Autodesk Customer Success Story SMEC

COMPANY
SMEC
All aboard with BIM
LOCATION
Sydney, Australia BIM helps leading firm win and deliver
AU$8.3 billion public rail project
SOFTWARE
Autodesk InfraWorks 360
Autodesk Navisworks Manage
AutoCAD Civil 3D
Autodesk Revit
Autodesk Vault Professional
A360
AutoCAD
Autodesk 3ds Max

People sometimes equate

BIM with 3D visualization,
and its more than that.
You generate a body of
knowledge in BIM that can
be used from conception
to decommissioning.
Neil Evans
Director of Strategy
and New Business
SMEC

Image courtesy of SMEC.

Introduction The challenge

Expected to open in 2019, the North West Rail The North West Rail Link will feature eight new
BIM connects the team in Link will be the first fully automated transit rail stations, 4,000 commuter car parking spaces,
ways that are impossible system in Australia. Its poised to change the way and twin 15 km tunnels, which will be Austra-
with 2D design. You have people in one of Sydneys fastest-growing regions lias longest rail tunnels. Projects of this size and
think about transportation. Residentswho have complexity require farsighted managementand
an immediate view into the highest car ownership rate in Australiawill proactive attention to the smallest details. Large
what the other disciplines have a quick, convenient, and comfortable public teams from multiple disciplines, including archi-
are doing. The process is transit option. tects, civil engineers, and structural engineers,
much more connected than are contributing to a fast-paced design process.
exchanging and figuring out SMEC, a professional services firm focused on Everything from conduits to pipes to ducts needs
sets of drawings at regular major infrastructure, is leading the design effort to fit together during construction. Even relatively
intervals. on two key portions of the AU$8.3 billion project: minor coordination issues could lead to delays
operations, trains, and systems and surface and and higher costs.
Steve Macbeth viaduct civil work. The lead client in the public-
CAD Manager private partnership, the New South Wales Every infrastructure project is a good fit for BIM,
SMEC Government, mandated the use of Building but thats especially true when you have extensive
Information Modeling (BIM) on the project. BIM underground work, says Chris Steer, SMECs
is an intelligent model-based process that adds BIM manager for Australia. When a duct and
insight to every phase of infrastructure projects. a penetration dont line up, it can be hard to
identify in a 2D process, and rework becomes
The client wanted to realize the time, cost, almost inevitable. Using BIM, were working
BIM helps reveal issues that and quality benefits you see with a model-based with intelligent objects in 3D models. BIM helps
would be virtually impossible process, explains Neil Evans, SMECs director of reveal issues that would be virtually impossible
strategy and new business. SMEC was already to spot otherwise.
to spot otherwise.
on the path to BIM. We see BIM helping us to
Chris Steer streamline our workflows and improve efficiency.
BIM Manager The North West Rail Link project inspired us
SMEC to accelerate the pace of our BIM adoption
and BIM is proving to be an invaluable asset on
the project.
Autodesk Customer Success Story SMEC

Navisworks Manage software facilitates the

process by aggregating the models, enabling
construction sequencing, and helping to
detect interferences. Internally, the SMEC
team uses Vault data management software
to connect its people with the latest versions
of different portions of the model.

Clashes are far more obvious in a BIM
process. Were resolving issues in minutes
that would have been easy to miss in a 2D
process, explains Steer. The design improve-
ments were finding are just as meaningful.
For instance, we recently reviewed two
trenches serving a substation and saw that
we could combine the trenches into one. Its
going to deliver both cost and timesaving
during construction along with maintenance
advantages over the life of the asset.

Were experiencing team coordination

benefits from Vault, notes Macbeth. Vault
helps give our global team access to the latest
Image courtesy of SMEC. design files without having to manage who
did what and when manually. We have more
The solution Beyond 3D control over and insight into the process.
It helps to enforce consistency while also
The rail link requires a more total use of BIM than One of SMECs partners on the project initially
saving our people time.
prior SMEC projects. The team quickly began to designed portions of the rail lines in a 3D
view BIM as a process that connects all aspects application that did not include intelligent objects.
of a projectnot a technology or software tool. SMEC decided to shift to Civil 3D instead. Thats The result
Software, including Autodesk AutoCAD Civil because Civil 3D enables a process that uses As SMEC continues its transition to a model-
3D, Autodesk Revit, and Autodesk Navisworks intelligent objectsnot just 3D visualization. An based workflow, the firm predicts that BIM
Manage, helps enable the process. The team intelligent object understands its specifications represents a transformative shift. Going from
turned to Civil 3D software for the roadwork, and the standards governing its use. In contrast, manual drafting to 2D design tools was a huge
earthworks, rail line, and water and sewer an unintelligent element in a 3D design behaves step, and moving from 2D to BIM is just as
components. Revit software supports the more like a simple image. important, says Evans. People sometimes
architectural and structural design process. equate BIM with 3D visualization, and its more
The various design models come together as In Civil 3D, you can assign attributes to an object, than that. You generate a body of knowledge
a federated model in Navisworks Manage calculate tender quantities more automatically, and in BIM that can be used from conception to
software. Autodesk Vault helps enforce design make changes dynamically, says Steer, continuing decommissioning. As the building changes,
management processes and version control. he said.The object intelligence provides greater you add to the intelligence within the model.
speed and accuracy. Theres an opportunity to add quality and
BIM connects the team in ways that are impossi- save time and money at very stage.
ble with 2D design, says Steve Macbeth, SMECs The beauty of BIM is in the object-based
CAD manager. You have an immediate view into intelligence as much as it is in the visualization,
what the other disciplines are doing. The process adds Evans. The intelligence gives you more
is much more connected than exchanging and control over every aspect of the design, and
figuring out sets of drawings at regular intervals. objects retain their intelligence throughout the
Even the client can give more and better input earlier life of the asset. You end up with a model that
because the direction of the design is clearer. can facilitate operations and maintenance. BIM
is really a cradle-to-grave process. It doesnt
According to Steer, Autodesk Consulting is need to stop with planning and design.
assisting as SMEC accelerates its BIM adoption.
He says, Autodesk Consulting has helped us make Managing and enhancing the model
sure that the systems and processes were relying
Every one to two weeks, the extended project
on are encompassing. Theyve also helped us
team brings together their models at a coordination
develop country-specific packages of standards.
workshop. The federated model that results helps
Working with them has been a collaborative
to highlight clashes and also helps the team
and productive process. Image courtesy of SMEC.
identify opportunities to improve the design.

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