BIM model management: projects, models and the Autodesk cloud
BIM model management in AiN Engine answers three questions that come up on every project: where the model is, what state its processing is in, and which project and bill of quantities it belongs to. This page goes through the windows that handle this: projects, models, the Autodesk cloud connection, downloads and the client view. For each one I note what you see, what it does and what to know before you start.
What you see in the project and model windows
These windows open from the File menu and the top bar, and most of them need you to be signed in.
- My Projects: an overview of your projects and the bills of quantities in each one. The list of BOQs loads when you click a project. Where no check has run yet, it says Not checked instead of showing a 0% that looks like a result.
- My Models: a private list of the models you uploaded or linked, with the processing percentage, the processing log and the source of each model. One button re-checks the status of every model with Autodesk, and the list can be exported to Excel with an active subscription.
- New project…: a client name and a project name, then one of two routes: create the project and open your Autodesk cloud files, or create it and upload a model file from your computer without going through the cloud files.
- Open model…: upload a Revit, Navisworks or IFC file and choose a project type, for example affordable housing or urban renewal.
- Cloud Files: a top-bar button with a coloured dot that shows whether your Autodesk account is connected. In the window you browse hubs, projects and folders, open a model straight in AiN, and copy a link when you need one.
- Download apps & add-ins: the download button in the top bar opens a list of AiN add-ins and apps, with the size of each file and a download button, for subscribers.
BIM model management with the Autodesk cloud
When the model already sits in the Autodesk cloud, there is no need to download it to your computer and upload it again. The Cloud Files window connects to your Autodesk account and opens models from BIM 360, Autodesk Construction Cloud and Forma. If you have no such account, you upload a file from your computer and the model joins the same list.
A further window, which pulls quantities straight from Autodesk's cloud data model without opening the model in the viewer, is currently in the Hebrew interface only.
What it gives you
- One place for every model: a model from the cloud and a model from a local file are managed in the same place, grouped by project, with each project's bills of quantities next to them.
- A status that does not mislead: Not checked instead of a made-up percentage. A project nobody has checked yet does not look like a project that was checked and passed. It is the same rule I follow in the bill of quantities: a missing value is marked as missing, not as zero.
- Processing you can see: the processing percentage and log show whether a model is ready or still being worked on, and a re-check with Autodesk updates the whole list.
- Sharing without handing over the system: from the File menu of the BOQ, the export to an external client opens a BOQ viewing platform for them. They sign in with a username and see the bill of quantities read-only, with no access to the rest of the app. Someone who only needs the model gets a view-only link, as described on the online BIM viewer page.
- Secure downloads: add-ins are downloaded only from inside the app, by signed-in subscribers. If you are not signed in, you see a message that login is required; without an active subscription, a message that downloads are open to subscribers only.
How to use it
This is what BIM model management looks like for me on a new project, from the start:
- Open New project… in the File menu and fill in a client name and a project name.
- Choose where the model comes from: your Autodesk cloud files or a file on your computer.
- When uploading from your computer, choose the project type and wait for processing to finish. The bill of quantities opens by itself when the model is ready.
- In My Models, follow the processing percentage, and re-check with Autodesk when something does not update.
- In My Projects, see each project's bills of quantities and what has not been checked yet.
- When the bill of quantities is ready to show, open a read-only view for the client.
What to know before you start
Three notes: pulling quantities straight from the Autodesk cloud is currently in the Hebrew interface only. Every download, Excel exports and add-ins alike, needs an active subscription. And a quantity that comes from a model is only as good as the model, so I check it like any other quantity.
BIM model management puts the files in order, but it does not complete a model that is missing information. If the model has no levels, materials or classification, it will show in the quantities. That is why I look at the model itself before I trust any number that comes out of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an Autodesk account to work?
No. You can create a project and upload a Revit, Navisworks or IFC file from your computer. An Autodesk account is needed to open models from the Autodesk cloud.
Who can see my models?
The list in My Models is private, and each user sees only their own models there. An external client sees only the bill of quantities you opened for them, read-only, and someone with a view-only link sees only the model.
What is the difference between My Projects and My Models?
My Projects looks at the project: which bills of quantities it has and what has been checked. My Models looks at the files: what processing stage each model is at, where it came from and what its log says.
Can I download the add-ins without a subscription?
No. Downloads are open to signed-in subscribers, and so are Excel exports. Without signing in, or without an active subscription, you see a message that explains this instead of a download button.
I am Yaakov Avital, a quantity surveyor in Israel, and these windows are part of the BOQ software I develop out of my own work. For the file you get at the end of the process, see export BOQ to Excel.
Want to see AiN on your own model? The AiN Engine site has the demo video, the pilot for one project and the login. For quantity surveying work in Israel, write to me through the form.
AiN Engine website Contact form* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.