Bim Kickoff Meeting

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I would like to hear people's experience or links to other posts which specifically discuss Revit collaboration in terms of BIM kickoff meetings and what people typically cover during those meetings. Is there a sub forum which deals with interdisciplinary collaboration? Aside from the technical things concerning linked models what does this look like from a project management perspective? I am going to be attempting to run a kickoff meeting sometime in the near future and sure could use some pointers and guidance on this. Thanks in advance

[caddman13]

I have a kickoff meeting for each project. We cover who is responsible for items in the model.

Items include:

Column Grid
Floor and Roof
Wall Usage (Exterior Interior, but also bearing, non-bearing and so on) This aids the structural engineer in their model so they can filter walls out that aren't structural.
Plumbing fixtures
Miscellaneous Steel (This is a big one, Most structural engineers only detail this, but know sizes and locations to aid the MEP engineers out of certain areas so ducts aren't interfering with steel)

We also talk about materials being used. Our engineers (structural) will copy them into their model so they can use the same brick and block colors for their portion of the model.

You need to cover the Data Sharing and Coordination items also. How will you share the models (FTP, Email, or CD). How often will data sharing be needed? We found that earlier and later in the design this is more frequent (two or more times a week). Coordination - How will conflicts be handled, How will they be tracked and sent out to the design team for resolution?

I also start to talk about Level of Development. This is a huge topic and everyone has their own interpretation of it.

I can go on and on about this. Be sure you have at least an hour for these meetings for the first few. Once you start working with certain companies more in this area these meeting can become shorter. However I would still recommend having them just so everyone is still on the same page.

Hope this helps you get started with your agenda.

[hadlari]

Cover work set strategy's. for instance if you are going to use work sets by level or building elements (Floors, Cores, Basements, Etc.) make sure they are going to use strict work set policy's. for instance make sure all their levels and grids are on the shared level and grids work set so you can turn it off globally when you link their model into yours.

If you are going to have multiple models for your project on your own end that are linked into each other try and get the consultants to adapt the same model split strategy . this is only an issue on larger projects where the file size can become an issue.

Go over the model transfer procedures. how often you will exchange models. and the review process attached to the exchange. i would recommend that with every model that is exchanged you provide as well as they will provide a quick punch list of changes that have occurred to the model since the last model transfer.

[caddman13]

provide a quick punch list of changes that have occurred to the model since the last model transfer.

This is huge. This will aid everyone linking models so they know what has changed and how it may affect them prior to relinking the models in.

Excellent point.

[djfreaq]

Usually it starts with me yelling at a sub-consultant, or even the prime, to upgrade to the latest version of Revit.

No lie. Right now. We have a client with individual versions of Revit purchased with single user licenses on individual employee's computers. So we had to dust off our copy of Revit MEP 2010 to work on a BRAND NEW JOB with said client. What. The. Heck.

But enough about me.

We do pretty much the same list. The first thing we always decide though is how the models are to be linked. "Origin-to-Origin"? "Center-to-Center"? Shared Coordinates?

You get the idea.

[ppirtle]

Let me start by saying that we do the structural on mid-to-large commercial projects.

Here's the script we've seen followed in the last 10-20 meetings:

1. Each team member distributes a document that explains what elements we *don't* model--beam/slab camber, cladding attachments and embeds, miscellaneous kickers, etc. This document also provides a table showing Level of Detail (LOD) that people can expect to see in our model for each project phase. The architect says they will assemble these into a single document, and will distribute it to the team. This discussion takes 30 minutes.

2. After a 5 minute poll to see what versions of Revit people are using, the team agrees to use the latest non-beta version. One team member says they're not working in Revit, but can provide DWGs. (If it's a GoToMeeting, everyone mutes their mikes and discusses amongst their own team when that one consultant plans to join the 21st Century.)

3. Whoever is running the meeting proceeds to discuss the issue of model exchange, suggesting that this happen every Friday. We all discuss it for 10-12 minutes, and decide that the architect should distribute their model every *other* Friday, staggered with the other team members. Everyone agrees not to continuously rename their models over the life of the project.

4. After another 10 minutes discussion, we all decide that we will all share coordinates with the architect's model.

5. The architect says they'd like us to put our columns and beams in a separate workset, and we agree. This is followed by a 3-minute discussion of whether the architect or structural consultant will be responsible for the floors, and the final decision is: We will each model our own floors.

6. (This is the only portion of the BIM kickoff meeting that varies) Someone asks if conflict checking will be done using Navisworks. On occasion, the architect (or contractor) says yes, and then there follows a 20 minute discussion of how the conflicts will be communicated/reviewed, as well as how often we will meet to formally resolve conflicts.

7. Whoever is hosting the meeting suggests we meet again weekly. Everyone hems-and-haws a little bit, trying not to be a whiner, until someone finally suggests that weekly is too often. We discuss this for 4 minutes, and decide that we'll meet again in 2-3 weeks, but that the architect and the [pick one: electrical/mechanical/fire] will meet separately within 3-4 days.


Hehe. I swear, Autodesk could probably save tens of millions of dollars for the industry by simply programming these decisions directly into the software.

[USMCBody]

I will say, the weekly meetings sounds like a good college idea, but then it hits the real world. Generally when a project has weekly meetings someone didn't account for that in their budget because it was a decision made after the job was awarded. Also, if you have ever worked on more than 5 projects at a time you don't have time to attend a meeting every day. Let alone try to 'make' all of your project meetings to be on separate days. Then you still have to find time to on the 'coordination' of a project and deal with updating your model, analyzing, and getting ready for next week's 'coordination' meeting. And lets not forget that we still have to do a design.... (for all you not all that familiar with the design world it is normally dramatically more than 5)

Only thing I can say is the basic Design process we had before Revit worked just fine. Use Revit to just enhance the process and Don't try to remake it. yes yes bringing the contractor in earlier to review the design is a bit new now.. And yes contractors did it in the Pre-Revit world also. Just not as much I would guess.

Just remember there is nothing new under the sun. All this 'new' stuff we are doing 'because of Revit' could have been done before Revit and was done before Revit. Revit was just a spark that started what we have now...

[USMCBody]

sorry I got off on a rant....


So Do you need a coordination meeting... yes it can help, but I've also worked on plenty of projects without one and without 'coordination' meetings and it worked just fine in the long run. Some bumps here and there but nothing that can't smooth out before the next submission. The real kicker here is what are you going to use the model for... And that will dictate what people have to model in the project and what you basically have to talk about or if you need one at all.

If it is to just make blueprints then no one really cares what you do, but the version of Revit is important. unless you want to do it in AutoCAD... and let's not forget AutoCAD still does some trades better than Revit.

You can't force upgrading on anyone. Sometimes they have a good reason.... like it just came out last week and our IT department hasn't looked at it to see if it will work on our current IT infrastructure.... Don't forget there is allot behind upgrading. Sometimes they are forced into staying back a year or 3 because of a file management software made by the same company locks them into a year..... Remember, Upgrading blindly works until it doesn't.... Also, It's always easy to run someone else's company when you don't have to face any of the consequences to your 'outside' 'easy' decision to a very hard question...

Collision detection is a good thing and would require a bit more work on all of the designers to make sure it is all in its right 3d spot.

Then there is the elephant in the room that is specific direction from the owner on how they want you to build the model or add specific meta data to the project.... Mostly you don't get adequate direction as to what is wanted for all trades and situations, but it is generally left up to the designers to figure out. Not always the case but it can be a frustrating process to price and plan for...