Collaboration in the Cloud with Autodesk BIM 360 Glue

Download the BIM 360 Glue trial at https://b4.autodesk.com/freetrial/

If you are a student or educator and are interested in using BIM 360 Glue in your course, contact Autodesk
Education to request an extension.

This document outlines the essential steps for successfully integrating Autodesk BIM 360 Glue into your
classroom and participating in the pilot. It provides a quick overview of:

Autodesk BIM 360 Glue features and the components in the solution
The installation process, including system requirements and troubleshooting tips
Steps for inviting your students to participate in the pilot
Three sample projects that are available for you use in the pilot
A range of suggested classroom activities

BIM 360 Glue Features

BIM 360 Glue includes three main components:

BIM 360 Glue application
Add-ins modules for Revit, AutoCAD, and Navisworks that upload models to BIM 360 Glue
BIM 360 Glue mobile viewer app

BIM 360 Glue Application

The BIM 360 Glue application is a small, Java-based program that can be installed on most any computer running
the Windows operating system, including desktops, laptops, or Macs (using Parallels or Bootcamp).

Many of the features and ways of working in Glue will be very familiar if you have used Autodesk Navisworks
Manage. You can:

Integrate and merge models from diverse model creation environments

View and navigate through the merged models
Save specific viewpoints and add mark-ups
Run clash detection tests and track/manage the clashes found

The big difference is that in Glue the merged model lives in the cloud. And this cloud-based approach offers two
key advantages:
 All project participants can explore and work with the cloud-based model using lightweight tools, rather than
having to install the Navisworks software on their own computers.
All participants immediately have access to the latest version of models uploaded to Glue, rather than
needing to track, download, and update the files as versions get updated.

Glue extends the Navisworks functionality by adding a layer of support for the process of managing and tracking
issues found in a project. You can share easily issues with other Glue users using email messages, and these
messages include links to quickly open saved viewpoints in the cloud-based model so, recipients can clearly see
the issues and act on them.

Glue can also serve as a file sharing environment (similar to an FTP server), but this isnt its primary focus. Users
can upload or drag-and-drop many additional file types (for example, SketchUp models and image files) into the
Glue file browser to share them, and these file can be viewed, marked-up with issues, and downloaded by other
users. But these additional file types cannot be used for clash detection thats reserved for Revit, AutoCAD, and
Navisworks files.

Sharing PDF files is a special case. Users can upload (but not drag-and-drop) PDF files into the Glue file browser
to share them, but they cannot be viewed in the Glue environment. So, PDF files appear in the italics in the file
browser list to highlight that difference.

BIM 360 Glue Add-Ins for Model Creation/Editing Applications

BIM 360 Glue provides several add-ins to help users easily upload their model files to the cloud. These add-ins are
available for:

Autodesk Revit 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 - For Autodesk Revit 2013, Update Release Two is Required.
AutoCAD 2012, 2013
Autodesk Navisworks 2012, 2013
You can download the add-ins from this URL: https://bim360.autodesk.com/addins/addins.html

BIM 360 Glue Mobile Application

BIM 360 Glue also provides a mobile application for viewing and navigating through merged models on mobile
devices, such as an iPad tablet. This application includes a unique gyroscopic navigation mode for immersive
reality viewing.

The BIM 360 Glue Mobile application is currently available for iPad devices, and you can download it from the iOS
Store or this URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/autodesk-bim-360-glue/id554629830?mt=8

Getting started in BIM 360 Glue begins when you receive an email invitation to join a BIM 360 Glue project from
your Autodesk Education BIM 360 Glue pilot contact.

Please note that this welcome email is user-specific and unique to you so, do not forward it to others.All new
Glue users must use their own unique email invitation to access BIM 360 Glue for the first time.
Installing the BIM 360 Glue Application

Register for the BIM 360 Glue 30 day trial and follow download instructions at: https://b4.autodesk.com/freetrial/

If you are leading a class at an educational institution, contact Autodesk Education for extension of your account.

When installation is complete, the Autodesk Account Sign In page displays.

IT Support and Troubleshooting

The BIM 360 Glue application can also be installed on individual teaching cluster computers or in a virtual
environment shared by many. Just send the email address of the IT support person who will be installing the
software on the cluster computers to your Autodesk Education BIM 360 Glue pilot contact, and an email invitation
to join a BIM 360 Glue project and install the software will be issued.

Some best practice recommendations include:

Install the software well in advance to allow plenty of time for debugging any hardware networking issues
before it will needed in class.
Install and thoroughly test the software on one of the actual lab computers first, before deploying to the full
lab.

If you encounter any problems during the installation process, be sure to verify the following:

Minimum Software and Hardware Requirements

Windows XP/Vista/7 Operating system

Intel Processor 1.8 MHz

RAM 1 GB if Windows XP, 2 GB if Vista or Windows 7

Intel GMA (integrated) or 64 MB Video RAM (dedicated)

Security and Firewall Checklist

Internet Explorer is not blocking scripts
http://bim360.autodesk.com is in the firewall's safe list
Standard TCP/UDP/IP ports 80 and 443 are not blocked
http://bim360.autodesk.com bypasses the filter group & the traffic shaper in the content filter, bandwidth
management, and application control software.
Local network & security policies do not block scripts, Web applications & Silverlight/flash applications (or
allow these for bim360.autodesk.com)
You should also check the BIM 360 Glue WikiHelp site for the latest installation and troubleshooting topics at this
URL: http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/BIM_360_Glue/enu/Help

Installing the BIM 360 Glue Add-Ins

You can download the Glue add-ins for Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Navisworks from this
URL: https://bim360.autodesk.com/addins/addins.html

Choosing or Creating Projects to Share

BIM 360 Glue uses a collaboration model of inviting individuals to work on and share specific projects as members
of a project team. To set up the BIM 360 Glue Pilot in your class, you can:

Choose existing projects (provided by Autodesk Education) for your students to explore.
Create new projects incorporating your own class work.

After the projects are created, you can invite students to join those projects in the Glue system.

Note: While it is possible to do these steps in either order (and new projects can be added to existing users), it is
typically easier to create the projects first, because you can add students to a project as part of their invitation to
join Glue. Conversely, if students are added before projects are created, you must wait for students to accept
their invitations before can add them to a project.

Three sample projects of varying complexity (described in the next section) will be provided as part of the pilot. If
you are an administrator, you can also add new projects:

Click the Admin button in the upper right corner of the Glue home screen.
Click the Add Project button on the Project tab of the Admin screen.
Enter the Project Details (Project Name and Project Members) in the Add Project dialog.
Click the Save button.

Inviting Your Students to Join the BIM 360 Glue System

Every student who participates in the pilot will need an Autodesk ID (the same ID that they use to login to the
Autodesk Education Community to download free software). If anyone does not have an Autodesk ID, they can
register for one at this URL: http://students.autodesk.com
Since the list of students enrolled in the pilot may get quite long, it would be very helpful if all students would
enter their school names in their Autodesk ID profiles to help sort the list and find them. To do that, students can
go to this URL and edit their profiles to add their school as their company name: http://accounts.autodesk.com

When inviting students to join the BIM 360 Glue pilot, you can choose the appropriate level of access:
 Administrator has permission to add, view and delete the models and to add, edit and delete users and
projects information.
User has permission to add, view and delete the models, as well as adding mark-ups, running clash tests,
and creating issues.
Limited User permission to view the models only.

For our purposes, administrators will be very limited (typically faculty and course administrators) and most all
students (who need to edit the models) should be added as standard users.

If you are an administrator, you can add new users by:

Click the Admin button in the upper right corner of the Glue home screen.
Click the Add User button on the User tab of the Admin screen.
Enter the User Details (E-mail address, User Type, and Assigned Projects) in the Add User dialog.
Click the Send Invitation Button.

BIM 360 Glue Sample Projects

Three sample projects of varying complexity are provided as part of the pilot, but you can also add new projects
based on your class work. The sample projects include:

Wildlife Center

A relatively simple, one-story wildlife center perfect for a quick introduction to working with a merged model in
BIM 360 Glue. This project includes an:

Architectural model
Structural model
MEP model including the major HVAC components and fire sprinkler systems

Mixed-Use Retail/Office

A moderately complex, three-story mixed-use retail and office building good for having students begin to
explore the complexities of multidisciplinary modeling and issue resolution. This project includes an:

Architectural model
Structural model illustrating a steel frame design
Structural model illustrating a concrete frame design
MEP model including some ductwork and plumbing

Hospital Project
A very rich and complex model of a seven-story hospital project detailed enough to provide an immersive and
challenging experience with multidisciplinary modeling. This project includes an:

Architectural model
Structural model illustrating steel and concrete design features
MEP models for the HVAC and fire sprinkler systems

What's Included in Sample Projects

Each of the sample projects includes:

Merged models of the projects to be explored online in the BIM 360 Glue environment.
Model files in Revit or Navisworks formats that can be used to update the models and make changes in
response to issues found in the Glue environment. These updated models can then be uploaded to Glue, so
the impacts of the changes can be seen in the merged models.

The merged models are available in the cloud and will be available to all users who have been added to a project.

The source model files can be downloaded from these URLs:

Link to Wildlife Center model files

Link to Mixed-Use Retail Office model files
Link to Hospital Project model files

Creating and Using Your Own Class Projects

You can also create new projects to enable your students to explore and collaborate on their own designs in the
Glue environment. The key steps include:

Add a new project to the online Glue environment.

If you are an administrator, you can add new projects using the Admin button in the upper right corner of the
Glue home screen. Or, work with your Autodesk Education pilot contact to assist you in adding new projects.
Use the BIM 360 Glue add-ins to add content from your model creation environment (Autodesk Revit,
AutoCAD, or Navisworks).
Add students to your new project.

Example Exercises in BIM 360 Glue

BIM 360 Glue can be used to introduce and explore the principles
and practice of interdisciplinary collaboration and model
coordination to your classes in a number of ways and at different
levels of depth. So, you can choose a level that best fits your
needs and educational objectives.
Beginning Level: Exploring an Integrated Model
For a quick introduction to integrated modeling and coordination, students can use BIM 360 Glue to:

Load a merged model from the cloud

Explore a merged model by navigating through it (orbiting, zooming, panning, and walking)
View stored viewpoints and issues that have been saved including markups and clashes

Intermediate Level: Saving Viewpoints, Mark-Ups, and Clashes

For a deeper dive into model coordination and issue tracking, students can use BIM 360 Glue to:

Explore a merged model and identify problems or issues that require resolution
Create mark-ups highlighting and explaining the issues
Run clash detection tests to find and save clash reports
Send notices to other project team members identifying mark-ups and clashes to be resolved

Advanced Level: Resolving Issues and Incorporating Updates into

Merged Models
To experience how issues are fixed in the model recreation applications and how these changes are updated in a
merged model, more experienced students (with some Revit or Navisworks experience) can use BIM 360 Glue to:

Open E-mail notices sent from the Glue system and quickly view the issues and the related elements in the
online Glue system.
Open the source model files in model creation environment (Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, or Navisworks) and
pinpoint the issue to highlight the related elements.
Make changes to the source models to resolve the issues.
Reglue or post the updated models to the online merged model and verify that the issues have been fixed,
and then close them.

Advanced Alternative: Immersion in Your Own Project

These three different levels of class activities can be used within each of the sample projects, but if youd prefer
students to have a truly immersive experience, you can have them use BIM 360 Glue to experience collaboration
on their own projects. This process will typically involve:

Create a new project in the online BIM 360 Glue environment.

Open the source model files (in Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, or Navisworks) and use the BIM 360 Glue add-in to
upload their models to the cloud.
Translate or adjust the coordinate systems and align the model files (if needed)
Save the uploaded models as a merged model.

After a merged model file is created for the project, students can start exploring the merged model, identify
issues, and resolving them just as they would for any of the sample projects.
Many sources of help are available to assist you with any problems that arise during the BIM 360 Glue Pilot.

Video Tutorials
The BIM 360 Glue home screen includes links to many video tutorials to help you and your students get started
quickly with a quick overview of basic BIM 360 Glue techniques and workflows. Their short, informative, and cover
all the essentials, so be sure to point your students to these videos to help them get off to a quick start and on the
road to success.

WikiHelp
BIM 360 Glue also includes an extensive WikiHelp system with most all of the answers that you and your students
will need at this URL: http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/BIM_360_Glue/enu/Help

The Help system is also available directly from the BIM 360 Glue environment. Just open the Help menu at the
upper right hand corner of the Glue window.

Autodesk Education Pilot Contacts

Autodesk Education BIM 360 Glue pilot contacts are also available to assist with any problems or challenges that
may arise including:

Inviting and enrolling your students

Creating projects
Resolving and registration issues
Technical troubleshooting