Synchro 4D/5D BIM Software
Headquartered in Birmingham, England, Synchro Ltd began software product development in 2001 on its construction simulation and task management solution, and has been recognized for its achievements in producing award-winning, innovation technology. Synchro's mission is to deliver software that serves the construction delivery team and survives the dynamics of everyday life in the construction industry. Synchro currently offers construction simulation modelling at colleges and universities, 4D BIM and LEED consultancies, architects and more than 100 major construction companies in more than 65 nations among six continents.
With a proven history of delivering impressive improvements in construction project software, it offers users a genuinely different approach by synchronising design, scheduling, supply chain management, risk management and earned value measurement.
Synchro has a track record of delivering innovative services based on its own technology for construction project clients throughout the UK and in 2007 a new direction began with worldwide distribution of its third generation software product line focused on creating a sustainable user community.
Since October 2007 we have produced over 10 major releases in support of our users' feedback and in 2010 we begin shipping our fourth generation product line focused on expanded interoperability, advanced data management, and the seamless support for the super-sized construction models. We are constantly evolving our software so that we are always where our customers need us to be.
"It's important to remember that our journey to Synchro started with an unwavering commitment to enable key business principles and management techniques for project delivery: these include project optimsation, the elimination of waste, delivery collaboration and information transparency," said Synchro CEO, Tom Dengenis.
In the late 1990s Sir John Egan in his work, entitled Rethinking Construction, argued that these principles and management techniques could successfully cross-over from other industries to serve the project delivery demands of the construction industry.
Sir John's vision became more of a reality when Synchro shipped its first global release at the 24th Annual Primavera User Conference in Orlando, Florida on October 2007, where we attended as Primavera's newest Technology Partner Member.
Today, Synchro has technology relationships in the form of technology development agreements with Oracle Primavera, Google, Autodesk, Objectivity, Asta, TechSoft3D and Agilis. These strategic relationships offer to our customers the right ingredients to leverage existing software investments and extend benefits beyond information silos, which commonly exist between well-formed, industry processes.
Synchro's product line has a deep, steadfast commitment to enable an integrated project process around the four key elements of construction product development, project implementation, partnering with the supply chain and production of components. In keeping with Sir John's vision with Synchro as part of your delivery process: "Sustained improvement should then be delivered through use of techniques for eliminating waste and increasing value for the customer."
Our aim is clear: to deliver software which serves the construction delivery team and survives the dynamics and demands of the construction industry. We see construction as a series of problems to be solved. Our software goes right to the heart of that challenge -- enabling users to explore options, manage solutions and optimise results.
Synchro offers an advanced construction simulation and modelling solution for project delivery and can be described as follows:
- Comprehensive Stand-alone Critical Path Analysis Software built on top of our own independent scheduling engine supporting both Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Activity Code methods of structuring the logical network diagram.
- Complete roundtrip data synchronisation with the top four CPM scheduling platforms, used in construction today, designed to support our users existing investments in legacy planning systems as well as scheduling and project management reporting workflows, which are as follows:
- Oracle Primavera's P6 Enterprise Project Management Release 7.0 and backwards compatible to P5 Version 1.
- Oracle's P3 Platform
- Microsoft Office Project
- Asta Powerproject version 11
- Comprehensive Resource Management System, including resource planning, levelling and tracking capabilities covering material, equipment, human, and location resource analysis and controls.
- Comprehensive CAD for Planners and Schedulers offering capabilities that provide the scheduler the ability to import over 30 CAD file types, export 4D models to DWF and IFC, 3D object colour and transparency control, 3D creation for basic shapes and extrusions for planning purposes, imported 3D object subdivision, both 3D faceted and 3D solid Boolean control, and 3D object manipulation, including scaling and location assignment.
- Comprehensive 3D object to schedule task linking, including 3D to Task Auto-matching, 3D object drag-and-drop and hot key commands for rapid 4D development environment.
- Advanced 3D and 4D viewing with complete cutting plane, 3D object filtering and camera control, including fly and walk mode controls and our reporting capabilities, include custom animation and advanced AVI production.
- Comprehensive 3D file import support for an ever wider range of CAD formats is provided. Customers in the AEC sector have wider support for Autodesk and Bentley software through the use of the 'Real DWG' and Real DGN toolkit offering compatibility with the latest Autodesk and Bentley suite of products. The EPC and Process and Plant industry are better supported by a wide range of MCAD formats, including Parasolid, whose 3D solid modelling kernel is the most widely used by mechanical CAD software. We support SketchUp *.SKP files. Google SketchUp files can not only be natively read into Synchro but now also can be synchronised. Synchro provides a brand new SketchUp plug-in that adds and updates all SketchUp file objects with a Unique ID.
- Enhanced federated Object Oriented Database Systems Architecture focused on enhancing data integration, project libraries and support for the never ending demand for the ever increasing 3D model size to XD model sizes envisioned by the industry.
- IFC Synchronisation (3D Import, Export, SynchroniseTo, SynchroniseFrom) facilitate IFC based work flows for both upstream processes with systems such as Solibri and ArchiCAD.
- 4D Spatial Coordination and 4D Model Clash Test facility (for the re-purposing of enhancing project orchestration and analysis).
- Comprehensive 3D Object Use Profiles (for the re-purposing of resource representations) 3D Object Sub-division, Activity Codes and Values, Active Task Filter, and a significant increase in the inventory of support for 3D File Import.
- Synchro has always sought first and foremost to provide a benefit to its customers and we are delighted to have received recognition through Awards