Project File Set Up/Core Shell/Interiors

[kmarquis]

I'm currently working on a 4 story-80,000 SF, New Construction Project.

I've been the only person in the project for the past few months and now that the project is going into full swing, our satellite office in another city is taking responsibility for the Core and Shell and we will be doing the Fit Out. We share a server but I wanted to get people's opinions on the best way to break up the work. Should I break the file apart and link in the work or should we just work in the same file over the server? Any thoughts? My instinct is to break the file apart and link them into eachother.

[cliff collins]

Follow your instincts. Satellite office creates a Linked SC model.
Your office creates an ID model. Link them together.

This is where you need a good point-to-point internet connection, a WAN, or WAFS
solution like Riverbed Steelheads or Globalscape WAFS file replication system.

cheers

[kmarquis]

This is where you need a good point-to-point internet connection, a WAN, or WAFS
solution like Riverbed Steelheads or Globalscape WAFS file replication system.

cheers

Do you mean that I would need this stuff if we were to work in the same file over the server?

I was planning on treating this like a Prime Architect/Consultant Relationship with linked files and doing regular file exchanges for updates.

[Craig_L]

I would not recommend working over a server unless you have an extremely high speed network server that can handle it.
Give it a try, but I suggest that if your office isn't already set up to do this you will find it's just way too slow. So slow in fact that working on it will be frustrating and you will have loads of downtime due to load speeds, loooong pauses while you actually work, and other errors that jump up at you in the whole process. Link the models in such as you would if you were working with an external consultant. I think that will be your most workable approach. Give them a scope of what to model in their file, set up filters for each project that allow easy co-ordination, linking, and viewing of the different sets. I would treat this in the same way as you treat an external model consultant.
In my experience working across a network is not manageable unless your office has loads of money to throw out on a network server (like $20grand plus) then I think you will find the network option isn't really an option.

[cliff collins]

This is where a WAN with accelerators such as Riverbed Steelhead or a WAFS
system such as Globalscape comes into play.

If you have two remote offices who need to work in Revit on the same project, and do not want to wait and post files to an FTP, download, reload links every time--and get real time
collaboration bi-directionally, then you need fast pipe speed with symmetrical up/down
and either or both of the WAN/WAFS optimizations mentioned above.

Check out Globalscape's Revit solution:
http://www.globalscape.com/wafs/revit.aspx

cheers

[twiceroadsfool]

Do you mean that I would need this stuff if we were to work in the same file over the server?

I was planning on treating this like a Prime Architect/Consultant Relationship with linked files and doing regular file exchanges for updates.

If thats your plan, youll be fine without that stuff. Even with WAN and accelerators in place, i often dont link Central to central across the WAN, just to cut down on what differences there are, in load times. It takes about 1 minute for us to upload, download, and hit reload on each others files, in different offices.

Without all the rediculously expensive equipment, it takes a few minutes each morning. much more preferable to a few minutes over SWC.

Also worth mentioning, for those of you forgetting: Linked files dont UPDATE during a SWC, they are cached at the time they are loaded. So "Reload Link" is an issue regardless, if theyre splitting it up in to linked files. The only way to avoid THAT right now is to work in ONE central file, across the WAN.

[kmarquis]

I've successfully split up my model between Core/Shell and Fit Up and linked them into eachother.
Any advice or links to somewhere that talks about the process on how to set up the drawings in reference to the Sheets, Drawings List, Details, etc. Do I just split the set up with sheets that refer to the corresponding file such as Stair Plans and Section Sheets go in the Core Shell File, Interior Elevations go in the Fit Up File or do I just put the sheets all in one file? Any advice for projects like this would be helpful.

Thanks