Bridge design is one of the most complex specialties in the field of civil engineering, and recent software packages have helped structural engineers like Atkins Global’s Steve Tissier jump to the forefront of efficiency, precision and quality
Tissier worked on the Gateway Expressway Pursuit, a massive undertaking to build new highways and ramps at six different locations near St. Louis International Airport. Pete-Clearwater in Florida. This project includes about thirty new bridges, as well as freeways with easy access to on- and off-ramps, with the hope of reducing congestion in a busy area. The half-billion dollar project required more than fifteen years of planning by the Florida DOT before construction could begin.
As Tissier says, two essential software programs have been crucial to Atkins’ success on large projects like this. One of them is Bluebeam Revu. Atkins uses Revu to manage their quality control (QC) process for all the documents they use, what Tissier calls “our Bluebeam QC standard operating procedure” for items such as calculations, drawings and proposals.
To maintain control of the project and keep things on schedule, they have written into their contracts with subcontractors a stipulation that everyone use their Bluebeam quality control procedure or an equivalent process. However, to help build engagement, Tissier acknowledges, “you have to show them the immediate benefit to them and the time it’s going to save them.” One of Tissier’s go-to methods is to conduct live web training for everyone following his Bluebeam QA process. This allows participants to see the process step by step and see how effective it is. The company also created a forty-page standard operating procedure guide, filled with screenshots and instructions that explain how to get the most out of quality control at Revu.
Rather than a paper-intensive, error- and error-prone five-step hard copy workflow that often involves illegible handwriting and long periods of time waiting for other parties to finish their steps, QA is now streamlined, personalized and more. easily traceable. For example, using the old Atkins system it was difficult to keep track of who made which changes, and it took a long time to check whether they were resolved or not. Also, entering comments manually (by typing them on the page and then scanning and reprinting or emailing that document) made file sizes unwieldy and image quality was incrementally lost with each new edit. scanned
Having a hard copy master also meant that quality control could only proceed as quickly as the document could be physically transferred from one party to another. If one subcontractor was working on a specific problem, the other subcontractors had to wait until that problem was solved before moving on to the next. In other words, if a reviewer took three days to complete step 2 of the QA process, step 3 could not begin until the fourth day. Now with Revu, everyone can work from the same master document using Studio Sessions, and people can direct feedback as soon as it’s made. No more waiting for the hard copy, and changes are always legible and trackable, and can be indicated by custom markings. Because team members can track the lifecycle of each comment, issues are no longer overlooked by mistake.
We have a custom Bluebeam profile that contains special markup tools with unique properties that we use in the markup list filters. This new workflow has resulted in an estimated 20% reduction in the time it takes to complete a QA,” says Tissier.
In a notoriously high-margin business, where time is money, this is a huge savings using only a small area of Revu’s capabilities.
The other innovation that Atkins is excited about is Bentley’s OpenBridge Modeler, an innovative tool for bridge engineers who have not experienced such robust 3D parametric modeling capabilities. “Our structures are much more complex than vertical buildings, where everything is flat and perpendicular and parallel. It’s a big deal for us because bridge models that used to take months to make can now be made in a matter of hours,” says Tissier.
The models are tied to civil data such as alignment, profile and terrain, so when the road engineer needs to change one of these elements, the model will automatically adjust to the new data. This saves hundreds of hours of re-work. This same model can be pushed to the analysis software and then back to OpenBridge if something changes in the design. This two-way flow of information is critical. The model can then be pushed to a mobile platform along with all of its associated data, so a field foreman can pull the model out and have all of that information at their fingertips.
Another advantage is that these two separate software programs, Revu and OpenBridge, do not have to live in isolation. Because of Bluebeam’s emphasis on interoperability and 3D PDFs, it can be used in conjunction with other design software, making the end-user experience seamless and painless.
All of this is great news for owners, customers and the traveling public, as they will be able to enjoy Atkins’ transportation improvements much sooner.
