BIM File Management, Frustrations and Solutions?

[grantandersonvdc]

Hey there AUGI!

I'm starting a VDC department up for a regional General Contractor and we're starting to get the overwhelming mass of project BIM files for a couple of our projects. As a department of one, I'm tasked with doing clash detection and coordinating the designs, but instead, I am finding a lot of my time is spent shepherding downloaded files to their new home or to their new form. One example:

1. Design uses BIM360, so every revision they make must be downloaded to my local computer/network to our internal company files
2. Each of those Revit Files (of which there can be 10 in any given download), must be opened, view formatted (hiding annotations/analysis or certain worksets and links), and exported to a .nwc file in a Navisworks folder we have for the project.
3. Our company uses Procore to host files to give-to and receive-from our subcontractors (who create their own fabrication models that I have to download and bring into the model, just like design), so I must reupload the design files to Procore for subcontractor's access. (No, design only wants to work with one point of contact, me, for file access)

I've found some solutions that will sync Procore, BIM360, and local folders but none that also automate the exporting process. This exporting process can take forever and is tedious.

How have you guys solved BIM file management in your company? What programs do you use? Are you manually exporting all of these files one-by-one to prep your coordination models? How much time is that taking? Is the intern doing it?

Replies from GC's will be most appreciated but I'm gunning for any feedback from the community. While I'd like to have everyone on the same system, that's just not happening from a contract standpoint and I'm sick and tired of watching loading bars all day, I just want to get to work!

Very VERY many thanks for your time and help,
Grant

[CAtDiva]

One thought on item 2: Develop [a] View Template(s) that show[s] what you want for your coordination view(s), then send those settings to the design team and request they create views with the view templates applied for this purpose. Once set up, they should not need to touch them again, but those views will be there and ready when you download the file. Then all you have to do is the NWC export. As an architectural model manager, I would have not objection to this type of request.
If they balk, still create the View Template(s) in a company template file, then you can use TPS to import them into the downloaded file, create your view(s) and apply the View Template(s). The goal with using View Templates is to not have to remember everything to hide each time.