Progress Monitoring

Modified on Thu, 28 Nov at 1:49 PM

This article introduces new functionality inside Cintoo platform containing a complete workflow for running the process, all the information about the parameters, use cases and tips to provide better user experience.

Watch the short tutorial video here: Progress Monitoring (MVP)

What is Progress Monitoring?

In the context of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Computer-Aided Design (CAD), progress monitoring refers to the process of tracking and evaluating the progress of a construction project in real-time or near-real-time, using digital models and data.

Cintoo Progress Monitoring - tool to compare model data to scan data and calculate with a certain tolerance the difference between two sources. Get the result in a form of a .csv report with coverage information and deviations.

To use Cintoo Progress Monitoring (CIPM) functionality a special permission Manage progress monitoring report is required.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Workflow
CIPM file structure
Use cases
Tips

Workflow

Prepare the data - visualize the scans to compare in Work Zone Explorer or Resource Explorer.
Only the scans visualized in the viewport would be used for the process. If some parts of the scan is not needed, they could be just excluded from the visualization.
This allows to have the as-built basis of the comparison.
Select a model (Model Explorer) or a model element (Model Content Explorer) to compare with the scans visualized in the previous step.
To enter the settings menu click the Progress monitoring button
Provide a name in the field Report filename. Please note that the following special characters are not allowed: \ / : * ? “ <>
The name of the selected model or model element is provided in the display.
Choose the tolerance value in Model to scan tolerance distance field. Be aware of the units. This value defines the limiting distance used by the CIPM algorithm to localize closest scan data around the model in 3D.
Measurement units depend on the ones defined in project settings. Tolerance limit is 12 mm and 0.5 inches.
Click Start to launch report creation process.
The report is saved in the active Work Zone from which it was created. An email notification upon completion is provided to the user.

The output file is provided as .cipm or Cintoo Progress Monitoring file.
The report should be downloaded in .csv format to be further used outside Cintoo by clicking on Download button. The name of the file matches the name chosen for the .cipm file. Additionally, tolerance value and project units are added to the name.
Report measurement units and precision depend on the corresponding fields in Options menu for the project. Changing each of these parameters affects the output .csv file, so the .csv file could be generated multiple times with different units and precision.

CIPM file structure

Downloaded .csv file has the following structure:

Model Element id - unique identifier of the model element within a CIPM run
Model Element Name - model element name from the Cintoo project
Coverage by Scan Data (%) - showing volume percentage of the model covered by scan data based on the Model to scan tolerance distance defined in CIPM run settings
Maximum Distance to Scan Data - maximum distance across the model element to the scan data measured in project units
Average distance to Scan Data - average distance across the model element to the scan data measured in project units
Minimal distance to Scan Data - minimal distance across the model element to the scan data measured in project units

Example of the formatting of the data in MS Excel

Additionally, it’s possible to see the parameters of the CIPM run (model element and Model to scan tolerance distance) as well as output coverage, distance numbers for the whole run by clicking on the Information button.

Use cases

Use Coverage estimation parameter to identify different stages of the construction (for example, Not built, In progress, Completed). With this information the data becomes more descriptive with a tie to the real situation on site.
Feel free to use MS Excel to filter by Coverage estimation column, for example low coverage data or on the contrary highest coverage.

Based on the distance data from the report, define the model elements that should be verified inside a Cintoo project. Use search functionality in the Model Content Explorer panel to find the data with the model element name.

Tips

Diversify CIPM runs by different parts of the model - plumbing, electrical etc. This isolates model elements within a designated CIPM run providing cleaner results and improving the following analysis.
Tolerance value should be based upon the initial data that is used (scan and model). For bigger elements, like walls, bigger values could be chosen, for more precise comparisons choose smaller values.
Accuracy of the results highly depends on the quality of the scan data and technology used to capture.