Customer Story: M3 Design Group

Identifying and tracking issues more accurately than ever before. Because of Cintoo Cloud’s simple and efficient User Interface (UI) design, M3 Design Group was able to train users of all skill levels in just a few hours. The firm currently has 10-20 people working in Cintoo Cloud each day for four different point cloud-scan projects: the stadium, a warehouse conversion, an auditorium and a restaurant. ​

With Cintoo Cloud’s Visual Comparison tool, M3 Design Group is validating work in the scan-to-BIM workflow and confirming that models are “squeaky-clean.” The firm is also able to tag issues and assign each with a 3D geometric point in space, unique number, severity level and party responsible for resolution. Issue tracking reports can be exported as BIM coordination files (.bcf) to be used in other modeling programs, such as Revit, which M3 Design Group uses to overlay issues created in Cintoo within live models.​

Boosting collaboration and client confidence. M3 Design Group can now visually compare its point cloud scans to BIM models to automatically detect and rapidly address issues., bringing newfound clarity to teamwork. ​

Keep projects on track and clients satisfied. “Practically, for the QA/QC [Quality Assurance/Quality Control] process, Cintoo leaves nothing to argument,” said Martin. “It’s very simple to see what’s acceptable and what’s not.” By delivering Cintoo reports alongside the BIM models, the firm has been able to visibly demonstrate its strong QA/QC process, verify that field information was accurately modeled and enable clients to have full faith in the accuracy of their models.​

Easily collaborate with an unlimited number of technical and non-technical team members. In addition to tagging and assigning issues within Cintoo, M3 Design Group can export issue reports in static PDF form (with a live link to the issue in Cintoo Cloud) to review with non-technical project stakeholders. ​

Before Cintoo Cloud, reporting involved a series of manual processes cobbled together, explains Martin: “We had to 3D section box the model, manually color code and then translate into Excel. This was very cumbersome and prone to miscommunication.” . ​

The firm was also limited in who could view and understand the reports, which were highly technical and not easy to share. With Cintoo Cloud, M3 Design Group can run one-click reports that feature not only the issue details, but also a clear visual snapshot of what and where the issue is, which makes it easy to communicate and work toward a resolution. “We wouldn’t be able to do this stadium project without Cintoo,” continues Martin.​

Store and organize an unlimited number of scans. With a project as large and complex as the stadium construction – involving 20,000+ scans and the need to review a few thousand square feet in a couple hours – scalability and organization is essential. Cintoo Cloud empowers M3 Design Group with the speed-to-processing they need and the ability to quickly access scans from anywhere to review with clients, suppliers or team members.​

The firm’s expertise on BIM and reality capture puts them at forefront of the digital revolution transforming AEC. Martin makes it a point to explore the wide range of solutions coming to market. “It’s a bit of the ‘Wild West’ today with a lot of vendors’ claims,” he said. “Cintoo delivers in the real world.”​