Users of Autodesk’s project delivery and construction management platform BIM 360 just got more options when it comes to keeping real-time tabs on projects.

Construction camera and image services provider TrueLook announced this week that Autodesk customers will now be able to add a live TrueLook camera to their BIM 360 dashboards. This expands on an August 2018 integration that lets Autodesk users view, store and share TrueLook project photos with their contacts or within BIM 360 instead of having to log into their TrueLook accounts, said Ken Pittman, chief marketing officer at TrueLook.

As part of this latest integration, TrueLook’s combined offerings of live jobsite viewing, time lapse and high-definition security recording will allow managers to see both the live and historical conditions of their projects via BIM 360.

“Construction projects are fast-moving, complex, and define organized chaos,” said Josh Cheney, construction industry manager at Autodesk. “TrueLook’s integration with the Autodesk construction platform keeps an eye on the blind spots from anywhere at any time. Our customers asked for this integration, and we are pleased to bring it to life.”   

The way it works is that customers invest in and set up TrueLook's jobsite camera hardware, Pittman said, and then they pay anywhere from $250 to $350 per month to be able to use the images with BIM 360. 

The latest star of TrueLook's construction camera inventory is a 4K indoor camera with a built-in 4G LTE cellular modem and a movie-making tool that allows users to create custom time-lapse videos. 

Convenience, Pittman said, is probably the aspect of the integration that BIM 360 users appreciate the most. Customers can see immediately when they log into BIM 360 what's going on with a project, he said, even if it’s just to perform routine tasks. “You always have an eye on your jobsite no matter what you’re doing,” he said. “You’re always on site no matter where you are."

This, Pittman said, allows users to pick up on any irregularities right from their desks, saving them from having to perform expensive remedial work. The integration also allows for project lookbacks that let managers verify worker and subcontractor activities at any point along the project timeline. 

BIM 360 users also get an extra layer of security as their images are stored forever in TrueLook’s system as well. This not only creates an additional access point to the images but also ensures portability if customers ever decide to use another BIM platform or other construction productivity tool, the companies said. In addition to BIM 360, TrueLook is also integrated with Procore, CMiC's accounting and project management software and PlanGrid, now an Autodesk company.

Speaking of saved images, TrueLook's system contains an enormous number  — 2.5 million every week, which translates to four images per second. In fact, just this week TrueLook saved its billionth image.   

The integration also creates a higher level of inclusiveness within the project team. Owners, for example, might not be as tech-savvy as BIM engineers but can easily relate to the images they see. “Everyone on the team benefits,” Pittman said.