Securing your Revit Project

[cadman6735]

How do you secure your Revit file when sending your model out to a consultant or contractor?

Is there a way to lock down the model so it cannot be modified by an outside source or worst yet having your file stolen as in you are doing a proposal and the customer decides to hand of your model to a competitor?

Have these security issues been addressed?


Thanks

[greg.mcdowell]

About as much as they were in AutoCAD which is to say not at all.

If you don't want someone to be able to alter a file then you can't give it to them in an alterable file format. If this is critical you'll need to explore using 3D-DWF or Navisworks.

They're the only two apps I can think of that maintain some intelligence without authoribility.

[armbarsalot]

thats not bim.

if you can give the client/contractors low res documents that would be some measure of security, doesn't mean they can't scan it & redraw.

i'm in the share everything camp, give them the model & then some. i am preparing a site that gives all families, projects & the kitchen sink to anybody who wants it.

[cliff collins]

Try sending a 3D DWF. The end users can use Autodesk Design Review to view, check areas calcs, slice sections thru the model, do digital mark-ups, etc.

They can not edit/change the model. And the intillectual property is secured (somewhat.)

Part of your question would involve your contractual agreements---the AIA has introduced
new contracts recently for using/sharing BIM. Your firm should be looking at this carefully,
and perhaps develop new contracts before sending your BIM info out the door.

Cheers......

[cadman6735]

Well, in ACAD we bind all our files into one file which did not give them access to our xref files as xrefs, so if the outside source wanted to modify anything then we had definite proof that this was not the contract documents for construction.

We have already lost one job to the customer giving our Revit model to a competitor and they took our model changed it and got the job from our hard work. We are not in the boat of sharing our designs for someone else to make money from.

If they want to scan and redraw then this is work that they have to do them self and their time spent. I object to someone taking my work and making the money from my time spent.


This will be a issue with the firm I work for. We have already been burned by this...

[cadman6735]

Cliff,

thank you for your reply I will look into your suggestions...

[Devin_82]

This is definitely a Legal/Contractual discussion. BIM is sharing, that is what it is all about. Like Cliff said, check out the AIA documentation. I don’t wholly agree with armbarsalot, however. If I create something custom for my company and someone else wants to use it, I (my company) need to be compensated for that time. Its all about sharing, the key for me though is mutual respect. You are free to use our stuff for this project, just don’t steal it and use it as your own.

[cadman6735]

Unfortunately, in our case not just a family was used but the whole project was "stolen"... In a naive attempt to dazzle the client with the Prowers of Revit and what it could do, the customer shared the file with another firm who took our model as a start point modified it and was awarded the job. Now I don't know what the higher ups of my company did about it, I am not a higher up, I was just told not to let it happen again. So in a roundabout way the finger had to be pointed and I got the finger.


Now everyone is saying "Revit is about sharing"... I have to ask the question, sharing what? I am of the impression that Revit is about a better design tool, faster turnaround, when making a revision you make it in one spot instead of 20. It is about a better way to manage your project, time and schedule elements for quick cost analyst with a good render package for a sales tool.

This forum is about sharing, sharing knowledge, not project designs. I don't agree with armbarsalot at all.


But I do thank all for the knowledge you share and hope to return the favor as and when I see a question that I can help with but until then Revit is not about sharing, it is about a better way to do your work. But that is just my opinion and I am still limping from my A$$ chewing. So right now I am a bit bias.

[dgreen.49364]

This is an issue that I do not believe has any hard line rules. I would second the DWF route. Creating a 3d DWF file is a great way to share information without actually sharing the Revit model. I would not give the Revit model to a client until the project has been built.

[cliff collins]

Check out Integrated Project Delivery.

Things are rapidly changing in the way projects are delivered, and BIM/Revit
is a key factor--but more importantly there are required changes in the roles and responsibilities of the Owner, Contractor and Architect--which will make use of new
contracts which allow for a collaborative union. The project becomes an actual legal
entity--and LLC, in which all are stakeholders.

So--the BIM model will become shared among the team members more freely--but with a strong legal arrangement in place and mutually agreed upon and understood requirements.

cheers...

[ajayholland]

So in a roundabout way the finger had to be pointed and I got the finger.

LOL!!!

Revit is not only about sharing; it is also about trust!

It is a contractural matter, and the firm that "stole" your work should be concerned about their liability and their ethics.