New Cloud-Based 3D Project Collaboration Tool Offered for Free Until Sept. 30

Courtesy of Gehry Technologies

The tool translates 3D files from different vendors' software.

Courtesy of Gehry Technologies

Data can be accessed from all devices with web access, including tablets.

Gehry Technologies is offering a free preview of its new cloud-based 3D file-management and project collaboration platform. Until Sept. 30, anyone can try out the service, which GT calls the first web-based viewer developed specifically for use by the building team.

Called GTeam, the tool is designed for "concurrent work across all CAD tools, so different team members can work on different files of the same project at the same time and sync up through the cloud," says Matt Reid, senior vice president of marketing for GT, Los Angeles.

The viewer automatically translates 3D files from the most widely used software, including AutoCAD, Revit, Digital Project, MicroStation, Rhino, SketchUp and others, to a common format. GT plans to update GTeam every four to six weeks to keep up with new releases of software.

The viewer also supports neutral file formats. "It covers 90% of the formats you would run into on an AEC project," says Reid.

Users in many locations can visually manage any kind of data, including 2D drawings, 3D models, PDF files and other documents, spreadsheets, schedules and pictures. This includes measuring, sectioning, extracting quantities, annotating, clash detection and sharing models.

GTeam is not a 3D model authoring or creation tool, which means a user cannot change anything in the model using GTeam. For modifications, the native file can be opened locally with one-click desktop integration or checked out and modified, then synchronized or checked back into the cloud server. As soon as it is updated or checked back in, the GTeam file is refreshed automatically.

Any team member can access all project data through any device that has access to the web. A goal was to make it simple to access a 3D model without being an expert on the native software. "GTeam has a LinkedIn or Facebook look and feel," says Reid.

The tool decreases the need for expensive 3D viewers, claims GT, a decade-old, privately held firm co-founded by architect Frank Gehry.

GT created Digital Project, a building information modeling (BIM) tool. "Anyone can sign up for the subscription service without buying our CAD tools," says Reid.

Among GTeam competitors are Autodesk BIM 360 Glue, Bentley ProjectWise, Veo, Buzzsaw and Dropbox.

Nadine M. Post, ENR's editor-at-large for buildings, is an award-winning journalist with 45 years of experience covering trends, issues, innovations, controversies and challenging projects. Post has written about many industry giants, including 10 ENR Award of Excellence winners. And she has covered disasters, failures and attacks, including the 1993 bombing and the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Project stories include the redevelopment of the World Trade Center; the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa; Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall; and Seattle's Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower. In 1985, Post wrote McGraw-Hill's book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for the restoration’s architects—Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.

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