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BIM & takeoff

Federate discipline models for coordination

Gather the latest model from each discipline, combine them into one aligned federation, walk it in a coordination review and raise a BCF issue on every conflict for the discipline that owns it.

4 steps12 minBIM / digital consultancyGeneral contractorDesign / engineering practice

How it works, step by step

4 steps across the platform - what you do at each one, and why it matters.

1

Gather the latest models

Documents

Pull the latest issued model from each discipline and confirm you have the right revision of every one, so the federation reflects where the design actually is.

Why: Federating a stale structural model wastes everyone's review. Getting the current revision of each discipline first is what makes the clashes you find real and worth fixing.

InDiscipline modelsIssue statusOutCurrent model set
2

Combine into a federation

BIM Federations

Combine the discipline models into one federation and confirm their origins and coordinates line up, so an element sits where it really is against every other trade.

Why: A misaligned origin makes everything look like it clashes and hides the clashes that matter. Getting the models onto one coordinate system is the whole point of federating.

InModel setOutFederated model
3

Walk the coordination review

Coordination

Walk the federated model zone by zone with the design team, looking for the clashes, tight spots and buildability problems the separate models could never show.

Coordination screen in OpenConstructionERP: walk the coordination review

Why: The coordination review is where trades meet before the concrete does. An hour around the federated model saves the rework of a duct that has nowhere to go once the slab is poured.

InFederated modelOutConflicts found
4

Raise a BCF issue for each

Model Issues

Raise a BCF issue on each conflict with the viewpoint and the responsible discipline, so every one becomes a tracked action rather than a note in a meeting.

Why: A clash spotted and forgotten is a clash built. A BCF issue with an owner and a viewpoint is what turns a review into resolved coordination instead of a nice look at the model.

InConflicts foundOutBCF issues raised
Modules

Modules in this playbook

4 / 184 platform modules

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