About this project
This is another integration product started from 2010. The goal is to link Tekla Structures, a 3D Construction and Structural BIM, with Meridian Prolog Converge, a total construction project management system.
Meridian Prolog is a project management software that manages documents and workflows including, drawings, submittals, RFIs, punch list and inspection, meeting minutes and other construction related documents. Meridian is now part of the large Trimble umbrella solutions due to earlier acquisition. Tekla and Meridian had assigned a partnership agreement to develop a closer integration for their joined users. The project started not until 2010 after the agreement was assigned.
I started prototyping the integration in mid 2010. Main challenge of this project falls into technological differences between the two systems. A 3D BIM versus a relational database and web-based software. Meridian Prolog provides customizable integration through its web-services API to its back-end relational database. Figure 1 shows the integration scenario for the first phase prototyping. Scope of the exchangeable information was restricted only to RFI in the first phase. The intention was to build a robust and easy scalable foundation and possibly progress into other services in later phases, meanwhile to gain understanding and master the Prolog Web Service API.
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| Figure 1 Integration architecture |
Current Status
The current WM prototype is available only for Tekla Structures 16.1. It is in the middle of a full upgrade and renewing. Current WM prototype allows users to:
- Associate a Prolog RFI to selected Tekla model objects;
- Allows Tekla Structures users remotely modify existing RFI in Prolog Converge;
- Enable browsing RFIs from selected projects, and portfolios from Meridian Prolog;
Highlights
Meridian API has a quite good structures and namespace hierarchy, from my perspective, in comparison for many APIs that I have been worked on. It is nicely wrapped into .NET and web service. Since it runs on a relation database i.e. MS SQL Server, it allows one to attach documents or BLOB (Binary Large OBject) to existing information objects. Information objects for example a RFI or a submittal document. Hence, it is possible to store additional metadata or attributes e.g. an XML file, to particular information object. This allows us to store a XML file that contains a list of GUIDs from associated 3D model objects to any information object.
The solution requires static connection to the connected Prolog Converge and its database. Speed of fetching data from the source depends on user’s internet bandwidth. Hence, a two tiers data fetching process was adopted to avoid unnecessary operations. In the RFI example, the first fetching process simply reads all RFIs headers (metadata) and displayed to users. Once an RFI selected by users, it will then launch the secondary fetching process to read more detail information of the selected RFI from the server.
Achievement
Things I have learned and used in this project:
- Meridian Prolog Web Services API
- Tekla Structures Open .NET API
Special thanks to Meridian, Fred Cardena, Tekla Inc., Andy Dickey and Hannu Lindberg.
Reference
Video
Tekla Structures Workflow Manager - Integration with Meridian Prolog Converge
1 comments - Add Yours
Very impressed to know about Meridian Prolog, the project management software that manages documents and workflows including, drawings, submittals, RFIs, punch list and inspection, meeting minutes and other construction related documents. I will love to use this Project Management Software for my business, because your projects are important to the development of your company, it’s vital that you have a proper plan and people in place.
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