Although the construction industry is both one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the global economy as urbanization paces continue to increase, it’s also a well-established industry that has a tendency to get stuck in its ways. A report from McKinsey & Company outlined the need for a more broad embrace of technology, and to the industry’s credit they have made strides in that direction. That’s not to say the work is done – it never is when we’re talking about technological development – but more and more modern techniques are being adopted, with strong return on investment as a result. One of the methods that has gained popularity on construction sites is reality capture, which is providing benefits for both on-site safety and productivity, and Cintoo is among the companies leading the way in making sure value is derived from these processes.
Cintoo Cloud is a SaaS solution marketed to those who work in AEC tech space, specifically around digital twins and “Industry 4.0” concepts, allowing users to manage data coming from 3D scans of real-world spaces. The software is compatible with any major 3D scanning hardware and can support data coming from both static and mobile laser scans, as well as from drones and 360-degree panoramic images. It’s also a browser-based program, which makes it more accessible both in terms of the expertise required to use it as well as the hardware needed to access. Cintoo Cloud is also connected to Autodesk Construction Cloud, and on that same theme they made an announcement earlier this month that they have been accepted as an Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration partner.
This is no small achievement for Cintoo given how ubiquitous Autodesk is in general for those in the construction technology space. Autodesk Construction Cloud specifically adds significant ability for multiple stakeholders across a project to be able to collaborate, which has long been among the biggest deficiencies in the construction industry. By increasing communication across parties that traditionally perhaps only communicated on rare occasions, if at all, potential clashes are able to be detected earlier, leading to fewer projects coming in over budget and/or late.
One of the big value adds Autodesk customers get from using their products is the integration with other, established solutions in the space. They’ll certainly get that benefit from Cintoo, especially for use cases around BIM and digital twins. As an example, users will be able to seamlessly integrate BIM or CAD files that may be stored in an Autodesk program and easily compare that to data retrieved from a mesh-based laser scan and/or drone data, finding potential differences early in the process and make the necessary adjustments to avoid a major delay or cost increase. And with the aforementioned collaboration tools provided by Autodesk, this data can be easily shared across stakeholders, ensuring everyone involved is on the same page and avoiding potentially costly confusion.
While there is still work to do in getting the construction industry to embrace technology to the maximum possible extent, this latest announcement enhancing the partnership between Cintoo and Autodesk exemplifies that we continue to move in the right direction, combining the clear benefits of reality capture and collaboration across stakeholders.
On the news, Cintoo CEO And Product Manage Dominique Pouliquen said, “Cintoo is proud to participate in the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program. Our membership will allow interested users to learn about the latest advancements in reality capture, providing leading edge support for their Autodesk BIM or CAD designs. By joining the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program, Cintoo confirms its goal to provide more value to Autodesk customers. We offer a browser-based solution that leverages a unique point cloud-to-mesh technology and the TurboMesh™ streaming engine, to allow any expert or non-expert access to high resolution 3D scans and models from anywhere at any time.”
