Advanced Bridging in Autodesk

Construction Cloud
Utilizing Autodesk Bridge to Streamline
Model Coordination

Hayes Johnson
VDC Manager

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About Me

 Virtual Design Construction Manager for

BL Harbert Int. Domestic Division

 Support construction with 3D and 4D

logistics modeling, 4D construction
simulations, basic drawing and modeling,
model management, reality capture, and
general technology support

 Most importantly though, we manage 3D

coordination
Topics
1) Brief Overview of Model Coordination – what is it lacking?

2) What is Autodesk Bridge and how can it help?

3) The Workflow
1) Setting up a Bridge between projects
2) Setting up models to leverage Bridge + Model Coordination
3) Updating models and checking the updates in a separate project
4) Live collaboration between stakeholders in separate projects

4) BL Harbert Case Studies using Bridge

5) What’s Next for BL Harbert with Bridge and Model Coordination

Model
Coordination
And why it needs Autodesk Bridge

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Model Coordination Overview
 Autodesk’s solution for democratized BIM
coordination based in Autodesk Construction
Cloud

 How BL Harbert sets Model Coordination

projects up
o Create coordination model folder in Docs and select
as coordination space source folder
o Create coordination view
o Use coordination plugin to open view in Navisworks

 BLHI utilizes a mixture of Navisworks and Model

Coordination to find and assign clashes
So What’s the Problem?
Industry is migrating to new platform, but used to old methods

Still exporting 1 NWC per Uploads still happen Issue Management tools
discipline per coordination 1x/week – limits different than Viewpoints &
area - can be slow collaboration between require education
meetings

If subcontractors are also using ACC now, shouldn’t it be easier to streamline coordination?
Autodesk Bridge
Why it helps, and how integrate

© 2023 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autodesk Bridge – Why use it?
 Autodesk’s solution for transferring files & drawings between Autodesk Construction Cloud
Projects

 Both parties must be using Autodesk Construction Cloud

o Bridge only works between ACC Projects
o Does not work with BIM360

 It is no longer necessary to manually upload to a separate project

Automatic
Model in Upload to
Model in Export Transfer to View inView in
Model
Authoring Save/Publish
Save/Publish
NWC(s)
Coordinator's Model
Authoring
Tool Tool CoordinationProject Coordination
Coordination
Project
Traditional
Model Model
Update Updatew/
Workflow Workflow
Bridge
Setting up the Bridge
1) Two choices to establish ability to share files via Bridge
1) Establish a Bridge Connection between Projects
2) Have project admin from other project add you

2) Select a folder to share

1) Has to be a folder, not a file, to setup automation

3) Select location in other project to Bridge to

4) Model is now transferred to target project

Model Setup
Non-Revit Models (or non-workshared models)

 Work out of the Autodesk Desktop Connector

 All updates saved to Desktop Connector are automatically synced to ACC Project
o Then get passed along via Bridge connection

Model saved on Automatically

Automatically
local machine in Transferred via
synced to your
desktop Bridge to Target
ACC project
connector ACC Project

Model flow w/ Desktop Connector and Bridge

Desktop Connector works like standard file folder

Model Setup
Cloud-Workshared Revit Models
 Setup 3D Revit views to be published to
Cloud for Coordination

 Setup Publish Settings

o Select 3D views to be published to Cloud
Model Setup
Cloud-Workshared Revit Models
 Publish
The Results
 Bridged model updates in Coordination project once saved or published in Authoring Project

 3D Views extracted to Model Coordination

o If multiple 3D views were selected in Revit models, all are extracted as separate models

 Updates pushed all the way to Navisworks (via coordination view saved as NWF)
 Bridge + Model
Links
Live collaboration across projects

© 2023 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Options for Linking Across Projects
 Linking bridged models is only available in Revit 2023.1 or newer

 Projects can be linked using a combination of desktop connector and Bridging

Direct Link across projects via Bridge model across projects and
Desktop Connector internally link

Project A Project B Project A Project B

Link through Desktop

Link
Bridge
Connector File System

• Can be error-prone
• Don’t have to be on multiple projects
• Have to be added to both projects
• Only works in 2023 and later
• Only option if working in Revit prior to 2023
Options for Linking Across Projects
 Potential Linking/Bridging scenario:
Bridge

Design models have to Bridge directly from

design project to subcontractor project. A
Bridged model cannot be “forwarded”. Bridge
Mech/Plumb
Link Contractor
Project (ACC)
Bridge

Steel
General Direct Upload Contractor
A/E Design Contractor (not ACC)
Project (ACC) Project (ACC)
Bridge FP Contractor
(not ACC)

Direct Upload
Elec
Contractor
(not ACC)
Direct Link via Desktop Connector
Options for Linking Across Projects
 Potential Linking/Bridging scenario (2022 or older):
o Can’t link Bridged model prior to 2023.1
Download and Upload

Direct link via Mech/Plumb

Desktop Connector Contractor
Project (ACC)
Bridge

Steel
General Direct Upload Contractor
(not ACC) Direct Link via
A/E Design Contractor
Project (ACC) Desktop
Project (ACC) Connector
Bridge FP Contractor
(not ACC)

Direct Upload
Direct link FP & Steel Elec
via Desktop Contractor
Connector (not ACC)

Download and Upload

 Case Studies
BLHI Application of Bridge in Model
Coordination

© 2023 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Subscale Drone Facility
 Discovered Mech/Plumb Contractor RJ Mechanical was
using Autodesk Construction Cloud to house models

 Project had 4 buildings, and RJ Mech had 3 discipline

models to coordinate per building

 Ended up coordinating 3 buildings simultaneously

o Prevented RJ Mech from having to export 9 NWCs per week

 Side-benefit: caught changes made during shop drawing

review that RJ forgot to let us know about
o Would have created field issues if not caught
 WEG Headquarters
 Also utilizing Bridge with Gallo Mechanical on
this project

 Gallo has 3 separate views they’re publishing

to BLHI’s coordination space via Bridge

 Additionally have a 2nd tier subcontractor

contributing a ductwork and equipment model

 Sub working out of Gallo’s project and coordinating internally with them

 Sub works out of same working models folder, so because Bridge was already established on folder, first
upload came over automatically

 BLHI also used Autodesk Replication Tool to sync design models from A/E’s BIM360 project
 Hall 32 Expansion

 Bridging Models from GMC’s ACC

project on this Design-Build job

 Tight construction timeline means

subcontractor models will start
before design 100%

 Up-to-date sharing of Design

models with subcontractors a
necessity

 Owner utilizes BIMCollab – able to setup integration with BLHI ACC Project and
easily push both design models and subcontractor models to BIMCollab model
viewer
Next Steps
What we still want to do with Bridge and
Model Coordination

© 2023 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bridge + Design Collaboration
 What if a consultant or subcontractor doesn’t want to share updates with everyone every
time they publish?

 Design Collaboration enables sharing packages when the sharer is ready

 New integration with Bridge allows packages to automatically be pushed to the shared
folder in a Bridged project
Revit Issues Add-In
 Ultimate solution to viewing and responding to
Issues - see them in the authoring program
o Currently this isn’t possible on a Bridged model.
o Issues in one project, model is hosted in another.

 Potential solutions
o Load Issues from other project in Add-In
• Revit Add-In allows loading issues from other models in the
same project, but not from other projects.

o Use ACC Connect triggers to create an Issue in

Project B when one is created in Project A.
• Currently ACC Connect can’t read and write the placement
information for an Issue

o Transfer Issues via Bridge?

• Bridge and Issues teams apparently in very early
discussions
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