Date April 2012

© Synchro
ltd
This document is the copyright of Synchro Ltd, Birmingham Science Park Aston, Faraday Wharf,
Holt Street, Birmingham, B7 4BB, United Kingdom, and my not be copied in part or in full, or
distributed without written consent.

Tutorial © Synchro ltd

 CONTENTS

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1
2. The Synchro Workspace .......................................................................................... 2
3. Screen Layout .......................................................................................................... 4
4. Opening a sp file ...................................................................................................... 7
4.1 Opening a Private Project ................................................................................. 7
5. The Gantt Chart ....................................................................................................... 8
5.1 Gantt Chart Display and manipulation ................................................................ 8
5.2 Gantt View Options .......................................................................................... 9
6. 3D View.................................................................................................................. 10
6.1 3D Window Navigation .................................................................................... 10
5.1 Frustum ......................................................................................................... 10
5.2 View Cube ..................................................................................................... 10
6.4 3D Filters ....................................................................................................... 11
7. Reviewing the sp file ............................................................................................. 13
7.1 Moving the Focus Time.................................................................................... 13
7.2 User Profiles................................................................................................... 14
7.3 Review and Investigate Assignments................................................................. 15
8. Information Balloon ............................................................................................. 17
9. Measure Distance .................................................................................................. 18
10. Cutting Planes ....................................................................................................... 21
11. Playing Animations ................................................................................................ 22
11. Printing .................................................................................................................. 23
12. Reporting Review .................................................................................................. 25
12.1 Baselining in Synchro ..................................................................................... 25
12.2 Compare Baseline (using 3D views) .................................................................. 25
12.3 Earned Value Analysis (EVA) Graph................................................................... 27
12.4 User Field Graph ............................................................................................. 29
13. Spatial Coordination .............................................................................................. 30
14. Contact Details ...................................................................................................... 31

Tutorial © Synchro ltd

1. Introduction

Synchro Open Viewer is a ‘light’ version of Synchro Professional.

You will be able to open a prepared sp file and review the contents.
Therefore if you decide to use one of the restricted features you will be presented with this message-

The following tutorial explains the features that are available in this version of Synchro.

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 1

2. The Synchro Workspace

1.1 Initial Setup

1. Start Synchro Viewer

You will be presented with the following opening Synchro screen layout-

2. If you need to download the training material select Synchro Tutorial and this we present you
with the link to the FTP site to download the latest material
3. Select (left mouse click) the Gantt tab (at the bottom of the Welcome panel) to display the Gantt
Chart
4. Select Task Properties (this will open Properties data sets on the right of the screen)
5. Select View + Gantt Mode and select WBS
(We will use a MSP xml file with WBS structure but the schedule maybe structured via Activity
codes)
6. Place the cursor at the top of the 3D window so the icon appears.
Select it with a left mouse click hold down and drag the 3D window up. All windows in Synchro can
be adjusted by this method

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 2

7. Move between the Titles of the columns and drag each column to the left so it looks like the picture
below.
8. Right click in the heading field of the task list and select Customise Columns as shown below

You will be presented with the Customise Columns

window.
9. Select 3D and move it into the Selected field
by selecting the button then select OK.

This will create an extra column which will show you

how many 3D resources have been assigned to each
tasks.
Note
You can rename the column tiles if required

Your workspace should now look like this-

Tip: You can always reset your Synchro workspace to its default settings by selecting
View>Memo View> Reset Layout. This also resets other presentation settings at the same
time.

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3. Screen Layout
This training course will refer to different windows that you need to be aware of as shown below-

 Main Menus and Toolbars contain shortcuts and useful commands found in Synchro.
 Gantt Chart window displays the list of Tasks, which can be created, modified, linked together, or
 3D View displays the modelled resources at any defined point in time.
 Navigator Window
The Navigator Window will be docked against the left hand side of the screen.
It contains useable datasets logically grouped by the categories shown above; for example Project
details, Task and 3D filters, Viewpoints etc.
 Resource Tab is located as a tab on the left hand side of the screen. The tab is set to Auto Hide so
if you hover over the Resource tab you will see the Resource Window appear- when populated this
will contain the list of Resources. If you are using a laptop with one screen it is recommended to
keep this tab on Auto Hide although you can undock and repostion if required.
 3D Objects Tab is again located as a Auto Hidden tab that will contain the list of 3D objects

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 4

Resource and 3D Object Tabs Relocation
The default location for these two tabs is on the left hand side of the screen in Auto Hide
You can undock these or have them docked within the Navigator location as shown below
1. Hover over the Resource tab until it opens then left click on Auto Hide icon

This will undock the Resource Window

2. Left click in the blue title bar until it changes colour to yellow then hold down the left

3. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the window over the top of the Navigator window
until you see a preview then release the mouse

You should then see the Resource tab listed at the bottom of the panel

4. Repeat this procedure for the 3D Objects filter

5. You can then switch between each window by selecting the required one with a left click

Note
Please see Section 16 for Multi-Screen Layout

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 5

 Task Properties are located on the right hand side of the screen and can be displayed by a left
click of the mouse on the Task Properties tab at the bottom
Task Properties data sets present the properties of an individual task logically grouped in the
categories shown below-

 Resource Properties are also found on the right hand side of the screen- to display left click of the
mouse on the Resource Properties tab at the bottom
Resource Properties data sets present the properties of resources logically grouped in the
categories shown below-

 3D Properties are also found on the right hand side of the screen- to display left click of the mouse
on the 3D Resource Properties tab at the bottom
3D Properties data sets present the properties of 3D objects logically grouped in the categories
shown below-

Note

If you lose one of these windows (you may accidently hit the ‘X’ by mistake)
you can reopen via the Main Menu Windows then select the one you
require

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 6

4. Opening a sp file
4.1 Opening a Private Project

1. Select Open> Private Project then locate, select Synchro Training Project.sp then Open
2. You will be presented with the Login Window below, Name will be Administrator and the
password will remain blank- select OK

Note-The purpose of this login is you can set up users with

different permissions if required (see Help)

If you want to disable this message appearing select Tools>Options>Default for New
Objects>Login to Private Project
Set the options as shown below-

You will be presented with the following screen-

This is sp file has a Microsoft Project xml schedule and DWF files imported, resourced and assigned to
task activities in the schedule.

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 7

5. The Gantt Chart
5.1 Gantt Chart Display and manipulation

To manoeuvre within the Gantt chart move the cursor within the Gantt Chart-
To Pan
Hold down the middle mouse button then move the mouse up, down, left and right.
To Zoom

Roll the middle mouse button wheel forward and back to zoom in and out respectively.

The Focused Time is indicated by the red dashed line with a triangle symbol on top.
Left click and hold in the date field where the red triangle is and move the focus time left and right. This will
move the focus time to any point in time in the schedule and reveals the current time below.

The Data Date is indicated by a vertical blue dashed line.

This defines the project scheduling date for progress reporting

WBS Layout colours the summary bars- to modify or disable select Tools> WBS Layout-

The WBS Layout will be displayed-

Here you can disable the WBS Layout by un-ticking the box, modify
existing layout or create your own layout.

Note
In Tools>Options>General you can alter
1. Set Time Display/Format to Short date format and disable Display Time of Day
2. Set Duration Display Format to Concise and Days/Hours/Minutes

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 8

5.2 Gantt View Options

1 Select View>Gantt Mode to display the Gantt Chart as required.

2 Disable Show Hidden Link Warnings

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 9

6. 3D View
6.1 3D Window Navigation
 Within the 3D window click the right mouse button and select Zoom> Zoom All
This will show all the objects from the front as the models have been created- it can be
used if the view becomes discombobulated.
 To Rotate hold down the left mouse button at a point in the 3D View that you want to rotate about
then move the mouse
 To Zoom in and out scroll the middle mouse button forward and back respectively.
 To Pan hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse

5.1 Frustum
The Frustum setting affects how Synchro will
render elements in the 3D Window in order to
improve performance and memory utilisation.
This works by reducing the level of detail of
distant elements or removing them from the
scene.
When you open Synchro the Frustum will be set
to ‘Whole Scene’
As the training course does not use particularly
huge models we can leave this set to ‘Whole
Scene’
To change the Frustum view type-
1. Tools>Options>3D View>Camera>Frustum

2. Change the View

Note- You can also change the Frustum setting in the drop down box above the Gantt Chart

5.2 View Cube

An alternative to the Axis Indicator in the 3D View is the View Cube. (Ensure that axis indicator is
enabled by right click in 3D View>Visual Indicators)
This enables the user to manipulate the view by using the left click of the
mouse to use the various viewing options on the cube
To enable-
Select Tools>Options>3D View>Manipulator then enable the box next to
Use View Cube as Axis Indicator
Left click on points on the cube and the view will rotate to that viewpoint or
hold down the left mouse button on the circle to rotate

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 10

6.4 3D Filters
6.4.1 Pre-Set Filters
3D filters allow you to show or hide elements of the 3D model to make it easier to visualise and work with…

1. Select the Navigator Filters button

2. Under 3D Filters tick the box next to 3D Object Filters and highlight the text as shown below-

3. In Open Viewer you can change between the pre-set filters; you cannot modify or create new ones.
Click on the box next to the name of the filter to enable/disable.

6.4.2 Isolate/Hide Filters

Isolate Selected Toggle
1. Move Focus Time to the end of the project so you can see all of the building installed
2. In the 3D View hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select the roof (selected items turn red)

3. In the 3D View right click and select Filters> Isolate Selected Toggle
You will see only that item in the 3D View

You can also select the objects in Navigator> 3D list/3D Filter list and 3D Resources in
Navigator> Resources lists and the object will be displayed in the 3D window

4. Right click in the 3D View and deselect Filters> Isolate Selected Toggle or Filters> Show
All to disable

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 11

Hide Selected Toggle
1. Move Focus Time to the end of the project so you can see all of the building installed

2. In the 3D View right click and select Filters> Hide Selected Toggle
3. In the 3D View hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select the roof
You will hide that item in the 3D View

You can also select the objects in Navigator> 3D list/3D Filter list and 3D Resources in
Navigator> Resources lists and the object will be hiden in the 3D window

4. Right click in the 3D View and deselect Filters> Isolate Selected Toggle or Filters> Show
All to disable

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7. Reviewing the sp file
7.1 Moving the Focus Time

1. Move the cursor over the red triangle (in the date area of the Gantt Chart), left click and hold then
move the cursor to the left so the Focus Time moves to the start of the project.
You will see that the project in the 3D View has moved to the start-
2. Continue to hold the left click and move the cursor the the right and as the focus time moves over the
tasks in the schedule you will see the relevant operations occur relative to each tasks that 3D
Resources has been assigned to.

When you reach the end

of the project in the Gantt
Chart you will see-

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7.2 User Profiles

You will notice that as the Focus time is moving over each task that they will change colour.
When 3D Resources are assigned to task they must use a Use Profile which designates the operation
used.

In Navigator Use Profiles you will see 4 predefined options which will be used when assigning to tasks.
The functions of these are shown in the table below.

With the profile highlighted, open the General tab

You will see the colours/transparency for Start Appearance, Active Appearance and End
Appearance.
If an appearance is not necessary for example Install has no Start Appearance they will be greyed out.
You will also see user defined Use Profiles such as Roof Trans etc.

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7.3 Review and Investigate Assignments

7.3.1 Review
1. 3D window select Zoom> Zoom All
2. Rotate in the 3D window so the models are facing you.
3. Drag the Focus Time back to the start and drag along to the right at your own discretion though time.
4. Another way to review is to play the Focused Time

5. Ensure that Play Focused Time is selected

6. From the toolbars menu select Move to Start
7. Select Play
8. The speed can be adjusted by selecting from the Main Menu- Play>Focused Time Play Speed then
chose an option.

7.3.2 Select Assigned Resources From a Task

1. Move the Focus Time after the Task 14. Main Site Clearance as shown below so the initial main
site excavation has been removed.

2. Select Task 17. Excavation 3 from the task list, right click then select Select Assigned
Resource
You will see all the objects assigned to that task are highlight.

3. Left click in the 3D Window then press Escape to cancel all.

7.3.3 Select Assigned To Tasks From An Object

1. Select one of the excavation objects in the main 3D window, right click then
select Display ‘Assigned to’ Task(s)
2. This will automatically find the task to which this object has been assigned
3. Open Task Properties Resources (right of the screen) and you will see
the 3D model resource that you have assigned to that task.

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7.4 Focus Time on Task

You can move the Focus Time so it is located at the start, centre or end of a task bar

1. Select & highlight a task then from the toolbars select Focus Time on Centre of Task from the
toolbars menu

(The Focus time will move directly the midpoint of the selected task’s
duration)

7.5 Focused Time

1. Select Focused Time and the window appears-

2. You can then enter a specified time and date you want the Focus Time to move to.
3. This also includes the Play, Stop, Move to Start etc.

7.6 Selecting 3D Items Within the 3D Window

When you select a 3D item in the 3D window it will change colour to red (or defined selection colour)

Shift Select
Holding down the shift button on the keyboard and single left click of the mouse will select the items in the
Main 3D window.
Using shift will continue to pick items and not deselect.

Ctlr Select
Holding down Ctlr on the keyboard will work similar to using the Shift selection apart from it will deselect any
item that you pick twice.

Navigator Lists
You can highlight the name of the 3D Object/Resource in Navigator 3D, Filter and Resources.

Cancelling Selection
If you left click anywhere within the 3D Window then press Escape on your keyboard the selection will be
cancelled.

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 8. Information Balloon

As you move over the objects in the 3D Window, Synchro will present an Information Window in the bottom
right hand corner of the 3D View
Move the Focus Time so you can see the excavation taking place (Orange Active colour in the 3D View) then
move the cursor in the 3D View so you hover over the excavation object.
The information window will appear for a few seconds as shown below

The Information window displays:

- Name of the 3D object
- Name of the 3D Resource
- The tasks which it is assigned to
To modify the Information Balloon; select Tools>Options>3D View>Advanced>Information
Balloon and you will presented with the following options
You can also modify the Output
Information to control what is
displayed in the Information
Balloon.

Recommendations
Delay before raising- 0.1 seconds
Show duration- 15 seconds
Transparency- 0%
You can set these options to suit

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 9. Measure Distance
9.1 Measurement settings

1. Firstly ensure snapping is used with measurement

Select Tools>Options>3D View>Distance Measurement then enable Use snapping
2. Distance Measurement allows modification of Colour, Projection and Size of Text and
Arrows
3. To modify the measurement settings select Tools>Options>3D
View>Measurement Display allows you to modify the presentation and parameters.
The settings below are recommended for this tutorial-

4. Select OK

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9.2 Measuring
9.2.1 Point to Point
To measure the distance between 2 points…..

1. Right click in the 3D View then select Measure Distance

2. Move the cursor to the end point of an object until a red dot appears

3. Remain over this point a pop up bubble appears with the coordinates of this point from the origin

4. Left click at this point

5. Move the other end then when the red dot appears left click

6. Zoom out and you will see the measurement

You can continue to make other measurements if required.

To cancel the measurement-

7. Right click in the 3D View then select Measure Distance again to deactivate

Tutorial © Synchro ltd 19

 9.2.2 Edge measurement
To measure the length of an edge…

1. Right click in the 3D View then select Measure Distance

2. Move the cursor over an edge until it highlights in blue

3. Remain over this point until a pop up bubble appears with the length of this edge

9.7.2.3 Surface measurement

To measure the perimeter and area of a surface…

1. Move the cursor over a surface until the edges highlight in green

Note- this will depend on the model itself; you will see that the surface selected above
is a segment of the overall surface
2. Remain over this surface until a pop up bubble appears with the perimeter and area of this
surface

3. Right click in the 3D View then select Measure Distance again to deactivate

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 10. Cutting Planes
1. Right click in the 3D Window (or 3D from Main Menu) and select Cutting Planes, you will see

2. Select Cutting Plane Z then move over the main roof and left click to place the cutting plane which
will appear as shown below.

A simple manipulator appears which works the same as the one used to translate mentioned earlier.
The cutting plane allows you to apply a visual filter in the Z plane and two options to rotate.
The blue square allows you to move the manipulator in the axis chosen.

3. Move the cursor over the manipulator until the vertical icon ‘grows’ then hold down the left button
the drag the cutting plane up and down in the Z direction.
4. You will see that there are no cutting faces so the items appear hollow where it cuts through models
(Fig 1)

To show the cutting face select Tools>Options>Cutting Plane and activate Show Cutting Faces. There
are options to change the colour/transparency of the face and edge here. The result is show in Fig 2 with the
cutting plane shown in green.

5. To deactivate the cutting plane Select 3D from Main Menu then Cutting Planes then Cutting
Plane Z

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 11. Playing Animations
You can view animations that have been prepared within the Synchro file
1. Select Animations in the Navigator, you will see the animations created so select and highlight
the one you want to view
2. Select Animation Editor
3. Move the cursor into the Animation Editor (do not left click!) and roll the mouse wheel to rescale to
the required timescale.

4. To move the timeline in the animation editor left click in the grey area where the time (0min-1min)
hold and drag left and right

5. To use the Play, Stop, Move to Start etc items ensure that Play Animations

6. You can then either use the icons from the Toolbars or select the icons
from the Focused Time window

7. Close the animation editor by clicking on the ‘x’ in the top right hand corner

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11. Printing
Before printing, set the required view and aspect ratio, for example to suit a landscape print. Also you can move
the focus time in order to take a snap shot at a particular date.

1. Select File + Print Set Up and set the options as required (Portrait/ Landscape etc)
2. Select File + Print
3. Select the required printer from the list and edit the preferences accordingly

4. Select the Layout tab

Here you can choose what to print in the View to Print drop down. When this is set to 3D the page
options are not available since Fit to exactly is assumed.

5. Select the legend tab

Here you have to option to put a legend at the bottom of the print by selecting the Show Legend box.
You also have the option of which date to show as well as placing a logo in the legend.

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6. Select Print or Preview then Print
The PDF will look as below

7. Select File> Save

8. Double click on top bar of 3D View to re-dock
Screenshot
If you need a quick screenshot you can always select the Print Screen key on your keyboard then
paste into software such as Paint, Photoshop etc

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12. Reporting Review
12.1 Baselining in Synchro

A baseline (or snapshot) can be created to compare planned against actual in Synchro

1. Select the Navigator Baselines button and change Show to All

2. The predefined Baselines are listed- select and highlight the Baseline that you want to see in the
Gantt Chart
3. In the Gantt Chart you will see the Baseline tasks are shown in blue whereas the Planned are shown
in red as shown below-

12.2 Compare Baseline (using 3D views)

You can compare the current baseline with the proposed new schedule, by following these steps:

1. Select 3D: to create another 3D View (which is typically positioned above the first 3D View)
2. Select (in the new 3D View yellow title bar shown) and drag the new 3D View over the first 3D View,
and release the left mouse button over the right side smart window placement icon.

A preview of where the view will be placed will be shown before you drop the view in place.

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 3. Modify the new 3D View to present a viewpoint similar to the first 3D View
4. Right-click in the first 3D View and select Dates To Use + Baseline from the context menu

Move the Focused Time through the project to review how the new schedule falls behind the baseline

The Focused Time for the Baseline is behind that of the new schedule as the excavation has yet to be
completed compared with the updated schedule which is part way through construction

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12.3 Earned Value Analysis (EVA) Graph

Cost will be imported directly from your schedule (see options on import) or can applied in Synchro with as
Resource or direct task cost

1. Select Windows + EVA Graph

The EVA will appear below the Gantt Chart although you may have to resize.
2. Select a task with cost assigned (in this case Task 14 Main Site Clearance) you will see the follow
result-

T
ip- The EVA Graph manipulation is governed by pan and zoom in the Gantt Chart.
Tip- You can show/hide BCWS,BCWS and/or ACWP using the tick boxes
To view a combination of cost resources/direct cost assigned to tasks

3. Right click in the task list then right click and Select All
4. Ensure Select All Tasks is select on the prompt window then select OK
You will see the following result-

Y
ou will see the graph appear which contains-

BCWP (The Budgeted Cost of Work Performed) in grey which quantifies the value of tasks started but not
yet finished.

BCWS (The Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled) in red which quantifies the value of tasks originally
planned.

ACWP (The Actual Cost of Work Performed) in blue which quantifies the value of tasks that are finished

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5. Move the Focus Time in the Gantt Chart left and right and you will see that the EVA graph gives a
forecast value at that moment in time.

6. You can see the EVA results for combined tasks by selecting multiple tasks, summary tasks or the
whole project.

7. Select Task Properties Cost Totals & Statistics to view further reports

8. Print your results for the EVA by File> Print and changing the Layout to EVA Graph + required
settings
9. Select Windows + EVA Graph to deactivate.

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12.4 User Field Graph

The User Field Graph displays the assignment of user field values over time.
For the purpose of this training we will show Space Allocation against time.
The user fields can be populated from the imported schedule or created in Synchro

1. Select Windows> User Field Graph

The User Field Graph manipulation is governed by pan and zoom in the Gantt Chart.
The coloured bars are the result of values applied to tasks for element displayed in the legend-
- 5m Work Margin
- Structural Steel
- Concrete Crew
The black line is a summary total of these elements on tasks
The red line is the limit set (This was applied in Syncho)
2. Select Tools>Options>General>Gantt Graphs and ensure that Increment limit is selected.
(This will add/subtract the user field values of the limits rather than as a set figure)
3. Moving the Focus Time in the Gantt Chart gives a reading for the summary and limits as you move it
When the Limit is exceeded the arrows may be used to navigate to the First,
Next and Last over allocation

Single arrow moves to next clash; double takes start or finish

4. The graph can be printed by the selecting File>Print and changing the Layout to User Field
Graph

5. Select Windows> User Field Graph

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13. Spatial Coordination
6. Select the Navigator Spatial Coordination button
7. Ensure that Show All is selected
8. Tests prepared in the sp file will be listed
9. Select Tower Crane right click and select Show Test
The following window will be displayed showing the clash between the Tower Crane and the Walls.
It lists the items involved, the time at which they clash and an image of them

Set default camera position will locate these items in the 3D View so you can see the location of
the objects

The main 3D window will zoom to the location of the clash when selected.
To print the results select Print and follow the usual procedure to give the following result

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14. Contact Details

User Support
Stephen Dolan Senior 4D Consultant
Synchro Ltd
Birmingham Science Park Aston
Faraday Wharf
Holt Street
Birmingham
B7 4BB
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0) 2476 940 231
Mobile +44 (0) 797 6911 695
Email stephen.dolan@synchroltd.com
Skype stephendolan.skype

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