Khanty-Mansiysk Introduces Automated Digital Model Checks
The Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug–Yugra State Review Authority for Project Documentation now uses the Larix.Manager software suite to automate audits of digital building information models (BIM models).
The software analyzes projects submitted for review and can identify defects that could potentially lead to major problems. For example, it can detect clashes between structural elements and building services or compare bills of material quantities with cost estimates.
An Effective Review Tool
The Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug–Yugra State Review Authority for Project Documentation reviews building designs and engineering surveys across the autonomous region. Its specialists now receive large numbers of 3D models, many of which share recurring shortcomings. Models are often created from existing 2D drawings, contain incorrect attributes or coordinates, or are overloaded with unnecessary detail.
Manually checking hundreds of pages of PDF documentation takes considerable time and makes it difficult to compare material quantities, coordinates and design decisions. The authority needed an effective tool to assemble federated models, check their parameters and coordination, and reconcile work quantities with cost-estimate specifications. The solution was Larix.Manager, a software suite developed by Aibim for analyzing digital information models of buildings and structures. Integrated into the review process, the software checks document completeness upon submission, performs an initial visual assessment and automated model checks, and evaluates whether a revised model conforms to the project documentation.
Software Helps Prevent Downtime and Construction Material Shortages
What can the digital solution do? Larix.Manager can compare building point coordinates and finished-floor elevations against setting-out drawings in the Site Layout Plan section (SP) and data from engineering and geodetic surveys, using the MSK-86 coordinate system and the Baltic Height System. The software also detects clashes between structural elements and building services, including conflicts between load-bearing components and ventilation ducts. It checks element attributes, the accuracy of IFC classes and parameters of imported families, and generates quantity takeoffs for selected groups of elements so they can be compared with cost-estimate specifications.
The software's effectiveness can be seen in real-world examples. During a review of documentation for an 11,500-square-meter sports complex, an automated count revealed a discrepancy of 17 piles between the 3D model and the paper specification in the Structural Design section (KR). The error was corrected before the project was approved, allowing the estimated project cost to be adjusted. In another case, Larix.Manager helped prevent installation work from being halted at a construction site. The system identified steel-frame beams and roof slabs that failed to intersect because their elevation levels were incorrect.
Eliminating Unnecessary Model Detail
According to specialists, introducing Larix.Manager has transformed the audit of a building's digital information model, which describes the asset throughout its life cycle, from a formal requirement into a tool for checking the quality of design decisions. The review authority can now identify spatial clashes and discrepancies between the model, drawings and cost estimate before a project is approved. The authority has also been able to eliminate excessive detail in models. Previously, elements at LOD 400–500, which have no bearing on the review process, could increase file sizes to hundreds of megabytes. This slowed downloads from the Unified Digital Expert Review Platform and reduced software performance. Larix.Manager has helped specialists move from manual drawing analysis to automated checks of construction projects.
One important advantage is that specialized software can readily identify inconsistencies in documentation that are difficult to spot when visually reviewing large numbers of drawings.
Despite its effectiveness, the software does not replace the state construction review process; it automates only selected checks. Specialists must still make the final assessment of each project. According to experts, introducing the software has made it possible to identify errors before documents are submitted for state review and design discrepancies before installation work begins. This can help prevent additional expenses and save substantial amounts of money in the future. The adoption of Larix.Manager by a major government agency is expected to accelerate the development and wider use of Russian information modeling technologies, giving further momentum to the digital transformation of the construction industry.
