Software collaboration tool from Bentley

First published at CONEXPO-CON/AGG - March 13, 2020

Bentley’s SYNCHRO Modeler tool offers 4D capabilities

Software specialist Bentley Systems is now offering a new portfolio of tools that will deliver more efficient collaboration between project designers and construction firms. The firm’s Syncro software is said to be a complete system for digital twins and asset lifecycle.

The industry focus is on civil infrastructure but Bentley Systems is aiming to differentiate itself from other software specialists by solving issues of collaboration. Richard Humphrey, senior director project delivery and construction, commented: “Projects are getting bigger and expectations on clients are greater.”

He explained that the firm’s civil software offerings give a good view of context and time, while providing access and managing data. He said that the firm’s new Syncro portfolio adds in location information, helping to drive 4D modelling. The new packages feature mobile applications that allow users to take documents into the field using smartphones or tablets.

Although the GPS systems in smartphones and tablets are not accurate enough for construction applications, these can be matched to RTK signals using Bluetooth to deliver millimetre accuracy. Meanwhile Bentley’s technology also is able to transform the device GPS information into usable data.

As a road project can be 40km in length or even longer, providing access for a contractor to data bound up in a design model can be a challenge. However, Bentley’s new approach is to be able to chop up the project into manageable chunks, both by area and by time. This allows the contractor to look at specific portions of a project, as well as particular tasks. Users can look at the scheduling of project tasks and combined with the locations on the project, this allows the design model to become a more useful tool during the construction process.

The data can be accessed more easily and for example, clients can use the digital twin for construction to handle tasks such as scheduling material deliveries for each day or carrying out estimating quickly and accurately. The customer can assign tasks to specific personnel, while location data will highlight additional site assets or broken-down machines for example. When a client knows the production rates, this means tasks can be assigned making the 4D or 5D model a sophisticated digital twin for planning, as well as for production and production management according to Humphrey.

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