Data governance for engineering 3D models – based on the E5D Studio tool

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As the core data asset in the fields of BIM projects and large-scale facility and equipment projects, engineering 3D models serve as the essential foundational data for achieving digital delivery, as well as for building digital factories and digital twins. Through systematic governance of 3D model data, it is possible to effectively identify various errors and non-compliance issues in the original datasets and make precise corrections, thereby ensuring that the raw 3D model data undergoes thorough inspection, comprehensive cleaning, and proper storage, which significantly improves data quality. The final 3D model delivered not only has complete and accurate content, but also boasts the advantages of being lightweight and having excellent visual quality. In real-world 3D model data governance scenarios, the model review, editing, optimization, and simplification features of E5D Studio enable 3D model engineers to easily tackle the complex challenges associated with 3D model data governance. Below, based on our practical experience in real projects, we will introduce how to use E5D Studio to carry out various tasks related to 3D model data governance. Structure inspection and correction for 3D model design: By fully inheriting the engineering 3D design structure tree, users can use E5D Studio to check whether the structure meets regulatory requirements. During the project implementation process, if issues are detected in the structure tree, they should be promptly reported to the original design team so that corrections can be made at the source, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the data. If it is difficult for the original design unit to make corrections due to special circumstances (such as the model originating from a different entity), the structure tree node dragging function and the model object renaming feature provided by E5D Studio can be utilized to make targeted adjustments to the actual issues present in the structure tree in accordance with the delivery specifications. This approach is not only efficient and convenient, but it also ensures that the structure tree meets the project delivery requirements. 3D model tag verification: Users can, in accordance with design coding standards, use regular expressions to search for and export lists of various factory objects, and compare them with equipment lists, pipe lists, instrument index tables, P&ID diagrams, etc., to determine whether they should be created or already exist. By utilizing regex-based search capabilities and visual positioning, it is possible to quickly locate common tag-related issues (such as the tags containing \"copy-of-\" as shown in the figure below), accurately determine the location of the problematic tags, and identify their correct identifiers. During the data governance process, any incorrect tag numbers that are identified should be collected and sent back to the original design team for correction at the source. If it is difficult to make corrections using the original design team, or if the issues that need to be addressed in the final version of the model are clear – such as the need to add a consistent prefix to the facility codes – then the single renaming or batch ID modification functions provided by E5D Studio can be used to correct the problematic tag numbers in accordance with the delivery requirements. Review of the depth and compliance of 3D model creation: Based on the standard codes for equipment and pipelines, the visualization reporting functions of E5D Studio are used to check whether all types of factory objects related to various devices and units are complete and whether their layout is correct. Visual reports can be used to display pipes of different diameters, enabling quick inspection of the integrity of pipelines of each diameter. Visual reports can also be used to separately display pipes of different medium types (classified by medium code, such as PG, WR, FL, etc.), thereby allowing verification of whether the modeling of pipes for various media is complete and accurate. Use measurement, virtual humans, and other inspection methods to check whether the space and dimensions are compliant and reasonable. Use object collision detection to check factory objects, especially structures and pipelines, for any collisions. If, in the final version of the model, there are deviations in the positions of certain model components that have little impact on one another, these can be adjusted using the model transformation function, as shown in the figure below. If there are any stray \"garbage\" elements or design reference components that have not been removed (which often cause issues with locating elements when viewing the model later), these can be deleted using the model deletion function. As shown in the figure below: Multi-source model integration review. Thanks to the model enhancement functions of E5DStudio, it is possible to efficiently integrate 3D models of equipment built by different design teams using various design tools within the same factory. With this function, it is possible to comprehensively check whether the models of various devices meet the requirements of the overall layout, verify the accuracy of the coordinates of each component, and ensure precise connection of cross-border pipelines. If different parts of the model cannot be connected accurately, the resulting position errors can have a significant impact on the entire system. Therefore, during the data governance process, such issues that are identified should be collected and reported back to the original design team, so that the root causes can be analyzed and comprehensive corrective actions can be taken. If some model components with minimal interaction are found in the final version of the model, the E5DStudio model transformation feature can be used to adjust their positions accordingly. Model color review and secondary precise color matching: In accordance with the color specification requirements outlined in the 3D model delivery guidelines, check to ensure that the colors are compliant. For individual model objects with incorrect colors, their color can be adjusted using a single color scheme. If there is an issue with a certain category of colors, it is also possible to adjust those colors in order to modify the colors of multiple models batch-wise. In actual delivered projects, the color scheme used during the design phase often differs from the color requirements specified in the final delivery. Furthermore, during model upgrades or revisions, there may be a need for recoloring, which not only increases the workload but can also lead to delays in delivering the model. Leveraging E5D Studio’s batch color-coding feature based on tag rules, users only need to configure the color-coding file once, allowing it to be reused multiple times to quickly achieve accurate secondary color coding. This feature significantly improves efficiency by ensuring that compliance with color standards can be achieved quickly and accurately even when the model version is updated multiple times, thereby effectively preventing delivery delays and maintaining project progress. Model version comparison check: During the design and delivery process, the designers typically submit multiple versions of the model in stages, and new versions are also submitted after issues are resolved. It is very difficult for model reviewers to visually identify all the differences between previous and subsequent versions. By using the comparison function of the E5D Studio model, it is possible to obtain a comprehensive overview of the additions and deletions of model objects as well as changes in their spatial positions between the old and new versions through 3D views. As shown in the figure below, different colors are used to mark and display the transformations between model versions on both the detailed list and the 3D model. Communication on model review issues: During the model review process, users can use E5D Studio to make annotations on the 3D model at any time, and use view management to record the locations of the issues found. The view management functions of E5DStudio support automatic view creation, view restoration, view export and import, as well as the generation of annotation Word files. So that the issue can be accurately understood regardless of whether the other party has an E5D Studio environment or not. Model optimization: Engineering 3D models are usually designed using high-performance professional equipment, and they are complex as well as large in terms of data volume. However, end-users often access these models through web-based systems (such as most digital delivery platforms or digital twin platforms), and the original complex models place high demands on the performance of end devices and network bandwidth. To improve the display performance of 3D models under limited hardware conditions and enhance the user experience, it is particularly important to streamline engineering models. E5D Studio offers two methods for model simplification: an automatic method and a method that requires manual intervention. · Automatic method: Utilizing the built-in simplification algorithms, it automatically performs tasks such as reducing the number of faces and compressing vertices, thereby achieving rapid model simplification. · Manually guided lightweighting method: While ensuring the visual quality of the model, users can carry out lightweighting processes in a selective, precise, and controllable manner. Especially for complex models with a large number of faces but small volume, users can use the model simplification feature to adjust the simplification parameters in real time and preview the results, thereby achieving lightweight optimization with a \"what you see is what you get\" approach. In addition, E5D Studio also supports simplified saving and reusing of operations. After completing a model simplification operation, the user can save the relevant parameters as an importable file. When a new version of the model is released, it is sufficient to import the application history file with just one click to quickly carry out the same simplification steps, eliminating the need to repeat previously made adjustments and thereby greatly improving work efficiency. This feature not only simplifies the lightweighting process but also ensures consistency across different model versions, providing end-users with a smoother experience when using 3D models.