Reflections on BIM from across the Tasman
The Challenge
Sam Cech of
Tatras Consulting in New Zealand spoke to 12d Solutions about BIM, and also of
his ambitious goal to find a way to manipulate 3d objects created in 12d Model
software, or those imported from Revit or other 3rd party packages.
“
Being
able to import 3d objects into 12d Model is a great feature – it enhances the
visualisation capabilities and brings BIM tools into Civil software, closing the
data exchange loop,” Sam told us.
“
BIM civil design is very much
here,” said Sam. “
We have been helping clients utilise assemblies of
BIM objects in their Road and Drainage design. 12d Model Roading Snippets are
brilliant tools to improve productivity and generate BIM objects for volume
calculations as well as 3D Visualisation. Well-developed Snippets make the
design process faster by giving users choices of standardised elements and
generating unique trimeshes from individualised user inputs without the need to
manually code hundreds of lines. These BIM objects are used to automate drafting
to a level of detail traditionally achievable only by manual means. We have also
developed macros for the automated import of BIM objects/trimeshes along linear
features such as street lighting, fences and guard rail posts used in 3D views
to achieve more realistic visualisation and perform 3D clash detection with 12d
Model’s advanced clash detection tools.”
The Solution
The innovative example Sam
used to find a solution to his issue of how to manipulate 3d objects created in
12d Model software, or those imported from Revit or other 3rd party packages,
was inspired by a recent gardening project: Creating a garden box from
macrocarpa sleepers with interlocked pieces of timber on a sloped retaining
wall. The end cuts had to be designed at a specific angle. To verify the
dimensions of each piece of timber, a trimesh object was created inside 12d
Model. The results were passed on to a master carpenter to cut the sleepers to
the exact shape.
Sam’s idea to solve the issues within this project was
to introduce a macro in 12d Model that would be able to use the standard
Translate, Rotate and Transform commands in a specific way.
Early in the
development of this solution, it became apparent that general trimesh objects
would be easier to manipulate if they had a user defined axis around which he
could rotate and shift these objects. To this effect, Sam created a system of
object axes using trimesh points or custom positions on the trimesh and stored
these as attributes on the trimeshes to be manipulated.
Once each trimesh
object has an axis, it is much easier to translate and rotate the objects. The
User can then clearly understand and anticipate the result of each command
within this macro.
The Result
Tatras Consulting used this macro to shift entire
trimesh assemblies for bridges into a position at the end of their road design.
Of Trimeshes, Sam declared, “
[They] take 12d Model beyond its
traditional precise Civil applications to a world of realistic combined civil
and structural visualisation, with absolute precision.”
Download this Case Study as a PDF
HERE