Overview
Issues can be used to document and track tasks, notes, conflicts, or defects directly in the model.
When creating an Issue, big automatically stores:
- Camera position
- Viewing direction
- Section plane
- Snapshot of the view
- Optionally selected building components
Issues therefore serve as a central task management tool within model coordination.
Typical use cases include:
- Tasks arising from model coordination
- Review notes in the model
- Documentation of defects
- Coordination between specialist planners
- Exchange with other BIM systems via BCF
Viewing Tasks and Notes
To access tasks and notes, select the “Issues” tab in the overall model.
All existing Issues are then displayed in a list.
If necessary, the relevant folders must first be expanded.
By default, only open tasks are displayed.
When an Issue is selected:
- the saved camera position is loaded
- the associated section plane is activated
- the detail sheet on the right is opened
- the saved snapshot is displayed
If building components are assigned to the Issue, they can be directly:
- isolated
- colored
- selected
Creating a Task or Note
First, navigate to the desired location in the model.
When creating an Issue, the current view in the model is saved.
This includes:
- Camera position
- Viewing direction
- Section planes
- Colorings
- Selected building components
A new Issue can be created in two ways:
- via the “Create Issue” button in the Issue panel on the left
- via the “Create Issue” button in the model toolbar
After starting, annotations can be placed directly in the model, for example:
- Text
- Arrow
- Circle
- Freehand drawing
These markings are saved in the Issue snapshot.
To finish, enter a title and save the Issue.
Note:
If building components are linked to the Issue, they can be isolated, colored, and selected in the upper-right corner of the detail sheet.
Editing a Task
An existing Issue can be supplemented or updated at any time.
A responsible person can be assigned:
- via the context menu
- or via the detail sheet on the right
Only people who have the appropriate permissions in the project can be selected.
The following information can be maintained:
- Status
- Responsible person (Assignee)
- Priority
- Category
- Type
- Folder
- Due date
- Area
- Milestone
- Tags
Multiple Issues can be selected simultaneously using Ctrl and edited together.
Creating Tasks via the Widget
New tasks can also be created using the “Issues & Tasks” widget in the project overview.
This allows tasks to be created without first opening the model.
The following information can be defined there:
- Task type
- Due date
- Responsible person
- Description
- Attachments
Linking Tasks to Documents
Issues can be linked to documents from the connected document repository.
This allows, for example:
- Inspection reports
- Plans
- Documentation
to be linked directly to the task.
Recording Defects
Defects can also be recorded using the mobile app (Android and iOS).
These are assigned a special identifier and can then be specifically filtered.
Filters
Issues can be filtered according to various criteria.
By default, only open Issues are displayed.
Filter options include:
- Status
- Responsible person
- Type
- Folder
- Tags
- Area
- Due date
Folder Structure for Tasks
Issues can be organized into folders.
This makes it easier to maintain an overview in larger projects.
New folders can be created using the plus symbol.
In addition:
- Folders can be renamed by double-clicking
- Folders can be moved using drag & drop
BCF Import
Issues can be imported using the BCF format.
During the import, a target folder can be selected in which new Issues will be placed.
This selection only applies to newly created Issues and not to existing Issues that are being updated.
BCF Export
Important:
When exporting Issues, the currently applied filters are always taken into account.
This means that only those Issues that are visible according to the filters applied in the current view will be exported.
The export can be initiated via the options in the Issues tab. Two export formats are available:
- BCF (BIM Collaboration Format)
- Excel
The export allows Issues to be exchanged with other systems or documented for project purposes.
Notes on BCF export
When exchanging issues with other software solutions via the BCF format, please ensure that the assignees or their email addresses are present in both big and the target software.
If this is not the case, the responsible persons cannot be automatically assigned correctly during the exchange.
Once the export has started, additional transformations can optionally be configured.
This is particularly relevant if:
-
a different coordinate system is used in CAD
-
different units are used
-
the target software requires a customised spatial transformation
These settings help ensure that the positioning and assignment of Issues are correctly transferred when exchanging data with other systems.
Export in a Predefined Layout
Issues can also be exported in a predefined layout.
Further information can be found in the respective support article.
BCF Status – Separate Settings and Translations
If the status of Issues does not change as expected during import or export, despite changes having been made, this is generally because the status values being used are not known to the system.
In this case, the translations of the status values in the Issue mappings must be checked and adjusted if necessary.
Opening the Settings
You can access the settings via:
- Options
- Settings
There, the mappings and translations of Issue statuses can be edited.
Adjusting Status Translations
In this menu, the different status values of the systems involved can be mapped to one another.
This is particularly important when:
- different software solutions are being used
- status names differ between systems
- consistent status values need to be ensured when exchanging data via BCF
Note
If no specific settings have been configured, the translations are applied according to the official buildingSMART BCF documentation.
Exporting Issues as a Report
The Issue list can be exported as an Excel report via the Reporting module.
In addition to the task information, the Issue snapshots are also exported.
In the downloaded Excel list, all relevant information relating to the Issues is now displayed together with all snapshots.
The formula for embedding the snapshots in the Excel report is:
jx:image(lastCell="O5" src="issue.snapshot" imageType="PNG")
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is an Issue?
An Issue is a task, note, or conflict in the model that can be documented and assigned to a person for resolution.
Why can I only see open tasks?
By default, only open Issues are displayed.
Closed or resolved Issues can be made visible using the filters.
Can I edit multiple tasks at the same time?
Yes. Multiple Issues can be selected simultaneously using Ctrl and edited together.
Why does my Issue appear to be located in “empty space”?
This can happen when the model positioning between different systems is not identical or when transformations during the BCF exchange have been configured incorrectly.