Construction Scheduling

In the world of documents, there is design software, there is scheduling software, and a patchwork of approaches to try to keep each in sync. Much of a construction manager's time is wasted bridging the information gap and reacting to changes in design and resource availability.

In the world of building information modeling, Constructivity combines design, scheduling, and estimating as a single unified product built for the task. No need to jump between applications or ask others for revisions; all information can be directly edited within.

Constructivity provides model-driven construction scheduling, where schedules can be created from scratch or driven from building models, process templates, and resource templates. As you mentally prepare your schedule, you can go through the exercise of visualizing how the building will get built, and it becomes obvious if something is missed. As you review a work schedule later, details of any task can be traced to the exact building elements.

With Constructivity, workflow is open-ended - you can:

• model a building and create a schedule later (automatically if needed)
• create a schedule and link tasks to building elements later
• import buildings and schedules from other software such as Microsoft Project
• any combination as a project evolves

Using Constructivity Model Server, information can automatically synchronize with documents including Microsoft Project, keeping all information intact. And you can instantly compare who changed what, when, and where.

Constructivity provides unique features that go beyond traditional scheduling applications:

• Resource hierarchies to subdivide labor pools at any granularity over time
• Task Types to capture re-usable templates for common procedures
• Resource Types to capture re-usable productivities that can be compared across projects
• Automatic calculation of schedule times from building quantities and resource productivities
• Custom information can be defined on any task or resource, including structured fields without limits
• Multiple users can edit simultaneously and merge changes later

Construction Estimating

In the world of documents, there is design software, there is estimating software, and a patchwork of approaches to try to keep each in sync.

In the world of building information modeling, Constructivity combines design, scheduling, and estimating as a single unified product built for the task. No need to jump between applications or ask others for revisions; all information can be directly edited within.

Constructivity provides model-driven cost estimating, where cost estimates can be created from scratch or driven from building models, tasks, and resources. As you mentally prepare your estimate, you can go through the exercise of visualizing how, when, and where the building will get built, and it becomes obvious if something is missed. As you review a cost estimate later, details of any line item can be traced to exact resources, tasks, and building elements.

With Constructivity, workflow is open-ended - you can:

• model building systems and create group-based cost estimates
• model building elements and create product-based cost estimates
• model work tasks and create process-based cost estimates
• model resource allocations and create resource-based cost estimates
• import buildings and schedules from other software
• create cost estimates from scratch
• any combination as a project evolves

Using Constructivity Model Server, information can automatically synchronize with documents including Microsoft Excel, keeping all information intact. And you can instantly compare who changed what, when, and where.

Constructivity provides unique features that go beyond traditional estimating applications:

• Cost hierarchies to subdivide detail at any granularity
• Model costs in multiple currencies and variable cost rates
• Cost formulas to capture bid combinations and special cases
• Constraints to indicate not-to-exceed or other metrics
• Approvals to track verification within and across organizations
• Product Types to capture re-usable quantities for common building elements
• Process Types to capture re-usable procedures for common work processes
• Resource Types to capture re-usable productivities that can be compared across projects
• Automatic calculation of quantities from building components
• Custom information can be defined on any cost item
• Multiple users can edit simultaneously and merge changes later

Structural Engineering

Constructivity includes built-in structural analysis to rapidly determine stresses and deflections. While simple enough to sketch out field calculations within seconds, it's scalable enough to analyze high-rise buildings with thousands of elements.

With Constructivity, workflow is open-ended - you can:

• model a building and create a structural analysis model later (automatically if needed)
• create analysis models and link members to building elements later
• any combination as a project evolves

Constructivity provides unique features that go beyond traditional structural analysis applications:

• Visibility into finite element analysis to be confident in results
• Specification of custom materials and profiles of any shape
• Analysis engine saves time by using multiple processors
• Automatic generation of structural analysis models from building models
• Multiple users can edit simultaneously and merge changes later

Building Automation

Constructivity includes building automation control and monitoring to visualize security, lighting, HVAC, audio-video, and more.

With Constructivity, workflow is open-ended - you can:

• model building control systems and create control system topologies
• model building spaces, elements, and zones
• Connect new or existing building models to new or existing control systems

Constructivity provides unique features that go beyond traditional control applications:

• Model actual building elements, not starting from scratch with primitive geometry.
• High-performance geometry engine scales to large buildings with millions of elements.
• Zone control for security, fire, audio-video, climate, or other purposes.
• Structured performance history for management of all HVAC and electrical equipment.
• Built-in trending and access to historical information.
• Connect to OPC, BACnet, and vendor-specific protocols.
• Multiple users can edit simultaneously and merge changes later

Enterprise Information Integration

Constructivity slices and dices data into any form for facilities management or any other downstream use. Constructivity supports 100% of Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie), for import and export in Excel, Access, IFC-SPF, and IFC-XML.

Any set of objects within a project can be imported, exported, or automatically synchronized with external data. Standard templates can be used including IFC Model View Definitions such as COBie, or by specifying types and fields manually.

Microsoft Excel (.XLS and .XLSX) is directly supported for reading and writing. By giving project participants a spreadsheet, they can input or review information that is specifically tailored to their task without being overwhelmed by the full scale of a project. Users can click on a website link to open an Excel file, make changes, and click Save, where the building model is automatically updated to reflect their changes, pending potential review if desired.

Microsoft Access (.MDB) is directly supported for reading and writing, as is any other OLE-DB compatible database such as SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, or PostgreSQL. Designed with optimized indexing and data locality in mind, Constructivity maps spatial data to relational data intelligently, not blindly, so accessing building information from a database is fast.

Microsoft Project XML is directly supported for reading and writing, where construction and operation schedules can be linked to building models. Project participants can seamlessly input or review information using Microsoft Project, where tasks and data are automatically kept in sync.

Text files are supported such as comma-separated-values (CSV) files, where product data, spaces, or other information can be easily mapped. Many other formats are available, including Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Jira, 3D Studio, Collada, and more.

Building Lifecycle Management

Constructivity tracks building information from conception to the wrecking ball, preserving all information within an integrated IFC building model with all changes recorded over time.

Constructivity supports a full set of revision control features, including:

• Version History
• Change Merging
• Branching
• Access Control
• Locking
• Document Control
• User Management
• Email Notification
• Web Interface
• File System Integration
• Database Integration
• Programmable Interface

Unlike file servers and generic model servers, Constructivity takes these features to a whole new level that is specifically aware of buildings and their relationships.

Revision history is not just tracked on a per-file basis, but every floor, space, wall, light fixture, task, resource, system, or other object is tracked for changes. Changes can be viewed not just as a text comparison, but graphically showing before and after, superimposed in 3D. Constructivity was designed from the ground up to support large building models without lag, where the speed of retrieving and submitting changes is a matter of seconds, not minutes.

Merge conflicts can be automatically flagged and resolved not just for data conflicts, but spatial collisions, constraint rule violations, approval requirements, and access permissions. Merge conflicts can also be tracked and deferred for later resolution for scenarios where individuals may not know enough about the context of changes, or simply don't have time.

Branching allows projects to be split into multiple workflows where separate teams or individuals can coordinate changes separately, and optionally later synchronize or merge changes with other branches. Branches can be specialized to include subsets of buildings, restricted to particular systems, and have their own set of object permissions.

Access control is fully aware of IFC model integrity and does not merely protect data but redacts derivative data where access is not allowed: for example, if a door is redacted (such as within a secured facility), any coverings or framing around the door are also automatically redacted and calculated quantities exclude the door, leaving no evidence of existence.

Locks can be established not just on projects but any object within a project, such that others can be temporarily restricted or warned from making changes at certain aspects of a project. Locks are fully IFC-aware and WebDav-aware, enabling integration without any extra steps.

Documents can be associated with any project or object, where such files can also be branched and merged. Documents can also be automatically synchronized with building models, where changes from the model are reflected in the document and vice-versa. Dozens of formats support built-in synchronization, including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Access, and many others. Synchronization can be be based on IFC Model View Definitions (such as COBie) or use any custom configuration. This means that contractors can interoperate with the building model from the view of a spreadsheet without having to understand a CAD system, while architects can interoperate from the 3D perspective without having to copy information or update custom reports manually.

User management is built-in, and can also integrate with existing directories through Windows Active Directory and LDAP, eliminating the need for separate logins, added maintenance cost, and security exposure. Constructivity Server supports both Application-level accounts and System-level accounts. Application-level accounts are most suitable for external users (such as contractors on construction projects) in environments where it is more efficient or desirable to add such users only to Constructivity Server without impacting the internal organization or IT procedures. System-level accounts are most suitable for internal users (within the same network domain) such that users do not have to log in separately, and authentication and user management is handled centrally, reducing security exposure.

Email notification can be customized so users can be notified of any actions or changes that may impact them. Email can also be integrated to receive messages and automatically link them to aspects of the building, such as for maintenance requests.

Web pages are automatically generated for projects, where users can be directed to a web page tailored to their access permissions, and download project revisions, branched projects, and associated documents. Unlike web-only solutions, Constructivity keeps the web interface intentionally minimal, limited to what web pages do best -- quickly accessing information. Want to view or edit aspects of a building model? Click on a link to view or edit 100% of the building model within seconds using Constructivity Model Viewer, Constructivity Model Editor, or any other IFC application. Want to update the building model from the perspective of a spreadsheet? Open it in Excel, make changes, and click Save -- that's it, no extra steps. The web interface is also designed to scale up, and may be served on its own, from common web servers including Apache and IIS, or even as a network file share.

Files for projects and documents can show up just as any other file folder in Windows, Linux, or MAC, such that project data can be opened and saved as arbitrary files, while tracking revisions and automatically synchronizing with building models in the background.

Database integration allows data to be backed by any relational database (via OLE-DB), combination of databases, or none at all. Rather than enforcing a fixed schema, Constructivity allows data to be synchronized with existing databases with custom schemas, where indexing can be optimized to perform for the intended use. Any schema can be specifically mapped for any object, attribute, and relationship, or predefined schemas may be used for IFC Model View Definitions and/or IFC in its entirety.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is available for accessing 100% of IFC and all model server capabilities. The server does not have any custom web services or new protocols to learn; it simply relies on HTTP (including WebDav), so can be integrated with existing tools without modification or learning curve. Details of merging, access control, constraints, approvals, and more are all handled within IFC as it was designed. An all-encompassing Windows .NET API is fully documented for working with IFC data, which does not rely on any third party components or licensing complications. It includes strongly typed classes for all IFC entities with properties for all IFC declared attributes and inverse attributes, as well as classes for property sets and quantity sets. Additionally, it includes hundreds of methods for higher-level operations such as for object conversion, quantity takeoff, critical path scheduling, structural analysis, finite element analysis, geometry manipulation, and file loading/saving. A Java API is also available.

We think you'll agree that Constructivity is the most comprehensive building lifecycle management platform available.