Workflows with Checkbot and Viewer serve for plethora of different scenarios in engineering offices and their inter-company communication. Let's take a look at the most typical ones.

EORs send models to Fabricators 

"Stop sending envelopes! Trust your forces"

A typical way of a quick transfer of internal design forces from the project structural engineer to people dealing with connection designs is through sets of envelope/blanket forces for typical details. This can save some time in communication but also cause a huge material and labor inefficiency. What is even more alarming, the envelopes are not always safe.

• Does the envelope always cover all the critical combinations?
• Envelope of internal forces is always out of equilibrium and can even miss the decisive load state.
• Share your FEA model without compromising your know-how.

Connection designers  exchange models with Detailers

"Discuss over digital drawings instead of redmarks in PDFs"

Shop and assembly drawings are not always prepared by connection detailers. In many companies its much more effective to let this part to specialized positions. The popular method of info and revision transfer from one desk to another is simply putting the hand or digital remarks on PDF printouts. It may be an easy-to-learn method, but it is way too far from being the most efficient one. Is the drawing with remarks better than 3D synced model? Probably not for huge models with hundreds of connections and for transfer between people not sitting in the same room, building or continent.

• Steel Connection data shared via URL link, IFCs or browser Viewer.
• Detailers can share tens of connections with the original position in one bulk export. 
• Redmarks in PDF drawings replaced by digital structural model.

EORs and Checkers can view the model while reviewing 3rd party connection designs 

"Gain the trust of your proof engineer"

Every structural design should be checked at some point. Is it a structural design team lead, client's checker, EoR, or government office proof engineer? Whoever covers this role, proper and clear inputs are crucial. If anything is missed, unnecessary communication is needed, and the whole process slows down. The Checkbot app, in cooperation with Cloud Viewer, can help share all the details that can be missing in the calculation reports.

• Fill the missing information from the analysis model.
• Share your FEA model results without compromising your know-how.
• Make the EOR and Checker sleep peacefully.

Is the envelope of internal forces always covering the critical case?

Not always. Although it's the most typical way of loading the connection details, the envelopes don't have to be the decisive set of forces. Here's one of the examples where neither Maximum nor Minimum is the worst loading set for anchors' check.

Checkbot ready for BIG projects 

"BIM for structural engineers exists!"

The data hub for structural models coming from different tools provides one undisputable advantage. Engineers can share their work in a safe way, free of charge, without a risk of uncovering too much of their know-how and original analysis models. Checkbot handles large data sets, which means that hundreds of members with tens of load combinations can be transferred in a reasonable time.

• Multi-selection and multi-editing in Checkbot.
• Export multiple connection files at once.
• Quicker import of bigger structures - 1000 nodes are not an issue.