How To Publish BIM 360 Model: A Step by step Guide

Interscale Content Hub – Seamless sharing and access to the latest project data are crucial for keeping teams aligned and projects on track.

In Australia, where we’re seeing a rapid increase in the use of digital construction tools, understanding how to efficiently publish these models can make a big difference to project timelines, costs, and overall success.

If you want to know how to publish BIM 360 model, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get to the details.

How to Publish BIM 360 Model: Step-by-Step Guideline

If you’re planning to publish a BIM 360 model, whether it’s a Revit model or another design document, it’s important to have a structured approach in place to make sure everything’s accurate and efficient. 

Publish Workshared or Non-workshared Revit Models

According to the Autodesk Revit website, here’s how you can publish the latest version of a model from the Model Browser. 

1. Click (Home) on the Quick Access toolbar or press CTRL+D to switch to Revit Home.
2. Click the BIM 360 link and navigate to a cloud project that contains Revit cloud models.
3. To publish the latest version do the following:
   1. Single model: On the right, click [ … ], and click Publish Latest.
   2. Multiple models: To select the models, click their check boxes, and click Publish.
4. The Publish Status, Published Date, and Published By columns are updated.
5. To view the published models, click the Autodesk Docs project name.

Meanwhile, here’s how you can publish the latest version of a model from the Manage Cloud Models dialog.

1. For each cloud model, do the following:
   1. Non-workshared model: save the model.
   2. Workshared model: Use the Synchronize with Central tool to update the model with the latest changes.
2. Click Collaborate tabManage Models panel (Manage Cloud Models).
3. Select an Autodesk Docs project.
4. From that project, select a model from the list and click (Publish Latest) to publish the latest version of that model. Click Publish to confirm.
   When the action is complete for each model, the (Publish Latest) icon changes to the (Latest Version Published) icon.
5. If you want to publish all models, click (Actions) in the upper right-hand corner and click Publish All.
6. When the action is complete for each model, the (Publish Latest) icon changes to the (Latest Version Published) icon.

Uploading and Publishing Documents

As well as Revit models, BIM 360’s Document Management module lets you put all your project files in one place.

We’d like to show you this Autodesk video, from Autodesk BIM 360 guide, which explains in detail how to upload different file types, including PDFs, IFCs and DWGs. You can also group documents into sets, so you can find specific versions easily. 

BIM 360 Help | Upload and Publish Documents | Autodesk

BIM 360 Help | Upload and Publish Documents | Autodesk

Publish Schedule for Cloud Workshared Revit Models

Here’s how you can set up a regular, automated publishing of a team’s work using the Schedule Publish option in the Project Admin module. 

To schedule a regular publish:

1. Make sure the project administrator who is scheduling the publishing operation has a BIM 360 Design subscription assigned to their Autodesk ID.
2. Use the Module selector to switch to Project Admin.
3. Under Services, click Design Collaboration in the left panel.
   Note: You’ll start in this position if you enter the Project Admin module directly from the Design Collaboration module.
4. Enable the checkbox for a team.
5. Click Schedule publish. If a schedule exists for your team, click the schedule instead.
   Note: Currently, only weekly publishing is supported.
6. Click into the Day field and choose the day on which the publish should occur.
7. Click into the Time field and select the hour of day on which the publish should occur.
   Note: The regular publish may not occur at precisely the hour selected.
8. Enable the Schedule publish toggle switch.
9. Click Close to save the changes.
10. After the schedule is set, the schedule is indicated under the Schedule publish column in the list of teams in the Project Admin module.
11. Note: Even if you schedule a regular publish, you can still publish in the interim using the Update to latest command from the team space in Design Collaboration.

For a definitive guide to BIM coordinators, please refer to “What is a BIM Coordinator? Responsibilities, Skills, & Qualifications“

Best Practices for Successful Publishing

It’s no secret how important the technical side of publishing is. However, the real power of BIM 360 is in adopting the right strategies to make your workflow more efficient and improve collaboration.

How often you publish is a big factor. If your project is going through a lot of changes, publishing more often means your whole team will always have the latest info. 

At Interscale, we think it’s crucial to publish the latest versions, especially for work-shared models where multiple users are contributing.

On the other hand, for projects where things change more slowly, a weekly or bi-weekly publishing schedule might be enough. 

We also want to show you how useful sets are in document management.

By putting together specific versions of your documents into sets, you can create a clear and structured repository, which is really useful when you’re looking at different design ideas or exploring alternatives.

It’s also worth remembering this is a collaborative platform, so communication is key. Make sure you keep your team in the loop about your publishing schedule and any changes to it.

This means everyone’s on the same page and knows when new info will be available.

And don’t forget to do a quick final review before you hit that publish button. A quick look over your model or documents can help you spot any last-minute issues or inconsistencies.

This means that the info you share is top-notch, professional, and reflects the high standards of your work.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Now, you already know how to publish the BIM 360 model. But, things can still go wrong during the publishing process. One common problem is when models don’t publish as planned.

There are a few reasons this can happen, like incomplete syncing or problems with the model settings.

One important thing to do here is to make sure that the model is fully synchronised with the central model before you try to publish. 

Another thing we often see is the publication process taking longer than expected.

This is something you’ll probably find is more of an issue with larger models, as the publishing time can vary quite a bit depending on the size.

Yes, even though we have weekly publishing schedules, the actual publishing may not occur at the precise hour selected, which can lead to confusion among team members.

This shows how important it is to plan for possible delays, especially in projects where timing is crucial.

On top of that, problems can also come up with document sets when you’re uploading and publishing them, especially when you’re dealing with linked files or large document sets.

So it’s vital to take care when managing linked files to make sure all the child files are correctly linked to their parent files when you’re uploading them.

If you don’t link these files properly, you might end up with incomplete or messily organised document sets, which could cause problems further down the line.

If you want to know more about 5D BIM, you can read “What is 5D BIM? Definition, Features, Benefits, & Applications in Construction“

How do I Auto Publish on BIM 360?

The answer is in the Schedule Publish option in the Project Admin module.

Once you’ve enabled this feature, project administrators can set up a regular, automated publishing schedule for their team’s work.

Please note that weekly publishing is the only option supported at the moment, but you can choose the day and hour of the publish.

The actual publish time might be a little different from the selected hour, just so you know. However, this slight difference shouldn’t affect the overall efficiency gains of automation.

How Interscale Can Support Your Projects

Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be pretty complex, especially when you’ve got lots of different projects and people involved.

That’s why we at Interscale bring you a full range of BIM management services designed to make your workflows more efficient, reduce risks, and keep your projects on track.

How can we fit in with what you do?

We’ll give your BIM models a thorough once-over and send you a detailed progress report every step of the way.

Our clash detection and service coordination experts can help you spot and fix any issues early on in the design process, saving you time and money further down the line.

We can also help you with 4D and 5D planning, adding time and cost data to your BIM models to give you better control of your projects and help you make better decisions.

We can also create Revit families from LOD 300 to LOD 500, both parametric and non-parametric, so you can be sure your models are accurate and detailed.

We also offer Revit modelling services for MEP, model upgrades and comprehensive audits.

Also, we offer Revit training to help your team learn new skills and get the most out of your BIM capabilities.

We know there’s a lot to take in, and we’re sorry if we’re making things a bit confusing for you right now.

Therefore, we’d love for you to take a look at our Interescale BIM Management page and get to know us a bit better.

Or, if you think a coffee and croissants might be a good idea, let’s meet up. We’re ready to show you how we can help you tackle those BIM challenges.

In Closing

By following these guidelines, we hope you can enhance workflows, reduce errors, and ensure that all team members are working with the latest project data.

Remember, in the world of construction and design, sharing isn’t just about data; it’s about building a shared vision and achieving collective goals.

Now, after you know how to publish the BIM 360 model, let’s practise. Are you ready?