PlanGrid Announces PlanGrid BIM, Their First Autodesk Integration After 2018 Acquisition | ConTech Junkie

via PlanGrid

via PlanGrid

In November of 2018, Autodesk announced that it had acquired field productivity software, PlanGrid, for $875 Million. It was huge news for an industry that is finally starting to warm up to the use of technology on the jobsite.  This morning, PlanGrid officially released their first integration into the Autodesk platform: PlanGrid BIM.

First announced at PlanGrid’s Inaugural Construction Summit in 2018, PlanGrid BIM will allow users to access Building Information Modeling (BIM) data through their PlanGrid application through an integration with Autodesk Revit. As of today, PlanGrid BIM is available today for PlanGrid users on the iOS and web platforms.  Consistent with past releases, the Android and Windows application updates will follow at a later date.

The main features of the integration include:

BIM-enabled Sheets

On 2D drawings, users can simply tap an object and pull up valuable information about it, such as material type, manufacturer details, and object dimensions.

via PlanGrid

via PlanGrid

3D BIM Viewer

Currently in an open beta phase, the function allows users to tap on the screen to transition a 2D drawing into the 3D BIM model, even if offline.  It will also include additional features, like measurements and snap tools.

via PlanGrid

via PlanGrid

Revit Integration

Anytime models are updated in Revit, PlanGrid is also updated to reflect the changes, ensuring up-to-date information.

via PlanGrid

via PlanGrid

“We know field workers and facilities teams need mobile solutions that can be used on the job site, which is why we built PlanGrid’s software with a mobile-first approach right from the start. We saw immediate adoption, and now more than 1.5 million projects around the world are using our technology,” said Tracy Young, head of PlanGrid at Autodesk, in a press release. “We’re now bringing our mobile-first approach to BIM, empowering teams to build right the first time. With PlanGrid BIM, we are not only helping contractors work more efficiently, we’re also enabling architects to maintain their design intent and owners to reduce lifecycle costs. We’re delivering on our commitment to building powerful and easy-to-use software for the field, and developing an integrated workflow with Autodesk products. We’re changing the industry, again.”

PlanGrid also announced some hints at future developments within the PlanGrid BIM platform, including two-way sync to update the master BIM model with data from the field, the ability to generate tasks, RFIs, and punchlists from model data, as well as integrations with other design and project review software.

Although BIM is largely used in an office setting currently, due to the complex nature of the program, we’re starting to see a larger focus on making BIM models more accessible to field staff, in order to better harness its useful potential.  Procore announced their own BIM platform for field use at the 2018 Groundbreak Conference, along with a very simple and intuitive touchscreen joystick mechanism to easily navigate BIM models in the field.

For more information, visit PlanGrid BIM’s webpage.

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