BCF Live Connector FAQ
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BCF Live Connector FAQ
Q: Is it possible to keep using the old BCF Connector?
A: Beginning with 9.12.0, once the new BCF Live Connector is released, the option will not be available on newer versions. However, it will still be possible to use the old BCF Connector in previous versions of Solibri.Q: Is it possible to cooperate in a BCF Live project using the old BCF Connector?
A: We strongly suggest that in order to provide one version of the truth in a live connection, that all project participants connect using the BCF Live connector. Using the old connector, e.g. in a previous software version, may easily cause unsynchronization in the project, and duplication of issues, as the old connector does not have certain features like the conflict resolution dialogue. A user with the old BCF connector may also in some cases mistakenly overwrite live data.Q: Is file-based BCF supported with BCF Live Connector?
A: BCF Live Connector works with server-based projects. It is possible, however, to create a presentation from a BCF file, and import those issues into BCF Live to be added to a server project.Q: Is BCF Live Connector intended as its own standard layout? Will there be changes to the Communication layout?
A: Yes, BCF Live is intended to be used in it’s own dedicated layout. There will not be changes to the communication layout regarding BCF Live.Q: Which servers are compatible with BCF Live?
A: Any BCF-API supporting server is compatible. Currently Aconex, Bimsync, BIMcollab, BIMTrack and StreamBIM are public connections in Solibri.Q: Is it possible to sync with multiple projects on multiple servers/single server at the same time?
A: No, it is not possible to sync with multiple projects on multiple servers at the same time.Q: Does Solibri remember the server and the project from the SMC file?
A: Yes, the project used is remembered (and bolded), however after turning the BCF Live connection on, it must be selected in order to begin synchronization.Q: How often does BCF Live sync issues with the server?
A: BCF Live synchronizes issues constantly, at a 5 second interval.Q: How do I know when the sync is complete?
A: Each issue has an indicator in the Sync status-column to indicate with a green check mark that the sync is live and completed for that issue.Q: How much bandwidth will a sync take?
A: This depends directly on the issue in question, e.g. how many many viewpoints an issue has.Q: Is it possible to create issues in Solibri and export those to the server?
A: Yes, issues can be either created directly in Solibri’s BCF Live view, or then imported to the BCF Live view from existing presentations and checking results.Q: How can I see if issues are originally imported from Solibri, or from the server?
A: Solibri will include an icon for issues which originate from Solibri presentations (but not checking results), and one for issues which originate from Checking results.Q: I cannot add new, free-text labels into issues in the BCF Live connector. How can I add more labels?
A: BCF Live connector allows users to select only server-supported values. The best way to add new labels, would naturally be to add them in the server project.Q: What happens when two users have made changes to the same issue at the same time, one on server and one on Solibri side?
A: In the case of “mid-air collisions”, Solibri users are prompted with a Conflict Resolution Dialogue which allows them to select which values they choose to keep. On the dialogue, users can see when the values were changed and who made the changes.Q: Where do presentations fit into the workflow - are they replaced by assigning responsibilities/labels?
A: BCF Live does not support presentations, however it is possible to import issues from presentations directly to BCF Live (and the server project).Q: When you import issues from a presentation, is it possible to isolate the issues from that presentation afterwards?
A: Yes, however this requires minor manual work beforehand. One way is to create a label (in the presentation and in the server), which can be used to label issues from certain presentations.Q: How can I search for issues in BCF Live?
A: The easiest way to search the presentation for content is by using ctrl+f (or cmd+f for mac users).Q: How can I create reports?
A: With BCF Live, the best place to create reports from would be the issue management server.Q: Is there any relation between the Tracking ID in Solibri with Number or Index in BCF Live?
A: Number is a Solibri-generated number, which indicates the issue numbers in Solibri. Index is the server-generated number, which indicates the same thing, however since this is generated by the server, it may not match the Solibri Number. Tracking ID is used only in presentations.Q: If a project has already started and the issues are synced to BCF live, how do these have a connection with the rule results, to know when they are resolved?
A: BCF Live connector will include a column to indicate if an issue has been imported from a Solibri presentation or from Solibri Checking results. Checking results issues will include the same connection as they currently do in presentation issues. NOTE! It is essential to always save the project after importing checking results or presentation slides to retain the link between the BCF Live issue and local issue.Q: Is it possible to load different projects from different servers on the same live session?
A: No, each BCF Live session is connected to one single project at a time. It is possible, however, to end a session and connect to a different server or project in the same Solibri instance. -
Hey @RemcoB,
The BCF Live Connector uses the functions specified in the BCF API, and here only issues (aka BCF topics) are considered (see https://github.com/buildingSMART/BCF-API). The models the issues are referring to are currently not considered in this API. However, it would help a lot to have common API specifications for other data objects, such as specifically IFC models. Therefore, we have actively promoted an initiative on behalf of buildingSMART and like-minded software vendors: the openCDE API(s). The idea behind is to extend the existing API specifications to include other data objects to be exchanged between a server (e.g., CDE such as Trimble Connect) and a client implementation (e.g., Solibri). However, this project is currently in a research/prototyping phase but is already showing promising progress. If you want to learn more about this, there is a video from the last buildingSMART virtual summit:
To sum up, we are working on this topic but are dependent on standardization and are therefore actively pushing a solution, which we can use together with as many other software vendors as possible.
KR
Cornelius -
Hey @RemcoB,
in fact, this is exactly what I referred to as promising results of the prototyping/research phase - good to hear, that it hits some nail on the head
But we are still in the development and there has been no official version of the API specification approved yet, so that Trimble Connect, for example, could implement something already on their side. But this is exactly what we are currently pushing forward on.
So please stay tuned
Cheers
Cornelius -
@tonigyllenberg said in BCF Live Connector FAQ:
Q: Which servers are compatible with BCF Live?
A: Any BCF-API supporting server is compatible. Currently Aconex, Bimsync, BIMcollab, and BIMTrack are public connections in Solibri.How do you go about connecting to a BCF-API supporting server other than Aconex, Bimsync, BIMcollab, and BIMTrack?
Is there a way of adding a custom BCF-API supporting server? -
Hello @operance,
Did you have a specific server connection in mind? For a server to be added to the selectable server list, it first goes through our beta program. Once the connection has been properly tested together with the server implementor on both ends (Solibri and server), and both parties are satisfied that the connection is mature enough and working in an acceptable way, we can then publish the connection for all.
Currently we don’t release completely custom connections, as this would be outside any testing process, and any request referring to this connection would be almost not reproducible for us. Therefore, we decided that a custom-configuration of a BCF connection, for now, is only possible with our support in an enclosed, intermediate testing environment, which is given with our Beta.
If you are speaking about a strictly private custom solution, one way to go about this would be via the Solibri Developer Platform, although this would require extensive development on your end.
Kind regards,
Toni on behalf of the Solibri team -
Ok, thank you for your reply, we have our own web application (which is accessible to our customers) where we view and manage the BCF issues. I naively thought that ‘Any BCF-API supporting server is compatible’ would mean that any server that is written around the BuildingSmart BCF API specification, which our is, could use Solibri BCF live.
I guess we will have to continue our existing process of having to import and export from our application to and from Solibri.
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