**Autodesk BIM 360 is now Autodesk Build. BIM 360 was the previous release of what is now known as the Autodesk Construction Cloud. This includes Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Collaborate, Autodesk Takeoff and Autodesk Build.**
BIM 360 Design
No Ordinary Cloud – File Locking
In Civil3D 2021 the interface with BIM 360 Design has been enhanced and beyond the main benefits of file collaboration for dwgs, BIM 360 based DataRefs and sharing surfaces with Revit, a nice extra is the File Locking mechanism we now have.
Cloud File storage whether it’s Google Drive or Dropbox etc. have their uses but file locking has always been an issue. Notice how two users can open the same file and work away on top of each other and then when saves occur one user creates, as in my Dropbox example, the ‘conflicted’ copy.
Obviously leading to much confusion about what is the latest version and loss of work.
The problem is these cloud storage files are sync’d copies for each user so it does not see the file as being open on the cloud.
Now look at BIM 360 Design in use with Civil3D
Once a file is open from the BIM 360 cloud, its automatically locked, just like it would be if it was a local file. We get the same feedback on BIM 360 through the web browser
The file is now set to read-only for anyone else who attempts to open.
This is a new feature for Civil3D 2021 and users should take note, an excerpt taken from Autodesk website –
If you are working in Civil 3D 2020.1 or a previous version of Civil 3D, or any version of AutoCAD or an AutoCAD-based product, locking is not automatic when you open a drawing that is stored in BIM 360.
We have the option to manually lock files in BIM 360 but if you want to avail of automatic locking on BIM 360 upgrade to Civil3D 2021 now.
An added benefit of BIM 360 cloud is the fact that every version you save is stored as a backup so you have the opportunity to roll back to any previous version with a simple click on the version number. Also, you can compare these versions to identify what has changed.
