Autodesk announced the Next Gen BIM 360 platform at Autodesk University last November and on April 9, 2018, the changes came into effect. What does this mean to the existing subscribers of C4R/BIM 360 Team? Let’s dive deeper!
BIM 360 is Autodesk’s cloud platform for AEC project delivery and construction management that supports informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle, helping to lead to more predictable and profitable outcomes. It does this by centralizing all project data in a common data platform and connecting project stakeholders and workflows – from design to construction to operations, from the field to the office and back in a single solution.
Earlier, Autodesk offered a set of individual (classic) cloud products that were built to digitize and support specific project delivery phases and processes. There was only limited integration between these services – BIM 360 Team, BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Glue, BIM 360 Field, BIM 360 Plan, BIM 360 Ops and Collaboration for Revit.
The next-generation of the BIM 360 platform brings core value from most of these point solutions into a common data platform, which connects data, processes, and workflows throughout the lifecycle of a project.
The BIM 360 platform is now packaged into four core products that include access to a specific set of modules accessed by users through a single user interface. These products are BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Design, BIM 360 Glue and BIM 360 Build.
The following are the modules included in each product:
BIM 360 Docs
- Document Management
- Insight
- Project Administration
- Account Administration
BIM 360 Design
- Document Management
- Design Collaboration
- Insight
- Project Administration
- Account Administration
+Access to Cloud
+Worksharing for Revit
+Access to Classic C4R
+Access to BIM 360 Team
BIM 360 Glue
- Document Management
- Model Coordination
- Insight
- Project Administration
- Account Administration
+Access to BIM 360 Glue (classic)
+Access to Navisworks Manage & Point Layout for (25 packs and up only)
BIM 360 Build
- Document Management
- Project Management
- Field Management
- Insight
- Project Administration
- Account Administration
+Access to BIM 360 Field (classic)
*BIM 360 Ops and BIM 360 Plan remain as individual products and are not integrated with the BIM 360 platform.
The following table describes the access to modules and functionality for current subscribers of BIM 360 Team, Collaboration for Revit, BIM 360 Docs, BIM 360 Glue and BIM 360 Field.
BIM 360 Team is no longer offered for sale to new customers. However, existing BIM 360 Team subscribers can continue to renew and will retain access to BIM 360 Team projects and data and will also be provided access to the new BIM 360 Platform.
Customers cannot add new seats to BIM 360 Team for ongoing projects. Additional subscriptions can be added by purchasing BIM 360 Docs. BIM360 Docs is the entry point and the underlying data platform for BIM360 Design instead of Team – this now gives greater permissions control than what Team did.
Collaboration for Revit customers that maintain active subscriptions to BIM 360 Design will retain access to their projects and data in BIM 360 Team and will also have access to the BIM 360 platform with new and improved features and workflows including greater file and folder based access controls, unlimited storage, facilitated model exchange, and change visualization.
Collaboration for Revit customers that wish to add users to their subscription must purchase BIM 360 Design subscription packs or individual subscriptions. The Design Collaboration module in BIM360 Design is a new module and in addition to cloud worksharing (C4R) – this provides customers a lot more value such as allowing them to save WIP models and then share to the project workspace when they choose, giving them greater control over the design before sharing with the project team. The new Design Collaboration module in BIM360 Design also provides an aggregated view of all project data/models and gives a visual timeline representation of the collaboration. It also offers a change visualization where they can visually see the changes made between revisions.
It is important to understand the functionality of C4R with different Revit versions:
- With Revit 2015 to Revit 2018.2, you can continue to use cloud worksharing with BIM 360 Team (as you have been doing in Collaboration for Revit).
- With Revit 2018.3, you can use cloud worksharing with BIM 360 Team (as you have been doing in Collaboration for Revit), while also having the option of cloud worksharing with next generation BIM 360 (using the Document Management and Design Collaboration modules).
(*However, projects and data in BIM 360 Team will remain separate from the new BIM 360 platform. Projects and data created in one will not be visible in the other.)
- With Revit 2019, you can use cloud worksharing only with next-generation BIM 360 (using the Document Management and Design Collaboration modules).
*Tip: If you are going to run the update of Revit 2018 to 2018.3, it is advised to run the update to BIM360 Design PRIOR to updating to Revit 2018.3.
The Communicator chat tool is not supported with Revit Cloud Worksharing on the next generation BIM 360 platform. As part of your BIM 360 Design subscription, you may continue to use Communicator with Revit 2018.3 and earlier releases in conjunction with BIM 360 Team. We understand that Communicator addressed certain needs when working in cloud workshared project, such as sync-with-central status, and Autodesk is looking at ways in which we may satisfy these workflow needs in the future.
If BIM 360 Team or Collaboration for Revit customers decide to NOT renew, upon the end of a subscription, all project files can be downloaded. Project data will be maintained in customer accounts after the end of the subscription for 30 days.
BIM 360 Team and Collaboration for Revit Contract Managers will be able to turn on access to the new BIM 360 Platform and related services from their Autodesk Account via a link in the BIM 360 Design description (only Contract Managers can perform this action).
If you have multiple contracts of Collaboration for Revit / BIM 360 Design, you only need to activate access once for your account. Users from different existing contracts or new purchases can be added to the same BIM 360 account from within the product without the need to activate again. However, every BIM 360 Design user needs to provided entitlement access within Autodesk Accounts to have access to Revit Cloud Worksharing.
Ah! On the surface it seems to be a lot of changes. But so is the world of technology that is exploding exponentially. Autodesk is at the forefront of this evolution in AEC technology. And CADD Microsystems, as a Platinum Autodesk Partner, is here to help our customers be successful in adapting to these changes.
