Ministry of Metroproject (Vitro-CAD)

2022: Implementation of General Data Environment for Vitro-CAD BIM Design

OJSC "Minskmetroproekt" is a design enterprise of Belarus, which since May 12, 1977 has been engaged in the integrated design of subways, tunnels and other underground structures. The main activity is the design of the Minsk metro. In parallel, the direction of road construction was mastered with the implementation of projects for transport structures, tunnels, bridges and overpasses.

In 2015, the company began implementing BIM. A pilot group was created and a pilot project was carried out on the basis of the previously designed facility of the 3rd line of the Minsk metro. In 2018, a BIM group was created as part of IT the department due to the general focus of construction industries integration information in information models about construction products.

In 2019, it was decided to create a common data environment for BIM projects. For these purposes, the Vitro-CAD system was chosen.

Implementation objectives

The main goal of the implementation in 2019 is to organize joint work on the BIM project in a shared data environment. This implies a single data source that ensures the sharing of information by all project participants, based on procedures and regulations that ensure effective management of the process of developing and using the information model, collecting, releasing and disseminating documentation between participants. In the organization of tight integration with Autodesk Navisworks, the capabilities of the Vitro-CAD system have allowed you to automate many processes, simplify and eliminate routine operations in places. Since August 2022, work has begun on the implementation of the Vitro-CAD Workflows functionality, the use of which will allow organizing the acceptance of documents from contractors.

Implemented functionality

With the help of the contractor - ChTUP Glavtelecom - the Vitro-CAD system was installed and configured, BIM group employees and system administrators within the enterprise were trained.

The implementation of the system made it possible to obtain a common data environment for BIM design with special attention to Revit integration, since nuances arise related to the need to work together on the model. This led to the ability to get a fixed order of naming and placing folders and files, distribution of access rights, compliance with the requirements for zones of work on the BIM model ("In operation," "General," "Published," "Archive"), maintaining file versioning.

The peculiarity of the use of the Vitro-CAD system in OJSC "Minskmetroproekt" is that the employees trained at the enterprise after the initial implementation actively immersed themselves in the system and, taking into account its capabilities, independently tune and rebuild to the needs of the enterprise. This means that to work in the system, it is enough to get the initial skills and in the future you can manage the system yourself. After mastering the basic functionality of the system, the company has created and formed its own library of BIM families in the Vitro-CAD environment. Since August 2022, the employees of ChelUP Glavtelecom have made basic configuration of the Vitro Process Manager functionality and training, the employees of OJSC Minskmetroproekt themselves are developing this functionality.

Positive effect

The introduction of the Vitro-CAD General Data Environment made it possible to create an effective data organization structure and a single environment for BIM design, taking into account its features, which led to the following positive effect:

• ­ issue of high-quality, mutually related documentation for all sections;
• Shorter design times when high levels of process automation are achieved
• Accelerating and optimizing technical decision-making
• coordination in the project and reduction of alterations.

These positive aspects allow the company to gain competitive features in the market and produce high-quality documentation.