How C4R and BIM 360 Provide Improvements to AEC Projects Provide Improvements to AEC Projects | Page 5

At XS CAD, we use BIM 360 tools to facilitate anytime, anywhere access to project
information and collaboration with our overseas clients. We use the Collaboration for Revit
(C4R) feature in Revit and BIM 360 Team, to help project teams collaborate in the cloud and
to gain centralised access to Revit models. XS CAD also used BIM 360 Docs to facilitate better
project file management in the Retail sector. By using BIM tools, XS CAD efficiently
collaborates and communicates with projects teams and clients worldwide. To find out how
you can improve the project management of your AEC projects by using cloud-based, work
sharing and collaborative tools, contact us.
How C4R is Fostering MEP BIM Project Execution
The MEP coordination process has benefitted significantly from the use of intelligent 3D
modelling and 3d clash detection software such as Revit MEP and Autodesk Navisworks. The
ability to manage 3D BIM coordination using such tools is already becoming a norm for many
MEP designers and MEP contractors.
The next piece of the jigsaw is collaborative working and that has seen a number of
developments in the last few years. Before looking at current collaboration options and
benefits, it is worth apprising ourselves of the complexities of MEP (M&E) coordination and
what can go wrong within the context of such projects.
MEP (M&E) Coordination Challenges
The two stage design process - Firstly there are two distinct owners involved in the design
and then detailed design of MEP projects. There is the design consultant (or consultant
engineer) who is responsible for the initial concept, calculations, layouts and in effect the
master design of the heating, cooling, waste, power, lighting, water distribution and fire
safety system design. The design consultant commonly creates a 3D Revit MEP model,
although by his own admission and partly due to timescales and his own scope, this may not
be spatially coordinated with other disciplines that are being developed in unison. The