If you are a Project Coordinator or Admin, contact your DroneDeploy representative, or support@dronedeploy.com, to learn more about BIM compare and get access to BIM Alignment.
After your BIM file has been uploaded to your project, alignment must occur in order to position the model relatively to your DroneDeploy project, for correct positioning relative to your 360 Walks. Project admin permissions are required for BIM alignment.
Note: We recommend setting up all of your levels + floor plans, and adding at least one 360 walk per level before aligning your model. Levels added after the initial model alignment will require another alignment to ensure we set the elevation/z position correctly.
XY Alignment
- Open any 360 Walk
- Open BIM Compare mode and allow the model to fully load
- You should see the Alignment tools in the upper right.
- Orient the model into the middle of the right screen, and ensure you're in the top down view:
Once you're in the top down view of the model, choose Continue:
- Once the 2D alignment page opens, choose the level and drawing you'd like to align to at the top of the window.
First, on the left side, place the points 1 and 2 on easy-to-match locations. This is typically the edge or corner of a building. This will allow you to drag and align the model to the drawing.
Once you've chosen two points, move to the right side and adjust the model to match the drawing. Zoom into the window to better align the two maps. - Great! Your model is aligned with your project in XY coordinates. You can choose to apply this to the entire project (all levels) by choosing Save in the top right corner.
Alignment per Level
Now, when aligning a BIM model to your project, users can optionally calibrate that alignment for specific Levels or the Exterior! Choose the checkbox to set the alignment to each subsequent level.
Note: If you uncheck the checkbox, we will warn you that this will revert to the current default behavior, where the same alignment is applied across all Levels and Exterior.
Z Alignment
- Next, you’ll want to map elevations in your model to your levels. This ensures you’re viewing the correct z-position in the model relative to your 360 walks.
- Open a 360 walk on the level you’d like to align and enter BIM Compare mode
- Wait until the model fully loads - You should see the Alignment tools in the upper right - if you don’t, reach out to support@dronedeploy.com to inquire about self-alignment.
- Use the ‘Z’ slider in order to reposition your model correctly relative to your chosen level. You may also input elevations directly for your z position.
- Repeat these steps for each level. The z positions will be saved to your levels in DroneDeploy, so even if you upload a newer version of your model, they should apply - only XY alignment will need to be repeated.
Note:
*Interested in having your models automatically aligned? Reach out to your customer success manager or account executive in order to enable this workflow if a good fit for your needs*
Additional notes for successful models
When using BIM files with large amounts of empty space surrounding the building model, alignment may become challenging because the process operates based on the total model space rather than focusing directly on the building structure. To ensure accurate alignment, here are two effective approaches:
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Trim Excess Model Space: Users can remove all unnecessary empty space and extra content, such as tables or annotations, from the model. Once the model is cleaned, re-uploading it will streamline the alignment process.
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Manual Zoom and Align: With the existing file, users can click “Align,” utilize the model tree browser to zoom into a specific part of the building, and ensure a top-down view with North facing up. After zooming out to capture enough of the building in view, users can proceed with alignment by clicking “Continue.”
Additionally, ensure that all model layers are properly aligned in elevation. Misaligned layers, such as utility layers positioned far below the main building model, may cause discrepancies in alignment, affecting the comparison with recorded walkthroughs.
FAQ
I’ve followed the steps above - why is my alignment off?
- Check if your 360 Walk is correctly aligned to your floor plan - misaligned walks will not be positioned correctly relative to the model.
- Did you align your model to the drone map? If your floor plans on levels are misaligned relative to the map, then any 360 Walks on levels may appear misaligned relative to your model. Taking care when aligning floor plans on levels can alleviate this.
- Is your position only slightly off? Errors of 1-5 meters are expected given the alignment process. Sub-meter accuracy for walk-to-BIM alignment is not guaranteed nor likely today.
- If none of the above is true, you can reach out to support@dronedeploy.com for assistance
I uploaded a new version of my model - do I have to realign it?
If you upload a new model to the project, you will need to repeat the XY alignment steps, but not the Z/elevation alignment. We store the Z alignment mappings to your levels, so they will be saved until updated and can be applied to new versions of the model originally aligned.
Will 360 Walk uploaded after alignment be positioned correctly?
Yes - once the model is aligned to your project in X&Y, and aligned to your levels in Z, then all future walks added will be aligned. Note - if you add new levels after initial alignment, you will need to repeat the Z alignment steps for the new levels.