Lessons in Quality Construction and Engineering

Background:

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio since 1948, SSOE is an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm doing business across the globe. With a focus on customer satisfaction, SSOE has documented saving $1.5 billion for their clients since 2009 and 150 of their clients have been with SSOE for 20 years. Their company values include utilizing innovation and collaboration with a dedication to being agile.

Their customer promise is to deliver value through high-quality projects that are on schedule with fewer problems and lower total cost. With a mission of delivering unparalleled client value that advances the AEC industry, SSOE Is always seeking processes and tools to improve their customers satisfaction and return on investment.  One of these tools SSOE has employed is laser scanning of their projects and then using those scans to compare against their BIM models stored in the Autodesk Construction Cloud.  But with large projects throughout the world supported by distributed teams, sharing data with their teams to meet tight schedules and timelines has been challenging when laser scan data sets are so large. 

In 2015 SSOE began using their own custom-built solution to host and manage their point cloud data. Since that time SSOE has scanned over 700 projects with over 140 terabytes of Reality Capture data. Without an easily accessible cloud platform, the main data center in Toledo was tasked with replicating everyone’s scanned data each night to send to their offices around the world.  As their point cloud scans grew in size and number along with more of their globally distributed staff working from home, this time consuming and costly solution was no longer feasible. Primarily an Autodesk shop using BIM 360 (now Autodesk Construction Cloud), SSOE required an innovative solution that was agile and collaborative while providing for Autodesk compatible RCP files.

To provide for their scan data needs, SSOE turned to Cintoo Cloud powered with TurboMesh™ as the only SaaS based solution that satisfies their corporate goals of agility and collaboration. Using Cintoo Cloud with TurboMesh™, SSOE can easily upload their point cloud files into a compressed 3D mesh format to provide collaboration with anyone, anywhere. By employing Cintoo’s TurboMesh™ engine, their scanned data is easily viewed in full 3D navigation with no loss or compromise in the resolution or accuracy of the source scanner, thereby providing SSOE and their customers with a sizable return on their Reality Capture investment.

One of their main use cases for Cintoo Cloud is to view project scans and assess crucial details, such as looking at equipment across multiple levels of a building. They use Autodesk Construction Cloud as their design hub, then connect to Cintoo Cloud to regularly update their Navisworks models in the platform.

Cintoo Cloud is also highly valuable for their equipment vendors, greatly enhancing workflows. A team member can create a unified mesh and export it as an OBJ, FBX or STL file. They receive an email as soon as this has been created and then share it on Cintoo Cloud with the relevant vendor for them to plan their installation.

SSOE also uses the platform to take measurements and track issues.  The platform’s Work Zones feature is ideal for providing full access to those who need it while also being able to restrict access for those focused on smaller sections of the project, such as a contractor only working in some part of a facility. This also means that they’re streaming smaller chunks of data rather than needing to stream whole projects.

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