About Autodesk BIM 360 Layout

Share point data with your project teams in the office or in the field.

The Autodesk ® BIM 360 TM Layout app for Android and BIM 360 TM web service provide vertical construction contractors the ability to connect the coordinated model to the field layout process, helping to increase job site productivity while improving the accuracy of staked or installed building components.

The BIM 360 Layout app and BIM 360 web service streamline the process of creating field points in your project model to laying-out those points on the job site with a total station or GPS.

The app synchronizes with your BIM 360 account to download and upload project models with point location coordinate detail. Once paired with a total station or GPS, BIM 360 Layout on your tablet or phone guides the user to the exact location of those points on the job site for field staking and/or location verification activities.

Key Benefits:

Key Features:

Compatibility

The BIM 360 Layout app is currently compatible with the following positioning hardware:

About Layout Principles

Good practices for setting up and configuring your layout instruments or total station.

These instructions are intended as a guide only. Please refer to manufacturer's recommendations to fully calibrate your total station.

About Coordinate Systems

There are several coordinate systems used by surveyors. The State Plane Coordinate System is typically used in the United States. Others include UTM, Northing (Y) and Easting (X) and True North. Coordinates may be communicated in:

You should confirm that the import settings format in your total station matches the file format of the BIM/CAD software.

Azimuth entry is from 0 to 360 as on a compass. Azimuth or other offsets are not saved as attributes on a point, they are used to compute a new location for the point. The point is moved after the offset entry is finished.

About Control Points

By setting control points, you can ensure that specific points in your model match their corresponding points in the field. When establishing control, take account of the following:

About Setup Routines

A setup routine completes the orientation of the total station or GPS equipment with the BIM information and the job site. Without a completed setup routine, the total station has no idea where it is in the world. A standard setup routine includes:

  • Known Point: Used to check control points and set up your total station. Place the total station on a known control point and backsight to another known control point.
  • Control Distances: Do not lay out positions past the control distance. If two points are 100 feet apart, do not stake out points past a 100 foot radius from the total station. Also remember that a greater control distance will give you a more accurate layout.
  • Resection: Allows you to set the total station in a random location and compute its position by measuring shots to two or more known control points. More angles and greater distance makes for a more accurate resection. Try to reference at least three points with an angle of between 60 to 90 degrees.
  • RTK GPS settings: To get GPS positions within a centimeter please contact your instrument dealer to get your RTK GPS configured with a correction service such as a VRS or NTRIP server, and to output NMEA data GGA and GST at a rate of 2 positions per second.
  • GPS Setup: Allows you to setup and use a GPS on a project that is not in grid coordinates. Some apps call this localization: to translate, rotate and scale from GPS latitude and longitude to your own coordinate system. To use a model that is already in grid coordinates in the millions (state plane or UTM) from an Authoring app like Civil 3D you should not use Setup since it will lower your accuracy, simply choose your grid zone in settings.
    1. It can take several minutes after you hit Measure for the GPS to get a fixed solution, indicated by the HQ dropping from around 3' to 0.03' if you are using RTK. When using internal GPS, about 10' (3m) is a good HQ.
    2. Select a point to translate your coordinates to, near the centroid of your project, then the Next button once coordinates are updating and the coordinate quality is good.
    3. To rotate points into your own system, move to a second point with known coordinates at the far side of your project, select the point# from the model, and press Measure, then the Next button once the coordinate quality is good.
    4. The app computes the rotation to adjust the GPS data to fit the 2 points, and this is saved for any future use of this model. You should normally not change the setup after collecting some points, since then you may create a slightly different coordinate system that may not match your previous one.

  • GPS options saved in Settings:
    1. Check the GPS Convert grid to ground box to turn on or off the application of the grid factor. This scales your coordinates to better match ground distances, or uncheck to use grid distances which are shorter.
    2. Enter a GPS HQ Tolerance distance to have the app warn you if you try to Collect a point with a HQ quality below that number. Enter 0 (the default) to avoid those warning alerts.

    Total Station Set-Up Best Practices

    Set control points and configure the total station or GPS before syncing with the BIM 360 Layout app.

    These instructions are intended as a guide only. Please refer to manufacturer's recommendations to fully calibrate your total station.

    1. Set the total station on a tripod and secure with the mounting screw. Use a tripod stabilizer and weigh down your tripod.
      Note: If possible, place your total station on solid ground using a column clamp. Dirt or pavement expands and contracts according to environmental conditions, which may move your total station throughout the day.
    2. Use Optical or Laser Plummet to align the total station with a control point.
    3. Level the total station with the digital level and the tribrach levelling screws. Or allow your total station to self-level if available.
    4. Check the Plummet for alignment with the control point and use the mounting screw to adjust if necessary.
    5. Re-level with the digital level and check the Plummet again.
    6. Carry out your hardware setup routine.
    7. Note: Check your setup and the level of your total station approximately every 40 points or shots. Try to use the same control points each day to minimize errors, and do not shoot past your control setup

    How to use the Plumb button

    To prismless measure to the plumb point above or below a selected point (only for robots that have prismless ability.)

    1. Select a point from the model or Point list either on the floor or ceiling that you want to find the plumb position of other points.
    2. Hit Laser to see the visible laser dot, then hit Turn and wait until it turns to that point.
    3. Select any other point from the model or Point list, and hit Plumb. The robot will attempt by repeated turning of the vertical angle and measuring up to 5 times to find the plumb point above or below the selected point. This is the point on the floor or ceiling at the same horizontal distance away as your selected point.
    4. Repeat step 3 with any other points. It remembers whether you chose up or down at step 2, so you can select a high point and plumb down to the floor or vice-versa. To reset and change the up or down direction of the plumb, exit the point list, then return to step 1.

    Tips for faster operation