Infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems, Inc., based in Exton, Pa., has developed new asset analytics capabilities that apply AI to crowdsourced imagery for automated roadway asset detection and inspection.

“The collaboration between Bentley’s Blyncsy offering and Google’s expansive mapping and imagery databases has the ability to disrupt the tedious process of monitoring infrastructure conditions and damage assessments [after] a natural disaster,” says James Lee, chief operating officer for Bentley Systems. “Together, we can help infrastructure professionals better forecast maintenance needs long before they escalate into costly or hazardous safety problems, and respond intelligently and instantly to crises—all through the use of AI-generated insights pulled from constantly updated datasets and historical records of infrastructure.”

Unveiled at Google Cloud Next 2025, the new capabilities in Bentley’s Blyncsy software leverages Imagery Insights from the Google Maps Platform to rapidly detect and analyze roadway conditions.

Acquired by Bentley in August 2023, Blyncsy applies computer vision and artificial intelligence to analyze commonly available imagery to identify maintenance issues on roadway networks.

Bentley and Google partnered up in October 2024 to integrate Google’s high-quality geospatial content with Bentley’s infrastructure engineering software to improve the way infrastructure is designed, built, and operated.

“We have a history of leadership in applying repurposed imagery for roadway maintenance, and the addition of Google’s 360-degree imagery and AI will further enhance the value Bentley provides to transportation departments and engineering firms globally,” said Mark Pittman, director of transportation AI at Bentley. “The expansion of our relationship with Google will enable us to further develop our growing infrastructure asset analytics capabilities—initially in the transportation sector with other industries to follow.”

The combination of Imagery Insights from Google Street View, Vertex AI, and Blyncsy will make it easier for departments of transportation—and the engineering firms and consultants supporting them—to identify areas of concern and analyze changes in the condition of roadway and transportation assets over time.

“As our strategic partner, Bentley combines industry-leading infrastructure solutions with Google’s leading AI and mapping technologies, like Vertex AI and Street View, to bring powerful analytics to public and private sector leaders who need mobility insights for making more informed decisions,” said Yael Maguire, Google’s vice president and general manager for Google Maps Platform and Google Earth.

Google Street View’s global panoramic imagery gives Bentley highly detailed analysis of assets, along with visual references. Google’s Vertex AI builds and maintains models to alert transportation agencies of changes to infrastructure assets before they become safety hazards. In addition to supporting roadway maintenance activities, these capabilities can also aid in disaster recovery efforts, providing a cost-effective solution for conducting rapid damage assessments, which can help rebuild faster.

Bentley says Google’s Imagery Insights “will be generally available in Blyncsy in 2025.”

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Let’s start with the $10 billion elephant in the room. Siemens announced that it has completed its acquisition of simulation developer Altair, a deal which has been brewing since last October. In fact, the deal closed ahead of schedule—Siemens initially projected it for the second half of 2025.

A Siemens representative told me that “there should be zero immediate impact to Altair customers.”

I’m sure it won’t be long before something comes from this consummation, but we’ll have to wait and see what the software stork brings.

Meanwhile, it’s interesting that Siemens is now framing this acquisition as part of—nay, a cornerstone of—something called the Siemens ONE Tech Company program.

The program wasn’t mentioned in the original acquisition announcement (dated October 31, 2024), but some intrepid googling leads to a Siemens press release from two weeks later (November 14, 2024) that, amidst a report of the company’s fiscal 2024 performance, nonchalantly announces the initiative.

Here’s the gist: Siemens is pumping more money into acquisitions and R&D. The goal? Take your pick:

• “to achieve the next level of performance and value creation”
• “to ensure that the company leverages the opportunities arising from the historic market shifts that mark a turning point and from [sic] technological disruptions”
• “to achieve stronger customer focus, faster innovation and higher profitable growth”
• “to accelerate the execution of the existing strategy, which is summarized as ‘to combine the real and digital worlds’”

Besides the US$10 billion Altair acquisition, Siemens spent €6.3 billion ($6.81 billion) on R&D in 2024, up from €6.1 billion ($6.59 billion) in 2023.

Seems like Siemens’ ONE Tech Company program is off to a good start. Altair down, a few hundred thousand tech companies left to go.

Motif launches BIM collaboration platform

Motif has officially launched its web-based BIM platform.

The software startup, founded by Autodesk veterans Amar Hanspal and Brian Mathews, emerged from stealth earlier this year with $46 million in funding and a dream: to revolutionize building design.

This debut is just one of many steps towards that dream, Matt Jezyk, VP of product at Motif, told me after the launch. Today Motif’s platform is laser focused on BIM collaboration. It provides a whiteboard-like interface for engineers and architects to brainstorm ideas, review documents and create presentations.

It’s inspired by modern web collaboration tools like Miro, Mural, and Figma, but Motif sets itself apart with support for 3D data—including live, bidirectional plugins for Revit and Rhino. More plugins are in the works, according to Jezyk.

“The first thing that we’re coming to market with is focused on collaborating and reviewing and collecting information from the sources where people are working today,” Jezyk told me.

Lots more details on Motif’s platform and the startup’s vision in Motif launches BIM collaboration app with plugins for Revit and Rhino—check it out, bookmark it, and read it first thing every morning for maximum effect.

Where engineers want to work

Are you an engineer who loves to work—particularly at places? If so, I’ve got just the list for you: the Top Workplaces for Engineers in 2025.

Engineering.com partnered with Energage to compile this list of the best U.S.-based companies to be an engineer, according to employee engagement surveys. The list includes 35 winners in three categories of small, medium and large companies.

Congratulations to the winners. This is an annual program, so if you know of a deserving engineering workplace, why not nominate it for next year’s list.

Quick hits: Update, beta, preview

• IronCAD released the 2025 version of Multiphysics for IronCAD, a simulation extension for the 3D modeling software. Multiphysics for IronCAD 2025 (known to its friends as MPIC 2025) includes new features for design optimization, mesh preparation, visualization and more, according to IronCAD, plus routine updates and bug fixes.
• China-based ZWSOFT released the latest beta of its 2D CAD program, ZWCAD. The developer says that ZWCAD 2026 has new and enhanced features for parametric design, batch editing, dimensioning, plotting and more.
• PTC announced that it will preview its Windchill AI PLM assistant at Hannover Messe 2025, the industrial trade fair taking place this week. The company says the AI assistant will “enable engineers to access information, make decisions, and develop their products more efficiently.” Cool, but I’m still waiting for a preview of Onshape AI Advisor.

One last link

My colleague Ian Wright is in Chicago this week for AMUG, the Additive Manufacturing Users Group, and he shared his first-timer impressions of the unique conference.

(Ian, if you’re reading this, grab some deep dish pizza from Giordano’s and please bring me back a large pie with anchovies and black olives.)

Got news, tips, comments, or complaints? Send them my way: malba@wtwhmedia.com.

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The platform, which is accessed through a web browser, provides a whiteboard-like workspace for those in the AEC industry. Users can bring in text and images, write and sketch, add comments, and collaborate in real time on an infinite canvas.

The twist is that Motif goes beyond 2D whiteboarding. Users can also bring in 3D BIM models, annotating them in all dimensions. With bidirectional plugins for Revit and Rhino, the models stay up to date, and comments made in Motif go back to the source.

Here’s a look at how Motif’s new platform works, why it’s far from finished and how the startup is attempting to modernize BIM software.

Motif’s first step of many

When Motif announced itself to the world earlier this year, it came out swinging.

“[T]he AEC industry is using 20th century tools to design 21st century buildings,” wrote Motif CEO Amar Hanspal, formerly co-CEO and chief product officer at Autodesk, in a blog post titled The Motif Vision.

“Our mission is to revolutionize building design by merging geometry, cloud services, and machine learning to enable a dynamic, collaborative, and intelligent process,” Hanspal added.

That mission, combined with the fact that Motif’s leadership team consists entirely of Autodesk veterans, suggested that the company was gunning for the BIM heavyweight, Autodesk Revit. Now that Motif has officially launched its platform, it’s clear that a full-featured Revit alternative is still a ways away.

“This is the first step out of many,” Matt Jezyk, vice president of product at Motif, told Engineering.com.

Motif remains focused on Hanspal’s vision, but there are two reasons to take it slow, according to Jezyk. One, it’s not easy to spin up a full-featured BIM platform (who knew?). Two, even if Motif could pull a Revit out of its hat, it would take time for users to switch over.

“We wanted to come at this problem a little bit differently and solve for the collaboration part first, and then add in more and more of the modeling capabilities,” Jezyk said.

Motif sees collaboration as an underserved part of the BIM market. Jezyk, a trained architect, has seen firsthand the hoops his peers jump through to communicate their ideas. “It’s interesting and somewhat confounding to me,” he said, “the number of times that I see people working on basically graphic design problems.” Why should an engineer with a master’s degree waste time messing around in Adobe InDesign?

Jezyk pointed out that modern collaboration tools like Miro, Mural and Figma are changing how people work together and what they expect from their software. Motif wants to meet those expectations for the AEC industry.

“The first thing that we’re coming to market with is focused on collaborating and reviewing and collecting information from the sources where people are working today,” Jezyk said.

A collaboration platform for BIM users

Motif’s real differentiator for engineers and architects is its compatibility with 3D data. The platform supports common 3D file formats including OBJ and glTF, so users can drag and drop 3D models as easily as they can a PDF or picture.

And if those 3D models come from Revit or Rhino, even better. Motif has developed plugins for those programs to create a real time link with Motif. A model created in Revit, for example, will retain all of its properties in Motif and stay up-to-date as changes are made in Revit. The link goes both ways: Comments added in Motif will propagate back to Revit.

Right now, Motif users can only view and mark up the data from Revit or Rhino. They can’t modify the geometry or otherwise change the data. Their comments are sent back to Rhino or Revit, but no other annotations make the journey. Jezyk says these limitations are deliberate.

“We can technically push information back into Revit and change things too,” Jezyk said. “But we’re trying to be very intentional on that to support user workflows… right now, the workflow that people seem to expect is sort of a one-way stream.”

In addition to Revit and Rhino, Jezyk said Motif plans to develop plugins for AutoCAD, SketchUp, Grasshopper and Dynamo.

Motif also has a feature called Frames, which allows users to create presentations directly on the web platform. Jezyk compares it to PowerPoint slides, though he emphasized that the info in Frames stays up to date as models, renders or other data changes.

Motif particularly focused on its user interface, aiming for a modern UI that looks simple but doesn’t sacrifice sophistication.

“You don’t have to be an advanced parametric design person or a coder to figure this stuff out,” Jezyk said. “You can hand this to a high level executive and they could still use these tools, but it’s sufficiently powerful enough to work for the technical staff as well.”

How to access the Motif platform

Motif’s BIM collaboration platform is now available, and Jezyk says it already has paying customers among a stable of early adopters that helped guide the platform’s development. Some of those early adopters are DLR Group, Perkins&Will, Heatherwick Studio and the Nordic Office of Architecture.

If you’re interested in trying it out, for now you’ll have to contact Motif. Later this year you’ll be able to subscribe directly through the company’s website, though Motif is still determining plan and pricing details.

Jezyk suggested that Motif will embrace a freemium model, in which a limited version of the software will be free and additional functionality will be doled out in various subscription tiers. “It’ll be comparable to some of the other online tools that are out there today,” Jezyk said.

Motif, as its CEO proclaimed, wants to revolutionize building design. This new platform may be the first step of many, but if it makes it easier for building designers to work together, then it’s a step in the right direction.

The post Motif launches BIM collaboration app with plugins for Revit and Rhino appeared first on Engineering.com.

The process of digitizing physical environments is called reality capture, and it comes with some challenges that every AEC professional should understand. This toolbox outlines common reality capture technologies, how to select the right method, and basics concepts of 3D modeling and documentation.

Your download is sponsored by Hawk Ridge Systems.

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This episode of Designing the Future is brought to you by Bentley Systems.

Engineering is applied science. It’s also an art, the confluence of creativity and blue sky thinking, constrained by physics. For large engineering projects, particularly in the civil engineering space, it’s also about project management. The marriage of great designs, with great planning and high-performance execution delivers projects that arrive on time, on budget and to specification. The bigger the project, the greater the complexity, and problems can scale exponentially with that complexity.

Today, there are new factors. Mass collaboration across a city, a nation or around the world is common for large engineering projects, and it’s a given that very large projects involve more than one software platform. Factors such as regulatory compliance, and data security are also in play, as well as real questions about the emergence of new technology. It’s a big subject, and it’s important.

engineering.com’s Jim Anderton spoke with Julien Moutte, chief technology officer for Bentley Systems, about the current state-of-the-art in big project engineering technology.

* * * 

Learn more about Bentley’s engineering software and digital-twin-powered, AI-driven capabilities for complex and dynamic infrastructure lifecycle.

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The infrastructure industry has no shortage of engineering challenges. As we move closer to the midpoint of this decade, resources, workforces and supply chains are all strained to their limits. Nonetheless, aging assets and growing populations are producing demand and investment into infrastructure — causing a backlog. Meanwhile, new projects are becoming more complex and are taking longer to complete as societal expectations shift towards smarter, greener, optimized and even AI-connected structures.

Julien Moutte, chief technology officer at Bentley Systems, explains that engineering firms can overcome many of the current engineering challenges and gaps by gaining what he calls “infrastructure intelligence” — the capability to leverage data from engineering technology, information technology and operations technology (ET, IT and OT) to improve project delivery and asset performance. “Increasing infrastructure intelligence starts with data. By unlocking data from silos, sharing it with all teams and leveraging it into daily workflows, organizations can gain infrastructure intelligence. Additionally, data can be reused in multiple projects by creating libraries of pre-made components or generating components automatically with artificial intelligence. Data is the foundation on which digital twins can be constructed.”

A digital twin is a model and/or collection of information that is continuously updated to correspond with a real-world asset. The data is integrated into one platform, accessible throughout an asset’s lifecycle and updated automatically. This smarter infrastructure framework helps stakeholders optimize projects for resources, workforce, supply chain, maintenance, operations, future proofing, energy usage, water usage and much more.

Moutte notes that Bentley has worked with industry leaders that are ahead of the curve and reaping the benefits of digital twins. Many are breaking down silos by creating digital twins that span an asset’s lifecycle. Here are three infrastructure examples he was able to share.

 California automates its second largest dam for safety monitoring

California’s New Bullards Bar Dam, operated by the Yuba River Development project, sought to modernize its dam monitoring system by collecting continuous, real-time operational data.

Since the dam is located in an isolated area that experiences frequent earthquakes and inclement weather, assessing the dam’s health is a high priority to maximize safety, power generation, water supply, fishing and more. However, the current costs and risks to collect this data were unsustainable.

The dam holds back 1.19 cubic kilometers of water, forming the New Bullards Bar reservoir. So, if the structure were to fail, it could be highly dangerous to several local communities and wildlife downstream. This means dam operators needed an easy, automated, affordable and safe method to assess the dam.

Yuba Water worked with Niricson to capture a 3D reality mesh from thousands of drone-captured images and process it in Bentley’s iTwin Capture. Yuba then uploaded the photorealistic model to Bentley’s cloud-based iTwin IoT platform, where the model was associated with the monitoring devices to visualize the sensor data in real time.  

Collecting this data wasn’t enough; dam operators also wanted the data to be accessible and processed into useful information. The best method to do this was with digital twin technology. The digital twin enables users to visualize, analyze and gain automated decision support with thorough dashboards and reporting on structural integrity and reliability of the dam.

Moutte added, “iTwin IoT incorporates sensor data within the model so that Yuba Water can view the sensor locations within the geospatial context of the dam, determine if they have reached any alert thresholds and monitor deformation and propagation of the dam structure.”

The system now collects 1,000 times more data than previous methods. Using this data, the digital twin can manifest a 3D photorealistic model of the dam, which can be assessed easily and safely.

 EchoWater’s wastewater digital twin helps reduce Sacramento’s drought

Digital twins don’t just improve inspection projects, they can also be a big help when it comes to construction. For example, the Sacramento Regional Waste Treatment Plant, operated by Sacramento Regional County Sanitation used a digital twin to upgrade their facility on time and $400 million under budget.

Project Control Cubed managed the ten-year project’s planning, scheduling and cost. It was also the company’s idea to use Bentley’s SYNCRO to simulate construction, ensure safety and improve efficiency throughout the project. The digital twin was built using iTwin Technology to synchronize the changes to the physical site with the digital model. This helped to optimize situational awareness and decision making.

“Enhanced situational and logistics awareness provided by SYNCHRO’s digital twin created actionable intelligence that reduced cost and risk early in the design phase. Compared to previous projects, the quality and timing of the baseline schedule review and acceptance vastly improved, taking weeks instead of months. The digital twin streamlined contractor and stakeholder coordination and optimized construction sequencing, reducing overall program costs by USD 400 million.”

This information was essential to synchronize the 22 projects running on the site simultaneously. In the end, dozens of concrete structures, pump stations and electrical stations were made. This took 40,000 tons of steel and 225,000 cubic yards of concrete. To continuously optimize construction and anticipate issues, production and supply chains were simulated and choreographed through the digital twin.

Because everyone, from designers to contractors, could access the twin at any time, data siloes, and handoffs were eliminated. This also contributed to stakeholders finding issues earlier in development. This enabled Project Control Cubed to avoid and mitigate obstacles and shutdowns, saving time and money.

 Traffic to mountain resorts reduced along the I-70 using visualized data

Digital twins can also be used to optimize infrastructure during the design phase — as was done for Colorado’s I-70. The highway connects many popular resorts and acts as a major east-west artery for the trucking industry. This has led to the route becoming congested and dangerous at various locations.

To address this, the Colorado Department of Transportation hired AtkinsRéalis to engineer and design a $700 million project to address I-70’s bottlenecks, access, safety and environmental impact.

The mountainous topography, tight corners and waterways presented considerable design challenges for AtkinsRéalis. However, using digital twin technology, they were able to design a new tolled express lane, auxiliary lane and frontage-road (for emergency response). Bentley’s ProjectWise technology was used as a common data environment for all stakeholders, eliminating data silos and simplifying communications. The digital twin itself was built using iTwin; geometries were made in Bentley’s Open applications—OpenRoads and OpenBridge.

The digital twin also included 3D models which made it easier for stakeholders to intuitively understand how the highway would look in the 3D world. LumenRT was used to produce 360-degree static and video visualizations, which were key to getting the public onboard.

“The community is often a key stakeholder group,” says Moutte. “By showing realistic 3D models, stakeholders can easily visualize the designs, which reduce the overall risk of the project.”

Overall, the digital twin saved 97% of the effort needed to share data on the I-70 redesign. This reduced work hours by a total of 50,000 and saved a total of $7 million. As the project is set to finish in 2028, AtkinsRéalis and the Colorado Department of Transportation can expect to see more savings throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Open, scalable digital twins are the future of infrastructure

Digital twins connect the virtual with the real world through multiple data sources like scans, photogrammetry, lidar, IoT sensors and various software or engineering platforms. But Moutte believes that we are only just scratching the surface benefits of digital twins. Soon we will be able to extract much more data by leveraging open standards and interoperability, where users can integrate external data sources, third-party tools and their own analytics directly into a digital twin.

“We believe open data ecosystems allows data to flow freely, tools to be combined for more thorough analysis, and reusability, and allows infrastructure teams to work more efficiently, make more informed decisions and ensure long-term value.”

Bentley believes an open, scalable digital twin platform that ingests and integrates data from various sources and disciplines will enable infrastructure professionals to make more informed decisions at every stage of the asset lifecycle—from design and construction to operation and maintenance. This open approach drives innovation, fosters collaboration and enables users to break down data silos, leading to more efficient project delivery and improved infrastructure performance.

Digital twins are an important tool in the future of the infrastructure industry. To learn more, visit Bentley’s website here.

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Regardless of terminology, an accurate depiction of existing conditions is crucial for designing new projects. The information helps architects and engineers design facilities that fit into the surrounding area and meet the needs of people using the facilities.

Information included in existing conditions surveys

An existing conditions survey establishes locations (typically 3D, but sometimes 2D) of key features related to the project and other related information, including the following:

• The overall shape and elevation of the land in the area of interest — often referred to as the topography. This might include 3D point data identifying high points, low points and other key locations to represent the terrain, along with contours identifying areas of equal elevation.
• Streets, roads, driveways, sidewalks and other paved or graded areas. This typically includes 3D data defining the elevations of key facilities to which the new facility might connect.
• Permanent structures such as buildings, walls, bridges, fences, and other structures, with 3D data identifying building floor elevations, wall and bridge surfaces and other key elements.
• Railroads and other transportation facilities that may be located near the project.
• Lakes, rivers, streams and other water features on or near the area of interest. Wetland limits may be identified if delineated by qualified experts. Floodplain information, if available and applicable, may be added based on records.
• Trees and other vegetation. In some cases, tree sizes are identified by trunk diameter.
• Observable evidence of wells, soil borings, landfills and other subsurface features.
• Above-ground utilities, including power poles, light poles, overhead wires, guy wires, anchors and vaults.
• Underground utilities, including water, sanitary sewer, gas, electric, cable television and communications. Information may include surface features of underground utilities, such as valves, fire hydrants, meters, manholes and access structures, as well as marking information from the utilities or utility location services. In some cases, subsurface pipe elevations are obtained via access structures.
• Drainage facilities, such as storm sewers, combined sewers, culverts, access structures and other components. 3D information indicating sizes, flow directions, and elevations of pipes or culverts is typically needed to design new facilities. Pipe materials are also often identified during the survey.
• Visible rock formations or other geological features.
• Benchmarks used to conduct the survey.
• Boundary information for the property of interest. This might include physical markers such as property corners located in the survey, as well as approximate information collected from records showing property lines, rights-of-way and easements. An existing conditions survey should not be confused with other types of surveys, such as boundary surveys or title surveys, which must comply with certain standards.
• Other items as needed for particular projects.

The level of detail may vary significantly depending on the project. In some cases, information from other sources may be included with existing conditions surveys, though this requires additional attention to maintain consistent accuracy. For example, if information from a regional topographic map is being considered, it may not have the same level of accuracy as the project survey, or it may be based on a different survey datum.

How is survey information collected in the field?

Information may be collected in several different ways, as discussed in a separate article:

• LiDAR (light detection and ranging, or sometimes laser imaging, detection and ranging): Ground-based or aircraft-mounted lasers take multiple measurements encompassing the area of interest, establishing large point clouds of data.
• Laser scanning: Ground-based laser scanners focus on specific buildings, mechanical systems or other objects to build detailed 3D models of those specific items.
• Photogrammetry: Aerial photography and stereoplotters are used to analyze two or more photographic images taken from different positions to determine 3D coordinates of select points and create topographic maps.
• GNSS (global navigation satellite system): Satellite data is used to provide a wide range of geospatial information. The U.S.-operated global positioning system (GPS) is one of many GNSSs in the world.
• Conventional survey equipment: Tape measures and instruments such as theodolites, levels and total stations are used to establish locations at key points.

How do existing conditions surveys inform design work?

Existing conditions surveys often serve as the starting point for design work, providing a base map for designers in establishing initial design concepts and advancing designs into construction. Some examples include:

• New buildings: Surveys help determine the location and sizing of new buildings of various types, such as residential, commercial, industrial, government and healthcare. New structures typically need to be located within certain boundaries and sited at elevations that enable appropriate access, provide adequate drainage and meet applicable building codes. Building designs also need to consider locations of natural features, existing utilities and other improvements in the area.
• Building renovations or additions: As with new building projects, surveys for renovations or additions identify applicable key features, particularly existing structure locations and other factors that influence the design of additions or improvements.
• Infrastructure projects: Roads, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure projects require detailed information on existing conditions to enable proper design and integration of the new facilities. Facilities need to tie into surrounding property and consider topography for proper drainage and operation of gravity systems such as sewers. Topography may also determine locations of pipes and underground facilities to meet certain depth or cover requirements.
• Land development projects: Surveys establish overall site topography and determine potential subdivision of property into smaller parcels or lots, as well as potential building pad locations.
• Preservation projects: Surveys of historic buildings and sites provide documentation to guide restoration and maintenance efforts.
• Facility management: Surveys help facility managers maintain accurate records of facilities, guiding ongoing maintenance, repairs and future upgrades.
• Real estate: Surveys provide key information for assessing property conditions before completing transactions.

The importance of existing condition surveys cannot be overstated. An inaccurate or incomplete survey can lead to later issues, such as location conflicts with existing structures or utilities. A thorough, accurate survey can guide the project throughout all stages of design and construction and also provide valuable information for conducting later surveys, such as construction surveys and as-built surveys.

The post What is captured for existing conditions surveys? appeared first on Engineering.com.

For example, a door may be moved on a building project. A drainage structure on a roadway project may be relocated to avoid underground utilities. A different pump may be installed in a manufacturing facility as a cost- or energy-saving measure.

Construction industry professionals have used various approaches to document as-built conditions of projects. Many projects have employed the redline approach, where design or construction plans are marked up (usually in red) to show the finished conditions of a project. These are often prepared by the construction contractor and referred to as “as-built drawings.”

Some organizations make a distinction between as-built drawings and record drawings. The American Society of Civil Engineers, for example, in its policy statement 290 – Post-construction drawings of civil engineering projects says: “Record drawings are used to verify substantial compliance with the design documents for inventory, asset management, maintenance needs, and for record keeping purposes. Record drawings are distinct from ‘as-builts’ because they should be and often are sealed by the engineer or surveyor of record that provided oversight during construction. As-builts are typically completed by the contractor and are without a seal.”

Other organizations, such as the American Institute of Architects and the Construction Management Association, offer additional guidelines on record drawings and other types of as-built documentation. Governmental agencies may have additional requirements and contract terms regarding such documents.

Regardless of terminology, as-built documentation is valuable in documenting final project conditions. The availability of accurate information can help project owners manage their facilities, guide future renovations and provide reliable records for various parties with interests in the project. For example, a new project located adjacent to a recently completed project will often benefit from accurate as-built information.

Digital technology changes landscape

With digital technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM) used on a growing number of projects, the approach to developing as-built documents has been evolving. Instead of marking up paper plans, many project teams use electronic redlining tools to update drawings or directly update digital models to reflect field changes.

Field information gathered with electronic tools such as laser scanners and drone-based imagery has also changed as-built documentation processes. Instead of taking manual measurements, teams can use laser scans or digital imagery to establish actual locations of project elements and compare them with design locations.

Digital twins — virtual representations of real-world entities — have added another twist. Many projects employing digital twins call for updating the digital models on an ongoing basis to reflect physical conditions, making the redline markup unnecessary or a bit of an outlier. In addition to laser scanning data, additional data from sensors, digital photographs and other sources can be used to document as-built conditions. Instead of redlining drawings, teams often rely on drawing revision records to track changes.

With updated and synchronized digital twins, owners and construction teams can make more informed operation and maintenance decisions. Models can be used to track asset performance and predict future behavior via simulations and mathematical modeling. Instead of guessing when pumps or motors might need replacement, actual data can be used to help make those decisions. Updated digital models can also provide access to a wide variety of data, such as part numbers, material details, shop drawings and photos, often accessible via mobile devices.

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can also be used to view project updates. If a door was moved in a building, an interested team member can view the change remotely using VR/AR technology.

Other developing technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), may also impact how as-built information is collected and documented. AI tools can guide the collection and processing of drone-based data and create 3D models representing site conditions. These models can be used as a basis for creating as-built documents or as a reference for comparing the design and the actual conditions.

Common data environment (CDE) key to success

When working with digital as-built information, a common data environment (CDE) is key to building a single source of truth. A CDE enables all parties — the owner, designers, contractors, surveyors and others — to access one federated model for all project information.

According to the international standard ISO 19650, a CDE is an “agreed source of information for any given project or asset, for collecting, managing and disseminating each information container through a managed process.” CDEs often use unique, standard identifiers to track all project information. Data can be categorized and assigned a specific suitability status to guide anyone accessing the data regarding its reliability, accuracy, and intended use. A revision control system can make only specific revisions available for use by the project team, to make sure everyone is working from the correct information. Security measures are typically employed to maintain data integrity and controlled access to project information.

An effective CDE is typically geared around a specific collaboration platform and cloud-based data storage. Design collaboration platforms have advanced significantly in recent years and enable information to be tracked and tied to specific project elements, with the system automatically notifying and delivering information to people as needed. Rather than waiting for hardcopy as-builts that show field changes, team members can be informed of changes in near real-time, helping keep future work on track.

Cloud-based data storage enables project team members to access current data regardless of workers’ physical location. Shared network drives have also been used for collaboration but are often limiting in speed and accessibility. As-built documentation on the cloud provides a central, accessible location for data.

Regardless of methodology, as-built documentation forms a vital part of project information. It provides accurate records that aid owners, designers, contractors, governmental agencies and other parties. In the future, it may even guide AI tools that learn lessons from previous projects and apply those lessons to future designs.

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Transportation and infrastructure designers — often working on long, linear projects — generated plan or profile sheets with the top and elevation views superimposed on the same sheet. A series of cross-sections was often used to provide views perpendicular to the project alignment or at other select locations. More artistically inclined AEC professionals created 3D renderings of designs, often using isometric (orthographic) or oblique (non-orthographic) perspectives to depict designs. Initially drawn manually, these renderings helped clients and non-technical audiences visualize designs without having to interpret technical drawings. Some designers also built scaled-down physical models of projects to help convey 3D concepts.

Fast-forward to the 21st century and the use of CAD to design and draft projects. As CAD became more widely accessible, most CAD tools included basic 3D design and modeling tools, and many added animation or fly-through capabilities. Add-on products allowed the creation of more photo-realistic images, setting the stage for advanced tools such as digital twins, building information modeling (BIM), and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR).

Definitions of 3D modeling vary, but for the AEC industry, it can be considered the creation of a mathematical representation of one or more 3D objects or shapes. The digital model can be used to design, analyze, visualize and communicate project concepts.

Common types of 3D models include wireframe, surface, and solid models. Wireframe models depict the skeletal framework of objects using points (vertices) and edges. Surface models use polygon meshes to depict surfaces. Solid models represent both the exterior and interior of 3D-modeled objects.

Let’s take a look at how 3D modeling is used in the AEC industry in various project stages.

Modeling existing conditions

In most AEC projects, one of the first key tasks is gathering data on existing conditions. This often includes performing a project-specific survey to map site topography and existing facilities. AEC professionals have several options for data collection, such as conventional ground-based surveys, LiDAR (light detection and ranging, or sometimes laser imaging, detection and ranging), photogrammetry and GNSS (global navigation satellite system).

Regardless of the data collection technique, some type of 3D information is needed to design most facilities. It may be a basic topographic map with contours and spot elevations or a digital model that can be viewed from different perspectives and used to obtain detailed location information at any selected point.

A triangular irregular network (TIN) is often used to model ground surfaces. TINs are constructed by connecting a set of points with edges to form a network of triangles. The edges of TINs can be used to capture the position of features such as ridgelines or valleys, as well as the location of random points interpolated between triangle vertices.

Designing projects in 3D

3D modeling has become increasingly important in AEC project design since the turn of the century. Instead of drawing project features in three different views, modern designers can build project components in 3D using CAD and BIM tools. Those components and systems can then be viewed in 3D from multiple perspectives and used in multiple platforms to collaborate with other designers, builders and project owners. Review agencies are also increasingly using 3D models to review and approve designs.

Early forms of 3D modeling started with CAD professionals drafting basic lines, arcs and polygons, then transforming them into 3D objects such as cubes, cylinders, spheres and other forms. The CAD professional could then use 3D modeling tools to develop and refine the design, adding points and adjusting their placement to manipulate object shapes.

As technology advanced, CAD and BIM software introduced intelligent objects, such as walls, doors, windows, beams and columns for buildings. Transportation-geared software offered components such as curbs, guardrails, drainage structures and other features. Designers no longer had to draw these components individually but could import them into design environments based on preset or custom parameters. The intelligent objects could often also be used in conjunction with design and analysis software to size the components and interact with other software, databases and asset management systems.

Implementing BIM and operations

The introduction of BIM has added new capabilities in the AEC industry, as designers, builders and owners found value in associating more than just geometric information with CAD models. By associating part numbers, specifications and other data with CAD objects, models became even more intelligent. Tedious tasks such as quantity takeoff could be automated and streamlined using 3D design data and tools. Potential design conflicts could be identified in 3D models instead of in the field during construction.

More recently, the concept of digital twins has gained traction, where BIM data are used to build digital replicas of projects, helping owners and construction teams make real-time updates and drive operations and maintenance decisions. Mechanical systems and components such as pumps and motors can be modeled and analyzed in 3D environments, helping owners simulate actual conditions and determine when to replace or maintain equipment.

Combining mathematical and graphical modeling

Even before CAD and BIM came along, AEC professionals used various forms of modeling to design and analyze structures, water resources and other facilities. Bridge designers, for example, have used finite element methods to calculate stresses in bridges. With modern software, mathematical and graphical modeling can be combined to display 3D views of bridges, with components color-coded to indicate which members are in tension or compression.

Hydraulic analyses of rivers, streams and other water resources have also benefited from 3D modeling. Historically, water resource engineers have used software from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for watershed hydrology and hydraulic analysis, with results generating lengthy computer printouts that required detailed analyses to determine results. More recent technology has incorporated graphic outputs of these analyses to display the behavior of water resources under certain conditions. Combining the analytical data with 3D topographic models, engineers can more intuitively display areas of inundation during specific storm events.

Similar 3D modeling techniques are used to analyze water distribution systems in cities, energy use in buildings and embodied carbon analyses for infrastructure projects, enabling AEC professionals to explore multiple design choices faster.

Ongoing technology advances have added even more capabilities to AEC modeling. Technologies such as VR/AR enable designers to experience designs in an immersive environment, interacting with 3D modeling data to help refine designs. 3D models can integrate with schedule and cost data to build 4D models and 5D models, essentially building and tracking AEC projects digitally before building them physically. Artificial intelligence offers even more possibilities, as AI tools work with modeling software to generate new design concepts and analyze multiple scenarios.

Even with all the digital tools available, the role of humans is not likely to diminish. AEC projects remain largely site-specific and require human involvement and judgment to optimize solutions. 3D modeling and related tools are just that — tools that need human guidance for proper use.

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Today’s top story is Nemetschek Group’s new AI Assistant, a chatbot which will debut in both Allplan and Graphisoft Archicad.

In Archicad, the AI Assistant will be able to interact with BIM models in limited ways. For example, you could ask the chatbot to render your model in some particular style (such as with a wooden façade), and it will return an image generated with Nemetschek’s “AI Visualizer” powered by Stable Diffusion. You could also ask the AI Assistant to reveal some specific elements of your model, such as “the wall section at the East entry,” and it will bring up the proper view.

In Allplan, the assistant connects to the internet to help users find industry knowledge such as the minimum width of emergency exits in London.

You can see a brief demo of these capabilities in this video from Nemetschek:

This is the first manifestation of Nemetschek’s plan to launch an “artificial intelligence layer” across its portfolio this year, a plan which wasn’t so much a roadmap as a signpost declaring that Nemetschek has, in fact, heard of AI and does, in fact, plan to do something with it.

Well, this is something. The AI Assistant could prove to be a nifty feature for users of Allplan and Archicad, but by now chatbots are basically the “Hello World” of AI applications—the first step everyone takes when trying to figure out a new language. The real question is how far Nemetschek can go from here.

CAD in point: Acquisitions and updates

Here are some quick hits for your news radar:

• Software reseller GoEngineer announced that it’s acquired Canadian reseller CAD MicroSolutions, effective as of January 3, 2025. CAD MicroSolutions customers will retain access to their current software licenses and annual maintenance plans, and can call the same support line as before, according to an FAQ posted by GoEngineer.
• Jetcam released an update for CAD Viewer, its free software for viewing 2D CAD files. The update adds folder and file count display, window position and size memory, and other quality of life improvements.
• Hexagon has acquired CAD Service, an Italian developer of visualization tools. Effective January 21, 2025, CAD Service will join Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division.
• Datakit announced version 2025.1 of its data exchange software, which includes enhanced support for 2D and 3D B-Rep geometry alongside other updates.

One last link

You have to love it when CAD marketers get catty. Piggybacking on the popularity of Peter Brinkhuis’ blog post 37 things that confuse me about 3DEXPERIENCE, Onshape posted a blog of their own: 37 Ways Onshape Simplifies What 3DEXPERIENCE Overcomplicates.

Got news, tips, comments, or complaints? Send them my way: malba@wtwhmedia.com.

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