Model Review, Quality Control, and Issue Tracking

Why Model Quality Control Matters

A BIM model is only as useful as it is accurate. In manufacturing and marine drafting, downstream processes—fabrication drawings, clash detection, cost estimating, and procurement—all depend on a clean, well-organized model. Errors that slip through to fabrication can mean costly rework, material waste, or safety hazards aboard a vessel or on the shop floor. Structured model quality control (QC) catches problems early, when they are cheap to fix.

Quality control in BIM is not a one-time event at project close-out. It is a recurring process tied to project milestones and Level of Development (LOD) requirements defined in the BIM Execution Plan (BEP).

The BIM Execution Plan as Your QC Baseline

A BIM Execution Plan is a project-specific document that defines how BIM will be used, who is responsible for each model, what software and file formats are required, what naming conventions must be followed, what shared parameters must be loaded, and what LOD is required at each phase. Before you run any technical check, compare the model against the BEP checklist. Common BEP checklist items include:

• File naming convention – Does the file name match the agreed format (e.g., project code, discipline, phase)?
• Shared parameters – Are all required shared parameters loaded and populated?
• LOD compliance – Does element geometry and information match the LOD specified for the current phase (e.g., LOD 200 for schematic, LOD 300 for design development)?
• Workset or model structure – Are elements placed on correct worksets or in the correct linked model?
• Units and coordinate system – Is the model in the correct units and tied to the project shared coordinate origin?

Working through the BEP checklist first gives you a framework. Technical tool checks come next.

Revit Review Warnings

Revit tracks internal model problems automatically and stores them as warnings. To access them, go to the Manage tab and click Review Warnings. Common warning types include:

• Duplicate elements – Two elements occupy the same location, which can cause incorrect quantities and rendering artifacts.
• Overlapping walls or floors – Geometry conflicts that affect area and volume calculations.
• Room separation line issues – Rooms that are not properly enclosed, causing schedule errors.
• Constraint conflicts – Elements with competing dimensional constraints that Revit has resolved automatically, possibly incorrectly.

Revit allows you to export the warning list to an HTML file. Open that file in any browser, then copy the content into a spreadsheet. Add columns for Warning Type, Priority (High / Medium / Low), Element ID, and Corrective Action. Sorting by priority helps you address structural or quantity-affecting warnings before cosmetic ones.

Safety note: Never dismiss a warning without understanding it. A warning about an overlapping structural element could indicate a real interference that would cause a fabrication or structural failure. In a marine context, a geometry clash in a hull compartment model could affect watertight integrity documentation.

Navisworks for Issue Tracking

Autodesk Navisworks Manage is the standard tool for federating models from multiple disciplines and running clash detection. It is also an effective issue-tracking platform using Saved Viewpoints and the Comments feature.

Workflow for issue logging in Navisworks:

1. Open the NWD or NWC file (exported from Revit via the Navisworks plug-in).

2. Navigate to the location of the issue—use orbit, pan, and zoom to frame the problem clearly.

3. Use Section Planes if needed to cut through geometry and expose the issue.

4. In the Saved Viewpoints panel, click the camera icon to save the current view. Name the viewpoint descriptively (e.g., HULL-FR22-PIPE-CLASH-01).

5. Right-click the saved viewpoint and select Add Comment. Write a clear corrective action statement: what the problem is, which element is affected (include the Revit Element ID if known), and what must be done to fix it.

6. Repeat for each unresolved issue.

7. When all issues are documented, save the file as an NWD (packaged Navisworks file) and email it to the responsible party as the formal issue log.

Naming viewpoints consistently—using discipline prefix, location reference, and a sequential number—makes the log easy to navigate during the correction cycle.

Categorizing and Prioritizing Issues

Not all issues carry equal risk. Use a simple three-tier priority system:

• High – Affects structural integrity, code compliance, watertight integrity, or produces incorrect quantities.
• Medium – Affects coordination, schedule production, or LOD compliance but does not immediately compromise safety or fabrication.
• Low – Cosmetic, naming, or annotation issues that do not affect output quality.

Document priority in both your Revit warning spreadsheet and your Navisworks viewpoint comments so that the correction team can triage efficiently.

Workstation and File Handling Safety

When working with large federated models, save your work frequently and use Revit's Worksharing backup features if the model is workshared. Do not force-close Revit when a large file is open; always use File > Close to allow Revit to release local file locks. Corrupted models can result from improper shutdown. Keep original flawed model files backed up separately so that your QC work does not overwrite the instructor's seeded-error baseline.