For planning, bid and site teams who work in 4D

4D planning and SYNCHRO support

A 4D model your planners can rely on: the programme linked to the model in SYNCHRO 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, checked, and ready for the bid or the site team.

For projects in the Gulf, continental Europe and North America.

Arrange a call What a 4D check covers
A 4D model check A made-up programme linked to a three-storey frame. On the check date the level 2 frame is in progress, and the check flags the level 2 slab, which starts before the frame beneath it is complete. PROGRAMME MODEL Piling Ground slab Frame L1 Slab L1 Frame L2 Slab L2 Frame L3 Roof slab check date Slab L2 before Frame L2
  • Complete
  • In progress
  • Flagged by the check
  • Planned
Illustration: a made-up programme and model, not a client project. The check flags a slab that starts before the frame beneath it is complete.

What you end up with

I build the 4D model in the tool your team uses, link the programme to it and check it: coverage, sequence logic, clashes in time, and workspace and logistics conflicts. I go through the sequence with your planners, then prepare the 4D for the people who will use it, from a bid panel to a site team. For teams new to 4D, I set up the first project with you and coach the people who will run it.

A 4D model is only as useful as the links behind it. When every activity builds the right parts of the model, in the right order, your planners can trust what it shows, update it when the programme moves, and put it in front of a bid panel or a site team without surprises.

What I can do for your team

One piece of work or several together: a check before a submission, a full 4D model for a bid, or support while your own team gets started.

  • 4D models in SYNCHRO 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner

    Built in the tool your team already uses and structured so your planners can update it as the programme moves.

  • Linking the programme to the model

    Each activity tied to the parts of the model it builds, using rules on shared codes where the programme and the model carry them, so an update does not mean linking again by hand.

  • 4D model checks

    Coverage, sequence logic, clashes in time, and workspace and logistics conflicts, each one listed with a suggested fix.

  • Sequence reviews with planners

    Short sessions where your planners and I play the sequence together, stop where it looks wrong, and agree what changes in the programme.

  • 4D prepared for bids and site teams

    Saved views, animations and stills for the people who will use them: a bid panel needs the story of the job, a site team needs the next few weeks in detail.

  • Set-up and coaching for teams new to 4D

    I set up the first project with you, from the exports to the links and the views, and coach the people who will run it after I hand over.

What a 4D check covers

Four questions every 4D model should answer before a bid panel or a site team sees it.

  • Coverage

    Every activity is linked to the model, and every part of the model to an activity. Gaps show up as elements that never appear, or activities that build nothing.

  • Sequence logic

    Nothing goes up before what carries it: no slab before its columns, no cladding before the frame is ready, no fit-out on a floor that is not yet weathertight.

  • Clashes in time

    Two trades in the same place in the same week, or temporary works still standing when the permanent works need the space.

  • Workspace and logistics

    Cranes, hoists, laydown areas, access routes and temporary works checked against the build, phase by phase, so a delivery route is not blocked by the next pour.

What you receive

Deliverables

  • A 4D model in SYNCHRO 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, with the programme linked to the model
  • A check report: coverage, sequence logic, clashes in time, and workspace and logistics conflicts, each with a suggested fix
  • Notes from the sequence reviews with your planners
  • Views, animations and stills prepared for the bid or the site team
  • Set-up notes and coaching sessions for teams new to 4D

Typical timeline

A check of an existing 4D model, or a sequence review, usually takes 2 to 5 working days. Building a 4D model for a bid takes 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the size of the programme and the model. Set-up and coaching run as sessions booked around your team.

Tools

SYNCHRO 4D, Navisworks TimeLiner, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Asta Powerproject and IFC

What I need from you

Send what you have before the call: the programme and the model, or your existing 4D project, are enough to scope the work.

  • The programme: Primavera P6 (XER or XML), Microsoft Project (XML), Asta Powerproject, or a CSV export
  • The model: IFC (preferred) or FBX. Working in Revit® or Navisworks®? Export IFC or FBX
  • Your existing SYNCHRO or Navisworks project, for checks and reviews
  • Site and logistics information, as far as it is known
  • Who will use the 4D model, and the date it is needed

Working in your tool

I build in SYNCHRO 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, whichever your team uses, so your planners can open, update and present the 4D model after I hand it over.

Sending files

A link to a shared folder works best, so nothing bounces off an email size limit. If an export gives you trouble, send a sample first and I will tell you what works.

How the work runs

The order of work for a new 4D model, with your planners involved throughout. A check or review of an existing 4D model starts at step 3.

  1. Read the exports

    When the files arrive

    I check the programme and the model before linking anything: activity IDs, calendars and logic in one, structure and properties in the other. Problems found here are the cheapest to fix.

  2. Build and link

    First play-through

    I build the 4D model in SYNCHRO 4D or Navisworks TimeLiner, or open yours, and link each activity to the parts of the model it builds.

  3. Check

    Findings to you

    Coverage, sequence logic, clashes in time, and workspace and logistics, each finding listed with a suggested fix.

  4. Review with your planners

    Review sessions

    Your planners and I play the sequence together and agree what changes. I update the 4D model to match.

  5. Prepare and hand over

    On the agreed date

    Views, animations and stills for the bid or the site team, and the 4D model with notes, so your planners can keep it up to date.

Working rules

  • A call, then a written proposal

    I reply within 2 working days of your message to arrange a 30-minute call. The scope, timeline, price and assumptions follow in writing within 3 working days of the call. Nothing starts until you accept it.

  • Your planners decide

    The programme is yours. I report what the 4D model shows and suggest fixes; your planners decide what changes.

  • Confidential from the first file

    Only I see your programme, your model and your 4D project. Nothing made from them is shown anywhere without your written permission.

  • Where I take 4D work

    4D planning and SYNCHRO support are for projects in the Gulf, continental Europe and North America.

Questions

Do you work in SYNCHRO or Navisworks?

Both. I build in the tool your team already uses, so your planners can carry on with the 4D model after I hand it over. If you have not chosen one yet, I can talk you through the options on the call.

What does a 4D model check cover?

Coverage: every activity is linked to the model, and every part of the model to an activity. Sequence logic: nothing is built before what carries it. Clashes in time: two trades in the same place in the same week. Workspace and logistics: cranes, laydown areas, access and temporary works against the build.

You get a list of what I found, with a suggested fix for each.

Do you work with our planners?

Yes. A 4D model is only as good as the programme behind it, so I go through the sequence with your planners in short review sessions, on video calls at times that suit your time zone.

Can you help a team that is new to 4D?

Yes. I set up the first project with you, link the programme to the model together, and coach the people who will run it, so the 4D model keeps up with the programme after I hand it over.

Which projects do you take on?

4D planning and SYNCHRO support are for projects in the Gulf, continental Europe and North America.

Have a 4D model to build or check?

Tell me about the programme, the model and the date it is needed. I reply within 2 working days to arrange a 30-minute call.

Arrange a call

Or email joe@digitalrehearsals.com