Speed Up Your Preconstruction Models for Formworks Planning Using Revit and APIs

MERRI LAWAN: So welcome to the class about vertical formwork optimization in Revit. So our agenda for today is, we will first talk about the context of the development project. So we talk about why we are doing vertical formwork optimization in VINCI, and also how we manage to realize this development project, partnering with Autodesk consultants, who are here. And then we will present the tool.

And first we will talk about the prerequisite to the project development, which is very important before starting to develop. And then we will do a live demo for the key functionalities of the tool. And we talk a little bit about what we planned for the future.

So, first, we will introduce ourselves. So I am Merri Lawan. I have over a decade of experience in construction, both as a temporary worksite designer, and also as a BIM specialist.

So I joined the VINCI Construction France group since 2011. And my team is in charge of the BIM implementation in VINCI. That includes custom development, library creation, technical support and training.

My main focus is on development, software development, so I am doing a lot of Revit API custom plugins that helps our company do faster workflow with BIM software. I am also using currently my experience, my developing experience, to help the Autodesk consulting team to write a good specification for our user needs. So I'll hand over Eberhard.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: Hello. My name is Eberhard Michaelis. I am co-founder of the company GEM Team Solutions and [INAUDIBLE], based in Germany. We do mainly software-development services, providing for our customers worldwide. And most of this is CAD development.

I started my first touching of CAD was with my diploma work, in 1990. My first experience with Autodesk APIs was from 1996. And I have been regularly working on Revit projects from 2008.

PAMELA MAIER: Hi. My name is Pamela Maier. I work as a project manager for Autodesk since 2014. I have around eight years' experience in the software industry. Also, I am Scrum certified and PMP. And I joined the VINCI workgroup at Autodesk this year. And we have a couple of projects running together with VINCI around formworks, Forge, and Revit APIs. And I'm very happy here, today, to help, together with Merri and GEM, present one of those projects.

MERRI LAWAN: Thanks. So first we'll talk about the context of vertical formwork in VINCI But first I wanted to do a quick survey. How many of you are working for a construction company? OK, and how many of you are a vertical-formwork provider? OK, good.

So, first, a little word about VINCI Construction. So VINCI Construction is a world-leader construction company. It employs close to 70,000 people, in some 100 countries. So, as integrated concessions-construction company, we basically finance, design, build, and operate infrastructure and facilities.

So I'm working on the VINCI Construction France. It's a French subsidiary of VINCI Construction Group. We are about 20,000 people, dispatched in some 400 firms over the territory. And our company specializes in the concrete job. And we subcontract all of our jobs, but we deal with the overall coordination and logistics.

So, why we do plan vertical formwork? Our main job is concrete structure. So, therefore, we need to plan daily vertical formwork, to do a daily vertical formwork optimization. It's critical for us.

So how it look likes. So, as you can see in the picture, here is a vertical formwork. So it's very heavy equipment, made of metal, so it needs the crane in order to lift the equipment. And it needs at least two people to assemble the individual pieces. And it also needs stabilization equipment, like ballast and props, in order to stabilize one-side panels. So it's very resource-intensive, so we have to plan it accurately.

So, how the daily sequencing works? So here is a video on how we do the daily sequencing. So, basically, we have two specialized teams, one for vertical components and the other for horizontal components. We have to plan it in a way that each team is working in parallel, without any interruption and with a constant pouring rate.

So we have to do this, because we need to smooth the daily crane activities and also resource and human resource as well as material resources. We have to smooth everything. So that's why we are doing this. I don't know if it's a French specificity, but we don't see such optimization, such sequencing, in other countries.

So we start with a pouring sequence, like this. And then we are doing our vertical formwork optimization, based on this sequence.

So, as I said, the general idea of the optimization is to smooth the daily crane activities, as well as human resources, the human and material resources. So, why we are doing this? In order to secure the planning and the budget for the clients.

So who is impacted by this tool? Our temporary work-site designer, called also in France "method engineers," are doing the daily pouring sequencing, as well as the vertical formwork optimization. They play a key role in our company, because they organize the building construction sites.

They also plan human, material resources. They do the planning. And they also explain the operating and safety procedure in our building sites. So they really play a key role. And also, in our company, method engineers were the first who embraced the BIM software, because they leverage 3D graphics in order to explain safety procedures and operating procedures. And they also use--

With BIM software, it's easy to extract quantities in order to calculate the resources needed. So that's why method engineers started with the BIM software very early in our company. So it was really strategic for us to help the [INAUDIBLE] driving force by helping them moving to Revit. We were working in AutoCAD, before.

So how can we help them? By identifying the most tedious task. So the most tedious task, for a method engineer, is to do the daily optimization of the formwork, as well as the formwork drawing placement. So here you can see an AutoCAD drawing with the formwork placement.

We were using tools in AutoCAD, in order to quickly do this kind of drawing layout with the formwork. So it's helped our team to reduce from one week to one day on a project the formwork optimization. But it was in AutoCAD, and we wanted to move forward to Revit because Revit allows a better investment in time. Because we can reuse the data we create in Revit for other purposes-- for a quantity take-off, for example, or for better comprehension. Because, as you see on the previous slide, a pouring sequencing, we need to see it in 3D.

So, in order to do this, we needed to convert 100 of our method engineers in Revit, which represent 200 people in our company, in France. So it's lots of users. So this development was very strategic.

And, in order to do this and to help with the BIM transformation in Revit, in our company we partner with Autodesk. So Pamela will explain you how it has been a huge game-changer in partnering with them.

PAMELA MAIER: OK, thank you very much, Merri, for this. So, as Merri already said, VINCI didn't just want access to our software, but they also wanted a partner to realize and work on the different initiatives that were important to them.

So what is an EBA? It's an Enterprise Business Agreement. So in general, it's a three-year contract that our customers sign with Autodesk. And, of course, it contains access to software, desktop, and cloud, and all the newest releases. And you can also track them and your consumption via analytics and the Token Flex server, but, of course, it contains a lot more.

So the whole Customer Success service basically is designed to create value for customers, within this three-year contract. And what we do, actually, when we start an EBA, is think with a customer together about what initiatives are important to them and write them down in a Customer Success Plan, or CSP. And then the whole account team comes together, to work on this vision together.

So you have the Customer Success Manager, the consulting team, and the enterprise priority support that all work on this common goal together. So, for example, for VINCI, in this case, the BIM transformation was a key goal. And this entailed, for example, to improve the safety and quality of the engineering on a construction site, and also have a little bit better [INAUDIBLE] project margins-- because that's the first thing that can slip, in construction projects. Furthermore, also to kind of improve and smooth out the [INAUDIBLE] construction site was also how to bring BIM models. For example, how to bring models on the site, how to have this information, to facilitate the construction process. And, of course, it's also important to consider that Autodesk has a huge ecosystem that creates a lot of innovation that also VINCI can profit from.

So, as you can see here, we are already in the second EBA with VINCI. So we had some time to already work on initiatives, and we're continuing to do so in this second EBA. So one of the main focus areas was to continue to improve the BlueBIM toolbox. So that's a toolbox with a lot of different BIM tools-- for example, Revit plugins-- that help facilitate quantity take-offs, costing, and so forth. Then also generative design for formwork. That's what we're going to discuss in more detail today. And then BIM to Site-- so, how do we have models on site? How can we enrich these models with information from the site and then have smarter, more accurate Revit models?

So those are all some of the initiatives that we're working on together. And what VINCI has at the moment is a really cool tool. So they have their own SharePoint site where all the kind of important topics that we're doing together with them, Autodesk and VINCI, are published there. So it's kind of a news feed where people can also ask questions around the developments that we're doing. And this ensures that everybody's in the loop and knows what new tools are available to them.

How we collaborated, on this project, basically was in a very agile manner for all the development projects that we're doing together. So we have weekly meetings. We define a scope. We work in sprints. And then we always discuss, every week, what's happened, what new development did we do, where do we need to do some testing, and receive feedback. So it's a very quick release cycle, very quick feedback loop, that enables us to quickly respond to any new requests from VINCI.

We use JIRA as a tool, because we think it creates a lot of transparency. It's a very good tool for team collaboration. And we have a very good overview of what is happening right now. All the validation testing and acceptance, we all do in JIRA. So I think that's proven very efficient.

OK, and that's a quick overview of our team, extended team, from one of our Parisian on-site workshops. So, as I explained together before, we work with GEM-- with Eberhard and his team-- and also Ali and Merri and Zara. And, together, we are basically a development, workforce-- VINCI-Autodesk.

OK, and now Eberhard will tell you a little bit more what are the preparations, preconditions for a development project like this.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: So this will be only one slide I'm talking about, today. But, for me, that is very important, because this is--

MERRI LAWAN: --next?

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: Yeah, this is-- oh-- oops. Not all. Yeah, OK. Of course, the whole software dev-- project is depending on this, and it makes a huge difference if you do this or not. To some of you, this may seem obvious, but I'm telling you anyway. So, if any one of you is planning to do a software-development project supporting your workflows, please consider the following.

So what you should start with is, you should understand BIM, and you should understand your workflow completely. You should have somebody in the company who has the time to analyze what you're doing, what you're doing every day, what the whole workflow is, and what the comprehensive workflow is, in your company and who can gather all the information, ask all the people the right questions, to get a compound understanding of what your workflow is. This is a cloud, because it's not always tangible. If you're doing a software project, it might be the first time that you really look, detail, at your workflow.

The next very important step is, you have to abstract your workflow. You have to digitize it. You have to break it down into single steps of tangible, unambiguous information of where data is passed from one step to another. You have to be able to describe this.

And it gets really tangible. It gets definable, at this point. And you can view this mapping from the existing, real-world workflow to the abstracted workflow as a kind of dictionary between two languages. The language above is the language that you talk with your fellow workers every day. And the language below is the language that you will need, to make somebody who is not living in your world understand what you are doing. If this dictionary is not complete, you might mess up on some decisive goals, and you might miss up opportunities to get the best software you can get.

After you've really built this workflow, the next step is fairly easy, because you know what you want, you know what needs to be done, and you can describe it, and you can choose the right tools for each of these steps. So this is a no-brainer.

And, last but not least, be flexible. While you've built up this dictionary, while you've built up the digitized workflow, you've gathered information in your company. You know now-- you can describe your workflow. You can evaluate your workflow.

So you have more information about what you're doing in your company than you had before. Use this. And, if you find, during development, that you can improve the digitized workflow, that you can maybe drop out some steps which are not necessary because of some questions that come up, some problems that come up during implementation, use this information.

Change the workflow. Adapt the workflow, if it makes sense. Just be flexible, so that you can benefit, really, from this work that has been on this--

It will take some time. It will take time, to understand that your complete workflow-- it will take time, to get to the digitized, abstracted workflow. But if you have a person which understands this and can do this and handle this, in your company, then you have an asset, here, and you can work with it in the future.

And coming back to VINCI, once he has done this, they have followed these steps, they know that they need this and that it is valuable to them, they have all done this. And Merri will tell us now how we approach this in this project.

MERRI LAWAN: Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Eberhard. Yeah.

So, as Eberhard said, when we started the project development we knew already what was our workflow, because it was, we were using Revit, and we deploy it in [INAUDIBLE] design intensively, three years ago. So I will just describe you what was the requirement for our development project.

So as I said, we were using, as our daily engineering tool, Revit. So we tried to leverage, as much as possible, the Revit strength inside the software. So, as you may know if you are a Revit user, Revit offer great construction tools.

So we are using the Part tool, in order to create pouring sequences on the concrete components. So we decided, as [? only ?] a geometric input for our plugin, we have to deal with the Part object in Revit. We are also using the Phase module in Revit, in order to create a sequence simulation and also extract quantities according to specific phases. So this is a great tool in Revit, and it saved us lots of graphic-filters creation in Revit.

So we wanted to leverage the phasing module, so we decided to read directly the Phase Creation and Demolition parameter inside Revit, for our pouring components. Also, there is a great Parametric Families feature in Revit. Over the years, VINCI has built a huge equipment library inside Revit. So we decided to leverage our vertical formwork components family, in order to use it in the plugin. If you are interested, there's a class VINCI did in 2015, about how we create our equipment tools with the Revit families features. So you can refer to this class, if you are interested.

Another very important part of our workflow is parts-- create parts on linked files. So how many of you are aware that you can create parts on a linked file? Yeah. So it's a great workflow. I can show you, just quickly, a video.

So, basically, in our company we have our structural engineers, and we have our method engineers. So the method engineers deals with the pouring sequencing, and the structural engineers is designing the structural components. So we want to separate the files, because we don't want the method engineers working inside the structural-engineer files.

So this out-of-the-box workflow in Revit allows us to link the structural file, create parts on it, and then the method engineer can create the pouring division and sequence the different parts without touching the structural-engineer file. And when the structural engineer will do some modification, the method engineer just have to reload the linked file, and all the modification, like the wall height, wall thickness, will update the method-engineer parts. But the method engineer will keep his sequence and the part division. So that's very important. So no one is losing his works, and we can constantly update, keep updating, the file, from the linked file.

So that was a good workflow. And the impact in the project development is, we had to deal directly with the part object and don't deal with the original component. Because the original component resides on the linked file, and the linked file may be unloaded or deleted.

It was also important to understand our modeling rules because the plugin will basically read the geometry from our components. So we explain that we typically model the building with the correct-- sorry-- with the correct-- already the correct pouring height. Why we are doing this? Because we need to do, in early phase, upstream analysis of formwork needed. So we need to have already an accurate model for the formwork height. So the plugin just have to deal with the height it reads from the part element directly.

Also, to deal with wall junction-- so there is a great feature in Revit which allows us to switch the priority between the two walls. So we use it in order to have a very accurate pouring volume but, most important, to have a good starting point for our formwork from the existing wall. So, depending on the sequence, we switch the wall priority junction.

Also, another important requirement is we want to keep, as much as possible, our families and data separate. There's two reasons. When we deal with formwork equipment in Revit, you deal with many, many, many instances of families. So it can lower down the Revit performance.

So that's why we created some very lightweight but very highly parametric families, here. So, with one family, we can create several providers' equipment, just by changing the parameter values. So this family are very lightweight. But, on the other hand, we want to also have a very detailed stock calculation. Why we need this? Because, depending on the equipment we use for the stabilization or the safety gate, it will require more resources, and we need to smooth the resources on a daily basis.

And also, for logistic purposes, we need to have really detailed quantity equipment. So that's why we wanted to decouple our geometry from the data, because we cannot rely on our very simplified family to get a very accurate stock. So I will explain later how we did this.

So now let's talk about the tool. So this is the overall architecture of our tool. So there's a configuration tool. So the configuration tools allow us to create what we call "catalog files." It's basically XML files that describe all the formwork providers' rules. And it has reference to our family component. So all the data are described here. So it's running outside of Revit. So we can let some user that don't know-- for example, it can be from a provider who write this kind of catalog files.

And then we have another part of the tool which runs inside Revit. So basically, [? where ?] the geometry-analysis module, which take all the geometry from our drawing, analyze it with the phase, and display all the information we need in order to assign the equipment. So we have a main UI-- I will demo you later-- a main UI called "optimization table," where we have all the information we need to assign the vertical formwork equipment to our pouring component in Revit. And this main UI is reading also information from the catalog files, in order to create assembly creation. So I will explain more in depth all the module. And, once the user assign the vertical formwork equipment, we can calculate automatically a live detail stock from this assignment.

So the assembly definition catalogs. So we are here. It's some XML file that describe all the data from our equipment providers. First, it describe the assembly composition. So we call an assembly unit that can be lifted by the crane. So typically, we can have a angular-- a corner assembly, or it can be one panel, one-sided, or two-sided panels.

It can be, also, you can have a vertical composition of panels, as well as horizontal composition of panels. And it comes with safety gates, props, and stabilization equipment. So, all that information we need to describe it.

So for example, here, here are our assembly definition. And here are all the detail equipment we need to create this assembly. So it's a text file. It's not related to our family, but it describe all the equipment we need for a detailed calculation later, and for logistic delivery.

So we describe also the dimension and the rule we need in order to place the formwork. So for example, the dimension-- we had the plug-in place the formwork in relation to one another. And also helps to check if the formwork [? length ?] cover correctly the pouring segment.

And also rules-- what I mean by "rules" is, for example, typically for a corner connection-- like, here, you have a flexible corner. Here, you have a fixed corner. We need to know if the conditions are met. For example, we have a maximum and minimum wall thickness the corner can cover, and also a minimum and maximum angle. So all of these rules are described in this XML catalog file.

And also as I said, we describe the reference to our family equipment. So here is our family equipment. And each assembly definition we have is a corresponding family and type equipment.

So, the geometry analysis. So now we are running inside Revit. So this is, I think, the most complex part of the development. The goal of the analysis is to get the footprint of each pouring segment, and also read the phase we already set on each point segment, and analyze all the pouring segments that are connected, and decide what type of connection [? they ?] have each other.

So, why we are doing this geometry analysis? In order to evaluate the extremity conditions. So we have different types of extremity conditions. It can be an open condition-- for example, the formwork has an open extremity, so the formwork can go beyond the pouring elements, under certain conditions. The conditions are, we need a minimum distance and a maximum distance, in order to put a concrete [? stock ?] pouring equipment here. Also, we can have a blocked condition. So typically, here, when you have a preexisting wall, the formwork cannot cross a preexisting wall.

And we may have, also, a continuous condition. For example, if you have a preexisting wall but which has the same thickness of the wall we are currently pouring, we were able to pinch, on each side, the formwork onto the existing wall under certain conditions. So when I say "under certain conditions," for example, we have typically, on an open extremity, we have a minimum and maximum formwork distance we can cover. The same for our continuous extremity. And for the blocked extremity, if we are blocked on both sides, you need a minimum distance in order to take off the equipment.

So all this information I'll use later to assign the assembly formwork onto our pouring segment. So we will display all of this information in our main UI, what we call the "optimization table." So here is optimization table. So we are here. It's our main UI where the user do all its interaction with the drawing and also assign the equipment. So now we go to a [? more ?] live demo.

So here is an example project. So you can see here, we have-- when I select an element-- so it's a part. Sorry, it's a French UI, but it's a part. And we basically phase all the parts. So I just apply to a 3D view a phase filter.

So for example, if I launch the plugin-- so this is a main UI. This is optimization table. It centralizes all the information. So basically, what you see here, it's a table where, if I switch, for example, to each pouring segment, we will be able to zoom in the drawing onto the corresponding parts. So it allow us a good interaction with Revit, thanks to-- it's a modeless dialog, so it's a specific way to develop in Revit. So we can still work on this UI and work on the drawing.

So, for example, this is formwork already assigned. I will explain you how we assign it. But if I select a formwork here, it will select the corresponding cell which corresponds to the formwork. So there is a good integration between the drawing and the optimization table.

So here, the optimization table, we have a list of all the pouring segments. Here we can read the phase. So, for example, if I go, if I jump to phase 2, in the drawing I will jump to phase 2.

So, here in black is the existing wall. In green is the current pouring segment. So, if I go to phase 4, for example, I will jump to phase 4. So, as you can see here, we can see the sequence. We can see directly the sequence, so it will help us know where we are in the drawing and when we are.

So, here, you have all the situation I described. So, for example, all the extremity conditions. S means we are connected to Special equipment. So, if I go here-- and, if you read, here, on the condition, S means we are connected to Special equipment, so we need to insert the formwork right at this equipment. O means it it's an Open extremity, so the formwork can go beyond the pouring segment but under certain conditions.

So all the conditions are written here. Here you can see, this is a real pouring height that has been read from the drawing. So it help us know if our formwork height is high enough.

And here, most important, it's the remaining length to cover for the formwork. So, for example, here you can see that there's zero remaining length to cover. That means that this wall is properly covered by the formwork. So, for example, if on this wall I uncheck the formwork-- oh, sorry, it was the wrong wall.

So, if I uncheck here, as you can see, the formwork disappear automatically. And so, yeah, I forgot to explain that, in column, each column is an assembly definition. It's an assembly instance in the drawing. So, for example, if I check this specific assembly, it will assign automatically the formwork inside the drawing.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: And what you see now is the assembly in one phase. So it can be an instance instantiated in multiple phases, of course.

MERRI LAWAN: Yeah. So, where this assembly come from? It comes from the assembly catalog definition. So here is all the definition we created in our XML files. So it reads the information directly from here.

And here we have a special-- we can create additional assembly composition, from this standard assembly composition. So we can create other compositions, like more complex competitions with a horizontal composition and vertical composition. So it will read all the catalog files. And we can insert this new created assembly definition inside our table. So it will basically add another column in our table, and we can then check to assign it to a pouring segment.

So why we are assigning the formwork? We have many feedbacks. So for example, I am not allowed to assign on the same phase, the same assembly. Which is logic, because we can-- the same assembly [INAUDIBLE] cannot be on two different location on the same phase. So we have a feedback.

We have another-- we have coloring feedback. For example, in green that means that we covered properly the pouring segment. Here you have an orange warning that's saying that it's not-- we have still remaining length, so we have to properly cover this one.

So we have many feedbacks, and the feedbacks come from the rules we set in our assembly catalog definition. So everything is-- when we assign something and when the plugin allows us to assign an assembly instance, we know that it's possible. And all the corner, you see, has been automatically assigned. So the plugin is able to read concrete pouring that has been done the same day. It will read the thickness and the angle, and it will allow to place an angle only if the rules are met. So all the corner has been assigned automatically.

I can go also to another specific case, here. So here is a specific case where we have a wall between two existing walls. So, in this case, we have special equipment where we can-- it's not a fixed equipment, it's a flexible filler. When we can-- we can have-- we have a minimum and maximum distance we can cover with this metallic piece.

So we have some rules also set already on the catalog definition that say we can cover here. And the plugin also checks the minimum distance in order to be able to take off the formwork after we pour the segment. So we check, also, this-- this minimum length.

And I can show you-- we needed also to be able to-- if I go here-- to change the position of the formwork [INAUDIBLE] placed. So, for example, if I select this one it will automatically select the cell in the optimization table. And, with shortcut, I can-- ah, I just have to active-- I can change the placement. So, as you can see here, the formwork automatically change his placement.

And why we need this? Because we have some rules internally. We need to check-- we need to have a continuity on the safety gates. So we cannot put a specific assembly instance between other assembly instance, so we need a continuity. And we need also to check if the tie rods are not clashing with opening frame. So we need to place accurately.

But, if I show you here-- so I can also select a pouring segment, and it will select automatically the line, the pouring segment, the corresponding pouring-segment line, in the optimization table. And, just to show you on the open case-- so, for example, a free wall, here-- the placement rule is-- for example, if I uncheck here, it will place the formwork from the middle of the segment, and then it will go to the extremity. So the placement wall, here, is like this.

But, when we are on a blocked segment-- so, if I choose, for example, this one, it will start to place the formwork on the blocked condition. So it will read the geometry, analyze the condition, and place the formwork accordingly. And here you can see, if I show you, a case-- yeah, this one.

So, for example, this one is an example of a continuous extremity. So, basically, here, it's an extremity-- it's an existing wall, and we are able to pinch this existing wall, under certain condition. Because a tie rod cannot go on an existing wall, here. So that's why we set on global settings-- if I go here-- we have global settings, where we set the open [INAUDIBLE], min, max, and continuous min and max. So we have to meet this condition in order to place the equipment.

And if we don't meet this condition, we have some feedback warnings. So we display, here, a specific color if the conditions are not met.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: So the optimization table is really a monster of a dialogue. And you can do everything with it. It's for monitoring and seeing what the status of your formwork is.

MERRI LAWAN: Yeah. And here, finally, you have also, it will display the detail stock life. So here you can see it's not our assembly instance, but it's what is the composition of each assembly instance. So we have a global stock of all the detail equipment we need, in order to realize this assembly instance in the drawing.

So it will help us to, later, integrate. Because sometimes we have, on the same sequence, we have big-- we have to assemble and disassemble the different assembly instances. So we need to have more granularity on the composition, to check if we have everything we need to assemble big equipment temporarily.

And here, you can see, it's all the available definition for corner, flexible corner. We have also T-- specific T equipment, when you have tools [INAUDIBLE]. And here we can enable, disable, specific assembly definition if we don't want to use it in the drawing.

So I will jump back here, in just to explain, here, why we manage stocks. Because-- so a stock is a subset of pouring segment, in the drawing. And we do manage stock because, sometimes, in the same sequence, we deal with different vertical formwork height. So, basically, we don't have the same pouring rate, when we use these different formwork height. So we need to calculate the stock independently.

So here you can see-- here, on the same sequence, we have a big-height formwork and a standard-height formwork. And basically the pouring rate here won't be the same as the pouring rate here. And also, when you have-- on the same project, we can have an infrastructure phase where we have a lower pouring rate than in superstructure phase. So we need to distinguish the calculation, here.

So we basically-- in the optimization table, we can select our pouring segment and assign them to a specific stock. And then, when the plugin calculate the stock, it will be on this specific stock.

So I will explain what we plan to do in the future. So, as you can see, today it's a manual assignment, so we have to check in the assembly definition-- on each assembly instance, we have to check in the optimization table in order to draw it in Revit. But now we have all the information, the plugin has all the information needed-- so the formwork length to cover, the formwork height. It has the available stock. It has the assembly definition. It has everything it needs to automatically assign each assembly instance.

What I forget to tell you is, we calculate here what we called-- [INAUDIBLE]-- it's a percentage here. For example, if we have 100%, that means that we use the assembly instance on each phase. So the goal of the optimization is to reduce the assembly instance on each phase.

So we have a feedback here which is very important for us, to know if we are able to reduce it as much as possible. And so the goal of the automatic assignment is to be about to reach as much as possible 100% on each assembly instance. And we basically go from the bigger assembly instance to the smaller one. So the plugin should be able to do it automatically-- it has all the rules needed from the assembly definition catalog-- and all the user constraint to do it automatically.

So we plan to do this. So a more automatic mode to assign all the assembly instances. Also, we want to integrate a special equipment, like formwork ends. So, for example, the formwork on the open extremity can go beyond. So we need to put a specific equipment, to stop the concrete pouring. And we need to calculate this, also, because it uses some resources.

So we need to calculate this. And we need also to integrate the stabilization, like the ballast, props, and also specific crane lifting equipment. We need this, for our safety procedures but also to check the special requirements needed. Because, if you have an existing wall here, it will clash with the existing wall, the ballast.

Also, we wanted to run automatic clash analysis. So, typically, an issue on the site is when a tie rod is clashing with an opening frame. So, because we model the opening on the Revit file, and we know the frame thickness, we also define all the tie-rod distance on each panel, on the assembly catalog files, so the plugin should be able to detect automatically a clash between the opening frame and the tie rod.

Also, we want to check the space requirements-- the space requirement is met when we place some safety gates, here, which take places, and also stabilization. So we need to check if there is no clash between when positioning the formwork with safety gates.

And also, I forgot to show, here, we need also to simulate when the formwork is open, because we need to have open state, in order to reinforce inside. So we need also to detect if, when we open the formwork, there will be no clash with an existing wall, for example.

Also, so, I said at the beginning, we need to sequence the pouring segment in order to do our formwork optimization. But we know that it's both pouring sequence and formwork optimization are interlinked, because, for example, sometimes, depending on the formwork panel, it will influence where we will put the pouring division. So we need to do it in parallel-- the formwork pouring division and sequence, and the formwork optimization.

So VINCI is currently working on a module that enable us to do the pouring division and the pouring phasing, based on some of structural and architectural rules, and also logistic rules-- for example, the pouring rate or reinforcement. So we plan to change both optimization in the future to get better results and more integrated results.

And also, if you were at the first DevCon, we did a class about a development we did with Autodesk. So we basically used the Forge platform to load our method-engineering model with all the phases of pouring segment and the formwork optimization. So we have a viewer in the browser where we can view everything-- all the information. And what we want to do is to leverage a new API that will be available in Forge, where we can modify the drawings [? in ?] Revit file underneath.

So the goal of this is, for example, in our building site, most of the time, we faced logistic issues. So, when we face logistic issues, we need to quickly iterate a new sequence, pouring sequence, and formwork optimization, to catch up with the issue. So the goal is to-- because we have already the script in Revit, we want to deport all our scripts into Forge, in order to allow our job-site engineers to recalculate and to iterate quickly, with a new proposal, when there's an issue, for example. So we want to deport everything. And, because our goal in VINCI is to really bring the power of BIM into the building site. So it's something we want to do in the future.

So, thank you. I think we have-- we have five minutes left, if you have any question. And I can go back, also, on the [INAUDIBLE] model, if you want to see more detail. But I thank you for being here.

[APPLAUSE]

Yes?

AUDIENCE: What would you say are the key benefits for [INAUDIBLE]?

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: What are the key benefits?

MERRI LAWAN: What are the key benefits, for modeling formwork? The key benefit is we want to smooth the daily crane activity because it's really intensive. It's using the crane every day, the vertical formwork. So we need to smooth it, because our crane can work only eight hours a day.

So it's a critical information. So we optimize it, in order for the job site to know where to place the formwork and also in order to optimize our crane. So we need to check the planning-- if the planning is possible. So we need to really draw the formwork.

And also for safety procedures. We need to tell our job site, we need some stabilization here. We need specific equipment here. So.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: This is probably very specific to a whole VINCI works, and it might be completely different in your company.

MERRI LAWAN: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: Do you guys manufacture your own formwork for every-- Do you make your own formwork [INAUDIBLE]?

MERRI LAWAN: No, we have formwork providers in France. But we collaborate with the formwork providers to have something very useful for us. So we have a good collaboration with formwork provider. But we're-- yeah, it's an external formwork provider. It's not our own.

AUDIENCE: What are some of the formwork providers that you utilize?

MERRI LAWAN: What?

AUDIENCE: What are some of the formwork providers that you utilize?

MERRI LAWAN: So we have a specific French formwork provider. I don't know if you know them-- one called [INAUDIBLE], another one called [INAUDIBLE]. So it's really specific French formwork provider. And that's why it's really a French specificity. I don't know if you do--

AUDIENCE: In this country, we use a lot of-- at least, where I work, we use [INAUDIBLE].

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: Mhm, yeah.

AUDIENCE: --pretty--

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: So, the German formwork.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

[LAUGHTER]

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: So I've been doing German formwork development, as well, software development, and it's completely different from what they do in France. This is very efficient, very few pieces to move, very few pieces to assemble. This is very special.

MERRI LAWAN: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

And we have big panels of steel concrete. So we have big panels of steel formwork, compared to the [INAUDIBLE] system of PERI and [? Luca. ?] But we use also PERI and [? Luca, ?] but mainly for civil, not so much for building. Yeah.

EBERHARD MICHAELIS: Any other questions?

MERRI LAWAN: Any other question?

AUDIENCE: How do you deal with the changes that happen in the field with your pouring sequences and formwork?

MERRI LAWAN: [LAUGH] Good question.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

Today, it there's specific issues on the building site, we need to go back to our method engineers, on the back office. And then we need to redo the sequence in Revit, redo the optimization, the formwork optimization, and then go back to the building site with a new proposal. So it's very painful. Honestly, we don't do it-- we don't always do it. So sometimes we just let the building site try to catch up with--

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

[? PRESENTER: ?] In fact, there is a rule-- if, within three days, he is able to back it up and fit again with the scheduling, he do it without any documentation, just managing the guys and the equipment. If it is not possible, he have to call back to the method engineer. And so, to adapt the scheduling.