Construction Magazine February 2020 | Page 42

LEADERSHIP

Using Navisworks we ’ ve achieved savings in the ballpark of £ 4mn .”

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The use of models also helps to track and share progress on the project . Balfour Beatty ’ s in-house drone team creates fly-through videos and process photogrammetry , transforming data into actionable maps and models to fuel ongoing design along the M4 scheme . This also keeps the motorway active while supporting the safety of workers .

Balfour Beatty is taking advantage of a collaboration between Autodesk and 3DR . “ With this integrated solution we can collect the data , pull it into 3DR , process the information into meshes and point clouds , then export the data into BIM 360 to share out with the grand project delivery team ,” explains Parnell .

The combination of 3DR and BIM 360 allows for rapid data sharing during the ongoing design process . In the past , these large files would be distributed via hard drives sent through the mail . However , this would lead to duplicated information and the lack of a single source of truth

for teams to collaborate on during a project .

“ With 3DR , it ’ s not just about the processing ,” says Parnell . “ The online portal application is very easy to use , and learn . When we ’ re analysing progress on the M4 project , we can overlay two different sources of data , and compare one month ’ s drone flight with another .”

FEBRUARY 2020