Initialize a Digital Twin

Initialize a Digitial Twin

May 2020 - EN // For all Public // 5 min // Very Easy

Copie EN de Fonctionnalité : créer un Digital Twin

Detailed description of the different steps

1- Prepare your BIM files by saving the files in .RVT format

You use Revit, so do we!

Our application is not a 3D modeller but a data management system allowing merging to manage and to cross the data and information of a 3D model with all other data, static or dynamic. We are compatible with the Autodesk forge platform which allows you to import 32 different CAD data formats. However, we recommend to favour Revit files, because our data processing chain implements automatic algorithms which are adapted and made reliable for an organization of data resulting from a Revit model.

2 - Connect to the Spinal Drive platform

Enter your login and password

3 - Create a folder by right clicking on the Folder Explorer

The left panel is the "Folder explorer", the right panel is the "File explorer"

To create a new directory, you have two methods:

  • right-click on a directory in the "Folder explorer" then "New Folder"

  • using the menu (...) on the bar at the top right of the "File Explorer"

You can use this virtual folder to store and share useful data for your digital twin, BIM files, technical documentation ... This directory will contain your digital twin (the graph database) of your building

4- Drag & Drop your BIM files into the File explorer

You can use one or more mockups to build your digital twin.

Each file contained in the Spinalcore drive includes a version management system. You will be able to manage the different versions of your BIM files.

5 - When the loading bar disappears your files are loaded

They are ready to use

6 - Create an empty "Digital Twin"

Click on the menu (...) at the top right of the "File Explorer" and choose "Create a Digital Twin".

This action will allow you to initialize the graph database containing your future digital twin.

7 - Open the Digital Twin Manager

Each file offers a list of actions on the menu (...) to the right of the line corresponding to the file. This menu is also accessible by right-clicking on the file.

Open the actions of your Digital Twin and choose "Digital Twin Manager" to open the corresponding panel.

8 - Select your BIM models

Drag and drop the BIM files you want to use to create your Digital Twin

9 - Convert your models

In the "Digital Twin Manager" panel, click on the menu (...) of each file to convert them.

To use the mockups in your digital twin, it is necessary to convert them to an open format. We use the SVF format offered by Autodesk forge for this.

10 - The files are sent to the conversion center to return to associate with the Digital Twin

The conversion statuses are: Upload, Converting and Converted.

Once the files are converted, you are ready to move on to the next step and open the studio.

11 - Open the studio and view your models

Click on the menu (...) of your Digital Twin and open "ST Studio"

12 - Load your models in the tree

The tree structure on the right is the "graph manager". The graph manager lists the different data sources that can be used and used in the Studio.

Select "BimFileContext" to select your model then, in the right contextual action bar (the "Side bar") click on "load model".

13 - View and browse your models

You can use the viewer and go to the next step.