IFC model exchange workflow - how to collaborate with engineers?

[Karol Lozinski]

Hi, I have a fairly straight question - how do you collaborate with your engineers? Especially with structural engineers? Recently I'm trying to change the way I exchange model info and switch from dwg to ifc, but... I have no idea how to correct my model.

Let's say I have a single-family house, rather small building. I prepare a concept design, including columns, beams and slab thickness based on my expirience. Then I send my drawings and model to engineers. At this point I usually had some dwg back with structural elements dimensions, which I compared with what I got and made necessary corrections. Lately I got raw construction model for my house instead of dwg.

Is there a way of comfortably comparing what I have with what I got? Is it better to do it in 3D or in plan view? Do you do elements one after another (for example firstly beams, then slabs, than pillars and so on) or do you check it all together? Do you have a reference model next to yours or is the structural model pasted inside the architectural one? Do you use some graphic override to distinguish one model from another or what? I've tried to use model compare but ArchiCAD won't let me open any IFC file. It just shows my some error (and yes, I have enabled this experimental function). I can't imagine just pasting the structural model and calling it a day, because, for example, layers of my slab would be all wrong. Am I missing something? Is it completly obvious and I just haven't thought about it? Because for now trying to find what my engineer changed is really tough and certainly not more fool-proof or any faster than DWG exchange.

Please help.

Operating system used: Windows 1123H2

[Tim Ball]

I have tried this on smaller projects for many years and there is no silver bullet in my experience. The key to success is working closely with your engineer to firstly only send them the 3D information they need and for them to only send back the 3D information you need. That way you can isolate what they send you and check using plans, sections and 3D (se GO). I have found visual checking the only fool proof way.

One bug gear working with Revit is the extra levels it adds which is hard to work with. Data sharing can also be a challenge and again needs close collaboration to be effective.

I hope that helps

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Have a look at Speckle.

[Karol Lozinski]

@Aaron Bourgoin Speckle looks impresive, but it's again next layer/ app that I would have to enforce on my engineers. And getting them to switch to 3D was hard enough, but I'll keep that in mind. 

@Tim Ball Thanks a lot! But I've to say, I'm a bit... dissapointed? I was told that working with IFC is a huge next step from DWG, absolutly future and I know I've hesiteted to switch for a long time. And not because of me - getting engineers to use 3D in collaboration or finding engineers that do so regularly is not an easy task. But after all, I thought that after all this time, decades of developement and while having leading BIM software, simple data exchange will be... better. Simply better. Faster, easier, more fool-proof, more precise. And it turns out that it's not only a bit harder to do but it would be good to do it outside ArchiCAD. To use specific software for collaboration. If it looks like how I see it and described it, than damn... It is dissapointing.