Automating Access to Large Point Clouds Across CAD Environments
Large Engineering Organisation
Implemented MinuteView Automations to eliminate manual point cloud synchronisation, ensuring engineering teams always have immediate access to the latest high-resolution datasets across Revit, Inventor, and AutoCAD.
Project Outcome
Before
- Every user synchronising same large datasets to local machines
- Synchronisation only during active user sessions
- Updates dependent on connector being logged in and running
- No guarantee users working from latest point cloud version
- Out-of-date point clouds causing design inconsistencies
- Long wait times for synchronisation
After
- Single, authoritative copy accessed by all users
- Always synchronised automatically regardless of user sessions
- Point clouds always current and immediately available
- Eliminated redundant local storage requirements
- Improved CAD tool performance and reliability
- Reduced risk of design errors from outdated data
Client Overview
The client is a large engineering organisation working extensively with high-resolution point cloud data across multiple CAD platforms, including Revit, Inventor, and AutoCAD. To manage these datasets, the organisation was synchronising point clouds with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). While ACC provided a centralised system of record, it introduced a significant operational challenge: CAD authoring tools require local or network-accessible point cloud files, ACC natively provides web-based access, not seamless local availability, and large point cloud files can be hundreds of gigabytes in size. To bridge this gap, users were synchronising point clouds to their local machines using the Autodesk Connector, similar in behaviour to consumer sync tools like Dropbox.
Existing Environment
- High-resolution point cloud data used across Revit, Inventor, and AutoCAD
- Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) as centralised system of record
- Autodesk Connector for local synchronisation
- Every user synchronising the same large datasets to local machines
- Synchronisation dependent on active user sessions
- Network-based synchronisation requiring live connector sessions
This fragmentation created operational risk, slowed down engineering teams, and made controlled information management nearly impossible.
Project Objective
To eliminate manual synchronisation and session dependency by implementing a server-side, event-driven solution that ensures point clouds are always current, centrally managed, and immediately usable inside CAD environments without adding complexity for end users.
Solution Overview
1. Event-Driven Webhook Integration
A webhook was assigned to the ACC point cloud directory. Any update or refresh of a point cloud in ACC automatically triggered an event that notified the MinuteView platform that a new or updated file was available. This eliminated the need for manual monitoring or scheduled polling.
2. Automated Server-Side Synchronisation
MinuteView authenticated directly with ACC and downloaded the updated point cloud as a background service, storing the file in a shared, high-performance location accessible to all users. No user interaction was required. Point clouds are always synchronised automatically regardless of user logins, active sessions, or local machine availability.
3. Centralised, Authoritative Data Access
All users access a single, authoritative copy of each point cloud dataset. CAD tools reference a consistent, up-to-date dataset from the shared location. Engineers can now work with very large point clouds directly within Revit, Inventor, and AutoCAD without relying on web viewers or manual downloads.
Why This Case Study Is Important
This project demonstrates Tentech's unique capability to:
- Shifted point cloud synchronisation from user-driven sessions to automated, server-side workflows
- Centralised control of large data assets
- Predictable and auditable update behaviour
- Reduced IT support overhead
- Improved engineering productivity and data reliability
- Scalable approach for managing large datasets across enterprise CAD environments
It highlights Tentech's dual strength: deep consulting expertise and strong technical implementation capability, positioning us as one of Australia's leading Autodesk Vault specialists.
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