Add-hidden fields for database internal IDs: the middleware can make changes in the other database directly.
    • Links between the part supplier and part manufacturing workspaces to allow them to be linked together and pushed to our ERP system.
    As it comes to Engineering Change Order (ECO) process:
    • Creates very simplified part release that allows for low overhead to our engineers and enables very fast prototyping.
    • Creates more complex workflow for released production parts and assemblies
    – Dave Bruce, Principal Mechanical Engineer at D-Wave

    Products & Services Used

    • Fusion 360 Manage.
    • Implementation, Integration and Project Management.
    • Post Go-Live Support.

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    How Technology Can Help Construction Amid Economic Uncertainty

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by JAMES CHAMBERS on the Bluebeam Blog.

    Technology has the potential to eliminate redundant work and streamline mundane-yet-critical tasks, easing the burden on construction firms as they face a possibly challenging economy ahead.

    onths of political and economic uncertainty point to a potentially bleak outlook for the construction industry in 2023.

    According to the latest Autumn Construction Forecasts 2022–2024 from the Construction Products Association (CPA), construction output is expected to fall by 3.9% in 2023.

    As real wages plummet and further rises in interest rates are expected, demand for private housing new build and repair, maintenance and improvement (RM&I) is likely to fall as well.

    What’s more, those working in commercial and infrastructure are increasingly concerned about inflation driving up construction costs during a recession.

    While adopting new technologies can be daunting for any business, it would be remiss to rule anything out as the industry faces turbulent times. There are many ways in which technology can help businesses survive a construction recession.

    Mitigating the impact of a recession on the construction industry

    Building information modeling (BIM) has been around for a while, but the construction industry has generally been slow to embrace the digital world and what it has to offer.

    However, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation in several industries, including construction, forcing companies to review their processes, operations and procedures, many of which were outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

    Organizations were given the opportunity to identify gaps that could be filled through digitalization, and embracing new technologies has enabled them to adopt solutions that might otherwise have taken years to integrate.

    Here are some ways in which technology can help the construction industry in a recession:

    1. It aids sustainability efforts

    One of technology’s biggest appeals relates to sustainability in that it enables businesses to become paperless, thus eradicating printing costs.

    Plus, having everything processed digitally not only reduces carbon footprints but also facilitates remote working – something many businesses had to adapt to for the first time during the pandemic.

    1. It improves collaboration

    Cloud technology makes it easier to share information even when you’re not physically in the same location; real-time data can be shared from any device at any time, so everyone has access to the latest information. This can help avoid unnecessary delays, saving time and resources.

    1. It streamlines processes and saves money

    There is a myriad of software that can be used to automate processes that have typically drained people’s time and energy. From payroll to scheduling to project management, there is a wide range of construction software out there that can help businesses save valuable time and money.

    1. It supports training

    It’s important to retain as many employees as possible, especially during a downturn and as the construction industry already struggles with recruitment. Technology can help connect your teams and offer access to flexible, up-to-date training.

    1. It minimizes re-work

    Re-work is one of the most common reasons construction companies lose money during projects. Not only does it extend the project schedule and risk late delivery, but it also impacts your company’s reputation, impacting the number of bids secured. Software can help track progress and bring the whole team together, making mistakes and problems less likely.

    Embracing digital construction during a recession

    Technology helps to boost productivity in the construction industry by streamlining and automating processes, and despite having a long way to go before being completely digitalized, firms that take advantage of its power have an opportunity to stand above competitors that are slow to adapt.

    Autodesk Desktop App: Replaced

    Posted on by admin

    The Autodesk Desktop App (ADA) gets installed on users’ computers when Autodesk applications are installed. Its purpose is to read which Autodesk software is installed on the user’s machine and provide information about which updates and add-ins are available. It uses the user’s Autodesk login credentials to determine what applications and services to which the user is entitled.

    March 16, 2023, a new Application, Autodesk Access (AA), was made available which will replace ADA. Read this Autodesk document for more information. It accomplished essentially the same goals as ADA.

    Why this change?

    • AA will provide a simpler and more streamlines update experience for the users.
    • AA is more secure than ADA.
    • AA will be expanded in the future with more features.

    What does this mean for you?

    • When installing the Autodesk 2024 applications, ADA will be removed, and AA will be installed in its place.
    • Unlike ADA, AA cannot be uninstalled. Only when the last Autodesk product on the machine is removed, will AA be removed.
    • If you need to disable users’ abilities to install updates via Autodesk Access, click here for the registry key you must set.

    To learn more about Autodesk applications, feel free to contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    Sheet Set Manager for Web: Printing in the Cloud

    Posted on by admin

    This is a follow-up to my previous article discussing using ACC for the storage of AutoCAD Resource files. If you’re using the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and publishing using the Sheet Set Manager (SSM), read on…

    A little history first. The Sheet Set Manager has been available for many years, and it solves many AutoCAD organizations and efficiency problems. When Autodesk Docs and ACC were made available, and users stored their files in the cloud, they experienced significant issues with the good-old SSM. This document outlines the issues and their solutions.

    Then we got the SSM for Web: a new cloud-based version of the SSM. At first, it was limited in what it could do, but with the latest version for AutoCAD 2023, it is much more robust.

    Enough about history, how does the SSM for Web publish? Here is the SSM for Web with 4 sheets. Note the area surrounded in red, the Support file location. I have set this to a separate ACC project named CAD Resources. It has a sub folder that contains CTB files.

    When you publish using the SSM, the publish action occurs online, not locally on a user’s computer. It’s not even publishing in the background. It just happens in the cloud. Understandably, your CTB files, and any other potential files AutoCAD needs when printing, must reside in the cloud and the SSM support location must be set to this folder.

    Warning: even if your installation of AutoCAD uses a non-cloud CTB file, when publishing from the SSM for Web, it WILL use the one in the cloud. You MUST have a CTB file in the cloud.

    Pro tip: Give the system plenty of time to synchronize changes to the CTB. Like, maybe 10-15 minutes. Do not expect changes to be as fast as drawing edits. Restarting AutoCAD after editing the CTB seems to help.

    To learn more about the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), feel free to contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    Civil 3D 2024

    Posted on by admin

    Well, it’s that time of year again when Autodesk bestows us with the latest release of their flagship Civil Design application. Click here for Autodesk’s documentation. Read on to see which features speak to this blogger.

    File Format

    This is probably the most-asked question, and I’m happy to say that there is yet again, no format change. We are still on the 2018 format. Good news for everyone!

    Performance

    Considerable improvements have been made to:

    • Installation
    • Switching between paper space layout tabs
    • Corridors

    ArcGIS Connector

    We can now save configurations for importing data. Arc objects can now be imported. Objects can be imported as AutoCAD entities if required.

    IFC

    IFC 4.3, which has been available for 2022, is now available for 2024.

    Project Explorer

    This tool is now native to Civil 3D. No need to download and install separate from Civil 3D.

    Subassemblies

    A major change has been made regarding managing custom subassemblies (PKT files).

    • PKT files can be saved to a shared folder on a network or even a cloud service such as Autodesk Docs. Civil 3D accesses these in place, no longer in C:\Program Data.
    • If a PKT file cannot be found, Civil 3D will notify you.

    • Tool palettes containing custom subassemblies are far easier to manage now and they are less error prone.
    • Subassembly versioning was added in 2023, but there was no obvious reason for it. Well, now we have a reason. PKT versions can be managed in Civil 3D and new versions can be reloaded and implemented WITHOUT restarting Civil 3D.

    • Since we are on the subject, the eTransmit tool still DOES NOT recognize custom PKT files. Click here to upvote this wish list item.

    Pressure Networks

    • Fitting and appurtenance styles now have an annotative option. Pro Tip: spend some time considering the options. Sizing may not be what you expect. Contact us for some advice when you’re ready.
                                         
    • Fitting and appurtenance styles now support hatching.

                   

    • Pipe runs can be merged and broken.
    • Pipe segments can quickly be toggled between line or an arc.

                 

    • Bend styles now have a vertical bend option for visibility in plan view.

                     

    Point Clouds

    • Recap can now automatically classify points for any scan type.
    • Point clouds can be manipulated in Autodesk Docs; measured, linear curb features extracted, before inserting into a drawing.

     

    To learn more about Civil 3D, feel free to contact us.

    Document Management vs. Content Management

    Posted on by admin

     Document Management and Content Management

    Are they really the Same?

     

    Businesses generally have several software systems to manage their assets, content, data, and documents. Two software systems that often intersect are the Document Management (DMS) and Content Management (CMS) systems. Your greatest Business need will determine the type of system you invest in to manage your assets, content, data, and documents.

    Document management and content management are closely related and appear to be the same thing, however when you begin to analyze DMS  vs CMS, you begin to see the differences.

    Businesses researching options should focus on the type of challenge they are trying to resolve, secondly focus on technologies to address these challenges. If the core challenge is about the long-term preservation of your assets, content, data, and documents electronically, some form of a DMS system would be a likely candidate.

    On the other hand, if the file content is more fluid, typically presented on a web-based interface, then a CMS is the more likely candidate.

     

    WHAT IS DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT (DM)?

     

    Document Management (DM) is a system or process used to capture, track and store electronic documents, such as Adobe, AutoCAD, MS Office files along with digital images of paper-based content.

    Document management can save your business time and money. It provides assets, content, data, and document security, access control, centralized storage, audit trails and streamlined search and retrieval.

     

    WHAT IS A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS)?

     

    Document Management (DMS) to capture, store, manage, retain, assets, data, document content and its related metadata to allow for   regulatory compliance and workflow management. They include the functionality such as create, draft, generate templates, version, collaborate, secure, metadata, access rights, approvals, distribution, search, repository organization, archiving and retention policy management, along with reporting and auditing on these functions.

    The more advanced capabilities in a DMS can include object relationships, workflow, external sharing, auditing, record retention capabilities, co-authoring and more. Your IT team, Information Management team and others tasked with storing and managing your sensitive business information will be the owners of these systems.

    In review, your industry, environment, data, and documents requirements are extremely important when

    choosing a DMS system. An example are the highly regulated industries such as Energy, Health Care,  Government, Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical, these industries require a highly functional, and easily configurable system like MERIDIAN.

    In review, a DMS is used for collaboration or transactional functions to capture digital documents and store paper documents electronically.

     

    WHAT IS CONTENT MANAGEMENT (CM)?

     

    Content Management (CM) is a system or process used to assemble, organize, deliver, retrieve, and govern websites or enterprise business content.

     

    WHAT IS A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS)?

     

    A Content Management (CMS) helps store, manage, personalize, and publish content digitally such as websites and other digital media. These are either integrated with other applications or separate applications sharing common Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and repositories.

    A CMS is one software component among a variety to manage a businesses digital asset management, customer data platforms, e-commerce, social media management, marketing automation and CRM requirements. The integration of these systems is described as a digital transformation platform. A CMS offers control over storage, access, and distribution of key content like logos, videos, audio file and documents.

    CMS is like a DMS system however it’s designed to focus on content type management like audio, images, web pages, video and other types like XML, HTML and JSON content.

     

     

    DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DOCUMENT AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT

     

    DATA TYPES

    DMS: Manages structured assets, content, data, and documents and is focused on the formats such as Adobe Acrobat (pdf), ASCII (aim), AutoCAD (dwg), Excel (xlsx), Word (docx), PowerPoint (ppt), Notepad (txt).

    CMS: Manages structured and unstructured data and is focused on formats such as web content Hypertext Markup Language (HTM, HTML), Adobe Acrobat (pdf) files and Digital Assets (images, audio and video) files.

    KEY PURPOSES

    DMS: To capture, store, manage, retain, assets, data, document content and its related metadata to allow for   regulatory compliance and workflow management.

    CMS: To store, store, manage, personalize, and publish content digitally such as websites and other digital media.

    BONUS FEATURES

    DMS: Advanced imaging, rendition, scanning capabilities such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Handpoint Character Recognition (HCR), and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR).

    CMS: To provide a custom Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experience in digital arenas such as kiosks, or personalized spaces.

    INTEGRATIONS

    DMS: Enterprise Systems: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).

    CMS: Digital Asset Management: Bynder, Writer, Brandfolder, DemoUp and 4ALLPORTAL

    The differences between a DMS vs CMS are subtle and depend on how your business will use them.

    A DMS excels at the preservation and organization of the businesses content, data, and documents.

    CMS is often focused on the content presented at websites, which is not specific to individual documents. An example is the difference between a business’s corporate documents and their company web pages. The corporate documents potentially have legal, regulatory or contractual consequences where each change in the documents are captured like a snap shot in time. The business web pages are constantly updated with new content by authored by various sources. A DMS tracks the documents from cradle to grave and the CMS offers web-based tools to collaborate, edit and maintain content.

     

     

    WHAT A DMS AND CMS LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE

     

    Due to their shared functionality, DMS and CMS systems are theoretically similar but what about in real life? Let’s compare DMS and CMS systems that co-exist in one business. The business employs 1,500 employees and implemented a DMS and CMS platform.

     

    Document Management (DMS)

    The DMS is utilized to create and manage various document types (corporate, equipment, facility project, and maintenance). It contains Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities automating the creation of the related document meta data. It also has the automated document workflow functionality to notify the relevant personnel when review and approval is required. This allows for real-time collaboration when the documents are created and edited.

    The DMS offers document version control and audit trail tracking required for environmental, legal, and regulatory obligations. This ensures long-term management of the documents with ability to retrieve current or pervious versions of the documents at anytime.

     

    Content Management (CMS)

    The CMS provides the indexing and categorization of various content types (contracts, invoices, notes, purchase orders, reports and requisitions) providing the ability to store and structure accurately.

    To support easy retrieval of the information from multiple sources the CMS supports integration with other applications. It also supports the creation and publishing of analytic data, reports, internal business, marketing material and employee procedures. The content is in web-focused formats with built-in audio and video capabilities.

    This real life example shows us a DMS and CMS focus on different items: The DMS involves digitizing files, complying with environmental, legal, and regulatory obligations and guiding structured documents and their related meta-data through the whole document lifecycle from cradle to grave. The main purpose of the CMS is proper organization of both structured and unstructured digital assets to support accurate storage, easy retrieval and publishing of digital content.

     

     

     

    CONCLUSION

    So rather than view Document Management (DM) and Content Management (CM) as the same, view them as complementary. Together or alone, they can help your business effectively manage digital information. To learn more about Meridian solutions (EDMS and CMMS) and how they can help your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SolidCAD Meridian Team.

    AutoCAD 2024

    Posted on by admin

    Well, it’s that time of year again when Autodesk bestows us with the latest release of their flagship drafting application. Click here for Autodesk’s documentation. Read on to see which features speak to this blogger.

    File Format

    This is probably the most-asked question, and I’m happy to say that there is yet again, no format change. We are still on the 2018 format. Happy news for everyone!

    Activity Insights

    Changes or actions made to your drawings are logged in a database so users can verify elements of a drawing’s history. One interesting thing here is that one can see that their drawing has been XREFd to another drawing.

    Pro tip: There is an option in AutoCAD to specify where to place the database; if you’re in a corporate environment set this to a shared folder so edits are tracked for all users that edit the file.

    Smart Blocks

    Place blocks with ease. Machine learning is used to learn how you place blocks. Blocks can be placed automatically in a room corner, for example. Replace blocks with another block and the software will hold rotation and scale values. Replacement blocks are suggested; AutoCAD uses machine learning to suggest blocks similar to the ones being replaced.

    Markup Assist

    This feature has been enhanced this year to automatically align a markup file (PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.). Also, AutoCAD text can be replaced with markup text as well as fading markups to help track which ones have been addressed by the user.

    PDFSHX

    This is a setting in AutoCAD for users who still use SHX fonts such as ROMANS or SIMPLEX. Historically, these old fonts have proven problematic with PDF viewers like Bluebeam Revu. They bloated PDF files and users could not search for text when SHX fonts were in use. PDFSHX is not a new setting. In previous releases, when turned on, it allowed text to be searched even if SHX fonts were in use. Each text object was a unique comment or markup in the PDF editor. Thousands of “markups” could be created, bloating the PDF. This setting now has 3 possible values:

    • 0 = off
    • 1 = the previous behavior
    • 2 = the new behavior. PLEASE use this one. Text is stored as “hidden” comments AND nothing special must happen in the PDF to be able to search. Is the PDF still bloated? In my limited testing, yes, the PDF is bigger when this is set to 1 vs. 2.

    See the Author in the PDF “markups”? (this is the old behavior = yuck!)

    AutoLISP

    LSP files can be loaded and run within AutoCAD LT. There are certain limitations; see the documentation for the list of what is and is not possible. This does not work with AutoCAD for Mac, only Windows.

     

    To learn more about AutoCAD, feel free to  contact us and one of our representatives will reach out to you shortly.

    The Bluebeam Feature That Will Make Your Workflows Way More Efficient

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva

    This story was originally published by CHRIS GRAHAM on the Bluebeam Blog.

    ne of the most common themes of my discussions with people about Bluebeam is that they wish they could add just one important feature that would make their workflows much more efficient. My response is usually that it is already there.

    Often their eyes get big and they say, “Really?” And more often than not, these features are within the Status Bar. The Status Bar’s visibility can be toggled on and off with the F8 key. You’ll find several different buttons and dropdown menus at the bottom right of your screen (default).

    Grid

    The grid feature is the first of the buttons (hotkey: shift + F9). This turns on a visible grid within the document. The grid spacing is ¼-inch each way and cannot be altered. The grids don’t print or have any interactions with content or markups—they’re just visible guides. However, they can be snapped to by toggling the second button.

    Snap to Grid

    Selecting this button will highlight it, which toggles on the ability to snap to nodes of the grid. You can draw objects or move objects such that their nodes will snap to grid nodes.

    Snap to Content

    Toggling this button means that you can draw new markups or move markups such that the markup’s nodes will snap to the embedded content. “Content” refers to embedded lines, curves, nodes, etc., within the document itself (not markups). Flattened markups are considered as embedded content and can be snapped to using this feature. Documents plotted from CAD are perfect examples of documents with embedded content.

    Snap to markup

    Toggling this button allows markups to be moved or drawn such that their nodes will snap to other markups. “Markups” refers to “unflattened” markups within the document. Flattened markups become “content” for the purposes of the snap feature. This is a fan-favorite of CAD users.

    Reuse

    This feature allows you to repetitively use the same markup tool until you hit the escape key or right-click. Usually, to draw multiple lines you would press “L,” then click to start, click to stop; then you have to restart the process with pressing “L” again. But if the Reuse feature is enabled, you just keep clicking to draw lines until you’re done. Drawing each line becomes two actions instead of three, which adds up over very repetitive tasks.

    Sync

    The sync button is actually a dropdown menu with two different options. The sync feature allows multiple windows of Bluebeam to maintain the same view—when one pans or zooms, so will the other(s). This works with multiple monitors, split-view tabs within the same window and multiple tabs in different windows.

    Document: Selecting this option from the dropdown menu makes it such that not only is the view on the page synced, but when you navigate to a different page, it does likewise in the other window(s). For example, I often review multiple versions of the same document of the same length to compare changes. This allows me to pan, zoom or change page and seamlessly see both versions simultaneously. It tracks the PDF page number, even if the documents are different lengths. So a 14-page document can be compared to the first 14 pages of an 18-page document, but moving to pages 15-18 of the second document will keep the first document at page 14.

    Page: This option doesn’t allow the page to change in the other windows when the page changes in one window, but still zooms and pans. The Status Bar, viewable with the F8 key, is home to several powerful tools. Each of them brings massive potential time savings or increased accuracy. I sincerely hope that you discover a new favorite feature within the Status Bar.

    Civil 3D: 2022.2.2 and 2023.2 Updates

    Posted on by admin

    As always, if you are able, I recommend always installing the latest updates as they are released. There was a recent Civil 3D update, 2022.2.2, which provides a host of fixes. The 2023.2 update contains many of the same fixes.

    One of the fixes was particularly notable to me as I’ve been working through a support issue with one of my customers. This fix completely resolves his issue.

    When I use Quick properties to select pressure pipes, fittings, and appurtenances, there are many.

    Looking in the Prospector, however, there are few. Just 3 pipes and none of the other parts.

    Where are they? With this new fix, I can Refresh the pressure network and all the parts return.

                                         

    To learn more about Civil 3D, feel free to contact us.

    RAW Design Inc.

    Posted on by Rikki Kenzhebayeva
    Success Stories

    RAW Design Inc.

    Front view of building

    RAW is one of Toronto’s most vibrant and respected architectural and design studios. Cited as the 2009 Ontario Best Emerging Practice, we possess an international design sensibility and wisdom combined with a wealth of recent local experience. Unconcerned with stylistic expectations, RAW focuses on both the understanding of site opportunities and client-specific objectives. We take an open-minded approach to design, encouraging a fluid and collaborative process. RAW is not a hierarchical corporation. We are a medium-sized design studio delivering creative responses to design problems.

    Building Consistency and Efficiency: RAW Design Inc. Successfully Implements BIM Processes

    The Challenge

    RAW Design’s BIM leadership set key objectives for BIM technology, including enhancing staff efficiency in producing crucial outputs and standardizing visuals and graphics across projects for consistency.

    SolidCAD conducted a thorough BIM Process Assessment and identified the following challenges and desired results for RAW Design:

    • Adopting a uniform approach to project processes
    • Establishing a central, approved source for BIM content
    • Utilizing models for better coordination

    Barriers included:

    • Different Revit usage among staff
    • Inconsistent use of templates and project processes
    • The unfulfilled potential of BIM/Revit for coordination
    The Solution

    To achieve the desired outcomes, SolidCAD proposed a long-term partnership, working together with RAW Design’s BIM admin team as a strategy consultant.  Collectively, the team achieved the goals, implementing the optimized standards and processes by mentoring staff as they worked on projects.

    SolidCAD’s structured approach achieved the efficiency and quality standards RAW Design was looking for.  The completed Revit template and content libraries will ensure consistency of deliverables, streamlining staff workflows through better organization.  Documentation was provided to support the adoption of the enhancements and to serve as a guide during the onboarding of future new hires.  Finally, targeted training in specific Revit topics resulted in the advancement of staff skills, adopting best practices, and making it easier for them to achieve the full potential of BIM.

    The Results

    RAW Design achieved the following outcomes:

    • Optimization of BIM Processes and Documentation. Workflows are more efficient, and staff have guidelines to follow the intended process.
    • Consistency of Graphics Standards and Content. Deliverables produced using the enhanced template achieve RAW Design’s quality standards on all projects.
    • Advancement of skill levels was achieved through custom training and project-specific mentoring where best practices were reinforced. As result, staff are more capable of using Revit, allowing them to create deliverables in less time.

    Testimonial

    We brought in the SolidCAD team to help us update our Revit template, while also teaching staff new ways to use the software

    SolidCAD’s extensive knowledge was a great asset in achieving both goals. They assessed our existing template, identified areas that could be improved, developed a plan to get everything done, and executed what we needed. Staff were very pleased with the tutorials they received, coming away with both gained Revit knowledge and applicable skills. Now we are getting to use new resources to benefit projects and workflow.

    – RAW Design Inc.

    Products & Services Used

    • Using the Revit Software
    • Warnings & Model Health / File Corruptions
    • Family Creation (Curtain Walls)
    • Stairs & Railings (Detailing)
    • Conceptual Massing (Design Options, Using Revit customized to RAW)
    • Schedules Beginner (Schedules Advanced (including site statistics))
    • Site and Coordinates (Assemblies Advanced (walls/floors/roofs, sloping, sweeps/reveals))
    • BIM Execution Plans, setting up a new Project
    • Model Groups & Keynotes (Phasing)
    • Working with Doors and Windows (Collaboration, coordination, copy/monitor)
    • Dynamo – beginner

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