Blog | cmBuilder.io

Learn about cmBuilder product updates, get insights on the digital project delivery, and our take on the construction industry as a whole.

cmBuilder turns 2 - A roundtable discussion on the current state of construction tech

On September 15th, 2022, over some coffee, tea and pancakes the entire CadMakers team celebrated the 2-year anniversary of the cmBuilder.io public launch! The focus of the event was around the engaging roundtable discussion on all things construction technology from a panel of industry trailblazers from all over the world.

Introduction to Logic Graph Resource Animation

At cmBuilder we are always looking for new ways of empowering our users to convey meaningful storytelling to their clients and continuing that tradition we are excited to introduce our visual programming initiative.

Saunders Construction Inc. x cmBuilder.io - Customer Spotlight

Saunders Construction Inc. is a Colorado-based construction industry innovator focused on general contracting, construction management and real estate development services. Key to their growth over the past 50 years has been their ability to adapt and integrate with evolving technology.

Urban One Builders x cmBuilder.io - Reducing risk and enhancing collaboration with powerful 4D site logistics simulation

Urban One Builders, based in Vancouver, Canada, have put an emphasis on adopting digital technologies and smart ways of planning projects since their conception in 2011.

CJ Duncan x cmBuilder.io: Applying Cutting Edge Technology to Large-Scale Remediation Projects

Spanning over 40 years in the construction business, CJ Duncan is an Australian based, specialist building contractor experienced in remedial & insurance, façade solutions, fit outs and refurbishments. With a diverse client base ranging from Australia's largest property owners, managers and insurers, to commercial and residential strata, CJ Duncan has built a long-lasting reputation based on quality of work and trust.

Hovercraft x cmBuilder: Leveraging digital innovation to make better site logistics decisions

This complex mixed-use project contains a 38-story residential tower and a low-rise office building that is being redeveloped from an existing heritage building on the site. Hovercraft used this 4D simulation with cmBuilder to validate all site logistics decisions with regards to temporary resources, excavation sequencing, concrete pours, all the way through to visualizing the interior finishes against the schedule.

Grupo Macro x cmBuilder.io - The pursuit of construction excellence through digital innovation

Grupo Macro is a Guatemalan construction company, that specializes in the construction of high-rise buildings and horizontal housing, building complexes, infrastructures and industrial constructions that operates mainly in Guatemala and Panama. About 6 years ago they started their digital transformation by simply diving deep into BIM, the collaborative work methodology for the creation and management of construction projects; which would give a 180° turn to the workflow of the organization. When looking for software to model pre-construction stages that was easier to adopt than what they had, they found cmBuilder.io.

Grupo Macro x cmBuilder.io: La búsqueda de la excelencia en la construcción a través de la innovación digital

Grupo Macro es una constructora guatemalteca, especializada en la construcción de vivienda vertical y horizontal, urbanizaciones, infraestructuras y construcciones industriales que opera principalmente en Guatemala y Panamá. Hace unos 6 años comenzaron su transformación digital simplemente sumergiéndose profundamente en BIM, la metodología de trabajo colaborativa para la creación y gestión de proyectos de construcción; lo que daría un giro de 180° al flujo de trabajo de la organización. Al momento de buscar un software para modelar etapas de pre-construcción que fuera más fácil de adoptar que lo que tenían a su disposición, encontraron cmBuilder.io

Guide to Effective Site Logistics Planning in Construction

Let’s talk site logistics! From the initial site setup to bulk and detailed excavation sequencing, to the positioning of temporary resources and workers on the construction site, accurate logistics planning is critical in ensuring the an efficient and productive project. Without proper planning in preconstruction, the cost of manpower, materials and equipment delays affect overall project timelines. As Brent Olund, Vice-President of Sustainable Construction says, “for every extra hour spent in pre-planning it saves more than 4 hours on site during construction.” In this blog, we will discuss site logistics and the keys to effectively planning this process.

Guide to Construction Tower Cranes

Let’s talk about tower cranes! These tall and slender figures are a staple of construction sites and take on the bulk of the heavy lifting on site. Tower cranes are among the largest pieces of equipment used in construction projects. Construction crews use tower cranes to lift heavy materials such as concrete and steel. In this blog, we will discuss all things tower cranes and some basic considerations when working with this equipment.

Empowering users to increase project shareholder engagement using the cmBuilder direct share link feature

General contractors and project stakeholders strive to leverage digital technologies to accelerate project timelines, identify construction phase risks and make better decisions that save costs downstream. The site logistics component to the project planning phase is a critical component to all this and is why companies are turning to 3D/4D site simulation platforms like cmBuilder to plan and simulate site logistics, run multiple “scenarios” and generate project timeline simulations, allowing them to make better, data-driven decisions that account for project risks, cost constraints and overall site-specific logistics planning.

5 ways to deliver better site simulations to your stakeholders with cmBuilder.io

Delivering a well thought out, detailed construction plan is crucial to a successful pursuit phase. cmBuilder enables you to deliver this plan in a highly differentiated and easy to understand 4D simulation format. This detailed plan includes a flipbook presentation made up of milestones and markups that capture every stage of the pre-construction plan.

2021 in review: The Journey So Far

Over the past year, cmBuilder has been used in a variety of projects that span several countries, time zones and continents. This year saw steady improvements to the platform with a special focus on site plan ease-of-use, site logistics accessibility, improved simulation presentations, and enhanced graphics.

Enhanced Graphics, User Roles & Permissions and other product updates

As cmBuilder strives to get better every day, our betterment has taken on a visual approach with our latest feature update seeing a sublime improvement to Site Plan graphics and its tools. With cleaner edges come cleaner finishes, our rendering improvements see the addition of more definitions to contour rendering with an added focus to elements of environmental lighting and reflections that truly bring the Site Plan to life.

Announcing cmBuilder.io + Procore integration: Expanding value proposition for our customers

Users of cmBuilder can now leverage the full offerings of the interface's seamless 3D modeling and 4D sequencing on the Procore App Marketplace. The scope of this integration is simple; a web-based platform that allows General Contractors and Construction Managers to view 4D simulations of their construction site logistics without leaving the Procore interface.

Jim Pritchett on cmBuilder revolutionizing JTM Construction's logistics plans on large projects

Speaking on this evolution and the elimination of previous preconstruction woes, Jim Pritchett, Sr. Superintendent, JTM Construction, touched on the need for efficiency in data processing whilst navigating through these preconstruction plans electronically. The attention to detail on the Site Plan turns a basic napkin sketch into a 3D/4D model simulation that can be presented to clients and general stakeholders within framed milestones and multiple scenarios. The cmBuilder interface encompasses markups that detail phases of site logistics during the pursuit phase and proposals, hence, truly bringing preconstruction plans to life.

Super Hour - How Digital is Impacting Construction | Event Recap

The latest cmBuilder.io panel event takes on a “Super” approach by welcoming the vast industry knowledge of three superintendents with experience levels that spans over 80 years combined. The “Super” Hour as it was fittingly dubbed, saw the virtual presence of Jim Pritchett: Sr. Superintendent, JTM Construction; Walter Payne: Sr. Superintendent, Syncra Construction; and Tyler Brown: General Superintendent, Smith Bros. and Wilson (BC) Ltd with the panel moderated by our Co-Founder & CEO Javier Glatt.

User Webinar: Tips and Tricks to getting the most out of cmBuilder | Event Recap

Our latest user webinar focuses on the practicality of the preconstruction burden on general contractors and construction managers. In this scope, contractors are left to navigate outdated and inefficient technology for site logistics whilst managing the risk associated with site logistics planning costs. Tools available to contractors in the market are often too complex and expensive to adequately fit the scale of the preconstruction phase.

Venture General Contracting: Replacing a 3-product workflow with cmBuilder.io as a single platform for site logistics planning and simulation

We sat down with Helio Monteiro, Director of VDC at Venture General Contracting and spoke to him about digital construction strategies at Venture, testing and adopting new software for site utilization planning. While discussing cmBuilder, he explained how the platform brings about a different approach to their workflow and can also help tackle site logistics, safety and traffic control in the various phases of planning, with increased collaboration with the project teams.

cmBuilder Site Plan (version 3.0) continues to solve preconstruction woes with its enhanced simulation experience

With the entire web engine and layout of cmBuilder’s Site Plan designed and constantly developed in-house, the push for innovation is met with a resounding web-based software package that resolves previous preconstruction woes. This in-house research and development keep operational and running costs low, translating into low-cost packages for general contractors and project stakeholders. The absence of any third-party licensing also speaks to the timely development cycles that users can expect whilst navigating the interface.

The Evolution of Construction Industry's Hallowed "Markups"

As construction teams have evolved with the advancement in technology, so has the way in which they communicate their process and plans, while sharing them with project stakeholders. Markups have evolved from being handmade markings on physical drawings to 2D digital paper to now web-based 2D/3D/4D interactive views. Here's what the future of markups looks like.

ETRO Construction saves time & adds value to their clients with 4D simulations on accessible, intuitive, web-based platform cmBuilder.io

ETRO Construction uses cmBuilder in proposals to easily show the challenges or issues via a 4D site logistics simulation. What would otherwise have taken them 3 or more days to create on other BIM/simulation software now takes them 3 hours to create on cmBuilder and also shows their prospective client the level of detail and thought they’ve given to the specific project.

The Future of Preconstruction is Simulation: A sneak peek into cmBuilder's presentation at Advancing Preconstruction 2021

Here is a glimpse of what Nikan Samimi, Director, Business Development and Strategy, CadMakers, will be speaking about at the 6th annual Advancing Preconstruction 2021 conference! Also, drop by at our booth to chat with Bradley Swartz, and learn more about accessible 4D site simulations on cmBuilder.io, from August 30 to September 1 in Dallas, TX!

Leading Preconstruction Teams are Rapidly Adopting cmBuilder.io

CadMakers today announced that cmBuilder.io, the digital site planning and simulation platform built by CadMakers, has now been used to simulate over 700 projects from across the globe since being launched on September 15th, 2020. Preconstruction teams are increasingly transforming their processes in the pursuit phase or early project planning to reduce risk, optimize temporary resources and provide enhanced visualization in a short time period using the core simulation engine of cmBuilder. The ability to rapidly run various scenarios (1 crane vs 2 crane, different site access points, etc.) and share live links with project stakeholders via the cloud database, makes cmBuilder easy to implement, use and collaborate.

Catch cmBuilder.io at Advancing Preconstruction 2021 in Dallas, TX

Catch Nikan Samimi, Director, Business Development and Strategy, CadMakers, speaking at the 6th annual Advancing Preconstruction 2021 conference later this month! Also, drop by at our booth to chat with Bradley Swartz, and learn more about accessible 4D site simulations on cmBuilder.io, from August 30 to September 1 in Dallas, TX!

The goal of cmBuilder.io

Our CEO, Javier Glatt's thoughts on why we are building cmBuilder.io and looking into the future of the construction industry.

First functionality of end-to-end excavation modeling and simulation released on cmBuilder.io

Before cmBuilder, it had been quite the challenge for construction planners to perform quick, real-time scenario analyses for the excavation phase, as much of the information provided by the design team pertaining to geotechnical was done in 2D only, which caused a mix of 2D and 3D design information to draw from. With this first release of the excavation feature set, cmBuilder makes it easy to rapidly model, simulate and quantify the bulk and detailed excavation phase with the ability to perform "cut" operations and link excavation phases to milestone dates.

Haycon reduces 3-day site logistics planning cycles to under 4 hours with rapid 4D simulation using cmBuilder.io

Haycon Inc uses cmBuilder.io to reduce site logistics planning cycles to less than half a day and finds a scalable, low-effort, and high-value web-based solution to get a more accurate overall view of their construction planning with regards to moving around the site, placing large equipment, getting things delivered up into the building efficiently and safely.

No Ordinary Park! How Smith Bros. & Wilson (BC) Ltd. Deployed a Digital Construction Twin to Enhance Collaboration and Push the Integration of Construction Technology

Smith Bros. & Wilson (BC) Ltd. (SBW) uses the Digital Construction Twin solution offered by CadMakers as a proactive tool to help identify and mitigate project risks while allowing for effective project team communication. CadMakers’ tools allowed the proposal of solutions to complex geometries and construction sequencing, prior and even during construction. To date, the Digital Construction Twin solution has allowed SBW to perform a virtual construction study and get ahead of coordination complexities that would be found later on-site. The Digital Construction Twin solution also helped SBW run 4D sequencing simulations to optimize the scheduling on-site, integrate trade coordination and shop drawing reviews, and layout various building elements on-site directly from the model.

cmBuilder.io deploys game changing new web engine and optimizes crane planning with AI

We built cmBuilder.io to be a high-value, low effort, low-cost solution that brings easy digital construction logistics simulation tools that scale to every preconstruction professional in the world. Today we announce that we just took a significant step forward in making this a reality with the latest deployment of our web engine and AI crane optimization solver. With this release, our purpose-built web engine makes it even easier to import larger BIM models (we support IFC4, IFC2x3, FBX, & STP) and run them smoothly in your browser overlaid on the address of the project using cmBuilder's generated map with terrain. Remember, it's not just a model viewer!! Our engine allows for editing/modeling of new 3D parametric resources of cranes, hoists, fencing, concrete pump trucks, traffic management cones, trailers, hoarding, etc. directly in your web browser which is now much faster with the new engine deployment (up to 10x improvement in frames per second performance). When combined with the imported BIM, cmBuilder gives you everything you need to do 3D/4D site logistics simulations with ease.

CadMakers' Next Top Model - 4D Site Logistics Simulation Contest Roundup

As part of DigiConstruct Week, we organized an internal contest - CadMakers' Next Top Model and the challenge at hand was to create the best site logistics simulation using only an imported BIM and all provided tools/catalogs/features inside cmBuilder.io. Watch the winning presentations here!

4 Reasons to Choose cmBuilder.io for 4D Simulation of your Construction Site Logistics Pan

Simulate before you build. Create 4D simulations of your construction site logistics with ease with these powerful yet easy-to-use features on cmBuilder like 3D Markups, Presentation Mode, Construction Milestones and One-Click Share that will ensure enhanced client and project stakeholder communication. Let technology be the enabler and not a barrier - share data and not files.

Blueprint for Winning More Jobs with 4D Presentation Mode on cmBuilder.io

The 4D Presentation Mode of cmBuilder can be used to create and Interact with 4D schedules of construction plans and extract more information from it when compared to a simple video or a deck. Share preconstruction site logistics with all project stakeholders in an easy and straightforward way, differentiating yourselves from the competition and giving them an advantage during the pursuit process.

Overlay imported 2D drawings into your 3D Site Plan with cmBuilder.io

See how you can use the 2D drawing overlay tool in cmBuilder.io to easily import, overlay, and view the 2D design plans of your construction sites and utility maps directly on the 3D model viewer. This lets you quickly check measurements relative to plan drawings, identify surrounding conditions, check underground utilities, and position resources with greater accuracy. Watch how the feature can be used to seamlessly allow 3D modeling on the web with the 2D reference of your construction site

cmCore 3D Engine – cmViewer

Sharing and viewing large, data-rich 3D models from various CAD/BIM software authoring tools has always been a challenge for users in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) industry. A lack of interoperable file formats, the need to load models with locally installed software for viewing, and stringent hardware requirements has always held back the ability to scale 3D, 4D and 5D digital delivery in our industry.

4D Construction Milestone Manager

Nandhini Sasikumar

Every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought - as is a project before it is even pursued. Transform the client's experience of your construction site logistics plan with cmBuilder.io and win more jobs. Start a free trial today! Visualize, simulate, and share your construction site's major milestones effortlessly using the 4D Construction Milestone Manager feature on cmBuilder.io

Now Every Builder Can Go Digital

Introducing our newest product, cmBuilder: a web-based platform that makes dynamic construction planning and simulation easier than ever before.

cmBuilder turns 2 - A roundtable discussion on the current state of construction tech

On September 15th, 2022, over some coffee, tea and pancakes the entire CadMakers team celebrated the 2-year anniversary of the cmBuilder.io public launch! The focus of the event was around the engaging roundtable discussion on all things construction technology from a panel of industry trailblazers from all over the world.

Jim Pritchett on cmBuilder revolutionizing JTM Construction's logistics plans on large projects

Speaking on this evolution and the elimination of previous preconstruction woes, Jim Pritchett, Sr. Superintendent, JTM Construction, touched on the need for efficiency in data processing whilst navigating through these preconstruction plans electronically. The attention to detail on the Site Plan turns a basic napkin sketch into a 3D/4D model simulation that can be presented to clients and general stakeholders within framed milestones and multiple scenarios. The cmBuilder interface encompasses markups that detail phases of site logistics during the pursuit phase and proposals, hence, truly bringing preconstruction plans to life.

Super Hour - How Digital is Impacting Construction | Event Recap

The latest cmBuilder.io panel event takes on a “Super” approach by welcoming the vast industry knowledge of three superintendents with experience levels that spans over 80 years combined. The “Super” Hour as it was fittingly dubbed, saw the virtual presence of Jim Pritchett: Sr. Superintendent, JTM Construction; Walter Payne: Sr. Superintendent, Syncra Construction; and Tyler Brown: General Superintendent, Smith Bros. and Wilson (BC) Ltd with the panel moderated by our Co-Founder & CEO Javier Glatt.

User Webinar: Tips and Tricks to getting the most out of cmBuilder | Event Recap

Our latest user webinar focuses on the practicality of the preconstruction burden on general contractors and construction managers. In this scope, contractors are left to navigate outdated and inefficient technology for site logistics whilst managing the risk associated with site logistics planning costs. Tools available to contractors in the market are often too complex and expensive to adequately fit the scale of the preconstruction phase.

CadMakers' Next Top Model - 4D Site Logistics Simulation Contest Roundup

As part of DigiConstruct Week, we organized an internal contest - CadMakers' Next Top Model and the challenge at hand was to create the best site logistics simulation using only an imported BIM and all provided tools/catalogs/features inside cmBuilder.io. Watch the winning presentations here!

Now Every Builder Can Go Digital

Introducing our newest product, cmBuilder: a web-based platform that makes dynamic construction planning and simulation easier than ever before.

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