High operating costs, tight time schedules, large data volumes and various data sources characterise the typical working conditions that one finds in the construction industry today. Continuing specialisation and software applications tailored to a defined task area make it more difficult for all project members to work together effectively within the construction and planning process.

Daniel Peter, who is responsible for planning at the construction company p+p Hausbau, is well aware of this problem. The company offers prefabricated houses and specialises in the construction of single and multi-family residences. Around 30 members of staff are involved in preparing offers, design, planning and construction up to handing over the keys. "With so many tasks and people involved in planning, automated systems and continuous data exchange make cooperation much easier. That's why we rely on the new solution from Nemetschek and Adobe," says Daniel Peter.

The construction company has been working with Nemetschek software since 2001, and it has recently also started using the new version Allplan BIM 2008. In addition to traditional exchange formats, CAD data in the standard PDF format can be easily imported and passed on in the 3D planning software. Together with Adobe, Nemetschek has extended the established PDF functionality and integrated the original Adobe PDF Libraries in Allplan. Both 2D plans and 3D models can not only be created directly but also reimported. "Previously, I could only present 3D models to the building owner using an external viewer that we had to pay for. This often turned out to be problematic as the colours and lighting were of inferior quality and it was very hard work to control the model. With the new PDF format, 3D models can be produced perfectly. Controlling movements on the screen is particularly comfortable," Daniel Peter explains.

When carrying out detailed planning for designs, Daniel Peter often faced the problem of having to integrate structural elements into the detail drawing in line with the manufacturer's specifications. Nemetschek and Adobe offer a comprehensive solution here: the PDF form of the manufacturer's product data sheets found on the internet can be simply extracted and imported into Allplan. "This is a fantastic option for detailed planning. This way, it only takes a few mouse clicks to integrate various windows or baths from the internet – down to the last detail – into my plan and present a number of versions to the building owner."

Even for product catalogues with more than 100 pages, the manufacturer's details can be transferred without any difficulty. As long as they are available as vector graphics, the related product drawings can be carried over into the CAD detail drawing and then worked on further. Regardless of the CAD system used, appearance, scale particulars and layers are maintained. Even 3D animations integrated in PDFs can now be re-used directly. The result: architects can avoid the time-consuming tasks of manually transferring elements and determining data and details.

Through the use of PDFs, it will also be easier to exchange and approve plans and project documents with customers and partners. For example, users can export PDFs out of their software applications that additionally offer intelligent functions such as design layers, scale particulars, searchable text and 3D models. This allows the client to survey all the details in the planned building and carry out an extremely exact analysis using the walkthrough function. "Particularly when it comes to the approval process with the owner, we generally need several rounds before we get to the final design. As I incorporate every detail – from the structure to information on the plot of land – into the 3D PDF, I can pass the project status onto the owner at any time," continues Daniel Peter. Furthermore, he can not only generate PDFs with layer structures directly from Allplan – as was previously the case – but he can also reimport them into Allplan. This feature allows users to communicate more efficiently and to cooperate more easily with all the members of an extended team – at nearly every location and with a variety of software applications.

For p+p Hausbau, the advantages are obvious: because all the relevant data are available in a compact, intelligent PDF file, all staff involved in the planning can be included in the construction harmonisation process without technical difficulties. Thanks to continuous communication with the partners, project cycles can be shortened, reducing project costs – which all allows the new solution to generate clear competitive advantages. "As all the building data can be set down in a 3D PDF file and then easily sent to the owner and to all planning parties for documentation and presentation purposes, the planning process can be considerably accelerated. In addition, directly involving the owner in the ongoing construction process has a long-term positive effect on customer satisfaction," is how Daniel Peter sums up the results.