Permissions
Task | Viewer | Editor | Site Administrator | Organization Administrator |
Use Offline Mode | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Overview
Cellular data and wifi connectivity can be a challenge on construction sites, which can make it difficult to leverage BIM in the field. To address this issue, OpenSpace BIM+ includes an offline mode. Users can download their model while connected to the internet, caching that file to their local device for offline access later. When using offline mode, users can navigate their model in the app in the following three ways: 1) sheets-based navigation (sheets must have been aligned to the BIM in OpenSpace prior to model download), 2) Saved Views, and 3) joystick-style navigation for walk-through mode.
How to use Offline Mode?
Open up the project in our mobile app, and click the “BIM” tab:
Select the desired model
Viewer will load. To download the model for offline access, tap "Options" > "Download Model"
When download progress hits 100%, that model should be accessible even when offline!
The user can delete BIM from offline mode via Options in the top right and tap "Remove from cache".
To access previously created Saved Views, tap the folder icon for "Saved Views" in the top right corner and then select the view name. (Note that currently you can't created Saved Views when in offline mode).
If you are already navigating the model, select the over flow menu, "Saved Views" and the view you would like to display.
To use sheet-based navigation, access sheets via the "Options" menu in the top navigation and tap a location on the floor plan.
The viewer navigation mode may default to “Orbit” mode (right-side icon). In order to pan the view from the same location (rather than moving locations when dragging in the viewer), change to “First Person” mode by tapping the (left-side human icon) three times:
To view the BIM full screen again, close the Sheets view by tapping the “Sheets” icon (shown shaded blue when Sheets are open):
To navigate with the viewer joystick, enter “First person” mode to show the joystick, then press the center and move around to change your navigation direction:
In addition to the delete model option in #5, users can also manually “Clear Cache” for all cached data from the “Settings” page, accessed via the gear icon in the top right corner of the mobile project home:
FAQ
How long will a model remain cached for offline use once downloaded?
App updates will NOT clear the model cache. The BIM will stay in the cache indefinitely unless one of the following events occurs:
The BIM cache is manually cleared (see the “How to” section above)
The OpenSpace mobile app is deleted (doing this is generally not recommended because the practice can clear pending capture data)
If I can cache the model, can I also cache an associated capture for offline viewing?
We do not currently support caching of an OpenSpace capture for offline viewing, but please let your OpenSpace representative know if you’d find a lot of value in this functionality.
If you have any additional questions please reach out to the OpenSpace Support team at support@openspace.ai.