Vico Office R3.0 Help

Transcription

1 1 Vico Office R3.0 Help User guide

2 2 Contents

3 3 Vico Office R3.0 Help Revision 1

4 4 Vico Office Introduction Welcome to Vico Office, Vico's integrated Virtual Construction environment. The Vico Office Suite consists of a core module and a set of discipline-specific application modules. Each Vico Office application shares access to the same, integrated, project database, which ensures that a change in one place is reflected everywhere. The User Interface across all modules is consistent, predictable, and highly visual. As a result users can quickly learn and use the system, moreover they retain their knowledge over extended periods of non-use. The Vico Office Environment supports the varied disciplines involved in the planning and management of complex building construction projects. And it supports them at a number of contextual levels that vary according to the user, the project phase, and the task at hand. These levels are called Explore, Plan, Control, and Manage. So whether you are a cost planner working on a schematic-phase estimate, or a project engineer re-forecasting the schedule midway through construction, the Vico Office Environment delivers the right tools in the right context at the right time. The Vico Office Suite is comprised of applications, or modules, that address specific disciplines or areas of interest across the project team. With the Vico Office Client as platform, Vico Office R3 contains the Takeoff Manager, Cost Planner, Cost Explorer, Constructability Manager, LBS Manager, Schedule Planner and 4D Manager modules. The Vico Office Client is the central access point for models and model information. From here the user

5 creates a project, manages the versions of published models coming into that project, performs reporting, and accomplishes viewing, navigation, and other filtering/selection. The Vico Office Client also contains read-only views for Cost Planner and Constructability Manager. Vico Takeoff Manager performs automated quantity takeoff from the model. The user creates takeoff items, visually verifies model elements included in the quantities, and manually subtracts or adds model elements in quantity calculations. Vico Cost Planner provides integrated cost calculation functionality in the Vico Office environment. Takeoff Items, both manual and model-based, can be used as quantity input in the n-tiered cost calculation spreadsheet. Changes between cost plan versions can be analyzed in Vico Cost Explorer, which graphically presents the cost breakdown structure and uses colors to indicate the status of groups of cost. Published models can be checked for constructability issues in Vico Constructability Manager. This module provides clash detection, constructability workflow and markup functionality. The current status of a project's construcability review work can be published by generating a constructability report that contains all recorded construcability issues with the report editor. Vico LBS Manager provides the tools that let users define a location structure, consisting of any combination of floors and zones, in their Vico Office project. The defined location structure has no relation with the locations that were defined in the authoring BIM application, which makes it possible to define and maintain a uniform location structure for all project information published to the Vico Office Project. Vico Schedule Planner introduces the integrated location-based quantity and cost to schedule connection in Vico Office. Using Vico Schedule Planner, users can integrate model-based quantity takeoff information from Vico Takeoff Manager with resource quantities from Vico Cost Planner and project locations from Vico LBS Manager. Schedules created with Schedule Planner are quantity and location-based and optimized for continuous flow and minimized risk using Flowline technology. 4D Manager lets users define 4D simulations, using the schedule, cost and model information created with Takeoff Manager, Cost Planner and Schedule Planner. 5

6 6 Vico Office Workflow The basic Vico Office R3 workflow consists of 15 steps, starting at creation of a project and ending with reporting. Create a project in the My Dashboard view. Define settings for the project, including units of measurement in the Project Settings. Open one or more models in Revit, ArchiCAD or Tekla and publish to the Vico Office project, or import files into Vico Office. Activate a version of published models, specify Takeoff Item creation Rules and let Office calculate element quantities in Model Manager. Detect and process clashes and constructability issues with Constructability Manager. Analyze quantity takeoff per Takeoff Item, create new Takeoff Items and (re)assign model elements in the Takeoff Model view set. Check and enter quantities per model Location in the Manage Takeoff view. Calculate project resource quantities and cost with Takeoff Items for quantity input and References for standard content in the Plan Cost view set. Define Tags for cost estimating content in the project for sorting and filtering purposes. Analyze cost status and compare against project targets in the Explore Cost view. Define floors, zones and optimized location breakdown structures per trade with LBS Manager. Define tasks and schedule logic, assign crews and optimize the schedule with Schedule Planner. Compare versions of the project to previous versions or other projects with Compare & Update.

7 7 Import data from project data sources such as cost plans, quantity takeoffs and targets using Excel spreadsheet files in Excel Import. Use the extracted quantities, created cost plan(s) and detected constructability issues to generate reports for project or project by Location in the Report Editor.

8 8 Office User Interface Vico Office's User Interface is generally divided into four major components. This includes the Workflow Panel from which an action based View or Viewset can be accessed to perform the action implied work. Each View or Viewset in turn will be complimented with its own Ribbon menu and or selected Palettes that will provide you with dedicated tools to perform the tasks at hand.

9 9 Main Office UI Components Ribbon All Workflow Items have context sensitive Ribbon menus for each of the Views activated in Viewsets. The active View prompts a set of tools and options intended for the selected tasks to be performed. Workflow Panel The Workflow Panel predefines the recommended sequence of the tasks that can be performed with the set of building information that is integrated in Vico Office. It is designed to provide guidance in the steps that you should take, starting with the definition of a new project and ending with the creation of a report. Each Vico Office Module will add a specific set of actions to the workflow panel.

10 10 View or Viewset When you select a Workflow Item, a dedicated View or a split screen combination Viewset is activated. You can work in the default view or choose to work in a custom multi-task viewset that lets you size, restructure, and view any combination of available views. Palettes A View or Viewset may have designated palettes available that will aid you to organize project information via filters and view properties of selected elements. The Filtering Palette contains the tools to filter the 3D View based on properties of the BIM Elements. The Properties Palette

11 displays the properties of the selected elements so that they can be analyzed and or edited. 11

12 12 Workflow Panel The Workflow Panel predefines the steps needed to work within the integrated Vico Office environment. The Workflow Panel is organized in similar task oriented sections: Workflow Groups. Each Workflow Group contains Workflow Items that open dedicated Views or View Sets. Each Vico Office Module provides a dedicated set of actions or Workflow Items targeted to help you perform your project objectives from cost and quantity analysis to control scheduling. When the required license is available on your system, you can right-click on the Workflow Panel header to select the Workflow Panel layout that best matches the task that you are working on.

13 13 The Vico Office Client Workflow Panel is activated when only the Vico Office Client module is selected. It contains all the actions necessary to define projects, combine BIM models, manage model versions and create reports. The Constructability Manager Workflow Panel contains workflow groups and items for constructability analysis of the activated project models. The Takeoff Manager Workflow Panel becomes available when the Takeoff Manager module is active, and contains the Workflow Items for visualization and analysis of model-based Takeoff Items and Takeoff Quantities, in addition to the Vico Office Client Workflow Items. The Cost Planner Planner Workflow Panel contains workflow items for quantity takeoff, cost exploring and cost calculation. The Cost Explorer Workflow Panel contains, on top of the Vico Office Client Workflow Items, views for Target Costing and Cost Comparisons. With the LBS Manager Workflow Panel, workflow items for defining Locations and Location Systems will appear. The Schedule Planner Workflow Panel contains the workflow items for creating and managing Tasks, and for planning the project schedule. The 4D Manager Workflow Panel is activated with the 4D Manager module and has workflow items for creation and playback of 4D simulations.

14 14 My Dashboard The Dashboard view lets you manage your projects, pack and unpack projects, and preview project information. You can think of the Dashboard as a project control center which allows you to easily switch between projects and project specific information available via the Workflow Panel. The information available in views, via all the Workflow Items is dependent on the currently opened project in your dashboard.

15 15 Dashboard UI New Project Select New Project to create and add a new project to the Vico Office database. When you create a new project, you can immediately share it with other project team members connected to the same database. At creation, the project will be available from the external BIM applications Tekla, ArchiCAD, and Revit.

16 16 Open Project When you select the Open button from the Project Dashboard you will be able to access the information of the selected project via the Workflow Items. After opening, available Models can be Activated and viewed in the Model Manager view. Detailed Takeoff data can be reviewed for the Active models in the Takeoff Manager view. Close Project Select the Close Project button to close out of the currently opened project in your Project Dashboard. You must close out of an opened project before you can open another project. Delete Project Select Delete to discard any of the existing projects in your Project Dashboard. Note that this operation cannot be undone. All stored project information will be permanently discarded from your database. Pack Project With the Pack function, Vico Office packs and stores the currently selected project with its active Database components into a compressed and portable file. You can use this method to create a file that can be saved to a portable disk or sent electronically; for example, to another team member or client who is working outside of the network. Unpack Project

17 17 You can open a packed project file by selecting the Unpack function. This function adds the packed project to your collection of projects in the Dashboard. This will then allow you to open and view the project information at the state that it had when it was backed up. Using Pack and Unpack, you can view stored project data in Vico Office for sharing, reference or backup purposes. Projects List All projects are listed and stored in the Project List. The currently opened project is shown with a green dot. License Server The License Server field indicates which computer is currently providing the license or licenses to use the selected Office Module or Modules. By default, the License Server is set to your own computer. You can click the Select Server button to select a computer in the network that hosts floating licenses for any Modules that you don't have a local license for. Server Name In the Database Server field, you can accept the default local server (your computer's name) or browse to select a computer in the network on which your company's Vico Office database will be stored. By default the server name is set to the name of your computer, since this is where the database is located that Office connects to after installation. Code The Code field allows you to assign a code to your project. Click on the field header to sort the projects based on values in this column. Project Name The Project Name field allows you to define a name for the selected project. Click on the field header to sort your projects alphabetically.

18 18 Type The Type field allows you to enter and assign a project 'type' to your project, to later help you sort and find similar projects. Click on the field header to sort the projects by this field. Created When you create a new project, a time and date stamp is automatically generated and displayed in the Created field as a historical record of your project. If desired, you can sort your project in your Dashboard by this property by clinking on the header. Last Edited A time and date stamp will automatically be generated in the Last Edited field each time the project is updated and modified. Project Image The Project Image area will display the Project Image uploaded in the Project Settings view.

19 19 > Creating a New Project How to Create a New Project: 1. To open a new project select the New Project button from the Ribbon or from the Dashboard View. 2. In the Project List area, a new project line will be added. You will first be prompted to type in the desired Project Name. After typing in the project name, Office will generate a time stamp in the Created and Last Edited fields. 3. You can then decide to type in the project Code and Type if desired. The Code fields will allow you to categorize your projects numerically while the Type field will allow you to sort similar projects. 4. With the project created in your Dashboard, you can then proceed to defining your project settings in the Define Settings workflow item.

20 20 > Packing and Unpacking How to Pack a Project: 1. To pack a project make sure to first select the desired project to be packed from the project list in the Dashboard. 2. Click on the Pack Project icon from the Dashboard Ribbon menu. 3. Office will present a standard window browser from which you can define a file name as well as specify a folder location for the project to be packed and saved. 4. After clinking Save, the packing process will begin. A 'Please wait while Vico Office is Packing the Project Data' message will appear and will be removed when your project has been successfully packed. How to Unpack a Project: 1. Select the Unpack Project icon from the Dashboard Ribbon menu.

21 21 2. Browse and select the file to unpack and click Open. 3. A message ' Please wait while Vico Office is Unpacking the Project Data' will appear and be removed when your project has been successfully unpacked. 4. Office stores the unpacked project in your database. After completion of this process, you can Open the project in the Dashboard view to access all the stored project data.

22 22 How to Change to a Network Database: > Selecting a Database Server 1. In the My Dashboard view, select the Server Name button to initiate the process of switching project databases from the default database created on your computer to another machine in your network. 2. In the Select Host dialog, select the radio button that corresponds to the Network Host. This will switch the database from a Local to a Network host location. Browse to the computer that contains to the database that you want to connect to. 3. You and your project team can now work off the same network location designated to store the latest project database and information.

23 23 > Selecting a License Server How to Select a License Server: 1. In the My Dashboard View, click on the Select Server button. 2. Office will open the Select Host dialog, in which you can select to use a Network Host to provide you with licenses. From the list of available computers that appears, select the computer that hosts the license server and click OK. 3. Vico Office will now check the License Server for available licenses for the module or modules that you activate in the Module Selector.

24 24 Define Settings When you select the Define Settings Workflow Item, Vico Office will open the Project Settings View. This View allows you to input and customize project information such as Project Details, Customer Information, and Units of Measurement. The Units of Measurement settings will be applied to Takeoff Quantities when a model is activated and Takeoff Items are generated. The units selected in in this View will then automatically be assigned to new Takeoff Quantities. All entered information in the Project Settings view is available for reporting purposes and lets you for example include a company logo in your reports.

25 25 Define Settings UI Project Code The Project Code field allows you to assign or edit a project code. Field data is the same as the Code field in the My Dashboard View. Project Name The Project Name field allows you to assign and or edit a project name. Field data is the same as the Project Name field in the My Dashboard View. Project Type The Project Type field allows you to assign or edit a project code with unlimited number or characters. Assigning a Project Type will help you to quickly find similar projects by sorting them

26 26 in the My Dashboard view based on this property. Project Address The Project Address field allows you to enter address information in the given text box and can be used for reporting purposes later. Company Logo Insert your Company Logo. Use the browse button to find and select a company image to be associated with the project. You can include the inserted logo in your reports later. Company In the Company text box, you can enter your client's company name. Contact Type in the Client's primary personal contact name in the given Contact text box. Type in the address of the primary project contact in the given text box. Address Type in the mailing Address of the primary Contact in the given text box. System The System pulldown menu lets you choose the preferred units of measurement that you plan to implement to all your Takeoff Quantities. You can choose between the Imperial or Metric system. The available options for Length, Area and Volume will be adjusted based on this selection. The Takeoff Manager view will adjust all quantity units according to your unit selection made in this field. If no units are selected, Imperial units will be applied by default. Length

27 27 The Length unit pulldown menu lets you choose the preferred length units you plan to implement throughout your Takeoff quantities. The Takeoff Manager view will adjust all Length quantities according to the unit selection made in this field. If no units are selected, the default Imperial Length units (feet and fractional inches) will be applied to all Takeoff Quantities. Area The Area unit pulldown menu lets you choose the preferred area units you plan to implement throughout your Takeoff quantities. The Takeoff Manager view will adjust all Area quantities according to the unit selection made in this field. If no units are selected, the default Area units (Square Feet) will be applied to all Takeoff Quantities. Volume The Volume unit pulldown menu allows you to choose the preferred volume units you plan to implement throughout your Takeoff Quantities. The Takeoff Manager view will adjust all Volume quantities according to the unit selection made in this field. If no units are selected, the default Volume units (Cubic Yards) will be applied to all model geometry and calculations. Color Scheme Color Schemes are used to easily recognize project and Reference information in the User Interface. Select the color scheme for the project from the selection dropdown. Project Server A default Reference for a project can be selected from any Vico Office database. Specify the

28 computer (Server) with the database that contains Reference information you want to use here. By default, the server is set to the local computer. 28 Reference Selection and Color Scheme The default Reference is the project, or set of standard data, that will be opened when you first open the Reference Browser or the Project and Reference viewset. A Reference can be any completed project or a project that contains standard cost information of your company (often referred to as 'Library'). Select any of the projects in the selected database server and specify a Color Scheme to easily recognize Reference data in the User Interface. Project Image Upload a Project Image that you would like to associate with the active project. The selected image will be presented in the My Dashboard View when you select the project in the Project List. Decimal Settings The Decimal Settings allow you to define the number of digits that you would like to see after the decimal symbol. You can specify this for quantity data, cost values, consumption values and measurements. See also the Defining Number of Decimals topic.

29 29 How to Define Units of Measurement: > Defining Units of Measurement Defining your Units of Measurement in the Project Settings view is a very important step that should be completed before the activation of the first project model in Office. 1. Select the Define Settings Workflow Item from the Project Workflow Group. 2. Under the Units of Measurement settings you can find four pulldown menus. The selection of the System determines which units are presented for Length, Area and Volume. Choose either 'Imperial' or 'Metric'. 3. Next, select the desired unit for Length, Area and Volume in the corresponding pulldown menus. Selections for the three dimensions determine which units will be used for Takeoff Quantities in Takeoff Items, presented in the Takeoff Manager Views. 4. After defining your preferred Units of Measurement, you can begin the process of Publishing and Activating Models. Note that the available Takeoff Quantities are specified per element type. To see the available TOQ's per element type, please refer to the Quantities and Units section. Note: The Units of Measurement can only be defined before activation of the first model in the project. Any changes after the first model activation will not affect any of the content in the project.

30 30 > Selecting a Reference How to select a Default Reference for your project Using a Reference is a powerful way to either reuse information from an earlier project, or to copy cost Assemblies and Components from a standard set of data. You can specify which project or standard dataset that you have in your database by specifying it from the Project Reference area in the Project Settings view. 1. Select the Define Settings Workflow Item from the Project Workflow Group. 2. Select the server that contains the database with the cost data you want to use. By default this is set to your own computer; click the Browse button to specify a location on the network. 3. Select a project from the list of projects that exist in the selected database from the Project Name combo. 4. Specify a Color Scheme, which will help you recognize Reference data in the user interface. The color scheme will be used in the Reference Browser and Project & Reference view set. Note: you can always select any other project from any other database to copy data to your current project after specifying the default Reference and while working on your project.

31 31 > Defining Number of Decimals How to define the number of digits after the decimal: With this setting, the number representation of the various types of numerical values in Vico Office can be defined. 1. Select the Define Settings Workflow Item from the Project Workflow Group. The activated view contains an area where number of decimals can be defined per type of numerical value: 2. Specify a number of digits for decimals for each of the numerical value types by clicking on the up or down arrows. Cost and quantity data will appear with the new settings when switching to a view that holds this type of information.

32 32 Edit Tags Tags are attributes of Cost Items (Components and Assemblies) and can be used for categorizing and filtering estimating content, as well as for storing properties that are needed in addition to the data fields that are standard available. Tags are not specific to any certain view, but find its most typical use in the Spreadsheet view, where they can be presented as desired in dedicated columns. Each Tag has a list of possible values and a default value, which can be defined in the Tag Editor. The Tag Editor contains a number of Tags and Tag Values that cannot be edited or removed, because they are required for Vico Office functionality. The 'Cost Type' Tag is an example - it is used for determining the default markup percentage for Components and is therefore part of the System Tag Category.

33 33 Edit Tags UI The Edit Tags view allows for editing existing (system) Tags and defining new Tags and Tag Values, which can be used to further specify Assemblies and Components in the Plan Cost viewset. New Category The New Category button adds a new category of Tags to the project. By default, one category is included in Vico Office, the System Category. This category contains all Tags that are used by Vico Office functions and cannot be deleted. New Tag

34 34 With the New Tag button, a new Tag can be added to the project. Tags can be assigned to cost estimating content (Assemblies and Components) and displayed in the 'Plan Cost' view as a column. Add Value Values are predefined entries that can be selected for Components and Assemblies. With the Add Value button, new values can be added to a Tag system. Delete Selected The Delete Selected button allows for removing a selected Category, Tag or Tag Value, except for the System Categories, Tags and Tag Values. Reference Project By selecting a Reference Project, Tags and Tag Values can be copied from another Vico Office project.

35 35 How to add a new Tag Category to your project > Defining a New Tag Category Tag Categories are used to organize the collection of Tags in your project. New Tag Categories can be created and edited at any time with the Tag Editor. The System Tag Category contains Tags that cannot be edited and/or removed because they are needed for Vico Office functionality. 1. Select the Edit Tags Workflow Item from the Content Planner Workflow Group. 2. Click the Add Category button to add a new Tag Category to your project. 3. Office adds the new Category and assigns a temporary name to it. Click on the Category to change its name. 4. You have now created a new, empty, Tag Category. Use the Add Tag function to start adding new Tags and Tag Values into the new Category.

36 36 > Defining a New Tag with Tag Values How to add a new Tag and define new Tag Values for it Tag Values are the variables that can be predefined for Tags, the attributes of information that exists in Vico Office. A Tag can have an unlimited number of predefined Tag Values, which can also be extended 'on the fly', by entering custom values in the Plan Cost view. 1. Start the Edit Tags view from the Content Planner Workflow Group. 2. Select the Category to which you would like add the new Tag. 3. Click on the Add Tag button - a new Tag will be added in the selected Category and a default name is assigned to it. 4. Click the new Tag to change its name. 5. Next, add the default set of values that you would like to have available to select from when defining the property of this Tag in your project. 6. Right-click and select Insert New Value from the Tag Editor Context Menu.

37 37 7. Office adds a new value to the list of predefined Tag Values for the selected Tag. Click on the Value Cell to specify a name for the new Tag Value. If desired, you also enter a Description for the new Tag Value. 8. Repeat these steps until your Tag contains all typical values that you would like to have available when assigning the property to your Office content.

38 38 How to define a hierarchical Tag structure > Defining Hierarchical Tag Structures Hierarchical Tag structures are very helpful for defining Tag Values for a Tag that has several layers of classification values, such as the Uniformat II or CSI Masterformat cost classification systems. Office supports the definition of these Tag Values through creation of Parent - Child relations between Tag Values, in which the Parent value is located on the higher hierarchy level and the Child value on the lower hierarchy level. 1. Start the Edit Tags view from the Content Planner Workflow Group. 2. Select the Category to which you would like add the new Tag. 3. Add new Tag ValueS on what will be level 1 of your tag structure, by clicking the Add Tag Value Button or right-clicking and selecting Insert New Value from the context menu. Also include a Description for the name of the defined classification code. 4. Next, right-click on a value and select Insert New Value as Child from the Context Menu.

39 39 5. Office inserts a new Tag Value inside the selected Tag Value. Click the new Tag Value to change its name. 6. Alternatively, you can click the Add Tag Value Button and enter in the Parent Cell the code of the Tag Value that you want the new Tag Value to be a child value of. Click on the Select Parent ( ) button to open the list of already defined Tag Values. 7. Working from level to level, nesting classification values with Parent - Child relations, you can define your hierarchical classification structure, which can later be used for sorting, filtering and comparison purposes.

40 40 > Specifying the Use of a Tag How to specify with which content a Tag can be used Office allows you to specify for which type of content a defined Tag should be available, to avoid seeing all Tags in your project in all selection interfaces. 1. In the Edit Tags view, select the Tag for which you want to define the use. 2. Office shows a Properties pop-up button next to the Tag definition. 3. Click the Properties button. 4. Office presents the Edit Tag dialog.

41 41 5. In the Apply to: section, select the content for which you want the selected Tag to be available. Selecting Components will make the Tag available as a Column in the Plan Cost spreadsheet view. Note: Target Costs, Tasks, Locations, Takeoff Items and Models are not Tag enabled, yet.

42 42 Publish to Vico The Publish to Vico process is a key part of the Vico Office workflow. The first step to publishing a BIM model into Vico Office is to open a Building Information Model in one the supported CAD applications: Autodesk Revit 2010 and 2011 (Architecture, MEP and Structure) Tekla Structures 15 and 16 ArchiCAD 13 and 14 Vico Constructor 2008 For each of the BIM applications, Vico Office will install an add-on. This add-on will introduce a Publish to Vico item to the applications' user interface. When selected, the Select Vico Office Project dialog will allow you to select the project and specific model location. After selecting the project and desired model location, the Publish to Vico Office progress bar will be presented. The Vico Add-On application extracts all model element geometry data and stores it in the Vico Office database. When the publishing process is completed, you can Activate the Model in the Model Manager Viewset. During the Model Activation process, an initial set of Takeoff Items and Takeoff Quantities will be generated based on model element geometry and properties stored in the project during the publish operation.

43 43 Publish to Vico Office UI Database Server The Database Server is by default set to the Vico Office database that is running on the user's computer. However, there is an option to publish to a project that is stored in a database that exists on another computer in the network. Click the browse button to specify that computer's name. Select Project The Select Project tree list arranges the selection options by projects and then by the existing models within a selected project. If no previous model exists under a specific project, you can choose the Add New Model option. In the event you would like to publish an updated version for an earlier published Model, first find and select the project and the Model from the selection tree. When you choose to perform an update of a previous Model and not a new Model publish, a version number will be assigned to the selected Model's name. The previous Model version will not be replaced, but a new Model version with the assigned number will appear in the Model

44 44 Manager when the publish process is completed.

45 45 How to Publish a Model into Vico Office: > Publishing a Model Condition: At least one project has been created in Office. If not, please refer to the Create a New Project example. 1. In your selected CAD application, select the Publish to Vico from the Vico Office add-on menu. Note: in Tekla Structures, the Publish to Vico function is started by pressing the <Ctrl> + <F> key combination to start the Component Catalog. In the Component Catalog, select the Plugins category and click on the VicoExportPlugin item that appears in the list. 2. The Select Vico Office Project dialog will be presented. If needed, Browse for the correct specify the Database Server in your network to which your project information should be published. In the Select a Project list, expand the Vico Office node to find your project. In the example below, only one project has been created thus far in Vico Office. Also note that only the Create a New Model option is available, because this is the first time that the model is published to Vico Office. Select the same Model if you would like to publish a new version of an earlier published Model! Select the Create a New Model so that its highlighted and click on the Publish button to begin the model publishing process. Vico Office will process and store the model information via the extraction of element geometry and properties.

46 46 3. The Exporting Model Information progress bar will notify you of the publishing status and will be removed when it was successful. 4. In the next step, you can proceed to Vico Office and Activate the published model in the Model Manager Viewset.

47 47 How to Publish an updated Model Version: > Publishing a Model Version You can update Model-Based project information in Vico Office by publishing a new version of a Model that you published to Vico Office before. When you choose to publish as a new version of an earlier published Model, the work that you performed with the Model by reassigning Elements to other Takeoff Items and manually overriding quantities, will be maintained. 1. In your selected CAD application, repeat the Publish to Vico operation from the Vico Office add-on menu. From the Select Vico Office Project dialog, find and select the project to which you want to publish the updated model version. Expanding the project node will reveal all existing models already published under that particular project. 2. Select the model to which you plan to update the quantities and geometry. Initiating the publishing operation of a new model version involves verifying unchanged model geometry while processing the changes and saving them to your database. 3. After the publishing process is complete, you can then open the Model Manager viewset to Activate and update the model version. An exclamation mark icon will be shown to indicate that a newer model version exists. By default the New Model Version indicator will be shown as long as the newest version is not active. Note that the new model versions will be sorted based on the original publish order, from the oldest to the newest.

48 48 Manage Models The Manage Models workflow item opens the Model Manager Viewset. There are three main steps in the model management process: 1. Publish to Vico your model from one of the three supported BIM applications Constructor, Revit or Tekla. 2. In Vico Office's Model Manager view, you can view a list of published models currently available for the opened project. Activate the models or model versions. 3. Specify the Takeoff Item creation rules. The model activation process means that Takeoff Items are created based on the properties selected in step 3. For every created Takeoff Item, Vico's quantity extraction algorithms are executed to analyze the geometry and to extract the appropriate element quantities, which results in a set of Takeoff Quantities per Takeoff Item. The available properties for the Takeoff Item creation rules vary per application; please see the ArchiCAD Model Activation, Revit Model Activation, and Tekla Model Activation sections for more information in regards to the specific TOI creation rules.

49 49 Model Manager UI Model All Models that are published to Vico Office are presented in the Model Manager view. The Model takes the CAD file name in Office when published for the first time; a BIM Application Indicator reflects the source application of the Model. Each time an update for the same Model is Published to Vico Office, a new version will be added to the Model. The Active column reflects wheter a Model and/or Model Version is active. Models can be removed from the quantity takeoff by Deactivating the model. This will remove the model from both the 3D View and from the Takeoff calculations. Model Version Every time you 'Publish to Vico Office' from the same model (or from a different Model but to the same Model in Office), a new Model Version will be added to the Model under the same name.

50 50 The new model version will be named with the following structure: version 'n' Model name (which is based on the CAD file name). The 'n' will reflect the version number, based on the model publishing order. Only one Model Version can be active at a time for each model. Activate Model The Activate Model option can be accessed from the ribbon menu or from the right click context menu. Applying this option to the selected model version will activate the currently selected model version and deactivate the previously active model version if applicable. When the model is activated the active model version will be displayed in the adjoining 3D view. Deactivate Model The Deactivate Model option can be accessed from the ribbon menu or from the right-click context menu. Click on Deactivate Model to remove the active status of an active Model Version. By deactivating a Model, the Model will be removed from the 3D View. Related Takeoff Item and Takeoff Quantity information will also be removed from the Takeoff View. Create Takeoff Items With the Create Takeoff Items function, you can automatically create new Takeoff Items for the project based on property based rules that you define in the Takeoff Creation Settings dialog. You can choose to create new Takeoff Items for all Elements in the Model, or only for those that are currently not assigned to any Takeoff Item (and thus not contributing to the Quantity Takeoff of the project). Importers

51 51 Models created in CAD-Duct, SketchUp, AutoCAD (3D) or any other BIM tool that can save IFC files can be imported into Vico Office using the applicable Importer. CAD-Duct files are imported through IFCxml files created from CAD-Duct using the IFCe command from the CAD-Duct command line. New Model Version Indicator The New Model Version Indicator is presented in the model column as a yellow exclamation mark icon. The indicator notifies you that a newer Model Version exists for the indicated Model. The New Model Version Indicator icon will disappear once the latest model version is activated. Status Indicator The Status Indicator displays a green check mark when a model and its model version are active in the 3D view and Takeoff. There are four status modes that can be read from this column, with four corresponding status icons: Empty cell the Version was never activated Green Check Mark an active Version Grey Check Mark a Version which was deactivated Yellow Check Mark the Version of the Model that was last deactivated BIM Application Indicator

52 52 The BIM Application Indicator is an icon that is presented as a Model property to reflect the model's CAD model source application.

53 53 > Activating a Model How to Activate a Model: 1. After successfully publishing a model to Vico Office, you can start using this published model for your project. To do this, first openthe corresponding project in your Dashboard and then make sure you defined the Units of Measurement in the Project Settings view. 2. Next, open the Model Manager Viewset with the Manage Models Workflow Item in the Model Management Workflow Group. 3. Find and select the Model and Model Version from the list of available Models in Models Manager. Select the plus icon to reveal previously published model versions. Hover over and select the desired Model Version to activate. The selected model version will be indicated by an orange cell to the far left. Right-click and select the Activate option from the context menu or select the Activate icon from the Ribbon. The Activation is a two step process that is also dependent on you defining the Takeoff rules needed to generate the Takeoff Items based on CAD Model specific information defined in ArchiCAD, Revit, and Tekla. Step 1:

54 54 Step 2: 4. After selecting the desired Takeoff Item rules, the Model activation is completed when the published Model Version is shown the 3D View and the Active column in the Model Manager displays a green checkmark. In Takeoff Manager, the Takeoff Items and Takeoff Quantity

55 information associated with the active model version will then be available for quantity takeoff calculations. 55

56 56 > Deactivating a Model How to Deactivate a Model: 1. Select an Active model or model version. The selected model or model version will be indicated by an orange cell to the far left. 2. Right-click and select Deactivate from the context menu or click on the Deactivate button in the Ribbon. 3. Upon selecting the Deactivate function, a warning dialog will be prompted. Deactivating a model or version will remove the quantities from the Takeoff Items and the Takeoff Quantities. Click either the Deactivate button to continue or select Cancel to terminate the deactivation process. If you choose to continue, Office will present a 'Deactivating Model' progress dialog. 4. When the the deactivation process is completed, the Active Model Version checkmark is replaced with a grey checkmark. This indicates that the Elements in the Model are no longer included in the current Takeoff.

57 The TOI's and TOQ's will always be available for restoration if you choose to reactivate the Model Version. The Yellow check mark will always be applied to the last activated version in a deactivated model. 57

58 58 > Importing a Model How to import a CAD-Duct, AutoCAD (3D), SketchUp or IFC file into Vico Office With a license for the any of the 4 Importers (CAD-Duct, AutoCAD, SketchUp and IFC) you can import BIM projects saved in the respective file formats into your Vico Office project. 1. Start the Manage Models Workflow Item and click on the applicable button in the Ribbon. 2. Select the desired model file and click the Open button in the Import File dialog. 3. Next, select Add New Model (or an existing model if the model was imported earlier), and click Import. The model is now added to your Vico Office project as if it were published from a BIM application. 4. When the import procedure is completed, a new model is added to the list of models in your project.

59 59 5. Right-click and select Activate to show the model in your project and to extract the quantities. Select the desired options for creation of the Takeoff Items, then click the Activate button. 6. The model is now active and ready for use in your Vico Office project.

60 60 ArchiCAD TOI Creation Settings UI Element Type Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted by ArchiCAD Element Type such as Wall, Column or Slab. Layer Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted based on Layer Names you defined in ArchiCAD. ID Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted based on assigned Element ID's. MEP System Property Check this box if you want MEP Takeoff Items to be sorted by the MEP System Property values you assigned to MEP elements. MEP Manufacturer and Model Check this box if you want the MEP Takeoff Items to be created and sorted based on MEP Manufacturing and Model property values that were assigned to MEP elements such as equipment and fixtures.

61 61 How to generate ArchiCAD based Takeoff Items: > Creating ArchiCAD TOI's 1. When Activating an ArchiCAD Model or Model Version in Vico Office, you will have the option to create Takeoff Items based on element properties defined in ArchiCAD. Selecting the Activate option from the context menu or from the Ribbon icon will invoke an ArchiCAD (or Constructor) specific Takeoff Item Creation dialog. From this dialog, you will be able to create Takeoff Items based on ArchiCAD properties. Specify the TOI creation settings by selecting from the available ArchiCAD element properties in the list. Your selected criteria information will be added to the Takeoff Item description field for sorting and filtering purposes. 2. The Apply settings to new and unassigned model elements only checkbox is selected by default, which means that you always have to remove it if desired. If unchecked, all the existing TOI's and TOQ's will be regrouped and renamed along with the new and unassigned model elements. The 'Apply settings to new and unassigned model elements only' checkbox is selected by default, which means that you always have to remove it if desired. If unchecked, all the existing TOI's and TOQ's will be regrouped and renamed along with the new and unassigned model elements. 3. The Import floor levels as Locations option is disabled by default. Selecting this option will bring the floor/level information from the ArchiCAD model into the Vico Office project as Floor Locations, including the elevation values. 4. Select the Activate button to begin the TOI creation process. A progress bar will be presented to indicate when the Takeoff Item creation process is complete. At which point you can switch to the

62 Takeoff workflow group to view the created or updated Takeoff Items and Takeoff Quantities. Takeoff Item Creation Settings Examples All available Takeoff Item creation properties are selected: WALL-A-Walls-001 (Element Type - Layer - ID) DUCT-M-Medgas-002-Medical Gas (Element Type - Layer - ID - System Property) One Takeoff Item Creation Setting is selected: WALL (Element Type) Domestic Water (MEP System Property) 62

63 63 Revit TOI Creation Settings UI Family Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted based on unique Family definitions. Family Type Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted by unique Family Types. Mark Values Check this box if you want Takeoff Items to be created and sorted based on unique Mark Values. MEP System Property The MEP System property is used to create unique Takeoff Items if it is available for an element. Typically, this property is available for all pipe, duct and cable elements. MEP Manufacturer and Model The MEP Manufacturer and Model property is generally available for all equipment and fixture elements and will result in unique Takeoff Items if selected.

64 64 How to create Revit based Takeoff Items: > Creating Revit TOI's 1. When Activating a Revit Model or Model Version in Vico Office, you can specify the Revit Element properties based on which Takeoff Items should be created. Selecting the Activate option from the context menu or from the Ribbon icon will invoke a Revit specific Takeoff Item Creation Settings dialog. From this dialog, you will be able to create Takeoff Items based on Revit specific properties. Specify the Takeoff Item creation settings by selecting from the available Revit element properties in the list. The properties you select will be used to create Takeoff Items; property values will be saved to the Takeoff Item description field for sorting and filtering purposes. 2. The Apply settings to new and unassigned model elements only checkbox is selected by default, which means that you have to remove it if desired. If you unselect the option, all the existing TOI's and TOQ's will be regrouped and renamed along with the new and unassigned model elements. Select the Activate button to begin the TOI creation process. A progress bar will be presented to indicate when the TOI creation is complete. At which point you can switch to the Takeoff workflow group to view the recently created or update TOI's and TOQ's. 3. The Import floor levels as Locations option is disabled by default. Selecting this option will bring the floor/level information from the Revit model into the Vico Office project as Floor Locations, including the elevation values.

65 65 Note: the TOI description column follows the following text syntax [<Family>-<Family Type><Mark>]. Takeoff Item Creation Settings Example with one property selected. Note that all the Takeoff Items are organized and listed in the description column based on the single Takeoff Item creation property which in this case would include all related Family type elements assigned to one TOI [<Family>]

66 66

67 67 Tekla TOI Creation Settings UI Class Check this box if you want Takeoff Items from the Tekla Model to be created and sorted based on unique Element Class property values.

68 68 How to create Tekla based Takeoff Items: > Creating Tekla TOI's 1. When you Activate a Tekla model or model version in Vico Office, you will have the option to create Takeoff Items based on the Class element property defined in Tekla. Selecting the Activate option from the context menu or with the Ribbon button will invoke a Tekla specific Takeoff Item Creation Settings dialog. From this dialog, you will be able to create Takeoff Items based on Tekla specific properties. If you select to use the Class property, it will be used to create and sort Takeoff Items. The Class name will be used in the description of the Takeoff Item. 2. The 'Apply settings to new and unassigned model elements only' checkbox is selected by default, which means that you have to remove it if desired. If you uselect the option, all the existing TOI's and TOQ's will be regrouped and renamed along with the new and unassigned model elements. Select the Activate button to begin the TOI creation process. A progress bar will be presented to indicate when the TOI creation is complete. At which point you can switch to the Takeoff workflow group to view the recently created or update TOI's and TOQ's.